Using Still Photos in FCP

Hey everyone,
I'm working on a project in FCP, which is made up entirely of still images (jpgs) shot using my Canon 40D. I'm doing some panning and zooming (Ken Burns like), as well as some rapid stop motion animation sequences and compositing. I'm using a lot of photos!
I've been doing some tests and FCP is chugging hardcore, not to mention the brutal render times and everytime I move or copy something it has to prepare the display. I NEED to make this process run smoother!
I would like the final product to be HD and 16x9, but do you guys/gals think that I will need to go to SD because of the limitations of my computer (iMac intel core duo with 2gb of ram)?
In your opinion:
1. What sequence settings should I use to get the best FCP performance for this project? Would you recommend a particular editing time base?
2. Will resizing my photos make FCP work much quicker?
3. Are there any system settings in Final Cut that I should tinker with? Presently my Memory and Cache Settings are:
Memory Usage 100% 1818mb
Application 10% 167mb
Thumbnail Cache Disk 8192k
Ram 512k (<---should this be 2gb, now that I have 2gbs of Ram installed)
Thank you guys/gals so much! You rule! I love you.
Message was edited by: Nelso

David, your a genius!!! You posted your reply on my birthday, and I missed it until today!
Fotomagico is devastatingly easy to use and absolutely makes me want to cry at the amount of time I wasted creating photo slideshows in FCP!
I opened Fotomagico up and created a slideshow, one that I had already created in FCP and had take me FIVE HOURS to create... in TEN MINUTES!!!!!!!!! Aaaaaaaaah.
I couldn't believe it. I thought there had to be a catch or something. This was too easy the quality can't be there... but it was. It's amazing and I can't thank you enough for all the future hours you have saved for me.
Al Romero

Similar Messages

Still photo in FCP exported to Photoshop, not matching aspect ratio

Hi,
I made a still photo in FCP. Sent to Photoshop. Imported back in FCP. Image is squished. I am using DV NTSC 720x480.
In Photoshop I also set Image Size to 720x480. For some reason I cant get it to match in FCP. Any idea how I an fix this?
Thanks.

I should add that the image has transparency.

I have used still photos to make a Quick Time movie using FCE. The DVD made using i-DVD looks somewhat grainy and the motion isn't smooth when played on my TV. Other DVD's I have made play much better and I am wondering if the problem is my Quick Time m

I have used still photos to make a Quick Time movie using FCE. The DVD made using i-DVD looks somewhat grainy and the motion isn’t smooth when played on my TV. Other DVD’s I have made play much better and I am wondering if the problem is my Quick Time movie settings. The Dimensions and size of the problem movie are 1920X1080 and 584 MB respectively, while the movies that play better have Dimensions of 853X480 and are about 1.3 GB in size. Is this the source of my problem and how do I change things for the better.

Are you exporting to QuickTime Movie, or to QuickTime Conversion? For iDVD, you need to export to QuickTime Movie. Exporting to QT Conversion will kill the quality if you are moving the video from FCE to iDVD.
The file size per se makes no difference.
What size (pixel dimensions) are the photos that you put into your 1920x1080 sequence? Also, exactly what are the sequence properties ... is it 1920x1080i60 ... or i50? In North America it should be i60.
853X480 is an odd frame size. Where are you seeing this number? It would appear to be DV-NTSC, which has a frame size of 720x480. Your 1920x1080 frame size would not be DV-NTSC, it would be Apple Intermediate Codec. DV and AIC will look different, for sure.
Also, your quality setting in iDVD can affect the final video. You may want to check that also (in iDVD Preferences > Projects). Set it to Professional Quality if at all possible.

Using still photos that stall in Adobe Premiere

When playing the video the photo stalls at one place. I've deleted that photo but it continues to stall/stop at that same (now different photo) place. The audio continues to play. How do I fix this?

thanks - I couldn't find a forum for Premiere
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 07:46:56 -0800
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Using still photos that stall in Adobe Premiere
    Re: Using still photos that stall in Adobe Premiere
    created by Barbara B. in Photoshop Elements - View the full discussion
You would probably get better help in the Premiere Elements or Premiere forum, depending on which one you're using. Very few people here use either one.
PRE forum is here:
http://forums.adobe.com/community/premiere_element
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Using still image in FCP and Motion

