Final Cut Pro workflow suggestions? at DVinfo.net

David Lavender · August 27th, 2010, 10:30 AM

I'd love to hear your workflow or see links to good, thorough tutorials for taking footage from a 7D and into/out of Final Cut. I know there are so many variables, but I just need to beef up on what's out there. I currently use mpeg streamclip and convert footage using the DVCPRO 720p codec. But with the release of Canon's new plug-in to FCP, I'm wondering if that means I can skip the mpeg streamclip step.

Also, correct me on this if I'm wrong: Standard DVDs can only handle SD video, or 720x480. To burn an HD video to DVD, I'd have to have a Blu-Ray burner on my computer and Blu-Ray DVD-Rs. Is that true?

Jon Braeley · August 27th, 2010, 11:20 AM

Just one word (maybe two) - ProRes.

There is already a thread on the FCP Canon plug-in, so I'm not going into that. I convert all my stuff - 7D (H.264) and EXDCAM to ProRes. Yes you can continue to use mpeg streamclip to convert 7D footage to ProRes or you can do this within Final Cut.

You can put anything on a DVD - but a single layer DVD will take very little HD - up to about 4.5Gig (4.7 officially) or use a double layer - DVD 9, but regular DVD players may not recognize the HD format.
BluRay will need also need Blu-Ray authoring software - such as Roxio Toast beside the burner and yes, BR discs.

Bill Pryor · August 27th, 2010, 11:25 AM

What I do is:

-Copy all my original to a USB drive.
-Transcode that to ProRes422 with MPEG Streamclip, and send it to a firewire drive.
-Burn Blu-ray discs of all my original.

I keep the Blu-rays filed away as I did tape.

The steps are simple but keeping organized is essential. For my original footage I make one folder for it all. Within that folder I usually have separate folders by location. Then within each of those, I have a folder for video clips and one for audio clips if there's sync sound involved. I'll label all the sync video accordingly and keep it separate from non-sync. Easier to find that way when I start syncing clips.

I make corresponding folders in the firewire drives for all the 422 conversions. The audio files go to the firewire drives too. So the USB houses all the original, the firewire drives get all the ProRes 422. And the Blu-rays store the original in case the USB drive dies. I thought about keeping the ProRes backed up, but I'd rather keep the original. For example if I someday wanted ProRes444 for some reason, I could always go back to the original. Or if I wanted to send the original to somebody who used Avid, etc. Lots of reasons to keep the original in its original form.

Yes, DVDs are SD. You want to author Blu-ray discs, you need a Blu-ray burner.

Why are you going to 720p instead of keeping it all 1080p?

Jon Braeley · August 29th, 2010, 03:37 PM

I use Compressor or FCP to convert to ProRes not Mpeg Streamclip.

I have to check on my version, but using Streamclip you cannot set field dominance to 'none' - the only choice is upper or lower which are both wrong for ProRes which use none.
If I use Compressor then field dominance is ignored - same with FCP, which is as it should be.

Olof Ekbergh · August 29th, 2010, 07:17 PM

I just drag all the clips into FCP then decide what clips or part thereof I want to use. And then export those as Prores. Then I actually do all my work in M100. But you could reimport into FCP just as well.

I often have 5 or more takes of the same shot, why waste the time converting bad shots, when I know I will not use them.

This approach is similar to the old days of digitizing tapes. I never digitized all of them. You can always go back quickly and convert more clips if you find you need them. Much faster than setting up tape digitizing.

I archive the original h.264 clips on FW800 HD's and Bluray DVDs. This saves time and space, and works well for me. I do something very similar with XDcam footage. That is only convert what I really need. But archive all the footage in the original format. All the footage also gets entered in a searchable database.

I work on a lot of projects with hundreds of hours of footage. It does not make sense to me to convert it all on long form projects.

But projects with only an hour or so worth of footage I usually convert all the clips, RAIDs are pretty cheap these days.

Jon Braeley · August 30th, 2010, 06:39 AM

I just assumed that of course you would not convert ALL your 7D footage.
But you dont need to import them into FCP, where H264 will play horribly anyway - just click on the them and view them in QT player that's what I do.

Olof Ekbergh · August 30th, 2010, 06:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Braeley

I just assumed that of course you would not convert ALL your 7D footage.
But you dont need to import them into FCP, where H264 will play horribly anyway - just click on the them and view them in QT player that's what I do.

It depends on your computer and RAID speed. On my 8core with raid the h.264 plays fine in FCP. And it is easier to export small chunks of clips in FCP than QT, that is why I use FCP. I can also have lots of clips open at the same time and easily decide on the best out of 10 takes or so, I can write comments for each take etc.

I also always keep all the FCP projects together with the archived clips so I can easily go back and see my comments years later.

Just my way of doing it.

Bill Pryor · August 30th, 2010, 01:35 PM

"I have to check on my version, but using Streamclip you cannot set field dominance to 'none' - the only choice is upper or lower which are both wrong for ProRes which use none.
If I use Compressor then field dominance is ignored - same with FCP, which is as it should be."

