Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with finalcut

Best way to edit MP4 HD video in FCP?

unSane — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 18:29:19 -0800

Preventing slowdowns when editing HD video in FCP? I am editing some H.264 720p video in FCP6. When I am just laying in the raw footage in insert mode, everything plays back fine, but as soon as I add a transition, playback gets really stuttery, and remains so even if I delete the transition and restart FCP.

I'm on a top end iMac so I know I'm probably pushing things a bit but it's frustrating that it plays fine until I add a transition.

Any clues? Should I transcode into something before editing? Would upgrading to the latest help much?

Useful workspaces now that I have a huge extended desktop?

jtron — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:52:21 -0800

I scored a huge monitor for free! Tips for video editing/motion graphics workspace layout? So I scored one of those 21" CRT monitors that people used to pay thousands of dollars for and are now somewhat devalued. It's got a max res higher than I even use; I keep it around 1600x1200, and it sits next to my laptop.

Does anyone have useful tips on how they arrange windows, timelines, palettes, etc? I use Final Cut Studio and Adobe After Effects and Photoshop the most often.

If there're any other tips for living with a new ginormo-tron on one's desk, I'd appreciate those as well.

If it matters, I'm running OS X 10.5.7 on a first-gen MacBook Pro with 2 gigs of RAM and an octopus tangle of hard drives.

What graphics card do I need?

drjimmy11 — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:35:18 -0800

What graphics card do I need? I am doing some fairly advanced video editing on my Intel Mac Pro tower (about 2 years old). i thought I had the setup I needed- quad core, 8gb RAM, eSATA external drives.

But I'm getting an error message, specifically calling out my graphics card as not being able to render certain effects with the "size and depth of video" I'm using. In addition, I would like to be able to use my Oleva flatscreen tv as an external monitor, and cannot currently do so due to lack of compatible outputs from the computer.

Is there a card i can buy that will solve both these problems? Also, do I replace the current card, or just add a new one in an empty slot? I know a fair bit about computers, but my ignorance of graphics cards is almost total.

thanks!

High quality video with small file sizes.

phaedon — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:21:17 -0800

Compressing quicktime movies for the internets. I'm in a new position where I have to prep a lot of video content for the web. I'm looking to maximize quality and resolution while keeping file size as practical as possible (my target audience does not include high-end users with blazing connections). Looking at the trailers that Apple throws up makes me feel my work has something left to be desired... are there any tutorials available on how to prep content for the web using Quicktime, Final Cut, or Compressor? I feel like I have a rudimentary knowledge of how this works but I am left wondering if there are any cool tricks or advanced tips.

What video editing software is best for me?

nitsuj — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 13:42:29 -0800

What video editing software is best for me? I've got a Macbook Pro (2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB of RAM, OSX.5.5), and I'm looking to edit HD video (from this camera). I'm fairly new to the Mac, but on Windows I was very proficient in Adobe Premiere. I've never worked with HD.

Looking through the Apple site, I see a bunch of different versions of Final Cut (Pro, Express, Express HD, etc) and I'm not sure which, if any, would be good for me -- considering I'm a Premiere guy. Is there anything about Final Cut that would make me want to switch to it in my situation?

Also: Does my Mac have the specs to edit HD footage well?

I'm doing prosumer level work -- nothing too fancy.

Give me my old Final Cut Express!

pzarquon — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 02:13:23 -0800

How do I get Final Cut Express to export straightforward 1280x720 HD videos from my Sanyo Xacti HD700... like it used to? I have a Sanyo Xacti HD700. It gives me 1280x720 MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 files, which my Mac just loves. I used to be able to quickly edit the clips together in Final Cut Express, export using complementary QuickTime settings (specifically, those recommended by Vimeo for HD playback), and get beautiful MP4 files, relatively quickly.

Then, one day, a friend needed me to edit a quick video using a DV camcorder. It was confusing as heck getting the footage into FCE, and not particularly elegant getting it out. But, the project was done overnight, I washed my hands of it, and wanted to get back to making beautiful MP4 files again, relatively quickly.

Except I can't! Now, for one, encoding takes hours. Hours! My source videos and export videos are very similar, yet I sit and watch as the estimate for completion actually goes up for an hour before slowly coming back down.

And frankly, that would be fine, except now my exported videos are the wrong size. They include letterboxes, and the video itself is squished, stretched. So I wait four times as long for a ghastly video. The best I could do is use the Quicktime export settings to "crop off" the letterboxing, but there's still some black bars and it's just not the same.

Here's how my videos used to look. Here's how an exported video looks now. What happened? Out of the box, everything worked perfectly. Now, tainted with actual tape, Final Cut Express seems like it's running my videos through six extra wringers and giving me clips worse than I'd get just cut-and-paste editing the Xacti files in QuickTime Pro!

I Googled my brains out, and all I've learned is, if I had Final Cut Pro, "Project Settings" would have all the switches I need. Well, I don't have FCP, just FCE.

