the production pipeline

We are often asked what a good 'production pipeline' for Microcosm is. This refers to the workflow of a project through applications, and how Microcosm enhances that flow.

Here's an example of a typical question:

"After capturing DV over Firewire, do I import DV directly into After Effects and Commotion, or do I encode with Microcosm first? I also need to add CG elements to DV footage. I'm using Maya for CG, Commotion and After Effects for compositing and FX. Once I'm done compositing the DV and CG, do I export the final to my NLE using Microcosm or DV?"

The overview answer is that Microcosm will be the method for transferring your footage between applications. The best workflow for the original DV footage is that the first time you have to save it out of any program, it goes into Microcosm.

You want to save out to DV as few times as possible. Once you've captured the footage, you shouldn't save it again as DV until you are ready to go to tape. Use Microcosm as the transfer method.

"After capturing DV over Firewire, do I import DV directly into After Effects and Commotion, or do I encode with Microcosm first?"

Let's say that you captured DV footage. You want to do some basic edits before you send it off to After Effects. Do your edits BEFORE saving out to Microcosm to reduce the number of transfers.

"I also need to add CG elements to DV footage. I'm using Maya for CG, Commotion and After Effects for compositing and FX."

You do some compositing in After Effects. If you want to pull the footage into your NLE to do some final editing, you need to save it out of After Effects as Microcosm. Our codec will maintain the image quality while keep the transfer file size small.

"Once I'm done compositing the DV and CG, do I export the final to my NLE using Microcosm or DV?"

After your final edits, you export as a DV file. Microcosm is an intermediate and archiving codec. It is not a final render codec. The project needs to be saved as DV for your NLE to spit everything out to tape.

Want to see some real world stories? See what Microcosm users are doing in our Gallery section. You can also read an extended case study here.

Have questions about your workflow? Ask us through this simple Request Form.