text:
How did they make the nice moving shots in this video?
https://prismic.io/ - has a very nice explainer video and I was wondering how they made the nice "tilted" sliding effect on the screencast video? Also... how are they making the video being focused on the center, but blurry on the sides?
I know it's probably a bit of a noob question, but I'm still relatively new to AE.

It's two very basic tools in After Effects.  The first is simply either a perspective correction or a 3d transform depending on which way you want to do it coupled with an x/y movement across the frame.
There are also a few different ways you can approach the blur such as using a layer as the basis of the amount of blur and using a mask or using a filter that supports a blur that changes with the distance from center (I think there is a built in filter to do this under the blur filters, but if not, I'm sure there are third party ones.)

Thanks for the quick answer. It was a bit as I expected. Just wanted to make sure there wasn't any plugins and such involved. I'm gonna accept the answer, but if you have a tutorial for making something like what I described, feel free to put it out there.


text:
How can I make an actor cry?
In a film I am making I need and actor to start crying, but I cant think of how I am going to do that without actually making them sad.
One thing I have heard is that there are eye drops you can get.
Are there any other options?

I've always wondered how many actors are making themselves cry internally, being made to cry (which is not exactly easy) or are using some sort of practical effects...

I'd like to suggest you edit your question to address a specific problem you've been faced with, instead of a theoretical what-if.  Your talent are willing collaborators, and if you're trying to "make them cry", then you're mistakenly treating them like props.  Did you try communicating with them to show them why you were after a certain performance?  How did that go?  My second suggestion is to read Judith Weston's "Directing Actors", which even has a section dedicated to dealing with child actors, who may not understand your motivations as well as a trained adult.

By playing them this song.

There's some meta discussion here about whether "performance" questions like this are on-topic here. I'd be interested to know what everyone thinks!

Kick 'em in the nuts ;)

Mental / physical abuse.

Eye drops or saline are certainly simple. Alternatives include blowing dry air at the face just before action, or rubbing the eyes.
Can your actor not use the old tried and tested method of remembering the death of a childhood pet?

If he/she is a professional  actor you don't have to try and make him cry. It's  part the actor's job. And again professional or not you cannot fake a cry without making the actor sad ( meaning just tears or fake ones ) . Otherwise the overall scene will seem fake. What you should do is make the actor understand why he/she has to cry in that scene and most important help the actor really live the scene . Of course if you don't want to make the actor sad ( which i think is unavoidable ) you can help afterwards by congratulating and changing the sadness with happy feelings of success. ( or a romantic dinner if you have feelings for the actor - :P )
In other words everyone that takes part on this scene just enjoy it . maybe it will need some takes . but my suggestion is .. enjoy it

A 'menthol blower' is what I've seen recently used on set. The makeup artist will blow through it into the actor's eye to irritate it. A search on Google might give you some leads.

Create the emotion and use eye drops only as a final touch, if needed.
If you try, you will find you can pretty much create any emotion at will. The actors should be sad when playing these parts, only difference is that when you are purposefully causing yourself to be sad, it's actually pretty fun.

It's better to try to create the emotion rather than just using eye-drops or onions, because besides tear production, there are other mannerisms and behaviors involved in crying.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
Choosing the right format/codec for export
I have a few recordings from my Canon IXUS 90 IS that I have combined into one sequence. I am using this small project as a way to get to know Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.
The pieces of video from the camera are obviously already compressed, and I would like to export the finished product in an equally compressed format to reduce the file size. Which format/codec is best suited for this task? Am I fine with the ones that are already available to me in Premiere, or should I download another somewhere?
I've already tried the Windows Media codec, but I get the error "The source and output audio channels are not compatible or a conversion does not exist" and I have no idea what to do about this.
Video details:

File type: AVI
Video: 640x480, 30 fps
Audio: 44100 Hz, 16-bit, Mono

I am fine with having to fiddle with the parameters in order to get the quality just right. I just need a pointer in the right direction.
Please let me know if further details are needed.

I use these guidelines when uploading to the internet: http://vimeo.com/help/compression. I know that's not what you're trying to do but it's a starting point. I find there is very little loss of quality and massively reduced file size.

That was actually just what I was trying to do, so thanks, it helped a lot. Could you post this as an answer instead?

I use these guidelines when uploading to the internet. I know that's not what you're trying to do but it's a starting point. I find there is very little loss of quality and massively reduced file size.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Video files compatibility for Adobe Premiere pro CS4
I have Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 in its basic settings. I am trying to merge some .AVI files that a friend shot on his digital camera. The videos play perfect on Windows Media Players and on other players. But in Premiere it looks as though it's stuck. Even after I render.
This does not happen when I work with video captures from DV camera.
Why is that? Is there a workaround?

You need to convert the files into a format that Premiere can understand. You should try converting the files into an AVCHD format using a converter.
A free conveter I like is Media Coder

AVCHD might technically work, but decoding is so much more expensive than a decoding an editing codec, that seeking around your timeline will be very sluggish at best.  You'll also be lucky if you can play multiple streams, or play effects back in anything close to real time.

Premiere handles a lot of video formats without requiring an intermediate (editing) file, so this is an uncommon problem to have.
As with other editing codec questions, I think a good place to start is by reading about the different kinds of codecs: The ProRes of Premiere Pro?
It would help us understand your problem better if you could tell us what you can see about the file format when you right-click to get "Properties", or ctrl-click to "Get Info" on the file.  There's a chance that we just need to get the right codec installed for you.
Since it's free to try, maybe download the GoPro Cineform Studio to try reading and transcoding the files.  If that works, then you'll be able to make a decision on whether to keep that workflow, or use a different conversion program.


text:
Can I use unlicensed music as soundtrack for a video?
I'm shooting a 1 min. promo video for an iPhone app startup. Can I use unlicensed music as long as I mention the artists on the closing credits? Are there any other resources available to help understand how copyright applies here?

I altered the title for this since the advice applies equally for both commercial and non-commercial.  Most copyright law doesn't differentiate between the two, only certain license agreements differentiate.

The short answer? No.
The long answer: No, copyright law requires you to have an appropriate licence from the copyright holders (usually the record label - not the artist - if they're in a record deal!)
There are three distinct rights for every piece of music:

Phonogram copyright (the sound recording) (symbol: ℗, "P" in a circle)
Composition, score, artwork, cover design, lyrics, which can all be included in one overarching copyright registration per musical work (symbol: ©, "C" in a circle)
The Publishing right, considered separately by some

Each of these rights may be 'assigned' to a third party (e.g., a publisher or a record label) and this is what usually what happens when a track is released by a label. However you may be able to 'encourage' the artist to grant a licence for the music's use if the project is cool or they like it. Ultimately the person who has control of the sound recording copyright is the person to request a licence from.
You are in breach of copyright law if you use a copyrighted piece of music without a licence - moreso if you exploit that copyrighted composition for commercial gain (use it to represent the product or service, even if it's just background music). Whilst I think the current system of licensing music is crazy, that's just how it works for the time being.
Occasionally artists are willing to 'look the other way' if you agree a licence arrangement after the finished work using their copyrighted music is released -- this may not even be a cash payment, it may just be promotion with the band, song name and iTunes link at the bottom of the screen. However, arranging a license 'after the fact' still compromises you from a legal perspective, and you could be forced to stop using that music in your own work (and, worst case, be taken to court for copyright infringement) if the artist or label doesn't like it.
I concur with the other answerer's suggestion to seek Creative Commons licensed music; Jamendo is a good site to start on, and even if the initial license is CC-NC you can communicate with the artist to request a commercial use licence (or to be granted an exemption).
You may also wish to try sites like these to seek appropriate sync licenses for music for a reasonable cost:

SongTradr (https://www.songtradr.com/licensemusic)
Getty Images, formerly iStock Audio (https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/Music)
Shutterstock (https://www.shutterstock.com/music/)
AudioJungle (https://audiojungle.net/)
StockMusic.net (https://stockmusic.net/)
Epidemic Sound (https://www.epidemicsound.com/)
Music Gateway (https://www.musicgateway.com)

Things are moving to subscription-based for licensees, so you may find over time, if you want to licence a track, contacting a musician direct is a better choice. (Or consider one of the YouTube Library tracks...)
Rob Hardy on FilmmakerFreedom has a good writeup of some other 2019 options: https://filmmakerfreedom.com/blog/stock-music-showdown-2019
This older post from NoiseCreators has a list of other outlets and licensing sites, some of which may be defunct but may help on a sync quest. http://noisecreators.com/2016/06/21/a-list-of-40-sites-that-will-help-you-license-your-music/
Also have a read around and decide who you may wish to deal with from an ethical or business stance.
https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2019/03/21/songtradr-12-million-funding/
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-for-picture/1194031-quot-music-wanted-quot-libraries-like-songtradr-taxi-etc.html
(I initially recommended YouLicense.com but they closed down mid-2018.)
Sync is big money. As the rise of digital msuic and streaming has increased, so has global sync revenue. I'd suggest you read https://www.synchtank.com/blog/sync-licensing-in-2017-a-look-at-the-trends-and-figures/ and https://musicindustryblog.wordpress.com/2019/05/03/music-sync-a-market-ripe-for-change/ if you're unfamiliar with the market.

The link "YouLicense.com" redirects to an irrelevant site.

Thanks, seems they closed mid 2018. Will edit my response.

You'd be best off doing a search for CC-licensed music first. You may find something that works for you that already allows commercial use; even if you find a particular track that's "no commercial use" that would work, you can always write and ask permission - which you're much more likely to get directly from the artist.

Advice on IP issues is worth what you pay for it. Here, it's free and worth every cent. (-:
In general, you can't use copyrighted material without the permission of the holder. Since this is for a business, you'll likely have to pay something, maybe not a lot, for the use. Only the rights holder can say for sure, but to be legal you must ask, and probably pay.
On the other hand, if this is for purely internal use and will never be seen outside the walls of your company, some people would play the odds. I don't recommend it, but it's certainly been done before.
This is not legal advice, just two people chatting.

