Getting the best video out of FCE 4?

Hi All - I've been reading a lot here and respect the opinions of everyone on this forum. I have one question which, through all my research on Final Cut Express 4 (maybe not enough research) eludes me.
I'm about to purchase either a Canon HV30 or HG20 and I want to know, using a Mac Book Pro and FCE 4, how can I ensure I import/edit/export the BEST quality video?
First and foremost the video will be watched using an HTPC(Mac Mini) on an HDTV and secondly I'll be exporting to the web and DVD. I'm primarily concerned with the video being watched on the HDTV/Mac Mini.
I guess my one question is actually a few questions:
1. Will I lose any quality importing HDV/ACVHD (imported with the Apple Intermediate Codec), editing in FCE and exporting to a Quicktime Movie? The Geniuses at the Apple Store say no, but I'm not so sure they are Geniuses.
2. What can I do to ensure the best quality from import to export?
3. Is there a better codec I can use (I'm willing to buy it) that will work with FCE? Not sure I want to spend the $$$ to upgrade to FCS 2 just to get the ProRes 422 codec (which I could just buy the codec).
4. Is there hardware I should be considering?
5. If there is to much loss using FCE is there a better NLE for the Mac (up to $500) that I should be working with?
On a side note, I'd like to get 5.1 sound from my videos, are there any recommendations on what program I can use for this? It's not as important to me as the previous fives questions, but it is something I would like to be able to do at some point soon.
I'm currently work with the following:
Mac Book Pro
2.16Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB Memory
128MB ATI Radeon x1600
120GB Internal SATA Drive
160GB External Drive (USB 2.0)
So far this platform has worked fine editing the HH video from my Sony HDR-SR10 (being replaced by one of the Canons), but I'm not 100% sure I'm doing everything I can for optimal video. Honestly the 1920x1080 60i looked terrible in great lighting but I think that is a problem with the Sony not FCE.
Please let me know if there is any further information I can provide to help you better answer my questions.
Thanks for any help you can provide.

trebu2005 wrote:
1. Will I lose any quality importing HDV/ACVHD (imported with the Apple Intermediate Codec), editing in FCE and exporting to a Quicktime Movie? The Geniuses at the Apple Store say no, but I'm not so sure they are Geniuses.
AIC is designed to give 29,97 full image/second (for 60i)but HDV and AVCHD are based on long group of images (GOP) at each 0.5 second. That's one full image at each .5 second with many inbetween uncomplete images. Transcoding AIC doesn't improve the original compression, but doesn't degrade it.
2. What can I do to ensure the best quality from import to export?
The problem relies on delivery with HD content. It's difficult to authoring and burning BR-DVD right now. The aren't many BR burner, authoring program, BR DVD blanks, etc, on the market.
AIC timeline can give excellent results but how to view the resulting movie is more complicated.
3. Is there a better codec I can use (I'm willing to buy it) that will work with FCE? Not sure I want to spend the $$$ to upgrade to FCS 2 just to get the ProRes 422 codec (which I could just buy the codec).
ProRes is almost similar to AIC when applied to convert HDV/AVCHD
4. Is there hardware I should be considering?
A current solution is to use excellent 3 CCD camcorder with good lenses, steady tripod, subject that convert well under HDV/AVCHD limitation, well lighted set. Apply a color correction to your final sequences. Use a more efficient compression app. Use a calibrated monitor.
5. If there is to much loss using FCE is there a better NLE for the Mac (up to $500) that I should be working with?
I do know any one. Final Cut Pro use the same technology than FCE except that it support more codecs and more format (like the newest HD formats for broadcast purpose - needed by professional cameras).
On a side note, I'd like to get 5.1 sound from my videos, are there any recommendations on what program I can use for this?
Final Cut Pro support 5.1.
May be Premiere Pro from Adobe. Check the website.
I'm currently work with the following:
Mac Book Pro
2.16Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB Memory
128MB ATI Radeon x1600
120GB Internal SATA Drive
160GB External Drive (USB 2.0)
A laptop is not mainly designed to edit HD in optimal conditions.(relatively small monitor, no internal dedicated hard drives, small keyboard. USB is not supported by FCE to handle video capture/edit.
So far this platform has worked fine editing the HH video from my Sony HDR-SR10 (being replaced by one of the Canons), but I'm not 100% sure I'm doing everything I can for optimal video. Honestly the 1920x1080 60i looked terrible in great lighting but I think that is a problem with the Sony not FCE.
Remember that HDV and AVCH have teir limitation. Search the web, you'll find a lot of links explaining those limits.
Michel Boissonneault

Similar Messages

  • What are the best setting to export video from after effects to get the best video quality ?

