Working with AVCHD & P2 in FCP6

Working with AVCHD & P2 in FCP 6. I brought the P2 in via Log & Transfer. I converted the AVCHD to ProRes 422 with ClipWrap (renamed the files with NameChanger) & then imported the .mov files into FCP. I just wanted to make sure this sounded like the best way to import & make the clips compatible before I go any further. Thanks.

Bring both P2 and the AVCHD into FCP, Log & Transfer, use DVCPRO-HD since it's what P2 is anyway, and P2 is less compressed than AVCHD. You'll have about as good a quality as you're going to get out of those codecs. No need to go outside of FCP.

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Working with AVCHD: Log and Transfer FAQs

Disclaimer: Apple does not necessarily endorse any suggestions, solutions, or third-party software products that may be mentioned in the topic below. Apple encourages you to first seek a solution at Apple Support. The following links are provided as is, with no guarantee of the effectiveness or reliability of the information. Apple does not guarantee that these links will be maintained or functional at any given time. Use the information below at your own discretion.
Working with AVCHD: Log and Transfer FAQs
Log and Transfer was introduced to the product chain in Final Cut Express 4, and is the program's process for ingesting files in the AVCHD format utilizing MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video coding and either Dolby AC-3 or uncompressed linear PCM audio coding. The most frequently observed problems relating to the Log and Transfer process are generally quite easily addressed.
What should I know before attempting to ingest my footage?
The following facts regarding the Log and Transfer process were adapted from the [Apple Knowledge Base article|http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24840?viewlocale=en_US] on transferring AVCHD in Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 but still hold true for the current version of FCE:
AVCHD support is available only on Intel-based Macintosh computers.
AVCHD camcorders typically connect to computers via USB 2.0, not FireWire.
DVD-based AVCHD camcorders are not supported in Mac OS X 10.4 or earlier.
Standard definition video recorded with AVCHD camcorders cannot be accessed in the Log and Transfer window. SD and HD clips should not be mixed on the same HDD.
Preview of AVCHD video in the Log and Transfer window is limited to 1x forward playback. Scrubbing the playhead does not update the video in the Preview area until you stop scrubbing.
When you choose to transfer AVCHD audio in the Logging area, audio is automatically mixed down to stereo.
AVCHD footage is not ingested natively but is transcoded to the Apple Intermediate Codec.
Apple Intermediate Codec files are significantly larger than the original AVCHD files. FCE does not estimate the size of a transcoded AVCHD file before ingesting, so it is possible to exceed the available space on your capture disk during transfer. Before ingesting, keep in mind that the disk space required is about ten times greater than the size of the native AVCHD file.
Which specific formats can be ingested by Log and Transfer?
Only AVCHD footage can be ingested through the Log and Transfer process. Other formats and variants such as AVCHD Lite are not supported. All video should be recorded in a frame size of either 1440x1080 or 1920x1080 and a frame rate of 25 or 29.97 frames per second. Audio recorded on AVCHD camcorders is generally at a rate of 48kHz. If your camera shoots in a format that does not comply with one of these setups then it is most likely not supported by the application and is not guaranteed to work correctly.
Which Easy Setup preset should I select before ingesting my footage?
It is extremely important to select the preset that matches your media before you attempt to ingest via Log and Transfer. There is only one Easy Setup preset that matches the frame size and rate of your footage. If you intend to ingest AVCHD clips through Log and Transfer you will first need to select one of the following presets:
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1440x1080i50
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1440x1080i60
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1920x1080i50
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1920x1080i60
