NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2004

Jeff Price · April 30th, 2004, 09:22 AM

Yes, but this adaptor will allow you to theoretically go straight through to an NTSC monitor rather than to a CRT by-passing the firewire through the camera/deck option and freeing up firewire bandwidth for drives.

Patricia Kim · April 30th, 2004, 03:16 PM

Okay, since nobody wants to put a toe in the water first, let the amateur stick her neck out. Bookmark macfixit.com if you haven't already done so and visit regularly to check out what kinds of problems people are reporting and fixes. Make sure you format your firewire drives for Mac usage - or buy the ones that are preformatted for Macs. When you can't get an answer here - and the answers here are usually better because people don't distract you as much trying to interject their own problems into the thread - don't forget Apple has support/discussion fora for hardware and Apple software. So probably you knew all that already, but hey...

Dean Sensui · April 30th, 2004, 03:32 PM

I'd highly recommend setting up a striped RAID for storage. Check out barefeats.com for comprehensive reports on hard drives and cards.

I was doing some research into what it would take to do HD on a G5 (I have a G4 right now) and this is what I would do for a hard drive setup:

Two 250GB Hitachi/IBM Deskstar 7K250 7200RPM SATA/150 HD with 8MB Data Buffer.
$480 ($240 each)

FirmTek SeriTek/1S2 Serial ATA/150 Dual Channel Mac PCI Controller - Use Serial ATA (SATA) drives in any PowerMac with an available PCI Slot.
$64.

This would give you 500 gigabytes of storage, and it would be inside the G5's case, eliminating the need for any external firewire cases or power supplies. It's also very, very fast. About 111 to 120 megabytes/second sustained read/write.

Half a terabyte of fast storage for just over $500. Not bad!

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Dean Sensui · April 30th, 2004, 04:10 PM

I saw the demo at the announcement at NAB in Las Vegas. It was very impressive.

Had 4 streams of HD video (one full-screen with three more scaled down at 1080i) running simultaneously with a keyframed gausian blur on the main image. It all ran without a hitch. And it could be mastered to tape without rendering.

I ordered the upgrade for my old v1.2. I'm editing on Media 100 but am now seriously considering making a change by next year.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Travis Cossel · May 1st, 2004, 04:30 PM

I need to make a mask in Photoshop that I can use on some video in FCP. So far I've been trying to use the 'Image Mask' filter under 'Video Filters' in the 'Matte' folder. I import my image, drag it from the bin to the 'clip box' in the filter's dialog, and select 'Alpha' for the masking (as opposed to 'Luminance'). However, I get nothing.

I have a feeling I'm creating the mask in Photoshop improperly. So my question, then, is how do I go about creating a mask image in Photoshop? Also, what is the best filter for applying this mask in FCP (without 3rd party plugins).

Thanks!!!

Alfred Okocha · May 2nd, 2004, 10:03 AM

Never heard of firewire on dvdplayers before.. Did a search and only found a Denon that claimed it was for audio only..

Where do you find these DVD players.

Chris Korrow · May 2nd, 2004, 10:13 AM

Hey Kevin,

Thanks, that's what I thought, though I hate to just throw out the 256mb memory. How can I find out if I can add more than the specified memory?
It's wierd in "About this computer" it says that one slot has 256mm one has 512 and one is unused, but it's suppose to have only 2 slots and that's what tech support says though they cant (or wont) tell me why it says that there is another slot that is showing up as "unused".

Chris

Boyd Ostroff · May 2nd, 2004, 11:48 AM

There are quite a few models from all the major manufacturers, but not PLAYERS, they're RECORDERS. The consumer models only have firewire in. They offer device control through firewire out, but no video stream. I have the Sony RDR-GX7

Boyd Ostroff · May 2nd, 2004, 11:52 AM

<<<-- Originally posted by Kevin Burnfield : My older G4 says it can only handle something like 768 but it holds a gig of memory. -->>>

I suspect this is due to the fact that larger DIMM's have become available and the spec was written in consideration of the largest module that was available when your machine was introduced.

Therese Kim · May 2nd, 2004, 06:45 PM

HELP!!!

I'm submitting a short film for a screening at a theater, and my deadline is tomorrow afternoon ....

I have a sequence of the film in Premiere Pro, and saved it as a .mov Quicktime file to import it into Final Cut Pro. In Premiere, the Project Settings and Export Movie settings both are set at 16:9, anamorphic, 720 x 480.

When i play the file on my PC, it plays back as it should. But when I import the file into Final Cut, it squeezes back up, leaving black bars at the left and right -- even though it's been rendered.

People are telling me that the problem is in Premiere -- that there must be other settings i'm missing that's changing the 720x480 settings to the standard one -- but i can't see where that might be ...

Does anyone know what the problem might be?

Thank you!

