Help with FCP and long project editing - Thanks!

I have posted several questions in this discussion group and in the iMovie group to no avail. I get a lot of answers, but not from anyone who has actually done any of the editing I am seeking. So if anyone has actually done the editing I am describing below -- I appreciate your help. Yes, I have searched the archives -- but again, I see a lot of confusing feedback. I have been working on this for three days now and it's driving me crazy! I have discovered that iMoive is $#@% -- and does not work with a long project, (40 minutes) so I am thinking about switching to FCP-HD. Thanks.
Here goes:
1: I need to transfer original master footage, 1080i HDV from a Sony HDR-FX1 to an editing program, edit the tapes (over 5 hours total) into a 50 minute "program". I then need to "share" or export the footage back to a new tape, using the Sony HDR-FX1 as the receiving camera. Simple enough.
2: I need to make sure the outgoing footage is of equal quality as the original footage taken from the camera. I am guessing here, that the footage can be edited in FCP-5 as "native" -- then transferred back to the Sony?
3: I am assuming that the native footage is just that -- and will not require the long process of converting to another format, e.g., ASI that takes hours to
render. (as in iMovie).
4: I am assuming I can edit and view HDV as native footage in FCP in real time, like iMovie, via firewire from the camera?
I really appreciate any assistance.
Chance

Welcome to the family, you'll be joining us soon.
The FCP product page says: > It features powerful new multicamera editing, native HDV support, ... edit everything from DV and SD to DVCPRO HD and fully uncompressed 10-bit high-definition video. Or work with new formats like native HDV (long-GOP MPEG2) and 50Mbps IMX... HD editing requires a 1GHz or faster PowerPC G4 or G5 and 1GB of RAM (2GB recommended).<
You seem to have the hardware including the Flux-o-pator, but, really, you want to talk to an Apple reseller who handles FCP and understands HDV via Sony. I don't like the way you're using "I am assuming..." You can't assume anything. Give them a chance to sell you FCP or Studio and go demo your camera on their system. You will have concrete evidence of the minimum machine specs and how well you can get your files in and out of the application.
Call you local Mac user group and try to locate other FCP users.
Try also the creativecow.net forums for Sony HD products.
Google your camera model for support groups.
bogiesan

Similar Messages

Fustration with FCP and trying to edit in HD

Someone Please Help!
Over the last several days I have been trying to start to be able to edit in HD so that I can ultimately be able to produce a Blu-Ray option for my customers by June 2010 (i'm trying to get an early jump on a what I suspect is a steep learning curve). Up until early this morning (4am) I couldn't even get Compressor 3.05 to run but that is now finally going after an uninstall and re-install.
My problem is this, I normally do a three camera shoot of long events(commencements) in which in the past I have been able to edit in DVCAM synchronize the footage from the three different cameras, edit, put transitions in and output to DVD. Over the course of this year, I invested in three HD cameras a Sony Z5U(HDV), a Sony EX3 (XDCAM) and a JVC HM100U (also XDCAM). If the well was infinite then it would have been three EX3's but that's not reality and the three cameras have features which are complmentary to the others.
I have experimented using three small clips done in 1080 30P, and as was recommended converted them all to Apple Pro Res so as to be on equal footings by sending the clips through compressor and then onto the FCP 6.06 timeline. I then rendered what ever was required once on the timeline Project is also in Pro Res.
At this point, I am unable to put any transitions in(the time line will not accept them)between clips shot with the different cameras. Clip info shows the EX3 footage @1920X1080 Pro Res w/ 17.1 mb/sec data rate and the Z5U shows up as 1440X1080 Pro Res with 15.1mb/sec data rate. Both audios are 16 bit stereo.
To boot, the render times are v-e-r-y long I can't even image what it will be for a two hour project. An upgraded quad or 8 processor will help to partially rectify this, it but that's another 3-5K expenditure. Is there a simplier workflow to do what I need? What am I missing?
The HD looks great but its almost not worth the bother for this amount of energy, time and money expenditure. Not to mention the non-support of Blu-ray burning in DVD Studio. It's also counterproductive to suggest shooting in HD and then have to knock it down to SD to edit. Sooner or later this course of action will have to be abandoned as customers want Blu-rays and not DVD's.
Can anyone help?

