I have a lot of Quicktimes that I need flipped 180* and I'm trying to use Automator to do it. Unfortunately, Automator isn't as simple to use as I thought it would be.
What I want Automator to do:
- Open the first Quicktime file in the designated folder
- Show Movie Properties (⌘J)
- Select Video Track
- Flip Vertical
- Save and Close Window
- Open the next file in line and perform the same actions
It seems simple enough. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks
Mac Pro | Leopard | 2 x 2.66GHZ Dual-Core Intel Xeon | 4GB Ram |,
Mac OS X (10.5.5)
Open a video file using Quicktime
Go to Window > Show Movie Properties
Click on the Video Track
Click on the Visual Settings tab
You should see 4 buttons for Flipping or Rotating
But, this didn't work for me though because +this doesn't actually Flip or Rotate the image except for when you view it in Quicktime+. Since I'm working with these files in Final Cut Pro, they were still upside down when I imported them.
We've had similar discussions about rotating jpegs and failure to save them rotated in Preview. Although programs can rotate images to display them I am not sure that they can rotate them and save them without actually having to recode them. With jpegs there's the EXIF data which can be edited, but I don't know if that exists with movies or can be edited.
Ahh, that requires QT Pro and after buying QT Pro3, using it one time & being required to buy QT Pro 4 the next time I wanted to use it... puts it out of the question for me. 😟
Don't know anything about it, but since this can purportedly invert Movies, it may hold a clue...
Well, I'm pretty old now and find I'm more whimsical than ever. It's what age does for you if you don't fight it. You get to the point where you don't care so much about stuff that you've learned really doesn't matter. Water off a duck's back, so to speak.
I have a joke for everything, but now I just can't remember them!
I had success using the following Automator workflow on video files saved in the .mov format, for playback in QuickTime Pro v. 7.5.5.
The workflow was saved as a Plug-in for Folder Actions, and the AppleScript used in the workflow requires GUI scripting to be turned on. Under System Preferences > Universal Access, check "Enable access for assistive devices."
The workflow:
*1) Open Finder Items* (from the Finder library) -- choose "Open With: QuickTime Player"
*2) Run AppleScript* (from the Automator library)
Replace the pre-populated text in Automator's Run AppleScript text area with the block of code below, and make sure it compiles (press the hammer icon):
*on run {input, parameters}*
*tell application "QuickTime Player" to activate*
*tell application "System Events"*
*tell process "QuickTime Player"*
*keystroke "j" using command down*
*keystroke (ASCII character 31)*
*delay 0.2*
try *if exists radio button "Visual Settings" of tab group 1 of window 1 then*
*click radio button "Visual Settings" of tab group 1 of window 1*
*delay 0.2*
*click button "Flip Y" of group 1 of tab group 1 of window 1*
else *keystroke (ASCII character 30)*
*delay 0.2*
*click radio button "Visual Settings" of tab group 1 of window 1*
*delay 0.2*
*click button "Flip Y" of group 1 of tab group 1 of window 1*
*end if*
*on error*
*keystroke (ASCII character 30)*
*delay 0.2*
*if exists radio button "Visual Settings" of tab group 1 of window 1 then*
*click radio button "Visual Settings" of tab group 1 of window 1*
*delay 0.2*
*click button "Flip Y" of group 1 of tab group 1 of window 1*
else *keystroke (ASCII character 31)*
*delay 0.2*
*keystroke (ASCII character 31)*
*click radio button "Visual Settings" of tab group 1 of window 1*
*delay 0.2*
*click button "Flip Y" of group 1 of tab group 1 of window 1*
*end if*
*end try*
*keystroke "s" using command down*
*delay 0.5*
*keystroke "q" using command down*
*end tell*
*end tell*
*return input*
*end run*
Create a destination folder and name it "QT Flip Destination," for example. Save the Automator workflow as a Plug-in for Folder Actions and attach it to this new folder.
Thereafter, dragging an individual .mov file from your source folder into the destination folder should trigger the AppleScript, open the movie, make changes, and save the results there.
Caveat:
Since GUI AppleScripts are prone to occasional failure, you should work on copies of the mov. files until you're comfortable that the workflow is working properly. Do this by holding down your Option key while dragging the individual .mov file into the destination folder. Good luck.
