Fuzzy Text with MEP 2016

Kami_1 wrote on 11/12/2015, 9:51 PM

I never had this problem with previous MEP versions. Text looks good on the MEP monitor, but fuzzy/blurry on mpg export. On the two sample screenshots, the text at the top is the MEP monitor; the text at the bottom is the export. (What you see is not the entire frame, just the small part with the text.)

I know how to make it stand out more (with outline and similar), but that's not going to keep the text sharp.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks, Kami

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 11/13/2015, 4:28 AM

Hi Kami

. . . . Text looks good on the MEP monitor, but fuzzy/blurry on mpg export. . . . .

What resolution is the project set to and are you exporting to?

If you are downsizing HD 1920 * 1080 to, for example, 720 * 480 (576) then the 'fuzziness' is to be expected because of the resolution reduction.

The problem is made even worse depending on the fonts you use. In the example you have given the script font is particularly bad because of the sloping of the font which makes anti-aliasing difficult at the lower resolutions.

I avoid using Italic style fonts and those that have a lot of slope to the verticals of the characters.

In the case of needing to use a font - like for example Brush Script - I would create still images of the text at an appropriate reolution and use these instead of the titler.

HTH

John EB

Scenestealer wrote on 11/13/2015, 4:08 PM

Hi Kami

Further to what john has said, be aware that if you are creating the text using Titles in MEP, that the title editor is dependant on the resolution of the "Movie Settings" for the project. So if the project is set at HD and your export is to DVD (SD) then you will see good resn. in the preview but the export will suffer from the resizing john has described.

If your output is going to be only DVD then set the Movie settings to 720x480 and then create the title in MEP prior to export.

Peter

Kami_1 wrote on 11/13/2015, 6:07 PM

Hi John,

No downsizing. I'm still recording mostly SD, 4x3 ratio. The samples were exported to mpg2. I used the default settings: Resolution: 720x480, Frame rate 29.97, Ratio: "Auto"; Quality: 12: Interlace: bottom field first; "Standard 2D."

I used these settings in case I decide to make a DVD. I made some test runs with straighter fonts, one with Comic Sans and Hobo, another with Arial and Candara (the latter two as straight as they get). I also changed the resolution to 4x3 to match the ratio. And, using the 4x3 settings, exported to mpg1, wmv, mp4 and jpg-avi; also exported to mpg-DVD, which can't be changed from 720-480 (ratio - Auto).

According to my results, the fonts make little difference. The other formats make little difference. The Resolution makes a little difference, esp. with mpg2. 4x3 seems a bit better than 720x480. (I don't understand how the 720x480 setting produces normal looking videos from 640x480 originals.)

Color makes a difference. Yellow is duller and fades out, on all the formats. Red remains brighter.

One other thing ...I'm using the Main Concept codecs (because the Intel default -- forgot the name -- doesn't include mpg1. The text almost always looked good on videos I did on my older computer with MX18.

Do the video effects (e.g., sharpening, bright, contract and color controls) effect text in MEP2016?

Kami

Kami_1 wrote on 11/13/2015, 6:12 PM

All videos so far are SD, 4x3. (See my other post with the "testing.")

I have some 16x9 HD video which I recorded with a still cam. What should they be exported to?

I'm not sure what this means .... "and then create the title in MEP prior to export." I always do, as I'm editing.

Kami

Hi Kami

Further to what john has said, be aware that if you are creating the text using Titles in MEP, that the title editor is dependant on the resolution of the "Movie Settings" for the project. So if the project is set at HD and your export is to DVD (SD) then you will see good resn. in the preview but the export will suffer from the resizing john has described.

If your output is going to be only DVD then set the Movie settings to 720x480 and then create the title in MEP prior to export.

Peter

Scenestealer wrote on 11/13/2015, 6:38 PM

My point is, if you have already created the Titles in MEP with the project settings set to HD (not the export settings which will be SD) delete them and redo them once you have changed the project settings (aka Movie settings) to SD.

You can have HD clips in the SD project with no problem and they will be resized to SD on export, but it is important to create the titles with the project set to SD as they do not like being downsized during export to SD.

Peter

Kami_1 wrote on 11/13/2015, 11:29 PM

Got it, Peter, thanks. I'll keep that in mind when I get to the HD clips. I have to keep them separate since they're 16x9 and the SD clips are 4x3. I tried putting both in one video, but it didn't work.