Getting Better Quality In Your Fan Videos

So, you're a vidder, and you're wondering how to improve the picture quality of your videos? I'll explain a few techniques that should help. First, let's cover some of the fundamentals. Here are some side-by-side comparisons. (I love to make side-by-side comparison graphics!)

What goes in, must come out.

It's just the rule of life. Your video editor can only make do with what you give it. So to increase the quality of your video, you have to give it the best raw material you can find (in the form of source footage).

codec comparison

Unless you have a teensy monitor, the difference between these three sample images should be obvious. The HD image is far sharper than the DVD, and the DVD looks crisper than the DivX AVI. See a much larger version of these three examples. (You might have to scroll back and forth to see the whole image, it's BIG!)

Many vidders may not realize that they've probably been working in the DivX-type quality footage (or worse). Even if the vidder buys the DVDs (or has HD footage) they still may end up editing with the softer, degraded image of the DivX AVI. If they convert their DVD with a "DVD converter/ripper" kind of application, and let the program make "some kind of AVI or MOV" file (with a finished file size of maybe 350-450 MB per 45 minute video) then they're ending up with the DivX AVI quality. And in the process, they're needlessly losing a lot of the detail that was originally in their source DVD.

What a some of the vidders on RAfanvids do is convert their DVDs to a higher quality "editable" codec, which doesn't lose all the detail and keeps the AVI or MOV files that they edit at about the same sharpness as their DVD. (I'll be giving you tutorials on how to do that shortly.)

Sometimes, unfortunately, all a vidder has to work with are those 350-450 MB downloaded videos. In which case, they make do until the DVDs come along. But when the DVDs are for sale, they buy them! The extra quality is so very worth it.

What comes out . . .

The next step to good quality is when the video is finished and is exported out of the video software. If the file size is smaller or the export settings inefficient, then too much detail is lost. So it's while it's important for the vidder to know how to retain quality in the clips they import into their video software, it's just as important to keep the maximum amount of detail as they export. I'll be listing a tutorial which will help make the most of a video export.

Things can get messed up along the way . . .

Don't deny it, we've all seen it, and many of us have probably had it happen to us. Things like "interlacing" (those weird horizontal lines through a video) or "smearing" (bizarre goobers that just appear in a video for no apparent reason) and of course the tell-tale "blocky" look of a video that's too compressed and/or came from poor quality source footage.

interlacing artifacts

The weird lines across his nose and cheek are "interlacing," which can be avoided by selecting to deinterlace (only when needed) when preparing clips for editing. The blurriness of the image is due to using low quality footage.

artifacts

Artifacts and "blockiness" make this image almost unrecognizable. This is due to using bad quality footage and/or exporting the video at a low setting. Also, sometimes video editing software will make a clip turn "blocky" even if the source clip is sharper, because the software can't handle the compressed codec being used (XviD or DivX AVI, WMV, etc).

A lot of the unattractive "blockiness," blurriness, or just fuzzy detail can be totally avoided in fan videos. No, it's not "just how it is" a lot of the time. Sure, it can happen with dial-up videos, or when all anyone has is a low-quality source clip. But if the DVDs are available for sale, and if the vidder prepares their footage right and exports at good settings, then there's no reason to settle for substandard quality.

The weird "smearing" and unexpected goobers? They come from editing the DivX AVI, XviD AVI, or other compressed file types (WMV, H.264 MOV, MP4, and so forth). And sometimes a video will get really "blocky" all of a sudden, even though the source clip doesn't have the blockiness. That's because the editing software isn't meant to edit those kinds of codecs (DivX, etc) and messes up the quality.

See the difference:

Here are two Spooks videos, by the same vidder. One used some downloaded clips as source footage (the DVD had not been released yet). The second was edited using clips ripped from the commercial DVD. With both videos, the vidder converted her source footage (XviD AVI or DVD rip) to an "editable codec" (like DV) so the editing process would be smoother and more stable.

Right-click to download

"Mad World" by Delicateblossom, DivX AVI, 48 MB (Used downloaded XviD/DivX AVI files as original source.)

"Stranger in Moscow" by Delicateblossom, H.264 MP4, 82 MB (Used ripped DVD as original source.) Or, look at an XviD AVI version of "Stranger in Moscow," saved at a lower data rate (quality/detail setting) than the "Mad World" video. It still compares favorably to the "Mad World" video in quality.

The same vidder made both videos, and used solid editing methods with each video in an attempt to retain good quality. But still, the second video, "Stranger in Moscow" is sharper and less "blocky" in parts, because the DVD was used instead of downloaded clips.

Important tutorial links:

(Links to the Foolish Passion fan video forums, no membership required to view these tutorials.)

What's the big deal about codecs, or why an AVI file isn't just an AVI file. The tutorial explains why a vidder needs to know what kind of AVI (or MOV, or whatever) file they're using for editing, and why some types of video files are better than others when it comes to editing. Often using the "wrong" kind of AVI or MOV (or whatever video type) can cause unexpected problems, like your software crashing, black screen, audio gone, audio garbled, blocky artifacts in your video, and so forth. Don't blame your software for these problems, switch to a better editing codec!

Ripping your DVD (for both Mac and PC). Use some free applications to extract the digital video files from your DVD onto your hard drive. (Note, this is NOT the same as using some software to "convert your DVD to some kind of AVI or MOV file." You do NOT want to do that in most cases.)

Converting your ripped DVD to an editable codec (DV AVI or DV MOV, for both Mac and PC): This is a method which many of our vidders here use to convert their ripped DVDs. The process is easy and your editing software will thank you! (No more crashing, black screen, weird audio problems, etc!) PLUS, the most important thing—you'll keep almost all of the detail that's in the DVD.

No more squished faces! Aspect ratio awareness: None of the videos hosted on RAfanvids have horrible aspect ratio problems, because it's a pet peeve of mine. I don't want to see Richard Armitage with a face so fat and squashed down that he looks like a troll, or with a face all stretched out and too skinny! That's what happens when a video is exported using the wrong aspect ratio. There are easy ways to avoid it.

Additional tutorials:

(Links may require free forum membership to view.)

Editing in HD for Macs (Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express): All the HD videos on this site so far have been made by following this tutorial. See some of our HD videos.

Exporting your video for great quality: This is part one of the tutorial (link to part two at the end of the first tutorial). Many of the vidders on this site follow this tutorial (or use similar techniques) for exporting their finished video. Covers most the most popular software for Mac and PC.

Additional tutorial extolling the virtues of editing with higher quality footage (link to foolishpassion.org). Warns against using clips downloaded from YouTube, and shows side-by-side illustrations as well as downloadable samples.