Final Cut Pro capabilities

I have previously used Pinnacle Ultimate 16 and Avid on a Windows PC. It allowed me to import VHS, Cassette, camera or just from my computer. The finished product could be exported to Youtube, disc, file etc. My PC died and made the change to IMAC. Currently I cannot get any of my windows software to work. I have a inhome business and need "something" that works on IMAC. Does Final Cut Pro offer the same capabilities as I have mentioned with Pinnacle. I do not want to invest more money and be more dissatisfied than I am now.

Well, first off, FCP 7 has been discontinued. No longer made nor sold by Apple for nearly 2 years now. The replacement, FCP-X, won't do a lot of what you want...import from VHS, cassette, or several camera models. FCX isn't designed with tape in mind.
Yes, you can get capture cards that are compatible, but you'll need to use their capture software to capture the footage. FCX won't interface with it to capture nor output to tape...only to play out the timeline to an external monitor.
The Blackmagic Intensity Shuttle will work with the new iMacs via Thunderbolt:
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/intensity/
Note that FCX and FCP 7 are very different from Pinnacle in how they work. I'd advice watching tutorials and reading manuals...instead of diving in and trying to get them to work like Pinnacle does. Every NLE is different.
But again, FCP 7 has been discontinued, and I'd advise not going that route. There is also Premiere Pro CS6 and soon coming, CS 7.

Similar Messages

Comparing video quality of AVCHD BluRay discs using Final Cut Pro Share vs Compressor

Up front, I will admit to being a newbie when it comes to using Final Cut Studio 3 and would appreciate some feedback from the Apple forum experts.
I have spent a lot of time trying to determine how to achieve an optimum group of Compressor 3.5.2 settings so that the playback video quality of an AVCHD BluRay disc is equal to or better than one created by using the simpler auto settings of FCPro Share, version 7.0.2.
When using Compressor’s auto/default maximum settings, I experienced the same error message reported in:
Error MessageDuring Creation of Blu-ray Disc in FCP and Compressor 3.5
https://discussions.apple.com/message/12073794#12073794
I have since made some Compressor AVCHD Discs with smaller bit rate settings and compared video quality with a single FCP Share AVCHD disc. Both seem to be equal in providing a very good video when viewed on my new Panasonic DMP BDT 310 BluRay player. However, the Compressor AVCHD discs show some motion artifacts not present with the FCPro Share version, especially when scrolling text or when objects are moving through the field of view, and visible artifacts are seen from a stationary chain link fence and other lattice work in the background of the video sample.
My sample video used for the comparisons between Compressor and FCP Share discs is a 21 minute duration home movie, originally captured from a mini DV, Canon HV30 1080i camcorder using ProRes HQ encoding(1440x1080), and dragged into FC Pro 7.0.2 timeline where 10 chapter markers have been inserted.
To create an AVCHD disc using FCPro Share, Markers are used to set the IN and OUT points, Select IN to OUT from the timeline, pull down File Menu Share, Select Create BluRay from options in pop out Share pane, and designate output device along with picture files for Background, Logo, and Title options. When these are completed, click on Export. My 21-minute video required almost two hours for encoding including about 10 minutes for burning. This accomplished on an iMac 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.
To prepare this same 21-minute video for use with Compressor, I again Select IN to Out from the FCPro timeline, but this time use File Export as a QuickTime Self Contained movie including Chapter markers. Then Open Compressor, choose Create BluRay from Template pane, right click on the down arrow in the Batch window and load the QT self contained movie file. From there I went to the Inspector window and tried various combinations of bit rate settings along with Frame Encoder options such as Better or Best motion parameter controls.
I have tried the following combinations of Bit rate settings along with varying Frame Encoder controls and burned an AVCHD disc for each example:
Example A
Compressor set to 6 Mbps Average and 8Mbps Maximum, Frame Encoder settings OFF. Approximately 4 hours to encode although the time remaining estimator indicated a larger value of ~7 hours; not an accurate estimator at all.
Example B
Compressor set to 6 Mbps Average and 8Mbps Maximum, Frame Encoder settings ON, using “Better (Linear Filter) and Better (Motionadaptive)” settings. Approximately 4 hours to encode, not the 13 hours that were estimated.
Conclusion: Comparing A & B Compressor versions, Disc B showed some improvements in reducing motion artifacts over Disc A.
Example C
Compressor set to 13 Mbps Average and 15 Mbps Maximum, Frame Encoder settings ON, using “Better (Linear Filter) and Better (Motion adaptive)” settings. Multipass checked. DeInterlace was checked. Unknown hours to encode; about 8 hours done overnight..
Conclusion: Disc C showed some minor improvements reducing motion artifacts over Disc B
Example D
Compressor Auto settings,i.e., 15 Mbps Average and 17 Mbps Maximum, Frame Encoder settings ON, using “Better (Linear Filter) and Better (Motion adaptive)” settings. Multipass checked. Approximately 12 hours to encode, done overnight. Inserted disc next morning after the overnight encoding was completed, and a few minutes later an error message pane appeared that the maximum bit rate had been exceeded. This message was consistent with the Apple posted thread referenced above. Unfortunately the long overnight encoding was wasted.
It seemed to me that the best Compressor settings for suppressing the motion artifacts were displayed by the disc burned in Example C, i.e., 13/15 Ave/Max Mbps with“Better” Motion settings in the Frame Encoder.
However, when this disc was compared to the AVCHD Disc burned using the FCPro Share, the latter still seemed much better. I do not know what the auto bit rate values are as set in FC Pro, but for me, the quality is quite good AND the motion artifacts are significantly reduced, especially evident with the scrolling text.
Sorry about this long post, but I thought the detail would be necessary for the experts, and maybe helpful to others trying to get started in this BluRay arena. Did I misuse Compressor? I think the sample video exported as a self contained QT movie was the right thing to do? Not sure where I went wrong.
Thanks in advance for Feedback and Recommendations. For now, I’m going to stay with the simpler process using Final Cut Pro Share function.
BoBo

