Importing PSD or AI into FCP?

Hello
I am curious, what is the best format to save images in if I want to import them into Final Cut? Can I import vector images? I have projects I have done in both Photoshop and Illustrator and I want to incorporate these in Final Cut.
Also, I would like to know how to import an image with a transparent background? I am not sure what format I need to save my logo so I can bring it into Final Cut without a background.
Please Help
Thank You

Yes you can import Illustrator files. If you want to do anything with layers though, they need to be in Photoshop format. Illustrator's files get flattened.
The final image quality is up to you to judge. Drop a graphic in each format into the timeline, render and see what it looks like.
Yes, transparency is importable (alpha channels it's called).
cheers,
x

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Color discrepancy with imported PSD between Motion and FCP

I've got a Motion project with an imported PSD file as a background element (the PSD was created in Photoshop CS2 for Windows, running under Parallels).
The PSD file consists of two overlapping curved shapes, one blue, one green (part of our corporate look). The colors (RGB) match our official guidelines.
I imported the Motion project to FCP and placed it on the timeline, on V1. In FCP, I then used a color generator to create a small blue rectangle which would serve as a border for a slightly smaller thumbnail image that would get overlaid later on. The rectangle is on V2. I used the exact same RGB values for it as I did in Photoshop for the curved shape.
Trouble is, the blue color in the shape that got imported into FCP inside the Motion project doesn't match the generated color.
See this screenshot, in FCP:
http://elamaton.no-ip.com/~jarkko/colordiscrepancymotion.png
Three blues: leftmost, the color generator resized to a small rectangle; on the center, the shape that I created in Photoshop and imported into a Motion project, dropped into FCP; rightmost, an instance of Photoshop CS2 running in a virtual WinXP in Parallels Desktop. You'll notice that the blues of the generator and Photoshop match, but the middle shape that travelled the CS2->Motion->FCP route is a different shade.
Narrowing it down further, I decided to import the PSD file directly into FCP (just to see if it'd match - it needs to go through Motion for the final product). Here's a screengrab of Canvas this time:
http://elamaton.no-ip.com/~jarkko/colordiscrepancy_motion2.png
Again, from left to right: the generated rectangle, the directly imported PSD, the PSD in the imported Motion project. The first two match, but something in Motion or the Photoshop->Motion route screws up the colors of the blue-green shape (as well as the Työterveyslaitos logo on the top left, also a PSD, in the same Motion project). The blue shade is also incorrect in the Motion canvas, pre-import to FCP.
What's going on here, and how can I fix things?
The project settings are PAL DV in both FCP and Motion. No rendering has been done, I'm importing the .motn into FCP as-is.
Any help is greatly appreciated, deadlines loom...

First, double-check that your PSD is in RGB, but I suspect it it or it wouldn't even work in FCP. I suspect a gamma issue moving between the apps:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93794
You might try setting the colorspace in FCP to RGB or adding a gamma filter in Motion to adjust.
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Importation of VOB files into FCP

I have been importing .VOB file into FCP on a Mac Pro 8 core without any problems. Last week I bought a MacBookPro 3.06 Core 2 Duo and I reinstalled the OS and used system migration to import the programs from my Mac Pro.
The MacBookPro will NOT open import the VOB file into FCP. Apple support said that VOB files are not supported. They suggested the power difference between the two computers allowed import in one and not the other. This does not make sense to me.
Any thought from the experts?

I've never known any version of FCP to work with VOB files natively or otherwise. Most people use MPEG Streamclip to convert to the format that will match their FCP Sequence settings.
-DH

How to import images of websites into FCP....any ideas?

