Final Cut Pro X .mts, h.264, ProRes, Clipwrap 2...

Hi guys, Newbie here!
Tried serching but cant really nail down what im looking for.
I'm trying to figure out editing (Panasonic Sd700) AVCHD 1080 60p, .mts files with Final Cut Pro X. I am aware that the files need converting etc etc, but I want to know what the best way is to keep as much quality as possible. I'm after some workflow advice really.
Atm i'm thinking, take .mts files from SD card, rewrap to .mov (using Clipwrap 2), do quick fix edits and organize (due to h.264 being a hard to edit??), then convert to ProRes 422 or AIC for full edit and effects etc. Will there be any extra quality loss from going .mts - h.264 - ProRes/AIC? or is it the same as .mts - ProRes/AIC? How bad is trying to edit h.264 in the new 64bit Final Cut X? Is it even worth think about trying to fully edit in that format?
Sorry if I sound dumb, but this is all theory for me, I have no working knowlege of any of it - yet to purchase Final Cut Pro X or Clipwrap 2..
Thanks for any help
Rich

I've got a similar workflow issue. I don't want to keep around the AVCHD formated files becauase I can't organize it. I don't want to keep around the pro-res versions of the files because they're too big. So I'm using Clipwrap to convert the AVCHD files to mov. Final Cut Pro seems to handle them directly ok. However, it doesn't handle 720 60p files at all. They play back as all white frames. Quicktime plays them back, but it's very flakey. Sometimes they only play back as black. So it appears that the quicktime libraries don't handle these h264 mov files very reliably. If anyone has a workflow that keeps original quality without huge file sizes, I'd love to hear it.

Similar Messages

Final cut pro settings for h.264 1080/50i

Hi to all,
can someone explain me how I have to set final cut 7 to use h.264 1080/50i videos (samsung-hmx-q10bp camera)?
I have some problem to see playback (every time i have to render video and audio) and rendering is very very slow.
tks a lot

download and install MPEG Streamclip for Mac:
MPEG Streamclip

HELP! Convert .mts files for Final Cut Pro 6

Please help!
I am a broadcast/video production teacher in California and we are struggling.
I just bought some Canon R10s to go with our F200s. We edit on FInal Cut Pro and we have 20 G5, PowerPC Macs.
How do we convert the video so we can edit in Final Cut?
I bought an MST converter. Log and transfer doesn't work (we don't have Intel computers), I have tried to change the sequence presets. Some things work, but converting takes forever, we have to render everything, Final Cut crashes, and the video will skip right before the frame starts.
When using the MTS converter, we convert using the settings: h.264, 30fps, 1500 bit rate.
What should we change? What can we do?
We put together a weekly 20 minute show, and if this continues, I will start to lose the kids.
Thanks for the help,
Ben
[email protected]

Welcome to the forum,
Okay, as a starting point, if you're running G5s, you DO NOT want to transcode to h.264 for editing with. It IS NOT a working codec, it is a delivery codec, and/or an acquisition codec for many cameras. H.264 has a complex algorithm and is built on the mpeg4 format.
Without meaning to sound like a grumpy old man, the amount of times we see people on a daily basis coming to this forum with problems caused by editing in h.264, is just ridiculous.
I reiterate; Do not edit in h.264. You will grind your computers to a halt, and be rendering forever.
If you have the hard-drive space, you should transcode to ProRes and use that in FCP.

How to set up Final Cut Pro, Pro Res and H.264 project

Before I dive into this edit, I want to be sure it will all be compatible. Here's what I have:
Pro Res HQ422 footag, imported it into Final Cut Pro. I also have H.264 footage imported into Final Cut Pro. Will it be possible to mix the H.264 footage on the ProRes timeline? The ProRes footage was shot on a Canon 7d Mk II with an Atomos Ninja Star. I have another batch of footage I'd like to use shot on a Canon 6d (full frame) that imports in as H.264. This project will also use stills in the edit.
Any suggestions or comments appreciated.
thanks
JR

Many of us will tell you it's no big deal to mix your media codecs. Your modern Macintosh can handle the job. Mostly.
Myself, I use workflows that carry over from ye olden days. I transcode everything to my planned release codec before beginning to edit and the timeline is the release medium's codec. In this case, I'd be moving everything to ProRes422 (not HQ) because you can't really gain anything by converting your DSLRs' MPEG4 to ProResHQ. I have really good reasons for this step but my reasons probably are not valid to anyone else.
Whatever advice you receive here, you must design and conduct some useful tests to determine if said advice is any good for your workflow and machine's specs. Know what your release medium is going to be; how high does the editing, rendering, and sharing quality need to be before you hit the ceiling?