Somewhere, something was set that I want to unset. Can anyone help? Do I have to delete every trace of FCE and just reinstall?

How do you remove background noise in Final Cut?

soma lkzx — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:54:10 -0800

What's the best way to remove background noise from a Final Cut project? I tried using the Hum Remover just by playing around with the harmonics, but I don't really know what I'm doing. Is there a good, simple way to get rid of a constant background tone using Final Cut?

Or, is there a way to export audio from Final Cut to Audacity, edit it there, and then export back to Final Cut?

(I've read that Soundtrack Pro is good, but I don't have it so it's not an option.)

Is there a DVD player that CAN be controlled by Final Cut Pro? Or is that just like an editing snuffalufagus?

rileyray3000 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:47:43 -0800

FINALCUTPROFILTER: Is there such a thing as a firewire DVD player that is controllable by final cut pro? I just just took an FCP class this weekend so if my understanding or terminology is wrong, please forgive me. Basically I watched the whole lesson on how to use FCP with firewire to log in and out points on a tape and then, magically, it batch imports them all and you got a clip bin.

I asked if there was anyway to do the same thing with a DVD player. The instructor said you had to rip the whole DVD, put it into the system, then do the same process. Why? Because it's a non-controllable device.

And I was wondering: is it always?

Does SOMEONE sell a CONTROLLABLE firewire DVD player that works with FCP for just this purpose? Or is that just crazy talk?

Export HD Final Cut timeline to MiniDV?

idledebonair — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 11:45:00 -0800

FinalCutProFilter: What is the best method of converting footage captured on a HVX P2 and edited in Final Cut as an HD timeline onto a MiniDV for festival usage?

Looking for a New Mac for Video Work

captainscared — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 07:07:28 -0800

Thinking about buying an iMac. I'm looking at the 24inch model with 2.8 MHz processor. I plan on doing some Final Cut and After Effects work, nothing insane like HD or heavy graphics. Will this computer serve my needs? Currently I have an early model G5 with 2.0Mhz and 2.5 Gig of RAM. I'm wondering of the dual Core IMac will at least put me in the same playing field. Granted, I realize the Mac Pro is of course better for these applications but daddy ain't got the dough.

Anyone have insight on this or use an IMac with these apps?

Amateur Editor Needs Tech Assist

Asparagirl — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:12:32 -0800

Questions about importing video from various sources into Final Cut Express HD (note: not Pro!) in order to get live render ability... Background: Using a Mac Pro running Final Cut Express HD 3.5.1.

As you probably know since you're reading this question, Final Cut Express won't allow fully real-time editing using any footage that does not exactly match the frame rates, sound types, etc. as your base sequence. This means I can not really assemble projects from downloaded files, ripped DVDs, etc. iMovie can convert most of them, but as an editing system, it's pretty weak.

Therefore, what I'd like to know is this: What software and/or hardware would be required in order to convert a variety of video files to the DV-type file needed for proper use in Final Cut Express?

Picture quality is not the primary concern, as this is a purely amateur endeavor and would mostly be used for streaming video anyway.

Two sub-questions:

-Currently, our camcorder has only a USB output, so what DV deck would you recommend for use with a Mac Pro that has a FireWire 800 port?

-Have any of you had success at ripping DVD video using Handbrake into Final Cut, and if so, what settings should I use/look out for?

(This question was posted on behalf of Mr. Asparagirl. :-) )

Encoding DV for computer playback?

kamelhoecker — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 09:52:53 -0800

What's the best way to encode DV for playback on Mac and Windows? I'm editing in Final Cut and would like output that doesn't mess with the aspect ration (no fat/squished heads), no interlacing jaggies, and can play on a G4 ibook or Pentium4 without stuttering. (Bonus points if the file size is smaller than DV!) Final Cut outputs .mov files that contain the DV. The problem with these files is that by default "high quality" is off - so you need Quicktime Pro to go into movie options and check a box and resave. (if you don't, you only see half the resolution.) Another problem is that quicktime on windows cannot play the file at high quality without stuttering (Pentium4 mobile). Media Player can play it - but only in low quality (it ignores every other scan line and looks terrible.)

Exporting from Quicktime (6.5 Pro) always gives me nasty interlacing jaggies. (i tried sorensen 3, h263, apple mpeg4...) I can't believe Apple doesn't provide any way to de-interlace.

Are there other options?

Also, if I can squeeze in a related question: What is the correct aspect ratio for NTSC DV on a computer screen? I know DV has rectangular pixels and computers have square pixels - so some conversion is required. 720x480 looks a bit wide (fat heads) and 640x480 a bit too narrow (squished heads).

Help with FinalCut and LiveType conversions?

Roach — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 12:40:39 -0800

Help with titling conversion problem from LiveType into Final Cut Pro? My creative partner and I are in the final stages of putting together a feature-length documentary. We are running into a problem where, upon importing titling screens from LiveType into Final Cut Pro, the font quality of the title drops CONSIDERABLY from the way it looked in LiveType, to the point that pixelation is noticable.