Boyd Ostroff · May 2nd, 2004, 07:54 PM

Check your FCP sequence settings, they need to be anamorphic. But from what you describe (black bars left and right) it sounds like they are correct. So probably the clip itself needs to be flagged as anamorphic. Select your .mov file in the browser (or drag it there if you have not already done so) then go to Edit > Item Properties. Check the anamorphic box.

Note that you need to do this BEFORE you drag the clip to the timeline. Now since this question came up before I just tried a little experiment: if you want to fix a clip that's already in the timeline you can double click it to open in the viewer. Go to the distort property on the motion tab and note that the aspect ratio should be .33. Change this value to 0 and the clip will be properly stretched horizontally.

Hope this helps, good luck with the deadline.

Therese Kim · May 3rd, 2004, 09:32 AM

Thank you, Boyd ... I'll try your suggestions today!
Teresa

Bryan Adamez · May 3rd, 2004, 02:15 PM

Does the problem only happen when you are sending video to your cam deck from home? you may just have dirty heads on your camera. Run a cleaner tape through it and see if your results change.

Sharon Lawler · May 4th, 2004, 07:25 AM

Hello! I am certain I just don't have things configured correctly, and am seeking help!!! I want to be able to digitize from a VHS deck. I have a Sony Media Converter, a VHS deck, an NTSC monitor, and a G4 with FCP 4.0.

Which cables go into what inputs/outputs to be able to digitize and see my VHS video through my NTSC monitor (has an A/B switch)?

Do I choose non-controllable device when I'm digitizing, and no time code?

Please help if you have a similar setup or know the answers to my questions.

Also, unrelated...am trying to join the DC Final Cut Pro Users Group, but have not been able to get any response from Abba Shapiro on when/where they meet....anyone got any thoughts/answers on this?

Sharon Lawler
www.picturethisvideo.net

Therese Kim · May 4th, 2004, 10:52 AM

Thanks, Boyd! You are right about the FCP anamorphic setting -- it did the trick.

April 30th, 2004, 09:22 AM	#571
Jeff Price Major Player Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Chico, California Posts: 357	Yes, but this adaptor will allow you to theoretically go straight through to an NTSC monitor rather than to a CRT by-passing the firewire through the camera/deck option and freeing up firewire bandwidth for drives. __________________ Jeff Price Flickerflix Nature Videos flickerflix@yahoo.com

April 30th, 2004, 04:10 PM	#574
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	I saw the demo at the announcement at NAB in Las Vegas. It was very impressive. Had 4 streams of HD video (one full-screen with three more scaled down at 1080i) running simultaneously with a keyframed gausian blur on the main image. It all ran without a hitch. And it could be mastered to tape without rendering. I ordered the upgrade for my old v1.2. I'm editing on Media 100 but am now seriously considering making a change by next year. Dean Sensui Base Two Productions __________________ Dean Sensui Exec Producer, Hawaii Goes Fishing

May 1st, 2004, 04:30 PM	#575
Travis Cossel Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 2,933	Making Photoshop masks for FCP? I need to make a mask in Photoshop that I can use on some video in FCP. So far I've been trying to use the 'Image Mask' filter under 'Video Filters' in the 'Matte' folder. I import my image, drag it from the bin to the 'clip box' in the filter's dialog, and select 'Alpha' for the masking (as opposed to 'Luminance'). However, I get nothing. I have a feeling I'm creating the mask in Photoshop improperly. So my question, then, is how do I go about creating a mask image in Photoshop? Also, what is the best filter for applying this mask in FCP (without 3rd party plugins). Thanks!!! __________________ Black Label Films www.blacklabelweddingfilms.com

May 2nd, 2004, 06:45 PM	#580
Therese Kim New Boot Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 7	EMERGENCY \| 720x480 Anamorphic in Final Cut Pro HELP!!! I'm submitting a short film for a screening at a theater, and my deadline is tomorrow afternoon .... I have a sequence of the film in Premiere Pro, and saved it as a .mov Quicktime file to import it into Final Cut Pro. In Premiere, the Project Settings and Export Movie settings both are set at 16:9, anamorphic, 720 x 480. When i play the file on my PC, it plays back as it should. But when I import the file into Final Cut, it squeezes back up, leaving black bars at the left and right -- even though it's been rendered. People are telling me that the problem is in Premiere -- that there must be other settings i'm missing that's changing the 720x480 settings to the standard one -- but i can't see where that might be ... Does anyone know what the problem might be? Thank you!