All elegant suggestions. I appreciate your frustration, we see this often around here.
If you want to produce longform HD productions that your clients will buy from you, you must work out the details by starting at the output stage and working backwards.
if you want BD as the deliverable, you must first determine how to burn those BD disks, in-house or a service company? Buy a single BD burner drive or a full-on BD duplicator? PC- or Mac-based, Adobe or Toast software? Then you have to figure out how you will be supplying the movies for the BD burning runs.
Your old G5 Mac may or may not be up to the task of converting and editing full HD but you should have made absolutely certain of that before you committed to your camera purchases.
I stopped following pro and consumer camera developments the day we got our HVX170s but I believe each camera in your collection shoots a different version of "HD." You must convert all of your footage to the exact same codec and then use that same codec in your sequence to avoid extensive rendering. You stated that your clips indicate different aspect ratios or pixel dimensions and this indicates you did not make the conversion properly. Easily fixed but it's gonna take some time and a bit of research.
Blu-ray remains a weird enigma, I can't help you there. Apple will do what it wants when it wants and many of us will then be forced to make our BD decisions. Till then, there are many BD solutions on the market including Adobe and Toast. They seem to have their own complications so, since I have no immediate need for BD, I'll just wait to see what Apple offers.
bogiesan

Help with writing and retrieving data from a table field with type "LCHR"

Hi Experts,
I need help with writing and reading data from a database table field which has a type of "LCHR". I have given an example of the original code but don't know what to change it to in order to fix it and still read in the original data that's stored in the LCHR field.
Basically we have two Function modules, one that saves list data to a database table and one that reads in this data. Both Function modules have an identicle table which has an array of fields from type INT4, CHAR, and type P. The INT4 field is the first one.
Incidentally this worked in the 4.7 non-unicode system but is now dumping in the new ECC6 Unicode system.
Thanks in advance,
C
SAVING THE LIST DATA TO DB
DATA: L_WA(800).
LOOP AT T_TAB into L_WA.
ZDBTAB-DATALEN = STRLEN( L_WA ).
MOVE: L_WA to ZDBTAB-RAWDATA.
ZDBTAB-LINENUM = SY-TABIX.
INSERT ZDBTAB.
READING THE DATA FROM DB
DATA: BEGIN OF T_DATA,
             SEQNR type ZDBTAB-LINENUM,
             DATA type ZDBTAB-RAWDATA,
           END OF T_TAB.
Select the data.
SELECT linenum rawdata from ZDBTAB into table T_DATA
     WHERE repid = w_repname
     AND rundate = w_rundate
     ORDER BY linenum.
Populate calling Internal Table.
LOOP AT T-DATA.
APPEND T_DATA to T_TAB.
ENDLOOP.

Hi Anuj,
The unicode flag is active.
When I run our report and then to try and save the list data a dump is happening at the following point
LOOP AT T_TAB into L_WA.
As I say, T_TAB consists of different fields and field types whereas L_WA is CHAR 800. The dump mentions UC_OBJECTS_NOT_CONVERTIBLE
When I try to load a saved list the dump is happening at the following point
APPEND T_DATA-RAWDATA to T_TAB.
T_DATA-RAWDATA is type LCHR and T_TAB consists of different fields and field types.
In both examples the dumps mention UC_OBJECTS_NOT_CONVERTIBLE
Regards
C

