Chapters for h.264 compression from FCP

I've been using FCC to edit videos that are accompanied by slide show presentations. What I do is I put a marker on the time line every time a new slide comes up in the presentation and then I just insert the slides and compress the video.
What I want to do now is somehow make it so that those markers I placed on the time line are added to the final compressed video (I use h.264 but if there's a way of doing it with another codex then I would consider changing).
I know that there are ways of adding chapters to already compressed videos by opening them in quick time and going through a relatively lengthy process. The problem is I work with a lot of presentations so it would be great if there was a way of exporting the markers I created in FCC and easily adding them to the compressed video.
Any ideas?

For the time being, until we get Blu-ray support on the Mac via DVD Studio Pro as well as a Blu-ray drive for the MacPro, I either export in AVC to make a High-Def DVD playable in a Blu-ray player (limited to about 20 mins. on a DVD-5 or 40 mins. on a DVD-9) or an AVC file playable on my PS-3.
Since my original post, I've had success working with 1080/24p files in the 60i wrapper as outlined in article HT2410 (Final Cut Pro 6: 1080/24p workflow for Canon HV20). I perform the reverse telecine using compressor and import the 24p file into my sequence. I then export AVCHD via the quicktime encoder and the result is visually indistinguishable from the original MTS files from the SDHC card. So, half my problem is solved, but when I'm working with 1080/60i files, my export has significant interlacing artifacts and judder which the original MTS files don't have. Since my original 24p problem seemed to originate on the import side, I can only assume that the same is the case for the 1080/60i files as well. Problem is, I'm not sure what settings to use to eliminate the problem on the 1080/60i side. I am experiencing the same judder in my canvas viewer further supporting the "import side problem" theory. Any help is appreciated.

Similar Messages

Compress from FCP or file?

I am creating over 80 video files of songs for DVD's. To speed the production flow, I'd like to finish a batch of edits and then batch convert in Compressor.
1. Will I have better quality DVD videos if I convert each file directly from FCP when I finish the edit, than if I create a finished QT video, then batch convert?
2. If I were to create finished edited video files for batch conversion, what's the best file format to use when creating finished video files from FCP for DVD output?
TIA
DP800 G4/PB 15"/Intel iMac Dual Core 20" Mac OS X (10.4.6)

1. Will I have better quality DVD videos if I convert
each file directly from FCP when I finish the edit,
than if I create a finished QT video, then batch
convert?
Either should give you a comparable output. The advantage of "Send to Compressor" is that FCP stays open and Real Time effects will not have to be rendered, which speeds up the entire workflow.
If, OTOH, you create reference files, FCP needs to render out the RT effects.
Some FCP installs are very stable and can do the "Send to Compressor" workflow very reliably. Others, not so much. The only way to know is to try.
2. If I were to create finished edited video files
for batch conversion, what's the best file format to
use when creating finished video files from FCP for
DVD output?
Use the settings of your sequence. Don't have FCP recompress to some other setting, which could result in taking a quality hit. I prefer batching out sequences as reference movies. Others prefer self-contained movies. Then take those into Compressor and create MPEG-2s and AC-3 audio files.
HTH
- pi
Dual 2.5 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Can someone just spell it out for me? Going from FCP HD to DVD SD :-(

Hey folks. I hate to come here and ask a gargantuan number of questions, but this has been driving me out of my mind. I've tried asking specific question in hopes of simply finding one little problem that will fix my woes, but now it has come to this:
Can someone just spell it out for me?
How do I get my DVD going? I'll fill you in with all the knowlege I think you need.
I shot with Sony's HDR-FX1 and edited in Final Cut. That means I'm working with High defintion. The movie is set and solid, and runs One hour and twenty mintues. I'm trying to get it, the commentary track, the subtitle track, and a slew of video files (also shot in high def) onto one dvd. This goes beyond the 4.8 gig limit. Hence, i have a Dual layer burner, and have been burning onto DVD-R DL disks.
I've tried downgrading to SD format through steps from this website:
http://www3.telus.net/bonsai/Step-by-Step.html
I do all the steps to all of my files, and then start putting them into my DVD STUDIO PRO project. I have a recorded commentary which I add in, and I have written all the subtitles. The disk is in SD mode, and everything fits onto the dual layer disk. I've tried literally a dozen different ways, and something keeps going wrong. Either the menus won't come up, and just the film will play upon inserting, or the subtitle stream doesn't pick up- problem after problem. So, now I ask: Can someone simply spell out to me what steps I need to take to get my HD film onto a Dual Layer SD disk?
I apologize for how general this question is and how many directions it can go, but I'm at a breaking point after four months of failures. Thank you very much.

