Difference in quality on footage imported in FCP 3.0 vs. 5.0?

Hi all.
I'm wondering if there is a difference in quality of image for footage captured in FCP 3.0 compared with footage captured in FCP 5.0?
I've got a project that contains footage captured from both these apps. I'm presently editing it on FCP 5.0. I'm just wondering if there is a difference that might come to haunt me later on down the road (i.e. moving project to dvd, blueray, hd dvd, digibeta, etc.)
The footage is standard DV.
Thanks a bunch.
hr2

I admit, I'm a bit clueless on the codec issue, but
hasn't the Quicktime codec been vastly improved since
FCP 3.0? What with H.264?
Yes, H.264 is a great delivery codec compared to some from the past, but if you're capturing DV via FireWire into your Mac, that's different and has nothing to do with H.264.
So in the old 3.0 days you could capture DV25, edit, then when you're done export to Cinepak or Sorenson 3 or somethin'.
Today you can capture DV25, edit, then when you're done export and compress to H.264.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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Poor rendering quality of Motion import

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After effects animation Codec won't import into FCP

Hi
I have used After Effects to do a green screen key on some HD 1080i footage.
I then went to export - quicktime movie - animation
I understand that the animation codec is the only way to export with an alpha channel so that I can put other footage in after my nice green screen key.
I set quality to best and frame rate to 25, I also tried frame rate as current and it exports and plays back fine in quicktime movie player, but won't import into final Cut.
The error message is "wrong frame rate"
Does anyone have any suggestions? I am quite new to after effects and wonder if there is something wrong with the way it is seeing the footage as I shot in widescreen and the image is squeezed as for a 4:3 TV aspect ratio.
Thanks.
Ajay

1. Check your AE composition settings (cmd-k) and be sure your frame rate is set to 25... AE uses the frane rate of your composition and not the settings in your export module...
2. Do not use the "export" command in AE... that is used only for special purposes only (i.e. for using "quicktime exporto compnents" not available under the export queue)...
3. use the "make movie" or "add to export queue" command instead
4. You expot module should be set as:
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- animation + alpha
do not specify any frame rate in the export module!! AE automatically uses the frame rate in your composition settings!!
5. Export and import into fcp...
I never had problems with AE animation+alpha and fcp 6.0.1

Any way to change the video frame size once imported into fcp?

I have an edit that was done with 2 cameras. I wanted to create a multiclip edit but the size of the video from the 2 cameras are different. One file is 720x480 and the other is 720x486. My sequence is 720x480. Is there a way to adjust the 720x486 footage while in fcp to match the 720x480 footage without re importing the footage.
Thanks

first determine what you want your sequence dimensions to be. 480 or 486. if it's 486 then just take your 480 clips and scale them slightly so they will the entire frame. if your sequence dimensions are 480 then you shouldn't need to adjust your 486 clips.the FCP manuals suggest that your footage will look better upscaling them with Compressor rather than in FCP. but it all depends on what your delivery is.

Blurring of text once motion file is imported to FCP

I've been experiencing this problem for a while now. I guess this could have been posted in the motion forum as well. When I create a simple text screen (black solid background) in Motion it looks as it should, but when I import that same file into FCP the text seems to lose a lot of quality and becomes blurred. Sometimes the quality is so bad that the crosses on T's and the dots on I's are not visible!
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Alex

Still receiving a number of Motion to FCP problems.
Not only is the text blurring when imported into FCP but motion files with for instance a particle emitter/behaviour (such as stars moving towards frame) is taking nearly 2 hours to render & even then when i go to play the file in fcp the timeline freezes with a 'dropped frames' pop up appearing.
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I need help. Here is the situation:
XDCam footage imported into Final Cut with the Sony Import Software 25 mpbs. Final Cut sequence is set up to match all settings. The footage is placed into the sequence fine, I can edit with no problems everything works great. The problems start when I export from Final Cut to bring it into After Effects 7.0.
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any suggestions?