    Hi
    I am editing a raw time lapse in after effects and also some short video clips I would like to export them from after effects and upload them online afterwards but i get a bit lost in exporting settings and formats and mbps..
    What are the best settings to export a video and get best quality(high) in full hd 1080 ? in 4k ? and what would be the best setting to export animations/logo/intro and get best quality ?
    Thank you very much.

    Thanks for reply !
    I used until now quicktime in H264 codec was that OK ?
    two more questions :
    what are the export settings for 4k files for web/you tube ?
    to play on my PC using  windows media player or Quicktime player and getting the best quality ?
    Thanks in advance.

  • Getting the best quality out of iMovie for Photo Slideshows

    Hi, Finally I got my iMac the other day and have been playing around and trying to get the best out of it and was hoping to get some help from here. I have been playing with ilife on a friends mac for a while but never had a go in anger and now need some proper answers. Its quite simple. I create photo dvd slideshows and need to find the best way to do it. As far as I can tell there are a few ways. I can use imovie to get the running order - add the Ken Burns effects (that I DO need) - add music - add transitions and "share" to a .mov file and drag this into iDVD to put a menu on. Ok - this works but I get some MPEG artifacts (I know this is to be expected - I have been doing this for years on a PC). I can drag photos into iDVD but as far as I can tell I cannot have Ken Burns so this is out. I can use iPhoto to make a .mov file and again import this into iDVD. Am I missing something here? iMovie08 seems great and the .mov file is good enough quality to re-render in iDVD without losing too much quality so I guess this is the way to go but is there no way to go without rendering the .mov file and then going into iDVD? I have also used iMovie06 before and it had better transitions between photos - have these been lost in iMovie08?? I have set the quality in iMovie08 to "Profesional" but there stil seems to be a bit of artifacting. Should I try Toast?
    Apologies for the long post but am really keen to get this sorted. I have posted before on here and got great responses but just want to get it right 100% before putting lots of effort in. I have next week off work to perfect the photos to DVD slideshow before I start to try to sell these things! many many thanks.Ben

    Hi,
    Many thanks for the post. It seems to be that iDVD is giving me the render quality issues. I am going to try toast to see what thats like. Thanks for the help with imovie06. I have been using it but it has a bug when you fade music out so cannot use it unfortunately!
    Regards

  • This is my first time using FCPX and I just completed editing a music video. What are the last things I have to do to get the best quality out of my video before I try to upload it to youtube?

    I want my music video to look as crisp as possible. I was wondering if there were an tricks or tips that needs to be done before i upload it to youtube. This will be my first time uploading anything to youtube so im not sure. also what does rendering mean? and compressing? thanks

    Best quality = "master file" export. You can export said file and store it where ever you like.
    But quality "out" depends on what you put "in." You can never "improve" on the quality during the edit process. If you had low quality H.264 files to begin with, that's the best it's gonna get. If you had HQ ProRes422 or even 4444... (which is "above" 2k HD quality) those are great. And the output will be rich. But most likely, you will have to compress that file to exhibit it. (I'll get to that later.)
    Now, when you share to YouTube, you will be limited on quality. They have a prescribed bit-rate and compression. (Even though they do offer 1080p.)
    Now, you will NOT be able to share a "master" file to YouTube. Much too big.
    Luckily, in the share options, FCPX has an option for "YouTube." It does all the compression for you. BTW: This is awesome. It finds your account and does the "posting" for you. It's simple.
    Rendering = calculations made on various effects. A non linear editor has to build files for some effects... dissolves, moves, filters, etc, etc. The software does "math" and crunches numbers--to make your image animate across the screen, example. This is called "rendering." Depending on your preferences, this is done for you.
    Now when you output or "share," rendering is done for you automatically. If you choose to see how an effect will look "smoothed out," you can choose to render a file on the fly.
    Compression means just that. Video files are, by nature, huge... billions of O's and 1's. To make them flow thru various pipelines (the electronic infrastruture) most files are compressed--or made smaller. Basically, some of the duplicate O's and 1's are taken out. (It's much more complicated than that, I'm givng a laypersson's definition.) The more you compress, the less quality you get. The picture begins to look "jig-jagged" or pixelated. There is less detail in the picture.
    When you go to "share" to YouTube, FCPX will do this compression for you, up to (or should I say, "down to") YouTube's specs.