Hi,
I was asked to cut several trailers for an award show. Which is nice. However, they have this category about "best website", and of course, they want to use images of those websites, the banners, the headlines and so on. I don't mean single images found on that website, but rather the site from head to toe, from top to bottom, left to right.
I tried saving the websites from Safari as a PDF, and then convert them into a TIFF, import into FCP and it works....but it looks less than desirable.
So even I have come to the conclusion that there is my way of doing this, and that there is a proper way of doing it. Does anybody have an idea how to do this at a reasonable resolution? I guess they want me to do a bit of Ken Burns as well, so the images would have to be larger than SD resolution.
Thanks in advance for your help,
Colin
PowerMac G5 2.5GHz DP and PowerMac G4 500MHz DP Mac OS X (10.4.7) 4.5GB RAM, Decklink Extreme

The tiffs are probably the best solution but they are going to be bigger than the actual Web sites' graphics.
Here's what I'd so: Tell your client (Is this a paid gig?) to give you the graphics they want you to use. Here's why. They'll go download it all and save it in one format.
How will these be shown? What's your production format? It won't do much good to overresolve your sequence settings and doing so will drive up your processing times tremendously. You will need some blur on those tiffs. Another thing you want to do is experiment if you can with the display venue. KNow what your output is going to be shown on and insist or demand a chance to test it.
bogiesan

Problem with importing a Motion project into FCP if it uses a Boris filter

Had an odd and highly frustrating experience. Was using a Boris Continuum filter (the posterizing one) on the background of a Motion project (was using it to age a background of a brick wall to age it and give it a more 'nighttime' look).
When I imported the file into FCP to use as an intro there, the background disappeared entirely. After an hour of troubleshooting, finally figured out that it was the Boris filter that was causing the problem (it also was probably responsible for the random crashing of FCP I was experiencing), as when I disabled the filter and re-saved the project, it worked beautifully.
Is this a 'normal' problem when using Boris filters? Do I have to export every Motion project into a Quicktime file before importing it to FCP (and possibly DVDSP) if it uses a Boris filter?

Thanks! Now the frustrating thing is that the client doesn't want to use what I created after all...bah humbug
It's not the RAM (which is either 8GB or 16....not sure on that computer). Got an e-mail from Boris Support that implied that this will happen all the time...that you have to export all projects before you use them in FCP or DVDSP or the Continuum filters won't work (loved how the support person suggested that I just use the filter in FCP...which defeats the purpose of creating something in Motion! But I digress...) Told me I had to buy a $500 program called Automatic Duck to get things to import properly...and that Boris filters won't work with the latest upgrade of FCP, btw.

How to import premier xml file into FCP X?

Hi There,
Premier has an export to "Final Cut Pro XML" option but how do you import these files into FCP X?
If I navigate from within FCP X, the file is greyed out and if I right click from the finder and open in FCP X I see the error:
The document “V1-0008_M07-1538.mov.xml” could not be opened. Final Cut Pro cannot open files in the “XML text” format.
I'm using FCP 10.1.1 and Premiere Pro CC 7.2.1
Any pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated.
Cheers

Looks like this is the only option: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/7tox-for-final-cut-pro/id496926258?ls=1&mt=12

