Making an ARMY with FCP

I am pretty sure no one is going to be able to give me a detailed answer here but I just wanted to know on a general level how one would make an army with really only having 3 Actors. I know this goes way beyond the cloning tool. I asked a acquaintence and he told me that you would have to do that kind of stuff with Adobe After Effects. Does FCP contain this feature?

Detailed answer...sort of...
1. Did you shoot your 3 Actors on greenscreen?
2. If Yes to 1, do you know how to key out greenscreen footage?
3. If Yes to 1 and 2, make your actors small (motion tab/scale) then layer up your tracks and move them around (motion tab/position). Do this about 100 times to get 300 army strong.
3a. If NO to 1 and 2, search the web for rotoscoping and keying out footage.
4. Now, 100 layers may NOT be possible in FCP so realistically, you should go with a program like After Effects, or heck, even Motion using a replicator.
5. Seriously, it's not ideal to try to do what you are wanting in FCP and 3 actors even offsetting frames may not look that great, but it is doable. You won't be making Lord of the Rings, or The 300, but you could pull the effect off if you have the patience.
Hope you find this somewhat helpful.

Similar Messages

How do I use m2ts movie file format from my old pc with FCP on my mac?

I have recently moved from a PC to a iMac. I have a large number of Sony AVCHD movie files, which were imported to my PC and are in the m2ts file format on my PC. The original files on my Sony camera were deleted so these files are now all I have. Also, for each movie clip on my PC there are 3 files....a very large m2ts file along..... with two very small file....one is a .modd file and the other a .moff file.
I now want to use these m2ts files (and if needed possibly these other two smaller files) on my Mac make movies with either iMovie or Final Cut Pro. and don't know how to import them or convert them for use on my Mac. Can anyone help?
One final question. Can FCP author DVD's or is separate software required. Apple has discontinued iDVD for iMovie (which I find rediculous) and so I'm worried they don't support making DVD's with FCP.
Thanks

Although I don't use Toast I know lots of people who do and like it for a variety of purposes; for example, many people author in DVDSP and burn disks using Toast. But there are a lot of versions and they have differing features and capability. Do a search in these (or iDVD) forums you'll find plenty of info. Don't know about the other app. Again, if you ask Apple, they may come through with iDVD…they have for others.
Clipwrap quality limitations? Try the trial and test the results for yourself. As far as I know the trial is fully freatured but there is a one minute clip limitation (which doesn't apply to the paid version).
Good luck.
Russ

Sony DSR-25 not found with FCP 5.1.2

Hi @ all,
I updated to FCP 5.1.2 to fix a dublicate bug with a Sony XDCam HD in 5.1.1 (http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=3269745#3269745)
This Problem was solved, but now i can't connect my Sony DSR-25 with Firewire to Mac. I have only one Firewire Onboard Slot and in 5.1.1 the DSR-25 worked fine. FCP doesn't finde the Deck
So did anyone have an intention or an idea what the problem could be with 5.1.2 ? Or did anyone has used a DSR-25 with FCP 5.1.2 already?
TOM

This is a good workaround for curing your camera recognition problem with FCP (if that's what it is):
First, check that your Easy Setup / Timeline / Camera or Deck Settings are all exactly the same, then making sure your camera or deck is in VTR mode, try to capture again.
FCP uses a different form of QT than iMovie for capturing, so if the camera works in iMovie (or if it's listed in System Profiler) but not FCP, it obviously means your Mac can see the VTR but FCP can't, so you need to do this QuickTime fix.
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301852
Follow the instructions carefully and you should have things running in no time - it's quite safe but you must Trash the Receipts AND re-install QT from the link provided.
If the Camera / Deck isn't recognised by iMovie or System Profiler, try resetting the Firewire Bus . . . Turn off the Mac and disconnect the power and all Firewire cables. Leave it for 30 mins then connect back up.
Still not working? Try a different Firewire cable.
Failing all this, try resetting the PMU (Power Management Unit). The method varies from machine to machine, so visit the Apple site and search for it in support.
Don't use iMovie for capturing - it doesn't give you a timecode and that's very important.
Let us know how you get on!
Andy
Quad 8GB. 250+500 HDs. G-Raid 1TB. NORTON. FCP 5.1.2. Shake 4.1. Sony HVR Z1E Mac OS X (10.4.7)
"I've taught you all I know, and still you know nothing".