Hi,
I was having the same problem. After studying the mov as rendered by AE it would seem that there's something odd about the framsize. It would seem that AE's HDV preset is incompatible with FCP for some reason. There's probably a perfectly reason tech explanation for this but I don't know it.
I was told by a friend to always render 'intermediate codec' which I intend to do in future.
As a short-term measure just run the files through Compressor, that did the trick for me.

Pro Tools files imported to FCP X causing QuickTime movie problem

Well 2 days later and hours on the phone with Apple tech support Senior Advisors, and problem still not solved. HELP.
Everything works fine in FCP X, but when I create the QuickTime movie, it is way out of sync (by many seconds).
We have isolated the problem to audio files that I am exporting to Pro Tools, processing, and then importing back into FCP X. I can create a QuickTime movie with the original video/audio and it is fine.
Information
The original video came from Canon HF M40 camcorder: AVCHD (using MPEG4-AVC / H.264 compression codec), MTS format. Audio is 48kHz, 24 bits.
I used ClipWrap to rewrap the video into ProRes 422 and decompress the audio and save as LPCM.
I simply provide this FYI. As I said earlier, the original video works fine and the resulting QuickTime movie works fine. So the original files imported into the FCP project are not the problem.
The creation of the problem audio occurs as follows:
- Detach the original audio from the original video, and export
- Import this audio into a 48.0 kHz/16-bit Pro Tools HD session and EQ/limit the audio
- Import the resulting audio into FCP X (exact same length file, audio waveforms aligned with the original audio).
This audio works fine in FCP. It is in sync with the video, everything looks great.
I ran Pro Tools at 16-bits because a senior advisor told me FCP runs at 16-bits but does not convert imported stand-alone audio (as opposed to combined video/audio) to 16-bits; thus the Pro Tools session had to be at 16-bits. I changed from 24-bits to 16-bits, and this didn't solve the problem. (FYI, when Pro Tools imports the original audio exported from FCP, it says the audio is 24-bits, not 16-bits).
What is the problem?
The basic question is why does this audio cause QuickTime a problem?
Something is going on in the conversion to the QT movie. In FCP X, I don't have a way to play with the conversion variables except to set "Video and Audio" and "Use current settings" (which is ProRes 422).
The only difference I see between the original audio and the Pro Tools audio is that the original audio is stereo and Pro Tools works with dual mono files (L & R). The mono files work fine in FCP and I can't imagine why QT would have a problem with these, but I haven't tried converting the files to stereo before importing into FCP.
I should also mention that I selected the stabilization and roll correction algorithms in FCP. I assume these don't create problems in QT. I mention this because I didn't use them when I tested making a QT movie with the original video/audio files.
FCP and Pro Tools are used together all the time to do exactly what I am doing......improve the sound of the original audio. They are the premier video and audio professional programs. Of course, the final product is often not a QuickTime movie, but many times it is a QT movie.
What the heck is going on???
HELP.

(1) It is immediately out of sync. It even appears to be speeded up to me initially, but this is subjective. But it is clearly out of sync throughout, not a gradual drift.
(2) When I create the audio files in the Pro Tools session, the files are automatically stored in the audio folder of the Pro Tools session. So I don't actually have to go through an export process. I just close the Pro Tools session, then open FCP X and import the audio from the Pro Tools folder.
I'm not sure what additional specifications you seek, other than:
- wav files
- sample rate = 48 kHz
- Bit rate = 16-bits (and earlier I used 24-bits)
- Files are dual mono, rather than stereo (name_01.L.wav, name_01.R.wav). As I mentioned above, I have not yet tried converting these to stereo before importing into FCP, to see if dual mono causes an issue with QT. It does not cause a problem in FCP. I will try this today if we don't solve the problem.
(3) I can upload a portion of the audio to a server and send you a link to the file so you can download it. Is there a way to private message on the forum so I can get an email address to send you the link?
(4) The original video came from Canon HF M40 camcorder: AVCHD (using MPEG4-AVC / H.264 compression codec), MTS format. Audio is 48 kHz, 24 bits.
I used ClipWrap to rewrap the video into ProRes 422 and decompress the audio and save as LPCM.
The FCP Project was set up at:
- Starting time code - 01.00.00.00
- Format - 1080p
- Resolution - 1920 x 1080
- Frame rate - 29.97p
- Audio channels - stereo
- Sample rate - 48 kHz
- Rendering format - Apple ProRes 422

