FCP Workflow for export to HDCAM SR

I have been asked to deliver a FCP job on HDCAM-SR.
The material will be delivered to me as Tiff / Targa sequences
I have not used HDCAM-SR before so I am not sure what would be the best sequence codec to use.
As I understand it, SR a 4:4:4 format, so Uncompressed 10bit 422 is out of the question.
I am using a Kona 3 on a 3Ghz Quad, but can't see anything suitable in the codec list. Is there another codec I need to get?

There are any number of codecs you can use. The Deck doesn't care what you use...it just receives the signal from FCP via the Kona. You can use HDV, DVCPRO HD, uncompressed, ProRes, XDCAM...anything. THe kona and the deck are codec independant. And it can be either 444 or 422. What you need to send it all depends on what the delivery requirements are.
So what you need to figure out is what best works with what you are receiving.
The material will be delivered to me as Tiff / Targa sequences
Test out ProRes, uncompressed 10-bit...see what works best.
There seems to be very little info out there about HDCAM-SR. Is it a YUV or RGB format?
No clue...beyond my scope of knowledge. I edit DVCPRO HD primarily, and output to HDCAM (not SR). And I have the tech head engineers handle that. I am the creative cutter.
Shane

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FCP X workflow for export to MP4...

Hello
i would love if someone helped me and broke out a workflow for exporting to a MP4 file with a 2500kbps +, 1920 x 1080 or 1280 x 720.
in previous FCP no problemo - i'm really struggling with this.
i have FCP X 10.1.3 and compressor 4.1.3
Mac X, 10.9.4, 1.7Ghz, Core i7
I want to upkeep the max quality
I have a high quality audio track over top of a string of PNG files (basically powerpoint slides exported to PNGs) from a PPT presentation.
thanks a ton!
jks

Create a custom setting in Compressor by clicking the plus button in the bottom of the Settings pane of Compressor. In the drop down, choose MPEG 4. Make your adjustments in the Inspector. In FCP, choose Compressor Settings from the Share menu. That will open Compressor. Choose your MP4 setting.
Russ

FCP workflow for Sony HVR A1E

Any recommendations for a suitable workflow when capturing HD footage from a Sony HVR A1E camera onto FCP 6.0 and exporting sequence as a quicktime file. It films 1080i and is PAL.
I've had major problems with image quality, ghosting, blurred motion etc with my exported quicktime files. i can see the interlacing clearly!
My easy setup choices were:
Format: HD, Rate: 25fps, Use: HDV 1080i50 Firewire basic.
My sequence settings are the same.
For exporting i've been simply doing 'export as quicktime file', and i've left it as current settings.
why am i getting all these probs. Ideally someone using a similar video cam can answer this.
many thanks.

Dear Nick
I've got the same camera and have not had any such problems.
The HVR A1e can either record audio from the external rifle mic to ch1 or to both ch1 and ch2. You need to check this setting. I think the default is to record to both channels. Let me know if this is the problem.
good luck
Llewelyn

Workflow for exporting xml from Excel and importing into table in InDesign

Hello,
I have worked out how to get data from a .xlsx into a table in InDesign. However, the workflow is still a little clunky and I am looking for way to automate the process further. My current workflow is as follows (files can be download here: http://visual360.co.uk/xml.zip)
xml is exported from .xlsx by mapping the schema (see what_I_get.xml)
assign tags to table and individual cells in InDesign
This is the clunky bit: edit the what_I_get.xml to:
remove the indentation (this seems necessary as otherwise when I get to stage 4, all the imported text is also indented)
add tag for table in InDesign (p10_table)
add tags for individual cells (p10_c11 etc.)
import the produced what_I_want.xml in the structure panel of InDesign.
Can anyone point me in the direction of how to automate step 3 above?
Thanks in advance,
Nick

Hi Mike,
Thanks very much for the reply. I am not at all familiar with XSL/XSLT. I have given it a quick google and it seems like it could be quite a steep learning curve to master. Maybe if I explain the whole context here, it may allow you to point me in the direction of a tutorial that provides a step by step approach to achieve my final goal. Alternatively, you may be able to suggest a whole new workflow.
I am in the process of updating this document: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/students/insessional/assets/documents/IS_Brochure_2014-15.pdf
The tables on pages 10-21 contain lots and lots of repeated information. We want the layout to in this format so that each group of students has all the information relevant to them on a single double spread. However, the challenge of using this approach is that it is very high maintenance to ensure the duplicated information is kept in sync - even using a copy / paste approach.
I was hoping to overcome this by using a single source of data (eg. a spreadsheet) which would then feed into the InDesign. This workflow seems to be overcomplicated by the apparent need to use xml as the "middle-man".
Ideally, I would like to press the export button in Excel and get this information into the the correct cells in the tables on pages 10-21 without a significant amount of manual labour - after all, my reasons for investigating an automated approach in the first place was to avoid the manual entering of data ie. the scope for error...
An alternative approach maybe to skip Excel altogether and just use .xml. However, I am not sure that this is possible as Indesign only seems to allow you to import each element once. Maybe you could correct me here...
I am happy to invest a certain amount of time in developing this approach as once it is in place, it will save a huge of proof-reading time year after year, especially as inconsistencies still persist despite our best efforts to weed them out.
If you could let me know your thoughts on this and maybe identify a tutorial that would help me, I would be extremely grateful.
Thanks again!
Nick