With MPEG Streamclip you simply make sure "deinterlace" is de-selected. No need to change field dominance to anything since there isn't any in progressive frames.

Robert Turchick · August 30th, 2010, 01:46 PM

As above, streamclip works just fine as long as it knows you're dealing with progressive footage. Been using it since I got my t2i. Compressors just too slow.

Rachael Hastie · October 25th, 2010, 09:34 PM

Can anyone tell me what the best Blu-Ray authoring software is for use with FCP on a Mac please?

Ben Tolosa · October 26th, 2010, 11:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Lavender

I'd love to hear your workflow or see links to good, thorough tutorials for taking footage from a 7D and into/out of Final Cut. I know there are so many variables, but I just need to beef up on what's out there. I currently use mpeg streamclip and convert footage using the DVCPRO 720p codec. But with the release of Canon's new plug-in to FCP, I'm wondering if that means I can skip the mpeg streamclip step.

Also, correct me on this if I'm wrong: Standard DVDs can only handle SD video, or 720x480. To burn an HD video to DVD, I'd have to have a Blu-Ray burner on my computer and Blu-Ray DVD-Rs. Is that true?

David,

This is what I do.

I have a 7D with an iMac Core 5 and FCP.

I download my clips with the Canon Utility to my Scratch drive. Then I preview all of them with VLC player for Mac. Then I compress to ProRess the clips I am going to use ONLY. And then I open a New Project on FCP and Import those files to my sequence.

That is my workflow...
I hope that helps!!

Peer Landa · October 26th, 2010, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Pryor

What I do is:
-Transcode that to ProRes422 with MPEG Streamclip, and send it to a firewire drive.

Just a quick question here: do anyone know the difference between the two ProRes' in MPEG Streamclip -- they both say 'Apple ProRes 422' and are listed next to each other.

-- peer

Daniel Epstein · October 26th, 2010, 04:11 PM

Not sure this is any different than other people but I have been making a copy of the Card with the footage so it is still in the EOS_Digital format to a Harddrive not just a copy of the internal data files and then importing using Log and Transfer converting to Prores. If you lost the ESO-digital structure but not the Mov files you can use Mpeg Streamclip or you can try and add the proper files to another EOS-Digital folder (if it is not s disk image) and then use Log and transfer.

Zach Love · October 27th, 2010, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Lavender

Also, correct me on this if I'm wrong: Standard DVDs can only handle SD video, or 720x480. To burn an HD video to DVD, I'd have to have a Blu-Ray burner on my computer and Blu-Ray DVD-Rs. Is that true?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Braeley

You can put anything on a DVD - but a single layer DVD will take very little HD

I've burnt short HD videos through compressor (FCS3) onto regular DVD-R in Blu-Ray format. I think you can probably fit up to 20-30min of HD onto a regular DVD-R, and if that is all you need for playback I think that is better than paying a lot more for a blank Blu-Ray disc, they've gotten cheaper, but still not that cheap compared to DVD-Rs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peer Landa

Just a quick question here: do anyone know the difference between the two ProRes' in MPEG Streamclip -- they both say 'Apple ProRes 422' and are listed next to each other.

-- peer

Not sure, but MPEG Streamclip can pull from FCP's installed codecs. So you can always look to see what ProRes flavors FCP has & try to deduce from that.

Jon Braeley · October 30th, 2010, 05:45 AM

An important tip:

Many are stating that you cannot use FCP Log and transfer window for 7D files once the files are taken off the card or camera, ie, the .mov's only. There is a simple workaround - place your downloaded 7D files in a new folder titled DCIM. In L & T just navigate to the DCIM folder and FCP will see and pull in all your 7D files.

This method is far superior to streamclip. FCP allows you to make in-out points and add logging info and even timecode .... plus its very very fast.

August 27th, 2010, 10:30 AM	#1
David Lavender Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 46	Final Cut Pro workflow suggestions? I'd love to hear your workflow or see links to good, thorough tutorials for taking footage from a 7D and into/out of Final Cut. I know there are so many variables, but I just need to beef up on what's out there. I currently use mpeg streamclip and convert footage using the DVCPRO 720p codec. But with the release of Canon's new plug-in to FCP, I'm wondering if that means I can skip the mpeg streamclip step. Also, correct me on this if I'm wrong: Standard DVDs can only handle SD video, or 720x480. To burn an HD video to DVD, I'd have to have a Blu-Ray burner on my computer and Blu-Ray DVD-Rs. Is that true?