If these four options do not appear under your Easy Setup list then you probably need to run Software Update and update to FCE 4.0.1. DO NOT cycle through the available presets until you find one that works - there is only one preset that matches your media and it should be evident which one to choose by the way it is named. Select the AVCHD preset that mentions your frame size and frame rate (i50 presets support both 50i and 25p frame rates; similarly, i60 presets support both 60i and 29.97p frame rates). If you do cycle through many options in the hope of selecting the correct one through guess-and-check you will probably have corrupted your preference file and need to [trash your preferences|http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2611] before continuing.
Why don't my clips appear when I open the Log and Transfer window?
Make sure your camcorder records AVCHD in a format supported by FCE4. It should be connected to one of your computer's USB ports (never connect it to an external hard drive or other external device such as your keyboard or a USB hub), powered on, and set to video playback mode.
If the camcorder +does not+ mount on your Desktop your USB port or cable may be malfunctioning. Try plugging it in to another port or using a different USB cable to see if it makes a difference.
If the camcorder does mount on your Desktop but the clips do not appear in the Log and Transfer window you will need to point the program to the directory that contains your media.
First, click the Add Folder button in the upper left of the Log and Transfer window. The button looks like this:
Then, you will need to navigate to the root directory in which your media is stored. Most camcorders call this folder "PRIVATE" or "AVCHD" and it should be located at the very top level of the camcorder when mounted. If your camcorder records to a valid AVCHD directory structure then your clips should load after the Add Folder process is completed.
I would like to keep a working backup of my original clips so that I can delete them off the camcorder's internal memory. How should I do this?
There are two main ways to keep a backup of your clips. The first is to ingest every clip on your camcorder through the Log and Transfer process, and store the Apple Intermediate Codec files the application creates in an easily accessible place such as an external FireWire drive. The advantage of this method is that you have the ability to open back up old editing projects, reconnect the media as necessary, and keep going as if you'd never left. However, due to the large amount of space AIC takes up (usually somewhere in the vicinity of 41-50GB an hour when transcoded from AVCHD), this is not always feasible.
Another often preferable approach is to copy over the root directory in which your clips are stored (usually named "PRIVATE" or "AVCHD") from the camcorder to your computer or an external drive. As long as you maintain the original file structure, you will be able to ingest your clips again at a later date using the "Add Folder" process detailed above to navigate to their new location.
My clips appear, but when I attempt to ingest a red exclamation point appears and the window displays the message "Error: No Data"
This is one of the most common problems that users experience when trying to ingest their media through the Log and Transfer process. Luckily, it also has one of the easiest solutions.
In the Log and Transfer window, click on the gear icon in the top right and select "Preferences" in the contextual menu that appears.
Make sure the video is set to transcode to the Apple Intermediate Codec and the audio is set to Plain Stereo.
After doing so, hit OK and try to ingest again.
I am experiencing a problem that is not covered in this tip or the solutions here do not work.
The best thing to do at this point would be to trash your preferences and start a new topic in the [FCE Forum|http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=936&start=0] with a detailed description of your problem. Check out the user tip on [Basic Troubleshooting in Final Cut Express|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2662419] for more information.
This is the 1st version of this tip. It was submitted on December 03, 2010 by skalicki`.
Do you want to provide feedback on this User Contributed Tip or contribute your own? If you have achieved Level 2 status, visit the User Tips Library Contributions forum for more information.

