Questions about using DCP-o-matic

[mrmrmrmr]

Sorry if these are stupid questions, obviously I'm very new to this. I'm not an actual editor, but I'm not sure I can afford to pay anyone. All I want to do is create a DCP and edit two video files together to become one. So to test, I downloaded these videos:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Lr8RI7tUBX4

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/55en7wd-y38

I think I created a DCP, here's the folder: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https% ... 91bcf692e6

The two files with the VLC icon, I noticed one has video only, one has audio only. When played on a projector, they'll automatically be put together, right? When I play the video one on VLC, it doesn't properly play, here's what happens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQMED1Ygspg

Would it play properly on a projector, or is there something wrong with the DCP? By the way, I want to make the video basically as good as what's played in movie theaters. I used the default settings, should I change them?

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https% ... 3aede738fc

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https% ... ad9cc86236

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https% ... 3a04e3274a

https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https% ... 579c115841

Also, just confirming, DCP-o-matic generally is regarded as the best, right?

EDIT: OK I just found out DCP-o-matic has a player. I tried again, this time with this video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/mjMASAgB15s

It played with sound, but there seems to be something wrong with the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AhP7wwmN0E

[carl]

I think I created a DCP, here's the folder: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https% ... 91bcf692e6

That looks good, but remember that's the whole DCP-o-matic project folder. The actual DCP is the folder Dcp_FTR-1-30-.....

The two files with the VLC icon, I noticed one has video only, one has audio only. When played on a projector, they'll automatically be put together, right? When I play the video one on VLC, it doesn't properly play, here's what happens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQMED1Ygspg

The DCP is a collection of files, as you saw, not just one. The projector brings them together. VLC is probably struggling to play the video back because the DCP video format is very CPU-intensive to decode.

Would it play properly on a projector, or is there something wrong with the DCP? By the way, I want to make the video basically as good as what's played in movie theaters. I used the default settings, should I change them?

It should work, but there are some things to be aware of:

• Because your videos are vertical they will look a bit odd in the cinema (lots of black space either side of the image).
• The videos are 30 frames per second, and so the DCP will also be 30 frames per second. This is not 100% guaranteed to play in every cinema because some systems will only play 24. It's probably fine, though.
• It is a good idea to click the "show audio levels" button in the audio tab and check that you're not too near 0db. Random videos off YouTube often have high audio levels which will be very loud when played back in a cinema. You may need to set the gain in the audio tab to -6 or -10 to bring the level down.
• It's a good idea to give your DCP a better name in the DCP tab, otherwise it will just be called "DCP..." which might make it hard to find when testing in a cinema.

Also, just confirming, DCP-o-matic generally is regarded as the best, right?

That depends on who you ask. Some would say that something free can't possibly be any good. Other people use it successfully. I think it works OK!

It played with sound, but there seems to be something wrong with the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AhP7wwmN0E

I think your computer is struggling to play the DCP back because it is 4K. I would suggest

• Going into the player preferences and choosing Display Mode: OpenGL (faster)
• Choosing "Decode at half resolution" or "Decode at quarter resolution" from the View menu.

Then it might play back better.

[IoannisSyrogiannis]

For 4K DCPs, a "play video on 1/8 resolution" may have been handy...