August 29th, 2010, 07:17 PM	#5
Olof Ekbergh Sponsor: Westside AV Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Mount Washington Valley, NH, USA Posts: 1,365	I just drag all the clips into FCP then decide what clips or part thereof I want to use. And then export those as Prores. Then I actually do all my work in M100. But you could reimport into FCP just as well. I often have 5 or more takes of the same shot, why waste the time converting bad shots, when I know I will not use them. This approach is similar to the old days of digitizing tapes. I never digitized all of them. You can always go back quickly and convert more clips if you find you need them. Much faster than setting up tape digitizing. I archive the original h.264 clips on FW800 HD's and Bluray DVDs. This saves time and space, and works well for me. I do something very similar with XDcam footage. That is only convert what I really need. But archive all the footage in the original format. All the footage also gets entered in a searchable database. I work on a lot of projects with hundreds of hours of footage. It does not make sense to me to convert it all on long form projects. But projects with only an hour or so worth of footage I usually convert all the clips, RAIDs are pretty cheap these days. __________________ Olof Ekbergh • olof@WestsideAV.com Westside A V Studios • http://www.WestsideAVstore.com/

August 30th, 2010, 01:46 PM	#9
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	As above, streamclip works just fine as long as it knows you're dealing with progressive footage. Been using it since I got my t2i. Compressors just too slow. __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

October 25th, 2010, 09:34 PM	#10
Rachael Hastie New Boot Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 5	Blu-Ray authoring software Can anyone tell me what the best Blu-Ray authoring software is for use with FCP on a Mac please? __________________ Candid female wedding videographers in Sydney, Australia www.harbourcityfilms.com.au

August 27th, 2010, 11:20 AM	#2
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	Just one word (maybe two) - ProRes. There is already a thread on the FCP Canon plug-in, so I'm not going into that. I convert all my stuff - 7D (H.264) and EXDCAM to ProRes. Yes you can continue to use mpeg streamclip to convert 7D footage to ProRes or you can do this within Final Cut. You can put anything on a DVD - but a single layer DVD will take very little HD - up to about 4.5Gig (4.7 officially) or use a double layer - DVD 9, but regular DVD players may not recognize the HD format. BluRay will need also need Blu-Ray authoring software - such as Roxio Toast beside the burner and yes, BR discs.

August 27th, 2010, 11:25 AM	#3
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	What I do is: -Copy all my original to a USB drive. -Transcode that to ProRes422 with MPEG Streamclip, and send it to a firewire drive. -Burn Blu-ray discs of all my original. I keep the Blu-rays filed away as I did tape. The steps are simple but keeping organized is essential. For my original footage I make one folder for it all. Within that folder I usually have separate folders by location. Then within each of those, I have a folder for video clips and one for audio clips if there's sync sound involved. I'll label all the sync video accordingly and keep it separate from non-sync. Easier to find that way when I start syncing clips. I make corresponding folders in the firewire drives for all the 422 conversions. The audio files go to the firewire drives too. So the USB houses all the original, the firewire drives get all the ProRes 422. And the Blu-rays store the original in case the USB drive dies. I thought about keeping the ProRes backed up, but I'd rather keep the original. For example if I someday wanted ProRes444 for some reason, I could always go back to the original. Or if I wanted to send the original to somebody who used Avid, etc. Lots of reasons to keep the original in its original form. Yes, DVDs are SD. You want to author Blu-ray discs, you need a Blu-ray burner. Why are you going to 720p instead of keeping it all 1080p?

August 29th, 2010, 03:37 PM	#4
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	I use Compressor or FCP to convert to ProRes not Mpeg Streamclip. I have to check on my version, but using Streamclip you cannot set field dominance to 'none' - the only choice is upper or lower which are both wrong for ProRes which use none. If I use Compressor then field dominance is ignored - same with FCP, which is as it should be.

August 30th, 2010, 06:39 AM	#6
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	I just assumed that of course you would not convert ALL your 7D footage. But you dont need to import them into FCP, where H264 will play horribly anyway - just click on the them and view them in QT player that's what I do.

August 30th, 2010, 01:35 PM	#8
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	"I have to check on my version, but using Streamclip you cannot set field dominance to 'none' - the only choice is upper or lower which are both wrong for ProRes which use none. If I use Compressor then field dominance is ignored - same with FCP, which is as it should be." With MPEG Streamclip you simply make sure "deinterlace" is de-selected. No need to change field dominance to anything since there isn't any in progressive frames.

October 26th, 2010, 04:11 PM	#13
Daniel Epstein Trustee Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: New York, NY Posts: 1,267	Not sure this is any different than other people but I have been making a copy of the Card with the footage so it is still in the EOS_Digital format to a Harddrive not just a copy of the internal data files and then importing using Log and Transfer converting to Prores. If you lost the ESO-digital structure but not the Mov files you can use Mpeg Streamclip or you can try and add the proper files to another EOS-Digital folder (if it is not s disk image) and then use Log and transfer.

October 30th, 2010, 05:45 AM	#15
Jon Braeley Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 528	An important tip: Many are stating that you cannot use FCP Log and transfer window for 7D files once the files are taken off the card or camera, ie, the .mov's only. There is a simple workaround - place your downloaded 7D files in a new folder titled DCIM. In L & T just navigate to the DCIM folder and FCP will see and pull in all your 7D files. This method is far superior to streamclip. FCP allows you to make in-out points and add logging info and even timecode .... plus its very very fast.