Hi man.
I don't really know which ways you've taken to put
the video into dvd studio, but since you're asking
for a step by step process, then here's what i do:
- export the entire hour out of FCP to a qt file
- take that QT file to compressor. the only audio you
really need is dolby 2.0. this would also reduce the
file size of video to make things fit in a single
layer dvd
I have always found that the 'Dolby 2.0' and '5.1' AC3 settings in Compressor badly affect your audio mix...it collapses the soundstage, takes away a lot of depth and imaging, and smudges the frequency range, so I usually output a 16-bit 48kHz, which holds things together much more nicely when working with a stereo mix. Problem is, for a feature-length films, the resulting output from compressor makes it too big to fit on standard DVD-R's with the M2V picture file. My workaround was to actually take take the original exported FCP QT movie (which has a 48kHz aiff soundtrack to begin with), and only lay the audio part of it in the track timeline in DVD studio pro, then lay the compressed M2V video on top of it. They're both still in sync, unless you picked different in/out points in Compressor. When you 'build' your Video/Audio TS in 'advanced burn' it somehow makes it small enough to all fit onto a DVD, while still maintaining the audio quality of the AIFF, instead of the crappy-sounding 2.0 AC3. Then you just use Toast to burn your disc. The difference in sound quality is night and day. So basically I do the picture in Compressor, but let DVD Studio Pro prepare the audio in the Advanced Burn stage.
It will be very difficult to get a good-sounding AC3 (what they call 'dolby' 2.0 or the wierd 5.1 encoding they use) unless you mix/master/encode your soundtrack professionally like regular studio films do. Just encoding it in compressor straight out of FCP or ProTools isn't enough. You lose too much.

Help Emergency for Exporting Quicktime Movie from FCP

Hello -
Not sure if anyone is up at this hour, but I have a huge grant deadline TODAY and we are having trouble getting my film trailer onto a DVD. NOT newbies, checked manuals and searched more than a few forums.
Details: 11-minute sequence made with FCP version 5.0.3 G4 Tower Dual 800 Processor.
Following suggestions found here and other places, we selected sequence in FCP > Export > Using Quicktime Conversion
There is supposed to be an MPEG 2 format choice that comes up but it does not. Other choices but not MPEG 2.
In the past the editor has exported as a regular quicktime movie, self-contained, and dragged it into DVDSP and the conversion was done in DVDSP. When we try that we get "incompatible format."
So we have the trailer sequence as a regular quicktime movie, and an MPEG4 which may be of use as a coaster since from what I've read it's not readable in most DVD players.
Is there any way to convert the MPEG 4 sequence to MPEG 2 so it can be seen on a DVD player?
Please, Please help with any suggestions. Manuals HAVE been consulted prior to posting. Have been up all night, and I have to get this trailer in today. thank you for any help you can offer.

so we have one cooking in the oven now -
we ended up going with Best/120min/4:3 because the 90-min one didn't allow us to choose "all"
It's an 11-minute sequence, and hopefully in not-too-long it will be recorded on a DVD. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you responded to my smoke signal! (I am, in fact, quite fried at this point).
I'm kind of surprised that after an hour searching about this on this forum and others, no mention of how to actually do this despite a lot of mentions of "threads about this." I tried so many searches using different terms and date ranges, but i'm just glad that you were at or near your computer.
Again, thank you and sending lots of gratitude from NY. It's still cooking, so hopefully I'm out of the woods, but it will be nice if things go smoother now that the sun is up over here.
grazie

Does AME have hinted streaming for H.264 compression?

I see in the mp4 settings I have 'multiplexer' that gives a few confusing options. Can't find anything in H.264 that will allow hinted streaming (like Compressor offers). I'd prefer the clients not have to wait for the entire video to load before being able to watch!

