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June, 2025

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My first timelapse - need some help with uploading (I think)

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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
I just finished my first timelapse and I was wondering why it looks so bad?

Shot and edited in 1080p, Apple Prores (LT). Edited in After Effects and FCP 7 then compressed with Compressor to h.264. I'm no video expert so I might have fucked something up but I don't get why it looks so goddamn crappy. Probably has to do with vimeo, because it looks super good when I play it in VLC/Quicktime....

Everything up till the uploading was going super smooth and I was happy with how it turned out considering it's the first time I used FCP and did all the conforming and converting of codecs and all that shit.
Now I uploaded it and it looks like 360p...

What I've been up to from Tijmen Dal on Vimeo.

13 years ago
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[J_Gasper]
Posts: 2983 - Karma: 1,594
were the motion shots done by a slider? if not, you should have exported in 720p. from my understanding you cropped the image. second of all, you can export strait from FCP. h.264 @ 720p 24fps. also, you dont have HD embeds since you arent a vimeo user
13 years ago
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
taking your response form m&a stoke
"That's one of the things I don't understand. Doesn't it automatically go into HD when it is 720p or higher?"

Yes, it does. That means the file you uploaded was not HD.


Can you share your complete workflow, all the way from import to upload?
13 years ago
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
when you don't have a pro account it will still show the option to watch in hd, but then direct you to watch it on vimeo itself, not embedded


The problem is probably in your export from AE or FCP.
I know i had a similar issue when exporting form fcp when i first started doing video.
you have to watch your export settings carefully.
When I export i:
export using quicktime conversion
Once you select that you have to make sure all the settings are how you want them
Make sure your frame size is set to 1920x1080 or 1280x720 for 720p video
13 years ago
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
I uploaded to youtube and it's doing just fine. 720p (not quite 1080p like I expected, but it doesn't look like shit)

13 years ago
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
Moving shots were all done in After Effects


Complete workflow:

- Shot in RAW on 5Dc (10mp files)
- PP'ed in LR, synced the shots
- Exported at 1920*1080
- With timelapse assembler made a movie out of them. h.264 coded, .mov file
- Brought into AE, did the sliding shots, exported as .mov, lossless - HUGE files at this point
- With MPEG Streamclip converted to Apple ProRes (LT)
- Brought into FCP
- Edited it all together
- Exported as Quicktime movie. 600mb file
- With Compressor compressed everything to 8bit h.264 coded and .mov file

Up to here I noticed some loss in image quality, but not much. Full screen on my 13" MBP looked pretty crisp.

- Last step: Uploaded to Vimeo: looks like shit.


13 years ago
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
if it's in hd it should upload to vimeo in hd,
the only reason i can see that it wouldn't would be if you have exceeded your number of hd uploads for the month (i think there is still a limit?)

With the file that you are uploading, while it's still on your computer, can you see the dimensions?
13 years ago
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
I wouldn't know how to check, haha.
I googled, but it only shows hits for how to compress .mov files...

If there's a cap on HD video's for non-paying members, then that might be it. I uploaded 2 HD video's to vimeo already.
13 years ago
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
Ok, managed to look it up through FCP

Click for larger image
13 years ago
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Sklar
Posts: 8865 - Karma: 31,618
I'm not sure, I've done what I can. Someone who knows a little more than me can probably help you from here
good luck
13 years ago
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
Thanks. It's weird it does work for youtube. It's probably an issue with vimeo. Might have to just get Vimeo Plus or something. It's like 20$/year anyway
13 years ago
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[J_Gasper]
Posts: 2983 - Karma: 1,594
$60 a year, unfortunatley. I probably wont renew mine for a bit. I have grown to dislike vimeo. I have had so many problems with them that theres no point in me paying for it. The NS uploader is much better IMO.
13 years ago
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Downtofilm
Posts: 6896 - Karma: 20,395
It is definitely because you dont have vimeo plus - @tijmen

I am thinking the same thing, but I love being able to upload unlimited (well almost) HD samples to Vimeo to show friends privately and whatnot, they just have to fix the buffering bar bullshit. - @J_gasper
13 years ago
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
Ok, yeah. Just saw that it's one HD video per week. So that's gotta be it.
13 years ago
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[J_Gasper]
Posts: 2983 - Karma: 1,594
Its so much more than the buffering bar for me. Videos are off sync, they are choppy, etc. i know its nothing im doing because they work great on here ans youtube. However, i also do like the face that i have unlimited uploads in HD and that i can do it pretty quick. Its nice to throw a password on a edit you dont want up there just so you can show your buddies
13 years ago
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TijmenDal
Posts: 4849 - Karma: 1,296
With google you can just unlist them so only people with links can watch them.

But then again, youtube has ads that drive me up the fucking wall. Time for a new media player?
13 years ago
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