  • How do I get the best performance out of my graphics card under bootcamp?

    I have a 20" iMac, I think it was 2009 I got it, maybe 2010. It has an nVidia 9400 graphics card. I have installed windows XP under bootcamp with which to play games specicially Star Trek online and Star Wars The Old Republic (also online game). Now the minimum graphics spec for SWTOR is an nVidia 7800 yet with the 9400 I can only play if I run everything on the lowest possible settings. I'd assumed that the 9400 being several models higher than the 7800 I should be able to run a higher level of graphics and seem to be capable of running better quality when playing games under OS X.
    I may be wrong but it seems under bootcamp windows doesn't run my Mac at as high a level as it is capable. For one thing when I look under the specs it states I only have 2.7GB ram when the iMac actually has 4GB.
    Am I just over estimating the graphics potential of my iMac or am I right in thinking that Windows under bootcamp isn't utilising the iMac's full potential and how can I fix this?
    Any help will be appreciated.
    Thanks.

    you run into the limits of XP and built in graphics.
    I would hope that you found in all these years how to install and get new moddified gpu drivers.
    XP is limited and is 32-bit where each app gets 2GB address space also.
    Windows 7 64-bit (or 8 even free for now to test out) otherwise wait to buy a new Mac.

  • How do i get the best video quality in itunes

    Ive never had this problem before but some HD movies, from the iTunes store, started looking a bit grainy or white on iTunes.  IS this likely to be an issue with my pc or with the content?

    Jose:
    You might get more responses if you post your question in the G4 section. That relates to hardware, etc., and there may be more users there with answers.f

  • Getting the best quality out of capturing old VHS tapes?

    I want to capture some old VHS tapes using a ADVC55 and Final Cut 6 or maybe 7. The VCR I have does not have S Video.
    1. Will using S Video make any difference with visual quality?
    2. Are there any settings in FCP that I can make that will improve visual capture quality?
    3. Any other general tips?
    Thanks!

    A TBC will correct timing errors that are inherent in analog tape playback.  You'd probably recognize timing errors visually as wavy-ness (i.e.; not straight) in vertical objects in the image.  Most of the stand-alone TBCs also have proc amp controls that would allows for phase, contrast, luma and chroma adjustments.
    Thinking about it more, using an S-Video cable will help eliminate Y/C delay, which has the affect of shifting chroma slightly to the right of where it should be.  S-Video (aka Y/C) transmits the luminance and chroma portions of the signal separately instead of together like a composite signal would do.
    Using a different or newer NLE won't make any difference.  It's the capture codec you choose that can make a difference.  Most people would use DV NTSC (or PAL, depending on your country) since VHS resolution is only about 240 lines.
    -DH

  • Advice to get the best out of this machine with cs5

    hello out there. i am trying to get the best results out of this setup: win7 64bit, cs5, 2 x Intel Xeon DP  X5650, 6x 2.67GHz, 12 GB Ram, nvidea quadro fx 3800, system drive 2TB SATA, data drive 2TB SATA, external esata raid for editing and a blackmagic multibridge extreme.
    so here is my question: what would be the perfect setup (scratch disc, page file, preview files etc.)? are there any "tweaks", would it be good to overclock the xeons?
    a big thanks to the comunity, greetings from austria,
    artefact

    wd mybook studio II harddrives.
    Those are nice for backup to a limited extent. Not for editing, because it uses green disks on a SATA 150 port in raid0.
    With the processors you have, your disk setup is the weakest link in the chain.
    Consider a good raid controller, like the Areca Arc-1680Ix-12/16, two Supermicro CSE-M35T drive cages and add a number of Spinpoint F3 or WD RE4 drives (up to 10 with the 2 cages) in Raid3, possibly with a hot-spare disk, depending on the number of disks in the array.

  • How to get the best sound from iMac?

