Compressor workflow overview – Apple Compressor (4.0) User Manual
Page 9

Chapter 1
Compressor basics
9
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Apply audio filters to control dynamic range, peak levels, equalization, and audio fade-in/
fade-out effects.
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Use the Preview window to view the results of your filter settings in real time.
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Create and save output destinations, including your desktop, local disks, remote disks, and FTP
locations. You can even use destination presets to specify filenaming conventions.
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Control video file image quality during MPEG-2 DVD transcoding by applying single- or dual-
pass variable bit rate (VBR) to your output files.
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Customize your frame dimensions using geometry controls. You can resize your image to common
aspect ratios, including 4:3, 16:9, and 2.35:1, or reduce file size by cropping unwanted image areas.
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Publish your media files to a QuickTime Streaming Server or other locations for DVD authoring.
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Customize post-transcoding operations by applying AppleScript automation to your output files.
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Export sequences directly from Final Cut Pro X or Motion into Compressor for transcoding,
leveraging the powerful video-processing technology of those applications.
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Encode media files in the background so that you can perform other tasks at the same time.
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Automatically send an email notification to any location to notify you or your colleagues when
a transcoding job is complete.
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Use distributed processing to divide the transcoding work among multiple computers, thereby
increasing your processing power. The distributed processing feature is limited to computers
that have Compressor installed.
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Enable and disable distributed processing services and monitor batches using
command-line options.
Compressor workflow overview
Compressor offers several ways to convert (transcode) media files into any of numerous
professional file formats. For basic transcoding jobs to common output formats (Blu-ray Disc,
DVD, Apple TV, YouTube, and so on), choose a preconfigured template to have Compressor
automatically apply all required settings. For more advanced transcoding jobs, apply an output
setting from a list of more than 30 file formats.
Whether basic or advanced, all transcoding workflows in Compressor follow the same
essential steps:
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Import your source media into Compressor.
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Apply and modify your preferred output settings.
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Specify a save destination (the location where the output files are saved).
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Submit your file or batch of files for transcoding.