Tibetan and Himalayan Library - THL

THDL Toolbox > Audio-Video > Technical Processing of Audio-Video - Log, Edit and Compress > Compressing Titles > Compression Checklist

Compression Checklist

Contributor(s): Chelsea Hall.

Create Your Destination Folders

1. Create “Audio” and “Media” folders on the drive you will be using to store the compressions.
2. Inside the “Media” folder, create three folders for the different-sized compressions: Super high, High, and low.
3. In FinalCut, select the sequences to be compressed. Control + click on the highlighted sequences and select “Batch Export.”
4. The Export Queue window will open up and your sequences will be placed in a batch. Left click and drag the selected sequences in the Browser window to the Export Queue to create a second batch. Repeat this process two more times so all your sequences exist in duplicate in four batches in the Export Queue window, Batch 1, Batch 2, Batch 3 and Batch 4.

Set Super High Compression Settings

1. Highlight the first batch in the Export Queue by clicking on the Batch 1 folder icon. Click on the “Settings…” button on the bottom of the Export Queue window.
2. Click the “Set Destination” button on the settings window and navigate to the “super high” folder in the Choose a Folder browser and click the “Choose” button.
3. Select “MPEG-4” from the “Format:” drop down menu.
4. Select “LAN/Intranet” from the “Settings:” drop down menu.
5. Click on the “Set Naming Options…” button and check the “Add File Type Extension” box then click “OK”.
6. Click on the “OK” button.

Set High Compression Settings

1. Highlight the second batch in the Export Queue by clicking on the Batch 2 folder icon.Click on the “Settings…” button on the bottom of the Export Queue window.
2. Click the “Set Destination” button on the settings window and navigate to the “high” folder in the Choose a Folder browser and click the “Choose” button.
3. Select “MPEG-4” from the “Format:” drop down menu.
4. Select “Broadband – High” from the “Settings:” drop down menu.
5. Click on the “Set Naming Options…” button and check the “Add File Type Extension” box then click “OK”.
6. Click on the “OK” button.

Set Low Compressions Settings

1. Highlight the third batch in the Export Queue by clicking on the Batch 3 folder icon. Click on the “Settings…” button on the bottom of the Export Queue window.
2. Click the “Set Destination” button on the settings window and navigate to the “low” folder in the Choose a Folder browser and click the “Choose” button.
3. Select “MPEG-4” from the “Format:” drop down menu.
4. Select “Broadband – Medium” from the “Settings:” drop down menu.
5. Click on the “Set Naming Options…” button and check the “Add File Type Extension” box then click “OK”.
6. Click on the “OK” button.

Set Audio Compressions Settings

1. Highlight the fourth batch in the Export Queue by licking on the Batch 4 folder icon. Click on the “Settings…” button on the bottom of the Export Queue window.
2. Click the “Set Destination” button on the settings window and navigate to the “audio” folder in the Choose a Folder browser and click the “Choose” button.
3. Select “AIFF” from the “Format:” drop down menu.
4. Select “44.1 kHz 16 bit Stereo” from the “Settings:” drop down menu.
5. Click on the “OK” button.

Export

1. Close all programs other than Final Cut Pro – you will not be able to use your computer during compression.
2. Click the “Export” button at the bottom of the Export Queue window.

Compress MP3’s in iTunes

1. Navigate to the “audio” folder for your recent compressions on your local hard drive.
2. Select all the files in the audio folder by apple + left clicking on all the files or by using the apple + a shortcut.
3. Open iTunes and left click + drag all the audio files into iTunes.
4. After the files have been imported into iTunes select all the files then right click on one of the selected files. Select the “Convert Selection to MPEG-3” option.
5. After the files finish compressing, right click on one of the new MPEG-3 files and select the “Show Song File” option.
6. Select all the MPEG-3 files in the newly opened folder and copy them to the audio folder.
7. You can now delete the AIFF audio files in the audio folder.

Provided for unrestricted use by the Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library