Help with count and sum query

Hi I am using oracle 10g. Trying to aggregate duplicate count records. I have so far:
SELECT 'ST' LEDGER,
CASE
WHEN c.Category = 'E' THEN 'Headcount Exempt'
ELSE 'Headcount Non-Exempt'
END
ACCOUNTS,
CASE WHEN a.COMPANY = 'ZEE' THEN 'OH' ELSE 'NA' END MARKET,
'MARCH_12' AS PERIOD,
COUNT (a.empl_id) head_count
FROM essbase.employee_pubinfo a
LEFT OUTER JOIN MMS_DIST_COPY b
ON a.cost_ctr = TRIM (b.bu)
INNER JOIN MMS_GL_PAY_GROUPS c
ON a.pay_group = c.group_code
WHERE a.employee_status IN ('A', 'L', 'P', 'S')
AND FISCAL_YEAR = '2012'
AND FISCAL_MONTH = 'MARCH'
GROUP BY a.company,
b.district,
a.cost_ctr,
c.category,
a.fiscal_month,
a.fiscal_year;
which gives me same rows with different head_counts. I am trying to combine the same rows as a total (one record). Do I use a subquery?

Hi,
Whenever you have a problem, please post a little sample data (CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements, relevant columns only) from all tables involved.
Also post the results you want from that data, and an explanation of how you get those results from that data, with specific examples.
user610131 wrote:
... which gives me same rows with different head_counts.If they have different head_counts, then the rows are not the same.
I am trying to combine the same rows as a total (one record). Do I use a subquery?Maybe. It's more likely that you need a different GROUP BY clause, since the GROUP BY clause determines how many rows of output there will be. I'll be able to say more after you post the sample data, results, and explanation.
You may want both a sub-query and a different GROUP BY clause. For example:
WITH    got_group_by_columns     AS
     SELECT a.empl_id
     ,     CASE
                    WHEN c.category = 'E'
              THEN 'Headcount Exempt'
                    ELSE 'Headcount Non-Exempt'
            END          AS accounts
     ,      CASE
                    WHEN a.company = 'ZEE'
                    THEN 'OH'
                    ELSE 'NA'
            END          AS market
     FROM              essbase.employee_pubinfo a
     LEFT OUTER JOIN mms_dist_copy             b ON   a.cost_ctr     = TRIM (b.bu)
     INNER JOIN       mms_gl_pay_groups        c ON   a.pay_group      = c.group_code
     WHERE     a.employee_status     IN ('A', 'L', 'P', 'S')
     AND        fiscal_year           = '2012'
     AND        fiscal_month          = 'MARCH'
SELECT    'ST'               AS ledger
,       accounts
,       market
,       'MARCH_12'          AS period
,       COUNT (empl_id)      AS head_count
FROM       got_group_by_columns
GROUP BY accounts
,            market
;But that's just a wild guess.
You said you wanted "Help with count and sum". I see the COUNT, but what do you want with SUM? No doubt this will be clearer after you post the sample data and results.
Edited by: Frank Kulash on Apr 4, 2012 5:31 PM

Two Radeons 3870 with FCP and Motion?

Hi!
Have you tried to use two 3870 with FCP and Motion?
I just wanted to have all 512MB of video RAM for my canvas and use the second card with my Matrox MXO to display broadcast preview.
I know it could be risky, but as I remember earlier the problems shows only while rendering some of the plugins in FCP (my test was on 2006).
Do you have any experience with pair of 3870 cards?
I've just ordered two of them:)
regards
arti

From what I've read on this forum, FCP doesn't work properly with two video cards.
-DH

Using Adobe PhotoShop CS4, I cannot add text to a new layer. It was always a snap with previous versions of OS 10. Has anyone else noticed issues with CS4 and Lion? Many thanks in advance. Pete Hendricks

Using Adobe PhotoShop CS4, I cannot add text to a new layer. It was always a snap with previous versions of OS 10. Has anyone else noticed issues with CS4 and Lion? Many thanks in advance. Pete Hendricks

Happy to report that iTunes Match has returned to working like normal on iTunes 10.7 on my computer today. If any iTunes engineers read this thread, I really appreciate the fix.
Has it returned to normal for you?

I have picked out a moderately priced camcorder (Sony HDR-CX260V High Definition Handycam) andwant to know if it produces files that easily integrate with FCP X on Lion. Thanks.

I have picked out a moderately priced camcorder (Sony HDR-CX260V High Definition Handycam) andwant to know if it produces files that easily integrate with FCP X on Lion. Thanks.