Thank You, Brad, for responding; glad to hear I'm not the only one having similar Compressor issues.
You may have hit on something. Perhaps Compressor's use of H.264 encoding was the reason for my motion artifacts? And perhaps Final Cut Pro Share retains the 1440x1080 quality as it burns the AVCHD BluRay disc?
I had Toast 10 for less than 30 days a couple of years ago, and was lucky to get a refund.
What version of Toast do you have? Wondering if new Toast 11 has improved previous bugs, especially upgrading its Chapter text, pictures, music. I would go back to Toast if it came close to mirroring DVD Studio Pro, or even iDVD capabilities.
Thanks,
BoBo

How to work efficiently with HDV footage in Final Cut Pro 6

Hello everyone! I am fairly new to Final Cut & Mac. I have worked with Final Cut Pro 5 on my Powerbook G4 two years ago. But when I moved to HD, I switched to a PC with Adobe Premiere. Recently, I made the move back to Final Cut as I had problem with the stability of both Premiere 2.0 and CS3. I am really happy with it so far. In Premiere, I used the Cineform codec which performed very well. I also got a license for their MAC codec but unfortunately, I still have to capture under Windows.
Since I have not worked with HDV on the Mac before, I have a few questions which I hope people on these boards can answer.
1) How does Final Cut Pro 6 handle native HDV?
2) Is it beneficial to convert to Pro Res 422 (in terms of quality, but also in terms of editing speed, rendering time, in favor of processing speed etc.)
3) Which Pro Res 422 setting is advised? I will be capturing HDV through firewire and then recompress to Pro Res 422. The Canon XL-H1 squeezes 1080i into 1440x1080. So I figured I need the 1440x1080 setting. There are two options: normal and (HQ). The HQ files are around 4-times bigger then the native HDV file. The normal setting results in files around 2-times bigger. Coming from HDV, do I see the difference between normal and HQ?
4) What systems are recommended so I can work efficiently? i.e. how to setup the scratch disks. I currently have the applications installed on Disk 1, all scratch disks on Disk 2 + 3 (RAID 0) and final results on Disk 4.
I have the following system setup:
- Apple Mac Pro Quad-Core (2.66Ghz)
- 5GB of RAM
- ATI X1900XT 512MB
- Harddisks:
-1- Western Digital 750GB SE
-2- Western Digital 500GB RE2 (member of "VIDEO" - raid 0)
-3- Western Digital 500GB RE2 (member of "VIDEO" - raid 0)
-4- Western Digital 500GB SE
- Two Dell 2407 FWP 24" LCD monitors
Thanks for your help and don't feel obliged to answer all questions, I am already happy if one of them is answered!!