Whilst it's all free advice, some of it may just be from people who work in the field... ;-) Good point on chancing your arm if it's 100% internal - as long as OP isn't a doofus and uploads to YouTube, that should be 'get-awayable-with'.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Canon 600d vs Sony PD170 for video production
If you were to develop a short film, which one of these two cameras would you use?
In a recent discussion with a friend he was claiming that a camera like the Canon 600d can produce videos of much better quality compared to a Sony PD170. Is he correct? Can somebody show me some evidence to support this (or the opposite)?

It's a little bit subjective. DSLR footage, straight off the camera, is very crisp and clean. Whereas a PD170 has a bit more of a 'video' look. So first off you'd have to decide what kind of look you wanted to go for.
In most cases you would choose to shoot on a DSLR, simply because the image is more visually appealing.
Pros of DSLR:

better looking footage (subjective, although a common view)
can attach a variety of lenses (i.e. fish-eye)
smaller body, more mobility
no need to import footage off a tape, just copy and paste off SD card onto computer
it's cheaper

Pros of PD170:

don't have to worry about the camera overheating (can shoot as long as the tape and/or batter allow. DSLRs tend to overheat after 10minutes of straight shooting)
larger body. Easier to do handheld with just the body alone
can plug in a microphone directly into the camera. This avoids having to use a clapper before each take and avoids the need of syncing audio and video

For me, those are the main points. If you're looking to make a film cheaply, DSLR is the way to go. But don't forget about sound; good sound is integral to a film.


text:
Does SSD reduce render time significantly?
I wanted to know if it is worth it to buy SSDs to improve render speed?
By what percent can SSDs reduce render time?
P.S. I ask this because, some time ago, I accidentally changed hard drive cables and after that my Sony Vegas render time has increased 3 times. I couldn't solve it back after that, then I concluded that hdd speed might be problem.

For today's computers, processing and ram are much better performers then hard drives. In a typical computer I would recommend upgrading the hard drive before anything else usually.

I accidentally changed hard drive cables and after that my Sony Vegas render time has increased 3 times --> Check that your HDD hasn't switched to PIO or a lower DMA mode than it was.

@Mulvya thanks, have read about them. I use Windows 10, SATA drives, so maybe it doesnt relate to me (as i've understood about PIO/DMA).

It depends entirely on the type of rendering you are doing and the specs of your computer.  Bottle necks can occur in many different parts of the rendering pipeline.  Generally speaking, rendering is very GPU or CPU intensive, depending on if the render engine is CUDA (or similar) enabled.  If the renderer is able to utilize a GPU, then GPUs and/or dedicated encoding cards will generally provide the largest boost to performance if they have not already been optimized, if not GPU enabled, then CPU becomes the biggest factor if not extremely fast or doing very light rendering.
Memory is a potentially large factor as well and would compound with the hard drive.  If there is not enough storage space for the CPU or GPU to work on the video stream, then it will have to spend much more time moving data on and off the hard drive.  In this case (if the memory is showing high utilization during render) then increasing the amount of memory is likely to yield a significant improvement in performance.
Data transfer rate is still potentially a bottleneck though.  If rendering is very minimally CPU/GPU intensive and/or the system already have very high performing CPUs or GPUs, then it is possible that a HDD would not be able to keep the render engine supplied with data to process.
An easy way to tell if your disk drive is a problem is to look at how long the render takes relative to the rate at which you can playback video in the editor.  If you are encoding to a different drive than your source material is on, then if the HDD is a bottleneck, it would be expected that render speed should move at the same rate as you are able to playback.  If you can playback footage at 20fps, then your HDD is capable of feeding at least 20 frames per second (with no effects applied).  If the render engine is processing less than 20 frames a second, the processing speed is the limit.  If it is processing 20 frames a second, then it is entirely possible that the HDD is failing to keep the render engine supplied with data to process.
If you are storing the render on the same drive you are reading your source from, it becomes much harder to tell as a HDD requires moving the read/write head between where it is reading the source data and writing the render results.  This extra seek time will drastically slow the performance of the drive.  As a rule of thumb, I'd say to consider looking in to disk related solutions if your render time is better than 1/3 of the playback rate when reading and writing to the same drive, though I'd encourage trying to do a test on different drives for source and output to be more certain.  So, if you are reading and writing to the same drive and you can play back 30fps, then if your encoding is running at 10fps or higher, an SSD might be helpful. (As might more memory as that would reduce how often the system has to switch between reading and writing and help cover the gap.)

In preview and cache, it should help. But in rendering, the cpu upgrade is the best.

Don't forget about the impact of GPU performance if the render engine is CUDA enabled.  That will likely blow away gains from CPU changes.

@AJHenderson so, CUDA makes it slower?

@T.Todua, no, it will be a much much larger improvement.  This answer indicated that CPU will provide the biggest render time improvement, but that is incorrect if the renderer supports CUDA.  GPU upgrades will dwarf the impact of a CPU upgrade in most cases then.

@AJH I thought cuda rendering was falling out of vogue. Do people still use it if they have a high end cpu?

@digivision not to my knowledge.  It depends on the type of render.  CUDA offers massive gains on parallel actions.  Modern GPUs are super computers on a chip.  Modern CPUs offer some dedicated circuitry for things like h264 encoding now on the higher end which can make a big difference as it is specialized hardware, but it can only do a limited number of things.  CUDA is still very, very much alive and super important for many rendering pipelines.

What does appear to be the case is that recent premiere encoders are not well optimized for parallel operation with limited improvements for both multi processor and gpu increases in multiple (but not all) export types.  The op did not, however, specify what kind of pipeline they are using.


text:
Why can't my video play from where I drag the playback bar?
I am stuck and really do not know how to explain it in correct manner. Thus I put it in the layman details.
I have two 30~ second length mp4 videos saved in cloud storage.

video1 is generated by somebody else and
video2 is generated by me on ffmpeg.

They both have the same video content.
My issue is
If I open video2 in Safari browser, I cannot locate the accurate time (by sec) in the video player progress bar.
What I mean is, for example I take steps:

I pause the video,
drag the progress bar to the first second,
I play the video.

the video player will jump to 0 and play, instead of playing from 1 second.
There are multiple time-slots in video2 that have this issue.
However, video1 does not have this issue.
video1 info from ffmpeg
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'origin.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : isom
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
    encoder         : Lavf56.4.101
  Duration: 00:00:33.78, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 584 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 640x360 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 545 kb/s, 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 11988 tbn, 47.95 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
    Stream #0:1(und): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 44100 Hz, stereo, fltp, 32 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandler

video2 info from ffmpeg
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'my.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : isom
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
    encoder         : Lavf57.71.100
  Duration: 00:00:35.04, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 734 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 640x360 [SAR 90:67 DAR 160:67], 599 kb/s, 23.98 fps, 23.98 tbr, 24k tbn, 47.95 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandler
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 129 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandler

video1 has a very short keyframe interval - it has a keyframe every few frames. video2 doesn't. Some players have the ability to decode upto non-KF silently and start playing from seek point. If yours doesn't, then it will start from the nearest keyframe preceding the seek point.
ffprobe origin.mp4 -show_entries frame=key_frame,pkt_pts_time -select_streams v -of compact=p=0 | grep ame=1

Result:
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=0.000000
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=0.333667
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=0.667334
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=1.001001
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=1.334668
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=1.668335
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=2.002002
...
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=32.699366
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=33.033033
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=33.366700
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=33.700367

Video2:
ffprobe my.mp4 -show_entries frame=key_frame,pkt_pts_time -select_streams v -of compact=p=0 | grep ame=1

Result:
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=0.000000
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=2.293958
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=5.171833
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=7.257250
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=9.718042
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=13.221542
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=15.473792
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=21.271250
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=24.357667
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=29.195833
key_frame=1|pkt_pts_time=32.407375

Add -g 8 to ffmpeg transcode command to place a keyframe every 8 frames.

you are such a life saver like always! You really saved me from days of depression!!  One more question, if I want both good keyframe interval and about 3m file size. I should in the meanwhile reduce video bitrate and audio Hz, which of course will result in reduced quality. Am I right?

Reduce video bitrate? yes. Audio sample rate won't matter much.

got it. good day!

my hls audio have same keyframe freq. But the problem is still here. Is there any another issue can effect this?


text:
Select range of clips in Kdenlive
I'm editing a video in Kdenlive. After I cut out stuff, there are holes (parts with no video nor audio with video and audio to the left and to the right where the parts to the left and to the right should be concatenated) which need to be removed.
There seems to be a feature for removing those holes as there is a context menu entry called Remove Space when right-clicking empty space in a timeline.

However, it always displays the error message

Cannot remove space in a track with a group

because I grouped my clips and it apparently can't remove space automatically if groups are used.
There is exactly the same amount of space on all tracks which have any content at this point on the timeline as I cut out part of a group.
The only way I see to close such a gap is to select all clips to the right of it and move them to the left. This is very cumbersome there are dozens of clips or groups of clips to right and I don't see how I can select many clips or groups of clips at once.
How I currently go about it is to click the first clip to the right of the gap, then hold down the control key, and then click every single other clip on all tracks. This not only is very cumbersome but it also yields the problem that if I miss any clip, I have to start over again, as I can't move my selection in this case and finding the clip that's not selected is virtually impossible.
Is there an easy way to close such a gap? Possibly by selecting a range of clips? So that I only have to click some part of the time line and then another part of it and it automatically selects all clips in that range? Or this thing file browsers commonly allow you to do where you draw a rectangle around the items you want to select:

I use Kdenlive 15.12.3 on Ubuntu 16.04. As of this writing (2017-06-05), this is the newest version in the official Ubuntu 16.04 software repositories.