Problem Importing Importing Avid Mov File Into FCP

Hello all,
I had transitioned into this issue off an older thread I had, with a different topic. So I figured it was smarter to just make it it's own thread, since it's become it's own issue.
I am editing the core of a project on Final Cut Pro 6. A portion of the footage that was shot for this project though, was captured on a PC into Avid Media Composer 3.0, and therefore, converted to MXF format.
I am running both Final Cut Pro 6 (FCP 6) and Avid Media Composer 3.0 (AMC3) on my Macbook Pro, so I was able to import this MXF footage into AMC3. That was the easy part. The hard part, has been knowing how to properly export it, so I can then, properly import it into FCP6.
Important detail about the FCP6 System Settings:
- *The sequence preset is DVCPRO HD - 1080p24*
In the Avid, when I go to export a small 1 min clip (as a test), these are the Quicktime options I am given:
Fast-Export Quicktime NTSC
Fast-Export Quicktime PAL
Make New - QuickTime Reference
Pro Tools QuickTime (ref)
QuickTime Reference
Quicktime Reference DV Codec
Send To QT Movie
None of them were seeming to work. I was getting this message:
"Long GOP media can not be exported using same as source. Please select a custom resolution or transcode to an I-frame only resolution."
*Send To QT Movie* seems to be the only one that works. But I then had to go in and customize it, making my own Saved preset for this.
I've now so far tried this with 4 custom presets, and while all of them are able to export and play / look fine on my desktop..... none of them import correctly into FCP6. They'll play as clips... but completely stuttery and unusable. I'll then drop them into a sequence, and they'll play for about 3 seconds and then I'll get this message:
"Warning - Dropped Frames
One or more frames were dropped during playback.
If this occurs frequently, try:
- Turning off 'Unlimited RT'
- Lowering your compression data rate.
- Closing open sequences.
- Lowering the preference for real-time audio tracks.
- Increasing the speed of your system and/or disk drives and/or network connection."
Now, I've also gotten a message about the projects needing to have the same capture preset, but I can't replicate it at the time of this post. Though, I'm sure this is probably the root of the problem.
Here's why: In AMC3, with my custom export preset, I notice that Avid supports the DVCPRO codecs, but doesn't have the exact one I'm using in FCP6.
Here's what I have in my AMC3:
DV/DVCPRO - NTSC (this is the one I'm using, and have tweaked the frame rate to 23.98)
DVCPRO - PAL
DVCPRO HD 1080i50
DVCPRO HD 1080i60
DVCPRO HD 1080p25 (this one is close...)
DVCPRO HD 1080p30
DVCPRO HD 720i50
DVCPRO HD 720i60
DVCPRO50 - NTSC
DVCPRO50 - PAL
Now, you'll remember that my sequence preset in FCP6 is DVCPRO HD - 1080p24.
Because this doesn't exist in Avid, I went with DVCPRO HD 1080p25 and just customized the frame rate to 23.98.
Still no cigar though.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should further customize the Avid codecs? Or is there even a way to just download more Avid DVCPRO codecs so I can find one with 1080p24?
Sorry for such a long post. I like to be thorough.

Hi Kyle,
Just some more backstory:
This was a two day shoot.
- One Day 1 of the shoot (Saturday), we shot with the Sony camera, on Sony DVC tapes (MiniDV). This was about 20 gigs worth of media shot that day. That footage was later captured onto an Avid MC 3.0 in MXF format. (I still have it all raw on my passport drive if you need further info about those files)
- On Day 2 of the shoot (Sunday), we got the camera we wanted all along for the shoot -- the Panasonic HVX200. Therefore, all of Day 2 was shot on P2 cards, converted on a Macbook Pro, and then put onto an external harddrive. This was about 80 gigs of media.
Right now, when I watch the Sunday footage (Sony) on FCP6, I do indeed see faint horizontal lines on the canvas, when free-framed and at 100%. They're not terrible... but they're there. (I'm not great at this, so if you need total confirmation, I can upload you a large rez screenshot so you can decipher if the interlaced lines are there)
Now, I just checked this out on the Sunday footage as well (the Panasonic P2 card footage which wasn't converted, but imported directly into FCP6, without need for the Avid as the middle-man), and I see the same faint lines on this as well.
Both pieces of media (the original Panasonic footage and the converted Sony footage) are at 29.97FPS. Both are at the same Compressor now (DVCPRO HD 1080p30) per your instructions . Meaning, the Pansonic footage brought into FCP6 had that as a preset from the moment I installed the program and was asked to choose my project settings..... and once you explained to me how to look for this, I then sought to match it on the Avid end, and changed the EXPORT settings on the Avid files to that codec.
So both sources medias match now in FCP6. They also play now without stutter.
But they both do have those lines. Albeit, faint, but I'm concerned about them now.
So I think this definitely has to do with my Final Cut Audio/Video settings:
My Sequence Preset is: DVCPRO HD - 1080p24
My Capture Preset is: 1080p24 48KHz
Should the Sequence Preset be changed to p30?
And if so... will I then have to recapture all the Panasonic footage back in? (I'd lose all my log notes and shot names).
Or, can I just delete the two timelines, change the sequence setting, and then redrag them back in?
Thanks for all your help, Kyle.