Problems with FCP playback on external LG monitor

I have just purchased an LG 22EA63 external monitor to use with FCP 7. Monitor connects fine, works ok with other programmes but once in FCP , when i transfer both canvas and viewer windows onto the monitor, playback in not smooth with flickering streaks as if the footage is interlaced (even though my current project only has progressive footage). However it gets even worse with other FCP projects that contain interlaced footage - playback on canvas is even more jerky and streaky, and the viewer window is unable to play back most alterations made to clips (especially anyhting to do with motion or speed), making clips jaggered and unwatchable.
Any ideas what the problem is? I'm assuming it is to do with the LG screens' native resolution which is 1080p , but that doesn't explain why it is failing to play progressive clips at full quality.. Also I couldn't find another resolution setting that worked.
I am connecting via HDMI to a MacBook Pro (2.8ghz Intel Core Duo, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M, native screen res: 1440x900).
Obviously if I cant fix this I'll have to take the monitor back, any ideas or advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you!

I guess it's more accurate to say that there is a dramatic delay in the video between what I'm seeing in the playback window on my computer monitor and what I'm seeing on the external NTSC monitor. The audio does not have that delay, so on the external monitor the audio and video are out of sync. It makes it difficult to show anyone what you're working on, which is what the "client" monitor is supposed to do.

Camera won't communicate with FCP or Imovie

I apologise if this has been asked a million times before, but I'm on a very tight time crunch, and I think each case is different.
I'm making a montage/video to be shown at a friend's wedding on thursday, and I can't get the freakin camera to communicate with FCP!
I also tried Imovie, and the only thing it recognizes is the built in Isight camera.
I'm running:
OSX 10.4.9
FCP 5.1.9
QuickT 7.1.5
and the camera's a small sony consumer cam (DCR0PC101E PAL)
I've got all my settings right, i've done this before a million times, but for some reason, something is off today.
I haven't used this particular camera on this computer before, I used to use it on my old powerbook (i don't know if it matters, but I'm wondering if this is an intel issue)
Is there a way to check if the computer itself can read my camera... Like if I go to system profiler, should I look under firewire and find the name of my camera or?
Any help you can send my way is deeply appreciated.

From time to time similiar questions pop up here. But, most indicate everything works just fine in iMovie but not FCP. Since iMovie also does not recognize the camcorder, you might have any number of problems.
Do you have access to another camcorder? If another camcorder works just fine with FCP or iMovie, that would narrow your troubleshooting to the DCR0PC101E.
If another camcorder doesn't work, it could be the firewire cable. I'm guessing the cable to the external drive is a 6/6 and the camera cable is a 4/6, so you might also need to try a different cable.

Using Digi 002 rack with FCP

Does anyone have experience with using a Pro Tools Digi 002 rack with Final Cut? I'm having some trouble making it work. I just want to be able to use during editing for audio output. The 002 shows up as viable device in audio/video setup, however, FCP claims it only has one output, instead of the 8 it has. Really, at this point in time I'd be happy with 2 channels recognized, but I certainly would like to stay away from mono. Any ideas?
--Justin S.
I'm running FCPHD 4.5

I think your best bet is to contact DigiDesign. I have run several searches on the FCP forums and SoundTrackPro forums for you. Nothing came up that indicates the device you are using works with FCP but I didn't read 'em all.
bogiesan

Why does a H264 mov looks better with FCP then with compressor

Hi all,
I was wondering why I get better results with making .mov in FCP/ QT Conversion then with Compressor 3.
I've made a movie in FCP -(XDCam EX1080p 25 (35mb/s VBR). It must be exported to a H264 mov. 480x270. When I export it using FCP/QT Conversion it looks good.
After exporting a movie with the same settings in FCP ((XDCam EX1080p 25 (35mb/s VBR), I use it in Compressor. But after rendering it looks aliasing, even with the same settings as in FCP.
I want to work with compressor, so I can still work with FCP when I'm rendering a movie.
Any ideas?

does anybody know why?
In simple terms, in order to edit your footage, iMovie needs a certain amount of data about each frame.
In the compressed form stored on the all the necessary data isn't present, so the missing pieces have to be filled back in to allow you to edit. This process increases the file size.
Once you've edited your movie it can then be re-compressed.
Matt

Non-functioning cross-dissolves with FCP 5.1 on intel

I am having trouble with FCP 5.1 running on my macbook. My cross dissolves work when used between two clips but as a fade to black, it doesn't work, or rarely does. I have 8 hours to finish this project to be showed at a wedding reception tomorrow. I've tried trashing the prefs and it did nothing, i emptied all my render files, checked for updates and nothing makes a difference. Please help, I'm runnng out of time.
Patrick

