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Digital video


    Digital video carries picture information by representing each pixel of a video frame as a discrete color value, and transmitting and storing the pixel values in the binary data format used by computers. Sound is also carried as binary data.

    Digital video is not one format, but a medium within which many file formats exist. Even if your source footage was created digitally, you still need to make sure that it is stored in a file format that After Effects can import.

    If you plan to distribute the movie digitally, for example on CD-ROM, you must render it in a file format appropriate for your distribution method. For more information, see Making (rendering) a movie.

    Note: DV video format is a form of digital video that can be downloaded directly to your hard disk for editing in applications such as Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere. Many DV decks can connect directly to a computer using an IEEE 1394 (FireWire/i.Link) interface. See About D1, DV, and various pixel aspect ratio footage.