Transitions and dragging files not working in Final Cut Express 4

Although this topic has been gathering dust in these archives for a while, my problem differs in that there's plenty of room either side of the edit point. So no need for "handles" either side.
Today I installed Final Cut Express 4 on my swanky new MacBook Pro which I am stroking as I write. Ooh, baby, brushed aluminium ...
First, in the Browser, I've set up a "bin" but I am unable to drag any of the four short clips that I've imported from my Nokia 5800 phone. Yet it has worked perfectly in iMovie (the good one, the one with the Timeline).
Why, when I click on a clip, can I not grab it in order to drag it to the bin?
Neither will it let me drag any of the transition icons into place as is done in the tutorial. But when I click on the edit, it drops a brown vertical that looks like it could be the transition icon (I want the cross dissolve at about 2 seconds). I tried several transitions but nothing seems to be showing up in the preview canvas.
How do I drag the transition icon into place?
Once success, though. I used the razor blade to get rid of a few frames, then shift and delete so the whole thing lifts out with the audio — that worked properly. But the edit is a straight cut, no dissolve.
There was a red line that told me something needed rendering, so I rendered "both". Sequence, render all, "both". But when I click on the edit I get another red horizontal render line above it. That's happened several times.
A window with browser and canvas appeared, reading Trim Edit, (left viewer side) Outgoing clip (vid name) 00:00:40:19 and 00:00:41:18, then (right canvas side) Incoming clip 00:01:10:24 and 00:00:50:15. There's also a button reading Track VI but I have no idea what that is. I've tried sliding things but I can't get timings that look like a second to the left of the edit point, and a second to the right, meaning they overlap by two seconds.
The window had three sets of controls, one under the viewer "Outgoing Clip", a second under the right hand canvas "Incoming Clip". The middle one plays the canvas screen as Previewing Edit. Again, we get to the transition and it's a basic cut.
Help! What's going wrong?

"imported from my Nokia 5800 phone."
This material will not work with FCE. It needs to be converted to a format that is compatible with FCE. You can probably use MPEG Streamclip to do this.
Transitions: http://www.fcpbook.com/Effects1.html
Please confirm that you have handles available on your media to create the overlap for the transition.
Rendering: Your material is not compatible with FCE.

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HT3775 Does anyone know how to get .mts files and mpg files to work in final cut express?

I am trying to import footage from a cannon xa10 but it wont come up in final cut express. The only files I have managed to get off the sd card are either .mts or .mpg files and these won't import into final cut. Any suggestions?

Barney & cjnz11, are you importing AVCHD lite?
FCE doesnt play nice with AVCHD lite with the Standard plugins, imovie on the other hand does (go figure) there is a fix for this.
1. Open the Final Cut Express.app by right clicking the icon and choose 'show content'. At Contents/Plugins you find a folder called: "AVCHD.RADPlug". compress this and keep it safe (Just incase)
2. Now Open the iMovie.app by right clicking the icon and choose 'show content' At Contents/RADPlugins there is a folder called "AVCHD.RADPlug". Copy that folder to where you found the folder with the same name inside the Final Cut Express.app
After that you will be able to Log & Transfer AVCHD Lite with in FCE instead of the imovie import and XML export method.

Soundtrack will not work with Final Cut Express 4.0.1

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Your comments are perfectly fine but Apple should never have called FCE 4.0 an upgrade as it clearly stats on the box "Upgrade Requires any previous version". I am sorry but Apple is not above laws for consumers in other countries. This upgrade is linked to previous FCE applications and therefore should have included all previous components purchased whether they included an upgrade or not. I do not have the extra money to be buying more software that is why I bought the upgrade and not FCS. Soundtrack was bundled with FCE 3.5 on the same disk. Live Type was also bundled in that package as well. They do have the right to alter their products, but they don't have the right to promote the upgrade to users with older versions without explaining clearly in their advertising of the product that a vital part is no longer available. Might seem like a small issue to you, but Apple software costs a lot more here than it does where you live.

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Hi,
I am a new mac user and I want to get a good camera that will work with Final Cut Express hd, I am currently looking at the DCR-SR62 30GB and the HDR-UX1 dvd both by sony and I would like to know if these to cameras or one of them will work with Final Cut Express Hd. Thanks.