Thanks for trying...
Very strange...and not discounting your proficiency with FCP.
When you place the dissolve end on edit, the dissolve shows up on the end of the clip? but then the clip never dissolves to black?
Yes, the dissolve will show up on the end of the clip, but it plays back as if it is not there. This happens whether it is rendered or not. If I use a cross dissolve between two clips, it plays back perfectly. 'Some' of the clips will dissolve to black but the majority play back as though the transition is not there.
Any chance you're working with a 'favorite' dissolve that may have it's begin/end parameters adjusted?
Tried that and went back and got the original transition and made sure everything was set how it should be. I thought for sure it owuld be the prefs, but no such luck.
Any chance you've got your video layers scrolled downwards and there's a clip on a lower track?
No, I have made sure there is only one track with nothing underneath.
Are any of these clips nested?
Nope.
Thanks for trying though.

IMac which one with FCP 5.1.4 ?

Hello, I have been using a Powerboog G4 with my FCP no problem so anything would be better!!
Now that I have FCP Studio with Motion and would like to to upgrade. Can't afford a tower... So I'm getting an iMac but I'm stock with which modeel and graphics card is best.
The 20" it comes with 2 400firewires, the 24" with one 400 and one 800 firewire. Save the money or spent an extra $500??
I edit DV from a Panasonic DVX100. Except for Motion I have no other need for a super duper video.
Three options ( withstudent discount)
$1,900:
iMac-20", 2.33GHz, 2GB SDRAM, ATI Radeom x1600/256MB-VRAM
$2,336:
iMac-24", 2.33GHz, 2GB SDRAM, NAVIDIA GeForce7300 GTO/128MB-SDRAM
$2,449:
same as aboe 24" but w/NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GT 256MB SDRAM
To the above I have to add Apple care plan. If I get the more affordable option I can also buy an exteranl drive. with the other option, I'll wait.
Thank you in advance for your feedback.
iMac Mac OS X (10.4.8)

It's always advisable to get the best that you can afford, but if you're going for the imac, you need an external drive so I'd recommend going for the middle option with a decent external HD.
Have you absolutely checked that you can't source maybe one of the earlier Mac Pro models via an authorized reseller or maybe the apple refurb store (the refurb store currently has one at $2199, I'm sure you could find one cheaper).
The imac is compromised in terms of expandability - do a search on this forum for more details.
Having said that, I coped for a couple of years with FCP 4.5 and a G4 imac and an external HD with no probs, so if you can cope without the expandability and you'll be sticking with SD you'll be OK - don't forget FCP 6 is just around the corner and you'll have to check the system requirements carefully to see if it'll run on an imac should you decide to take this route.

XL H1 24F with FCP 5.1.4

hallo dear FCP users,
I will be shooting a dokumentary in Berlin in the next couple weeks using 2 Canon XL h1 and will be editing the material on my Macpro 2,6 with FCP 5.1.4. I do not have an Aja Kona or anything like that and would like to edit the material at home, then when finished, take my projekt to a Post house where I can reonline the material uncompressed. I do have a few questions being that this is my first HD projekt...
I would like to use this 1080 24F setting on the Canon, are there any drawbacks to this. Would I be able to capture the material using my fire wire to Macpro? In my "Device Control" flip down tab I have only 2 HD settings DVCPRO HD 1080i 50 and DVCPRO HD Fireweire. Which shoudl I use?
I also have a slew of settings in the "Capture/Input" tab, I would imagen that I should use DVCPRO HD 100pA24 48kHz? is that correct?
If all this is possible how fat would the data be? I have some 400 GB free on my second drive. I am expecting a good 6 hours of material, 3 from each Camera, with 4 audo tracks. Would I have enough disk space for that, or should i run out and buy me another 500gb and set up a RAID?
If I were to set up a RAID are their any problems, is it very difficult? I have my normal mac drive 250 gb in slot 1 and a Maxtor 7H500F0 in slot 2. I have heard that there have been some issues with the 3rd harddrive slot? Should i avoind this? is it even necessary?
Ok thanks sorry to send so many questions at once. I would appreciate any help...
thanks a million,
Aaron
ps- i will also be doing some rather simple compositing with Shake. Would there be problems with this if i wold the re online my projekt?
mac g4, macpro 2,6 Mac OS X (10.4.9)
mac g4 Mac OS X (10.3)