This happens whether we're working with simple white-on-blackscreen or whether we're overlaying the title onto a video background.

It seems like we're missing something totally basic, and would love AskMe's help.

This is Final Cut HD 4.5 and LiveType 1.2 on a Mac.

Thanks!

Can I use mpeg-2 inside Fianl Cut Studio 5.1?

Mayor Peace Love and Unity — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 10:58:22 -0800

I'm going to be getting Final Cut Studio 5.1 at work. Can I edit mpeg-2 files in it? I couldn't in the old versions, and I can't figure out the tech specs to know whether I can INPUT mpeg-2 to edit or just export to it.

Editing file format help

BillBishop — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:45:01 -0800

Optimal export settings for video files (QTs) going from FCP to Avid Adrenaline? I'm supposed to edit something tomorrow on an Avid Adrenaline. The original files are currently living on FCP. My client exported a test run today and the file imported into the Avid with 2 channels of audio, but the video was just a solid white frame all the way through. Any tips on the proper and optimal export settings for FCP to bust out Quicktimes I can use?

DV Compression Quality Differences?

squirrel — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 12:53:57 -0800

DV video compression question - Do I have to recapture all these tapes?! In anticipation of the demise of my digital-8 DV camcorder, I'm capturing all of the tapes I shot with it, (about 40) into 20-minute (4.4GB) QT movies in DV/DVC Pro format. I'll be exporting those files to DVD for archival storage.

Here's my problem: I'm about 20 tapes in and I've discovered that each time I relaunch my capping program, myVCR, it returns the compression settings to the default, (DV compression; 29fps; 720x480; medium quality; 16:48 sound). The problem is that I want high quality and I fear that I've capped over half my tapes at the medium quality settings.

As I understand it, DV compression has a constant data rate of 3.6MBytes/sec, reagrdless of any settings. Is it possible that the quality slider in the video compression dialogue doesn't really do anything? What would ever be the point of compressing a fixed 3.6MB/sec stream at any quality other than the highest?

The bottom line is this: is there a difference in playback quality between a DV stream captured at Medium Quality and a stream captured at High Quality, if both output files have the same data rate and the same file size? Are other factors changed by the Quality setting? Frame rate?

Thanks for reading all this, and extra thinks to those who actually understand what I mean.

vector graphics perspective effect in Final Cut Express

planetkyoto — Sat, 06 Aug 2005 05:06:39 -0800

Mac Final Cut Express and vector graphics, maybe Flash: How to make a vector graphics motion sequence to be incorporated into a Final Cut Express video. I am making a kind of travel guide video (final destination DVD and web) and want to animate a vector graphics city map that I am making (in Fireworks). I want to have the map skew from flat overhead view to a foreshortened perspective as shown here. I know I can make a sequence in Flash and import it to FCE. This kind of skew is simple to do in Fireworks or Photoshop, but in Flash (me not so good) when I choose "skew" it just tilts the graphic sideways.

Is there a way to do this in Flash that I am missing, or is there a free or cheap OS X program I can use to edit a sequence like this. Bonus if I can then zoom in to show a single city block or intersection.

Is Reason and other programs making music production too easy?

Napierzaza — Sat, 04 Dec 2004 08:01:49 -0800

I have a question that relates to the recent announcement about Reason 3. Reason is a intuitive and relatively simple (probably the easiest) software based music program. Is Reason and other programs making music production to easy? Has it been demystified? Coupled with the internet there is certainly a lot of electronic musicians nowadays.

I just have trouble when I think about it because I make music (with Reason) and I'd like to believe it's original and everything, but maybe it isn't.

I have a friend who makes short movies and he says that it has happened to movie making because of Final Cut and Premiere. But I can't imagine this is so because films are (or should be) complex and there are so many things that have to be done right.

Is the musician not special anymore? Does anyone think that music is too simple a thing to learn? I've been making it for a little more than a year and the learning curve has really slowed down, I'm learning less about music and more about the program itself.

Will people who listen music have to change what they're looking for? Vying for the more complex and unique than the perfectly timed? I myself (I'm using my own opinion to try and relate to everyone else) am moving towards the more and more complex music and genres.

Is it like that for many of you here?

Final Cut Pro 3 Migration

squirrel — Sat, 05 Jun 2004 13:02:54 -0800

Help with Final Cut Pro 3 application migration from a tower drive (Jag) to a G4 Powerbook (Panther). [more] I sold my G4 800 (*sniff*) and bought a 1.33 GHz PowerBook. I have a legit install of FCP 3, but no installer disk. Besides the application folder and the prefs, what other crazy little files will I have to migrate to keep it running. For what it’s worth, I have the G4 800 drive in an external enclosure, and I can boot from it across FireWire 400. Clone disk? I would rather run the book from a clean 10.3.4 install, but maybe that’s just asking too much.