Does the Streaming Server have to get an Upgrade for QT7?
I'd say YES.
The Darwin Streaming Server I am using has been upgraded to v5.5, and it streams H.264 well. I did not bother to try H.264 before upgrading to supported version.
Hope this helps.

Burning a DVD from FCP Pro (relation between QT and IDVD)

When encoding and burning a DVD with IDVD from a QTime file (exported from Final Cut Pro plain QT uncompressed export), do I need to pay attention to the QuickTime Player settings? For example, the codec is automatically set on H.264, does it make any difference on the IDVD encoding process to choose another codec or to check the box : best quality? Thank you for your answer, BF from FCP Pro

DVDs use an MPEG-2 codec, so regardless of which codec FCP uses to compress the Quicktime file, it will end up as MPEG-2 when you burn to DVD. So as long as the video preview plays in iDVD, you should be fine just using the "Best Quality" setting.
If you are really concerned about the quality, you can also try exporting the video using Compressor and authoring the DVD in DVD Studio Pro. It's a bit more complicated, but the results are worth learning the software.
Hope this helps.

Compressor Fails "QuickTime Error: -50" for h.264 Encoding

When I try to compress movies of 720p resolution or greater to h.264 Compressor often fails right at the start with
"QuickTime Error: -50". Any idea what this is or whether there's a workaround?
This is on an 8-processor Mac Pro (16 GB RAM) configured for 7 distributed processors via Qmaster. Export from QuickTime Player works, but I'm not gaining any benefits of multiprocessors. Other compression (to, say, ProRes422) seems to work fine with these files.
I suspect some kind of memory issue, but it seems to only be happening for h.264 compression, and while these movies are rather large, this machine is quite the beast, with adequate RAM.
Help?
multiple2x3Ghz Quad-Core Intel Xeon Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Hi:
I've been experiencing all sorts of issues with compressor, somewhat like this. I think my quicktime plug-ins are the culprit. Example, I have been exporting directly out of Motion with no problems lately, but when I export to Compressor I see my "Flip4Mac" import window several times, then Compressor either fails to export, or crashes.
I would suggest trying a direct export from FCP or Motion, or whatever your source is. See if that works. Just bypass Compressor and choose your HD DVD option from the export window. It does the trick with Motion.

Keep chapter markers from fcp 7 to dvd studio 4

might've posted this before...
ive used iDVD for a while and know the preference for the chapter markers from FCP 7 to iDVD. finally using Studio pro trying to firgure out about automatic chapter markers. I edited it in FCP X and exported it to make the chapters in FCP 7
I have a few different format files
from FCP 7
8.03 gig DVD studio chapter marked
8.03 gig compression marked
then in compression
best quality 90 min DVD
A dolby Digital Pro 2 says "the destiation does not have read/write access"
or the mpeg 2 6.2mbps 2 pass """"""
then I tried using individual clips from fcp 7 in/out export feature, but that seems to to be to large
how should i fix this annoying issue

I'm talking about Compressor.
Compressor wants a destination to which to send an output file. Unless otherwise specifiedm the default destination is Source. That means it will be written to wherever (drive>folders path) the source file was stored.
Russ

FLV encoding from FCP?

Any tips for software (not too expensive) for encoding FLV direct from FCP or Quicktime?

Nah - but with QuickTime Reference it is almost the same thing... Any reason why you are trying to stay in FCP? I encode all day and usually try and get out of FCP for encoding via QuickTime reference... Not only does it bypass tying up FCP (in version 6 or below) but I have less issues with the encodes.
I had another thought - Make something like this: H.264 Main Profile, 5 Mbps max., 1280×720 max., 30 fps max. Audio: AAC-LC, stereo, 128 Kbps, 48 kHz. Then change its file extension to FLV.
See what happens.

Compressor from FCP very very slow

Why is it that encoding (for DVD) a sequence from FCP using compressor takes so long.
9 hours for 1 hour video through FCP
Going through compressor directly takes 15 min.

I don't understand the workaround though. Why export from FCP and then again from Compressor. If we're going that route why not just export directly from FCP, uninstall Compressor, and trash the user manual??

Why is MP4 (MPEG4) Compression direct from FCP (vs from DVD) lower quality?