1) How does Final Cut Pro 6 handle native HDV?
Just like FC5.... no worries
2) Is it beneficial to convert to Pro Res 422
Just like the Cineform codec you will benefit from an all i-frame codec when working with titles and graphics. I wouldn't recommend capturing native then converting to ProRez as this will take an extremely long time. Many have found editing native up until the compositing then dropping the sequence into a ProRez timeline to render. I prefer to uncompress the HDV with hardware into a capture card and transcode on capture in real time. Depending on the flavor of HDV and the equipment you use you can probably find a method for this. I shoot run & gun field work on to tape, then with the deck I can export via HDMI and together with another product from Convergent Design it is converted to HD-SDI in the a Kona LHe into FC. The benefit for me is the all digital decompression from 1440x1080 4:2:0 to a 1920x1080 4:2:2 uncompressed HD-SDI signal to use anyway I need to. As to which level of PR I can't comment but I have used the lower level and it looks great. As to raid setup I can recommend www.maxupgrades.com to help you add two - four more drives internally for unbelievable speed and expanded storage space you will want. The owner (Syed) will give you all the support you need to take advantage of the Mac Pro capabilities for a low cost high performance raid solution. Sounds like you have a great setup in mind, you may want to look into the Kona LHe capture card for capturing and monitoring and a Convergent Design product like the HD-Connect SI or MI depending on the deck you are using. If you need broadcast quality monitoring look into the Matrox MXO.
Good Luck
Z1

Final Cut Pro X vs. iMovie

Hello, I just got my first Mac. I have been working on PCs for ages. I am not able to open any of my movie files from my HD Sony Video Camera. They are .MTS files. I have about 1400 files and still creating more weekly. My brand new Mac Mini came with iMovie. Therefore I installed it. However, if I am understanding the discussions on this site correctly, I should be using Final Cut Pro X. Therefore, my two questions are:
1. Will FCPX be able to easily work with my .MTS files without me having to convert them or manipulate them in any way?
2. Should I keep iMovie on my Mac or just go with Final Cut Pro?
Thank you for any advice. I am liking this Mac just the same

iMovie 10 (the Mavericks version) does import 'bare' .mts files if they are 720 or 1080p and up to 60 fps (not sure about interlaced formats ). FCP does as well.
FCP 10.1 is quite similar to iMovie 10 in appearance but has much higher capabilities. You can download a free fully functional trial version from the App store that runs for a month. I did that and then bought it as a Christmas present to myself. It is very easy to transfer projects from iMovie 10 to FCP 10.1 so you can try out both with the same projects and decide whether the extra capabilities are worth $299 to you.
Geoff.

