RE: [Leica] Putting still images to video

["Rodgers, David" <david.rodgers@xo.com>]

Mike, 

By stretching I meant vertically. Roughly 530 pixels. Transitioning SVGA to
NTSC does some strange things to an image, as does leaving the computer
arena entirely and going to NTSC. By that I mean converting to a codec that
can be viewed on a DVD player, vs plugging a projector into the SVGA port on
a PC. Pixels aren't the same in both worlds. Getting color and luminance
right is a big challenge. At least with the tools I've used so far. I've
converted stills so they can be shown on a DVD player. Just not very well so
far. The sound is great, though.  

Personally, I find video complex, but fascinating. I've seen still images
placed in digital video with great effect. The equipment to make that happen
is much more affordable today than a few years back. Adobe has some great
demos on their web site. It isn't easy as they  make it look, however.
There's much to learn.  I spent lots of time in this area over the winter. I
haven't even scratched the surface. 

I think streaming video is the future of the Internet. May be a couple of
years away, but it's coming.  I envision stills being integrated with
digital video, and streamed over the web for advertising, marketing,
promotion and even entertainment. The possiblities are endless. There's a
new world coming, but  I think high res still images (scanned from film for
on a flatbed) can and will play an important role. FWIW.  

Take, for example, a parallel thread that's running right now. Tina asked
about places to travel. Descriptions are ok. But what if you could send 4
minute streaming video with photographs, audio, travel tips on places to
stay. She -- or any of us because I ask that question often too -- would
probably find that a bit more informative than prose.   

Dave

- -----Original Message-----
From: Mike Durling [mailto:durling@widomaker.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 7:15 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Putting still images to video


It's interesting that you have to stretch your photoshop files when
converting to video.  The hardware I use at work expects a 720x486 image and
I often have to squash the photoshop images when combining graphics with
captured images.  The "squash" ratio ends up being about 90% of the original
image height.  Other hardware may be using a 640x480 image.

Its true that interlace can be a problem.

I have seen some people convert their slide shows to PowerPoint documents.
Certainly convenient but the images often leave a lot to be desired.

Mike D

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Rodgers, David" <david.rodgers@xo.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 1:39 PM
Subject: RE: [Leica] Putting still images to video


> Mark
>
> >>You shouldn't need to reboot your system. Just invoke My Computer /
> Properties / Device Manager, and refresh the SCSI controller after you
turn
> the scanner back on.<<
>
> Thanks for the note.  Your suggestion should work, and sometimes it does.
> But not always. My system is pretty touchy. I've got several SCSI cards
and
> a large drive subsystem. I put it all together so I could experiment with
> adding native motion and audio to still images using Adobe Premiere, and
> play it on a DVD player.
>
> Importing tiff files -- or any still image format -- to video is a
difficult
> transition. Computer graphics is non-interleave and the pixels are round.
> NTSC is interleave and the pixels are square. Interleave isn't a problem,
> the but the round to square pixel isssue is. With a straight import
> Photoshop files suffer verical compression (i.e. they look squashed on
TV).
> You have to stretch them in Photoshop before the import. I'd love to get
> Adobe After effects. I understand it makes the transition much easier.
Also
> has a much better interface for applying motion to stills.
>
> I've put together some image clips on VCD. It's interesting. Audio can add
a
> great deal to the viewing experience.  You can even do voice overs. I just
> plop the CD into my DVD player and it's like watching a slide show, sort
of.
> While it's easier than getting out the Ektagraphic, image quality isn't
the
> same. Sort of defeats the purpose of using Leica. OTOH you can't do motion
> -- pans, scrolls, etc. -- on an Ektagraphic. There's a lot to video. So
far
> I've just been importing still images, but I may integrate some DV, too.
>
> I thought saving 16-bit tiff files ate lots of drive space. Tiffs are like
> mice. Video (any of various formats) eats drive space like a T-Rex. Takes
a
> while to boot or reboot my system, because of the drive subsystem. I
really
> need to change things around, get a separate server for the drive
> sub-system. I need to made a separate video and still system. Just no
time.
> When I scan I switch from slides to negs all the time and I've only had
one
> or two instances of color shifts. It seemed to me that swapping the side
and
> stip holders cleared this up. That's probably why the note I read about
> scanner exposure memory stuck with me.
>
> Dave
>