What are the best sequence settings in FCP 5 for exporting screen capture video footage?

I capture video footage of websites in order to showcase in a demo reel. Using Snapz Pro, the compression type I have found to have the best quality is H264. When I take this footage into FCP (v5.1.4), I choose DV NTSC 48khz for the sequence setting. If I then select H264 for the sequence compression type, when I go to render I get a 'Codec error.'
The only way I am able to render properly is by choosing DV NTSC 48khz for the sequence setting and DV/DVCPRO-NTSC as my sequence compression type. The problem with this though is I get a perfect picture in the Viewer, but the picture quality in the Canvas (and the subsequent exported video) is slightly blurred.
I've been trying to find a solution to this problem off and on for years. I've finally decided now to get to the bottom of the issue. If you can solve this one you are my hero!
Ted

Thanks for the suggestions. I've tried using DVCPRO HD in the past, but the picture quality of the captured screen footage turns out blurry. The only codecs I've found that provide a perfectly clear image are H264, Animation and Uncompressed 8-bit. The problem with the latter two is that video files lasting only a few seconds measure in the 100s of MBs. Working with files that large would slow my editing and rendering down to a non-workable length.
I just don't understand why I can't edit H264 video if my sequence codec is set to H264. The 'Codec error' I get is baffling.

Help on FCP workflow for a shortform project shot on EX-1 with mixed media

I am about to start the editing process on a project shot with the EX-1. It will be a recruiting video for students aimed primarily at DVD distribution and web video.
It is a shortform project...about 15-20 minutes in duration. About 90% of the footage I am editing will be off the EX-1 (1080 24p). The other 10% is some HDV footage shot at 1080i at 29.97 and some NTSC 4:3 footage 29.97.
I wanted to ask the best way to approach the project and get some forum input.
There will no heavy duty video filters or manipulation. Some lower thirds to identify, etc.
What would users suggest as the sequence settings for the editing timeline in FCP? (If it's a 24p XDCAM EX timeline (no transcoding for the EX-1 footage), then I worry about how FCP will drop frames on the HDV footage and the NTSC footage to make it 24fps). Would it be better to have a XDCAM timeline that is 1080 29.97i (and maybe that setting will better integrate all the footage? Drop everything into that timeline?
Or should I convert all the raw footage to ProRes 422 before editing begins? If so, at what frame rate/format for the three types of material I have?
This is my first foray into mixed media on the timeline...and that's why I am asking assistance on the best way to approach it. Trying to make for the least number of headaches!
Thanks for any help you can offer...
John

NO no no no no no no no no no no no!!!!
DO NOT USE ProRes 4444! Just because it has a higher number and higher data rate does NOT mean that it is appropriate for editing. What is it with people going "it is bigger, therefore it MUST be better." It isn't.
Regular ProRes 422. Not HQ, NOT 444. 4444 is meant as an ANIMATION codec replacement for embedded alpha channel work, and HQ is for 10-bit and 2K workflows. The EX is an 8-bit codec, so ProRes 422 is the way to go.
Lordy....
Shane

Workflow for exporting wmv for digital signage?

I am working with 1080i60 HD footage (HDV preset and sequence settings) in Final Cut Pro 6. I need to export sequences to be displayed on a Windows 7 machine running a digital signage system. The digital signage software prefers .wmv format.
I have purchased Flip4Mac WMV Studio Pro HD so I can export my HD footage and have a .wmv format video of comparable quality to feed through the digital signage software. I am baffled by all the settings and combinations -- CBR versus VBR; one pass versus two pass; various sizes and data rates. Does anyone have any recommendations? Also, does it make a difference if I export via Quicktime Conversion, or use Compressor?
Thanks.

Don't think it matters in terms of quality whether you export using quicktime conversion from within fcp or you use compressor, but compressor will allow you to customize and save your settings as a preset and/or a droplet which may make things easier. Theoretically you will get a more efficient encode using multiple pass variable bit rate encode as the output will be adjusted according to the complexity of the images. However, theory and practice are 2 different things and the only way to really see what your effect this parameters will have on your output is to do some tests. More than likely your displays will be progressive, so fooling with deinterlacing either in fcp or in compressor may be a good idea. Also, bitrate is going to effect how smoothly your wmv's play on the display system. Be sure and test this on your display system with what ever programs, etc will be running at the same time and hopefully on hardware that will match what will be in position for end use. You will probably make your clients a little crazy with questions and testing unless of course they've had some unfortunate experiences in the past, in which case they'll be appreciative right from the start.

