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Removing 3:2 pulldown from video transferred from film


    When you transfer 24-fps film to 29.97-fps (NTSC) video, you use a process called 3:2 pulldown, in which the film frames are distributed across video fields in a repeating 3:2 pattern. It's important to remove 3:2 pulldown from video footage that was originally film, so that effects you add in After Effects synchronize perfectly with the original frame rate of film. Removing 3:2 pulldown reduces the frame rate by 4/5: from 30 to 24 fps or from 29.97 to 23.976 fps, which also reduces the number of frames you have to change. To remove 3:2 pulldown, you must also indicate the phase of the 3:2 pulldown. For more information, see About 3:2 pulldown.

    Before you remove 3:2 pulldown, separate the fields as either upper-field first or lower-field first. Once the fields are separated, After Effects can analyze the footage and determine the correct 3:2 pulldown phase and field order. If you already know the phase and field order, choose them.

    Note: If your footage file contains frames from different sources, the phase may not be consistent. If this is the case, import the footage once for each phase. Then, add the footage to your composition as many times as there are phases and trim each layer to use only the appropriate frames for each phase.

To remove 3:2 pulldown from video transferred from film:

  1. In the Project window, select the footage from which you want to remove 3:2 pulldown.
  2. Choose File > Interpret Footage > Main.
  3. In the Fields and Pulldown section, select Upper Field First or Lower Field First from the Separate Fields pop-up menu.
  4. Do one of the following and click OK:
    • To have After Effects determine the correct settings, click Guess 3:2 Pulldown.
    • If you know the phase of the 3:2 pulldown, choose it from the Remove Pulldown pop-up menu.