I'm using still images in Motion (and FCP) and exporting them to Quicktime movie files. What's the best size and resolution for the images and are JPGs or TIF best? I'm exporting for 720 X 480, and currently my JPGs are 4 x 6 at 300 dpi with a pixel width and height of 1312 x 2000. I'm adding some behaviors to the images in Motion (motion paths and shrink/grow).
My FCP project is setup as a DV NTSC 48kHz, 720 x 480, editing timebase=59.94, timecode Rate=same as editing timebase, compressor-DV/DVPRO-NTSC, quality 100%.
When I export to Quicktime the movies are very low quality--lots of noise and moire pattern etc.
How do I get the best qualtiy using still images? Is it my FPS setting, image pixel size, compressor setting? Also, do the movies need to be deinterlaced?
The preview in the FCP browser and canvas looks a little better but I do notice noise (moire patterns) along the sharp edges of the still images.
I've seen QT movies of these very same images (done by someone else who is no longer around) and they are much better quality.
Does anyone have an appropriate workflow for this type of project? The final movies are to be shown on a flatscreen monitor from a local computer, so the file sizes can be relatively large (300mb).
I can post an example of he movie files if that might help.
Thanks.
Pedro

David, your a genius!!! You posted your reply on my birthday, and I missed it until today!
Fotomagico is devastatingly easy to use and absolutely makes me want to cry at the amount of time I wasted creating photo slideshows in FCP!
I opened Fotomagico up and created a slideshow, one that I had already created in FCP and had take me FIVE HOURS to create... in TEN MINUTES!!!!!!!!! Aaaaaaaaah.
I couldn't believe it. I thought there had to be a catch or something. This was too easy the quality can't be there... but it was. It's amazing and I can't thank you enough for all the future hours you have saved for me.
Al Romero

Can I create a movie trailer using still photos from iPhoto library

Hey,
I am wondering whether I can create a movie trailer (like Epic Drama for example) using still images / photos from my iphoto library instead of using movie clips.
I have found out how to import photos in a normal project but I cannot do the same for a movie trailer project.
THX
Dimitris

You can do this.
The trick is to convert your trailer to a project.
First, I would suggest going to the Project Library view and selecting your trailer. Then FILE/DUPLICATE and give the duplicate a name, like (Original Name - Backup).
Then, with the trailer selected in the Project Library, click FILE/CONVERT TO PROJECT.
Your trailer is now a project and you can add stills and use all the capabilities of iMovie.

Jagged still photos in FCP when rotated

I tilted JPEG photos in FCP timeline, I see how the edges are rough, like jagged. Is there a better way of tilting photos and moves w/o seeing the jagged edge?
thanks

You can also apply an edge feather to the image in FCP. Double-click it to load it into thew Viewer window, open the Crop controls and apply a setting of about 8 to 12 to Feather Edge.
-DH

Still Photos in FCP and DPI

if im purchasing stock photos (still) from say istockphoto does DPI even matter in video editing? If the resolution is high enough, which is suppose if im going to a 4:3 output then their "small" size 850x565px 11.8 x 7.8 @ 72DPI would be good enough right? or wrong? ive been buying the higher sized images 1700x 1129 300DPI then resizing them in photoshop. Im just wasting money paying more money for the 300DPI aren't I? I obviously don't understand DPI very well.
Thanks

Yeah, so long as you don't need to print anything, no need to sweat the 300 dpi stuff.
In fact, for video projects, dpi is completely irrelevant - you could make due with 1dpi stuff - as frame size is all that matters. So, if you're working on an SD project, 850x565 should be fine.
The larger sizes would matter, however, if this is an HD project (since you'll need the larger original frame size -rescaling a smaller image in Photoshop might produce unacceptable results).

Problems setting duration for still photos and transitions in iMovie '11

I downloaded iMovie 11 from the Apps Store last night and am trying to make my first movie with it today. I use still photos exclusively.
For most - but not all - I like 5 seconds for photos and for transitions 2 seconds. I do vary this on occasion and so do not check "for all photos' or "for all transitions".
I can't get these settings to work with this version of iMovie. For example, I added a photo (5 sec) then a transition (2 sec) which changed the duration time of the photo - as it should. But when I double clicked the photo, to bring up the inspector window to change the duration of the photo, nothing happened. Then I added another photo. The duration of the first photo increased to 7 seconds and nothing I do seemed to change that.
The time increases seem random: for example, sometimes the time on the still photo increases to 6:29 sec, sometimes to 7 sec.
The duration for the transitions always remains the same - 2 sec; it's the time for the photos that jumps around. And I haven't been able to find a way to get back to 5 sec.
Before posting this, I researched and found an number of earlier posts detailing the same issues.
However, none of these posts had stars to indicate the problem was solved.
Has anyone found a solution or is this a bug that should be reported to Apple?

