Archiving FCP Video

Does any one have advice on archiving FCP video without using lots of HD space or DVDs that is cost efficient?
1. The best way to archive all raw video and FCP project?
2. The best way to archive only FCP project with multiple channels of audio?
3. Archiving material off of P2, XD/BlueRay, XDcamEX/Cards?
4. Cost saving archiving tips?

Hi - Right now I use a combination of redundant hard drives and Blu-ray data discs.
I was researching moving to an LTO tape based storage system, but could not find a combo that was cost effective at my level of need. LTO is, however, close to the gold standard for archival reliability.
Now I am waiting for the next version of Blu-ray, BDXL which is due out soon with a capacity of 128 gigs a disc.
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2010/04/05/bdxl-promises-128gb-discs/1
This hits the sweet spot for me in that an average project of mine runs in the 70-90 gig area.
My experience with Blu-ray as a data storage medium has been very positive.
I often take my Blu-ray burner with me on multi-day shoots and back up the XDcam discs, Ex cards, and sound files to Blu-ray in the evenings after the shoot.
In terms of dealing with complicated projects (such as multiple audio tracks, graphics, 3D animations, etc, the best way i found it to use Media Manager to assemble all the media elements for the prohect into one folder and then archive that.
As to the expense, I try to build that in to my job estimate so that the jobs are paying for the additional drives/optical disks.
Keep in mind that with any archival system, the other half of the problem is keeping an accurate database of where everything is.
Hope this helps

Similar Messages

Archive FCP project to device?

So, I've been archiving audio, video, and graphics to our Superloader 3a like a mad dog. Everything's been going great -- until I tried to archive a FCP project. When I right-click on that asset, there's no "Archive" option. Shouldn't I be able to archive projects? Or, I'm I misunderstanding the purpose of the archive feature. Is it only supposed to be for content?
Message was edited by: Daro Walker

I think the main point of archiving in Final Cut Server is to free up space on a Device. Since project files are relatively small this shouldn't be a major concern.
~D

How do I compress a 2 min FCP video into 100MB for web upload?

How do I compress a 2 min FCP video into 100MB for web upload?
I have FCP v.7 as a part of FCStudio
OK, this may seem like a stupid question for most of you but I haven't used FCP for years. I am trying to make and upload a 2 min video to the web and don't know how to turn it into a size of 100MB or less.
Yes, I realize that I have Compressor but it does not work on my computer for some reason. I think my laptop is too old for it or something.
It needs to be in one of these formats and I would like to use the highest quality. Suggestions needed for this also since this will be my first attempt at an uploaded video.
.MOV, .WMV, .AVI, .MPG, .3GP, 3G2, .QTL, OR .MP4
Any help would be wonderful!
MacBook Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3), 750GB HD, 2.2 GHz, 6 GB RAM

First, let me apologize for the way we were chatting on your thread while waiting.
Let me summerize what I think we have here:
1. You have a 2 minute show you want to convert to some codec appropriate for high quality presentation, but under 100MB final filesize.
2. You feel you don't want to use Compressor or a preset for YouTube.
3. You're in a hurry.
The fastest and highest quality method of making this conversion is using Compressor. It is designed to do precisely what you ask. The codec you want is H.264.
The YouTube preset is being suggested not because we think you're going to upload the clip to that site, but because the YouTube preset is a remarkably easy way to get a HQ H.264 clip with acceptable filesize. I'm staring at a 3:40 clip of 1080p that would knock your socks off and it's 90MB!
Even on a laptop the conversion is a matter of minutes.
If you're OK with my arguement, I'll write out a step-by-step proc for you and you can be done with this in time for that primetime show you want to watch. OK?