    Has anyone heard of "Pure Music"?  Supposedly it's able to make music sound better.  I downloaded it for a 15 day trial but haven't figured out how to get it to work with itunes radio.  I'm using Klipsch 2.1 speakers with a late '13 iMac 3.1 quad core i7 w/ Yosemite.  I'm not unhappy with the sound.  Just wondering if there are any ways to enhance or tweak to get the best sound out of my system.

    *just a little update, I fixed the problem.
    I was suppose to put the Nvidia driver controller for the select program tab as well 
    Everything is running much smoother now, and I also had to turn off eco mode lol.

  • Getting the best possible DVD encodes out of Compressor

    Is there a decent guide somewhere about how best to set Compressor DVD encode projects up? I take it using the standard two-pass encode settings probably isn't ideal and some tweaks would possible yield better results.
    I just read this on another site - Can somebody explain what this is all about?
    +The program I used is a Windows software encoder that costs a lot less money than you'd think. I manually operated it (that is, told it which frame was to be an I frame, a P frame, or on rarer occasions, a B frame) by hand rather than letting it assign automatically.+
    +Tweaking the GOP structure like this is essential for getting the most out of it, and beyond a certain point actually has more of an effect on the picture quality than bit-rate.+

    Is there a decent guide somewhere about how best to set Compressor DVD encode projects up? I
    take it using the standard two-pass encode settings probably isn't ideal and some tweaks would
    possible yield better results.
    If you're serious about this, you should also invest in a book dedicated to video encoding. Just look on amazon.com for the latest editions byt the tow or three main authors, search for "encoding" and "video encoding."
    The process of getting the best possible image out of MPEG2 is tedious, more like accounting than moviemaking. The best software allows you to carefully preview the results, compare them, and is likely to be supported by a realtime encoding card. And that means it's a very expensive PC application.
    At NAB2008 a new product was announced for Compressor that was supposed to provide near real time professional grade MPEG2 encoding. Cant' recall the name. It was about $3k IIRC.
    bogiesan

  • How can I get the best out of my battery life?

    There are a variety of things you can do to extend your device battery life, and use your phone for longer periods of time to see you through the day.
    Set your screen to timeout after a period of inactivity. This way your phone is not sitting idle with the screen backlight consuming extra energy. The recommended screen timeout is 30 seconds, but most phones will allow from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
    Turn off location services (GPS), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not using these functions. When they're on, your phone constantly searches for your current location and open networks, which has a big impact on battery life.
    Turn down the screen brightness. For example, on an iPhone 4 the lowest brightness setting gives roughly 6.5 hours of continuous use, whereas the highest setting gives roughly 3.5 hours. You can always adjust the brightness when you're outside so you can still see your screen clearly. Some devices have an auto-brightness setting, where the phone adjusts the screen brightness depending on the light around it.
    Close your applications. On smartphones, returning to the ‘home' screen only minimises your apps – they keep running in the background. Closing your apps fully will save power; for example, on Samsung Galaxy devices hold down the home button for two seconds to see a list of all open apps. You can then swipe these to the left of the screen to exit them completely. On an Apple product, double press the home button to bring up all active applications and exit from there.

    Re: How can I get the best out of my battery life?
    Hi,
    When I make phone calls people on the other end have difficulty hearing me. They describe as they can hardly hear me as if I was speaking through the pillow etc). I am not touching any buttons and obviously it is not mute. This was happening couple of time in June, then every now and then. Recently it happened a few time in 2 weeks. I was trying to check if it was a reception issue but the place I spoke from is my office I make 70% of phone calls from. Can you book time for me in repair shop and address the issue.
    Thank you.
    Sergey Sinitsyn

  • A check on my settings to get the best out of them.

    Just checking base with you as you always offer me the best advice.
    Have just received my extra 2gb ram (yipee) which now takes me to the max 4gb allowed for my OS.
    Everything is working as it should so l'm wondering whether l'm now getting the best from my system (via the settings).
    I can overclock the FSB via rocker switches on the mobo by either 10%,15% or 20%. Can't notice any difference if set at 15% or 20% so have left it at 10% as that seems to show more of a difference over the default than the higher settings. Don't know why it's not faster at 15% or 20% but l can't see it.
    Also, if l look at my virtual memory settings in System Properties, for the C drive it is set to custom size, initial size 2046mb, maximum size 4092mb. For the D and F drives which have plenty of space on them, the buttons are just set to no paging file.
    The total paging file size for all drives says minimum allowed 2mb, recommended 4990mb, currently allocated 2046mb.
    Would you recommend any changes for any of these settings?
    Thank you

