Editing .AVI files in FCEHD?

So, I'm a newbie to video, and my question may be not be answerable, but I'd appreciate any help I can get.
I have some video clips (from a vacation) that were taken with a still digital camera, and are in an .AVI format. When I import them into Final Cut Express HD, they don't play in the timeline (I get a blue "unrendered" screen). This makes them pretty much impossible to edit.
I've been told that the item properties of the clips need to match my settings on my sequence. I've done a lot of experimentation, and I've discovered that if I use QuickTime Pro to convert them to DV-NTSC, 29.97fps, with my audio at 48Khz and 32-bit floating point (most of this is unintelligible to me), they work. I can play them in the canvas and edit them.
BUT, the video quality looks much worse than the original clips were. FCE claims that it supports .AVI formats. Is there an easier and better way to get it to work?
My original clips have the following settings: vid rate 10fps, frame size 640x480, compressor (blank), pixel aspect square.
I'm running Final Cut Express HD 3.0.1 on an iMac G5 with Tiger 10.4.4
Thanks.

I found this in the Final Cut Express HD help manual:
Supported File Formats for Importing
Final Cut Express HD is a QuickTime standard application, so it supports standard QuickTime-compatible file formats. You can import the following file formats into Final Cut Express HD projects and sequences:
• Graphics: BMP, FlashPix, GIF, JPEG/JFIF, MacPaint (PNTG), Photoshop (PSD), PICS, PICT,
PNG, QuickTime Image File (QTIF), SGI, TARGA (TGA), and TIFF
• Video: AVI, QuickTime Movie
• Audio: AIFF, Audio CD Data (.cdda), Sound, and Wave
• Special formats: Macromedia Flash (video only; you won’t be able to play any audio
portions)

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Editing .AVI files in Final Cut Pro 5

I am trying to edit .AVI files on Final Cut Pro 5 on a volunteer basis.
I have converted the files to .MOV files with Quicktime Player.
I am able to import one of these files into Final Cut Pro 5, and can even watch it in the viewer.
But when I place it in the Sequence tab to edit it, I get a screen that says "UNRENDERED" for the whole clip.
Based on past experience, the video would be harder to edit in a rendered state.
Any advice on how to edit .AVI files would be much appreciated.

AVI files are quite similar to some .mov files, but the devil is in the details (so to speak.)
You don't give any particulars, so I'm going to assume you're working with standard definition NTSC video. Additionally, I'll assume that your system is PowerPC Mac since only FCP 5.1 and higher supports Intel processors.
FCP uses sequence presets that spell out the parameters for the timeline. If a clip is dissimilar or acquires enough filters to be functionally dissimilar,the timeline will become red for that portion of the timeline. The same is true for the audio portion of the clip.
The terms "QuickTime" and ".mov" (and probably ".AVI" for that matter) are kicked around as if they are specific but in fact they are quite vague. It's like saying you have a Ford; without any additional info like model and year, it's hard to get down to cases.
Use Compressor or QuickTime Pro to convert your footage to DV/DVCPRO-NTSC (if it's SD and you're in North America) and make sure the audio is converted to 48KHz/16-bit. This should match the NTSC presets and your timeline should a "cool" color (dark blue to light green) and playback nicely.
Depending on the amount of processor power your system has, you may be able to play back clips with filters or even two or more layers of video without rendering. To be frank, don't count on it because someone has had well over 5 years to upgrade the system and hasn't so it may be "peaked out" already. You can usually step through the timeline using the arrow keys or by rendering short segments if you practice good "timeline hygiene" i.e., keep the timeline as clean as possible, don't strew clips over many video layers and let them stack up.
That should get you going, I strongly recommend you take a little time to read the help docs/// they actually can help.
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Thanks for the reply. Yes, FCE 3.5 does handle .AVI without rendering, the same as if it was a .mov. I just tried it to make sure I wasn't imagining it. I don't understand how you would render it in FCP before working with it. An AVI just shows up as black frames. And once you work with it wouldn't it become surrendered? I've been using QuickTime to convert from AVI to mov. Is that the bet way. I'm using 1080p video. I wonder why dcs will do AVI, but not fcp?? Thanks again.

