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One of the most important encoding tasks is compressing video for download or
streaming from the web, and closely linked to this is encoding video for
download or podcasting to video capable iPods and iPhones.
We'll take a look at performing both of these tasks.
When you first open Compressor, you have a choice as several templates for batching.
If you're publishing to YouTube or MobileMe, you can simply choose one of
these options to automatically set up the appropriate presets and to
automatically create multiple versions for a video web server, choose Create Web Reference
Movie. Right now, we'll create a setup from scratch,
so choose Cancel. First, we'll import the clip to be encoded.
The clip will appear in the batch table inside a blue rectangle, represented by
a poster frame thumbnail. You can quickly scrub through the media by
dragging the slider below the clip.
In the Inspector, information about the clip's audio and video is displayed.
This is a good place to do a last minute check to make sure you've imported
the correct footage. Now it's time to apply a target to the source
media that tells Compressor how you want to encode the clip and where you
want to put the output files, when compression completes.
From the Target menu, choose New Target With Setting.
If the option is dimmed, make sure that the Source media is selected in the batch table.
In the window that drops down, click the disclosure triangle next to Apple and
then choose Other Workflows.
Since we are working with web encoding, click Web.
Next, choose the kind of delivery method you plan to use.
Unless you're working with the dedicated streaming server, you probably want to
create a downloadable movie file. After selecting the Download folder, either
select QuickTime 7 settings
or if you need to ensure compatibility with web visitors who have not yet updated to
QuickTime 7, select QuickTime 6 Settings.
Presets are arranged based on the data rate required to play back the content.
If you anticipate that your viewers will primarily have fast broadband
connections, you could choose a high data rate like 800 Kbps.
If you anticipate visits to the site by users on slower connections, you'll need
to choose a lower rate. Select the Preset and click Add.
A new target will be placed in the blue rectangle to the right of the
Source media's thumbnail. Targets are divided into three sections.
Starting from the left, the name of the preset, the destination of the final
encoded file and the output file name.
The Plus and Minus buttons to the right of the file name will add a new target
or delete the current target respectively. Now currently the output destination is set
to Source which means that the encoded file will end up in the same location
or folder as the original. Now suppose you want to change the destination
to the Desktop, so it's easier to find for immediate uploading.
Right-click on the Target, choose Destination > Desktop.
You could also choose an FTP or iDisk destination for automatic remote uploading.
Watch the tour of the interface video for more information.
This job is now ready to encode, since it has all of the information, Compressor
needs to process the work: source media, an encoding preset, a destination and
an output file name. Before we commence encoding, we'll add a second
target to create an iPod version of the clip.
Right-click on the Job and choose New Target With Setting, then choose Apple >
Apple Devices > H.264 for iPod video and iPhone 640x480.
And again, we'll right-click and choose Destination > Desktop.
You now have a single job with two separate encoding tasks or targets.
Now sometimes you'll need to modify your settings to accommodate
specific requirements. To do this, select a target and then look
at the Inspector. The six buttons near the top of the Inspector
window control what's displayed in the fields below.
The far left button displays a Summary of all the parameters and settings that
Compressor will apply during encoding. Let's modify the video settings.
Click the second tab in the Inspector, the Encoder tab.
Let's adjust the Bit Rate down to say 1200 or so to help reduce the final
file size a little. Right now the change is temporary, meaning
that it will only applied at this current encoding target.
If the preset's later used on another job, it will have the original
unmodified settings. Click Save As to create a new unique preset.
With everything ready, click Submit.
If you have access to a networked render cluster in your facility, you can
select it here. Otherwise, leave it at This Computer and click Submit again.
You can watch the progress in the History pane or click the dedicated Batch
Monitor to open the Batch Monitor utility and by selecting This Computer,
you can watch the progress here.
You can quit the Batch Monitor at any time. The files will continue to encode in the background.
You can also quit Compressor.