Niether one of these cams are the best choice for FCE. FC can not directly work with either DVD or HD (as in Hard drive) camcorders. You will have to convert and/or rip the output of either camera, giving you an extra work step and perhaps diminishing the quality of your footage
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Hi,
I would like to do a bit more on the color of the footage. Are there any software/plugin that is similar to Color in Final Cut Studio, which works with Final Cut Express?
Thanks in advance!

Eric" wrote:
.. I would like to do a bit more on the color of the footage. .
you have read pg 693 ff of the manual.. ?
what do you want to accomplish, what's not possible with FCE out-of-the-box.. ?

IMovie Files Wont Work in Final Cut

So the newest iMovie update is really frustrating me. I usually capture all my video files into iMovie, then edit them in Final Cut Express. At first I couldnt find the .mov files that iMovie creates, until I went to the iMovie Library and went under Show Package Contents. I was able to transfer those files to FC, however when I try to play them in the viewer, all I get is a white screen. The audio works fine, but there is no picture. Similarly, when I tried to render the file to see if that corrected the problem, I got a message that said codec not found. The file appears to be a normal .mov file so Im not sure what to do to get it to work in FC.

"unable to initialize video deck",
Exactly what deck (make & model); how is it connected to your Mac; what FCE Easy Setup are you using?
It says it is saved in MPEG-2
That's a problem. FCE cannot edit MPEG2 video. You have to convert it to QuickTime/Apple Intermediate Codec or QuickTime/Apple DV. Where did this footage come from? If it's an HDV camcorder, you should be able to capture in FCE.
If you already have an MPEG2 video file, you can try using MPEG Streamclip (free) to convert it to QT. You will probably also need the Apple MPEG2 Component if you do not already have it (19.99 from Apple). Note that if your Mac has Snow Leopard or later there are special instructions for installing the Apple MPEG2 Component - see "Snow Leopard and MPEG-2 Playback Component" on the MPEG Streamclip website.

Canon GL2 is not recognized by Final Cut Express

I am trying to capture from my Canon GL2. I hook up the fire wire but neither I-Movie or Final Cut Express seem to recognize the connection.
Any Suggestions?

