Apple Final Cut Express HD - Manual (Page 1001)

Chapter 72 Exporting QuickTime-Compatible Files 1001
XII
Data Rate
 Data Rate:
 Automatic: QuickTime adjusts the data rate of your QuickTime movie automatically.
 Restrict to: With some codecs, you can manually restrict the data rate of your
compressed QuickTime movie file. The codec uses a combination of spatial and
temporal compression to try to reach your target rate. Be aware of your frame size
and frame rate so you don’t set a data rate that is too low for the codec to reach.
Compressor
 Depth: Choose a color depth. Some codecs allow you to choose between color or
grayscale, while others allow you to specify the number of colors (which corresponds to
a bit-depth) such as 4, 16, 256, or millions of colors (2-, 4-, and 24-bit, respectively). You
can also specify an alpha channel for some codecs by choosing “Millions of Colors+.”
 Quality: Adjust the slider for the level of spatial compression you want. Some codecs
may not allow you to choose this setting.
Depending on the codec you choose, various other options may be available, such as
scan mode (interlaced versus progressive) and aspect ratio. There may also be an
Options button you can click to set additional codec-specific options.
Preview
A preview image of the current frame of your clip or sequence is displayed here. When
you adjust some compressor options, the preview image is updated so you can see
how certain settings will affect your image.