Does CC 2014 eliminate the need to have Final Cut Pro and/or Compressor installed to access Apple ProRes 422?

Hello:
Just today, I was working on a Mac system that does not have any of the applications that I would have expected to need to have installed in order to do more than just decompress movie files compressed with Apple ProRes 422.
I was expecting to have to install Final Cut Studio 3, Final Cut Pro X, Compressor 4, and/or QuickTime 7 with the QuickTime Pro key; however, none of those applications are installed and I am able to create custom QuickTime Apple Pro Res422 Sequences in Premiere Pro as well as export using Apple ProRes 422. After Effects and Adobe Media Encoder also show all the Apple ProRes variations.
Does CC 2014 eliminate the need to have Final Cut Pro and/or Compressor installed to access Apple ProRes 422? Is it something happening on the OS or QuickTime level that would affect CC or CS6 in the same way?
I've done a web search, but haven't really come up with anything other than older articles about needing to have FCP installed (and I typically work on systems with Final Cut Studio 3 installed as well as CS6, CC, or CC 2014). If more detailed information is available, it would be great to be able to read up on it.
The system is a 21.5-inch iMac running Mac OS X 10.8.5, QuickTime Player 10.2, and Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2014 (8.0.0 - I know an update is available for PrPro, but it's not my system to make that change).
Thanks in advance,
Warren Heaton

Hi Emil:
I use ProRes all the time as well, but I have Final Cut Studio on my workstations.
I had not come across MindPower009's YouTube video. That explains how ProRes could be showing up without FCP or Compressor.
So, the answer to my question would be, "No, CC 2014 does not eliminate the need to have Final Cut Pro and/or Compressor installed to access Apple ProRes 422; however, if you are willing to be in violation Apple's terms of use, you can install the ProRes codecs anyway."
Even though MindPower009's YouTube video comments claim "FREE and LEGAL", it's clear from both the Apple download page and the ProRes codecs installer that Apple expects you to own at least one of their applications.
Thanks again for the link!
-Warren

Final Cut Pro- Video stops exporting at 33% in H.264 format to a USB.

I have made a video using Final Cut Pro which is 51 minutes in length. Some of the clips were filmed using iPhones, whereas some of the clips were filmed using a Sony phone. The clips have all been placed together using Final Cut Pro and effects+music have been added. When I try to export the video to a USB in the format of H.264, it reaches 33% then just disappears from the background processes box. I have repeatedly tried to export the video to different places to see if the USB was the issue, but it keeps stopping at 33%. I looked at a forum which said some people had an issue whereby they found a clip which was dodgy and had to be deleted for the video to successfully export. I tried to delete the correct video clip to see if that worked, and the export then reached 37% but then stopped. The issue could be that the clips filmed on the Sony phone have to be deleted in order for the video to successfully export, however I would rather not delete all of the clips as they are an important part of the video. Also, the video must be able to play on a TV so I have some USBs which are 16GB as the video is 8.9GB. But is H.264 the correct format? Please help!