Interesting!!
I've spent a lot of hours on this too, but I have come up with a different solution perhaps because I like to vary both the image duration and the transition duration in my movies.
Here's my process:
-> Knowing that (a) I want most of the photos to be visible for 5 seconds and most transitions for 2 seconds and (b) that a transition takes half from the photo before and half from the photo after, under File>Project Properties>Photo Duration I chose 7 seconds - each photo will 'lose' a total of 2 seconds from the transitions in front and behind. I did not check either "Applies to all transitions." or "Applies to all photos." - See below for why.
-> I discovered, as you have, that all the photos have to go in before I add any transitions. This was new to me. With all previous versions of iMovie I simply added a photo then a transition then another photo one at a time. I had to fiddle with the timing adjustments, but at least I could fiddle. With this new version of iMovie I can't. Once the transition is in place, I cannot change the duration of the photo.
-> Sometimes, I want a longer or shorter duration for a photo. For example, on photos to which I apply the Ken Burns effect, I often want the image on the screen for a slightly longer time. In this case, I have to use the inspector to change the duration before I add the transitions. So I might set the time for 8 seconds; when both transitions are added, the time for this photo becomes 6 seconds, which is what I want.
-> The same applies if I want a transition to be shorter or longer than 2 seconds. If, for example, I want the duration for a transition to be 1 second, then I have to change the duration on the two linked photos to 5 1/2 seconds.
All of this requires much more prior planning than I am used to with iMovie. Right now, I working with batches of 5 or 6 photos at a time. I don't put a transition on the last photo in the batch until I have added the next group of photos. And things get really tricky if I don't like my original design. If I want to change anything, I have to take out all of the transitions linking the photos I want to work on, do the math, make the changes in the photo durations, then put the transitions back.
Perhaps I am trying to make iMovie do more than it was intended to do, I don't know. Perhaps this problem stems from the fact that I bought just iMovie 11 from the Mac Apps Store and not the entire iLife 11. Don't know that either. But at least I have found a way to make the movie look the way I want it to look.
Thanks for sharing your process. I will use it when the circumstances are right.

The end of jagged edges in iMovie using stills

It took an astonishing 14 months, but I have finally beaten the dreaded jagged edge quality issue in iMovie when using still photos. If you're reading this, you're a sufferer. How could the software be so bad as to ruin every picture you put in there? It's all about knowing the settings, and that can be difficult without some help.
It feels as though I've really gone through the mill with this programme, but here's your fix - or at least, a fix that worked for me.
Initially, I was using the first version of iMovie and the first version of OSX. In that environment I found the problem unsolvable. I didn't get anywhere until I upgraded to Panther (10.3.9) and iMovie HD 5.0.2. Here there are many more options and settings, but it is still a minefield. I tried almost every setting there is, and have the 'coasters' to prove it.
My fix is for widescreen. Choose HDV720P. Select your frame rate in the preferences box at 25 (which is PAL for use in the UK) And that's it. It produces a stable, high quality movie where all the effects available work perfectly - and no jagged edges!
If, as I do, you use Photo to Movie for more adventurous multiple pan and scans for sections of your movie, export from that software using 'higher quality' on rendering, select 16.9 widescreen, and DV stream PAL as your export format. This stops iMovie from trying to resample it, and very possibly giving a choppy or jerky movement to your imports. Using the above settings will give a perfect result, and you can freely use iMovie's transitions to join an imported item to footage created in iMovie.
I've now produced many very successful movies on these settings. It works for me, I really hope it works for you. iMovie can drive you up the wall when it doesn't give the results you know it can be capable of.
Quicksilver G4 Mac OS X (10.3.9)