FCP, Compressor & DVD Studio Pro Settings: Archiving Old Video

Hi.
I'm working with FCS2, a Mac Pro, and a Blackmagic Intensity Pro capture card that allows me to import uncompressed SD video.
I bought that card because I have a lot of old SD video, mostly U-Matic and Beta SP, that I want edit someday. I also have some VHS footage (shot in SP mode on a full-size VHS camcorder) that I want to archive to DVD before the tapes turn to dust.
I can't justify buying a VCR/DVD Recorder combo for this job because I only need to dub 6 hours worth of VHS. And I'm guessing I'll get higher quality with the setup I have.
Since I'm essentially just dubbing here, what settings in FCP, Compressor and DVDSP do I need to adjust to give me the highest quality dub possible?
As far as dividing up the video, I was thinking of using 1 hour of VHS to fill each DVD. Is that a good size, or should I go shorter? Would there be a noticeable quality difference if I went down to 45 or even 30 minutes per DVD?
I'm sure I'll have more questions as you post replies. Thanks for your help!
Fred

I agree with David, rent a Beta SP, then the rental place is responsible for it's maintenance so you are ore likely to get a working unit. Better yet, you can rent a new model with fewer hours on it's heads. Make sure your VHS deck's heads are clean. If you own your own 3/4" deck, clean those heads too. If you are not happy with the playback quality rent one of those as well.
If you are truly looking for best quality, go uncompressed and save it all to a drive, but, to be realistic, how one digitizes the material depends entirely on what format you want to end up with after you do edit it.
I suggest digitizing using the DV50 codec as a good compromise in compression and file size. Here at NBC everything is digitized for air using DV25 codec and it is generally good enough. I also suggest that DVDs, even data DVDs are an unreliable format for long term storage bceauce of their high failure rate.
My advice is to save your money and buy a couple of nice Enterprise quality 1TB drives, mirror them and store all your media there. (of course, get smaller drives if there is less material).
Good Luck!

Archiving AVCHD Video

All,
I am a complete newbie to Video so please do not be frustrated with my question. I am using a Panasonic HS700 in 1920x1080 in maximum resolution mode 1080p/60. I understand that the files are not directly importable into imovie11 and I have purchased ClipWrap to resolve this...FYI, love ClipWrap it works great and fast.
Regarding archiving the files from my video camera onto an external device...Can I simply copy the .mts files or do I need to have the entire file structure form the camera? My thought was to copy only the .mts files to a directory on my external HD and to change the names so that I can more easily identify them, i.e. "birthday.mts" versus "00005.mts". It would seem like an acceptable workflow is to copy only the .mts files the external device (not the entire file structure form the camera) and when needed use Clipwrap, Toast or whatever to rewrap them so they can be imported into imovie for editing, etc. Will I lose anything if I only backup the .mts files???? Does my workflow make sense or am I missing something important?
Thanks in advance for your guidance, JPB

Thanks AppleMan1958; I love Charlotte! Your answer was helpful, especially if iMovie, FCE or FCP support my camera natively in the future.
As a follow-up to your advice...when one preforms the "Archive All" in iMovie I get an archive labeled with the date I made the transfer form the camera to the backup device. Next I would plan to clear the files from the camera. I assume that the next archive I perform will be similar in that I would then have two archives with different dates. This itself would appear to be pain in that there are several clips potentially spread across several archives with only the date stamps to help locate specific video files. Do you recommend or have a best practice to make retrieval simple and fast from the standpoint of identifying the files? Also, I thought about renaming (i.e. birthday.mts) only the individual .mts files in the archive but then I fear that I may lose linkages to other important information in the file structure that may be linked to the original file names (i.e. 00004.mts).
Finally, you are correct, if I use 1080P30 I can import directly. I plan to burn BlueRay Disks and/or play directly from my MBPro to a 52" HDTV. IYO, am I wasting my time using the 1080P60 functionality?
Thanks again...you have already been very helpful...JPB

