slow motion in fcp 4 at DVinfo.net

Torrey C. Harris · December 21st, 2003, 10:56 PM

does anybody know how to do slow motion within final cut pro 4?

Torrey C. Harris

Ted Springer · December 21st, 2003, 11:05 PM

Highlight the clip on the timeline and then go to MODIFY> SPEED. The lower percentage, the slower it will go. Play around with the blend frames to see what works best.

Boyd Ostroff · December 22nd, 2003, 09:24 AM

Do a search, there has been plenty of discussion and the principles should be the same regardless of software.

I recently did quite a bit and found the following worked best for me:

1. shoot normal 60i so that you get the most temporal data
2. slow down as desired in FCP, enabling frame blending
3. render and export to a new file
4. deinterlace with either a plug in or separate program

Step 4 is optional of course, depending on whether you like that sort of look...

Dan Bohman · December 30th, 2003, 12:12 PM

if i shot the majority of my film in canon's frame mode, and then shot the slowmo sequences in 60i, would it have a consistent look - framewise - to leave the slowed footage interlaced (skip step 4) or to deinterlace with something like AE?

Ted Springer · December 30th, 2003, 10:16 PM

Kind of. Remember it is deinterlacing and giving each field a whole frame to display, so it may look a wee bit goofy compared to normal frame mode. I'd suggest this:

Take your XL1 and shoot 10 seconds of footage with something moving or perhaps a camera pan. Shoot the same thing again in 60i and then slow it down. Do you like what you see? Let us know.

Boyd Ostroff · December 30th, 2003, 11:28 PM

Ted, if you use an adaptive deinterlacing program or plug in the results should actually be very good. These programs don't simply discard a field, but construct 30p frames using an algorithm which treats static and moving parts of the image differently to obtain the best resolution. Do a search here on deinterlacing. On the Mac I'd suggest looking at Joe's Filters and DVfilm Maker.

However I do agree with you that it would be wise to do some comparisons and see what you think. Happily, both of these programs have fully functional free demo versions.

Dan Bohman · January 9th, 2004, 04:25 AM

thanks for the replies. i appreciate the help. i will try you idea of testing (nerrr....how simple, the things we overlook) and see what i like better. Boyd, would you be a pal and give an example of an "adaptive deinterlacing program"? i am a bit lost there. is the deinterlace filter in FCP4 adaptive? i assume it is not. and what is the downside to simple applying a slowmo effect to interlaced footage? thanks again, all.

Boyd Ostroff · January 9th, 2004, 09:18 AM

Deinterlaced video has a certain look to it. There has been extensive discussion on this topic around here. See some of the following for starters:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=16416
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=6275
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=3997
http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/filmlook/pappas1.php
http://www.100fps.com/
http://www.100fps.com/
http://www.race.com/dc/video/article.htm

December 21st, 2003, 10:56 PM	#1
Torrey C. Harris Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Holden,La Posts: 246	slow motion in fcp 4 does anybody know how to do slow motion within final cut pro 4? Torrey C. Harris __________________ Take a kid hunting or fishing and you won't have to hunt for him or her later on in life. The outdoors were created to enjoy not look at through a glass window.

December 30th, 2003, 12:12 PM	#4
Dan Bohman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Stafford, VA Posts: 8	if i shot the majority of my film in canon's frame mode, and then shot the slowmo sequences in 60i, would it have a consistent look - framewise - to leave the slowed footage interlaced (skip step 4) or to deinterlace with something like AE? __________________ dB. Cannon GL-2 Sennheisser k6: ME64, ME66 FCP4 on a G4 Life is one big gamble. You just have to choose your bets.

January 9th, 2004, 04:25 AM	#7
Dan Bohman New Boot Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Stafford, VA Posts: 8	thanks for the replies. i appreciate the help. i will try you idea of testing (nerrr....how simple, the things we overlook) and see what i like better. Boyd, would you be a pal and give an example of an "adaptive deinterlacing program"? i am a bit lost there. is the deinterlace filter in FCP4 adaptive? i assume it is not. and what is the downside to simple applying a slowmo effect to interlaced footage? thanks again, all. __________________ dB. Cannon GL-2 Sennheisser k6: ME64, ME66 FCP4 on a G4 Life is one big gamble. You just have to choose your bets.

December 21st, 2003, 11:05 PM	#2
Ted Springer Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Glendale CA Posts: 328	Highlight the clip on the timeline and then go to MODIFY> SPEED. The lower percentage, the slower it will go. Play around with the blend frames to see what works best.

December 22nd, 2003, 09:24 AM	#3
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,801	Do a search, there has been plenty of discussion and the principles should be the same regardless of software. I recently did quite a bit and found the following worked best for me: 1. shoot normal 60i so that you get the most temporal data 2. slow down as desired in FCP, enabling frame blending 3. render and export to a new file 4. deinterlace with either a plug in or separate program Step 4 is optional of course, depending on whether you like that sort of look...

December 30th, 2003, 10:16 PM	#5
Ted Springer Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Glendale CA Posts: 328	Kind of. Remember it is deinterlacing and giving each field a whole frame to display, so it may look a wee bit goofy compared to normal frame mode. I'd suggest this: Take your XL1 and shoot 10 seconds of footage with something moving or perhaps a camera pan. Shoot the same thing again in 60i and then slow it down. Do you like what you see? Let us know.

December 30th, 2003, 11:28 PM	#6
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,801	Ted, if you use an adaptive deinterlacing program or plug in the results should actually be very good. These programs don't simply discard a field, but construct 30p frames using an algorithm which treats static and moving parts of the image differently to obtain the best resolution. Do a search here on deinterlacing. On the Mac I'd suggest looking at Joe's Filters and DVfilm Maker. However I do agree with you that it would be wise to do some comparisons and see what you think. Happily, both of these programs have fully functional free demo versions.

January 9th, 2004, 09:18 AM	#8
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,801	Deinterlaced video has a certain look to it. There has been extensive discussion on this topic around here. See some of the following for starters: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=16416 http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=6275 http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...&threadid=3997 http://www.dvinfo.net/articles/filmlook/pappas1.php http://www.100fps.com/ http://www.100fps.com/ http://www.race.com/dc/video/article.htm