Final Cut Express Vs. Final Cut Pro Vs. Adobe Premiere

Hey all,
I just bought my first Apple computer and I'm loving it. I have worked with Final Cut Pro in the past and I really enjoy working with it. However, $1000 is a bit steep. I would like to ask what your opinions are on maybe getting Final Cut Express or Adobe Premiere Pro.
I have the trial of Adobe Premiere right now, but whenever I place a clip into the timeline, it needs to be rendered. This was never an issue with Final Cut on the computers at my school. I was wondering if you knew if Final Cut Express would have better rendering times and wouldnt need as much rendering. Also, it may be the graphics card in my computer. If you think this is the problem, can you provide me with a solid video/graphics card that I should look into?
Thanks all,
Kevin

I own all three programs actually - here's my advice.
Stay the heck away from Adobe Premiere. It is no where nearly as Mac friendly and for the price, just isn't worth it. I purchased it for the Blu-ray authoring capabilities of Encore, so that's all I use it for. The plus to Premiere is that it can edit some native formats that Final Cut Pro cannot. For example, native AVCHD as well as MPEG-2 in program streams. That being said, Encore is the best option for Blu-ray authoring at a reasonable cost that gives you the ability to modify menus, etc.
Final Cut Express is a great application - my only reason for having final cut pro was my need to edit footage at 23.98, 29.97, and 59.94 fps. FCE only handles 29.97 (and 25 fps). Final Cut Pro also gives you the ability to edit more footage natively. FCE only supports DV, HDV, and AVCHD, with the latter two being transcoded into Apple Intermediate Codec for editing. FCP supports a myriad of formats and allows native editing in HDV - although it still transcodes AVCHD. FCP also gives you access to the ProRes set of codecs which are significant improvements on Apple Intermediate Codec that offer high quality in transcoding and editing.
So the real question is, what are you going to be doing?

Importing AVI files from Adobe Premiere into Final Cut Pro 5

I am editing a video for someone who captured the footage on a PC with Adobe Premiere, and he gave me a hard drive with the AVI files. Is there any way I can import them or convert them to import in Final Cut Pro 5?
If not, would settings should he use when he exports the captured footage so that I can use it?

Hello there,
you can use QuickTime Player to convert the files. You need QuickTime Pro for export functionality, though.
Step by step as follows:
1. Open the AVI file in QT Player, select "File > Export".
2. In the "Export:" pulldown select "Movie to QuickTime Movie".
3. Select "Default settings" in the "Use:" pulldown.
4. Click "Options" right to the first pulldown menu.
5. Click "Settings" in the "Video" pane.
6. Set Compression type to "DV/DVCPRO - NTSC".
7. Set other options (interlaced/progressive) as needed.
8. Click "OK".
9. Set audio options in the "Sound" pane using the "Settings" button. (I don't have an AVI w/ sound here, so please see FCPs DV-NTSC Easy setup for approriate audio settings).
10. Click "OK".
11. Optionally: name the file.
12. Click "Save".
For the remaining files, use the "Most recent settings" option in the "Use:" pulldown of the export dialog.
Unfortunately, while QT Player can export multiple files simultaneously, it has no batch capabilities, so you have to open and export each file by hand.
Also, I'm not sure if QuickTime recompresses the files or just changes the container (even if the codec is the same).
Other than that I always recommend Flip4Mac's Episode for this kinda work. This app even has a conversion preset for this. Also Episode allows for changing the container format (AVI -> QuickTime) without recompressing the frames.
Hop this helps, Oliver

Converting Final Cut Pro to Express

I had someone do a project for me using Final Cut Pro. Can I take that file and open it in Final Cut Express and do some of my own editing?

Hi(Bonjour)!
Final Cut Express can handle Final Cut pro 4 HD documents. I use all lessons included in "Apple Pro training Series- Final Cut Pro HD version 4" volume.
When FCE 2 came out, it was based on FCP 4 code, and many capabilities from this particular version of FCP were incude in FCE, we can call them "Twins".
Alas, FCE can handles only DV and HDV (Apple intermediate Codec), and not 24p.
You can double-click on a copy of your FCP document and see what will hapen, but if you do not have DV media on your mac, all clips will be disconnected from their source files, thus the editing will be impossible.
Good luck.
Michel Boissonneault

Is AVI Assembling possible with Final Cut Pro?