Jamiebaker01 wrote:
But is H.264 the correct format? Please help!
That depends on the television set (s). There is no universal standard. Definitely check the TV manual (s).
Russ

Are the Apple ProRes Codec's already installed in Final Cut Pro X or do I have to download them separately

I am new to Final Cut Pro. I recently bought Final Cut Pro X. Enjoying it. I cannot seem to find anywhere if the Apple ProRes family of codec come included in Final Cut Pro X or do I have to buy and download them separately?
I have 10.08.5 operating system

That it works in iMovie is irrelevant to FCP. Has nothing to do with ProRes codecs. Absolute crap web site. Zero information about the media these things shoot. Absolute incompetence.
From their web site:
Depending on what computer system you are operating on - Mac or PC, we can suggest a few video editing software packages:
If you're taking your first steps in video editing, iMovie (iOS) or Sony MoviEZ (windows), will be good options. Both are fairly simple to use, don't require you to convert your files, and are either free or very affordable.
Windows Movie Maker is another free option, but requires you to convert your files to a different format, such as .wmv.
Quicktime pro is the next step, and although it isn't free, it's very affordable.
Sony Vegas Pro (windows), and Adobe Final Cut Pro/Premiere (iOS/windows) are great options at the more professional end of the spectrum. These are fairly expensive, and are most suitable for users with a reasonable level of editing experience.
Say what? Adobe Final Cut Pro?
Maybe if you can open one of these files in the QT player you could get some real information about this media.

Converting MTS for Final Cut Pro 5

What is best software to convert mts Canon Vixia files for use in Final Cut Pro 5?

ClipWrap2 from Divergentmedia.com. And convert them to DVCPRO HD.

How can I check to see if my version of QuickTime Pro 7.6.6 already has ProApps QuickTime Codecs installed? I also have Final Cut Pro 6. I'm asking because my computer can't seem to play ProRes 422 codec video without stuttering or skipping?

I have a fairly capable MacBook Pro (2.93 GHzIntel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3 memory and a 1TB HD -5400 rpm, so I am hoping it's not that my computer that can't support it and it's something more simple like not have ProApps QuickTime codecs installed. Thanks in advance!

How can I check to see if my version of QuickTime Pro 7.6.6 already has ProApps QuickTime Codecs installed? I also have Final Cut Pro 6. I'm asking because my computer can't seem to play ProRes 422 codec video without stuttering or skipping?
If you can view a ProRes 4-2-2 video at all, then you either have the independent ProRes422 Playback component installed or the FCP "Pro" video components installed.
I have a fairly capable MacBook Pro (2.93 GHzIntel Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3 memory and a 1TB HD -5400 rpm, so I am hoping it's not that my computer that can't support it and it's something more simple like not have ProApps QuickTime codecs installed.
Check your "~/Library/QuickTime" folder for your various "Pro" components. If in doubt that you have them all, re-run the FCP installer and it should add any missing components, apps, or utilities.

Can I import .MTS files from an external hard drive into Final Cut Pro X?

Can I import .MTS files from an external hard drive into Final Cut Pro X?

Luis Sequeira1 wrote:
b) Use an utility like Clipwrap or MPEG Streamclip to convert the mts file to a quicktime (mov) file
Luis,
Just to clarify one point…in order for Streamclip to convert the MTS I believe a plug-in like the AVCCAM QuickTime importer from Panasonic needs to be installed. (Credit David McClain over at the FCS boards for that info.)
Russ

.mts files - I thought Final Cut Pro 7 was going to have

a solution for these.... If I had the camera, I know I could use Log & Transfer, but I don't. I do have the entire folder on my hard drive, but they still won't import. Is a conversion software like Voltaic the only solution here?

+I thought Final Cut Pro 7 was going to have a solution for these....+
Hmmm... wishful thinking maybe, it was never suggested by any official source that I heard of myself. Still, I guess thats besides the point at this stage.
+I do have the entire folder on my hard drive, but they still won't import.+
Joel, are you certain you have the full (bdmv) folder containing all the various subfolders of which the stream (mts clip) folder is just one ... or is it just the folder with the mts files in?
+Is a conversion software like Voltaic the only solution here?+
Check out Wally's 2 consecutive posts here (especially the 4th method) ...
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9966355#9966355

Final cut pro X is supposed to accept AVI. Yet the AVI files my client gave me don't work. I know there are softwares that can convert AVI to APPLE PRORES, but does that affect the quality of the media ?

Final cut pro X is supposed to accept AVI. However the AVI files my client gave me cannot be imported in my Final cut pro X. I know there are softwares that can convert AVI to APPLE PRO RES, but does that alter the quality of the media ?