FCP video files in trash, trash emptied - any program that can recover them

Look, I know I am going to get nailed for posting this here, but it did happen as a result of FCP, so I was hoping someone would be able to help if they had a similar experience.
A project I completed was put in the trash because it was taking up space. That's normal. I emptied the trash and moved on to the next project, for which I had already digitized some video.
All kinds of files where showing up in my bins as disconnected. So I try to reconnect them and they are gone. Vanished.
I closed FCP and reopened. When I did, it looked liked I was starting from scratch - like I had just installed the program. I had to reopen all projects. A window came up and asked me to reset the scratch disks - to my GREAT surprise, the scratch disk it was looking for was the one for the previously trashed project. In other words, all that footage I had been digitizing had been in an identically-titled file in the folder of the TRASHED PROJECT.
SO - since the source disks have not been available to me for some time I was hoping a FCP user might know of a way to restore items that have been emptied from the trash. Is there such a program or are they, in fact, gone for good? And how did my scratch disk get magically reset? I have not set i since June 2005 when I first set it up.
Here's to hoping,
jf

I have a program called FileSalvage that has been able to recover inadvertently deleted files. Not all of them but the critical ones.
The program only recovers supported file types. Verify yours is in the list. If it isn't email them. They created some custom profiles for me when I needed to pull back some PC files that were stored on a Mac formatted network drive.
Recognize, the more you use the computer, the greater the likelihood you may overwrite some segment of a file thereby making it not recoverable. If the repository of the files in question is an external, disconnect it so you will do no further damage until you are ready to begin file recovery operations.
Good luck.
x

DVD burned looks darker than FCP video on ntsc monitor

I use a broadcast ntsc monitor to color correct video from FCP via a cinewave capture/output card. My footage was shot mini-dv. Everything looks great on ntsc monitor. I finished the show, color-corrected rendered and all is good. I export mpeg 2 using the mpeg-2 export option from FCP, playback on computer, looks good. I used dvdsp 4, simulator looks good. I burn dvd and view it on same monitor as I was color correcting on. NOW, the dvd looks darker, the contrast is a little heavier, overal levels are muddier and darker. I try another dvd player, same thing. Different monitor - still dark. I take it home, and try it on 2 other dvd players, and it looks perfect on my tv at home.
I've been doing some research, and I thought this might be one of those IRE setup issues, but from what I've read, it looks like if it were an IRE issue, my video on the dvd would appear washed out and brighter, not darker. Again, it looks great on 2 set top dvd players I've tried, as well as the built in apple dvd player on the powerbook screen. On two other set-top boxes, it appears dark and muddy.
Anybody have any experience with this problem?
IRE, or something different?
Thanks

I've been doing some research, and I thought this might be one of those IRE setup issues, but from what I've read, it looks like if it were an IRE issue, my video on the dvd would appear washed out and brighter, not darker. Again, it looks great on 2 set top dvd players I've tried, as well as the built in apple dvd player on the powerbook screen. On two other set-top boxes, it appears dark and muddy.
It sounds like it may be DVD Player or television set-up related. If it behaved the same way on each player/tv then it could have been related to encoding settings, gamma etc. - did you double check the set-ups to make sure?

What format should I use to archive camcorder videos.

I've seen many different variations of my question on the forums, but nothing answering all my questions. So, here goes.
I have a minidv camcorder and I've been ripping the video to dv files using imovie hd 6. I then put together the clips that should be together and tell imovie to convert those clips into one. My question is the format. I have been using dv, but for an hour minidv tape, it's over 10 gig. I then copy these dv files to my external drive and back them up with mozy.
My question is what format "should" I be archiving them to? I plan on keeping them forever of course. And there might be a day that I go to mess with them, maybe add some effects. I'm no video editor, but I'm finding that the mac has such awesome (and easy for a beginner) tools that I actually want to mess with video.
There are so many formats, but I don't want to lose quality to save hd space. If I were to convert them to mov or mpeg4, would the quality be as good. What about size, would the size be much different?
Sorry for the large post. I'm a little lost when it comes to this stuff, but I'm trying to learn.
Thanks.