May 3rd, 2004, 02:15 PM	#583
Bryan Adamez New Boot Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Hagerstown, Maryland Posts: 19	Does the problem only happen when you are sending video to your cam deck from home? you may just have dirty heads on your camera. Run a cleaner tape through it and see if your results change. __________________ -Bryan

April 30th, 2004, 03:16 PM	#572
Patricia Kim Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 453	Okay, since nobody wants to put a toe in the water first, let the amateur stick her neck out. Bookmark macfixit.com if you haven't already done so and visit regularly to check out what kinds of problems people are reporting and fixes. Make sure you format your firewire drives for Mac usage - or buy the ones that are preformatted for Macs. When you can't get an answer here - and the answers here are usually better because people don't distract you as much trying to interject their own problems into the thread - don't forget Apple has support/discussion fora for hardware and Apple software. So probably you knew all that already, but hey...

April 30th, 2004, 03:32 PM	#573
Dean Sensui Inner Circle Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 2,054	I'd highly recommend setting up a striped RAID for storage. Check out barefeats.com for comprehensive reports on hard drives and cards. I was doing some research into what it would take to do HD on a G5 (I have a G4 right now) and this is what I would do for a hard drive setup: Two 250GB Hitachi/IBM Deskstar 7K250 7200RPM SATA/150 HD with 8MB Data Buffer. $480 ($240 each) FirmTek SeriTek/1S2 Serial ATA/150 Dual Channel Mac PCI Controller - Use Serial ATA (SATA) drives in any PowerMac with an available PCI Slot. $64. This would give you 500 gigabytes of storage, and it would be inside the G5's case, eliminating the need for any external firewire cases or power supplies. It's also very, very fast. About 111 to 120 megabytes/second sustained read/write. Half a terabyte of fast storage for just over $500. Not bad! Dean Sensui Base Two Productions

May 2nd, 2004, 10:03 AM	#576
Alfred Okocha Major Player Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: London Posts: 427	Never heard of firewire on dvdplayers before.. Did a search and only found a Denon that claimed it was for audio only.. Where do you find these DVD players.

May 2nd, 2004, 10:13 AM	#577
Chris Korrow Major Player Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Whidbey Is, WA Posts: 326	Hey Kevin, Thanks, that's what I thought, though I hate to just throw out the 256mb memory. How can I find out if I can add more than the specified memory? It's wierd in "About this computer" it says that one slot has 256mm one has 512 and one is unused, but it's suppose to have only 2 slots and that's what tech support says though they cant (or wont) tell me why it says that there is another slot that is showing up as "unused". Chris

May 2nd, 2004, 11:48 AM	#578
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	There are quite a few models from all the major manufacturers, but not PLAYERS, they're RECORDERS. The consumer models only have firewire in. They offer device control through firewire out, but no video stream. I have the Sony RDR-GX7

May 2nd, 2004, 11:52 AM	#579
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	<<<-- Originally posted by Kevin Burnfield : My older G4 says it can only handle something like 768 but it holds a gig of memory. -->>> I suspect this is due to the fact that larger DIMM's have become available and the spec was written in consideration of the largest module that was available when your machine was introduced.

May 2nd, 2004, 07:54 PM	#581
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,802	Check your FCP sequence settings, they need to be anamorphic. But from what you describe (black bars left and right) it sounds like they are correct. So probably the clip itself needs to be flagged as anamorphic. Select your .mov file in the browser (or drag it there if you have not already done so) then go to Edit > Item Properties. Check the anamorphic box. Note that you need to do this BEFORE you drag the clip to the timeline. Now since this question came up before I just tried a little experiment: if you want to fix a clip that's already in the timeline you can double click it to open in the viewer. Go to the distort property on the motion tab and note that the aspect ratio should be .33. Change this value to 0 and the clip will be properly stretched horizontally. Hope this helps, good luck with the deadline.

May 3rd, 2004, 09:32 AM	#582
Therese Kim New Boot Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 7	Thank you, Boyd ... I'll try your suggestions today! Teresa

May 4th, 2004, 07:25 AM	#584
Sharon Lawler Regular Crew Join Date: May 2004 Location: Fairfax, VA Posts: 31	VHS/FCP setup Hello! I am certain I just don't have things configured correctly, and am seeking help!!! I want to be able to digitize from a VHS deck. I have a Sony Media Converter, a VHS deck, an NTSC monitor, and a G4 with FCP 4.0. Which cables go into what inputs/outputs to be able to digitize and see my VHS video through my NTSC monitor (has an A/B switch)? Do I choose non-controllable device when I'm digitizing, and no time code? Please help if you have a similar setup or know the answers to my questions. Also, unrelated...am trying to join the DC Final Cut Pro Users Group, but have not been able to get any response from Abba Shapiro on when/where they meet....anyone got any thoughts/answers on this? Sharon Lawler www.picturethisvideo.net __________________ Sharon Lawler Visit www.picturethisvideo.net for rates and availability!

May 4th, 2004, 10:52 AM	#585
Therese Kim New Boot Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 7	Thanks, Boyd! You are right about the FCP anamorphic setting -- it did the trick.