Combining NTSC & PAL footage

I have HDV footage that is both 1080/60i (NTSC) 1080/50i (PAL).
i need to make an edit that includes footage from both, with final delivery being SD PAL DVDS.
what workflow would you suggest, bearing in mind issues of cost and time?
thanks for the guidance!

well in your favor the resolution of the two formats are the same, so at least the combining of the originals sources does not require scaling ... although there will of course still be some retiming
if the target format s NTSC then the best retiming you'll get is going to be by using the "Slow PAL" method ... that means you're going to slow the footage down by 4%. if the two formats will not be intercut in a manner that would make the difference in speed hopelessly obvious then thats probably the best way to go
to retime using Slow PAL, first open *Cinema Tools* and choose *File > Batch Conform...* then target your PAL media's source directory by selecting one of the source clips within that folder, and in the subsequent Batch Conform window set the *Conform To* popup to 23.978 FPS and click the Conform button.
now switch back to FCP and set the *Final Cut Pro* menu *> System Settings* window *> Playback Control* tab's *Pulldown Pattern* to 2:3:2:3
with that pulldown pattern, using the conformed PAL media in an 60i timebase sequence should produce nice results

Similar Messages

Combine NTSC & PAL clips in same project & sequence

My project uses both NTSC and PAL DV clips. I've finished logging in all NTSC clips and I'm getting started logging in PAL clips. Any suggestions in logging in PAL ---besides changing Easy Setup to PAL. I'm concerned about having both formats in my browser. Will it crash FCP? One Creative suggested creating separate bins to log into. Another Creative suggested creating a separate project for just the PAL material. But, then, how do I use both NTSC clips and PAL clips in the same sequence?? *Help, please!!!*

You can have many different formats in your project but you can only have one sequence setting. You must choose what the output format will be, NTSC or PAL. You can do both but if I recall, the procedure's really complicated. You'll make a copy of your NTSC sequence and change it to PAL but it's not that easy. All of your renders will be gone, just for starters.
The manual has a large section on combining different formats, start there, not here.
You obviously have a deck capable of playing both formats?
bogiesan

Export or convert PAL footage to NTSC

Hi, I have edited some PAL footage and now need to convert to NTSC. I have exported NTSC via Compressor but the footage looks "jumpy" not smooth. Is there a "best" way to do this? Should I export first then convert? Your experience would be appreciated. Thanks.

Graeme Nattress has a standards conversion filter that is well regarded.
you can find it on his web site: www.nattress.com
Be aware that you may see some drop in quality going to NTSC from PAL. PAL just has more information in the frame.
Good luck.
x

Convert PAL footage to NTSC

Hi, I have edited some PAL footage in FCP and now need to convert to NTSC. I have exported NTSC via Compressor but the footage looks "jumpy" not smooth. Is there a "best" way to do this? Should I export first then convert? Your experience would be appreciated. Thanks.

First, I used Compressor and discovered the problem, then exported a DV PAL .MOV and ran it through my Windows conversion software, ProCoder. There are slight differences but the "biggie" is still there. It was interesting as I watched the preview window of Canopus ProCoder... it would render a one second chunk quickly, then slow, and speed up again for the next second... etc. I only notice this hesitation when the video is doing a PAN, and a lot of information is being recorded. I don't notice this anomaly when the camera is moving slowly or is on a steady shot.
Your description - from the beginning of this thread, in fact - sounds like frame judder, the phenomenon where, when doing a software conversion, the convertor only does a mathematical calculation to meet frame rate requirements. In laymen's terms, when you're doing a conversion from PAL to NTSC, unless you're using advanced settings (bearing in mind the longer encoding times), your convertor is simply adding an extra frame every 5 frames (to get 30 NTSC frames out of 25 PAL frames). As you've seen, with slower action motion this isn't usually so bad. But with high-motion footage (or camera movement) the presence of the duplicate frames are jarring.
As already mentioned, if you want to use Compressor 2 (or any other software convertor) to do this, you must use the Better Rate Conversion and Resize settings, with Frame Controls set to Custom. Instead of simply duplicating frames, this redistributes the motion across frames by creating frames. If you want the quality, and don't want to fork over dollars for filters, you have to bear with the encoding times. (I fully understand if you can't bear with it, just thought I'd confirm that you can't escape it though)
Alex' suggestion of the Nattress tools is a good one, though, since his filters render very fast. Either that or get it converted at a local post house using a hardware convertor.

