NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2004

Glenn Chan · January 2nd, 2004, 02:07 PM

The motion controls render faster than the widescreen filter. Use the widescreen filter as a guide to get the right numbers.

Jeff Price · January 2nd, 2004, 03:46 PM

Right, but it came out before FCP 4 so there needed to be some work to allow FCE features to better match FCP features. Also, any .0. especially 1.0 software is bound to have some key missing features (that they didn't know were missing 'til people complained!).

I'm actually more curious what iDVD 4 will bring (VBR encoding?), as well as iPhoto 3 (better album control?). From what I've heard about iMovie 3.5 it isn't a great deal different but they would need to do something in order to keep it compatible with FCE.

Of course, Chris is right. In an earlier thread he pointed out that those under a NDA won't say and those that say don't know. Having done beta-testing I know that isn't entirely true but it mostly is.

Heath McKnight · January 2nd, 2004, 11:21 PM

I'm moving towards a nice online FCP set-up, but I'm trying to figure out storage right now.

A friend going HD soon (now editing SD) recommends Huge Systems.

Medea?

XServe?

Thanks,

heath

Justin Morgan · January 3rd, 2004, 12:07 PM

So does cropping give the same results as using the filter? The final film is to be viewed on television (via DVD).

If so, does anyone happen to have the numbers for 1.78:1 (16:9)?

Justin Morgan · January 3rd, 2004, 12:11 PM

Hopefully there'll be a free download to upgrade from 1.1 to 2 - won't there... :(

John Locke · January 3rd, 2004, 12:18 PM

Rob Lohman has a page that'll answer your question. You can find it here.

Nicholi Brossia · January 3rd, 2004, 02:25 PM

Macrumors (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/...01012408.shtml) reports that the upgrade to version 2 will cost $99.99. That seems a bit high to me considering the original just came out less than a year ago and the full version only costs $299.99. Either way, I'm curious to see the upgrades.

Ted Springer · January 4th, 2004, 03:58 AM

Compressor is broken for me. Version 1.1 along with Final Cut Pro 4.0. But I am using Compressor as a stand alone program (or attempting to). Quicktime 6.5, by the way. Oh! Almost forgot: Dual 1Ghz G4 with the mirrored drive doors. It's got 1GB of Samsung RAM straight from Apple. Also if this matters I removed the mirrored drive doors so I can eject the disc trays whenever I want, just like a PC. Whooops!... You'll need this info as well: Mac OS X 10.2.8. And don't forget, I'm 30 years old and I am still version 1.0. I'm sure all of these things combine to form this glitch. Sorry if all that wasn't enough info. :)

Anyway when I press "Submit" in Compressor, it says "Cannot Connect to Background Process". If I try to use a Droplet, the Submit button is greyed out. What is a background process? Should I kick my computer? That usually helps with other things. :)

Glenn Chan · January 4th, 2004, 12:15 PM

Try searching the knowledge base at Apple. I'm sure this is a common problem. The knowledge base is a great resource if you are getting a unique error message.

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93234 <-- I think I found it in like 20 seconds.

Corey Cook · January 4th, 2004, 08:27 PM

Thanks for the help!

I've reinstalled all of the software on the same hard drive, and it works!

Thanks,

C. Cook

Torrey C. Harris · January 4th, 2004, 09:43 PM

you said you were considering go with a real nice final cut sys. I'm thinking about that to. I was wondering exactly what would that system consist of, AJA IO or cine wave rt or Auora Ignigter. Just wondering

Torrey C. Harris

Glenn Chan · January 4th, 2004, 09:58 PM

The cinewave I believe is the only card that gives meaningful real-time acceleration.

The other cards have their own codecs which can reduce storage needs. They are online codecs in the sense that they are (virtually) lossless at low compression ratios. see codecs.onerivermedia.net.

I don't have any experience with setting up online systems so take that info with a grain of salt.

Joshua Kopple · January 5th, 2004, 01:03 AM

Thanks for the help so far guys but a few questions left...