Download the free 30 day trial of FCP X to find out for certain.
http://www.apple.com/uk/finalcutpro/trial/

MOVED: [Athlon64] Need Help with X64 and Promise 20378

This topic has been moved to Operating Systems.
[Athlon64] Need Help with X64 and Promise 20378

I'm moving this the the Administration Forum. It seems more apporpiate there.

Help with cs3 and fcp -from cs2 and fcp thread..

didnt want to hijack the thread about cs2 and fcp so started a new one
hi, I'm using a proRes 422 file ( mov ) 1920x1080p 23.98fps 16:9. Loads and plays fine in CS3 (custom desktop settings)...but wouldn't mind knowing your project settings for your trial shooternz...so I can compare...
My file is dark and a little flat...so I used levels effect adjustments. However, though it looks way better and exports OK ( hdtv 1920x1080p 24fps) I do see some "noise" now if I freeze the frame...is that common or am I over doing it on the gamma and levels correction ?
I'm just doing hd for the first time really on this machine, trying to figure out what I need in future for machine and upgrade to CS5...so I am going to dissect this file and figure this out til the cows come home so I don't have to deal with problems in future with new machine, etc.
Another thing...I have media info on this saying mpeg-4 ( mov wrapper) video = apcn ..audio = ipcm..
audio 1,536kbps, 1 hz, 16bits, 3 channels, ipcm..
However, there is no sound on the track which loads into audio 4 when video goes on video 1. This was shot with a boom - as I can see a boom shadow in shot during " back to 1 " on the set (when dolly moves back to 1 etc) .... ( sound mixer) so it's possible there is in fact NO SOUND embedded in the video file. Is that common to have a soundtrack appear even if it is empty with proRes ?
thanks...Rod

Wow, not too popular a subject ...this....
Got an update from the man who sent me the prores file...and a little info re: his opinion of adobe coming from FCP...I will share it with you all...
If you are going the Adobe route, I would highly recommend that because Premiere CS5 is a really impressive app when it comes to working with footage and editing. I have recently moved over to the Adobe CS5 Suite because Final Cut is good, but it hasn't been updated in a while....and the Mac is a really expensive alternative to a really good PC.
The color space for the clip I sent over was set for Rec709 HD Colorspace which is meant for broadcast, but on a non calibrated monitor, it will look dark. It usually requires a gamma shift and color treatment (since the clip is uncorrected), but it sounds like you are on your way.
Given the RED work flow, we always shoot raw and make the adjustments prior to rendering. The main reason we use the Adobe Suite is because you can work natively with any footage in the digital work flow.....FCP requires you to transcode everything into a Pro-Res Quicktime and you lose all of the really granular ability to treat the footage in order to get through the edit and color grade.
sooo, new computer will have a broadcast monitor ( just in case one is needed )...
I adjusted my clip by eye, plus vectorgraph etc, (levels and gamma) and it turned out fine...
Rod

Help with Importing and Editing an Image

Hello All,
I am working on a project where I need to import an image into LabView and edit it. The gist of my program is that I want to create a VI that generates an interactive floorplan.
I want to be able to import the bitmap or png into my file so I can edit the file by assigning flashing colors to each room, etc.
I tried to import the .png by wiring "Read png" --> "Draw Flattened Pixmap" --> "new picture".
When I run the program I get a "general I/O" error in the "Read PNG" block even though it lets me select which png I can import.
Does LabVIEW 8.5 not allow for importing PNG files? Does anyone have any idea why I am getting this error?
On another note, I was reading about some of the IMAQ VI's and they seem like they may work for importing an image and creating graphics, etc. Should I try to delve a little deeper into the IMAQ stuff?
Thanks much for the help!

