first time w/7d footage-i'm a little lost!

[Rob Katz]

i'm a producer who goes through the shoot footage and shapes it up before i bring it to my editors.

over the weekend, we shot a series of talking head interviews on a 7d.

it is my first time with a 7d.

the footage was shot 1080p/23.98fps

my camera person synched the clips and put them in fcp timelines and gave me hard drive.

i opened the fcp timelines and found the item properties stated: 1080p/23.98fps/h.264

i know that the cameraperson dragged the footage to a fcp timeline and fcp read the footage and created the proper settings.

but if i wanted to create a new sequence setting, what would i pick on the drop down menu for system setting?

there is no: 1080p/23.98fps/h.264

i'm a little lost as to what are my actual system settings?

i apologize in advance for the noobie-type question.

be well

rob
smalltalk productions

[Shaun Roemich]

Edit in ProRes 422.

[Robert Turchick]

Easiest would to duplicate the current sequence and clear it out. Then you know it's the right settings. But Shaun has a point, shouldn't be editing in DSLR native files. Need to transcode to pro res. Much faster to edit and render.

[R Geoff Baker]

I always use ProRes, and agree with the previous posters ... but that doesn't really answer your question: If you want to be sure to use the 'correct' settings in FCP7 just drag one of the clips to a new sequence and let FCP set the settings to match the clip. I expect that's what you've already got going on.

Cheers,
GB

[Rob Katz]

thanks all for taking the time to answer.

i am always willing to learn and this forum often provides insights born of experience and expertise rather than just opinion.

gb-

you are correct, i could drag the files to create a new sequence but i want to know the "settings" of that sequence.

if i look under "properties" i find 1080p/23.98fps/h.264.

but shaun and robert's point is i should go prores 422 (LT? or which flavor of prores 422/1080p/24) rather than "native" h264.

do i have it right?

thanks in advance.

be well

rob
smalltalk productions

[R Geoff Baker]

I use ProRes as it makes the process smooth and simple on all my Macs, even my older ones. Drive space is a non-issue at today's prices, but waiting for render is still a time waster ...

The five flavours of ProRes are just different bit rates, except for '4444' which adds an alpha channel -- other than that, it is 422 (HQ) at 220mbps, 422 at 145mbps, 422 (LT) at 100mbps and 422 (Proxy) at 30mbps. I've always used the '422' option at 145mbps.

Note that a typical conversion on a Mac uses QT -- but many would argue you are not getting the best results using that method. For an alternative that targets HDSLR shooters, see this page:
5DtoRGB by Rarevision
Still ProRes, but a better conversion program.

Cheers,
GB

[Les Wilson]

Originally Posted by Rob Katz

... i want to know the "settings" of that sequence.

if i look under "properties" i find 1080p/23.98fps/h.264....

It strikes me that maybe you are looking at the clip properties. You want to look at the sequence properties. Click the timeline and press command-0
See the attached for an example from a 5DM2.

[Rob Katz]

les-

i did exactly what you suggested from the timeline (command+0) and got the sequence properties.

the sequence properties were exactly the same as your attached thumbnail.

the sequence is

frame size: hdtv 1080i (16x9)
pixel aspect ratio: square
editing timebase: 23.98
quicktime video settings/compressor h.264

so where do i go from here?

how do i transcode this material into an form that lends itself to editing?

as my other link suggests: be gentle, this is my first time.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/final-cu...tage-fcp7.html

so please be very specific and offer step by step instructions.

(i apologize in advance for sounding like a dolt!)

thanks in advance.

be well

rob
smalltalk productions

[Daniel Epstein]

Rob,
My preference for editing Canon 7D footage in FCP is to use the Canon Plug in for EOS for FCP. This lets you see the footage in Log and transfer and it converts the footage to Prores on ingest. Very simple and does take time plus you need the extra hard drive space but the editing will be much smoother.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by R Geoff Baker

Note that a typical conversion on a Mac uses QT -- but many would argue you are not getting the best results using that method. For an alternative that targets HDSLR shooters, see this page:
5DtoRGB by Rarevision
Still ProRes, but a better conversion program.

When I tested 5DtoRGB it was painfully slow in transcoding (at least 5X longer than using MPEGStreamclip) & to my eye there was no discernible difference in quality.

[Nigel Barker]

Originally Posted by Daniel Epstein

Rob,
My preference for editing Canon 7D footage in FCP is to use the Canon Plug in for EOS for FCP. This lets you see the footage in Log and transfer and it converts the footage to Prores on ingest. Very simple and does take time plus you need the extra hard drive space but the editing will be much smoother.

This is something that I miss now that we have moved over to Premiere Pro as it is a really good opportunity to scrub through & review all the clips & then set in & out points so that only what is needed gets transcoded. Of course the advantage of Premiere Pro is that there is no need to transcode to ProRes at all as it handles native Canon DSLR video files with ease.