AVCHD lite to FCP workflow

I'm using a Panasonic DMC-TS2 camera to shoot AVCHD lite video. I need to get this video into Final Cut Pro (version 5.1.4) to edit. I'm using OS X 10.5.8 and have iMovie 8. I've looked into various transcoders so that I can get the .mts files into my Mac (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo), including Handbrake, Mpeg Streamclip, Voltaic, and various ones of the seemingly million options. At this point I can't use iMovie as Panasonic suggests, since I don't have version 9. To upgrade to that I need to upgrade my OS, and the snowball effect begins...Even more frustrating, my lovely husband who uses a PC was able to load videos on his computer no problem (of course, couldn't change them to a format that I could use in FCP).
Before I start upgrading and buying new programs, has anyone found a current and good workflow for AVCHD lite to FCP? (Many of the posts I read on online forums are dated prior to 2010).
Thanks.

ClipWrap has a very good reputation and should do the trick. I've used it and it does a great job. Try the trial download and see if it works for your media.
I prefer ClipWrap over anything you've listed. Handbrake is the wrong tool, that's for going the other way.
http://www.divergentmedia.com/clipwrap/features

Similar Messages

  • No AVCHD lite import - really? Suggested Workflow?

    Being thrilled as I was to upgrade to Aperture 3, I now find myself stuck and disappointed with one of the main features I was excited about - video import along with photos. I shoot with a Panasonic GF1 that shoots both RAW images and AVCHD lite video. This is an amazing camera for having the best of both worlds - great photos and beautiful video. But Aperture 3 doesn't recognize the video!!! Huh? There are many consumer and pro cameras that are AVCHD video enabled and it seems strange and disappointing that Apple would not support this widely used format. So now, in addition to not having A3 support the RAW format on the GF1 (which will hopefully change soon), the video is not supported either.
    Does anyone have a suggested workflow for easily getting this video into a Aperture 3 project?
    -dm

    I found a possible solution that does not (exactly) require transcoding and allows the video to be loaded into Aperture (and edited directly in iMovie):
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2411037
    The product is called ClipWrap 2 and it worked with a test file of AVCHD lite video from the Panasonic GF1. I downloaded the trial version of the software and it seemed to work perfectly with the sample .mts file. It unwraps the mts file (a H.264 variant) and rewraps into a QT format (H.264 format with .mov extension) without transcoding (it also has options for transcoding). It is VERY fast and there is no generational loss. It can be found here:
    http://www.clipwrap.com/
    I haven't purchased it yet, but plan to when my GF1 arrives next week (after I perform additional tests). I don't see many downsides to using this (other that spending $50!). It seems to preserve the original video quality and it imports into Aperture. The main downside I see is that Aperture regards the re-wrapping date as the creation date, so metadata is not preserved. On the other hand, you keep the small file size and video quality of the original file. You can always transcode these files if you want something to edit in FCP, although iMovie seems to handle these files without problems.
    Dave

  • Avchd imports into fcp 10.0.7 but choppy playback-even after using clipwrap

    I am not sure where the problem may be.  I record onto the sd card (16gb sandisk extreme class 10, 45mb/s) from brand new canon m500.  Card is read in FCP X and can import but when I play back everything is choppy. 
    I am recording as avchd, mxp-used 60i frame rate & 30 frame both had same issue. 
    I tried clipwrap and that improved the first 5 seconds and then still choppy for the remainder. 
    When I playback the sd card inside the camera no problem-looks and sounds great. 
    If I look at the file on the sd card - after putting sd card in macbook pro (mid 2009-handles FCP just fine) or copying to computer it is titled as "private."  I changed the permissions.
    I am also using a canon hv 20 (mini dv)-absolutely no problems with import.
    Any thoughts or ideas?  I am on a deadline and losing a lot of time.