I would like to use this 1080 24F setting on the
Canon, are there any drawbacks to this?
You should read and understand what 24f really is on your own
Would I be able to capture the material using my fire wire to
Macpro?
Yes as long as you have FC 5.1.2 or newer.
In my "Device Control" flip down tab I have
only 2 HD settings DVCPRO HD 1080i 50 and DVCPRO HD
Firewire. Which shoudl I use?
Well you can't use either of those listed because Cannon is HDV and if you use 108024p while shooting then that is what your capture should be.
I also have a slew of settings in the "Capture/Input"
tab, I would imagen that I should use DVCPRO HD
100pA24 48kHz? is that correct?
NO, follow the easy setup setting for HDV, 1440x1080 and read the manual of these Cannon H1's to know the edit time base for the camera record mode you chose.
If all this is possible how fat would the data be? \
Only 13 gi's per hour
I have some 400 GB free on my second drive. I am
expecting a good 6 hours of material, 3 from each
Camera, with 4 audo tracks. Would I have enough disk
space for that, or should i run out and buy me
another 500gb and set up a RAID?
NO you will be good to go.
If I were to set up a RAID are their any problems, is
it very difficult? I have my normal mac drive 250 gb
in slot 1 and a Maxtor 7H500F0 in slot 2. I have
heard that there have been some issues with the 3rd
harddrive slot? Should i avoind this? is it even
necessary?
No not necessary just make sure your capture drive is separate from the boot drive.
Good Luck
Z1&V1user

Compressor 2 with FCP 5.1 workflow

I've been reading about using Compressor 2 with FCP 5.1 and have been a bit surprised by some of the following suggestions:
These are from Larry Jordan's website:
"Compressor 2 has problems with both motion estimation and 2-pass VBR. If you are using Compressor 2 make sure to select 1-pass VBR Better and set Motion Estimate to Better. Using Best settings creates very poor video.
There is a lot of talk on the Apple discussion site that 2 pass VBR gives artifacts, especially on transitions and is generally to be avoided.
To compress the file in Compressor, DON'T use "Export to Compressor" in FCP -- it doesn't work reliably. Instead, open Compressor, then drag the file into Compressor and adjust settings.
In their effort to tackle the problem of overshooting data-rates in C1, Apple seems to have ruined the quality of 2-pass VBR encoding to some degree. I've seen quite a few cases now where 2-pass VBR doesn't look as good as the simple 1-pass.
The new version of Compressor has technology in it that is not duplicated using QuickTime conversion.
I have never been comfortable with exporting using QuickTime Conversion. For one thing, it automatically down-samples your movie to 8-bit. For another, it will not be as good a quality as Sorenson Squeeze for the web, or Compressor for DVD. Third, Apple removed the MPEG-2 compression option with the release of QuickTime 7. Finally, the codecs it contains, while adequate for home use, are not up to professional standards either in terms of file size or image quality."
So, from what I gathered from Larry's website...
Use VBR 1 pass instead of VBR 2 pass for best quality
Use Motion Estimate Better instead of Best
Compressor offers better quality compression than Export>Quicktime Conversion
Don't use Export>For Compressor from FCP, instead export a FCP reference file from Export>Quicktime and use that in Compressor.
What do you think?
Thanks,
Richard
ref:
http://www.larryjordan.biz/articles/ljdvdexport.html
http://www.larryjordan.biz/articles/ljbitrate.html
DUAL G5 2GHZ Mac OS X (10.4.6) 2.5 GIGS RAM

Well, different "experts" with slightly different views.
This from hanumang's response to Jerry Hofmann over in the FCP discussion forum:
FCP unrendered to Compressor 2?
hanumang, have you seen a quality difference using the compressor method?
Jerry
In my experience, yes, there is most definitely a difference in quality.
For sake of completeness, when it comes to exporting for DVDSP, this is how I'd break it down:
File > Export > Using Compressor on unrendered timelines in FCP. The best way to do things with FCP & Compressor - especially true if (as mentioned) you're working in some compressed format like DV and doing lots of filters, motion effect and compositing within FCP. In my experience, color correction comes out much cleaner on DV-sourced footage.
On a 1-10 scale, with 10 being the best that Compressor outputs, this method is a 10
File > Export > Using Compressor on rendered timelines in FCP. While inferior to #1, this tends to work better on high-motion footage that needs to be encoded at a low bit rate (which I'd consider 5 Mbps or lower) than #3 because of the frame-by-frame processing. Also, transitions tend to come out better (again, at lower bit rates).
I'd rate this method a 7 out of 10
File > Export > QuickTime Movie with DVD Studio Pro Markers, then import into Compressor 2. While this rates at the bottom, in many cases it's hard to distinguish the output from #2 & #3 unless you're encoding at a 5 Mbps or lower bit rate
I'd rate this a 6 out of 10
In terms of encoding times, if #3 is my baseline, #2 takes about 2-3x as long. #1 takes about 4-5x as long as #3 for me (depending on the level of complexity).
Dual 1.42 G4, 2GB RAM, 9800 Pro, 20" Cinema; Mac OS X (10.4.6) Final Cut Studio 5.1