Oops... pal footage in an ntsc sequence

Just wondering is there any fix (besides checking your settings before you begin your project) for having edited a whole project in the wrong format. I have pal footage in an NTSC sequence. When I did a copy from the ntsc sequence and pasted into a pal sequence everything was not represented as it was in the original ntsc sequence which I realise is a result of in and out points changing because of the different frame rates between formats and how that translates to the timeline. Is the only option to re edit the whole project?
cheers

Yep, had to do the render. When I right click on the clips in the sequences and select Item Properties>Timing it shows there is 1 frames difference between the in markers. eg. ntsc sequence in marker 00:01:50:06 pal sequence in marker 00:01:50:05. The pal sequence with the copied clips just doesn't seem to display or cut together as it did with the ntsc sequence. Sorry for the muddy explanation

Does iDVD actually convert NTSC/PAL?

I was just dozing on the bed and had a moment of clarity...
Well, I've recently got a new iMac and got into this DVD thing I shoot movies of my family and send them back home on DVD. I'm in Japan (NTSC) and the family's back in England (PAL). My camera and iMac are all Japanese-bought.
I put my movies into iMovie then iDVD. I've made 3 or 4 movies so far. What I've been doing is rather troublesome, actually, but I've put the movies through to iDVD twice. The first time with iDVD preferences set to NTSC (my copy), then set to PAL (family's copy). This requires setting up the DVD menus, etc., twice in iDVD. Well, it's two completely different projects. A drag. Intuitively I feel this is wrong or unneccessary, so part of my query is whether this is necessary?
I've only had feedback on one movie so far - the first one. For that one I sent both an NTSC and PAL version back to see which worked or were better, etc., as I don't really understand the technology yet. Now according to my brother there was no difference between them (obviously he can play NTSC on his PAL player).
I've made a few more and sent PAL for the simple reason that England is a PAL country...
Then this 'moment of clarity' I just had was: that option in iDVD to set between NTSC and PAL, is that only to reflect the original tape and NOT to convert?? Have I, in fact, been sending NTSC DVDs only?? Or does it tell iDVD to convert to PAL when I send it an NTSC iMovie?
If it DOESN'T convert, that would explain why both were the same on my brother's player. In that case, does that mean I can only send inferior quality DVDs (I'm assuming PAL plays better than NTSC on a PAL player)?
On the other hand, the fact that they appear the same could be simply that the quality of both is not so good (the movies are just under an hour, with transitions and a little music).
Sorry, bit rambling, but I have a lot to learn, especially if I want to ensure my family get a good record of our lives here.
I remember when digital watches and calculators first became available. That was the height of technology. People were happier then...
Thanks in advance for any info and advice.
James
PS please reply as to an idiot

IDVD uses different templates depending on which format you choose. PAL and NTSC are different formats, not only in frame size, but color resolution, and frame rate.
Yes, PAL is superior to NTSC. However, some regions of the world can only play NTSC, others PAL... some can play both formats.
You must specify the format BEFORE starting a new iDVD project because you can change that setting over and over again after having started a project and it will actually only use the setting that it was set to when the new project was started. As in, change your video standard preference, then File > New... not the other way around.
As for transcoding... many apps do transcode, but by mistake, not by design. What I mean is, if you take NTSC footage (720x480 29.97 FPS Non-square pixels) and tell it to output it as PAL footage (720x576 25 FPS Square pixels), it will. It will convert it by stretching the pixels vertically and reducing the frame rate. Most may not even be able to notice the difference, especially when viewed on an analog device such as a TV... it might be more apparent on a digital device such as a computer. Another example would be to take a 320x240 Quicktime move and then add it to iDVD directly. It will stretch the content to fit the format that you have chosen. Now there is a drastic change in viewing quality because there was a drastic change in frame size. PAL and NTSC are quite close to one another by comparison.
All in all, you should shoot in PAL if you wish to output PAL DVDs and conversely shoot in NTSC if you wish to output NTSC DVDs. This will result in the best outcome.
NTSC is jokingly referred to as Never Twice the Same Color... meaning that NTSC has some of the worst color rendering out there. It is one of the primary reasons why the U.S. is FINALLY switching to HD... to say goodbye to the archaic format that has existed in the U.S. for well over 50 years. PAL too is going away. Cheer the arrival of HD... it is superior to both PAL and NTSC on a grand scale.

