Hi, I just downloaded the PFTrack software and I’m completely new to it. I understand that these types of programs usually work with image sequences, but I ran into something that seems a bit strange.
I downloaded a video from Pexels.com and tried to follow along with the “Learn to track in 5 minutes or less” tutorial on your website. However, when I tried to import the MP4 video, I got this error:
"Failed to import clip: Unsupported file"
What’s odd is that this is just a regular MP4 file, exactly the same type used in the tutorial. As a workaround, I imported the video into DaVinci Resolve and re-rendered it using the same MP4 H.264 settings. After that, it imported just fine.
This is the video I downloaded: https://www.pexels.com/video/4k-drone-footage-of-the-rock-of-dunamase-28215943/
Can someone explain why the original MP4 file didn’t work, even though it seemed standard? Is there a specific encoding or metadata requirement the software expects?
Thanks in advance!
Hello Adam,
Yes, I've seen this before with a few Pexels videos. The problem is that some of their MP4 files are missing a vital parameter in the header. Whilst it may play in other software or desktop media players, PFTrack needs the data to set up its file handling for random access to frames.
As you've found, if you've got a properly defined header (as written by Resolve) then all is good, although if you're transcoding your media then we always recommend using an image sequence such as EXR.
Image sequence formats such as EXR avoid many of the problems inherent to MP4 files, especially when the MP4s are encoded with sparse keyframes or are using codecs intended for sequential playback (such as H264) that don't support random access to frames very well.