Hi
My general list on this.
*NO CAMERA or A/D-box*
Cable
• Are You sure that You are using the FireWire Cable - USB-Cable will not work for miniDV tape Cameras
FireWire - Sure not using the accompany USB-Cable but bought a 4-pin to 6-pin (or 9-pin) FW one ?
• Test another FW-Cable *very often the problem maker*.
Camera
• Test Your Camera on another Mac so that DV-in still works OK
• Toogle in iMovie pref. Play-back via Camera (on<->off some times)
• Some Cameras has a Menu where You must select DV-out to get it to work
• Camera connected to "charger" (mains adaptor) - not just on battery
• Camera set in Playback mode - NOT Recording mode
Does Your Camera work on another Mac ?
Sorry to say it is to easy to turn the 6-pin end of the FW-cable 180 deg wrong.
This is lethal to the A/D-chip in the Camera = needs an expensive repair.
(Hard to find out - else than import/export to another Mac ceased to work
everything else is OK eg recording and playback to TV)
A/D-box
• Is the dip-switches set right ?
• Set to same standard as recorded/editing eg NTSC 29.97fps or PAL 25fps
• Try resetting it
Connections
• Daisy Chaining most often doesn’t work (some unique cases - it’s the only way that work (some Canon Cameras ?))
Try to avoid connecting Camera <--> external HD <--> Mac but import directly to the Mac then move
the Movie project to dedicated external hard disk.
• FireWire-port - Can be re-setted by - Turn off Mac and disconnecting Mac from Mains/Power for 20-30 minutes
Mac
• Free space on internal (start-up) hard disk ? Please specify the amount of free space.
(Other hard disks don't count)
I go for a minmum of 25Gb free space for 4x3 SD Video - and my guess is 5 times more for 16x9 HD ones
after material is imported and edited.
• Does Your Mac have a FireWire Port
• White MacBooks - don't
• MacBook-Air - don't
if not then a few Mac’s has a PCM-CIA slot and there are FW-Cards that makes a FW-port this way
else - NO SOLUTION
Only option as I get it is either
• Use another Mac to Capture material (to an external USB2 - Mac OS Extended formatted hard disk - or -
• Change to another Camera that can be used with Your Mac (no there are no miniDV tape Cameras that can)
• If Your Mac-Book has a PCM-CIA Card place - then there are FW-port-Cards and then
You can import via this - but I've not seen this on more modern Macs. My PowerBook G4
has one and this FW-Card-port works greatly.
SoftWare
• Delete iMovie pref file may help sometimes. I rather start a new account, log into this and have a re-try.
• Any strange Plug-ins into QuickTime as Perian etc ? Remove and try again.
• FileVault is off ? (hopefully)
• Screen Saver - OFF
• Energy Saver - OFF
Using WHAT versions ? .
• Mac OS - X.5.4 ?
• QuickTime version ? (This is the heart in both iMovie and FinalCut)
• iMovie’08 (7.1.?), 09 or 11 ?
• iMovie HD 6 (6.0.4/3) ?
*Other ways to import Your miniDV tape*
• Use another Camera. There where tape play-back stations from SONY
but they costed about 2-4 times a normal miniDV Camera.
• If Your Camera works on another Mac. Make an iMovie movie project here and move it
over to Your Mac via an external hard disk.
(HAS TO BE Mac OS Extended formatted - USB/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange WILL NOT DO)
(Should be a FireWire one - USB/USB2 performs badly)
from LKN 1935.
Hi Bengt W, I tried it all, but nothing worked. Your answer has been helpfull insofar as all the different trials led to the conclusion that there was something wrong with my iMovie software. I therefore threw everything away and reinstalled iMovie from the HD. After that the exportation of DV videos (there has not been any problem with HDV videos) to my Sony camcorders worked properly as it did before. Thank you. LKN 1935
from Karsten.
in addition to Bengt's excellent '9 yards of advice' ..
camera set to 'Play' , not rec/computer/etc.?
camera not on battery, but power-line?
did your Mac 'recognize' this camera before...?
a technical check.
connect camera, on, playback, fw-connected...
click on the Blue Apple, upper left of your screen ..
choose 'About../More..
under Firewire.. what do you read..?
More
• FileVault - Secure that it’s turned off
• Network storage - DOESN’T WORK
• Where did You store/capture/import Your project ?
External USB hard disk = Bad Choise / FireWire = Good
If so it has to be Mac OS Extended formatted
----> UNIX/DOS/FAT32/Mac OS Exchange is NOT Working for VIDEO !
mbolander
Thanks for all your suggestions. What I learned is that I had a software problem. I had something called "Nikon Transfer" on my Mac that was recognizing my Canon camcorder as a still camera and was preventing iMovie from working properly. After uninstalling Nikon Transfer and doing a reboot, everything worked great.
I never liked the Nikon Transfer software anyway--I guess I'll get a cheap card reader and use that to transfer photos in the future.
*No Camera or bad import*
• USB hard disk
• Network storage
• File Vault is on
jiggaman15dg wrote
if you have adobe cs3 or 4 and have the adobe bridge on close that
or no firewire will work
see if that halps
DJ1249 wrote
The problem was the external backup hard drive that is connected, you need to disconect the external drive before the mac can see the video camera.
MaryBoog wrote
Maybe your problems is solved in the meantime, but for all others this might help as I had the same problem, also have the Sony HDR-HC7, but the 7e (Europe, PAL). I found this link today and it works perfectly
//support.sony-europe.com/tutorials/dime/videotransfer/vtransfer.aspx site=odwenGB&sec=DVH&m=HDR-HC7E
What I exactly did.- put camera in play mode - open guide - choose connection guide - choose comp./printer (where to transfer movie to) - select connection.- i-link (on my camera) but equal to firewire - OK - choose HDV - choose NO for conversion of i.link.
Settings are shown then (VCR HDV/DV.- HDV and i.link-conv..- OFF), press OK, OK, END.
Switch camera off. Connect firewire cable to camera & Mac. Switch camera on, in play/edit mode.
Open i-movie, choose import from camera. On screen below the camera connection is shown.- DV (HDV). Now you can import, automatically or manually.
This worked perfectly for me. Took me 2 days to find out. Could not find any clear thread explaining what I had to do on the camera and the manual was not clear either.
Yours Bengt W

Importing Quicktime Files to Edit in Final Cut Express

I just bought final cut express to edit quicktime files I receive from work. FCE will not let me import certain files and I get a message saying "Error: File Type Unknown", but what's weird is I CAN import some files that are the EXACT same file type!
I have noticed that one difference in these files is that the icons in Finder are different. The file I CAN import is usually the default quicktime movie icon, while the ones I CANNOT import usually have a video thumbnail for the icon. Does this mean anything?
The files are the same. Same codec, same frame rate, same dimensions, everything but the video length & icon view finder are the same.
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I couldn't do this action, I don't have Quicktime Pro. Should I invest in this? What does it mean if the Audio and Video aren't the same settings? Can I change them with Quicktime pro? Thanks!