NTSC & PAL Problems

I have come across a problem. I have been editing PAL footage in FCP not knowing that my project settings were set up in NTSC. I tried to reslove this problem by creating a new project and copying & pasting the existing edited work that I had done into this new project. As expexted there is a time lag with transitions/some images are distorted also. Does anyone know how I can reslove this problem without having to re edit my composition entirley?
This is urgent as there is a deadline.
Thanks in advance

create a new NTSC sequence that matches the format of the original footage
open that new empty sequence in the timeline window
now drag the old (PAL) sequence from the browser and +whilst holding down the command key+ drop it onto the new (NTSC) sequence
next select all the clips now in your new sequnece (press cmd-a)
and press cmd-opt-v to open the remove attributes window
check the scale checkbox and click OK
hopefully that should have fixed it

Cheapest way to convert Pal footage from mini dv tape?

Hello All,
What is the cheapest way to convert PAL footage, I have a NTSC camera and believe I need to purchase a camera that plays/accepts PAL tapes. IAm I correct? Any suggestions? Thank you, Maria

As Michael notes, Compressor is the cheapest way to go.
There is an alternative from Graeme Nattress called the "Standards Converter" .
http://www.nattress.com/Products/standardsconversion/standardsconversion.htm
It sells for $100 US and is reported to be the best software converter out there.
x

NTSC & PAL in one sequence?

Does anyone know if I can I can mix and match my PAL & NTSC footage within one sequence? Thanks.

Hello Pumelke,
you can probably do that (I never tried), but I wouldn't recommend it ... the output will be terrible.
My advice would be to convert the PAL footage to NTSC and edit in an NTSC timeline - for two reasons:
1. converting from PAL to NTSC - IMHO - looks a bit better than the other way around
2. if your final product is a DVD (guessing here, obviously) it will be playable almost anywhere: PAL players accept NTSC discs, whereas the opposite will probably not work.
for standard conversions have a look at JES Deinterlacer (http://www.xs4all.nl/~jeschot/home.html). It does a very good job and is freeware
hope this helps
mish

Used to, but now can't detect a NTSC/PAL external monitor.

This has come up in this forum as well as others in the past. Here is the syndrome:
1. iBook (or other) is hooked up to an external NTSC/PAL monitor (in my case a Sumsung LCD TV) via the mini-VGA/S-Video out.
2. Works perfectly for some period of time, days to years, as far as I've seen people post.
3. Suddenly, iBook does not recognize the external NTSC monitor, and outputs crap onto the monitor.
4. Detect display in the preferences only gives the native LCD (ibook) and a VGA external monitor.
5. This doesn't go away, and no one has found a way to make it go away.
Anyone figure out what the crap is going on with this? ANYONE HAVE A SOLUTION???

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HDV NTSC/PAL machine with HDMI output ???????????? To hire????

I live in the UK where we have PAL...I have a big job to do that is NTSC HDV...
What can I use to play out the tapes into my FC2.....
I have a sony HC7 buts its PAL....I also have access to couple of bigger sony cameras that play Ntsc/Pal but dont have HDMI to access the full HDV to capture it using Pro Rez via my Blachmagic card/HDMI////....
What is best to hire>>>>>

Thanks for your reply....
NO the material is in NTSC and that is what i want to keep it in for NTSC DVD release....Its just that the camera i have is PAL....
And I need to find something with HDMI out to access the raw HDV format....
Cheers
ROB

G4 with OS X 10.4.11 and DVD's in various formats (NTSC, PAL, SECAM).

Can a G4 AGP Graphics “Sawtooth” running OS X 10.4.11 Tiger play DVD's in the various regional formats (such as NTSC, PAL, and SECAM) an unlimited number of times, or is there a limit to how often the capability to play a particular format can be switched to the capability to play a different one?

