WAIT ON!!!!!

"Yes, but how do you handle this?"

I did NOT ment how i must export the file to DV, iam NOT asking how i must do that.

I was asking how you do it with the videofiles (your workflow, what format is the file you have for backup of your film)

By your response and that of funkbom i get the feeling you misunderstood this quistion, i know how to export something to dv.

I just use the DV format all the way through. The most complex workflow I've ever had is like this.

Import from DV tape to DV format.

Import DV format into After Effects, apply effects

Export to DV format (first generation loss)

Edit in FCP.

Export to DV format (second generation loss)

Import into new FCP timeline. Color correct and letterbox. Process video (film look, etc).

Export to DV format (third generation loss)

Burn to DVD (fourth generation loss - MPEG lossy compression) or print back to DV tape (no generation loss)

Even in this workflow I had no noticeable change in quality.

Wow, if that is the most complex workflow you have ever done

Well, i had problems whit a movie from my and you could cleary, very clearly see a very big loss in quility, so that why iam concerned about generation loss, but iam very happy to hear that you dont have problems whit this.
And i must say that iam not doing projects that require lossles editing and everything, but it was simple something i wanted to know, so that i dont figure out later that everyone else was using other codecs and workflows and iam destroying my videofiles by huge generation losses

But iam glad to hear that nobody here has any serieus problems whit it, and normally i dont think i have (dont see a big difference whot the first dv file or the last) but there was 1 movie whit serieus genration loss.

But, i stick to DV, but i will be carefull whit too many export etc...
So i will defently keep a eye on my workflow.

Thanks for all the input!

Jerry

What is your typical workflow that's causing these generation losses? It must be quite complex.

I noticed generation loss a while ago wen rendering special effects and then exporting to dv-avi. Fine black/white lines appeared on the video (very noticable if u use green screens and ur actors are wearing black).

I got round this by importing to dv-avi from tape, key-mask the shots and exporting to uncompressed microsoft avi.

Eventually there will be generation loss (wen I render the whole film to dv-avi) but not as much as I would have had I rendered to av-avi all the way through. Takes alot of HD space but worth it.