NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2003

Jeff Donald · February 25th, 2003, 10:12 PM

What OS are you using OS 9.x.x or OS 10.x.x? Make sure that neither dimension is over 4000 pixels. Blank layers will give that error message also. Since you working with layers that is probably what is causing the error message. As Ken states hard drives have no bearing on system memory.

Felix Jones · February 26th, 2003, 05:50 AM

Hi there,

I know the Ibook 800 will not be able to do the RT for FCP, but is it similar to Premiere where you can render a work area? I don't know anything about FCP, but am on a tight budget and want to see what all my options are.

Philip Boyer · February 26th, 2003, 05:18 PM

I'm new to digital video and own no equipment, other than my Sony TRV25. My plan is to acquire the equipment in steps, computer first. Mainly, I'll be shooting my own screenplays (shorts and features).

Though I haven't made the purchase yet, I've pretty much decided to get a G4. The question is which one. On the Apple website, I priced a dual 1.25GHz and a dual 1.42GHz. Initially, there's a $700 difference ($1,999/$2,699). When I configure them both with a warranty, a super drive, 1 gig of RAM, a 120 gig harddrive, and a 17' studio display, the price difference drops to $300 ($3,597/$3,897).

Is the 1.42 worth the extra money?

Should I put the money toward a larger display instead?

Other than Final Cut Pro, I don't plan on purchasing additional software right away. After I become somewhat comfortable on FCP, then I'll see what else I want. Is that a good idea, or is there software out there that I'll want to own immediately?

Thanks for your answers and any other advice you'd care to offer above and beyond what I've asked.

Richard Alvarez · February 26th, 2003, 06:17 PM

Lots of ways to go here... and I am sure you'll get lots of opinions. Since you've made up your mind on the software and cpu, my recomendation is more storage... You can't have too much.

After that, since you own a camera, then I suggest a good mike or two. A shotgun and a pair of lavs maybe. Not sure about the trv25 though, it might be a waste of money.

Lights are always good. A simple light kit will go a long way in helping to get the shots you want.

Lights, Camera, Action(editing).

Your'e ready to roll.

(Or just send me the money... I'll spend it)

Bill

Rhett Allen · February 26th, 2003, 08:41 PM

The Dual 1.4 is definately worth the extra money because of the cache differences, unless you buy the OLDER OS 9 version of the 1.25 then it is the same. Other than that I would scrap the warranty (I have never had much luck with AppleCare) and get more storage (at least at some point) and a 20" Cinema Display instead of the 17". As for extra app's try out the Adobe digital Video Collection which will include Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and a copy of Premier for the shelf (it is cheaper to buy the set and trash Premier than to buy them seperately).
If you are using strictly DV and just starting out you might even look into FCExpress, it will save you a bundle up front and you will most likely not miss the differences for a while.

Should make a nice setup though.

Ken Tanaka · February 27th, 2003, 12:23 PM

Hello Felix,
This thread will be of interest to you.

Patrick McLoad · March 1st, 2003, 09:24 PM

Hello all.

I'm having a problem with continuing a dissolve over several edits. FCP doesn't allow me to go past the first edit. I guess the definition of a dissolve is a transition from one clip to the next. However, What I'm trying to do is to fade in a series of cuts over a period of 10 seconds...guess you might call it a ramped superimposition.

The beats in the music are about 2 seconds apart, however there is a high strings sound that lasts for about 10 seconds. I want my dissolve to last until the high string sound fades out (and the sequence of 2 second edits slowly fades in).

I thought of trying to save the 5 or so edits as a separate sequence, but I can't seem to do that. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

And one other issue: since I'm dealing with hundreds of little 5 second takes, it would be nice if FCP could somehow make a mark by the takes I've used and those I have not, or, some sort of warning that I've used that edit elsewhere.

Thanks! I am having an absolute BALL on FCP!!

Regards,
Patrick in Houston

PS: FCP 3; G4 w/superdrive; 4x36 array; CineWave; Studio and Cinema displays; Photoshop and AfterEffects; component in from BetaSP deck. Camera: BVP-550 w/BVV5 deck

Jeff Donald · March 1st, 2003, 09:35 PM

You'll need to nest your clips. At the end of this thread I list the steps to nest clips. Then apply your dissolve.

Patrick McLoad · March 1st, 2003, 09:40 PM

Thanks Jeff, I'll give it a try. I appreciate the quick reply.

Patrick

Matt Stahley · March 2nd, 2003, 08:41 PM

I want to replace the hard drive in a iMac DV500 SE. What files/folders can i copy to an external drive to restore my system back to the way it is now? i am currently running 10.2.4 on this mac without OS 9 installed. Is this even possible to do? i assume i can boot from the Jaguar disc once the new drive is installed? any help or links is greatly appreciated.

Matt

Rik Sanchez · March 2nd, 2003, 09:12 PM

Matt,
just copy the system folder to your external drive. It holds your OS and also all your preferences, so by keeping that you can keep all your original settings.