How can I edit .avi files in FCPX?

What's the best way to convert .avi files so they can be edited in FCPX and then "shared" with iPad and Apple TV2? Definition of best meaning least amount of time and effort without noticeable degradation of quality. I'm an advanced amateur photographer with increasing interest in video but limited knowledge of the technical aspects.
Now shooting HD with a DSLR camera but have over 100 hours of home/family video taken with Canon GL1 (mini-DV tape) then captured using Sony Vegas Pro. Captured files are .avi, NTSC, 29.97, 720x480, interlaced, 15 minutes or less duration.
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My "trial and error" approach isn't working. Main problem seems to be with de-interlacing. Have converted .avi files to ProRes 422 using both Adobe Media Encoder and Apple Compressor. Interlacing "jaggies" are apparent with both when edited in FCPX. Jaggies can be eliminated using combinations of "progressive" field order and "blend frame" output option but this results in artifacts and/or noticeably soft image. Best results so far are by converting .avi to ProRes 422 using Adobe preset (lower field first) then using Apple Compressor's "Apple Device: SD for iPad …" output preset to convert the ProRes 422 to .m2v. Still seems a little fuzzy on iPad but maybe my eyes are just wearing out from all the hours I've spent on this problem.
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MPEG-4 isn't nearly enough information. There are many other factors that determine whether it will work in FCP. Many MPEG-4 files can be imported and optimized directly into the application.

Photoshop Elements 11 can't edit .avi files

I have avi files from my camera. I can run them on windows media player with no problems. I check the codec of the file and is MJPG. I ran G-SPOT and the codec is installed and working fine. My old version of elements (4) had no problems with these files. But elements 11 states codec isn't installed, etc
I am running windows 8 with a fresh install of elements 11.
Any thoughts ?

When one starts getting beyond the "standard" Video CODEC's, some NLE's (Non Linear Editors) handle things better, than others.
I have both CyberLink's PowerDirector and Magix Movie Edit Pro (albeit older versions), just because each handles some non-standard footage better, than my Adobe NLE's do. Nothing wrong with using a tool, that handles your footage better. We all do it.
Now, I do like the Adobe interface the best, but if one of my versions of Premiere does not do exactly what I need, I use another tool - the toolbox can never have too many options.
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Hunt

Trying to edit .avi file on imovie.

I got couple .avi file from my digital camera which are some of them are open by imovie but others are not open on imovie but I can see on quick time.
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Thank you

Hi zealous,
welcome to the  board
you gave us very little info to help you… ".avi" is no standard, just a socalled "container", can contain litterarely zillions of formats... (very little supported by Mac/iMovie).
please post your camera-model (we can research, what format it creates, then), and tell us, how you import the files from camera to your Mac (iPhoto? Finder? 3rd party apps?)
final word:
iMovie is a video edit app meant to work with firewire connected miniDV camcorders
… it is no all-purpose-all-file-edit-app

Cannot edit AVI files

Hello,
We´ve ran into problem with Premiere Pro CS4 on Windows 7 Ultimate machine. The problem is, the PPCS4 does not let us edit the AVI files (doesn´t matter what´s inside, DivX, XviD, h264, raw). It recognizes the lenght, but it´s like it stretches out the first 3 or 5 seconds to the (lets say) 3 minutes movie (or whatever the lenght of the footage is), so the audio is skipping, and so is the video.
We´ve already tried reinstalling all the necessary codecs (including the CoreAVC, DivX Pro, CineForm codecs and so on), we even disabled the built-in system codecs (the ones that are preinstalled in the Windows operating system), but no luck. We can work with other files just fine, including FLV, WMVs and other formats. Only the AVI is problematic, regardless the internal codec. This does not happen in After Effects, and even works in Photoshop. Have anyone experienced this kind of problem?
Thank you.