Cool, thanks. I had a feeling at least one person was going to say that, but I wanted to make sure. With the price of external hard drive's dropping like they are, and mozy being so cheap, might as well use the space and keep the quality.
Thanks again...

FCP video chapter markers not accepted by DVD SPro

When I had FCP chapter markers in the timeline and then used compressor, they appeared in DVD Studio Pro. But in realizing that I couldn't cut out any footage in FCP without ruining all of the markers I had made following that point in the timeline it was suggested that I add chapter markers onto the video itself. The markers were no longer visible as windows in the Canvas, we got them to appear in the Viewer (view-playhead sync-open). BUT... Now, these markers attached to the video (and not the Time line) appear to not be working when I open a compressed sequence in DVD Studio Pro. How can this delemna be solved?

Ok, so if this is true (about "Chapter Markers set in FCP to work in DVD-SP, they HAVE to be set to the Timeline"), does it not seem a little silly for FCP (using latest Studio updates etc) to give people the option of utilizing "chapter" markers set to the video if they don't actually work?
By the way I'm using all of the latest FCS updates and exported using File: Export: Using compressor and then opening up DVD SP and importing assets etc.
Could there not be an easier way rather than having to wait until the VERY end of the editing process to add Chapter markers to the Timeline because otherwise they get all wacked out of sink if you cut out or add any video/audio?

FCP video stutter

I am running FCP 6.0.6 on my MacBook Pro (2.53 GHz Intel Core i5, 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3) and saving all my projects on an external hard drive. I've tried to search for this problem but haven't been able to locate a solution:
I am getting video stutter on both my external monitor as well as my viewer window in FinalCut. The external monitor stutters when I play from the time line, but the canvas window looks fine. I tried trashing my preferences but the problem remains. What else can I try?
I also can't update from Apple as I do not have my serial number.
Thanks for any help.
-Patrick

You don't give any details about your video format or sequence settings etc. so you could be using something completely inappropriate.
Have you trashed all the prefs completely? http://www.digitalrebellion.com/pref_man.htm
Does the problem appear in your final output . . . . DVDs, the web etc.? If not it does not really matter.

Taping a 16:9 FCP Video to a Videocamera

I went to tape my 16:9 video to a videocamera (thinking that it would work the same as taping a 4:3 video), however all it did was freeze on the frame that was showing in the canvas. Is there anyone who knows a way to get it to work, or any other ways to export the 16:9 video while keeping the highest possible quality. I have to supply it to a post production house.
Thanks
Dual 2 GHz PowerPC G5 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Open FCP
Go Final Cut Pro > Easy Set-Up
Choose DV-PAL Anamorphic
Create a new sequence
Edit one of your original clips into this sequence
Click in your time line (with this new sequence) and hit Command-ZERO.
Take note of the sequence settings.
Close this window.
Try to export to your video camera.
If you original footage was DV (shot on the camcorder in question) this should work.
When you edited you footage into your custom sequence, FCP probably tried to help you by adjusting the footage to fit into the sequence. To find out...
Open your edit
Double click on a sequnce clip.
Click in the Motion tab.
Look around for numbers that are not at the defaults, specifically scaling, distortion, and aspect ratio.
For comparison look at the Motion tab of the same clip when you open it from the browser.
If there are differences, and you need to recover the edit this way, correct one clip at the begining of your edited sequence, and then use paste motion attributes liberally, being careful not to negate any effects work you did. As a matter of fact, you may have to re-do some of your effects work.
DV 25 is DV (consumer,) DVCPro, and DVCam. 25 refers to the data rate of 25 mega bits per second – about 3.6 MBytes/sec.
Their is also DV 50 and DV 100. DVCPRO50 (DV 50) is believed by some to rival digital beta in visual quality. DVCPRO HD (DV 100) uses four simultaneous DV streams and clever compression to squeeze a very viable HD signal into a small space.
Tom
Power Mac Dual 1.0 GHz G4, Quick Silver Mac OS X (10.4.3) 1.5 Gig Ram, 250 gig internal drive, 2 x G-Raid500, FW800 Sonnet Card, AJA IO

Hrd Drive Full- Archive iTunes Videos to DVD?