Hi everyone,
Please forgive my ignorance...I'm a complete newbee regarding Final Cut Pro's capabilities. I'm trying to find software that can assemble multiple AVI, OGM and MKV Video files. I'd like to be able to cut each video file into chapters and edit a menu as to fill a DVD disc to the max of 4.7 GB and then burn it all on a DVD disc...PS: I have used iDVD 1/2 successfully as it does the trick but it has a 2hr video limit. I'm trying to fill up the DVD disc to 4.7GB of video to watch on a standalone DVD player. Suggestions anyone?
Rio.
2x2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1GB RAM
2x2.66GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon Mac Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8) 1GB RAM

You are confusing time and size in consideration of DVD content. They are connected in a complicated way. You may want to spend some time with your DVDSP manual to get your head around the concept of Bitrate.
That being said, AVI can be read/imported into FCP using Flip4mac's WMV studio plug-in. The other two, OMG and MKV are far from standard formats. If DVDSP can convert them to MPEG2 you are good to go. If it can not, you need to find a translator that can convert them to a more mainstream (aka Quicktime) format.
Good luck.
x

Final Cut Pro X Project

I recently completed a 20-hour project in which I filmed, edited, and produced a short ad. I am a college student, so not a professional by any means, but I also feel I'm not too bad at throwing together videos. I am charging for this project, and am trying to figure out what a reasonable price to charge is.
I have included a link to the finished video below, but please do not turn this into a political discussion, I was simply paid to make this ad based on a predetermined script, and would like to know a reasonable price for the amount of polish that it has. Thanks in advance!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnDyXrSwJnA

gbrenik wrote:
This was actually my first project using Final Cut Pro X. I look forward to teaching myself the greatness of color correction soon haha - thanks for the helpful feedback. It seems Final Cut Pro X doesn't have that many color-correction capabilities, but it's probably just me being new to the program.
Here's a great free color grading tutorial for FCP X.

New to Final Cut Pro Need some Advice

Hi, I am totally new to Final Cut (never used it before). However, I am deciding wether to take on a video project and this will be based on the expert advise I receive here. The project is to video tape a 2 day conference (14 hrs of taping) and edit it down to about 3 hrs (I have never done any form of video editing before). I did some research and found Final Cut Studio 2 that will do some of things I would like for the editing. However, I have spoken to a couple of people (not experts) and I have been warned to stay away from Final cut. I was told it is not a program I can learn in a month or 2 and I would need extensive experience to use the program effectively. I was told that Imovie would work just as good as Final Cut( I can't see how so). So the questions I have are:
1. Are there any reccommendations for Books that will guide me through the use fo Final Cut
2. Should I heed to the advise of the non-experts?. Thanks!

Nyo
[This book|http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://mymacbuzz.com/media/2007/fcp 6book.png&imgrefurl=http://mymacbuzz.com/2007/06/04/final-cut-pro-6-professional -editing-in-final-cut-studio-2-book/&h=360&w=480&sz=326&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid =Ix6M0QzQeU_bUM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3DFinal%2BCut%2BPro%2B6%2BBy% 2BDiana%2BWeynand%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%2 6sa%3DN] by Diana Weynand could certainly be a good investment.
Take into account various point of views and keep in mind especially the advice of experts!
I don't know what exactly you would like FCP to do for you however you need to know how to use it indeed in order to achieve certain goals! if you are really determined and focused AND consistent in learning it you could master the basics in less time than you think.
You gotta believe in your capabilities!
I think you should give particular attention to how shortlist the shots you need and accurately LOG&CAPTURE them. Learn how to edit with simplicity and keeping project tidy both in the browser and in the sequence rather than spending time in fancy transitions etc.
Read a lot about codecs, compression and exports and also storage, data transfer!
You'll need to watch through the 14 hours before even opening FCP or another software and make sure that you select only what you really need. Write down on paper IN and OUT timecode for each shot you want in order to log all the shots after opening your application.
When you are not sure about something there's always a friend that can help you:
SEARCH THE WEB (And the forum, you can always come back with more questions any time)
gig

