Encoding credits the right way

[jack-gal]

Hi!
As I used Gknot with divx4.12, i don't know exactly how to encode credits with divx5.0.
I first demux audio of the whole movie with DVD2AVI, then create 2 .d2v files: one for movie, one for credits.
Is this the good way ? Or is it better to separate the two files with avisynth, using "Set credits start" ?
Thanx !

[Head Hunter]

Use set credits start in Gknot which will make 2 avs files. Then encode them separately and join them, the same way Gknot automates it.

[dragoman]

Hi,

That's the method I use. You can set Vdub up with Job control to encode the credits with 1-pass quality based encode....all you have to do is join them after.

dragoman

[70-219]

1 pass? If your using an extremely low bitrate (I use 50) wouldn't it be better to do 2 pass to get the best you can out of it. I then add the credit file to the file box in GKnot and lower the number of frames (again in GKnot) to equal the main movies number of frames in order to get a nice new accurate bitrate calc (info for other newbies like me).

[dragoman]

Hi,

It depends on what type of credits you are talking about here. Some are simple black and white text scrolling up....

Others (a memorable example is Any Given Sunday and Rush Hour) have full action clips integrated with the credits.

I really don't think that on the normal type of credits a two-pass encoding would help. 1-pass with a high quantizer set does the job very well.

Currently I am encoding X-files episodes (season 4), and each episode has simple black and white text credits at the end. A fixed quant of 20 gives great results with a low filesize...

dragoman

[70-219]

Thanks. I'll give that a try. Although I wonder why I bother with credits at all really since I don't remember having ever watched them before :) Just for the sake of completeness and shareability really.

[dragoman]

Hi,

Some movies have great music in the credits....(Who could forget the memorable song in the credits of Ghostbusters?)

Films like Gladiator, Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart. Some music from the movie is only played in the credits.....Titanic was another, and also Dragonheart....

So I do the credits as much for the audio as I do for the info...

dragoman

[ChAoS Overlord]

Originally posted by Head Hunter
Use set credits start in Gknot which will make 2 avs files. Then encode them separately and join them, the same way Gknot automates it.

I'm using the latest gordian knot & it doesn't seem to work?! I press the "set credits start" button then "save & encode" give in a filename & I get only one file (for the complete episode).

EDIT: Sorry, now I know to use the 'trim' option!

[gregor7777]

I'm a little hazy on this. I can do the credits manually, which I've been doing since the guide says to select no trim for Divx5.

Why is that? Why is the process different in that respect from divx 4?

Thanks

[theReal]

There's nothing different, I think.
You make one d2v project, open it in Gknot, set the credit start in the preview window, press "save and encode" and choose "movie and credits seperately".
You're asked to save two avs files which you can encode seperately. This trimming has nothing to do with Divx5, all the trimming is done in avisynth, so where's the problem?

[ChAoS Overlord]

Yes well I have a small question...

I actually have to entirely different encodes (other bitrates) how do you use the bitrate calc in an optimal way as to know as fast & as easily as possible the bitrate?

Right now this is how I do it:

encode sound
encode credits
deduct credit time from movie time in gordian knot bitrate calc
deduct filesize credits from gordian not wished filesize
recalc bitrate

Is there a better way?

[gregor7777]

There's nothing different, I think.
You make one d2v project, open it in Gknot, set the credit start in the preview window, press "save and encode" and choose "movie and credits seperately".
You're asked to save two avs files which you can encode seperately. This trimming has nothing to do with Divx5, all the trimming is done in avisynth, so where's the problem?

That was my original question. Why in the guide does it say not to select anything under that menu. It says to do the "set credits start" but makes no mention of the trim or do credits seperately function.

"Make sure No Trim is selected, then press Save & Encode and select a name for your Avisynth file." Says the guide...

[theReal]

Sorry, I haven't read the guide since Divx5 is out.
I also don't understand why the guide says "Make sure No Trim is selected (...)"

But I'm absolutely sure it works like I said (saving two avs files and encoding the credits seperately) because I've just done this with no problems.

[gregor7777]

Thanks theReal, I thought it would work.


Greg will triumphantly reclaim lost bandwidth!!!!!!! :)

[Deptmaster]

I do alot of single CD rips so encoding credits the "right way" in my oppinion is to leave them out most of the time. :)
After all i never watch them anyways!

[kastro68]

For black and white credits use a constant quantizer of about 29. I managed to squeeze credits into about 3 megs...and yes, it is still very readable. It also saves you the trouble of doing 2 passes.

[theReal]

I like b/w credits with quantizer 31, it also helps to switch to bilinear resize.

[Bro]

Is there some plugin I need to install?
which? where?
because at the moment my trim options are "grey'ed out"

[theReal]

You have to set a start-point for the credits, then it shouldn't be greyed out anymore. You can set this in the Gknot Preview window: just FF to the point where you see the credits start and press the "set credits start" button :)

[Bro]

thnx alot...lol

[bkam]

I guess this topic's sort of finished but what I usually do is Set Credits Start, then click Movie Only, save the avs, click Credits only, save the avs, then modify them however I want and load them into the DivX 5 page. That gives me the right trim(blah,blah) and I can then change the resize filters to Lanczos (which you can't do in GKnot) or Bicubic for the movie and Bilinear for the credits. I also TemporalSmoother(10) my credits. I've always left the Quant at 20 as per the default Divx5 setting but now I might try higher values to see if the credits are still legible at that quality after bilinear and smoothing.