Lastest FCP Workflow for Canon 5DM2 and 7D ??

I recently made the decision to go 100% with Final Cut Pro over Media Composer and Premier Pro and did a search on how to get the Canon 5DM2 and 7D files into Final Cut Pro for efficient editing without native image or data losses via avoidance of transfer or trans-coding losses. I did the cumbersome task of doing a couple searching and reading some 25 to 60 pages of material on the subject only to learn that one link that supposedly had a complete "solve" is a dead link for some droplets.
So, that brings me to this post, does anyone have an updated 2011 solution that is really been determined to be the "best" solution to achieve the above goals of getting the material into FCP without losses or complications?
Thanks in advance to those who post input to a solve.
Message was edited by: Penn-Ohio

Hi there,
in terms of best way without complications, get the H.264 into pro res before you edit.
establish your workflow as to how to do this, Shane Ross has an excellent tutorial on the subject if you do a search here.
In terms of best quality to use, there are many ways of looking at this - for instance if you are exclusively cutting 5D material and its for web delivery then proresLT is fine, if you are cutting 5D into high end sources then prores HQ may be more suitable for yout.
My own experience is that 5DtoRGB provides the cleanest way of transcoding (at the expense of speed) over the others (Mpegstreamclip, compressor, EOS plugin etc) but thats just my choice - theres an article here
http://motionlifemediablog.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/5dtorgb-color-tests/
that talks about it in more detail, and theres a good forum here
http://www.cinema5d.com/index.php
you may want to peruse, particularly with reference to flat gamma picture styles,
bottom line though is to get out of H.264 asap and make sure your sequence matches your source footage!
have fun
Andy

Automatic Workflow for Exporting

Hi all. I am a teacher who has to write lesson plans. Because I work in a PC district and use pages to write my plans, every week I have to do the same thing 3 times (once for each class):
1. Type the plans in pages
2. Click share in the menu bar
3. Click export
4. Choose desktop as the location
5. Choose pdf as the format
6. click save (since I use the same name as the pages file I don't have to change that)
All this clicking drives me crazy. There has to be some way to automate this. Perhaps with an applescript or something? What I want is something like a button or selection in the menu bar that will do steps 2-6 above automatically without any input from me. Any suggestions? BTW...I have no experience with applescript but am a basic/proficient Java programmer and am willing to learn.

It may be a good idea to go to my idisk:
<http://idisk.me.com/koenigyvan-Public?view=web>
and download:
For_iWork:iWork '09:for_Pages09:save2Pages&PDF&Doc&zip.zip
adjust this set of properties:
property withPagesZip : true
(* true = save a .zip version of the Pages document
false = doesn't save a .zip version *)
property withPDF : true
(* true = save a .PDF version
false = doesn't save a .PDF version *)
property withPdfZip : false
(* true = save a .zip version of the PDF
false = doesn't save a .zip version *)
property withDoc : true
(* true = save a .doc version
false = doesn't save a .doc version *)
property withDocZip : false
(* true = save a .zip version
false = doesn't save a .zip version *)
property acceptChanges : false
(* true = accept the changes for the .doc version
false = doesn't accept them *)
property closeIt : true
(* true = closes the saved document
false = doesn't close it *)
property stampZip : true
(* false --> myFile_xxx.zip
true --> myFile#YYYYMMDD-hhmm_xxx.zip
or myFile#YYYYMMDD-hhmmss_xxx.zip *)
property withSeconds : false
(* false --> #YYYYMMDD-hhmm
true --> #YYYYMMDD-hhmmss
to fit your needs.
Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE vendredi 20 février 2009 19:37:50)

Best workflow for exporting clips

Hello.
I have an hour long video that needs to be cut and exported as 40 individual QT movies. What is the best way to do this? I have set markers at all the points that need to be cut. How can I highlight between markers and then export that area as an individual clip.
Thanks in advance

By setting the work area and only exporting the work area instead of the sequence.

Need advice on easy workflow for exporting all my (iPhoto) video to DVD

Didn't know which group to post this to. It's a 'consumer' need but I need expert insights. I have several years of video clips in iPhoto, taken on consumer digicams and iPhone. I want an EASY way to get these strung together for burning to DVD primarily as my fail-safe backup since I don't want to trust hard-drive backups for this important family footage. I'd really like some kind of batch program or drag and drop so I can just select a bunch of files, either from the file system directly, or in iPhoto, doesn't matter to me, and shazam the program ideally knows how much can fit on a DVD, strings them together, and burns. I don't need transitions or any custom arrangement of the clips. I can know their chronology from file dates so that is close enough. I have Final Cut Express if that helps. I'm willing to spend up to $100 or so if necessary. I can also write shell scripts or Apple Script if that helps. Thanks!