Edit: I just posted this question in the Kdenlive forum: https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=265&t=140571

I didn't find a way of selecting a range of clips but the main problem is solved by the spacer tool which can be invoked by pressing M. One then grabs the left end of the clip to the right of a gap and drags it to the left until the gab is closed. By doing so, all clips to the right are automatically moved to the left as well.
When browsing through the different tools, I incorrectly assumed the spacer tool to be a restricted version of the selection tool because of its mouse pointer symbol: I assumed one could use it to expand clips to the left or to the right like with the selection tool (but not select clips).

You can box-select clips by dragging the mouse while holding the shift key and and left mouse button.
kdenlive "Selection" manual

If the clips you want to select are all contiguous, you can press Shift + left-click and drag your mouse over all the clips

(and ctrl+shift+mouseDrag to add more clips to the selection)

Very useful tip, which was somewhat non-obvious from reading Help material or other tutorials.

This is a life saver! Holding shift+left mouse click to drag and select multiple items in the timeline still works in Kdenlive 20.08.1. Thank you for sharing this!


text:
Wiil my system configuration support Edius video editing software?
I've heard some system requirement info about edius from video editing engineer that compare to intel, AMD is not good supporting processor for EDIUS and AMD can't withstand video rendering load of EDIUS.I know AMD is very good for video games. But why.....?
Below is my Desktop configuration.

PROCESSOR: AMD FX 8350 -4.2GHz- 8 CORE- Wraith cooler
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3
RAM: Kingston Hyper X Fury 2x4GB=8GB
HARDDISK= SATA 500GB
OS: Windows 10 PRO

I would challenge the basic premise of your question that Edius is best for video editing.  I rarely hear it mentioned even if Grass Valley is big for live switching.   There are many other options you can learn which include software products both cheaper and more widely used.  I'd personally recommend starting on Resolve 14.  It is free, includes a solid NLE for starting out and is the industry standard for color grading (used on numerous major motion pictures).  It is by no means the only option, but Edius is an odd choice to call "best".

Yes.
You can see it from on "system requirements" section their page:
https://www.edius.net/system_requirements.html

The only reason I can think of that there would be a difference in processor performance is that the instruction set available on an Intel CPU (particularly something like an i7 or i9) may include some instructions that are not present on AMD chips that helps with optimizing more in to fewer instructions.  While both manufacturers do a lot of optimized instructions, software support for a particular set of calls could be more limited.
It's also possible that it's just ill informed users, but it is certainly potentially possible that the performance on a higher end Intel chip would be the performance of an AMD chip at the same clock speed.  That said, it's still very unlikely that it wouldn't work at all, it just might be a bit slower.  The system requirements for Edius appear to confirm this as well.


text:
What counts as a "View" on Youtube?
How does Youtube decide that a video was "viewed"?
If a video is 5 minutes long and a viewer watches for 10 seconds, will this be counted as a view?

Mighr be more relevant on SuperUser or ServerFault?

@Stib - this would not be on topic on either SuperUser or ServerFault.  It would be on web apps, but I think it is very on topic here too.  It's asking about how the view count in a major video distribution system works.

@AJHenderson@Stib Thanks for listening. I already asked this question on the other sites. I was really undecided.

@LCarvalho - I will point out that generally speaking, you should pick one site to post it on, not post the same question on multiple sites.  If the question doesn't have other quality issues, it can be migrated to the appropriate location and having the exact same question multiple places just spreads out answers and makes information harder to find and makes migrations more complicated.

@AJHenderson I understand your question, but generally when I need to migrate my question to those who have this privilege, many do not conclude.

Perhaps you can upload a video as private/unlisted, view it for various durations then check when the stats are updated. Make sure no else has permission to view it.

@LCarvalho that may be due to the question either being a reasonable fit on the site it is on or because it is not flushed out enough to be worth migrating.  My point was just that it is frowned upon to post the exact same question on multiple SE sites as it causes issues.

True, it is relevant for people producing video, but the people who can answer it are people familiar with web apps and the server side of things, wouldn't you say?

YouTube now have a Creator's Academy and I think they answer your question in this video: Why Subscribers Matter Basically, it matters how long a video is watched, this is measured. But a single view means a single "opening" of the video itself. (E.g., I can produce two views in a few seconds, but this won't matter so much to internal metrics other than views' count.)


text:
How can I merge videos more quickly with ffmpeg on Android?
I am merging two videos using ffmpeg in android but it takes 45secs to merge. below is my command
complexCommand = new String[]{"-y", "-i", file1.toString(), "-i", file2.toString(), "-strict", "experimental", "-filter_complex",
                "[0:v]scale=480x640,setsar=1:1[v0];[1:v]scale=480x640,setsar=1:1[v1];[v0][0:a][v1][1:a] concat=n=2:v=1:a=1",
                "-ab", "48000", "-ac", "2", "-ar", "22050", "-s", "480x640", "-vcodec", "libx264","-crf","27","-q","4","-preset", "ultrafast", rootPath + "/output.mp4"};

I have included ffmpeg library to my project by adding below line into Gradle-
 compile 'com.writingminds:FFmpegAndroid:0.3.2'