Great call on checking whether it was just a bad file.
I tried to convert it from a .bmp to a .png by simply renaming it which LabVIEW did not like...
So I just opened it up and re-saved it with photo editing software and it worked!
Now I just have to play around with my editing options to get the graphics I want.
I'll post some sample code just for suggestions that anyone may have. This is just my preliminary structure without most of my condition statements. All the code inside the case structures will be added when I figure all this stuff out.
My goal is to have each strobe and interlock correspond to a different graphic on the floorplan. For example, when strobe 1 reads red, I want the corresponding room to flash red and vice versa with green and yellow. Also, when interlock 1 reads false, I want a flashing light to pop up next to the corresponding door.
Anyone have any ideas for how to make these kinds of graphics? I figured I may be able to use a color box for the solid colors and LEDs for the flashing lights but I would rather edit the pixels to make it look more professional.
Thanks for all the help!
Attachments:
LabStatusProgram.vi ‏9 KB

SHOT in 1080i 24p HDV and need help with sequence setting!!!THANKS!

So I shot my entire project with my canon xhA1 in 24p in HDV 1080, I uploaded to my FCP and its fine, however when I go to settings to check my sequence settings it says its displaying everything in 720x480 as if it was shot with low res NTSC DV, now when I try to change everything manually to the frame size HD 1440x1080 and pixel aspect ratio HDV 1080, and Quicktime Video Settings Compressor to HDV1080p24...I go back and see that the image in my canvas has shrunk, and the only way to fix it is by going to every clip and dragging it out to adjust it to fit my screen...Is there something that I am doing wrong, or an easier way to go about doing this?!? I basically just want to edit real time without any compressions so I can see the perfect quality. Thanks!

Did you try to choose an Easy Setup that matches your format? Then create a new sequence then? You don't say which version of FCP you are on but if it's v.6 then it will ask to change your settings upon editing in a new clip if they are incorrect.

Color Banding issue with FCP and Color...PLEASE HELP!!

Ok so heres whats going on and i'm hoping some can help me out here cause i'm totally lost!
So we have a film shot on HDV. The scenes are mostly dark and well lit. Everything in the FCP timeline looks great (little noisy but great). We brought it over the color and did our color grading and corrections. Once we returned back to FCP, we started seeing some major color banding. We then applied the neatvideo plug-in with helps with noise but it made it far worse.
We are rendering in 10bit but how can we remove this banding!!
Thanks again for the help!

Yeah, you can't critically judge video quality on computer displays. They won't show you an accurate image. Unfortunately, there is no way to send a signal to a video display (HDTV, broadcast monitor) for this purpose from an imac.
Shane

Help with FCP 7

I hate using generic subjects like this, but I'm new to FCP and have a number of questions. First, here are my specs...
Cam: Canon HFS100 shooting at 1080/60i
Computer: MBP 2.6 dual core with 2 gigs of ram and 256 meg video card
Drive: internal hd
Output:
I'm able to get the videos transferred into FCP using the "log and transfer" option. When I do the "easy setup", does it matter what I set it to? I have it set right now to...
Sequence Preset: DVCPRO HD - 1080p30
Capture Preset: DVCPRO HD - 1080p30 48khz
Control Preset: Non-Controllable Device
Playback Output Video: Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Main
Playback Output AUdio: Default
Edit to Tape-video: Same as Playback
Edit to Tape-audio: Same as Playback
Now, because I'm importing things from the camera over the mounted drive (avchd format), does it matter what I set the above to? Is there a better option to use for what I have?
My next question deals with video editing. For what I've done so far, it seems to react well and doesn't seem very sluggish. Besides changing the 'undo' history to a smaller number (like 5), is there a better video codec I should be using for optimal editing?
My last question deals with output/print to video. I know many people use tape. I would like to have an output to something else, so I can bring it into a dvd authoring program, such as Toast, or play it on my HTPC. I know .mkv's are popular on my HTPC with HD. Can I output/export the file to a .mkv or .mp4? Is there a way to make it 'process' the video longer so that it will not stutter upon playback?
Thanks all in advanced for any help or insight you might be able to provide.

One last question... I discovered the apple prores whitepaper located here...
http://images.apple.com/finalcutstudio/docs/AppleProRes_White_Paper_July2009.pdf
According to the camera manual, "MXP" Mode (which is the highest quality mode) is set to 24Mbps. The whitepaper says that the Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy) maintains the HD data rates below 36Mbps and the "LT" maintains at 100 Mbps or less.
Given the max of the camera is 24mbps and the Proxy is 36mbps, am I gaining anything other than a larger file by using the ProRes 422 (regular codec)? If I use the LT, or even the Proxy, won't the quality be the same but just the file size smaller?
thanks again for all your help!