FCE is not the right tool for this job.
Ask in the iPhoto forum, it's pretty straight forward to make a backup.
BTW: Use archival DVD media for longevity.
Al

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

Best Codec for exporting animations with alpha channel from FCP timeline

Whats the best codec for exporting animations (hopefully using loseless compression) that will retain alpha channel, and use the current sequence settings for fps and size?
Currently Im exporting image sequences, but I'd prefer a wrapper.. I don't know much about the 'Animation' export codec.. I did notice that set to current size had some funky value of 753x450 or something.. instead of my current project size of 1920x1080...
Anyhow.. Just seeing what others are doing..
basically Im reading out some titles that I'll end up dropping over video later.. but since they render out so slowly (**** lower 3rds is slow) Im trying to get a jump on the process..
Tx..

PNG should do it. I think PNG is lossless (that's what they say, anyway). But realistically, if you use PNG, Animation, or JPG2000 set on highest quality, I'd dare you to tell a difference.
I use PNG because it's supposedly lossless, renders twice as fast as Animation in a FCP timeline, and is usually about half the size.
If you use "Export Using Quicktime Conversion", you will need to check all of the settings manually to make sure they match your sequence settings. This is always true, no matter what codec you use.
If that sounds risky, your other option is to go into your sequence settings and change the codec to the one you want to render to (this will probably turn your whole timeline red), and then choose Export -> Quicktime movie.

Workflow for file export

I am working in Final Cut Pro 4.5 on a DP500 Mac w/MacOS 10.3.9 Panther. I am trying to minimize the time required to get a file out of FCP to a DVD. Since Quicktime is used to get the file out of FCP before anything else is done I'm posting here instaed of the FCP forum. I have also recently acquired the LaCie Fastcoder to help out with this. Fastcoder says it wants an "NTSC DV Stream" in order to convert a file to MPEG2 in real time. I can then burn the results using Toast pretty easily. The Fastcoder takes a little longer to convert the Final Cut exported DV Stream to an elementary MPEG2 Stream that is usable in DVD Studio Pro, but the time reduction is still better than the interminable time it takes for Compressor to do the same thing.
Here's the Quicktime question. When I export the file from FCP using Quicktime conversion and selecting "DV Stream" and "NTSC 48k" it takes 3x realtime to do this. Is there a faster way to get Quicktime to create an NTSC 48K DV Stream..... ?
TIA
Pete D.
dual 500 G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

9X% of the time is for converting the raw to rgb, and only 0X% for encoding the rgb for final output format. So, the answer to your question is:
there is no fastest format for exporting.
If you want quick lossless exports, the only solution I know of is to adopt a 2-stage pipeline:
* Apply baseline adjustments to raw (e.g. white-balance, lens corrections, noise reduction, "capture" sharpening), and export 16-bit tiff back to catalog (hopefully, this is only done once, or at least very infrequently).
* Apply further adjustments to tiff.
The tiff will export faster than the raw, since it has the benefit of starting with already rendered RGB data.
Far from ideal, I know, and personally - I wouldn't bother. But it's the best I got for ya...
If you want quick lossy exports, then use PreviewExporter.
Rob

Picture workflow for slideshow in FCP

i have forty pictures that have a resolution of 3000 x 4000 pixels approx. and need to know how to bring pictures into FCP video track.
Current problems:
1. Pictures are keyframed for panning but resolution gets blurry.
2. Pictures seem much larger than screen.
3. While playing movie computer seems to bog down and doesnt play right away.
What is the order of preparing pictures, assembling pictures into timeline so that pictures dont lose picture quailty while panning and pictures dont have to be resized to fit screen in beginning.
Just need a simple workflow for this simple task, most other other discussions have been very confusing. Is There a screen size and resolution for 4:3 or 16:9?

1. Pictures are keyframed for panning but resolution gets blurry.
this will go away when you view your rendered video on a tv set.
2. Pictures seem much larger than screen.
Video is about 500x800 pixels. That's all. So your images are about 12000% larger than they need to be.
3. While playing movie computer seems to bog down and doesnt play right away.
Yes, they're too big, so it take s a long time to scale them down, convert them to video, move them, nad then create the display image.
We hash out this thread about two times every day so you can scroll down and search for all of these same terms. You will find hundreds of similar posts and threads.
bogiesan

FCP Workflow for export to HDCAM SR

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