What is the Definative answer to JVC HDV 24p compatibility with FCP 5.1

I spoke with JVC yesterday and they claim that the 24p HDV codec is now supported with FCP. I am shooting a PBS piece in two weeks and wonder if it is safe to shoot in 24p HDV with the JVC HD100u. Is there a current state of the craft answer?
Dual G4 Mac OS X (10.3.7) FYI we are getting new G5 for this project

http://www.studiodaily.com/main/news/prc/6436.html ...quote from this link...
Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of Applications Product Marketing. "The JVC GY-HD100U works seamlessly with Final Cut Studio today and future 24p support will give independent filmmakers an even more flexible HD workflow"
The article was written April 24th...note the statement "future 24p support"
You might check David Harbsmeier's response in this thread and the following link from that thread as a possible solution.
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2307338#2307338
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2307338#2307338
K

How do I use purchaed iTunes music with FCP???!!!

Is it really true that you cannot use purchased music from iTunes with FCP? There HAS to be a way. I promise I will not sell my video. REALLY TRULY!!!

The terms of use for the iTunes tracks is not for professional use, so if you want to use a song, make your movie in iMovie which will allow you to use the tracks.
-Brian

I'm making a DVD with my iMOVIE and when I tried to burn a DVD I got an error message that said "ERROR IN PROJECT

I'm making a DVD with my iMOVIE and when I tried to burn a DVD I got an error message that said
"ERRORS IN PROJECT
There were errors during the project validation that have to be fixed before burning the project."
What does this mean and how do I fix it.
jim

Hi
Do You have a NEW Mac ?
Does it really have iDVD ? New ones Don't.
Please tell much more
• Mac used
• Program used (versions)
• Material used (Codecs, file formats etc)
Yours Bengt W

Experiencing 'lag' & other issues with FCP 7.0.3 on MacBook Pro...please help!

Hi all
Man, I've been having SUCH frustrations with my MBP running FCP lately - and it used to be 100% no more than 6 months ago?
Basically what happens is that the Canvas window starts lagging after a while - it sometimes looks as if the external HDD can't keep up with FCP anymore, regardless of whether I use my Mac HD as scratch drive, or my external. And I've tried it across numerous externals... I'm beginning to wonder if it's my logic board or GPU, or perhaps even my FW800 port?
Also, when I'm editing on my timeline and add new clips to the edit, this behaviour picks up. Sometimes, when I'm scrubbing or skipping through clips on the timeline, the Canvas displays funky green frames, starts laggin, or the worst: the frames between one cut and another jump around like crazy, even if I just play back at normal speed.
I've done everything I could - cleared space on my Mac HD (it's now got more than 50% free), repaired and verified disk permissions, run AppleJack, etc. etc.
Does anyone know what it could be? I'm seriously considering a fresh install of Mac OS X 10.6 and FCS2, as well as upgrading from 4Gb to 8Gb RAM, but what bothers me most is how this used to never happen, and it's not like the work I'm doing is more intense or heavier than anything I've done before.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Here's my exact specs:
Model Name:          MacBook Pro
Model Identifier:          MacBookPro5,3
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2,8 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          6 MB
Memory:          4 GB
Bus Speed:          1,07 GHz
Boot ROM Version:          MBP53.00AC.B03
SMC Version (system):          1.48f2
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State:          Enabled

Andy
Thanks... But again, why would I have to do this now when it was never a problem before?
In any case, all the footage I'm using in this project is XDCAM EX, the only difference being that some footage is 720, while other footage is 1080, and then there's also a variation in terms of interlaced and progressive footage accross the board (it's a rock band documentary, don't ask! )... Could this have something to do with it?
I kinda doubt it, cos one of the TV shows I work on has the same codec, resolution and other settings accorss the board, and I experience the same stutter on these projects...

Making an ARMY with FCP

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