Below is my log
       18:50.630 13704-13704/pkgD/FFmpeg: Build.CPU_ABI : armeabi-v7a
    18:50.650 13704-13704/pkgI/FFmpeg: Loading FFmpeg for armv7 CPU
    18:50.660 13704-13704/pkgD/Start: merge started
    18:50.970 13704-16532/pkgD/FFmpeg: Running publishing updates method
    18:51.000 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: ffmpeg version n3.0.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2016 the FFmpeg developers
    18:51.030 13704-13704/pkgD/ViewRootImpl: #1 mView = com.android.internal.policy.PhoneWindow$DecorView{b3c7246 V.E...... R.....I. 0,0-0,0}
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   built with gcc 4.8 (GCC)
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   configuration: --target-os=linux --cross-prefix=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/bin/arm-linux-androideabi- --arch=arm --cpu=cortex-a8 --enable-runtime-cpudetect --sysroot=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/sysroot --enable-pic --enable-libx264 --enable-libass --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-libmp3lame --enable-fontconfig --enable-pthreads --disable-debug --disable-ffserver --enable-version3 --enable-hardcoded-tables --disable-ffplay --disable-ffprobe --enable-gpl --enable-yasm --disable-doc --disable-shared --enable-static --pkg-config=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/ffmpeg-pkg-config --prefix=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/build/armeabi-v7a --extra-cflags='-I/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/include -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fno-strict-overflow -fstack-protector-all' --extra-ldflags='-L/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/lib -Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now -pie' --extra-libs='-lpng -lexpat -lm' --extra-cxxflags=
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libavutil      55. 17.103 / 55. 17.103
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libavcodec     57. 24.102 / 57. 24.102
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libavformat    57. 25.100 / 57. 25.100
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libavdevice    57.  0.101 / 57.  0.101
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libavfilter     6. 31.100 /  6. 31.100
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libswscale      4.  0.100 /  4.  0.100
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libswresample   2.  0.101 /  2.  0.101
    18:51.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   libpostproc    54.  0.100 / 54.  0.100
    18:51.090 13704-13704/pkgD/ViewRootImpl: MSG_RESIZED_REPORT: ci=Rect(0, 0 - 0, 0) vi=Rect(0, 0 - 0, 0) or=1
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/storage/emulated/0/MP4_20170519_121822.mp4':
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Metadata:
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     major_brand     : iso6
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     minor_version   : 1
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     compatible_brands: mp42iso6avc1isom
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     creation_time   : 2017-    05-19 06:48:22
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Duration: 00:00:04.00, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 17175 kb/s
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080, 16914 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 90k tbn, 180k tbc (default)
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Metadata:
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       rotate          : 90
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:17:54
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Side data:
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       displaymatrix: rotation of -90.00 degrees
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 256 kb/s (default)
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Metadata:
    18:51.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:17:54
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: Input #1, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/storage/emulated/0/MP4_20170519_121834.mp4':
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Metadata:
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     major_brand     : iso6
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     minor_version   : 1
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     compatible_brands: mp42iso6avc1isom
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     creation_time   : 2017-    05-19 06:48:34
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Duration: 00:00:05.00, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 17272 kb/s
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Stream #1:0(eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080, 17010 kb/s, 30.01 fps, 30 tbr, 90k tbn, 180k tbc (default)
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Metadata:
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       rotate          : 90
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:11:38
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Side data:
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       displaymatrix: rotation of -90.00 degrees
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Stream #1:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 255 kb/s (default)
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Metadata:
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:11:38
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: [Parsed_setsar_1 @ 0xb8599380] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: [Parsed_setsar_3 @ 0xb8626470] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
    18:52.830 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: Codec AVOption preset (Set the encoding preset (cf. x264 --fullhelp)) specified for output file #0 (/storage/emulated/0/output.mp4) has not been used for any stream. The most likely reason is either wrong type (e.g. a video option with no video streams) or that it is a private option of some encoder which was not actually used for any stream.
    18:52.850 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: [Parsed_setsar_1 @ 0xb85cece0] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
    18:52.850 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: [Parsed_setsar_3 @ 0xb861fa70] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
    18:53.050 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: [aac @ 0xb85ce8f0] Too many bits 95062.494331 > 12288 per frame requested, clamping to max
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: Output #0, mp4, to '/storage/emulated/0/output.mp4':
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Metadata:
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     major_brand     : iso6
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     minor_version   : 1
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     compatible_brands: mp42iso6avc1isom
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     encoder         : Lavf57.25.100
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Stream #0:0: Video: mpeg4 ( [0][0][0] / 0x0020), yuv420p, 480x360 [SAR 1:1 DAR 4:3], q=2-31, 200 kb/s, 24 fps, 12288 tbn, 24 tbc (default)
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Metadata:
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       encoder         : Lavc57.24.102 mpeg4
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Side data:
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       unknown side data type 10 (24 bytes)
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Stream #0:1: Audio: aac (LC) ([64][0][0][0] / 0x0040), 22050 Hz, stereo, fltp, 264 kb/s (default)
    18:53.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:     Metadata:
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:       encoder         : Lavc57.24.102 aac
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: Stream mapping:
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Stream #0:0 (h264) -> scale
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Stream #0:1 (aac) -> concat:in0:a0
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Stream #1:0 (h264) -> scale
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   Stream #1:1 (aac) -> concat:in1:a0
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   concat:out:v0 -> Stream #0:0 (mpeg4)
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress:   concat:out:a0 -> Stream #0:1 (aac)
    18:53.120 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
    18:53.870 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=    3 fps=0.0 q=2.0 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.12 bitrate=   2.8kbits/s speed=0.203x
    18:54.100 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: Past duration 0.754143 too large
    18:54.800 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=    7 fps=5.9 q=7.9 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.29 bitrate=   1.2kbits/s speed=0.247x
    18:54.950 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=    8 fps=4.7 q=8.8 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.33 bitrate=   1.1kbits/s speed=0.198x
    18:55.420 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=   11 fps=5.0 q=11.0 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.45 bitrate=   0.8kbits/s dup=0 drop=1 speed=0.209x
    18:56.040 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=   15 fps=5.4 q=11.6 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.62 bitrate=   0.6kbits/s dup=0 drop=2 speed=0.224x
    18:56.630 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=   19 fps=5.6 q=13.2 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.79 bitrate=   0.4kbits/s dup=0 drop=3 speed=0.232x
    18:57.130 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=   22 fps=5.5 q=14.0 size=       0kB time=00:00:00.91 bitrate=   0.4kbits/s dup=0 drop=3 speed=0.228x
    18:57.630 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=   26 fps=5.7 q=16.2 size=       0kB time=00:00:01.08 bitrate=   0.5kbits/s dup=0 drop=4 speed=0.239x
    18:58.180 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=   29 fps=5.7 q=14.7 size=      48kB time=00:00:01.20 bitrate= 323.3kbits/s dup=0 drop=5 speed=0.238x
    19:59.840 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  179 fps=2.7 q=20.7 size=     396kB time=00:00:08.40 bitrate= 386.2kbits/s dup=0 drop=43 speed=0.126x
    20:00.270 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  181 fps=2.7 q=16.3 size=     405kB time=00:00:08.45 bitrate= 392.4kbits/s dup=0 drop=43 speed=0.126x
    20:00.920 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  182 fps=2.7 q=20.6 size=     407kB time=00:00:08.54 bitrate= 389.6kbits/s dup=0 drop=43 speed=0.126x
    20:01.340 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  183 fps=2.7 q=21.6 size=     408kB time=00:00:08.59 bitrate= 388.7kbits/s dup=0 drop=44 speed=0.126x
    20:02.390 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  186 fps=2.7 q=23.2 size=     412kB time=00:00:08.68 bitrate= 388.3kbits/s dup=0 drop=44 speed=0.126x
    20:02.810 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  187 fps=2.7 q=23.0 size=     413kB time=00:00:08.73 bitrate= 387.7kbits/s dup=0 drop=45 speed=0.125x
    20:03.850 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  190 fps=2.7 q=22.5 size=     417kB time=00:00:08.82 bitrate= 387.4kbits/s dup=0 drop=45 speed=0.126x
    20:04.220 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  190 fps=2.7 q=22.5 size=     417kB time=00:00:08.87 bitrate= 385.3kbits/s dup=0 drop=45 speed=0.125x
    20:04.720 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  194 fps=2.7 q=20.4 size=     429kB time=00:00:08.87 bitrate= 395.8kbits/s dup=0 drop=46 speed=0.124x
    20:05.340 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  198 fps=2.7 q=19.8 size=     434kB time=00:00:08.87 bitrate= 400.5kbits/s dup=0 drop=47 speed=0.123x
    20:05.840 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  201 fps=2.8 q=21.8 size=     438kB time=00:00:08.87 bitrate= 404.3kbits/s dup=0 drop=48 speed=0.122x
    20:06.450 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  205 fps=2.8 q=15.7 size=     449kB time=00:00:08.87 bitrate= 414.3kbits/s dup=0 drop=49 speed=0.121x
    20:06.970 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  208 fps=2.8 q=18.2 size=     452kB time=00:00:08.87 bitrate= 417.3kbits/s dup=0 drop=50 speed=0.12x
    20:07.570 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  212 fps=2.9 q=17.8 size=     457kB time=00:00:08.87 bitrate= 422.2kbits/s dup=0 drop=51 speed=0.119x
    20:08.070 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  215 fps=2.9 q=18.9 size=     458kB time=00:00:08.95 bitrate= 419.0kbits/s dup=0 drop=52 speed=0.12x
    20:08.570 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  218 fps=2.9 q=19.8 size=     459kB time=00:00:09.08 bitrate= 414.3kbits/s dup=0 drop=52 speed=0.12x
    20:08.960 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: frame=  218 fps=2.9 q=19.8 Lsize=     475kB time=00:00:09.08 bitrate= 428.7kbits/s dup=0 drop=52 speed=0.12x
    20:08.960 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: video:361kB audio:109kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead: 1.077294%
    20:08.990 13704-13704/pkgD/progress: [aac @ 0xb85ce8f0] Qavg: 65536.000
    20:08.990 13704-13704/pkgD/Success: ffmpeg version n3.0.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2016 the FFmpeg developers
                                                                  built with gcc 4.8 (GCC)
                                                                  configuration: --target-os=linux --cross-prefix=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/bin/arm-linux-androideabi- --arch=arm --cpu=cortex-a8 --enable-runtime-cpudetect --sysroot=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/sysroot --enable-pic --enable-libx264 --enable-libass --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-libmp3lame --enable-fontconfig --enable-pthreads --disable-debug --disable-ffserver --enable-version3 --enable-hardcoded-tables --disable-ffplay --disable-ffprobe --enable-gpl --enable-yasm --disable-doc --disable-shared --enable-static --pkg-config=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/ffmpeg-pkg-config --prefix=/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/build/armeabi-v7a --extra-cflags='-I/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/include -U_FORTIFY_SOURCE -D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fno-strict-overflow -fstack-protector-all' --extra-ldflags='-L/home/vagrant/SourceCode/ffmpeg-android/toolchain-android/lib -Wl,-z,relro -Wl,-z,now -pie' --extra-libs='-lpng -lexpat -lm' --extra-cxxflags=
                                                                  libavutil      55. 17.103 / 55. 17.103
                                                                  libavcodec     57. 24.102 / 57. 24.102
                                                                  libavformat    57. 25.100 / 57. 25.100
                                                                  libavdevice    57.  0.101 / 57.  0.101
                                                                  libavfilter     6. 31.100 /  6. 31.100
                                                                  libswscale      4.  0.100 /  4.  0.100
                                                                  libswresample   2.  0.101 /  2.  0.101
                                                                  libpostproc    54.  0.100 / 54.  0.100
                                                                Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/storage/emulated/0/MP4_20170519_121822.mp4':
                                                                  Metadata:
                                                                    major_brand     : iso6
                                                                    minor_version   : 1
                                                                    compatible_brands: mp42iso6avc1isom
                                                                    creation_time   : 2017-    05-19 06:48:22
                                                                  Duration: 00:00:04.00, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 17175 kb/s
                                                                    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080, 16914 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 90k tbn, 180k tbc (default)
                                                                    Metadata:
                                                                      rotate          : 90
                                                                      creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:17:54
                                                                    Side data:
                                                                      displaymatrix: rotation of -90.00 degrees
                                                                    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 256 kb/s (default)
                                                                    Metadata:
                                                                      creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:17:54
                                                                Input #1, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/storage/emulated/0/MP4_20170519_121834.mp4':
                                                                  Metadata:
                                                                    major_brand     : iso6
                                                                    minor_version   : 1
                                                                    compatible_brands: mp42iso6avc1isom
                                                                    creation_time   : 2017-    05-19 06:48:34
                                                                  Duration: 00:00:05.00, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 17272 kb/s
                                                                    Stream #1:0(eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1920x1080, 17010 kb/s, 30.01 fps, 30 tbr, 90k tbn, 180k tbc (default)
                                                                    Metadata:
                                                                      rotate          : 90
                                                                      creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:11:38
                                                                    Side data:
                                                                      displaymatrix: rotation of -90.00 degrees
                                                                    Stream #1:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 255 kb/s (default)
                                                                    Metadata:
                                                                      creation_time   : 2017-05-16 08:11:38
                                                                [Parsed_setsar_1 @ 0xb8599380] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
                                                                [Parsed_setsar_3 @ 0xb8626470] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
                                                                Codec AVOption preset (Set the encoding preset (cf. x264 --fullhelp)) specified for output file #0 (/storage/emulated/0/output.mp4) has not been used for any stream. The most likely reason is either wrong type (e.g. a video option with no video streams) or that it is a private option of some encoder which was not actually used for any stream.
                                                                [Parsed_setsar_1 @ 0xb85cece0] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
                                                                [Parsed_setsar_3 @ 0xb861fa70] num:den syntax is deprecated, please use num/den or named options instead
                                                                [aac @ 0xb85ce8f0] Too many bits 95062.494331 > 12288 per frame requested, clamping to max
                                                                Output #0, mp4, to '/storage/emulated/0/output.mp4':
                                                                  Metadata:
                                                                    major_brand     : iso6
                                                                    minor_version   : 1
                                                                    compatible_brands: mp42iso6avc1isom
                                                                    encoder         : Lavf57.25.100
                                                                    Stream #0:0: Video: mpeg4 ( [0][0][0] / 0x00
    20:09.020 13704-13704/pkgI/ExoPlayerImpl: Init ExoPlayerLib/2.4.0 [j5lte, SM-J500F, samsung, 23]
    20:09.020 13704-16462/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.avc] Now Executing->Idle
    20:09.050 13704-16462/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.avc] Now Idle->Loaded
    20:09.050 13704-16462/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.avc] Now Loaded
    20:09.050 13704-16462/pkgI/ACodec:  [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.avc] Now kWhatShutdownCompleted event : 7115
    20:09.050 13704-16461/pkgI/MediaCodec: Codec shutdown complete
    20:09.060 13704-16462/pkgI/ACodec:  [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.avc] Now uninitialized
    20:09.060 13704-16462/pkgI/ACodec:  [] Now kWhatShutdownCompleted event : 7115
    20:09.060 13704-16461/pkgI/MediaCodec: Codec shutdown complete
    20:09.080 13704-13704/pkgD/finish: merge finish
    20:09.110 13704-13704/pkgD/ViewRootImpl: #3 mView = null
    20:09.120 13704-13704/pkgD/ViewRootImpl: #1 mView = android.widget.LinearLayout{9229915 V.E...... ......I. 0,0-0,0 #10203a4 android:id/toast_layout_root}
    20:09.130 13704-13704/pkgE/ViewRootImpl: sendUserActionEvent() mView == null
    20:09.160 13704-20543/pkgW/VideoCapabilities: Unrecognized profile/level 32768/2 for video/mp4v-es
    20:09.170 13704-20543/pkgI/ACodec:  [] Now uninitialized
    20:09.170 13704-13704/pkgD/ViewRootImpl: MSG_RESIZED_REPORT: ci=Rect(0, 0 - 0, 0) vi=Rect(0, 0 - 0, 0) or=1
    20:09.180 13704-20548/pkgI/ACodec: [] onAllocateComponent
    20:09.180 13704-20548/pkgI/OMXClient: Using client-side OMX mux.
    20:09.190 13704-20548/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.mpeg4] Now Loaded
    20:09.190 13704-20547/pkgI/MediaCodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.mpeg4] setting surface generation to 14032902
    20:09.210 13704-20548/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.mpeg4] OMX_QCOM_FramePacking_Arbitrary is setting
    20:09.210 13704-20548/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.mpeg4] Now Loaded->Idle
    20:09.220 13704-20548/pkgD/SurfaceUtils: set up nativeWindow 0xb7a04d30 for 480x360, color 0x7fa30c04, rotation 0, usage 0x42002900
    20:09.230 13704-20548/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.mpeg4] configureOutputBuffersFromNativeWindow setBufferCount : 10, minUndequeuedBuffers : 4
    20:09.230 13704-20548/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.mpeg4] Now Idle->Executing
    20:09.230 13704-20548/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.qcom.video.decoder.mpeg4] Now Executing
    20:09.230 13704-20543/pkgI/ACodec:  [] Now uninitialized
    20:09.230 13704-20552/pkgI/ACodec: [] onAllocateComponent
    20:09.240 13704-20552/pkgI/OMXClient: Using client-side OMX mux.
    20:09.240 13704-20552/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.SEC.aac.dec] Now Loaded
    20:09.240 13704-20552/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.SEC.aac.dec] Now Loaded->Idle
    20:09.250 13704-20552/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.SEC.aac.dec] Now Idle->Executing
    20:09.260 13704-20552/pkgI/ACodec: [OMX.SEC.aac.dec] Now Executing
    20:12.520 13704-13704/pkgD/ViewRootImpl: #3 mView = null