Render files end up inside Final Cut Express package

With all of the discussion here about rendering, I thought I'd let folks know that that 'ol bug that plagued Final Cut Pro for so long (and perhaps still does) is present in Final Cut Express 4.0.1 too: render files sometimes end up inside the package for Final Cut Express. I know this because I just experienced it while running FCE 4.0.1.
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Assuming that you don't want to render to that location, then with FCE still quit, move any render folders (that you found inside of the package) elsewhere; and delete the four preference files for FCE, according to the instructions given in Tom Wolsky's on-line guide:
http://www.fcpbook.com/Misc1.html
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Please excuse this post if the subject matter has already been discussed in this forum.

Eidschun, thank you for this thread. It doesn't matter how often it occurs, this information works on many levels and was a pleasure to read.

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*PLEASE HELP!!!* While waiting to buy my iMac I saved my Canon Vixia HF200 AVCHD video clips on a PC with backups stored on an external HD. I transferred these to my iMac and they are in .MTS format. I can not open them in either iMovie or Final Cut Express 4. I gather I need to convert the files somehow. What is the best way to do this? _Thank you for your help!_

Here are your options now that you just have the files...
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=9966355#9966355
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2073767&start=15&tstart=0
As Tom said, next time import directly from the volume rather than copying the .mts files.

Do Applescript / Automator work with Final Cut Express?

Hey list,
I'm a nubie in all things Applescript / Automator related. Does Final Cut Express support commands from these? For example, can I tell it to go pick up a batch of photos I created, put them in a seqeunce, and export them as an MOV? If so, it would make my life a lot easier
-Chris
Message was edited by: Chrisryantaz

Hi(Bonjour)!
If you want to drive an appication by applescript or automator, this application has to be "driveable" by script.
If you open Applescript editor, select dictionnary and look if the application appears. If not, it cannot be driven by scripts.
FCE is not scriptable. You can automate the lauching of the app itself (from finder scripts) but no more.
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Also, use the "storyboard tips" by placing them in a diffrent order in icon view (in perfect row and column), select all and drag in timeline. The order will be respected from upper left-corner to lower-right.
Michel Boissonneault
Message was edited by: Michel Boissonneault

Can somebody tell me if this video camera works with Final Cut Express HD?

Hi,
I'm juggling with the idea of changing my old video camera from 1999 Sony TRV-93.
I'm looking in to the Panasonic HDC-SD5 or Sony HDR-HC7.
My main concern it that I will be using Final Cut Express or iMovie for the editing of my home movies.
But neither of the companies is clear if their product will work with a Mac.
I'll be using a MacBook Pro to run Final Cut Express HD.
So if someone that uses one of this video cameras tell me that they work with Macs and Leopard, It will be much easier to take my decision.
Thank you for reading and your anwsers.
Mario

Probably ANY camera that uses MiniDV TAPE and has a FireWire ( aka iLink) output can use iMovie and FCE .
DVD, Hard Disk and Flash Memory cameras are generally unsuitable.
However, iMovie 07 (aka 08) and FCE 4 can handle AVCHD cameras.
Ian.
SORRY ! Just realised you wanted someone who has one of those cameras. I don't think many people will because flash memory is not really suitable at present because of the incredibly high price of the SD cards. eg.probably £60 for an hour of video as compared with £2 for a tape.
Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

Capture devices that work with Final Cut Express

Would any one out there be able to recomend a reasonably priced video capture device that works with FCE other than a video camera? I want to input video and audio from VHS and DVD. I also want to input Audio from cassette and CD.
imac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.4)

I am in a similar situation. All I can say is that the ADS Pyro AV Link works well with iMovie but not with Final Cut Express or Pro so I returned it.
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http://www.datavideo.us/products/dac100_mainpage.htm
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http://www.canopus.com/products/ADVC110/index.php

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Thank you. Do I need to convert my AVI file and what is the
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http://www.digitalrebellion.com/blog/posts/doesapplication_x_work_with_applicationy.html

Transitions and dragging files not working in Final Cut Express 4

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