If you restarted using the Jaguar disk, you would have to re-install the OS and you would lose settings you had. Be sure to copy the programs as well so you don't have to reinstall them. How big is your current hard drive and how much space on your external drive do you have. If you have the space on your external drive, you can also just drag your iMac hard drive icon onto your external hard drive and copy your whole system, then drop that copy back onto your newly installed drive and you will have your original setup.

How did you get only Jaguar on your computer, I didn't know it was possible to run a Mac with OS X without having OS 9 Classic on there.

here's a link to a discussion on the mac site on changing an iMac's hard drive:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/We...p.2@.f02e325/0

going to the Apple site under the support section, you can look for info on your iMac.

here's a link to the iMac service manual they were talking about on the link from above:

http://home.wanadoo.nl/manual.man/manuals.html

hope this helps.

Jeff Donald · March 2nd, 2003, 09:59 PM

Or you can copy your whole drive with Carbon Copy Cloner. It's a $5 shareware program that you can get at Version Tracker.

Vic Owen · March 2nd, 2003, 10:27 PM

Here's an update on this issue:

I recently imported about an hours worth of clips from a FW drive that I'd used with the Firestore -- on the longer clips, I saw the fractional audio times (e.g., 48.002 KHz) in the FCP Browser window. It appears that SAM was working.

Today, I captured 50 minutes of clips by playing the DV tapes in my AG-DV2000. All clips, even the longer ones, were exactly 48.0 KHz.

In both cases, the clips were recorded with my XL-1.

Figure this one out!

Adrian Seah · March 3rd, 2003, 08:48 AM

I think what you need to do is to either nest the sequence or to put the slow ramp clip on the layer above, this way, you can have the clip come in slowly while the clips below dissolve one after the other...

Adrian

Patrick McLoad · March 3rd, 2003, 12:17 PM

Adrian: Nesting the segment of clips did the trick. I placed them in the track above the long out going clip. After I initiated a dissolve on the nest, I drug the duration of the dissolve way over to where I wanted it to end. Worked like a charm!

Obviously, I have yet to play around with nesting to any extent. What was way cool was that any changes I made in the nested sequence were automatically made on that nested sequence in the time line.

Thanks for the reply!

Patrick

February 25th, 2003, 10:12 PM	#166
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	What OS are you using OS 9.x.x or OS 10.x.x? Make sure that neither dimension is over 4000 pixels. Blank layers will give that error message also. Since you working with layers that is probably what is causing the error message. As Ken states hard drives have no bearing on system memory. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

February 26th, 2003, 05:50 AM	#167
Felix Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Auckland, NZ. Posts: 60	Ibook for FCP Hi there, I know the Ibook 800 will not be able to do the RT for FCP, but is it similar to Premiere where you can render a work area? I don't know anything about FCP, but am on a tight budget and want to see what all my options are.

February 26th, 2003, 05:18 PM	#168
Philip Boyer Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Carrollton, Texas Posts: 141	Help Me Spend $5,000 I'm new to digital video and own no equipment, other than my Sony TRV25. My plan is to acquire the equipment in steps, computer first. Mainly, I'll be shooting my own screenplays (shorts and features). Though I haven't made the purchase yet, I've pretty much decided to get a G4. The question is which one. On the Apple website, I priced a dual 1.25GHz and a dual 1.42GHz. Initially, there's a $700 difference ($1,999/$2,699). When I configure them both with a warranty, a super drive, 1 gig of RAM, a 120 gig harddrive, and a 17' studio display, the price difference drops to $300 ($3,597/$3,897). Is the 1.42 worth the extra money? Should I put the money toward a larger display instead? Other than Final Cut Pro, I don't plan on purchasing additional software right away. After I become somewhat comfortable on FCP, then I'll see what else I want. Is that a good idea, or is there software out there that I'll want to own immediately? Thanks for your answers and any other advice you'd care to offer above and beyond what I've asked. __________________ Philip Boyer

February 27th, 2003, 12:23 PM	#171
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Hello Felix, This thread will be of interest to you. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

March 1st, 2003, 09:24 PM	#172
Patrick McLoad Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 52	How Do I dissolve over multiple cuts? Hello all. I'm having a problem with continuing a dissolve over several edits. FCP doesn't allow me to go past the first edit. I guess the definition of a dissolve is a transition from one clip to the next. However, What I'm trying to do is to fade in a series of cuts over a period of 10 seconds...guess you might call it a ramped superimposition. The beats in the music are about 2 seconds apart, however there is a high strings sound that lasts for about 10 seconds. I want my dissolve to last until the high string sound fades out (and the sequence of 2 second edits slowly fades in). I thought of trying to save the 5 or so edits as a separate sequence, but I can't seem to do that. Can anyone point me in the right direction? And one other issue: since I'm dealing with hundreds of little 5 second takes, it would be nice if FCP could somehow make a mark by the takes I've used and those I have not, or, some sort of warning that I've used that edit elsewhere. Thanks! I am having an absolute BALL on FCP!! Regards, Patrick in Houston PS: FCP 3; G4 w/superdrive; 4x36 array; CineWave; Studio and Cinema displays; Photoshop and AfterEffects; component in from BetaSP deck. Camera: BVP-550 w/BVV5 deck