I am creating video podcasts and I have been fighting this issue for a couple weeks.
When I compress using mpeg4 directly from QuickTime I get unacceptable pixilation surrounding the subjects but when compress the same file from DVD using handbrake or iSquint it looks just fine. I am using the same settings.
Creating a DVD for each compression is silly work around. Does anybody have any advice here?
Note: when I compress using h.264 from FCP it looks fine, however I have decided against the h.264 codec at this time due to the processing toll it puts on the end user that can cause jumpy playback.
Power Book G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9) FCP 4.5

I would rather use mp4 than h.264 and I have seen videos (eg. tikibartv) that look great with the mp4 codec.
Does anybody have any advice here?
I take it you've tried a workflow which emulates the site you referenced, such as...
File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion
In the Format drop-down, select MPEG-4
Click on the Options... button and...
Alter Image Size to 320x240.
Change the Data Rate to 500
Set Frame Rate to 15
Alter the Key Frame property to 75
Click OK
After you've selected the right destination folder, go ahead and press Save.
This will produce a .mp4 file. If you want to make this a .mov file, change the extension in the Browser.
...and that hasn't given you the results you're looking for?

Exporting from FCP for iPhone...

OK... So we have almost 100 videos on our website from the last couple years. I was under the impression they worked on ipods/iphones..... I was wrong. Here is step by step how I export them from FCP, I'm hoping someone can point out why they wont play on iphones.
Export / Using Quicktime Conversion
Video Settings: H.264, 29.97 fps, automatic keyframes, frame reordering off, data rate at 700 kb/sec, optimized for streaming
Size: QVGA: 320x240
Sound: AAC, 48.000khz, VBR at 112 kbps
Prepare for internet steaming: Fast Start - Compressed Header
I know I could used the apple devices setting from compressor but I tend to get not-so-good results when using the preset options. Any help getting these working is greatly appreciated.

trc,
This page lists encoding option that are suggested in the "Ensuring a Great Audio and Video Experience" collapsable menu:
https://developer.apple.com/iphone/devcenter/designingcontent.html
In addition to the encoding, I would verify your server supports all the requirements in that link as well.
This page has additional information on embedding:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/embed.html
Hope this helps,
Nathan C.

Compression settings for H.264

Can anyone recommend some settings for making making H.264 video intended for delivery on the web at 640x380?
Thanks.

Heya Rick,
So I was looking at the H.264 settings in Compressor and it would seem as though the highest bitrate is 1500 kps so guess you can't do bit rate between 2000 and 2500 k/bits like another poster recommended by using Compressor for Apple Devices settings. Also there isn't much control over the audio of the h.264 file in Compressor whereas QT conversion from FCP allows you to select a mono audio file with a lower khz rate and render quality.
The difference between selecting stereo vs. mono will be the difference between 1/2 or twice the filesize for your audio file which will absolutely affect your total filesize but make little to no difference in your viewed file intended for web viewing. Take a look at a standalone Stereo track AAC 44.100 kHz 192 kbps that is 5 mins long and you're looking at about 5 MB file just for the audio!!! Cut that to mono and drop the frequency and bitrate and that 5 mb audio file will be about 1MB.
I have always used QT conversion from FCP and have only just now had the opportunity to look at the h.264 settings in Compressor and judging from initial impressions I would go with QT conversion from FCP.
For the video you mention I would just go with export using QT conversion from FCP. For video settings use automatic keyframes with an automatic datarate with quality set to Medium. Best quality multi-pass encode. For sound settings use Linear PCM Mono channel 32 khz rate and Faster Quality render setting. That should give you a nice, small file size that will look and sound good enough for sit down interview video between 3-5 mins. in length.
Also remember that the h.264 can be used with a Flash player instead of QT player so those without Quicktime can view the file without having to install the QT player. You can use something like the JW Player from http://LongTailvideo.com or simply change the extension of the compressed h.264 to .flv and use it with any Flash Player above 9.0
hth

Is there a maximum possible bitrate for h.264 (from DV iMovie)?