Is there a difference in quality by going directly to iDVD

In iMovieHD 5, Is there a difference in quality by going directly to iDVD or by "sharing" to a high quality Quicktime movie and importing that into iDVD? I want to make sure that the quality of my stills doesn't degrade too much. Sometimes, I've noted that they get a little jagged between transitions.
Is there an acceptable or safe length of time an iMovie should be?
Thanks,
Bob
iMac 2.1gHz Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Go to your iMovie's project file and control click on it.
Go to 'show package contents'.
Go to the folder that says 'shared movies.
Then to the folder that says 'iDVD'.
Drag and drop this file into iDVD's window.
Another way is to simply drag the iMovie HD project into the iDVD window. iDVD is smart enough to find the file it needs in the project package.
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Hello,
I have a quicktime that was created in iMovie that will not import into FCP. Any recomendations on exporting this differently or what exact format FCP will recognize the quicktimes as when they were created in iMoive?
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When I open the quicktime, I "export.." and I only have 10 options or so. Highest quality DV isnt one of them.
Which one do you think is right? I already tried Q Movie.
Movie to:
3G
Apple TV
AVI
DV Stream
FLC
Hinted Movie
Image Sequence
iPhone
iPod
MPEG-4
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Quick Time Media Link
Quick Time Movie
AIFF
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Best Quality graphic to import?

I do all of my text and graphic work in Photoshop and I want to figure out the best way to import text and graphics with effects on them into FCP. I want the effects to show up. To retain the effects do I save them as png, tiff, photoshop? Which is the best quality?
I tried to bring in a layered photoshop file with all of my text work and it didn't bring in the effects(drop shadows, glows, etc.). A png brought in the effects, but I just want to make sure I am using the best way for great looking graphics without noise around the text.
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John

You can use a layered .psd file, but the layers involving text effects (drop shadows, glows, etc) must be rasterized.
What I like to do is create a new, empty layer below each text layer that I want to retain as a track in FCP, then do an Option-Command-E to with the two layers selected. This preserves the original text layer while Merging Down to the bottom, empty layer (giving you the rasterized text that FCP needs). After saving the file (to preserve my 'master'), I strip out the text effects (non-rasterized) layers in Photoshop, do a save as (for the stripped-down) prior to importing in FCP.
Though this is but one technique, and I'm no Photoshop master...

Motion import to FCP looks awful

I have a Motion2 project I created that looks perfect in Motion. When I import into FCP 5, first I have to render it (is this normal?), and it looks awful afterward - the text looks very jagged and aliased, and the layered "background" animation is completely lost, leaving only black (see below).
The project settings on both are NTSC/DV at 720x480 and 29.97.
I'm using the animated curves layers from one of the templates in Motion2 as my background layer, but I wanted them darker, so I doubled them up and played with the blend modes. This is the animated "background" that's not showing up in FCP.
Man, I was riding high after creating a lower third for the same project in Motion that turned out beautiful (thanks to some helpful advice on this forum . When I did the import for the lower third piece into the very same FCP project it looks excellent! The only difference I can think of is that it had the video clip brought in from FCP that I animated over, whereas this project is a bumper that is all created in Motion.
Help - any thoughts???
All the best,
~Chris

OK, I'm closer to figuring it out and just hoping someone can help me take it to the finish line
The only difference between the two Motion files is the lower third was created over video sent from FCP. Since this Motion project (the one I'm having a problem with) is a bumper on its own in the FCP Timeline, I thought maybe there's a problem with the "black" FCP creates in any spaces in the timeline, and this is perhaps adding black to the background of the Motion file import...
Sure enough, I built an NTSC black b.g. still in Photoshop and imported it into Motion. Putting this black NTSC b.g. on the bottom layer recreated the EXACT problem I'm having in FCP! On this NTSC b.g. layer, I can take down the opacity all the way, or choose "stencil alpha" from the blend modes to get the right look, but either way, when I import it back into FCP I still get the same problem.
So, I tried importing the black NTSC still into FCP, sending it to Motion, adding the Motion file to the top, and still get the same problem upon reimporting...I'm out of ideas at the moment...
Can anyone think of a workaround? Patrick?
Regards,
~Chris

