I'm working on a documentary using 2 5DMkIIs and am getting lots of great footage. And that's the problem. I'd like to do some grading in Color and, from what I can tell, I'm going to get the best quality converting to ProRes before doing that. My idea is to do the edit with the native H.264 files since my computer can handle it but then convert only the clips I use to ProRes and then grade. Is that possible? Otherwise I'll need a server farm for all the converted footage. Sorry if this is a dumb question. I'm new to FCP.

thanks,

Grant

I'm working on a documentary using 2 5DMkIIs and am getting lots of great footage. And that's the problem. I'd like to do some grading in Color and, from what I can tell, I'm going to get the best quality converting to ProRes before doing that. My idea is to do the edit with the native H.264 files since my computer can handle it but then convert only the clips I use to ProRes and then grade. Is that possible? Otherwise I'll need a server farm for all the converted footage. Sorry if this is a dumb question. I'm new to FCP.

thanks,

Grant

The problem is not your computer not being able to handle H.264, it is FCP not letting you edit in it. I can play 5 1080p clips in Quicktime without a glitch but once I try to play a single clip in FCP it hangs after a few seconds. I guess it will change once they update FCP to use Open CL.

The best workflow is to either convert right from the start to Prores or to do lower resolution proxies in H.264 and use the originals at the end.

Personally, I just convert everything to ProRes. If you have a lot of footage, just do it during the night and it is going to be over. If you are short on time, just keep swapping cards and converting as you go instead of waiting for the card to be full.

Thanks Alain,

It's not the time, it's the space. I cut a short trailer using H.264 and it seemed OK. Maybe things would change as I started to do the whole movie. The step I don't know how to do is the low res proxy to the final edit using ProRes of only the clips in my timeline. Is that possible?

I'd like to do this:
Edit>Convert>Grade>Output

Instead of this:
Convert>Edit>Grade>Output

Grant

Hi, Grant:
I think you need to change the workflow
I just copy the raw H.264 files to a USB external drive (they are so cheap) as a master and convert from there to Prosres LT to a FW800 external drive for editing.
The LT codec is excelent and about the same size of the original H264 files.
When finish editing, just delete the ProRes LT files and keep the masters.
If needed for some reason convert again from the master files.
It is very fast and easy if you use MpegStreamClip.
Pedro

Hi, Grant:
I think you need to change the workflow
I just copy the raw H.264 files to a USB external drive (they are so cheap) as a master and convert from there to Prosres LT to a FW800 external drive for editing.
The LT codec is excelent and about the same size of the original H264 files.
When finish editing, just delete the ProRes LT files and keep the masters.
If needed for some reason convert again from the master files.
It is very fast and easy if you use MpegStreamClip.
Pedro

Pedro, What would be the advantage of MPEG Streamclip? Wouldn't he lose the advantage of Prores LT?

Pedro, What would be the advantage of MPEG Streamclip? Wouldn't he lose the advantage of Prores LT?

Hi, Don
I would like to say that my english is very poor (it is my third language), and, some times, i have problems expressing myself and understanding other people.
I believe that's the case :-)
As i understood, MPEG Streamclip is just a app that encode from a video format to another, in case, from H.264 to Prores LT much more faster (half the time, i believe) than Compressor does.
Being the encoding speed the advantage and only issue, i can't see what he could lose... :-)
With MPEG Stream Clip or Compress the file ingested by FCP and so, the timeline codec, will be exactly the same, always with Prores LT, witch is much more lighter and "processor" friendly, than his bigger brothers, .
Could you please forgive me and be more explicit?
For me, this workflow works like a charme.
After editing, i just export one master, 100% from the original, with LT at 25p, other file for QT, also 100%, with H264, other for Vimeo with H.264, 720p, 6Mgb/s , and another for Iphone H264, 480, 1,5Mgb/s, all of them with Compressor.
With the master file i also burn a Bluray (with Toast Titanium) and a DVD (with DVD Studio Pro) when i want to give a copy to someone who doesn't have a BR player.
With the tests i've made, i can't see any noticeble difference in quality image from LT to Prores, Prores HQ, and even Prores4444 in any of the final formats.
Just disk space and encoding time!
Are my eyes getting old? :-)