A   S t r e a m i n g   M e d i a   P r i m e r :  

H O W   D O   I   M A K E   ( G O O D )   S T R E A M I N G   M E D I A ?

Pre processing your video

Pre processing sometimes called  optimizing  removes non essential information from your video 

and audio information that is diffi cult to encode and/or does not substantively add to the quality 

of the streamed media. So pre processing prior to encoding reduces the burden on the compressor, 

potentially saving time and CPU capacity. It also allows you to make some of the decisions about what 

information will be included in the encoded media, rather than relying solely on your compression 

software to make all the determinations.

S O M E   T Y P I C A L   P R E   P R O C E S S I N G   TA S K S   F O R   S T R E A M I N G   M E D I A

GETTING THE  PROPER 

Normal or Accurate scaling. Unless you're 

ADJUSTING COLOR AND 

IMAGE PARAMETERS:

under time constraints, use the Accurate 

BRIGHTNESS:

function to anti alias and to reduce 

Cropping your video

 Removing 5% 

  Brightness, contrast, hue, saturation 

jagged edges. 

from the frame edges is a good starting 

These are often subjective settings. Any 

point to get rid of edge artifacts you might 

Deinterlacing

 Traditional video systems 

adjustments needed depend on the source 

not even be able to see without zooming 

 paint  images on the screen in alternating 

material and how it was captured. Experi 

in very tightly, such as tearing or black 

lines, in a process called interlacing. Com 

mentation is the key to fi nding the right 

bands around any of the frame edges. 

puter monitors do not use interlacing to 

settings for each project.

These anomalies can occur during capture 

display video and it should be removed 

Gamma correction

 Applies a non lin 

and create unnecessary pixels that would 

from video clips that will ultimately be 

ear function to the amplitude values of the 

waste precious bandwidth. 

viewed on the computer. You can deinter 

pixels, helping to create more whites with 

lace in Adobe Premiere by selecting a clip 

Pay attention to the aspect ratio when you 

out brightening the entire range or more 

in the Timeline, pulling down the Clip 

crop, either maintaining the original and/or 

darks without affecting the bright areas. 

menu and choosing Video Options, then 

keeping the dimensions to multiples of 

Field Options, and checking the Always 

Black and white restore

 This is an 

four. Compression algorithms often divide 

Deinterlace box. Or you can deinterlace 

option in Cleaner 5 that lets you adjust 

images into blocks of 4x4 or 16x16 pixels. 

a project globally by choosing the 

only the very white or very black portions 

Keeping the dimensions to multiples of 

Deinterlace option in the Special Processing 

of images, forcing values to pure black or 

four assures that your aspect ratio won't 

area of the Export Movie Settings. 

pure white. The Amount slider determines 

be reconfi gured during encoding to fi t 

what values will be affected by the oper 

the inherent constraints of the compression 

 Inverse telecine

 When fi lm (shot at 24 

ation, while the Smoothness slider adjusts 

software. If you need to scale the image to 

fps) is converted to video (at 25 fps for 

values near the transition points. A typical 

a particular window frame, make sure 

PAL; 29.97 fps for NTSC), additional frames 

use of Black and White restore is reducing 

you maintain that  aspect ratio 4:3, for 

are added, in a process called telecine. You 

noise in fl at areas such as black back 

example, for a 160x120 window. 

can use inverse telecine to discard those 

grounds behind titles.

To crop your footage in Adobe Premiere, 

extra frames that would just burden your 

drag and drop the Crop fi lter from the 

encoder. You'll fi nd information on how to 

AUDIO PRE PROCESSING:

Video Effects palette to the Timeline.

do this with Adobe Premiere, in the Support 

Noise removal

 Extraneous noise makes 

Then, in the Effect Controls palette, adjust 

Knowledgebase at www.adobe.com. 

the audio signal more diffi cult to encode 

the crop setup to reduce the picture by 5% 

Two dimensional fi ltering

 Low pass, 

and uses up precious bits.  When encoded 

on each side, or to whatever amount you 

bandpass, and high pass fi lters use math 

for streaming, the effects of noise are 

choose. You can also crop your movie 

ematical functions to adjust the pixels of 

usually amplifi ed, and can result in an 

globally by using the Special Processing 

which images are comprised, in order to 

unintelligible soundtrack. 

functions in the Export Movie Settings 

alter image qualities. By using these fi lters 

when you output. 

to selectively or uniformly blur images or 

Enhancing the signal

 Depending on 

how well your audio was recorded, you may 

Image size

 Video is typically captured 

sharpen edges, you can effect the differenc 

need to uniformly or selectively boost or 

at a larger frame size than you are likely 

es, from frame to frame, that the com 

cut the signal to arrive at the best level to  

to output for streaming. If your audience 

pression software will have to deal with. 

encode for the Web. You can also enhance 

is comprised only of broadband users and 

Cleaner 5 offers three such fi ltering options:  

the signal using a variety of effects, or 

want large frames, you can compress your 

Blur, Unsharp Mask and Adaptive Noise 

fi lters, that alter different qualities of the 

video at capture size. But, if you are stream 

Reduction, each with a variety of different 

audio, such as reverb or echo.

ing to users with slower connection speeds 

settings for a wide range of fl exibility. 

namic Medianamic Media

and/or you want to improve image quality 

Adobe Premiere 6.0 includes a sound studio 

yy

and/or achieve higher frame rates, you may 

style Audio Mixer and 20 audio fi lters that 

want to scale your video to a smaller size. 

make it easy for you to pre process your 

The Cleaner 5 module of Adobe Premiere 

audio. The Media Cleaner EZ 5 module built 

offers convenient scaling options. The pull 

into Adobe Premiere 6.0 also provides tools 

obe Dobe D

down the Scaling Quality option in Media 

for optimizing your audio.

dd

Cleaner EZ 5 allows you to choose Fast, 

AA

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