Thanks for the idea, Steve. I like working with the HDV 720P high def projects for slideshows too. The quality is awfully nice to work with and it delivers projects that will work far better with tomorrow's hardware. Although we can't burn HD DVDs yet, hopefully that day will come soon, and the HDV slideshows we create today will look very good on the HDTVs we own tomorrow. They look good today, but they will look even better tomorrow.
It should be noted, however, that it's not necessary to create an HDV project to avoid the jaggies on still images. The cause of the jaggies in DV projects -- the type of projects we mostly make -- is well known and can be avoided. It doesn't require third-party software like Photo to Movie, but it does require avoiding a bug.
iMovie adds the jaggies after we press the Create iDVD Project button in the iDVD tab of iMovie. When that button is pressed, iMovie will ask permission to render any UN-rendered clips, including any unrendered KB images. If you grant permission to render, iMovie adds the jaggies while rendering those images.
If the clips have been previously rendered by Ken Burns, or if you refuse permission to render after pressing the button so iDVD renders them later, you don't get the jaggies.
I use Ken Burns to render images as they are imported, which it does with great quality. Once rendered, iMovie won't ask to render those images again. One reason I render with Ken Burns is so I can grant iMovie to render OTHER clips when it asks permission.
Ken Burns will render the image if the KB checkbox is turned ON when the image is imported. So turning on the checkbox avoids the bug.
If the checkbox isn't on when you import an image, you can select that KB clip in the timeline later, turn the checkbox ON, and Update the image.
Regrettably, once iMovie has added jaggies to clips they cannot be repaired. It's necessary to re-import the image and discard the flawed clip.
Karl

Best setting for using still images for 16:9 format

When using still images in FCP, what is the best setting to keep the images from stretching or warping when exported to be shown on a 16:9 format?

Put them in a 16:9 sequence (is there any other way?) If they are distorted upon import, you can change their distort settings under "Distort" in the Motion tab of the Viewer. 33.33 is a good number to start with.

Easy way to do the Ken Burns effect on still photos

I remember using iMovie's Ken Burns effect with great ease. With FCE, it seems really difficult to get the effect I want using still photos. Is there a quick and easy way to do this? All I want is a) to provide a motion increasing the size, and b) increase in size and move the photo slightly to the subject. Thanks.
Mike

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=10741180&#10741180

Using stills in Trailers?

I would like to drop a still photograph into a slot that is meant for a video clip. I would expect it to just show that picture for however many seconds the clip is suppose to be. However, I can't seem to find a way to do that.
Anyone know if you can use still photos in place of the video clips in the new trailers? I know I can do it with normal projects, at least in the old iMovie.
Thanks!

The trick is to convert it to a normal project. But go ahead and complete everything you can in the Trailer view, because once you convert to a project, you cannot go back. Once you convert, you can edit using stilll, music, and all the normal iMovie edits.
To convert, click FILE/CONVERT TO PROJECT
It is a good idea before you convert to use FILE/DUPLICATE to make a copy of your trailer in trailer form so you can go back to that if you need to.

Creating a TIMELAPSE using STILLS in FCP: Experts needed!

We are trying to create a timelapse from STILL photos and have a few questions:
1. WE shot on a NIKON still camera in the RAW format. What format works best to bring it into FCP (4372 x 2906)... we will export this both as an SD project and an HD project.
2. This is over a period of two weeks and there are some slight pixel shifts. I've exported a file and analyzed with SMOOTH cam but it seems to try and track the clouds or other moving objects.. any thoughts on this? or maybe using some better tracking out there? Motion? After Effects? How? Or is there any program that can AUTO ALIGN the photos (stills) BEFORE i bring them into FCP.
3. Very odd. I've tried PCT files and TIFF. TIFF seems to keep the best resolution and colour yet when i try and export it as an HD project (using h.264 or DVC-PRO HD codecs) it encodes the first few photos and just exports one still photo for 7 or so seconds.. in the time line it looks fine as i scrub through it, but exporting or rendering it gets confused... any ideas?
4. ANY IDEAS WOULD BE MOST WELCOMED. or thoughts.
Thanks so much

This has been discussed here a bit over the years. Do a search and you'll find answers quicker.
Patrick

My iPhone 4s keeps showing more space being used for photos than i have - i have deleted cache folders, unselect and reselect in iTunes and nothing appears to work my iPhone still shows 6.5 gig use of photos when i only have the camera roll listed

my iPhone 4s keeps showing more space being used for photos than i have -
i have deleted cache folders, unselect and reselect in iTunes I read one post
where they said keep syncing and in a couple days it would correct itself, that
hasnt happened. I have see others have the same issue but no solution and nothing
appears to work my iPhone still shows 6.5 gig use of photos when i only have the camera roll listed

i thought the photo stream only holds 1000 i usuaaly take each month and save them to iphoto but if thats the my ipad should say the same amount and it doesnt - it shows 2.5 gig which is correct for iphoto. and i havent ever had that much but if for some reason icloud has that much saved how do i delete and again if it does why doesnt ipad show that amount _ HELP!

Using Still Photos in FCP

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