How can I make this go faster?

What is your question?

How to reduce time taken for merging videos

Do you have to use mpeg4 as vcodec?

no not necessary

Is there any other options like I can compromise on Quality of video!
I have tried to do that by reducing the value of scale but It decreases the video preview display!!

You most likely can't.  45 seconds is NOT a long time for encoding a video on Android.  You aren't just putting one file at the end of another, you are encoding a new video that includes the contents of both videos played one after the other.  This involves transcoding the entire video to create a new one and that takes time.  45 seconds is actually pretty fast depending on the length of the two clips you are combining.
If the two clips have similar encoding settings, it might be possible to use some kind of container format that supports chaining multiple files one after the other, but it would end up playing more like a playlist than a continuous video then.

In container mp4 you can join videos without re-encoding.

@bukkojot can u please explain in detail !


text:
Is there a process faster than masking frame by frame for cutting an animated character from a background?
The following video is made from a number of different Anime videos, masked and composed in to a single video. I am wondering if the person who made this masked the videos frame by frame or is there a faster way in achieving this?
I am just asking for guidelines or another way of cutting the characters from a background, in an Anime which is made of a limited number colors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPv6c3xGwzw&spfreload=1
Here is an example of a replaced character in the video:

The technique is called rotoscoping.  You can search for many ways to speed up or automate rotoscoping.  But in general it is a labor-intensive process.

After effects and other compositing packages have tools which make this easier (roto-brush in AE for one example). They work a bit like the magic wand in Potatoshop. They're not perfect, but they would probably work fairly well on Anime with its flat colours and hard edges.

You can also checkout some of the various keying techniques. I've been able to color key things pretty well in After Effects or Nuke - for After Effects you can either use "Change to Color" to create a matte or "Linear Color Key". Either way you're going to need to split up the video into a bunch of layers - each one keying in (or out) a specific color. The end result you're going for is a black-and-white matte which you can use to cut out the footage. Often times it requires a combination of all kinds of techniques - keying some colors, luminance based keying (which can be done with "extract" in After Effects), luminance based keying on specific channels (also "extract") and a bit of hand-made roto.
If you need a more in depth explanation let me know.

What do I do if it also keys out some parts of the character ?

That's where the roto part comes in ;)  It's not a perfect technique unfortunately. If you give me a still frame I can take a look at it and try to give you some pointers.

Oh I see, thanks, I think rotoscoping is more than enough it's already a lot of help for me since I have always been masking.


text:
What is good software for building 2D parallax videos?
I am wanting opinions for the best software to put together 2D parallax video content, using flat images, etc.
What do you suggest?
P.S. Could not create the tags parallax or 2d (rep). Sorry for the lack of tagging.

Obviously After Effects, is an option here, but I'm looking for others.

After Effects has competitors - try a search (I can't think of any off the top of my head). AE would be my recommendation, any day of the week.

@nchpmn Thanks for the comment. I'm going to do some more intense searching. The very little response I've got to this question tells me that it's information which needs digging up. What I find, I'll post as an answer on here for others.


text:
Blur effects on a transparent background leaves a black ghosting effect
If I add a simple UV sphere that emits white light, and in the compositor add a Fast Gaussian blur effect, then when viewing on a transparent background there is a noticeable black halo around the glow.
Any ideas what the correct way to do this is?
Update: It seems to have something to do with the horizon colour being picked up by the blur effect.  How do you prevent that from happening?  As a work around I can set the horizon colour to white, but I don't think that's the correct way to do it...
Here you can see with a red horizon colour, and changing the colour of the emitter to blue the effect is quite pronounced:

this is a good question. Did you try selecting only the light and not applying the blur to the whole layer?

@TravisDtfsuCrum Could you please show me how to do that? I'm trying to figure out the ID Mask nodes but not having much luck.

go to the layer, do select all (ctrl or apple + a) then what I do is use the arrow key to press it once to the right then back to the left to make sure its still in the same spot but selects everything on the layer. Before you do the arrow key thing, make sure you have the move tool selected and not any selection tool. Once its selected try applying the blur. Let me know if this helps!

To ensure you get 'pure' transparency, you'll have to ensure the transparent world is used, instead of your (coloured) sky.
When using Blender Internal, make sure you have in the Render settings, under Shading panel Alpha set to Transparent

When using Cycles renderer, make sure you have in the Render settings, under Film panel the Transparency box checked.

Without these settings your alpha will be pre-multiplied with the sky color, which will look like your example.


text:
Timelapse video with meta information on every frame
I have a set of images that I want to make a time lapse video with. I have done this a few times but now I want to add some meta information to every image.
For example I have taken a picture every day from the same spot and it would be quite nice if I had some calendar along the border where I could show the current day of month so the user can virtually see the time passing on the video.
Another example would be an analogue clock, which shows the current time for images that were taken in quick succession.
At the moment it's very hard for me to figure out how I can achieve such a thing, so any help would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately I don't have access to "Pro-Style" Video Editing Software like After Effects and the like.

It depends on how many images you'd like to process, < 30 or so can be done manually.

This may only answer the first part of your question:
I found this article on superuser.  It's on extracting the metadata from a batch of images.  They are using ExifTool, a command-line tool for Windows and OS X.

ExifTool is a platform-independent Perl library plus a command-line application for reading, writing and editing meta information in a wide variety of files. ExifTool supports many different metadata formats...as well as the maker notes of many digital cameras...

You can find ExifTool here.  It looks pretty handy, I'll be installing it today.  It looks like it will output a csv with all the metadata you want.  That csv is what a program would use to burn into your video.
As far as burning the data into your video, I'm not finding anything online that would take any sort of data set and burn it onto a video or even to a jpeg, especially without "Pro" software.
I would be interested to hear your solution to this, if any.  It seems just putting the raw metadata in there wouldn't serve much purpose, because of the framerate.  It'd be nice to see some sort of graphical ebb and flow of the data, again, don't know how it could be done without paid software.

You may make 2 time lapse movies. the object and the clock
and use PIP to join them


text:
How to identify HDR video?
I need to validate if a video file (HEVC encoded) is or is not an HDR video. I know that there are many HDR standards, but I did not find a way to identify it using mediainfo or ffprobe.
The need is because I have an API that receives several video profiles (different bitrates, dimensions and codecs) for a single video, which are used to deliver to users the best match based on their devices and connection speed. So now I want to allow them to select HDR profile but to achieve this I need first to validate the ingest files.
Do you know how to handle this?