John T Smith wrote:
>just because they are using AVI files
AVI really means nothing at all... I could save a MS Word document as MYDOC.AVI and that does not mean that it would edit in Premiere
The CODEC inside the AVI wrapper is the key... some codecs are meant only to be viewed, others to be edited... view codecs do not edit well, if at all, in Premiere
If someone brings you a view file, no matter the last 3 letters after the . (that's a dot) then you convert it to an edit file or use a different tool
I know that.
JSS1138 wrote:
we cannot send clients away just because they are using AVI files
I have to question the legality of editing media using those codecs. No camera uses them. The overwhelming frequencey of their use is for video that would be illegal for you to edit.
As it´s been said before, AVI is just a container, you can put anything into it, not specifically recorders use these, but it´s a common filetype, so people use it. I can´t change what clients give me. If someone comes with .m2ts file, should I call police just because this is a filetype used on Blu-Ray discs?
So the problem lies in Windows 7 itself, not in Premiere (well, partially), from what I have found, Windows 7 uses the new MF (Media Foundation) and not DirectShow (as in previous versions). Adobe is mostly using DS, and when it comes to that stretching, these are actually segments of the file splitted by Microsoft AVI splitter MF method. It all goes fine IF I put there a file which is using DS, when it comes to MF, this thing happens.
I´m a little sceptic about Adobe releasing an update .

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Unable to open AVI files in Photoshop CS6
I am running PS6 and want to open and edit AVI files. When I try to do that I get an error message saying "the video file cannot be opened" . This seems to apply to ALL avis - yet I can open and edit MP4, MMV etc. I installed Gspot to track whether it was a codec issue and when I try to open ANY file I get this error message : "Warning: DirectShow crashed while GSpot was attempting to obtain information about a codec. This is usually due to damaged, misconfigured, conflicting, or poorly written codec drivers. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that other media players will crash when they attempt to play this file as well, as most of them will also use DirectShow. GSpot was able to intercept the crash, and has attempted to identify the codec or filter involved; uninstalling or reinstalling this codec or filter may solve the problem. The codec was tentatively identified as: C:\Windows\system32\imaadp32.acm Unknown video codec #11" I have NO idea where to go from here. I see a site to download the "imaadp32.acm" codec but what about the "Unknown video codec #11". What the heck is that and what do I do about it. Any help would be appreciate, Cliff
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Thanks Curt and 'Mylenium'
I did re-set the prefs - but to no avail
I checked and my graphics driver and audio is all up to date.
No sure how to verify Windows Media Player's hardware acceleration options. I opened WMP Options /Perfformance tab and under Cd the DirX tab is checked.
Running Windows Vista - so does the same caution apply regarding a re-install of Windows Media Components and DirectX ?
Appreciate your help with this somewhat frustrating issue. I am converting some old 8mm film to avi with the hope of doing some edits then burning to DVD.
Cliff

.avi files and Final Cut

When I try to import an .avi file Final Cut says .avi files are not optimal and I need to recapture the footage - but all I need is to import an already edited .avi file from my desktop to Final Cut, if it supports .avi files why can't I import them?

.avi is a wrapper and not a codec.
We need to know what codec you use.
If you don't know, open it with QuickTime and then get the info.

Photoshop 6 - Cannot open AVI files or fix codecs - help !