Disclaimer: Apple does not necessarily endorse any suggestions, solutions, or third-party software products that may be mentioned in the topic below. Apple encourages you to first seek a solution at Apple Support. The following links are provided as is, with no guarantee of the effectiveness or reliability of the information. Apple does not guarantee that these links will be maintained or functional at any given time. Use the information below at your own discretion.
Working with AVCHD: Log and Transfer FAQs
Log and Transfer was introduced to the product chain in Final Cut Express 4, and is the program's process for ingesting files in the AVCHD format utilizing MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video coding and either Dolby AC-3 or uncompressed linear PCM audio coding. The most frequently observed problems relating to the Log and Transfer process are generally quite easily addressed.
What should I know before attempting to ingest my footage?
The following facts regarding the Log and Transfer process were adapted from the [Apple Knowledge Base article|http://support.apple.com/kb/TA24840?viewlocale=en_US] on transferring AVCHD in Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 but still hold true for the current version of FCE:
AVCHD support is available only on Intel-based Macintosh computers.
AVCHD camcorders typically connect to computers via USB 2.0, not FireWire.
DVD-based AVCHD camcorders are not supported in Mac OS X 10.4 or earlier.
Standard definition video recorded with AVCHD camcorders cannot be accessed in the Log and Transfer window. SD and HD clips should not be mixed on the same HDD.
Preview of AVCHD video in the Log and Transfer window is limited to 1x forward playback. Scrubbing the playhead does not update the video in the Preview area until you stop scrubbing.
When you choose to transfer AVCHD audio in the Logging area, audio is automatically mixed down to stereo.
AVCHD footage is not ingested natively but is transcoded to the Apple Intermediate Codec.
Apple Intermediate Codec files are significantly larger than the original AVCHD files. FCE does not estimate the size of a transcoded AVCHD file before ingesting, so it is possible to exceed the available space on your capture disk during transfer. Before ingesting, keep in mind that the disk space required is about ten times greater than the size of the native AVCHD file.
Which specific formats can be ingested by Log and Transfer?
Only AVCHD footage can be ingested through the Log and Transfer process. Other formats and variants such as AVCHD Lite are not supported. All video should be recorded in a frame size of either 1440x1080 or 1920x1080 and a frame rate of 25 or 29.97 frames per second. Audio recorded on AVCHD camcorders is generally at a rate of 48kHz. If your camera shoots in a format that does not comply with one of these setups then it is most likely not supported by the application and is not guaranteed to work correctly.
Which Easy Setup preset should I select before ingesting my footage?
It is extremely important to select the preset that matches your media before you attempt to ingest via Log and Transfer. There is only one Easy Setup preset that matches the frame size and rate of your footage. If you intend to ingest AVCHD clips through Log and Transfer you will first need to select one of the following presets:
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1440x1080i50
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1440x1080i60
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1920x1080i50
AVCHD-Apple Intermediate Codec 1920x1080i60
If these four options do not appear under your Easy Setup list then you probably need to run Software Update and update to FCE 4.0.1. DO NOT cycle through the available presets until you find one that works - there is only one preset that matches your media and it should be evident which one to choose by the way it is named. Select the AVCHD preset that mentions your frame size and frame rate (i50 presets support both 50i and 25p frame rates; similarly, i60 presets support both 60i and 29.97p frame rates). If you do cycle through many options in the hope of selecting the correct one through guess-and-check you will probably have corrupted your preference file and need to [trash your preferences|http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2611] before continuing.
Why don't my clips appear when I open the Log and Transfer window?
Make sure your camcorder records AVCHD in a format supported by FCE4. It should be connected to one of your computer's USB ports (never connect it to an external hard drive or other external device such as your keyboard or a USB hub), powered on, and set to video playback mode.
If the camcorder +does not+ mount on your Desktop your USB port or cable may be malfunctioning. Try plugging it in to another port or using a different USB cable to see if it makes a difference.
If the camcorder does mount on your Desktop but the clips do not appear in the Log and Transfer window you will need to point the program to the directory that contains your media.
First, click the Add Folder button in the upper left of the Log and Transfer window. The button looks like this:
Then, you will need to navigate to the root directory in which your media is stored. Most camcorders call this folder "PRIVATE" or "AVCHD" and it should be located at the very top level of the camcorder when mounted. If your camcorder records to a valid AVCHD directory structure then your clips should load after the Add Folder process is completed.
I would like to keep a working backup of my original clips so that I can delete them off the camcorder's internal memory. How should I do this?
There are two main ways to keep a backup of your clips. The first is to ingest every clip on your camcorder through the Log and Transfer process, and store the Apple Intermediate Codec files the application creates in an easily accessible place such as an external FireWire drive. The advantage of this method is that you have the ability to open back up old editing projects, reconnect the media as necessary, and keep going as if you'd never left. However, due to the large amount of space AIC takes up (usually somewhere in the vicinity of 41-50GB an hour when transcoded from AVCHD), this is not always feasible.
Another often preferable approach is to copy over the root directory in which your clips are stored (usually named "PRIVATE" or "AVCHD") from the camcorder to your computer or an external drive. As long as you maintain the original file structure, you will be able to ingest your clips again at a later date using the "Add Folder" process detailed above to navigate to their new location.
My clips appear, but when I attempt to ingest a red exclamation point appears and the window displays the message "Error: No Data"
This is one of the most common problems that users experience when trying to ingest their media through the Log and Transfer process. Luckily, it also has one of the easiest solutions.
In the Log and Transfer window, click on the gear icon in the top right and select "Preferences" in the contextual menu that appears.
Make sure the video is set to transcode to the Apple Intermediate Codec and the audio is set to Plain Stereo.
After doing so, hit OK and try to ingest again.
I am experiencing a problem that is not covered in this tip or the solutions here do not work.
The best thing to do at this point would be to trash your preferences and start a new topic in the [FCE Forum|http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=936&start=0] with a detailed description of your problem. Check out the user tip on [Basic Troubleshooting in Final Cut Express|http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2662419] for more information.
This is the 1st version of this tip. It was submitted on December 03, 2010 by skalicki`.
Do you want to provide feedback on this User Contributed Tip or contribute your own? If you have achieved Level 2 status, visit the User Tips Library Contributions forum for more information.