Assuming your file is ${F}, the below is an efficient means I have been able to create:
COLORS=$(ffprobe -show_streams -v error "${F}" |egrep "^color_transfer|^color_space=|^color_primaries=" |head -3)
for C in $COLORS; do
        if [[ "$C" = "color_space="* ]]; then
                COLORSPACE=${C##*=}
        elif [[ "$C" = "color_transfer="* ]]; then
                COLORTRANSFER=${C##*=}
        elif [[ "$C" = "color_primaries="* ]]; then
                COLORPRIMARIES=${C##*=}
        fi
done
if [ "${COLORSPACE}" = "bt2020nc" ] && [ "${COLORTRANSFER}" = "smpte2084" ] && [ "${COLORPRIMARIES}" = "bt2020" ]; then
        echo ${F}
fi

I use this inside a looping function to know when to use https://github.com/Fmstrat/ffmkv to create an SDR version of a video on one of the presets.

Note, this defaults to the top video stream. I use -select_stream when I need to be specific. And you'll want to reset the variables in a loop.

So you assume that these parameters must be satisfied:
ColorSpace = bt2020nc;
ColorTransfer = smpte2084;
ColorPrimaries = bt2020;
Looks good. Thanks.

Well, and yeah, all answers are wrong here. HDR is only the new transfer function, PQ or HLG. So that means you need to look into that, PQ is SMPTE 2084 and HLG is ARIB STD-B67.
Yes, 8 bit file tagged as PQ will be played as HDR.
Yes, 10 bit files tagged as BT.2020 transfer are SDR, because BT.2020 transfer is the same as BT.709 and BT.601. Moreover Rec. BT.2020 is SDR only spec., HDR was defined in BT.2100. Master files of Hollywood used 10 bit in SDR for a long time.
Yes, you need to color manage BT.2020 primaries to your primaries. Just as before PAL primaries were supposed to be color managed to what display primaries are.
Yes, it is 0.0001 to 10000 nits, not 0.001 to 4000 in PQ. Yes, 65 Y' is actually 0.00005 nits and 64 Y' is 0.000000 nits. Black body.
Yes, BT.2390 EETF dynamical tone mapper is mandatory unless the master display is full 10000 nits.
Yes, almost all movies are inside P3-D65 inside BT.2020, only Planet Earth 2 and Matrix are not and some others. That changed in 2022, since Netflix allowed to use BT.2020 primaries for their JPEG2000 masters.
Yes, film cameras supported HDR back in 1970s and they are nowadays converted to PQ and image format .pcd (Photo CD) supported HDR and WCG.

thanks for this helpful answer - but what does this mean in practical terms? how should we check for HDR with ffmpeg?

ffprobe file, look for smpte2086 or arib transfer.

color_space=bt2020nc ... color_transfer=arib-std-b67 ... color_primaries=bt2020 ... this is what I have ... IF color_primaries === 'bt2020' && (color_transfer.startsWith('arib') || color_transfer.startsWith('smpte')) ... does this check sound correct? the other guys refer to smpte2084 not smpte2086 which is why I used startsWith

smpte 2084, yes, a typo. No, primaries are not required.

many thanks much appreciated

I have an HLG HDR video, and I can't figure out how to identify it in MediaInfo. Looks like a regular file; not a special HDR one. It definitely plays back in HDR. What's the trick?

@KevinGhadyani What does Mediainfo say for transfer function?

I'm not seeing anything called "transfer function". But as an update, that file was mislabeled I'm thinking. My TV didn't go into HLG mode when playing it on my SHIELD. I downloaded an HLG file from YouTube, and "transfer characteristics" properly shows HLG. I wonder if that other video was mislabeled: https://4kmedia.org/lg-cymatic-jazz-hdr-hlg-uhd-4k-demo/

@KevinGhadyani The MPEG-TS file from 4kmedia is labeled Transfer characteristics    : HLG / BT.2020 (10-bit), so it is indeed HLG. So?

It is. When using MKVToolNix, it removed it. It all makes sense now.

This answer relies on but simplifies the answer by Валерий Заподовников who seems to know his stuff.
ffprobe -v quiet -show_streams -select_streams v:0 video.mp4 | grep ^color_transfer=

IF color_transfer EQUALS arib-std-b67 OR smpte2084 THEN the video is HDR

Thanks, this answer helped me most.
Is there a way to do a grep where it just shows a result when we have arib-std-b67 OR smpte2084, and not output anything when that is NOT the case?
I want to use this in a batch file for a lot of movies at once.

Indeed, correct.

I've found how to get this information from color primaries attribute. Considering color primaries BT.2020 as a HDR video.
mediainfo video.mp4 --Inform="Video;%colour_primaries%"

In this example above, if the return of the command is BT.2020 so I consider the video as HDR.
Otherwise SDR.

Technically, that will only determine if a video is WCG.  To test for HDR-ness, you also need to check that the transfer function is one of the HDR flavors.

Nice to know @JasonConrad . So could I consider PQ and HLG as valid transfer functions for and HDR video?

Yes. I think that the color space, transfer function, and bit depth (HDR also needs to be 10 bits per channel) are enough to minimally qualify video as HDR, but there are different flavors and specifications.

Checking color_primaries is the right approach. I use ffprobe to get the JSON output. Then you can parse the JSON output instead of searching for a string in the normal output.
$ ffprobe -v error -show_streams -select_streams v:0 -of json -i test.mp4
{
    "streams": [
        {
            "index": 0,
            "codec_name": "hevc",
            "codec_long_name": "H.265 / HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding)",
            "color_transfer": "arib-std-b67",
            "color_primaries": "bt2020",
            "refs": 1,
            // …
       }
    ]
}

authors: Валерий Заподовников


text:
Unwanted letterboxing using Wirecast
When I create a 1280 x 720 pixel image in Photoshop CS5.1 for use as a title slide in Wirecast, the resulting image is letterboxed.   I have a similar problem with 720p video feeds from a Black Magic Ultrastudio 3D.
Can anyone tell me how to find the set-up parameters to fix this.  I'm suspecting it's a pixel aspect ratio problem.

Most likely, it is the 'canvas size' setting under the top level Broadcast menu. If you are broadcasting at anything less than 1280x720, then try to keep the aspect ratio the same for the lower resolution, i.e. something like 640x360


text:
Matching a camera in a 3D scene based on a photo
I have a Sketchup scene with a 3D model and a geolocation, but I also have a photo for the scene.
How cam I match/create a virtual camera in the 3D application to match the viewpoint of the physical camera's viewpoint ?
Would be cool if the solution is also in Sketchup, but can be done using other 3D packages as well.
Thanks!

do you have one more photo from a different angle?

someone who knows about this should really answer this.

@InanBerbatov I've got several. The only catch in my situation is the resolution/quality as some images come from a compact camera and most of the others from an IP camera

Do you have one more photo from the same camera? If so, two angles from same lens may be enough to recreate the scene with a camera. I am trying to figure out if a solution involving Blender's built in camera tracker would be possible. In this situation you obviously know the camera model and have lens information, right?

Production Software Used:
PfTrack, PfMatchit, Boujou, Syntheyes, Nuke Camera Tracker...
Student free use:
Autodesk Matchmover
All of the above software is used to 3D Match Move Cameras to video sequences. Most of them are very expensive. PfTrack is my personal favorite.
Although all of the above mentioned software is used to solve cameras for video sequences they work just as well with stills. PfTrack has tools to orient a scene based on hints that you give it about scale, x-axis, y-axis,z-axis, FOV and so on. The solve is easier with more reference images that have been taken from different angles looking at the same scene.
As was mentioned above looking for key signs in the photo that give hints for y-axis and z-axis will help you align your scene. If you Place grids down you can try to ballpark the perspective of the shot and give yourself a good horizon line. You can also place proxy geometry of some of the objects in your scene to guess depth and so on. Many of these techniques are what is used to match CG to video.
In the end the more information you have about the original physical scene is what will make matching CG easier. such as actual dimensions of the scene and as many measurements as possible. If you have access to any of the above software you can undistort your stills and have assistance on producing good solutions to your scenes 3D camera.

There may be software to look at a photo and determine the lens, lens height, and lens angle.  But I only know of software that does this with video clips.
However the way to do would be to look at the shot and overlay the photo with the scene, and play with 3D cameras lens, lens height, and lens angle and get it close.  Due to lens distortion there is some margin of error but you can probably get very close.

which software can do it easy?

The OP could make a video clip of his photo (every frame would be identical) and then use the software you are referring to. Could you please post a link to that software?

No that would not work, it uses the movement of the camera and objects in the scene to determine parallax of objects, etc.  @saber there is no easy software to do this, even with video it takes tons of training to be able to do this correctly,
But here are some software that does it with video
Boujou - http://www.vicon.com/boujou/
The Foundrys Camera Tracker - http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/cameratracker/
PFTrack - http://www.thepixelfarm.co.uk/product.php?productId=PFTrack
And AE CS6 also has one built in, but again I can not stress this enough, these will not work with a still image


text:
How can I add fade in and fade out effects to a video?
I tried searching for freeware on Google which can do this. But I have not been able to find a software which clearly mentions fade in or fade out in its specifications.
I wanted to have a scene with music in the background. At fade out both the music and the video should fade out (or grow darker to be

Windows Live Movie Maker is a free app that can do both audio and video fades (both in and out).  You probably already have this application installed on your computer, and if you need further help I would imagine you can find a number of YouTube tutorial videos.
Once you import your video, click on the Edit tab and you'll see the audio fades immediately.
Then, click on the Visual Effects tab, and click the down arrow at the right of the single row of effects to expand these.  Scroll down to "Motion and Fades".  In this group you'll find what you're looking for.
If you don't already have WLMM on your computer, there are a jillion places where you can download it.  Incidentally, the latest version is called "Windows Movie Maker 2012", for Windows 7 and 8, so you'll want to look for that unless you're still running Vista or XP.