Using an application such as VLC should optimize format playability. It may also help with the region code issue. The "number of times" isn't to do with the DVD format, it has to do with region codes set into the DVD by the media distributors. You can change that 5 times and then the DVD player is locked in forever. Try VLC and it may help with both the format playback and maybe get around the region code issue (disable Apple's own automatic DVD Player activation).
VLC media player - http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ - general media player that plays just about anything.
Niceplayer - http://code.google.com/p/niceplayer/

Exporting Anamorphic PAL footage to After Effects.

Hi,
I am exporting my PAL footage to After Effects as DV-PAL Anamorphic. I have tried various compostion settings on After Effects including DV Widescreen but it still imports back into FCP at a different aspect ratio.
Does anyone know what settings I should use?
Thanks in advance,
Simon.

Hi,
Ok I just took a piece of footage out of FCP into AFX comp settings PAL DV/D1 Widescreen 720x576 Aspect ratio 1.42.
I out put from AFX using DV Settings for the render settings and Quicktime DV PAL 48KHz for the output module.
I brought the AFX clip back into FCP on top of the original and did a 50% vertical crop on the clip in the Upper channel they match perfectly!
Not sure if I've done anything different to you but it works for me . . I suppose there is a possibility if you are using any 3rd party filters on the footage it might munge it in someway, if so using the method I used to check conformity you might be able to nudge the clip back to perfect aspect ratio.

NTSC - PAL colors conversion for betacam

I need to get a video file that is NTSC (no compression 8bit) into PAL (no compression 8bit) to edit it in Final cut pro 5.1.4 and to put titles from Motion, to finally put it on a betacam tape. To be shure that the conversion (NTSC-PAL) is well done, I gave the NTSC file to a professionel conversion compagny. (I tried to do it myself with compressor and with the plug-in natress, but was not completly satisfied with the result).
Now my problem is that the conversion company didn't compensate the modification of colors during the conversion. So now I have a file in pal (no compression 8bit) but the colors are lighter then the original file in NTSC.
Can someone tip me on a way to modify the colors in Final cut pro of my file in PAL? I know how to use most of the filters, but I don't now much about doing it professionally. I was hoping that there could be a filter or a plugin that is made for my kind of problem, and I'm afraid of making a mistake because I never prepaired a file for a betacam tape before. Do I have to be carefull with the percentage of black or of white? Do I have to work in RGB or YUV?
My second question is: the video PAL that was converted from NTSC has lines where there is quick movement when I look at it in Final cut pro or Quicktime. (the original NTSC file didn't have them) Should I use a filter to desinterlace it or will these lines disapear any way on the betcam tape? But I'm puting titles with Motion, so those titles don't have lines... How will they mix with the video?
Thanks for your help
Louie

Hi mish,
that is such a .. <searching correct english word> hillarious (?) idea, I give you a star for that ;-)))
changing some flags on a ready-made dvd... wow! nice try...- but as Fred said, NTSC<<>>PAL conversions are no trivial tasks... you run into many problems, e.g. where do you get the additonal 5 frames per second you need for a transfer from PAL to NTSC? how to make the audio fit to these new pictures? and, I HAVE to do this silly joke: NTSC has a very different color concept (Never The Same Color) then PAL.. and for sure a different res...
the name is irritating, but all mighty JES Deinterlacer is doing a fantastic job in converting video standards (ok, for a free software solution...) give that a try!

NTSC/PAL conversion question

On my vacation I took a lot of video clips with my digital camera, and made them into a movie. However, some of the people I want to send a movie to are in Europe/Africa, and need to view it in PAL format. When I made the movie, I did it in NTSC, format. When I transfer to iDVD, do I need to change the format in iMovie or in iDVD? If I have to do it in iMovie, do I have to completely redo the whole thing? Or is there a way to just convert the present NTSC version to the PAL version? If so, how? (I solved by lack of hard drive space by getting a new hard drive placed in my Power Mac-now have 100GB).

Hi dianeh,
most many/all dvdplayers over here are able to
read/playback NTSC dvds... no problem at all...
second:
export whole project as QT dv stream (1h = 13GB)...
import that into JES Deinterlacer, for free
http://www.xs4all.nl/~jeschot/home.html
choose conversion NTSC>PAL
another 13Gig per hour....
import THAT into iDVD
burn PAL version.......
hope I could be helpful
Tank you-I'll give it a try!!

Combining NTSC & PAL footage

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