    Thanks Alchroma & digibudIl--Iappreciate the quick reply.
    I was able to figure out a solution very similar to the suggestion of changing the playback & optimizing media.  Here is what I set up.  With these setings, the playback of the file before import is still choppy.  After import it is still choppy until the background tasks reach 100%-next to the timecode.  Once 100% then it playsback smoothly with these settings. 
    I was using the internal hard drive on my macbook pro.  My workflow is to (sometimes) use the internal hard drive and then transfer to external hard drive.  Other times import to external hd.
    What was interesting to me about the import process is with AVCHD, is that FCP X recognizes the file from the sd card as an avchd file.  I did not need to save the files to another folder, create an archive etc.  I tried all these with the same result as the simple import in FCP X.
    One last question.  The Canon M500 can shoot at a frame speed of 60i and 30.  Is 30 lesser quality or is 60 better in some way.  I will be editing the footage in FCP X.
    Thanks again for the help and I hope my experience helps others.

  • Best file format to convert AVCHD lite to?

    Hello,
    I have been browsing for a while with not much success. I have a new panasonic camera recording HD video in the brand new AVCHD lite format. I understand that FCP and pretty much everything does not accept AVCHD lite yet so converting the file format is inevitable. I want to do some editing in FCP and I am not sure what file I should convert the .MTS files to that would be best for editing.
    I have already tried .MP4 and gathering from what I have read MP4 is a not a good file to edit with in FCP. What would you suggest be better?
    When I tried editing with .MP4 the program ran so slow it was inoperable...
    Maybe I need more than 2Gbs of ram...
    I dunno.. Please Help
    Thanks

    mp4 is not an editing format and more ram probably won't help. If you've got the disk space, I'd recommend prores. I've been working with avchd from panny HMC150 using the log and transfer window in fcp and fcp automatically converts to prores.
    Message was edited by: Michael Grenadier

  • Reccommendation for non-overkill MacPro for my FCP workflow

    Hey-
    Looking for a reccommendation on minimal Mac Pro specs I need to pull off my FCP workflow.
    So I’m working on a big HDSLR-heavy documentary project, using FCP 7. Guessing 75-80 total hours by the end of it. At least ¾ of the media is Apple Pro Res 422 LT, transcoded from 5D/7D shot 1080 30p AVCHD footage. Remaining majority is also 422LT, transcoded from AF100-shot 1080 30p AVCHD; remaining minority is SD-original tape capture & SD res quicktimes.
    So it’s a lot of relatively beefy, digital original files living on 4 FW800-connected Gtech 2TB drives. I’ll probably have all drives up at anyone point, but not necessarily all the var. individual projects open all the time (it’s a web-only series focusing on 10 artists, so at least 10 individual projects.)
    Currently using a 2.93 “Nehalem” Dual Quad Core Mac Pro with 12GBs of RAM for the project – and though I’ll I’ve really done with it is transcode and media manage thus far, and very little actual editing or exporting – don’t have any complaints about the machine.
    Thing is, I’m getting kicked off this particular machine and need to buy another. I originally bought the 2.93 Nehalem to meet Avid Media Composer 5 specs – I know FCP7 specs are a lot less exacting, or at least a lot vaguer.
    So big question is – do I really need 8 cores? Can I go for something more modest (read cheaper) and still get the same performance? I bought that Nehalem thru Apple Store refurbished and would love to do the same thing.
    Check out this link for the current offerings (they change daily):
    http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_pro?mco=MjEwNzU3Mzc
    Let me know if I’m leaving anything out that’ll help.
    Sincerely,
    Nick

    There is no reason to go deeper into debt than the work can support.
    The current version of FCS is 32 bit - which means it can only address 4GB RAM. (1.5 for the system frameworks and 2.5 for the program directly). RAM beyond this amount will be useful when running other programs or when you run Motion. It will not have any effect on FCS.
    Still, I beg to differ with my esteemed colleague, but extra cores can make a difference even in day to day use. If you multi-task (multiple apps open and active), the OS spreads the work across all available resources. More cores + more ram = more work accomplished. Whether this is a measurable speed increase over the course of a day or simply gives you more time to think is something only you could answer.
    Good luck,
    x

  • AVCHD Lite users!

