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Compressor workflow overview – Apple Compressor (4.0) User Manual

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Chapter 1

Compressor basics

9

Apply audio filters to control dynamic range, peak levels, equalization, and audio fade-in/
fade-out effects.

Use the Preview window to view the results of your filter settings in real time.

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.

Control video file image quality during MPEG-2 DVD transcoding by applying single- or dual-
pass variable bit rate (VBR) to your output files.

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.

Publish your media files to a QuickTime Streaming Server or other locations for DVD authoring.

Customize post-transcoding operations by applying AppleScript automation to your output files.

Export sequences directly from Final Cut Pro X or Motion into Compressor for transcoding,
leveraging the powerful video-processing technology of those applications.

Encode media files in the background so that you can perform other tasks at the same time.

Automatically send an email notification to any location to notify you or your colleagues when
a transcoding job is complete.

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.

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:

Import your source media into Compressor.

Apply and modify your preferred output settings.

Specify a save destination (the location where the output files are saved).

Submit your file or batch of files for transcoding.