    Quote
    Surely a 32 bit system can take 4gb with most of the 4th gig being used up by the OS and video, which means the actual ram available would be a tad over the 3gb mark, ie 3.2gb ish so you need the 4gb to acheive this?
    You're sort of right... of course, you can physically have 4GB of memory, but when using a 32bit OS due to addressing limitations there'll only be about 3-3.5gb available RAM. You can use a 64bit OS which is able to address all the RAM, but any 32bit software you run will face the same limitation.
    You'll notice I have 4GB RAM in my machine, but I only use a 32bit OS. I'm not really bothered about having only 3.2GB RAM available, as its still more memory than I had previously, and 3.2GB is more than enough for my needs. There isn't any 64bit software available yet that I'm desperate to use, so I'm holding off on installing a 64bit OS, its certainly not worth it yet just so I can have that 'full 4GB' to use.
    Quote from: waltari on 30-November-10, 01:55:14
    You cannot utilize 4096MB in 32bit enviroment, to do so you need 36bits ... just simple math
    I doubt if anyone is going to create a 36bit CPU architecture and operating system, just so someone can utilise 4GB of RAM.

  • What's the best option to get the best out of my h...

    Prior to the speed  upgrade I was connecting  at 38MB/ 8MB and now checking my speed via BBMAX I'm connecting at 62MB/14MB (BT speedchecker advised 56.6MB/18MB) so are pleased with the upgrade.
    My main pc tests as above connected to the home hub 3 via a Cat 5 cable. Testing the other PCs/ PS3  in the rest of the house the best I can connect is 33MB via a wireless n usb adaptor. I've tried  TP link 200MB power line adaptors connected to the home hub and to the PC using the house power circuits and still only obtain 33MB on the speed test (the T link utility shows I'm connecting at 133MB).
    I assume my wireless network is being limited due to other older G type devices (such as mobile phones etc) bringing the wireless N network down to their level?
    So to get the best out of my broadband in the rest of the house, should I upgrade to TP link 500MB units, get a dual band router (which will run G and N type devices) or are these two upgrades not worth it and should I take a hit and  hard wire and have all the problems of running the cat 5 cables to the rest of the house?
    PS as a side note my son has the PS Vita and cant get any speed results faster than 13MB on the wireless network

    hmmm - you have lots of options and it really pays to think them all through for what you want to achieve. Don't lose sight of that.
    i now use time capsule and with the dual band noted an immediate improvement to the extent that i'm nicely wireless throughout my house. My sons use PS3 wirelessly and get a fast, stable connection all the time (16-18mg). I don't care too much that wirelessly might not be best option. It exceeds my needs .
    You'll get alot of views from the guys on this forum - each with their own experiences and trials/errors - lots of good learning!!
    cheers
    AC

  • What is the best video editing software i can get for a macbook pro without slowing my computer way down

    What is the best video editing software i can get for a macbook pro without slowing my computer way down. I need it to be able to take hd videos. With the camera i got i can't even upload my videos to imovie.

      MacBook Pro
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os?view=discussions
    http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro
    http://www.apple.com/support/
    http://www.apple.com/support/iphoto
    You stumbled on a Mac Tower forum, not notebooks.
    If you are running 10.6.8 then you must have bought it 3-4 yrs ago?
    Might want to check the specs and then look at various programs and their requirements as to whether Final Cut Express and ah, you want to import media to an app, not "upload."
    http://www.apple.com/support/imovie
    http://www.apple.com/support/finalcutexpress
    Checked AppStore, Google or even the forums for various Apple programs.

  • I have an iPhone in my name and my wife has an iPad in her name. We have just ordered an iMac and wondered which account we should use to get the best out of all the devices

    I have an iPhone in my name and my wife has an iPad in her name. We have just ordered an iMac and wondered which account we should use to get the best out of all the devices? Can we use both accounts in iCloud?

    Yes you can.  However, it is better to use one person's account most of the time for purchases in the Mac App Store and iTunes since you can share purchases, such as songs, among various devices using the SAME account.  You Cannot share purchases among different accounts, though.   So make one of your accounts the main "purchasing" account so you can share purchases.
    Hope this helps

Maybe you are looking for