Problems with "Render To File" (blank, no sound)

[TerryP1951]

Hi folks,
I've been trying to use the Render To File feature in Avenue 7.2, but without success. I want to output 4k ProRes 4444 with alpha to match a client's request for 4k ProRes footage with transparency to use in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.

My (ProRes 4444 with alpha) source clip has sound. As the clip is rendering, the progress bar moves. The "progress" thumbnail of the render blanks out almost immediately after the rendering starts. The rendered files are just blank, with no sound.

I've tried all three Clip Rendering Codecs. If I choose DXV 3 with alpha, I see the expected checkerboard background if I preview the (blank) clip in Avenue, however the ProRes (blank) clip previews as solid black, suggesting the alpha layer is not transparent. This is confirmed if I bring the rendered clips into Premiere Pro - only the DXV is transparent.

Help - the client is waiting! We were both thrilled to learn of the Render To File feature, which (theoretically) solves nearly all our workflow problems.

ps I've had a lot of crashes when exporting, and found my laptop either turned off or re-started. I thought it was overheating, and throttled the CPU to 50%. Perhaps it was the GPU that overheated - the laptop has just crashed again as I was trying to Render To File with no other layers in the composition, just in case something there was interfering (other layers were all empty).

EDIT: The clip Transport is set to "Timeline"

[bart]

Can you please email (mail@resolume.com) us the composition with the clip(s) that you are trying to render? We can then try to reproduce this bug.

[TerryP1951]

Thanks for the quick response! It's awesome to know Resolume have "got my back" if I have any problems.

I found the basic problem, and a few others, whilst I was simplifying the project to use fewer and smaller clips. See below.

1) The rendered file only has usable content ONLY if the Transport is actually running. I had it paused, to save "Live output" rendering load in the hope that more resources would be free to speed up the file rendering.

2) The rendered video speed depends on the transport speed (forward or backward), not the source file speed. Rendered audio too? Not tested except at +1 and -1 speed.

3) Although a ProRes 4444 rendered output file works with transparency within Resolume, it seems to have no transparency at all when used in Premiere Pro. DXV with alpha works fine in Premiere.

I've sent the Resolume 7.2 composition, source file, rendered files and Premiere Pro CC (latest version) project to mail@resolume.com via WeTransfer. Although not included in the files, converting the rendered DXV to ProRes using Alley gives the same result. Transparent in Avenue, opaque in Premiere Pro.

I'm on Windows 10 Pro. It will be awesome when I can render from Resolume with transparency to ProRes files that I and my clients can use in Premiere Pro or Final Cut.

[Zoltán]

Thanks Terry,

1. Yes, the goal of the renderer would be that you get the same as render, what you'd see when you play your clip (with a few exceptions)
So, paused clips will show only one frame, but effects animating on it should still animate in the render.
I see a bug there, that the paused clip gets rendered with it's first frame instead of the paused position, I'll make a ticket for that.

2. yes, rendered speed also depends on what you have set in your clip

3. Looks like Adobe doesn't recognize the prores format we set, or maybe we set the format wrong, and the transparency is getting lost from renders. Rendered file works fine in Resolume though...
We'll check this out.

[TerryP1951]

Thanks for your quick reply and clear explanation Zoltán.

In the short term I'll use DXV with Alpha, now I know how to get a usable output!

[Zoltán]

You're welcome Terry, I hope we can fix these soon!
Let us know if there is anything else we can do for you!

[TerryP1951]

...Let us know if there is anything else we can do for you!

OK, thanks, perhaps an explanation of an apparent restriction of Render To File with respect to Feedback. I read https://resolume.com/support/clip-renderer that "The renderer needs a file or source to work with. For this reason the Feedback ... source can’t be rendered." (I haven't tried).

I understand why live video cannot be used as a source, but Feedback is only dependent on current and previously rendered frames, not any external source. A frame buffer is surely as accessible as a frame from a file.

I use Magic Music Visuals (which makes an awesome complement to Resolume). MMV can render feedback effects to file perfectly. The only consideration is that for predictable results one must preview the live video at the same frame rate as the desired rendered file.

Is it the case that Feedback is theoretically possible to render, just not yet implemented? Feedback is one of my favourite effects, in fact the reason I first bought Resolume Avenue many years ago. I'd very much like to be able to render feedback to file.

[Zoltán]

Resolume clip rendering is done 'offline' independently form the composition, so it doesn't interfere with your live work.
When you start the rendering, a copy of the clip is made behind the scenes, Resolume can use to work with.
You can do anything in Resolume, even load a different composition it won't affect the rendering.
This also means that the renderer thread has only access to the clip/copy itself and the effects within.
Capture sources which are live feeds, can't be rendered, because the timing of the frames can't be guaranteed.
Other textures like the feedback (which is the previous composition output) are also not available.

I'd recommend the Recording function for capturing live feeds and Feedback. Recording can also store to prores, if your machine can handle real time encoding

[TerryP1951]

Ah, OK, thanks for the explanation Zoltán. Clear and comprehensive, as always.

I hadn't realised that Feedback was for the whole composition, not just the clip. I now appreciate why it can't be used for rendering feedback effects. I'll try the Record function. It might work on my main studio PC, if not on my laptop.

Frustratingly, one of my favourite clip feedback effects is not available for Resolume 7 https://www.bigfug.com/product/ffgl-video-feedback/ and I read somewhere that Alex May is busy on other projects. I'll write to him anyway.

[Zoltán]

Have you tried the Trails effect?
That should be able to render on a clip.