"plug-in-gap-vid-encode-master"

Master Videoencoder

    Start from Menu:
       <Image>/Video/Encode/Master Encoder


    The master videoencoder dialog provides videofile encoding
    features for:

    - Frame sequences
    - Multilayer Images
    - Storyboard files

    The master videoencoder is the dialog window from where
    all available GIMP-GAP video encoders are started.
    GIMP-GAP video encoders are implemented as GIMP
    plug-ins.
    If GIMP-GAP-2.2 was configured fully and was successfully built
    it provides the FFMPEG encoder, the AVI1 encoder
    and the SINGLEFRAMES encoder.

    
Output
    In the "Video" entry you specify the filename for the
    the videofile that should be written.
 
 
Video Options:
    Input Mode radio buttons
       here you can select the type of input that should be encoded
       as videofile.
       
       Frames
         Encode a Framesequence, where one of the
	 frames is the current image where the master video encoder
	 ws invoked from.
	 
       Layers
         Encode layers of the current image.

       Storyboard
         Encode clips that are defined via a storyboard file.
	 Therefore the name of the storyboard file must be specified
	 (in the "Extras" tab)
	 If the master videoencoder is started from the storyboard editor,
	 the name of the storyboard_file is already selected.
	 
	 Important: 
	 ==========
	 If the storyboard describes audio tracks
	 it is required to perform the audio mixdown processing
	 to create a composite audiofile. This composite
	 audiofile can be passed as audio input to the video encoder plug-ins.
	 
	 The video-encoder plug-ins are accepting only one simple RIFF-WAV file
	 as audio input and ignore all audio records in the storyboard file.
	 Therefore all audio mixing and converting tasks are handled
	 in the Master Videoencoder itself.

	 (see description Extras Tab below in this chapter, 
	  Stroybard Audio: Button "Create Composite Audio")
	 
	 

    From Frame (Layer/Storyframe)
    To Frame   (Layer/Storyframe)
       with these spinbuttons you can specify the range of
       frames (or layers or storboard frames) that should
       be included in the resulting video.
       
       Depending on the input mode the name changes
       to "Frame", "Layer" or "Storyframe".
           
    Width  and
    Height
       with these spinbuttons you can specify the size
       of the resulting videoframes in pixels.
       The combo box on the right provides some
       commonly used videosizes as preset value pairs for
       both the width and the height widgets.

    Framerate
       Here you can specify the framerate in frames per second.
       The framerate controls the playback speed of the resulting videofile.
       The combo box on the right provides some common 
       used framerate values.
    
    Videonorm combobox.
       Set the videonorm for the resulting video.
	 NTSC
	 PAL

    Encoder "Parameters"
      The encoder parameters button invokes the 
      encoder specific parameter popup dialog window.
      
    Encoder combo box
      Here you can select one of the registered videoencoder
      plug-ins.



Audio Options:
    Audiofile:
      Specify the name of an audiofile.
      
      - Files in the RIFF WAVE format are preferred, but
        you may use other audiofile formats if you have
        installed sox or configured another external audio converter
        program.

      - Encoding of multiple audio tracks:
      
        Instead of an audiofile you can specify an audio playlist file.
	This is a textfile that contains filenames of audifiles,
	one filename per line. The filenames can include absolute path
	or may use relative path that is relative to the audio playlist file.
	Empty lines and comment lines (starting with #) are allowed.
	For each of this audiofiles the encoder will create
	a separated audio track.
	
	Restrictions:
	
	- The selected video encoder and selected output
	  videofile format must support multiple audio tracks.
	  Currently only the FFMPEG based encoder provides this
	  support for the most videoformats (.mpg .vob, .avi ...) 
	
	- Each of those filenames must refere to an
	  audiofile in the RIFF WAVE fileformat.
	  (automatic convert to RIFF WAVE is not supported
	  inside of audio playlist files)
	  
	- The audio samplerate in all referenced audiofiles
	  must exactly match the desired samplerate.
	  
	- The samples must be encoded with 16 bits per sample
	  in all referenced audiofiles.
      
    Samplerate:
      Here you can specify the audio target samplerate that should 
      be used in the resulting videofile. 
      (samplerate is measured in in samples per second)
      
      The combo box provides some common used samplerate values.
      
      If the target samplerate is different form the original
      samplerate in the specified audiofile a audiofile conversion
      must be done.
      Press the button "Audioconvert" to perform this
      conversion.
      This may take a while and then displays the name
      of the generated audiofile as Tempfile.
      The line below the tempfile shows information
      about the generated temporary audiofile and
      the audioplaytime in mm:ss:msec format.
      
Audio Tool Configuration
    All the video encoder plug-ins are designed to accept 16-Bit mono 
    or stereo WAV Files as audioinput.

    The master videoencoder tries to convert other audiofileformats
    and samplerates before it passes the audiodata
    to one of the video encoder plug-ins. This converion is handled
    via an external audiotool program.
    The name of this program and its options can be configured here.
 
    Audiotool:
      By default sox is used as the audiotool to perform audio
      conversions.
      sox can handle many audioformats, but can not read MP3 audiofiles.

    Options:  
      "$IN"  -w -r $RATE "$OUT" resample

      Here you can specify the options that will be passed
      to the external audiotool program.
      
    Save button
      Save current audiotool configuration as parameters in your
      gimprc file.
    Load button
      Load audiotool configuration from gimprc parameters.
    Default button
      Restore to hardcoded audiotool configuration presets.

Extras
    Macrofile:
      Here you can specify a filtermacro file, that should be performed
      on each handled frame at encoding time on the fly.
      
      
      (Note: filtermacros are limited and not real macros.
       the GIMP-GAP specific filtermacros are recorded
       filternames and parametervalues restricted to the supported filters,
       such as color curves, sharpen, blur and many more ...
       )

      
    Stroybard File:
      Here you can specify the name of a storyboard file.
      When a valid storyboard file is entered the file
      will be checked. If errors are detected
      they are reported as text below the storyboard file entry widget.

      If the storyboard file check is ok, the text will be a report about
      the properties and tracks found in the file.
      Further the Input Mode (in the Video Options notebook tab) 
      is set to "Storyboard".

    Stroybard Audio:
      The Button "Create Composite Audiofile"
      starts the audio mixdown processing for all included audiotracks
      of the storyboard and creates a composite audiofile in RIFF Wave
      fileformat.
      The name of this resulting file will be inserted
      in the "Audiofile:" entry at the Audio Options notebook tab.
      

      The "Create Composite Audiofile" button is set insensitive when 
      there is no valid storyboard specified,
      or when the specified storyboard file has no audiopart.  

      
    Monitor Frames while Encoding checkbutton
      will create an image during the encoding process and
      replaces its content each time a new frame is passed to the
      encoding engine.
      (you may close that image any time you want, to stop
       monitoring)
    
    Debug Flat File:
    Debug Multilayer File:
    
    