There are apps that will give you tech specs on files. I think Media Info is one. Most likely it's in done delivery codec like DiVX. AVI is a piece of **** as a container anyway and should have been completely abandoned years ago.

Final Cut Pro X and glitches in 1080p HD video

When I use final cut pro X, the HD 1080p video I upload is extremely glitchy (video does not play smooth, audio issues). When I play these files in Quicktime, the glitches do not appear and the video runs smoothly. I have 16gb of RAM, 2.5 GHz Intel Core i5 OSX 10.8.2.
Has anyone had these issues before? If so, what can I do to fix it? Upgrades, etc?

iSkySoft is horrible. This has not been converted to a suitable format. The media needs to be QuickTime using a production codec like one of the ProRes codecs. If you're going to using 264 it needs to be H.264. The video should NEVER have compressed audio for production. It should be uncompressed Linear PCM and should be the video sample rate standard for 48k not the CD standard 44.1. The frame rate shouldn't be 59.93 but 59.94.
If you only have the .mts files not the whole folder structure, you should use either ClipWrap or Media Converter to rewrap to QuickTime.

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 import MXF files to Final Cut Pro with smooth editing

Summary: Follow this tutorial to learn how to import and edit MXF files in Final Cut Pro by converting MTS to FCP native format.
If you have a Panasonic P2, Canon XF or Sony XDCAM series camcorder,
you may be familiar with Material eXchange Format (MXF). Though MXF is a
great video format to record high-definition videos, it is not easy to
use in that they are not natively supported by most NLE systems like
Final Cut Pro. In order to import MXF to FCP for editing, the easy workaround is to transcode MXF files to FCP compatible video formats.
Along with some help from a top MXF Converter, it can be done. To
help those who wanna edit MXF files in FCP without problems, here I
share with you a simple guide on how to convert MXF files to edit in
Final Cut Pro 6/7 or FCP X.
First of all, downloading the App- Brorsoft MXF Converter for Mac
Overall, the program is a professional yet easy-to-use MXF Converter
on Mac (Mavericks included) which can not only convert XF100, Canon
C300, XF105 and XF305, Panasonic P2 recorded MXF files, but also provide
simple video editing functions for you. The MXF to FCP Converter not
only can convert MXF to ProRes for FCP, but also can transcode MXF
videos for editing in Avid MC, Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, FCE, etc.
Just download it and follow the tutorial below to get the work done.
Transcoding (P2) MXF files to ProRes for Final Cut Pro 6/7/X
1. Import MXF files to the converter
Launch the best MXF to FCP Converter, and then click the “add files” button to browse and import MXF videos from your camcorder or hard drive.
2. Select FCP editable format
Click the Format bar, and move mouse cursor to choose “Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)” as output format.
Tips:
a. Settings- click to set video
resolution(1920×1080/1440×1080/1280×720/720×480), bitrate (from 1Mbps to
20Mbps), frame rate (24p/30p)
b. Editor (next to “Add” icon)- click to set deinterlace, trim, crop, add effect, attach subtitles, etc
3. Start transcoding MXF video to FCP
Click “Convert” button to start converting MXF files to Apple ProRes
MOV for FCP 6/7/X under Mac OS. Once the MXF to ProRes 422 conversion
is done, you can transfer MXF footage into Final Cut Pro (X) for editing
smoothly on Mac with ease.
Source:How to import MXF files to Final Cut Pro with smooth editing
[quote] jacknjchn.tumblr.com/post/76914947404/cant-import-mxf-footage-to-fcp-transcoding-mxf-to-fcp [/quote]

You may refer to this step by step guide on how to convert MXF to Final Cut Pro more supported Apple ProRes or DV at http://www.idealshare.net/imovie-fcp/mxf-final-cut-pro.html
It also applies to convert MXF to other video or audio format. It even applies to convert other videos like AVCHD, MOD, TOD, AVI, and MPEG etc to FCP format.

Final Cut Pro X .mts, h.264, ProRes, Clipwrap 2...

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for