Premiere Pro/Prelude CS6 not working with AVCHD from Canon HF G10

I just tried switching from Final Cut Pro 7/X to Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 and have not been able to get Premiere Pro or Prelude to work with AVCHD footage from my Canon HF G10. The system runs Mac OS X 10.7.4 on a 3.4 GHz quad-core iMac with 16GB of RAM and 10Gbit/s Thunderbolt RAID for video storage. Adobe Updater ran yesterday and installed CSXS infrastructure updates which did not fix the problems.
After importing several short (less than 5 minutes each) 1080p30 clips into Premiere Pro, I can scrub over the first few seconds of a clip but afterwards it stalls or mixes in frames from the beginning of the clip. Rendering 30 seconds of video does not complete in reasonable time, i.e. takes more than 5 minutes. I figured I would try ingest the footage with Prelude and am running into the same problems. Scrubbing does not work, only the first few seconds from a clip are available. When configuring Prelude to transcode on ingest, I am getting "Import XMP failed" errors. I already spent several hours trying to figure this out. In the meantime, I finished the project using Final Cut Pro X :-\
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Niels.

Any chance this gets fixed soon? I'm shooting with an AF-100, and at this point I'm still using Final Cut to transcode my footage so I can have audio. I've also noticed the video jumps around even when it does have audio. Prelude has been extremely problematic for me, and it doesn't have a way to bring in clips that returned errors upon importing, I have to write down the clip numbers and bring them in individually. I've also tried just dropping the file structure from the card straight to the hard drive. It's a huge problem, and is keeping me from making the switch fully from FCP 7.

Working with AVCHD in Premiere Pro CS5

I'm editing a small promotional video for a new client and they have provided me with the footage. The problem is that I have never edited AVCHD in premiere before. I thought i would be okay as long as I used the AVCHD sequence presets, but I am already running into problems: 1) upon initial import, there appears to be artifacting in the bin footage that was not present when I viewed the raw files and 2) when i try to lay footage onto the sequence, no audio is imported. Someone please help! The footage was shot on a Sony HDR SR5 (1080i, 1440x1080, 29.97 fps, 6-channel compressed 48k audio, MPEG in .m2ts file extension).
Additionally, are there any other major obstacles I risk running into moving forward working with AVCHD?

Welcome to the forum.
Along with Harm's suggestion, make sure that you set up your Sequence with a 5.1 Master for that Audio.
Also, what is the Audio CODEC for that Audio Stream, AC3?
In addition, be sure to allow PrPro time to completely Conform the Audio and Index the file. There is a little progress bar, that will appear. Let it complete 100%.
Good luck,
Hunt

Does iMovie work with AVCHD format on mac book pro 10.8.2

Does iMovie work with AVCHD on mac book pro 10.8.2? Getting quit unexpectedly error, after 25 minutes of using.