Importing a Motion file into FCP loses quality

When viewed within Motion the quality of the graphics, text, etc. is excellent. However, if I import the Motion file or a Quicktime movie of that file into FCP, the quality goes down. The text is ragged, as well as any graphics. I'm creating at NTSC DV. I tried importing one of the tutorial files and the same thing occurred. Any ideas?
Thanks, Matt

Seperate but related question - if my intention is to make a DVD that plays only on a computer, is there anyway to replicate the Motion quality in a computer only format?
I just don't understand why Motion's display so pristine yet FCP is not. I know it has been answered and explained, but I just don't get it.

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Furthermore, when I exported the graded sequence from Fcp 7 as a .mov, certain parts were now blocks of white, the first time it seemed to be the parts where there were green unrendered bars above the clips in the fcp file, but then the second time I rendered it all prior to exporting and there were still two areas where it was white in the export, namely the title credit which I had made against a colour solid Matte, and also a greenscreen clip that I had imported from After effects.
The problem now is that it has permanently changed fcp so that all of the working files for my different projects now display as white when the cursor is static.
Does any one have any ideas?
Thanks alot,
Bill

Ah actually just solved the problem, turns out it has nothing to do with Color after all, just on the Canvas drop down menu to the right it was set to Alpha rather than RGB - very simple really!

Problems importing After Effects files into FCP

Hey guys--
So I have this odd problem importing my after effects clips into FCP. I am working in standard DV, and my After Effects composition settings match my FCP settings.
I am snipping little bits from my FCP project, exporting them to QT, adding stuff on top in AE, then shooting the clip back to FCP. The problem is, whent he clip goes back to FCP it is slightly "pinched." It's not really thaat visible, unless I try to edit a cut in the same shot. The after effects clip is a couple pixels wider, and the quality is a little blurry. If it is a hard edit, you wouldn't even notice the difference, but the two shots together make it pretty noticeable. I'm not set to square pixels or anything, and i get the same results no matter which codec i render in AE with.
Any ideas?

New Discussions ResponsesThe new system for discussions asks that you take the time to mark any posts that have aided you with the tag and the post that provided your answer with the tag. This not only gives points to the posters, but points anyone searching for answers to similar problems to the proper posts. When you mark a post with the tag, it will also mark the thread as Answered. If you receive the solution or answer to your question outside of the thread, then, and only then, at the top of the thread, mark the thread as Answered. This will mark the thread as Answered without marking an individual post as .
If we use the forums properly they will work well...

Import Clips From DVD into FCP

I am working on a 50th anniversary project for a client. They want to include several "home movie" clips in the project. They provided the home video footage to me on DVD. I am looking for the best way to import the material on the DVD into FCP.
I have used Handbrake to capture the video from the DVD and the file is saved in an MP4 format. But when I try to import that file into my FCP bin, FCP tells me that it does not recognize the file format.
I think that I can connect a DVD player to my system by running the signal from the DVD player into my DV cam, and then into my MAC, so that is a possibility.
I am just wondering if I am overlooking something that is quicker or easier.
Again my goal is to import material from a DVD into FCP so I can use clips on my timelines.
Any hint, tips, advice?
Thanks in advance!
phoenix3505

Forget Handbrake and read my [MPEG Streamclip tutorial|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2059475&tstart=0].

HT4724 do I need PDZK-LT2 as well as content browser to import from EX3 camera into FCP X

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does anyone know where I could find instruction for download and what I need?
Thanks

Content Browser

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Is it possible to make is so that, immediately after I import a new clip into FCP, the file is automatically selected in the Event Library? (Similar to how After Effects and Premiere work).

Is it possible to make is so that, immediately after I import a new clip into FCPX, the file is automatically selected in the Event Library? (Similar to how After Effects and Premiere work). Right now, after I import a new file, I have to then go searching for it amid all the other files in my project. It would be extremely helpful if the file I just imported was already highlighted and selected after import, making it instantly "locatable" and ready to go.

Kryan73 wrote:
… after I import a new file, I have to then go searching for it amid all the other files…
in a perfect world, you do know the recording date, and you simply scroll to that date.
in a very perfect world, all your other imports are already tagged, so just have to create a smart list 'unrated' ...
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Importing PSD or AI into FCP?

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