    While trying to Log and Capture from an AVCHD Lite capable camera in FCE still produces videos at double speed, there is now a workaround! iMovie just updated to a new version, and includes updates to be able to handle these files without error. Simply import your AVCHD Lite files into iMovie, create an XML file, bring it into FCE, and you're good to go! This is great news to hold me over until FCE updates to support these cameras as well.
    I bought a Panasonic ZS3 camera knowing full well that I wouldn't be able to import videos into FCE, and just crossed my fingers in the hopes that there would soon be a fix. Lucky me! (And you!)

    Since this is a Final Cut Express forum most people reading that comment about wanting to edit AVCHD/AVCHD Lite natively will understand that isn't part of the current workflow for Final Cut Express.
    These codecs are deemed unsuitable for live edits because of the overhead of reassembling frames during edits so they are always transcoded into the more friendly but somewhat larger Apple Intermediate Codec.
    Sound choice to do it this way. Performance and real time video is important whilst disk space is cheap. I'm happy with this arrangement myself and my footage costs me about 1Gb per minute with my Sony camcorder.
    It is interesting to see that iMovie can now import AVCHD Lite and I just tested my new Panasonic TZ7 which now works beautifully. I purchased a copy of Voltaic to do that conversion but I'm not irritated by that since I can use Voltaic to extract the 5:1 surround in separate channels from footage shot on my Sony.
    Here's hoping they add the import functionality to FCE soon though because those extra steps take some time ^^
    Message was edited by: AndrewSmith

  • Importing video clips in AVCHD (Lite) into Aperture vs iMovie

    I'm trying to figure out which application I should use for importing and storing video clips shot on my Panasonic DMC-ZS7 camera. This camera can shoot in AVCHD (Lite) or in Motion JPEG. I use the AVCHD (Lite) format to shoot the videos with this camera.
    The two application options I currently have for importing video clips from this camera are:
    a. Aperture 3.5.1 (I'm not using iPhoto since I have Aperture).
    b. iMovie 10.0.1 (I'm not using Final Cut Pro)
    When I first got this camera, Aperture 3 did not support the AVCHD Lite codec. Back then, iMovie could import video clips shot in AVCHD Lite, but it had to transcode the AVCHD video clips into AIC (Apple Intermediate Codec). Some time later, one of the Aperture 3 updates made it possible to import AVCHD Lite into Aperture (without having to transode into an intermediate codec), so we started importing our video clips shot in AVCHD Lite (together with our photos shot by the same camera) directly into Aperture.
    iMovie 10 released in 2013 supports importing video clips shot in AVCHD Lite without having to transode them to AIC for storing these video clips in iMovie. So, now we have a dilemma that we need help with. Which application should we use going forward for importing video clips from this camera?
    When I look at the metadata for the imported videos in Aperture, I see that the format of the imported video clips is listed as H.264. However, I can't seem to be able to find any information about the format in which iMovie stores imported videos. I can "Reveal in Finder" a video that I import into iMovie, and I see the size of the file and the .mov extension assigned to the file. With video files, the extension does not always determine the codec of the file, but in my non-expert opinion, the .mov extension is not H.264; I may be totally wrong here, though. What I have noticed, though, is that a video clip imported into iMovie has the file size that is about 10% larger than the same video clip imported into Aperture.
    Therefore, I have three questions:
    1. What format is a video clip (shot in AVCHD Lite) stored in Aperture 3.5.1 and in iMovie 10.0.1
    2. Which format (the one used by Aperture or the one used in iMovie) is better suited for transoding AVCHD videos into? The balance of the quality and file size is the main consideration for us.
    3. Which applications would you personally prefer using for importing video clips to and why?
    I do want to use some of these video clips to make home videos in the future, utillizing iMovie. However, it seems I can still store the raw footage in Aperture and access this raw footage from iMovie to be able to create an iMovie project and a final home video. One of the concerns is that if we keep importing our video clips into Aperture, the Aperture library could grow beyond the size that Aperture can support and we may end up losing our photos due to the database corruption. Is this a real risk?
    Thank you!

    I had the same question recently. Go to the right of this box and a little above, into the Search Discussions window. Type in this: Is MPEG2 the answer
    You will find my question, and the great answers I got. Follow those directions and you will be all set!

  • How do I get AVCHD Lite and AVCHD videos to play in Front Row?