P2 clip imported through FCP plays in high speed

I shot an event a week back and have close to 300GB of interview footage. I logged all the footage in FCP and all is fine except one clip imports in super high speed.
I have trashed prefs, repaired permissions ans reset the in out points but this clip just keeps getting sped up on import.
Anyone else have this problem?

Open up the converted Quicktime file. How does that play?
What about importing it with FCP...how does it look then?
While I'm thinking aloud, why can't clips be logged without being captured?
Because that it the nature of P2. It isn't tape. Why would you log and not capture?
And I for one am very against logging anything less than the full clip. Why? Well, what if you lose your hard drive...it dies? What then? Since you manually marked IN and OUT points, you won't be able to get the clips to reimport and reconnect unless you to it again...manually. If you import the full clips, and the drive dies. You import the full clips again and reconnect and BOOM...done. Fast.
But that is me.
Try importing using FCP...and also, see what the raw QT file looks like.
Shane

Camcorder footage supported in FCP

I am trying to find information on which camcorders are supported in FCP (version 7) for log and transfer.
Some camcorder footage recorded to memory cards doesn't seem able to be imported into FCP using log and transfer.
Is this about specific camcorders or about some particular format of the recorded footage?
Is there a site where this is explained?
Thanks for any advice.

Thanks.
The camcorder is a Canon Legria FS 306 and it is not HD.
It has no firewire so I can't capture via log and capture.
It has USB but that won't work and neither will it work putting the memory card in a card reader.
It writes to an SD memory card and makes files in an .MOD format.
I have a Panasonic TM300 that is HD and makes AVCHD footage and that works fine with log and transfer, but this little Canon doesn't seem to be compatible.
I was hoping to find clear information somewhere as to which formats are compatible because it is a crap shoot otherwise trying to buy a memory card camcorder and hoping that it will work with FCP.
What is even more galling is that the same material can be captured in imovie but not in FCP.
I had to do the capturing in imovie and then import the .mov files into FCP since I don't particularly like to edit in imovie.

Audio losing sync after files are imported to FCP?

Hi Guys. Bit of an odd one and i've been digging around but haven't found anything yet.
I am having an issue with footage in FCP losing audio sync to the extent that even though the timeline clips appear to be the same length, the audio starts slightly earlier and is cut of at the end of the clip. It 's almost as thought the audio and video timelines are running at different frame rates but the problem starts earlier than that.
I am cutting a showreel together and it's a bunch of 30sec tvc's. All of them play fine off the desktop no sync issues at all but once imported to FCP the audio is all over the place even before i put into the sequence. At first i thought it may be a processing thing so i opened up couple of music clips that i had cut that were a little more sound and graphics intensive. They played out fine. The Media is coming of a 12TB RAID5 with 9TB usable storage. All the disks are in good health. I'm running 7200rpm seagate barracudas and never had problems before today.
I tried opening up a new project and starting from new but still no joy. I was running audio through external speakers which would account for a delay but not to this extent. and i also tried just using the built in speakers to be sure.
The video is compressed to ProRes 422(HQ) 720p 48khz sac audio data rate 79mbits
Thoughts???
Thanks
J

Kept digging and answered my own question, I had verified everything except the source video's frame Rate which was compressed at 22FPS for some odd reason. I didn't do the initial compression so assumed it was cool. Once I recompressed the Source to 25FPS it was all smiles. even though the original compression had the AV in sync it appears that FCP doesn't like non standard frame rates and the 22FPS was throwing the audio out of wack.
Thanks
J

Difference in quality on footage imported in FCP 3.0 vs. 5.0?

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