In need of immediate help with FCP new user taking over colleagues position

Good Morning. I am in urgent need of some help with a specific final cut pro question. My coworker and I have been working on a video project for our employer, a university. He ran the editor (FCP) and I ran the logistics of setting things up, keeping the contacts and scheduling, etc.
He has left until late August and there are two major typos in his work which is posted to the web at the moment. I need to correct these typos and have less than a faint idea of how to do it.
First of all, what is the file's last three letters? (.doc, .mov, etc...)
Second, can I edit this as easily as I think I can? Just click in the text file along the bottom timeline and edit that way?
How do I export the movie as an mp4 file after i have edited it.
Anything else that would be deemed helpful is always appreciated!
I really appreciate the help. I was never trained on this program because I never needed to be. Unfortunately, as it turns out, I did.
Thanks for the help!

You need to locate the Project file. Which will be somewhere in your colleague's User space.
In the Finder, press command and F to activate the Find function.
Make sure the following parameters are set:
Search *This Mac* and Contents
Kind is Documents
Type the project name.
The icon looks like this:
Double click it to launch Final Cut Pro with the project.
To locate the text overlay, click on the Timeline to make it active. Use the down arrow on your keyboard to jump from one cut to the next. The text overlay will look similar to this:
Double click on the Text clip. This will place it in the Viewer (the left "monitor").
Click the "Controls" tab above the Viewer and make your changes. Press Return.
Clicking anywhere in the Timeline once more will update it.
Make sure that no clips are selected and the Timeline is the active window.
Go to the menu bar: File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion.
In the window that opens, make sure that Format is set to QuickTime Movie.
Click the Options button. Look at the top of the next window.
Does it say Compression Setting: H264? If it does, great.
If not, click the settings button and choose H264 from the *Compression Type* button.
At bottom left, drag the Quality slider to Best. Click OK.
This brings you back to the previous window.
Click on Size if you need to change something -there are a number of presets, but you can choose a custom size if you wish. Click OK.
That window is dismissed and returns you to the Save dialog.
Type a name and choose a destination for your file.
Message was edited by: Nick Holmes

Urgent help with FCP/compressor required. Format HDV1080i50.

Hi guys,
I need to send a 129 minutes HDV feature (with a few DVCPro and Targa frames added) project that i have just finished editing to:
1) SD DVD
2) HD DVD
3) Master Digital(Hard Disk)
4) Master Digital to Tape.
The project is as follows;
Captured footage: HDV 1080 i50
Some additional footage is in Targa and DVCPro file formats.
Frame Size: 1440 x1080 @ 25 fps
AIFF Audio 48Khz / 16 bit.
Have sent audio to STP for mixing and surround. The master file is a two track AIFF file.
The Sequence in FCP (was changed to, as initially was HDV1080i50) and Compressor codec are set to ProRes 422(HQ) and all else to 'BEST'.
I have, so far, exported the entire nested project from FCP as a self contained Quicktime movie and the file size is 24.5GB. It took ages to write, is heavy and the result gave me lots of interlacing errors showing all over. The DVCPro and Targa data(video) didn't show).
I haven't used the 'send to compressor' before (except for the web)and was hoping for some guidance from you all on which settings to use for the above four options.
Also, if I need to print to film(reverse telecine) later, since the video is interlaced, is it going to cause problems? Does Compressor de-interlace or do I 'select all' in FCP and hit de-interlace? Will doing any one of these help me to print to film without blowing it?
Thanks,
Himayath.

I have no clue where to startHow about the tutorials?
so if somebaody can gve me sample codes or can showSample code? Easy, take this:
public class SampleClass {
private static final String TEXT = "Hello World!";
public static void main (String[] args) {
System.out.println(TEXT);

Help with FCP and long project editing - Thanks!

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