Without looking into this in too much detail:
ffmpeg lists a fade filter which fades in/out video. You might be able to use this in conjunction with the volume change filter to effectively fade in and our the audio/video.


text:
Canon DSLR home-video. Need advice
I own a Canon 1100d/T3i with very decent lenses (85mm/f1.8 and 35mm/f2). I really like shooting movies at home with it as the depth of field and the clarity of the subject are really beautiful.
The problem is that its not easy to focus and my wife finds it very difficult to use. The camera itself has zero auto-focus capabilities that I have managed to get going and it has basically been all manual focus.
I was considering getting a more expensive camcorder because making videos is quite important to me (the photo quality on this DSLR is absolutely fine with me btw). But I could not seem to find any of the cool depth-of-field that this DSLR gives me.
My questions is:
Is there a different Canon DSLR that does have good auto-focusing (ideally face recognition)?
Or is there a decent camcorder that has nice depth of field?
(and hopefully the prices are not very high as well)

Another way to help with focussing is to invest in a follow focus (and the associated rig). Though, this gets expensive quickly - though still cheaper than a camera that can match a DSLR's DOF and autofocus (most cinema cameras don't autofocus i.e. AF-100. There's no need on them.)

I am wondering if this semi-pro video camera from sony with interchangeable lens may solve my problem.. Sony NEX-VG20

As far as I know the Canon 650D is the only Canon DLSR that has full auto focus during video recording. Not sure about the face recognition though.
Do some research on it. If you really like the DSLR look then I think this is the camera for you... especially as you'll be able to use your 85mm and 35mm lenses.
I don't know too much about other camcorders but I doubt you'll be able to find any that can give you that DSLR depth of field for the price of the 650D.

The 650D (Rebel T4i) does autofocus in video mode, but only with the STM lenses.  Currently, there are only 2 STM lenses, a 40mm STM pancake and a 18-135mm STM.  I haven't used them, but tests I've seen online show that they have decent autofocus in video mode, but still not up to par with an actual video camera.
This is a good video showing how well the AF with face detection works.
I can't speak to cheap camcorders but I do own the 7D and it does very well with face detection autofocusing, but only when I hit the AF ON button or hold the shutter release down halfway. When recording video I shoot with manual focus only as lenses can tend to hunt and make noise and usually doesn't work. For doing video I would also recommend using IS lenses (or lens equivalent).  I don't shoot video with my 85mm or 35mm without a tripod or shoulder rig.  For handheld I only ever use IS lenses.

...I doubt you'll be able to find any that can give you that DSLR
  depth of field for the price of the 650D.

Chard is right, you aren't going to get the depth you're used to on your T3i without spending at least $6000 on a video camera.  You're best bet for a new camera with the things you're looking for is the Rebel T4i with an STM lens.

DSLRs don't have decent auto-focus that can be engaged during video recording.
The proper way to work with a DSLR when shooting video is to plan your focus in advance of your shot. If you need to move the focus point during the shot, then your preparation will include setting up all the focus points in your shot, marking the position of each in the focus ring and finally during the shot operating the focus ring with your free hand.
Setting focus while you are in live view but not recording is possible, and this actually works really well. For this you should use the Quick AF-mode. In this mode the camera suspends the live view for a second or two and enables the fast AF that is used in picture mode. As soon as focus is achieved the live view is restored. After you set the Quick AF mode you trigger the auto-focus by pressing the AF-on button on the back if your camera. The AF modes that do not stop the live view are inaccurate and slow, the Quick AF mode is the only mode that really makes sense.
Another thing you need to consider is that to reduce the need for changing focus so much during a shot you can shoot with a larger depth of field. To increase the depth of field you basically have to reduce the aperture (i.e. larger f numbers). To be able to reduce the aperture you need to (a) add more light, or (b) increase the ISO, (c) lower the shutter speed, or (d) a combination of more than one of the above.
Good luck.


text:
Unable to render file larger than 4 Gigs in Sony Vegas 10
I have wasted over 8 hours trying to figure out what is wrong my program. I am trying to render a 30 minute file in high quality HD using the Main Concept codec, but as soon as it reaches 100% I get this error saying there was unknown error while creating the media file. Is this some sort of limitation to the codex or program? Is there a workaround?
Thanks.

question- have you tested to see if files under 4gb work? The error report you describe doesn't mention size. It could be the filesystem permissions...

If you are exporting to an external harddrive that's formatted as FAT32 you are unable to have files larger than 4GB. That's the only thing that comes to mind for me.

I have absolutely zero idea what went wrong, but I suspect it may been something with the actual file. Anyway I was able to render the file with no problem to .wmv format so it's all good. Thanks for the replies.

This may be related. Look under limitations. Whether Vegas Pro uses this "File Sink" or not, I don't know. If it does than this is an inherent issue with Vegas Pro on Win 7 or earlier.

Not sure what went wrong but I was able to render it in .wmv format. Must have been something wrong with the file itself.


text:
Want to Start 2D 3D Animation Studio
I am a newly retired person (40 years old). I always loved animation
and have some experience in 3D modelling (using 3Ds max).
Now after retirement I want to start my own freelance animated video
production business. However I have few questions
Question 1: Since I do not want to get a huge team should I stick with 3D
animation or switch to 2D. Is 2D managable for small team of two?
Question 2: Is it possible for 1 or 2 men team to develop 2D anmations
at their own since I do not want to start a large company just me and
may be one more person. I had plans to have a 3D animation company but
3D animation is a very long process and takes lot of time so I have
settled for 2D. Is making a 1 or 2 minute 2D aniamtion for a single person
/ month possible (please assume what ever you have to to answer this)
Question 3: My objecctive is making 500-1000$ / month since I have my pension
how long it will take me to reach this goal in freelance business if i
work full time.
I understand that all the above questions are very subjective
and need lot and lot of other information but please assume what all you
have to OR just give your own experience.
My style in 2D animation I assume will be cartoon / series creation
promotional vidoes.

I may be way off in my assumption, but it would seem like someone going into animation could also profit by checking out the video game development SE. This question seems perfectly on topic here, but you might be able to pick up some tips over there as well. http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/

Please take a look at this particular section of the faq.  What you're asking, while a very interesting question, may not actually fit the format of this site.

It depends on the quality you want to achieve and where your skill set is.  The bigger difference between 2d and 3d animation isn't so much the time it consumes, but rather the skill set it requires.
The techniques for both are completely different (though there is a subset of 2d animation that is based on cell-shading or other specialized rendering of 3d models).  2D animation requires good vector and hand drawing skill with generally linear shading.  It can be either very fast for basic keyframe and bend work with simple vector geometries, or it can be a painstaking manual process involving rotoscoping changes for each individual frame of animation with elaborate hand drawn textures.
Similarly, 3d can be very quick and simple when making things that don't need to be photoreal.  Textures can be more easily applied and don't have to be perfect for all contexts, lighting is far simpler to get close, though perfecting it is still very hard.  If you are doing things like 3d logo work and basic business effects (such as intro videos and some work for commercials) then you don't really need to be doing hyper realistic photoreal work and 3d animation can be pretty quick.
On the other hand, photo-realistic 3d animation is extremely painstaking, requires massive amount of processing power and a dedicated staff of specialists to get everything tweaked just right.
So, either approach can be done at a professional level with only a couple of people working on it.  Both are within the realm of what is financially viable for an individual to invest in, though 3D animation is much more expensive initially unless you start with Blender, which is free.
You should decide on which you want to approach based on what best fits your interests.  Try some 2D animation with flash, try some rotoscoped, frame by frame animation with Photoshop, try some motion graphics with After Effects and try some 3d animation with Blender.  It might also be worth getting a trial copy of Maya, SoftImage or Cinema4D if you can as well and see how you like those higher end 3d graphics packages.
Choose whichever you enjoy the most and look for work that makes use of that type of animation.

I create animation for 2D game, and use both 2D (Inkscape) and 3D (Blender) software. Because I create game animation I use need 3 or 4 frames for most characters but some need 7+ frames (need save space in texture for each level, need limit animations).
I use 2D Inkscape for most game character, have color out line style like Disney's Alice In Wonderland but have shading/shadow too.
But some object have rotate animation (spike ball), special lighting/shading (hard draw with vector graphic) but very easy create with Blender. Some time I draw outline on 3D object render look more like vector object or help people see object, other time I use direct render image and not change it.
Game is little different from cartoon, people busy play game shoot/fight enemy, not easy notice lighting error when flip object, few animation frame, mix 2D/3D style.


text:
How to export footage and burn a 16:9 PAL DVD for playback on television
I have searched everywhere and consulted many people yet no one seems to know how to solve this problem.
I have created a large project in After Effects in 16:9 format:

1280x720
  Square Pixels
  Frame Aspect Ratio 16:9 (1,78)

The problem is that every single time I burn any of this footage to DVD, it works perfectly on a computer, but on dvd/tv, rather than letterboxing the tops and bottoms, the sides are cut off. (Even with black bars on the sides where footage should be). The same DVDs play flawlessly on the computer. I have tried cycling through every mode available on the TV as well (4:3, 14:9, Widescreen (16:9), SuperLive, etc etc).
I don't believe it is an issue with Action/Title Safe as vertically, nothing is cut off, only the sides.
I have tried Roxio Toast and Burn. With both, I have ensured 16:9 is enabled/checked and PAL Video DVD Format.
I have tried countless settings in my dvd burning software.
I've also tried putting everything into Final Cut and exporting with Compressor:

Name: MPEG-2 for DVD
  Description: MPEG-2 elementary stream for DVD Authoring
  File Extension: m2v
  Estimated size: 2.25 GB/hour of source
  Type: MPEG-2 video elementary stream
      Usage:SD DVD
  Video Encoder
      Width: 720
      Height: 576
      Pixel aspect ratio: PAL CCIR 601 (16:9)
      Crop: None
      Padding: None
      Frame rate: (100% of source)
      Frame Controls: Automatically selected: Off
      Start timecode from source
      Aspect ratio: 16:9
      Field dominance: Progressive

In every single case, the footage plays perfectly on a computer, but the edges are noticeably cut off on a TV. Why isn't the DVD just fitting the footage to screen??
I believe the issue lies in the PAR (Pixel Aspet Ratio) - but shouldn't a compressor setting that is setup SPECIFICALLY to output a format made for a 16:9 PAL DVD make it work regardless of the source footage?