    How do I get AVCHD Lite and AVCHD videos to play in Front Row? They use the .mts file extension, and can be played in VLC.

    You will have to be able to play them in QuickTime before they'll be available in Front Row. It looks like the current version of iMovie will edit/play AVCHD movies. Can you put one of your videos into iMovie and export it as a QuickTime file?
    -Doug

  • When will FCE support AVCHD Lite?

    As far as I can tell with several Internet searches coupled with a lot of futzing with my Lumix camera, FCE does not support AVCHD Lite. Is support for this going to happen? When?
    Thanks much.
    Benny

    Is there an FCE support forum?
    Yes, and this is it.
    Feel free to ask questions on the use of FCE or search the forum for existing Q&As.
    It's hosted by Apple but is a user to user forum.
    It's rare for an official Apple employee to intervene unless rule/s are not adhered to.
    Al

  • IMovie '09 won't recognize AVCHD Lite clips

    I am using iMovie 09 (8.0.5) and was previously able to import AVCHD Lite MTS files from my Lumix FZ35's SD card (private folder) using Import from Camera. This no longer works and I wonder if it was an update that created the problem. When I use Import from Camera I no longer see my SD card or my USB-connected Lumix as a choice, just the iSight. When I try to Import Movies the MTS files are greyed out. Tried this on two different Macs. The only way I have to import the clips is converting them to MP4 files using Handbrake, but that is tedious as it only queues one at a time and I have dozens of little files.
    Any idea why this is no longer working and what I can do to get these clips? The Apple Support site clearly states that iMovie '09 supports this camera.

    G'day Steve,
    We only use the SD card directly to transfer images from camera to Mac and PC.
    The AVCHD file (.MTS) can be viewed and played by VLC without any problems - indicating OSX is recognising the file on the SD card.
    However we have tried many ways of importing this file into iMovie and in all cases the file name is greyed out. As per the original post by JaneNYC, i Movie won't recognise AVCHD Liteclips and like Jane the Apple support clearly states that IMovie 09 supports our camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1) which is the forerunner of FT2.
    I don't believe a clean install of OSX and iMovie is required as this would be a drastic move for the novice mac user especially when Apple specifically states that iMovie supports both JaneNYC's and our cameras.
    Would you agree the problem is more likely to be with iMovie than OSX or are we not understanding something about importing AVCHD Lite into iMovie?
    Cheers,
    Ellen and Ian (New to Mac)

  • AVCHD-Lite no sound

    Hello, I have a problem with the file type  AVCHD-Lite.
    When I open a file in photoshop elements 11, I can watch the video but there is no sound.
    I have already installed the latest version of quicktime, but this didn't help.
    Thank you for your help and suggestions!
    froensberg

    Thanks.  I had a look earlier at the conversion recommendations (http://forums.adobe.com/thread/454585?tstart=0), which seemed to work correctly for me in Premiere Elements, and again using the Koyote Soft product. However, both resulting files still play without audio in Premiere Elements. Strange, I am able to use the (incredibly bad) software product supplied with the camera to import and play the videos with sound; but everything else I've tried has been unsuccessful. (I'll post on how I go with the new iLife 09. I see it's supposed to improve support for AVCHD Lite.)
    I'll keep exploring the other FAQs you mention, but happy to hear any other tips as well. Thanks again.

  • Editing AVCHD Lite files in FCE 4?

    Anybody using a Panasonic camera ZS7 with FCE?
    I understand that the easiest way is to import video files from this camera is to use Elgato turbo.264HD to convert the video files from the camera AVCHD Lite in to 264H and edit in FCE.
    Any suggestions will be appreciated

    I'm using a Panasonic FZ38 ..
    http://sites.google.com/site/karstenschluter/a-lite-logging-with-fc-e
    teaches FC/e that feature ..
    WARNING: You'll probably violate the End-User-LIcence-Agreement performing that simple Finder-operation! (depends on local laws, advice in link is meant only as a technical description)
    and, Welcome, Gabriel-dh, to the  boards

