Hello everyone, I'm not very smart. Is there a thread somewhere or does somebody know of a link for HDV workflow using FCP5 for dummies like me?

In other words, is there a workaround that allows you to edit in real time without rendering every single time you cut?

Also, when I go to log and capture, I only have one option and that's to name my clip. I can't preview or anything, but I'm assuming I'll need a beefy video card or something in order to have that luxury.

So, just looking for a few pointers, hoping there are others out there like me.

Please feel free to move this to the proper forum. Sorry, I didn't see the Mac / FCP subforum.

Make sure your sequence is in the right format- if its a HDV sequence, then you wont need to render every clip, and can edit hdv natively.

Before i start a project, i usually use 'easy setup' to make sure everything is set up for the format im working in.

if youve already started a project, goto sequence, setting, and make sure its all set up for your type of hdv.

What mac have you got? Editing HDV on the fly does use more beef, but i manage to get by using a bottom of the range mac mini (although it struggles at times). Usually i transcode to apple intermediate format- more hd space, but uses less CPU beef.

Hope that helps

Make sure your sequence is in the right format- if its a HDV sequence, then you wont need to render every clip, and can edit hdv natively.

Before i start a project, i usually use 'easy setup' to make sure everything is set up for the format im working in.

if youve already started a project, goto sequence, setting, and make sure its all set up for your type of hdv.

What mac have you got? Editing HDV on the fly does use more beef, but i manage to get by using a bottom of the range mac mini (although it struggles at times). Usually i transcode to apple intermediate format- more hd space, but uses less CPU beef.

Hope that helps

that's very helpful, but it still requires me to edit anything I take from my bin and place in the timeline...is that normal? This footage was taken from an Canon HV-10 so I assume it's only capable of 1080i 60. That's what I've set the sequence for and it still requires me to render everything. Maybe I am as clueless as I thought!

I think I figured it out. Last time, I had used Apple's Intermediate codec (I think) and sent it into a DV timeline. That's how clueless I am.

So I have to recapture everything native HDV and then send it to my HDV timeline to edit native.

Do I understand all this correctly? Using the Intermediate codec will save, what, hard drive space and processor? But you'll then have to render everything before putting it in a timeline?

Nevermind, just read Apple's synopsis of its intermediate codec. It basically stretches everything out on your hard drive but saves the processor from working too hard.

By the way, I'm on a duocore G5 2.0ghz with 1.0 gigs of RAM.