Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 19, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The sense and nonsense of a batch compressor: some use it excessively, while other users do not need it at all. They perform the necessary compression through the QuickTime export in Final Cut Pro and similar programs. Batch compression makes work considerably easier when you often want to convert films into a particular format, or compress many films into many different codecs.
#FCS_Comp
For one thing, exporting from Final Cut Pro is limited to one film (unless you use the batch export of sequences here), and the program does not remember particular settings. You therefore have to redefine the export settings again and again, which can cost time and nerves.
Sending vs. Exporting
There are two ways to use Compressor from Final Cut Pro: send a sequence to Compressor, or export a film as a QuickTime file and then drag & drop it into Compressor.
Both have advantages and disadvantages: sending directly saves you from storing a probably temporary film, but it ties up Final Cut Pro for the duration of the encoding. This means you cannot work on other projects while sending the film to Compressor frame by frame. Exporting a film with the current settings beforehand has the advantage that you can compress it as often as you like and also work in Final Cut Pro during encoding. However, exporting is of course an additional step that not every user necessarily finds agreeable.
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To send directly to Compressor from Final Cut Pro, activate the relevant sequence in the browser or the timeline to be sent and choose “File > Export > Using Compressor” from the menu. Compressor then opens, and a Final Cut Pro project file icon appears in Compressor’s Batch window. Users who prefer to create a QuickTime movie before encoding with Compressor choose “File > Export > QuickTime Movie” from the menu.
In the Save dialogue that appears, leave all settings for General, Audio and Video as they are. Or leave the checkbox unchecked if you only want to save a reference to existing media on your hard drive or network.
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