I am dealing with about 100 photos all about 2272 x 1704 resolution. They were given to me that way. For the time being, I decided to do any panning/zooming in FCP3 because I've found it easier to cut it to music that way...(so far, in AE5.5 I have found that I can import audio but that it doesn't play unless I specifically go to Composition->Preview->Audio and then only the audio plays, not the visuals along with it).

Here's my problem:

Even with their high resolution, when I bring these .jpgs into the viewer, their quality drops just a tiny bit but its noticeable. When I drag them into the timeline/Canvas, the quality becomes even worse.

Whether or not I render them in the timeline, it doesn't seem to matter. The pictures just look terrible.

I thought it might be that they're in .jpg format (compressed) so I tried one as a .tiff but that didn't help. Is this an issue of adjusting the resolution to be proportional to 720x480?

Please help; until this is fixed, I cannot finished my project.

In case you need to know, I'm running on a dual 1.42ghz g4 mac with 1 gig of RAM, a 160 gig Media HD (unpartitioned but solely for media with the 80 gig stock for OSX and software installs) and FCP 3.0.4.

Thanks,

Joshua

Jeff Donald · January 5th, 2004, 06:57 AM

You will want to look at this tutorial and this site in general. There are plenty of tips and tricks you may find helpful in your project.

Heath McKnight · January 5th, 2004, 01:00 PM

I've used CineWave in both Mac and PC and found them to be basically garbage. We have to constantly re-start the cards, fix settings, etc. It's such a nightmare compared to even AJA Kona SD cards, which I've really never had problems with.

heath

January 2nd, 2004, 03:46 PM	#32
Jeff Price Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Chico, California Posts: 357	Right, but it came out before FCP 4 so there needed to be some work to allow FCE features to better match FCP features. Also, any .0. especially 1.0 software is bound to have some key missing features (that they didn't know were missing 'til people complained!). I'm actually more curious what iDVD 4 will bring (VBR encoding?), as well as iPhoto 3 (better album control?). From what I've heard about iMovie 3.5 it isn't a great deal different but they would need to do something in order to keep it compatible with FCE. Of course, Chris is right. In an earlier thread he pointed out that those under a NDA won't say and those that say don't know. Having done beta-testing I know that isn't entirely true but it mostly is. __________________ Jeff Price Flickerflix Nature Videos flickerflix@yahoo.com

January 2nd, 2004, 11:21 PM	#33
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	Storage recommendations for SD and HD? I'm moving towards a nice online FCP set-up, but I'm trying to figure out storage right now. A friend going HD soon (now editing SD) recommends Huge Systems. Medea? XServe? Thanks, heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog

January 3rd, 2004, 12:18 PM	#36
John Locke Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Austin, TX USA Posts: 2,882	Rob Lohman has a page that'll answer your question. You can find it here. __________________ John Locke SursumFilms.com

January 3rd, 2004, 02:25 PM	#37
Nicholi Brossia Major Player Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 389	Macrumors (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2004/...01012408.shtml) reports that the upgrade to version 2 will cost $99.99. That seems a bit high to me considering the original just came out less than a year ago and the full version only costs $299.99. Either way, I'm curious to see the upgrades. __________________ Nicholi Brossia

January 4th, 2004, 03:58 AM	#38
Ted Springer Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Glendale CA Posts: 328	Compressor can't connect to "Background Process". Compressor is broken for me. Version 1.1 along with Final Cut Pro 4.0. But I am using Compressor as a stand alone program (or attempting to). Quicktime 6.5, by the way. Oh! Almost forgot: Dual 1Ghz G4 with the mirrored drive doors. It's got 1GB of Samsung RAM straight from Apple. Also if this matters I removed the mirrored drive doors so I can eject the disc trays whenever I want, just like a PC. Whooops!... You'll need this info as well: Mac OS X 10.2.8. And don't forget, I'm 30 years old and I am still version 1.0. I'm sure all of these things combine to form this glitch. Sorry if all that wasn't enough info. :) Anyway when I press "Submit" in Compressor, it says "Cannot Connect to Background Process". If I try to use a Droplet, the Submit button is greyed out. What is a background process? Should I kick my computer? That usually helps with other things. :)

January 2nd, 2004, 02:07 PM	#31
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	The motion controls render faster than the widescreen filter. Use the widescreen filter as a guide to get the right numbers.