February 26th, 2003, 06:17 PM	#169
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Lots of ways to go here... and I am sure you'll get lots of opinions. Since you've made up your mind on the software and cpu, my recomendation is more storage... You can't have too much. After that, since you own a camera, then I suggest a good mike or two. A shotgun and a pair of lavs maybe. Not sure about the trv25 though, it might be a waste of money. Lights are always good. A simple light kit will go a long way in helping to get the shots you want. Lights, Camera, Action(editing). Your'e ready to roll. (Or just send me the money... I'll spend it) Bill

February 26th, 2003, 08:41 PM	#170
Rhett Allen Major Player Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 607	The Dual 1.4 is definately worth the extra money because of the cache differences, unless you buy the OLDER OS 9 version of the 1.25 then it is the same. Other than that I would scrap the warranty (I have never had much luck with AppleCare) and get more storage (at least at some point) and a 20" Cinema Display instead of the 17". As for extra app's try out the Adobe digital Video Collection which will include Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and a copy of Premier for the shelf (it is cheaper to buy the set and trash Premier than to buy them seperately). If you are using strictly DV and just starting out you might even look into FCExpress, it will save you a bundle up front and you will most likely not miss the differences for a while. Should make a nice setup though.

March 1st, 2003, 09:35 PM	#173
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	You'll need to nest your clips. At the end of this thread I list the steps to nest clips. Then apply your dissolve. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 1st, 2003, 09:40 PM	#174
Patrick McLoad Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 52	Thanks Jeff, I'll give it a try. I appreciate the quick reply. Patrick

March 2nd, 2003, 08:41 PM	#175
Matt Stahley Major Player Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Waynesboro, PA Posts: 648	OSX help I want to replace the hard drive in a iMac DV500 SE. What files/folders can i copy to an external drive to restore my system back to the way it is now? i am currently running 10.2.4 on this mac without OS 9 installed. Is this even possible to do? i assume i can boot from the Jaguar disc once the new drive is installed? any help or links is greatly appreciated. Matt

March 2nd, 2003, 09:12 PM	#176
Rik Sanchez ChorizoSmells Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Osaka, Japan Posts: 424	Matt, just copy the system folder to your external drive. It holds your OS and also all your preferences, so by keeping that you can keep all your original settings. If you restarted using the Jaguar disk, you would have to re-install the OS and you would lose settings you had. Be sure to copy the programs as well so you don't have to reinstall them. How big is your current hard drive and how much space on your external drive do you have. If you have the space on your external drive, you can also just drag your iMac hard drive icon onto your external hard drive and copy your whole system, then drop that copy back onto your newly installed drive and you will have your original setup. How did you get only Jaguar on your computer, I didn't know it was possible to run a Mac with OS X without having OS 9 Classic on there. here's a link to a discussion on the mac site on changing an iMac's hard drive: http://discussions.info.apple.com/We...p.2@.f02e325/0 going to the Apple site under the support section, you can look for info on your iMac. here's a link to the iMac service manual they were talking about on the link from above: http://home.wanadoo.nl/manual.man/manuals.html hope this helps. __________________ ChorizoSmells Video Barrio Tamatsukuri, Osaka, JAPAN

March 2nd, 2003, 09:59 PM	#177
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	Or you can copy your whole drive with Carbon Copy Cloner. It's a $5 shareware program that you can get at Version Tracker. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

March 2nd, 2003, 10:27 PM	#178
Vic Owen Major Player Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 540	Here's an update on this issue: I recently imported about an hours worth of clips from a FW drive that I'd used with the Firestore -- on the longer clips, I saw the fractional audio times (e.g., 48.002 KHz) in the FCP Browser window. It appears that SAM was working. Today, I captured 50 minutes of clips by playing the DV tapes in my AG-DV2000. All clips, even the longer ones, were exactly 48.0 KHz. In both cases, the clips were recorded with my XL-1. Figure this one out! __________________ -- Vic Owen --

March 3rd, 2003, 08:48 AM	#179
Adrian Seah Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: London, England Posts: 87	I think what you need to do is to either nest the sequence or to put the slow ramp clip on the layer above, this way, you can have the clip come in slowly while the clips below dissolve one after the other... Adrian

March 3rd, 2003, 12:17 PM	#180
Patrick McLoad Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 52	Adrian: Nesting the segment of clips did the trick. I placed them in the track above the long out going clip. After I initiated a dissolve on the nest, I drug the duration of the dissolve way over to where I wanted it to end. Worked like a charm! Obviously, I have yet to play around with nesting to any extent. What was way cool was that any changes I made in the nested sequence were automatically made on that nested sequence in the time line. Thanks for the reply! Patrick