My daughter has filled up her laptop's hard drive. The big culprits are movies and TV shows purchased from iTunes. Is there a way that these files can be taken off her hard drive and archived to a DVD? She's not watching the files now and is OK if they come off her iPod, but doesn't want to erase something she paid for in case she might want them at some later date.
Is this possible? If so can someone point me to directions on how to archive these to DVD and how to restore to the hard drive at a later date?
Thanks!

Hi L Powow- thanks for responding to my question. That's not quite what I had in mind. I don't want to back up the entire library, I only want to back up select iTunes video purchases for archival purposes.
I would like to remove the iTunes video purchases from the iTunes library on the computer's hard drive, because they take up too much space and they are not being currently used on the iPod.
I want to know how I can back-up only purchased videos to DVD, so that if I remove them from the library on the PC's hard drive and if, at a future date, there is a requirement to load the videos back onto to the iTunes library, I will be able to restore the videos from a DVD to the iTunes library on the PC hard drive.
Any suggestions on a backup and restore procedure to do this? Thanks.

Making a still from FCP video

I need to make a still (JPEG, tiff, ...) from a frame of my video on FCP so I can put it in a Word doc afterwards.
How do I proceed?
Thanks

Hi,
Place you playhead over the frame you want to create your still from, hit shift N and then export (using quicktime conversion) . Choose still image from the format menu and under options choose you prefered format, JPEG TIFF etc.
DM

Can not archive FCP files?

Can anyone come up with a good reason why Final Cut Server won't archive a Final Cut Pro (FCP) project file?
We have over 600GB worth of these files that have all been ingested and analyzed by FCSvr. Therefore the data is now a part of the database and really the FCP files are theoretically not needed any longer.
So why are these files excluded from archival?

Before anyone can help, they need information to work with. Basic stuff:
- What version of iPhoto.
- What version of the Operating System.
- Details. What were you doing when the problem arose?
- Did it ever work properly?
- Are there error messages?
- What steps have you tried already to solve the issue.
Anything else you can think of that might allow someone else to understand your issue.
With this kind of information somebody can develop a starting point for troubleshooting the issue.
Posts that consist of "iPhoto doesn't work. Help" or "iPhoto won't print" or "Suddenly I have no photos!!!!!!!!!!" mean that any helper is simply guessing. With information, s/he may be able to get your issue resolved sooner.

Any Good FREE FCP Video Tutorials Like LiveTypeCentral Do For LT ?

Recently my attention was drawn to some very good FREE video tutorials provided by LiveTypeCentral:-
http://www.livetypecentral.com/cgi-bin/livetypecentral.cgi/tutorials.html
I was wondering if there are any similar free ones covering FCE/FCP or the other FCS apps?
I don't need them of course ....... they are just for friends! (If you believe that you'll believe anything).
Incidentally I have done a search and had a look at the Creative Cow ones, but they tend to be on somewhat random esoteric subjects.
I am looking for something that starts with the basics of the apps.
Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

Sorry, I didn't make it clear.
I mainly wanted freely available tutorials that I could direct others to on the FCE and other forums. Frequently newcomers don't know where to start, and I don't have time to write a new manual, so it is very efficacious to be able to point them to a site with free tutorials.
That LiveType source I quoted is excellent. So now, basically all I am looking for is a similar one for Soundtrack and FCE/FCP.
The first one you linked is probably fine except for the download time which would probably have taken several hours per tutorial, which is going to put off many newcomers looking for a quick-fix.
I must admit I also like looking at tutorials (I never used to!) because every one of them has a different angle and it's surprising what you can pick up, that you have missed in others.

Archiving FCP Video

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