  • Hack to teach FC/e logging AVCHD-lite

    http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/200/880637
    as you probably noticed, FC/e4 isn't able to import 'AVCHD-lite', 720p recordings.
    its lil' brother iMovie09 does.
    found this advice at CreativeCow, tested it (works!) and like to share it - ON YOUR OWN RISK! THIS IS A 'HACK'!
    • quit FC/e and iMovie09
    • open the FC/e program-package by ctrl-click 'Show package content'
    • 'Contents/Plugins (NOT! plug-ins)/ ..'
    • you'll notice a folder called AVCHD.RADPlug
    • drag this folder to a save location, in case you have to re-install it ..
    • open the iMovie09 program-package by ctrl-click 'Show package content'
    • 'Contents/RADPlugins/ .. '
    • you'll notice a folder called AVCHD.RADPlug
    • copy/crtl-drag this folder into the open location in FC/e mentioned above (replace the AVCHD.RADPlug)
    = done!
    works like charm here with my LUMIX FZ38 ..
    reading the original thread mentioned above notices, some people can not make it work - it's a hack.

    Ian R. Brown wrote:
    .. I am getting tempted!
    Take a gander at this extremely comprehensive review . . . . . unfortunately it doesn't test the movie capability as thoroughly:
    another here:
    http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfz35.asp
    and I like to read the customers review at amazon ..
    the Lumix is a 'beast', when it comes to video, due to it's a photo-cam.. other to cam-corders of same price-range, you are allowed to do that 'cinematographer' magic, playing with focus, DoF, shutter-speed.
    the main disadvantages: size/handling - I'm using, aside a normal tripod, a 'shoulder tripod', the cam is very small and lays a bit 'odd' in hand, compared to a real vid-cam; no ext.mic-in; no foldable TFT (in case you like to record babies or puppies in eye-sight-highth); not that low-light strong ..
    http://sites.google.com/site/karstenschluter/a-lite-logging-with-fc-e
    helps to use FC/e4, ...
    btw: 500mm for video .. awesome. I like it. MY cam ...

  • Premiere Elements 3.0.2 AVCHD-Lite Support???

    Typically you will see that Premiere Elements 7 was the first version to support AVCHD (video codec MPEG-4 AVC/H.264). I have seen reported support for AVCHD in an earlier version, Premiere Elements 4, when that program was installed in one of the Sony Vaio computers which had a Sony Add On Component to allow for AVCHD support.
    But, what about AVCHD-Lite (which has the video codec MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, but frame size typically 1280 x 720 instead of the AVCHD's 1920 x 1080 square pixels or 1440 x 1080 HD anamorphic? Does anyone know if Premiere Elements versions earlier than version 7 will support AVCHD-Lite. I have one report of a user claiming to be doing so with Premiere Elements 3.0.2 using video described as MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, 640 x 480, @ 30 frames per second.
    Thanks for any information on this matter.
    ATR

    SG
    Many thanks for the information. I had not run across anyone before claiming to get AVCHD or AVCHD-Lite to work in Premiere Elements 3.0.2. So, the post in question really had me thinking "there is something wrong with this picture".
    I will try to get more information from the user to determine what "break through" the user has made versus something else.
    Thanks again.
    ATR

  • AVCHD lite playback problem in Premiere Elements - No sound

    I am importing AVCHD Lite movie files from my Panasonic camera (DMC-FT1) to Adobe Premiere Elements 7.  It seems to work just fine, except that it will not play the Audio of the movie files.  No sound whatsoever.
    I've seen many other posts in the forum regarding sound that drops, but for me, it simply is not playing sound at all.
    Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks.  I had a look earlier at the conversion recommendations (http://forums.adobe.com/thread/454585?tstart=0), which seemed to work correctly for me in Premiere Elements, and again using the Koyote Soft product. However, both resulting files still play without audio in Premiere Elements. Strange, I am able to use the (incredibly bad) software product supplied with the camera to import and play the videos with sound; but everything else I've tried has been unsuccessful. (I'll post on how I go with the new iLife 09. I see it's supposed to improve support for AVCHD Lite.)
    I'll keep exploring the other FAQs you mention, but happy to hear any other tips as well. Thanks again.

Maybe you are looking for