Check to make sure that your TV is set to the HDMI input that you're using.

What is the best way to work with AVCHD 720 24p footage in FCE4.1?

Hi I have a Panasonic HMC-150 and I've been shooting 720 24p footage at 21 mbps transfer rate.
I was wondering what is the best way to work with this material in FCE 4.1? I see that in the easy set up menu they only have the option of 1440X1080i at 50 or 60 fps or 1920X1080i at 50 or 60 fps.
Also in the rates drop down menu there is only 50 or 29.97.
So I was wondering which is the best choice for 720 24p footage and will it look alright in any of them? Also is it possible to customize these settings?
And finally can you work with faster transfer rates (21mbps) in FCE?

Yikes, this is going to be tricky since FCE does not support native 24p editing.
The work around for some of us is that AVCHD material that is 24p is often recorded to disc at 60i using telecine, in which case it can be editing at 29.97 frames per second, and then detelecined afterward for final export at 23.98 fps. The problem is that I think your camera actually records real 24p - not 24p packed into 60i. When you import the material from the camera what does QuickTime report the framerate as?

Working with AVCHD and MOV files

I am just learning on FCP 7 and have very limited experience thus far. I have been using AVCHD files via L&T with no problem and also MOV files simply by importing them. However, when I am using both file types within the same sequence (L&T AVCHD and converting to ProRes and importing MOV), I need to immediately render one of the file types (the one I bring in last). This is also true for any change I make to that particular clip. This would be extremely time inefficient if I were to proceed with this process using several clips from both formats in order to put something together.
I would appreciate any advice or suggestions in how I can best work with these two file types and by reducing the rendering time (without compromising quality). Is there a way to convert the MOV files to a ProRes? This doesn't seem to be an option with the L&T feature.
Thanks

Thank you for the reply, David!
Sorry, it is an H.264 codec.
So does this mean that there is really no workaround within FCP to work with the two different formats ....other than rendering each clip I drop into the timeline? I was hoping to avoid having to use another application, but if I really don't have a choice....then perhaps I will try compressor or MPEG streamclip as you suggested. Are there any loss of quality issues when using either of these two programs?
Thank you

Working with AVCHD from a Panasonic SD60

Good afternoon,
I've noticed that when I import a video (AVCHD, 1080i50) that the resolution changes to 960x540 when certain effects are added whilst editing, is there a way to avoid this as I would like to be able to publish my movies in full HD?
Many thanks
Phil

Connect your camera to your computer through USB.
Make sure the battery charger is connected to the camera
then start FCP6.0.2 Go to menu>file>log&transfer.
It should work now.
iMovie can be of help too.
Good luck,
G.

TIP: Working with AVCHD while ingesting

You can do this. If you have a long list of clips to ingest from an AVCHD chip or drive, you can start the ingest process, and while it's going on in the background, begin cutting up your clips organzing your browser, and editing the already ingested media into your sequence. I'm guessing it will slow down the ingest process, but it will continue in the background, so you don't have to wait for the whole card to off load before you start editing.

I'm wondering if I've done something wrong. I've used Log and Transfer to import several AVCHD clips from my Panasonic camera, and created a AIC1080i60 sequence, but when I drag in the clips they need to be rendered. Am I doing something wrong?

How can I work with avchd with FCE?

I bought Final Cut Express 4.0 and when I configured the easy setup just appeared HDV and DV setups. How can I configure AVCHD?

You've probably seen "Log & Capture" as the method to get the video to your computer.
Careful how you archive the AVCHD footage from your camera.
It seems as though it can very easily become inaccessible.

Working with AVCHD Files Imovie and FEC 4

I have a Sony HD SR 1 which uses the AVCHD format
I can import the AVCHD files into Imovie 08 as HD or use FEC4 Log and Transfer to import the files.
My question is about quality. If I import the AVCHD files into Imoive and later want to use the project in FEC 4 I have to export the project as XML to use it in FEC 4. Does this step from Imoive to FEC 4 produce the same quality as using Log and Transfer in FC 4 on the original AVCHD files?
Thanks.