I am running PS6 and want to open and edit AVI files. When I try to do that I get an error message saying "the video file cannot be opened" . This seems to apply to ALL avis - yet I can open and edit MP4, MMV etc. I installed Gspot to track whether it was a codec issue and when I try to open ANY file I get this error message : "Warning: DirectShow crashed while GSpot was attempting to obtain information about a codec. This is usually due to damaged, misconfigured, conflicting, or poorly written codec drivers. It is possible, perhaps even likely, that other media players will crash when they attempt to play this file as well, as most of them will also use DirectShow. GSpot was able to intercept the crash, and has attempted to identify the codec or filter involved; uninstalling or reinstalling this codec or filter may solve the problem. The codec was tentatively identified as: C:\Windows\system32\imaadp32.acm Unknown video codec #11" I have NO idea where to go from here. I see a site to download the "imaadp32.acm" codec but what about the "Unknown video codec #11". What the heck is that and what do I do about it. Any help would be appreciate, Cliff
ps I should add that the avi files DO open and play in Bridge. I have the latest Quicktime. Everything is up to date and PS and the computer is otherwise working perfectly !

See your other post. The forum was offline for a while, so things may not have shown up in the way they should.
Mylenium

I have AVI files that I need to be MOV files so that I can edit them in Final Cut Pro. I am going to use Quick Time Pro for this....do I have to 'export' it or can I just 'save as', or is there even a difference? Thanks in advance for your help!

I have AVI files that I need to convert to MOV files so that I can edit them in Final Cut Pro. I am going to use Quick Time Pro for this....When I have the files open in QT Pro do I have to 'export' it or can I just 'save as', or is there even a difference? Thanks in advance for your help!

I strongly recommend you use compressor to do the conversion (if it will open the files - since quicktime will open them, it will more than likely do it.
Compressor allows you to customize presets and save them and apply them to multiple files. Although the interface may seem daunting, it's actually pretty simple.
Even if you can edit the avi in fcp, it's not a good idea. Liable to cause problems down the road.

I get the error message in QuickTime "operation stopped the operation is not supported for this media" most times when I try and export an .AVI file as something else (.m4v). I have not touched the file in any way (no trimming, clipping or other editing)

I get the error message in QuickTime "operation stopped the operation is not supported for this media" most times when I try and export an .AVI file as something else (e.g. .m4v). I have not touched the file in any way (no trimming, clipping or other editing), all I want QuickTime to do is export the file in a compressed format. Bizzarely, if I shutdown and open QuickTime many times I can occasionally export a clip as another format (maybe one in 10 times). I have seen that other users have had a similar problem after clipping files in QuickTime but this seems to be a slightly different bug in that all I do is open the file and then try and export the file as is - either way, this is a very annoying bug

@Z_B-B, thank you for taking the time to respond to my cry for help. However, the link you supplied does not address the problem: I am not trying to export from Final Cut Pro to QuickTime, I am trying to export from QuickTime to the rest of the world (like people's iPhones and Ipads) in .m4v format (so I am not emailing my freinds such huge files).
If I were to spend hundreds of Dollars on a copy of Final Pro I could export directly from there and not have to bother with QuickTime, but I do not take enough video clips to justify the cost. I must say that I never had any of these problems before I decided to switch from Snow Leopard to Mountai Lion.

(need help) Replacing AVI files with MOV files in a edit.

I'm working on a large edit that uses low res AVI files for editing,
Though all the high res files are written as MOV's with exactly the same name (just being a different filetype)
Is there a way to automaticly re-link all those avi movies with those high res MOV files?
The edit is quite big, so it would save me a very tedious job

Close Premiere. Change the name of the folder the current AVI files are in. Reopen Premiere. When it asks you where the files are, point it to the new ones.
The only stumbling block may be the different extension. I'm not sure if Premiere will pass that by or trip over it.

I recently purchased QuickTime 7 Pro to convert avi files to mov files for editing on Imovie. However, QuickTime won't play the files. How can I get them to play and how can I convert them to mov files?

I recently purchased QuickTime 7 Pro to convert avi files to mov files for editing on Imovie. However, QuickTime won't play the files. How can I get them to play and how can I convert them to mov files?