Hello,
I have a DV file (a iMovie project) that is 8,76GB big. I want to burn it on a 8,5GB Dual Layer DVD. So I choose 23000kbit/s as video bitrate for h.264 (audio AAC 320kbit/s). The result was a file of 5,44GB (17Mbit/s). When I then tried 26000kbit/s the result was the same.
I the chose "best quality" and bitrate set to "automatic". The result was a 5,77GB file.
So, I wondered, if there is a limit in iMovieHD'05 for the bitrate chosen with h.264.
I have a very slow Mac, so I can't just test everything through, so here is my second question: would handbrake )last version for 10.5) be able to output a h.264 file with a bitrate of 23000kbit/s?
Another topic: I heard you can encode a DV file to mpeg2 with Toast Titanium, which I have. How do I do that, when I drop the VD file on it and choose compress and save as image, I get a video file of 8kb and an audio file of 4kb, when I open it and want to burn it, it starts compressing it again.
Thanks in advance.

Karsten Schlüter wrote:
lime-iMacG3 wrote:
… since you can't tell iMovie to export the DV file as DV and use a smaller bitrate than the bitrate in the project, … I want to keep as much of the old bitrate as possible.
sure did iMHD5 export as DV!
That's its 'native' format, iMovie-a (≤v.6) was a dv-editor by concept.-
there is no 'smaller' bitrate in DV - dv is a very straight codec, by standard 13GBs/h - done.
and for sure you can save larger files than >4GB on a fat32 formated media - I'm doing so 'daily' some of my cheap sport-cameras use fat32-SDCards, recording 2h continously, creating a bunch of files.. on import, those files get 'consolidated' by the edit software.
again: just drag'n drop your precious material on a stick - done.
... it is less complicated than you make it think.
You did not understand the sentence iMovie does not export DV in smaller bitrates. That means, it exports DV, but only in the maximum bitrate of 57MBit/s (as told by QT, when you open a DV file, that you exported from iMovie).
Also, you must be using a System that can read FAT32+. FAT32 (without the "+") can only write up to 4GB. I use Tiger (10.4.11).
I did knew, that FAT32 can only take 4GB big files and I forgot and tried to copy a 9GB file once and it did not work, so I know for sure. Not just since this thread.
Is there any other way than drag and drop files in OS X (I do it that way since OS 9 in 2001)?
I am not as stupid as you make me feel think.
I read up on Toast again and there you can force Toast to fit a DVD file that is bigger than 8,5GB to a 8,5GB DVD. (I just did not want to let Toasts crappy compressor do it, but instead use h.264 for minimum quality loss, even if the human eye can't tell. The source is analog SD material btw.).

Best Qualilty From FCP into Compresser

Ok, So ive filmed a short 6 min video in HDV 1080i60,and edited in that format, now because most of my clients DVD players don't read HDDVD I must compress it to something readable for SDDVD with out losing any of the quality.Now Ive tried MPEG-2 and it's crap, so ive tried numerous differnt formats and the best that ive come up with is JPEG-PHOTO. 1. Is their anything better then this?
2. Should I just transfer back onto my DV tape and go to a post house and get them to transfer on to DVD or will they have the same problem?
3.Can I Have and HD format and SD format on the same DVD so when it's inserted to HDDVD or SDDVD it can read it?
Any Answers would be greatful?
Thanks
SHawn

DVD with out losing any of the quality.Now Ive tried MPEG-2 and it's crap, so ive tried numerous differnt formats and the best that ive come up with is JPEG-PHOTO. 1. Is their anything better then this?
It needs to be MPEG 2 for SD DVD. Export from FCP uncompressed. Then use the best settings in Compressor. Bring into DVD SP and set track to 16:9 letter box. If you have more details on the footage and workflow it helps (settings, compression settings, type of footage, what does "crap" mean, how are you viewing things.)
2. Should I just transfer back onto my DV tape and go to a post house and get them to transfer on to DVD or will they have the same problem?
You could but you should be abllee to get fairly good results. Also downloadd bitVice from innobits.se (they have demo) to see if that helps. Not sure how mmuch a transfer house may charge but it may cover the cost of bitVice
3.Can I Have and HD format and SD format on the same DVD so when it's inserted to HDDVD or SDDVD it can read it?
No, though the new HD players are in theorry suppossed to be backkwards compatible (HD DVD not blu ray)

Chapters for h.264 compression from FCP

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