There is no loss of quality in exporting XML. It's solely an instruction set. If you're just using iMovie to capture you can simply import the media from the iMovie folder into FCE if you want.

Problem working with avchd/.mts videos

I have to edit a video from several .mts clips. I don't know what camera was used for the shots. My problem is whenever I try to play them in either windows media player or gom player or bs player or splash (designed for HD videos), or edit them in After Effects, I get this strange screen tearing. I have tried to convert it into .mp4 (h264), but the problem persists. I uploaded it to youtube to test it out ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTfCP-o9RiY ), but the screen tearing occurs here also as you can see.
Does this mean that the footage is corrupt from the beginning and there is no way to fix it? The strange thing is that the guy who gave me these said he had these tearings also, but when another guy edited another video from these clips, it played without tearing, so it's not the camera's fault, it can be fixed. But if so, then how?

It is an unmodified clip without any conversion, it's what I got from my friend. It's avchd in an .mts container I believe. So the tearing is the fault of the recording and it is unrepairable? I will try to contact that guy, the problem is that I don't know him personally. Maybe he used clips which aren't tearing, and only some of the clips are corrupt like the one I uploaded, can that be the case?
Also, if needed, here is an unmodified, native copy of one of the problematic clips: 00134.MTS - Google Drive

Burning DVD with AVCHD format on Final Cut Express

Anyone knows how to export the edited file in the highest/closest quality of AVCHD on a DVD media? I tried all output and it seems the AVCHD quality is still superior when played in my Sony BD350 Blu-ray player. Thanks!

Hi(Bonjour)!
Here's my workflow to produce Blu-ray format DVD:
I shoot in HDV and edit into a 1080i60 AIC sequence. This process should work with AVCHD too.
Save the movie to quicktime. No conversion.
Drop the movie into toast with the HD plugin installed...(Toast 10 is available now)
http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/toast/plugin/overview.html
I burn a maximum of 20 minutes on a single layer DVD at 1080p in blu-ray tab in toast on my G5 2.3 dual 4.5 Go Ram, dual layer factory installed DVD burner.
Sorry, in my tests, menus are designed by roxio and there is issue with them and the looping feature, so I stay with the autoplay no menu. The latest PS3 firmware update may solve this issue.
I play the blu-ray DVD on a Playstation 3 perfectly.
You can also burn DiVX format in toast, but the res is limited to 720p. I encountered some playback problems with this format, but it is okay on PS3.
See those link about Blu-Ray authoring, they give a general idea on the workflow and option for BR burners and players:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/taming_the_wildblu.html
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/taming_the_wild_blu2.html
http://www.kenstone.net/fcphomepage/blu-ray_fcpfields.html
Michel Boissonneault

No audio with AVCHD.mts in Element 7

I cannot get audio when importing AVCHD.MTS files into Elements 7. I am running on Windows 7. From Forum it seems the best fix for this is upgrade to Elements 9. Can someone gurantee this is the way to go?

PRE9 can natively work with AVCHD files, but there are still posts to this forum from users not getting their audio working. Your best bet is to download the trial version and see if it works with your files.
Cheers,
Neale
Insanity is hereditary, you get it from your children

Does smartfix work with the trial of pre elements9?

If've downloaded Premiere Elements 9 (german) to see if it will fit my needs. Especially the automatical fixing problems seams to me to be a great thing. But now starting a HDV 1920x1080 project, adding and analysing tracks (wich have smart tags now, like shacky, low audio and so on), I don't get ask if I want to fix the problems if I drag them to the timeline. Neighter can I select the Smartfix entry in the context menue after right clicking on the scene in the timeline.
So is smartfix eighter not as good as promised, or is it disabled in the trial version?

On the forum at Premiere Elements support site http://Muvipix.com, someone else reported that the Smart Fix feature does not seem to work with AVCHD Lite files -- although it does with AVIs.
So, apparently, this function is, for some reason, limited in the files it can be applied to.

Working with AVCHD & P2 in FCP6

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