Apple Compressor (4.0) - Manual (Page 40)

Chapter 4 Assign settings and preview media 40
About the Automatic settings
Several items in the settings panes have an optional automatic mode. When the automatic mode
is on, Compressor determines the optimal value for the setting.
The Automatic button
is dimmed when inactive,
and its item is selectable.
The Automatic button
is dark when active,
and its item is dimmed.
In general, when the automatic mode is on, its item is dimmed and cannot be changed.
•
If the setting has not been assigned to a source media file: The item says “Automatic.” An
exception is in the Frame Controls pane of the Inspector window, whose state is undetermined
until you have applied the setting to a source media file.
•
If the setting has been assigned to a source media file: The item remains dimmed but shows the
value that will be used.
You can click the Automatic button to turn the automatic mode on (the button darkens) or off
(the button lightens). When the automatic mode is off, you can choose values for an item as usual.
Tip: It’s a good idea to verify the values for those Inspector settings that are set to Automatic.
Compressor can usually correctly determine the appropriate values; however, there may be
instances where there is not enough information in the source media file to determine the correct
value. For example, some QuickTime clips might not have proper metadata or the metadata might
be incorrect. Additionally, if the source media file uses nonstandard settings (such as the video
frame size or frame rate), Compressor chooses the nearest standard value to use.