January 3rd, 2004, 12:07 PM	#34
Justin Morgan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: London Posts: 189	So does cropping give the same results as using the filter? The final film is to be viewed on television (via DVD). If so, does anyone happen to have the numbers for 1.78:1 (16:9)?

January 3rd, 2004, 12:11 PM	#35
Justin Morgan Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: London Posts: 189	Hopefully there'll be a free download to upgrade from 1.1 to 2 - won't there... :(

January 4th, 2004, 12:15 PM	#39
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Try searching the knowledge base at Apple. I'm sure this is a common problem. The knowledge base is a great resource if you are getting a unique error message. http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93234 <-- I think I found it in like 20 seconds.

January 4th, 2004, 08:27 PM	#40
Corey Cook Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 51	Thanks for the help! I've reinstalled all of the software on the same hard drive, and it works! Thanks, C. Cook __________________ I Have Spoken.

January 4th, 2004, 09:43 PM	#41
Torrey C. Harris Major Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Holden,La Posts: 246	nice system you said you were considering go with a real nice final cut sys. I'm thinking about that to. I was wondering exactly what would that system consist of, AJA IO or cine wave rt or Auora Ignigter. Just wondering 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.

January 4th, 2004, 09:58 PM	#42
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	The cinewave I believe is the only card that gives meaningful real-time acceleration. The other cards have their own codecs which can reduce storage needs. They are online codecs in the sense that they are (virtually) lossless at low compression ratios. see codecs.onerivermedia.net. I don't have any experience with setting up online systems so take that info with a grain of salt.

January 5th, 2004, 01:03 AM	#43
Joshua Kopple Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 29	Still hoping for some help on photo resolution issues... Thanks for the help so far guys but a few questions left... I am dealing with about 100 photos all about 2272 x 1704 resolution. They were given to me that way. For the time being, I decided to do any panning/zooming in FCP3 because I've found it easier to cut it to music that way...(so far, in AE5.5 I have found that I can import audio but that it doesn't play unless I specifically go to Composition->Preview->Audio and then only the audio plays, not the visuals along with it). Here's my problem: Even with their high resolution, when I bring these .jpgs into the viewer, their quality drops just a tiny bit but its noticeable. When I drag them into the timeline/Canvas, the quality becomes even worse. Whether or not I render them in the timeline, it doesn't seem to matter. The pictures just look terrible. I thought it might be that they're in .jpg format (compressed) so I tried one as a .tiff but that didn't help. Is this an issue of adjusting the resolution to be proportional to 720x480? Please help; until this is fixed, I cannot finished my project. In case you need to know, I'm running on a dual 1.42ghz g4 mac with 1 gig of RAM, a 160 gig Media HD (unpartitioned but solely for media with the 80 gig stock for OSX and software installs) and FCP 3.0.4. Thanks, Joshua

January 5th, 2004, 06:57 AM	#44
Jeff Donald Warden Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Clearwater, FL Posts: 8,287	You will want to look at this tutorial and this site in general. There are plenty of tips and tricks you may find helpful in your project. __________________ Jeff Donald Carpe Diem Search DVinfo.net for quick answers \| Where to Buy? From the best in the business: DVinfo.net sponsors

January 5th, 2004, 01:00 PM	#45
Heath McKnight MPS Digital Studios Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Palm Beach County, Florida Posts: 8,531	I've used CineWave in both Mac and PC and found them to be basically garbage. We have to constantly re-start the cards, fix settings, etc. It's such a nightmare compared to even AJA Kona SD cards, which I've really never had problems with. heath __________________ My Final Cut Pro X blog