massive export file size

[aragorn]

I am working on a 32 minute animation with a soundtrack. I have four minutes of animation done, and if I export to an avi w/ mpeg4 codec, I get an 8 MB file, or 2 MB/minute. So my 32 minute animation will eventually have a 64 MB image component.

For the audio contribution, my wav file is 168 MB, so the total avi file size should be 232 MB.

When I import the soundtrack and do the export now, I get a file 3.3 GB in size!!!! What is going on??? Is there a secret to doing efficient exports? Or is this a bug related to poor audio handling?

[heyvern]

As far as I know AS doesn't "do" anything to the audio. It supports a specific audio format in the application but it is the codec or compression settings that control the size of the final output.

I don't think this is a bug. For a 30 minute animation you probably should do the final export or compression in a separate application. For instance, out put image sequences, load the sequences into something else, drop in the sound and THEN export.

Compression is based on motion. That 4 minute sample might not be accurate for the whole animation. A 4 minute scene of a simple talking head will be much smaller than a 4 minute action sequence. Lots of motion means a larger size.

You said you imported the ENTIRE audio and exported?

-vern

[synthsin75]

I'd suggest sharing a sample of the problem. Both the AS file and your 'massive' output. It sounds like something is amiss, but that's the only way we can tell you what it may be. All else is pure guess work.