The display aspect ratio is set on the DVD in the metadata, because the actual video is always 720:576 (for PAL). So it could be something not working in your DVD authoring package. If you've got Final Cut do you have DVD Studio Pro? Give that a go maybe.

Render your footage again downscaled to 720x576 then burn it to your DVD.  Even though the downscaled files look squashed on your computer, when burnt to a DVD with a 16x9 anamorphic setting it should appear correctly.


text:
After Effects Opacity behaving differently from Photoshop?
I have some white text that fades out on a red background (rgb (255,0,0)) in After Effects.
For some reason, in After Effects, the effect of the text fading out is a dark, almost 'black', animating with Opacity:

Whereas in Photoshop, the red 'comes through' the text, resulting in a reddish, transluscent white:

What am I missing? I'm confused why a '20%' white Text Layer on a Red solid would end up being black/grey in After Effects?
EDIT
This problem disappears when turning off the Layer Style, which is a simple Inner Shadow with the following settings:
Blend Mode: Multiply
Color: Black
Opacity: 75%
Use Global Light: Off
Angle: 0x+120,0°
Distance: 1,0
Choke: 0,0%
Size: 1,0
Noise: 0,0%

--
So I suppose, why does a simple layer style cause everything to go black when reducing opacity of the text layer?
Adding image to demonstrate:

It is probably something weird about your blending mode, but you don't have enough detail here for me to be certain.

@AJHenderson I've added some more detail in case it helps

I think the layer styles cause AE to render slightly differently - they don't work with every plugin for example.
Have you tried precomping the text with the layer style, and doing the opacity adjustment in the outer comp?
I also think it could be because the layer style you're using has a multiply function within it.  Maybe try switching the display mode in the layer style to Normal, and see if you can get the same effect..
Finally, could it be something to do with working at full saturation red (255,0,0)?  When I render videos out, full reds tend to look pretty horrible as video files...

Yep, it's definitely the layer style, and precomping is the solution.

I think it seems like you have added layer style to the text in Photoshop. The text in the photoshop has Bevels & Emboss. From this point, you may have some other effect added on this text layer. I tried myself with same red background and same white text, here is what on my computer:

Here is what it looks like in AE of 20% opacity:

And here is what it looks like in AE of 40% opacity:

So I think, it's only about how the software distribute the percentage of opacity, in After Effects, you should assign a higher opacity to the layer. I don't think there is a wired problem that in AE that you got a dark layer as you stated.
Hope this may help :)

Hi, the effect I'm using in Photoshop is just Inner Shadow, and in After Effects, I have used the same settings with a layer style. Turning the layer style off produces the right effect, but then I'm wondering why a simple 1px inner shadow would cause the entire layer to be 'black' when it is less opaque?

Most likely the issue is one of resolution.  It is quite possible that your original photoshop layer was being displayed at much higher resolution, so a 1px border wasn't that noticeable, when changed to a layer on a low resolution video frame (1080p video is only 2 megapixels), 1px is suddenly a much more noticeable level of adjustment.  The entire surface of the text doesn't have to be dark, only the outside edge.  If we see a dark border, our eyes tend to automatically see the enclosed area as slightly darker, so that may explain it.
Additionally, I don't know that the fine points of blending and layer styles are exactly identical between Photoshop and After Effects.  They are different programs with different features and optimizations.  Adobe tries to keep them pretty similar to allow for interfacing between applications easily, but it still isn't the same program.  Some aspects do actually use the other programs to use functions, but I'm not sure if layer blending and stlying is one of them.  I've occasionally noticed other layer blending issues changing slightly, so this isn't entirely unexpected when using advanced features like styling.

Hi AJ, thanks for the response - my PSD is exactly the same resolution, 1920x1080. At 100% opacity, both AE and PS display identically, it's only when adjusting opacity that the issues appear – so it's definitely something to do with the way AE treats transparency with layer styles, how strange.


text:
What is the name of this effect in After Effects?
how to create an intro animation just like this:

? What is the name of the effect (time around 00:00:02 until 00:00:05)? I am trying to search it over Youtube but doesn't find something that I want.
The main effect that I am looking for is the text forming from a bubble and the bubble bouncing over the text. Thanks.

Can you specify a time? That's a five and a half minute video.

@stib Hi Stib, revised the description

The name of the effect is "animation". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animation

You can search "After Effects morphing" and you will find some tutorials which you will help to recreate intro like in this video.
It's not a standart (by default) effect in After Effects. It's an animation created from scratch, probably in After Effects.
Shape Animation

You can search "After Effects morphing" and you will find some tutorials which you will help to recreate intro like in this video. It's not a standard (by default) effect in After Effects. It's an animation created from scratch, probably in After Effects. It's a Shape Animation, shape morphing, mask morphing, liquid animation.

That's not morphing.  It's just animation.  There's about 10 circles moving around very quickly, with motion blur.  The letters squash and stretch independently, the background inverts its color independently, and it all happens quickly, and coherently.  It's a good animation, but there aren't plugins to do it.  Morphing maps one shape to another, and then creates incremental versions by both moving pixels spatially and cross-dissolving the pixel color values.  There are plugins to do morphing, and they won't help here, because that's different.  Morphing = tweening + dissolve.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
How to create a x264 (mp4) video with the smallest size using ffmpeg that has just 1 image through entire video?
I'm creating narrated mp4 (x264+aac) videos for books. Each video has just the book's cover as the background.
I wonder what would be the most effective way to create such videos with ffmpeg?
I've tried using framerate of 1fps and that created small videos, but there were problems seeking in the video, and some video playing libraries for web browsers got confused with such videos.
Do you have any recommendations for creating small mp4 videos with just 1 static frame?

Why not MPEG-4 Audio instead? It sounds more appropriate to use an audio file with cover art.

@Zettt MPEG-4 and mp4 are the same thing

ffmpeg will do it for you - https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5887311/ffmpeg-1-image-1-audio-file-1-video
If you want to provide good seeking ability, you will need to provide key frames at certain intervals in the encoding, which will increase the size of the video. The codec will encode the whole frame at each of the keyframes but greatly compress the intervening frames. By playing around with the value of the key frame interval, you can arrive at a good compromise for your needs.


text:
How can I stream to a single channel, from multiple geographical locations?
We are looking at broadcasting a live 'roundtable discussion' between 4 or 5 people. We are after either a service which would allow us to stream from all of these 4 people into a single channel. Note that none of the participants would be in the same geographical location.
In a perfect world, it would work like streaming a Google+ Hangout to however many thousand people we have watching the overall stream.
The video needs to be private, so we cannot use something like Hangouts on Air because this will be listed publicly. We don't need encryption or anything like that, just it cannot be publicly advertised somewhere.
It would also be very good to simply get an RTMP stream from a Wowza/FMS server so that we can play it back through a player such as JW Player or FlowPlayer.
Any suggestions or ideas?

For a software agnostic thought experiment, imagine you have N people, you get N+1 computers where the +1 is set up to monitor the other N. You set up a conferenced video discussion and the +1 computer is set up with no camera and with all incoming N video feeds tiled across the screen and configured to do a screencast. That computer would need pretty good bandwidth for simultaneous live streaming AND monitoring.

This is true, but when testing a Skype call broadcasting to Ustream, we found no problems so we're more concerned with the broadcasting rather than potential bandwidth limitations. Good thought though!

Hangouts On Air will allow you to stream your G+ Hangouts to Youtube. This should allow you to reach as large an audience as you wish.

We need to keep it private and stream it through our own video player. Playing it back is no problem because we can just listen to the RTMP stream and play that back, but the issue is with recording. HoA are always public and I cannot imagine that they can be played back live through YouTube's APIs can they?

You should add those qualifications to your initial question.

Have done now. Any further ideas?

I don't have any further suggestions.

What you're asking for is pretty common in TV circles (think CNN interviews with 3x people in different places, arguing with themselves and a host) - they use satellites and lots of expensive gear...
How tech savvy are the people on the other end? If you have staff who can assist, set up Wirecast on each computer and have each remote computer hooked up to a camera (for best quality, get a camera with HDMI output and a Blackmagic Intensity card) and just publish a simple RTMP stream from their computer directly.
Then, on your end, get a 4x computers to receive a stream each (or a computer with 4x monitor outputs), plug each computer into another computer, running Wirecast, with Blackmagic Decklink Quad card (with DVI/HDMI to SDI adaptors) and use Wirecast to receive each stream and live mix the streams as appropriate (like a sports broadcast for example) inside a single 720p or whatever frame.
You can then publish the single feed from Wirecast to any number of services (Livesteream for example) that won't list your video publicly, then set up a 2nd RTMP stream on a more robust connection, just for those in the chat can hear & see the other people they're talking with (using a 3rd party like Livestream adds a fair bit of latency, will make for a shitty conversation).
Does that make sense? I can draw a diagram if you need me to, hah.
This really depends on your budget and level of tech knowledge at each remote site. You could use Skype at full screen, instead of Wirecast, but it won't be as good quality (but fuckloads easier if you have nobody on the other end - just tell the people participating in the chat to load Skype, that's it, you do the rest)
An even easier option is just to make a Skype conference call, make it full screen, output it to two mirrored monitors - one for you to watch locally, one for output to second computer running Wirecast. Then just set up the Wirecast computer to broadcast to a stream location of your choice for everyone to view.
This is a bit long winded, so if you have any points you need clarified, ask :)