In preparation for using Aperture 3’s Slideshow that combines still > video clip > still … , I View a video clip and create JPEG versions from many of the frames.
My ideal workflow: create JPEG, create JPEG, create JPEG, create JPEG, … , with the video remaining selected.
The apparent workflow: create JPEG, (the selection switches to the newly-created JPEG), click to return the selection back to the video, create JPEG, (the selection switches to the newly-created JPEG), click to return the selection back to the video, …
At 24 or 30 fps, when creating a large number of JPEGs from a heavy-action sports video-clip, all that extra mousing-and-clicking (and with 2 screens where the video-clip is on #1 and the newly-created JPEG is on #2), this is extraordinarily tedious.
Perhaps in iPhoto, but this is supposed to be a Pro App. Must I write a script or use Automator to do something that seems so obvious? Or, am I missing something?
Inspirator,
I’d suggest that you open the QT movie in QuickTime Player 7 (QuickTime Pro), and export the frames as a series of stills (Export > Movie to Image Sequence), then import those into Aperture. Aperture wasn’t designed to extract a huge pile of frames from a video—just to make a still or two from the occasional video clip.
@PhotoJoseph
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“Aperture wasn’t designed to extract a huge pile of frames from a video—just to make a still or two from the occasional video clip.”
Substitute iPhoto for Aperture, and I’d agree. By importing videos towards supporting the new generation of DSLRs, Aperture has positioned itself to do more of what it was largely designed to do: manage a large volume of pictures by Pros, along with much of the associated picture enhancements, layouts, and presentations. So, I’d say that this is a natural direction for Aperture to pursue (and your suggestion is a good work-around in the meantime).
After all, a video is just a (very large) collection of pictures (still frames); as technology progresses, the resolution of video frames will keep approaching that of stills. With the ability of Aperture’s Slideshows to combine stills and video, it would be an easy enhancement – after all, this is Aperture’s first stab at assimilating what is pertinent to this realm.
However, it’s still fraught with bugs. For example, in doing a Batch-change of the video Version-names(-that-also-changes-the-Master-names), it screws up the relationship between the root of the video filename and the jpegs generated from said video – they’re no longer the same (even if one only generates a few jpegs). Then the Locate-Referenced flow won’t let one re-connect the two even though other processes can no longer find the needed Master and request that one do the re-connect!).
Anyway, pulling an evenly-spaced number of stills from a wedding-video can go toward creating an effective stocatto-time-lapsed slideshow interleaved with the high-res still pics (as requested by a customer); this seems (to me) to be more of a business need for photo studios (thus Aperture) than getting overkill via the Final Cut route, or piecemeal via QuickTime (which will have to do for now).
Thanks.
Inspirator,
I can’t speak to the bugs you’re encountering, but point out this post to someone at Apple.
As far as what you’re looking for Aperture to do, remember that video is new to this app, and so its support is rudimentary. Apple has several video products, including iMovie and Final Cut Pro, so don’t expect to find every feature imaginable in one app—that leads to feature bloat. And, some of your feature desires are quite specific and unique.
Again I’m happy to ask Apple to look at this page, but I think that integrating other tools (QuickTime) into your workflow is a fine idea. And remember, if the app makes it easy, then everyone will do it ;-) As long as it’s a little more complicated, you’re building a custom workflow that allows you to be that much more unique.
@PhotoJoseph
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