I recently purchased QuickTime 7 Pro to convert avi files to mov files for editing on Imovie. However, QuickTime won't play the files. How can I get them to play and how can I convert them to mov files?
Both the AVI and the MOV file extensions refer to the file container and not the compressed data the file contains. Both are generic file containers in that each may contain any valid combination of audio and/or video data that is compatible with the codec component configuration of the system on which the file was created. On the other hand, whether a file is playback compatible, conversion compatible, and/or edit compatible depends on the data actually contained in the file container. So, you are basically dealing with two separate issues here—the container and what is inside it.
Basically, if you want to make your files ediit compatible with iMovie, you must change your file container to one that is acceptable to iMovie and convert the data to edit compatible audio and/or video compression formats as may be necessary. The best approach is to determine what codecs were actually used to create the original AVI files and add them to your system if possible. In most cases a codec package like Perian can be added to your system's codec component configuration to may the AVI file playable. Once they are playable, in the QT 7 app then they can be chnged or converted to file types and compression formats that can be edited in iMovie. (While Perian handles most codecs commonly used to create AVI files, it does not handle all possibilities and, while the Perian codec package still works under cureent Mac OS versions, its development group has decided to drop further development/support of the package.)
Background: AVI is a file container originally developed by Microsoft back in 1992 but for which official support was discontinued about 11 years. Despite its limitations, Windows users still tend to use this file based on its open source ease of use and generic nature, thus, making its use so popular that most users are unwilling to switch to more modern but less generic file types. Since some AVI legacy compression formats have never been transcoded for the Mac or use beyond OS 9 or OS X PPC platforms, it is often important to know what specific compression formats are contained in the AVI file to know which codecs to add to your system and which not to add in order to avoid possible codec conflicts.
You can use many different converters to convert AVI files to iMovie edit compatible files. Most third-party apps contain their own buit-in codecs which do not relay on the Mac codec component configuration. Free ones, like HandBrake, usually have limited conversion capabilities while those that have more varied outputs are usually commercial in nature and will cost you additional cash. QT 7 Pro or the free MPEG Streamclip app allow you to access you own system's component configuration and use any available codec component like DV, AIC, MPEG-4, H.264, Photo JPEG, etc.—all of which are iMovie compatible for editing purposes—but only after making the AVI file QT 7 player compatible.
In order to determine what compression formats wewre used in your AVI files you can
1) Try checking the Finder "Info" window,
2) Use the "Inspector", "Media Info", or "Properties" window of any player app that will open the file, or
3) Use a general media utility app like "MediaInfo" to read the file characteristics.

How to edit (split/crop) original captured avi files

I have a whole library of camcorder tapes that I want to convert. But I don't necessarily want to save all the video.
Let's say the first tape has 15 minutes of good footage that I want to preserve. Then there is 10 minutes that is not worth saving. Then another 20 minutes of video worth saving.
I capture the whole 45 minutes of tape.
How do I edit/split/crop that 45 min .avi file into two .avi files (1st 15 minutes and last 20 minutes).
I know I can edit/crop this within PE (using the full 45 min avi file). But I want to end up with two separate .avi files only saving the material I want to.
Paul

You can also export any part of a project that you want.
Let's say you have 45 minutes of footage in your timeline. You can set the workbar to span the first 15 minutes, and click File > Export. Make sure you check the option that says "workbar only" and not "entire project". Voila, you have a 15 minute DVI.
Then set the workbar to span minutes 26 to 46, export again, and you've got your 20 minute AVI.
I do this all the time.
Also, if the video you want to save is sliced into clips (15 min, 10 min, 20 min), I believe you can also just click on the clip you want to export, then click File > Export, and it will automatically export only the clip you had selected (I'm pretty sure this is possible, since I've accidentally done it - not sure of the particulars since I'm not in front of my home computer).
Would either of those work for you?
Archiving might work, too??? IOW, edit out the bad stuff, then archive your project... that might automatically create the separate AVIs for you...

Editing .AVI files in FCEHD?

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