Apple Shake 4 - Manual (Page 167)

5
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5
Compatible File Formats and
Image Resolutions
The first part of this chapter covers the many file formats
with which Shake is compatible. The second chapter
covers how to control image resolution.
File Formats
The FileIn node can read in two kinds of media—image sequences and QuickTime files.
Image sequences are simply collections of image files, where each frame of film or
video corresponds to one image file. QuickTime files, on the other hand, contain every
frame of media inside of a single file. Which media format is more useful for you
depends on your production pipeline.
Note: QuickTime files can only be read and written by Shake on Mac OS X.
Image Sequences
The individual image frames in an image sequence can be saved in a wide variety of
formats. Interlaced frames for video contain both fields within the image file for that frame.
Each frame of an image sequence has the frame number saved as part of its file name.
These frame numbers can contain padding to keep the length of the file names
constant (Image0001, Image0002, Image0003, and so on) or padding can be left off
(Image1, Image2, Image3, and so on).
When creating an image sequence for use by Shake, it is good practice to include the
file extension (for example, .iff, .cin, .tif, and so on), but Shake does not necessarily need
it. In general, you use the extension to define the input or output format.
Shake Does Not Support HDV
Shake does not support long-GOP formats, including HDV, MPEG-2, or MPEG-1. If you
want to use HDV media that was captured with Final Cut Pro or Final Cut Express HD
in Shake, recompress it with the Apple Intermediate Codec first.