Aperture or Final Cut Pro X for Video Org

I don't really see a reason to keep importing (linking) videos into Aperture at this point, considering the robust meta data capabilities of Final Cut Pro X. Other than having all video and photos in one place (Aperture database), does anyone have a reason?
Thanks for your thoughts.
Angelo

Thanks Shawn,
I'm switching to organizing all videos in FPCX - the keyword and Event options (smart albums) are pretty powerful and it's much easier to skim video. With the direct browsing of Aperture projects in FCPX I will have quick access stills for when combing both in a video. It would be nice to only have to deal with one piece of software when cataloging files from a HDSLR, but Aperture just isn't up to the task for video.

Final Cut Pro install

I purchased and installed Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor on my MacBook Pro. However, when I open the App Store app Final Cut Pro is listed as "install" while Motion and Compressor are listed as "installed." This semantic difference between "install" and "installed" only becomes and issue if I click the "install" button for Final Cut I see a message box that states: "Final Cut Pro 10.0 is already installed and was not purchased from the Mac App Store -- Do you want to by Final Cut Pro 10.0 again?"
My question is: Will this issue affect the updateing of Final Cut Pro through the App Store? Has anyone else experieneced this issue?

Well it is what it says : FC X was not purchased with the Apple ID that you use to sign in to AppStore unlike the other apps. It has been downloaded from some other Mac and then copied to your Harddisk. This will affect future updates from MAS, but not the capabilities of the app ( FC X ).
Try using the Apple ID that was used for purchasing FC X originally. If you are the owner you should know how it came on the Mac and what credentials were used ..

Final cut pro 5.1

what element of final cut pro studio 5.1 is final cut pro is it as good as final cut pro 5 ?

What?
Don't get your meaning. ALL are as good...and there are improvements and additional capabilities with 5.1 over 5. What are you talking about?
Shane

Any word about final cut pro and closed captioning?

Has anyone heard any news of Final Cut Pro dealing with the issue of closed caption for their software?

Close Captioning is done through/with DVDSP, not FCP. Not good news if you want to deliver on tape-- but great if you deliver on DVD<<</div>
Todd,
Not exactly true ... While they may seem to serve a similar function, Closed Captioning and Subtitling are two distinctly different things. Subtitles can be used on DVD-Video and turned on or off by the user via the remote (or defaulted to on by the author). Subtitles are also used by film makers releasing their films in foreign language countries.
On the other hand, Closed Captioning is encoded into line 21 of an NTSC video signal. CC is received and decoded by TV sets (required on ALL TV sets sold in the U.S.) as mandated by FCC ruling several years ago and more recently required by law under provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Since it's inception, CC inclusion was a very expensive process and remained in the realm of specialized service companies for many years. With the recent passing of the FCC's deadline for almost ALL broadcast programing (with few exceptions) to be closed-captioned, I would think/hope that NLE vendors, like Apple, Avid and others would incorporate CC capabilities into their programs. There is one other CC software solution for Macs that I'm aware of available from: http://www.ccaption.com/
-DH

Mini-Dvi to Video out from Final Cut Pro working

Thanx Everybody for posting reply for my post regarding running video out to external TV from Final Cut Pro in MacBook.
It's working fine.

@ Studio X : The files were originally created with Final Cut Pro, rendered out to QuickTime, then are being played back with Final Cut Pro. The file that has the most noticable studdering is a 60-minute timeline sequence in Final Cut. All files are being stored and played back from the Mac Mini's internal hard drive. Everything was originally shot on DV and formatted for a 4:3 aspect ratio.
@ Shane Ross : Are there any settings in the MacOS or FCP where I can improve the HDMI video signal? Or do you know of / have any experience with Firewire to HDMI converters? Unfortunately, my new signal path relies on HDMI from the video playback.
My current setup uses the Firewire output, which is then converted to composite video & analog audio using a pair of ageing DV tape decks. That setup is becoming troublesome due to age.

Final Cut Pro capabilities

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