Hi all,
This may have a obvious answer but having no luck with searching so far? Just moved to FCP 10.3 from FC Express, the computer is a mid 2010 I Mac with 16gb Ram, Radeon 5670 card with 512 ram and a
Intel core i 3 processor. All media is stored on a Lacie Quadra 3TB external drive
I shoot with a Sony NX3 with the software update , the AVCHD footage plays fine on the camera and also from the camera to a monitor. But once imported the footage , especially objects moving across the screen , becomes choppy, sometimes quite noticeable. I have tried proxy and optimised files but no different and once exported the footage is still choppy.
I shoot a lot of railway stuff so trains moving across the screen are jittery and very annoying considering the camera quality. I have read a lot on AVCHD and choppy playback but as it is rewrapped on import that should resolve those issues??
Any suggestions most welcome! Or is the old Imac just not quick enough?

Cheers Gregg.

Hi Gregg,
If its the same thing as the footage out of my Canon c100, you need to point the NLE to progressive, as apparently AVCHD comes in telling the NLE it's interlaced.
I've edited in Final Cut and know how similar it is to Premiere I currently use... This is what I need do in Premiere : right-click on the clip in the monitor window> modify>footage set to no field, progressive.

Hope this helps
Gareth

Hi Gareth .
. Thanks for the reply. We do shoot in progressive down here , so that could be it? I tried clicking on the clip and going to modify but not the same I options come up? I will delve a little deeper tomorrow, its is getting late here.Will keep you posted

Thanks ,
Gregg .

Hi Gareth,
No luck I'm afraid. You go to project and in the viewer inspector, click on modify and you get the options as you say, It was already in progressive , so I changed it ti interlaced and back again but no luck.
The footage is fine until there is any movement of average speed?
Thanks for the suggestion, at least I learnt something..LOL
Cheers Gregg

Check you have the playback setting set to Better Quality rather than Better Performance.
This can be found in the View menu in the top right corner of the screen.

How did you import the files into FCPX? The fact that optimized files export choppy indicates that the footage is not importing correctly. Are you using the most recent version of FCPX? Are you letting Final Cut set the project settings or are you manually setting the format and frame rate? Do the files play OK in the browser?

Also have you tried playing the raw footage in QuickTime (if possible) or in VLC on the iMac? If the footage plays OK these ways then it's the settings in FCPX that are off. Apple says that your camera is supported so import should be simple.

Check you have the playback setting set to Better Quality rather than Better Performance.
This can be found in the View menu in the top right corner of the screen.

Hi Kevin,
Yes I have tried both settings, slightly better in "performance" but still a bit choppy on movement, but thank you for the suggestion!
Cheers Gregg.

How did you import the files into FCPX? The fact that optimized files export choppy indicates that the footage is not importing correctly. Are you using the most recent version of FCPX? Are you letting Final Cut set the project settings or are you manually setting the format and frame rate? Do the files play OK in the browser?

Also have you tried playing the raw footage in QuickTime (if possible) or in VLC on the iMac? If the footage plays OK these ways then it's the settings in FCPX that are off. Apple says that your camera is supported so import should be simple.

Hi William,
I have tried importing via the USB cable and off the SD card, same results either way. The files are choppy
when played in QT off the external drive and in the browser. It is the latest version, 3 weeks old and I let FCP choose the project settings which I have checked. The footage is smooth if you follow / pan a subject
but something moving across screen is jittery ? The import process is easy as you say and once optimized, editing is pretty quick. Funny thing is it also does the same thing in I movie on my 2011 Mac Book Pro? Could it be out of date graphics cards?
Regards Gregg

You haven't indicated what kind of speed the object is moving across the scene. In progressive mode is is advisable for it not to be greater than 7-8 seconds - this is an inherent problem with 24/25 frames per second.

Hi William,
I have tried importing via the USB cable and off the SD card, same results either way. The files are choppy
when played in QT off the external drive and in the browser. It is the latest version, 3 weeks old and I let FCP choose the project settings which I have checked. The footage is smooth if you follow / pan a subject
but something moving across screen is jittery ? The import process is easy as you say and once optimized, editing is pretty quick. Funny thing is it also does the same thing in I movie on my 2011 Mac Book Pro? Could it be out of date graphics cards?
Regards Gregg

Upload a brief instance of the problem to Vimeo so we can see.

Importing by USB or card isn't going to change anything. Out of date graphics cards will only affect real-time playback, rendered playback should be fine, especially in ProRes. I believe Mr. Addis is on to something.

If the unedited files are choppy when played back outside of FCPX then its your computer that's the issue. Most likely the video card can't keep up and is dropping frames. I also wouldn't recommend editing off an external drive. Commonly people allow fcpx to transcode to ProRes because it requires less processing power to playback compared to h264 a highly compressed codec that your camera records in. In addition you can lower the quality of the preview.

What's the context? When did this problem start?

Gregg,

I think you know we have the same camera, shoot the same AVCHD, edit with FCPX 10.3, and both use an iMac. I have not noticed any choppiness. My iMac is a mid-2011 with 16gb ram. I don't feel qualified to make an educated reply to your question, but my gut suspects and older Mac might be the issue.

Ross Hunter
Orange, VA

Hi Ross,
I did look at some of your videos and certainly no issue there, funny how it also has the same issue on my Mac Book, which is also late 2010? I am getting used to the programme and liking more!

Cheers Gregg.

You haven't indicated what kind of speed the object is moving across the scene. In progressive mode is is advisable for it not to be greater than 7-8 seconds - this is an inherent problem with 24/25 frames per second.

Hi Geoff,
It doesn't seem to matter but usually it would be quicker than 7 -8 seconds. I have tried shooting at 50 fps and it is no different? As William suggests ,I will upload a short clip(once I work out how) and see what you think.
Thanks for the reply.
Gregg

Upload a brief instance of the problem to Vimeo so we can see.

Importing by USB or card isn't going to change anything. Out of date graphics cards will only affect real-time playback, rendered playback should be fine, especially in ProRes. I believe Mr. Addis is on to something.

Hi William,
I will upload a short clip when I work out how! I really should have done that first but thought I was doing something wrong. Wondering now if it is a camera issue, but the files are perfect played in and from the camera?

Gregg.

William,
Here is the link to a brief clip until I upload one in Vimeo.

Westbound UP at Roseville Yard, Sacramento. - YouTube
Regards Gregg.

That looks very much like 24 fps progressive judder to me - that's why I prefer interlaced.

That looks very much like 24 fps progressive judder to me - that's why I prefer interlaced.

Interlaced looks awful on modern screens. Why would you shoot interlaced at all? If you want to eliminate judder, shoot 60p.

William,
Here is the link to a brief clip until I upload one in Vimeo.

Westbound UP at Roseville Yard, Sacramento. - YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bweqsSKqFZo&list=PLEszjb_p5d-Tb-I5iQCJCFkt79DGZAiAd&index=2)
Regards Gregg.

I could spend hours filming trains at a working freight yard, you are very lucky.

There was very little motion blur when I would still frame the movie so I am assuming that the camera was on a faster shutter than 1/48. It might be 1/120 but I am guessing. I am not familiar with the working of your camera but I do know that some cameras, if put on full automatic, will use faster shutter settings as a way to control exposure in bright daylight situations if there isn't a neutral density filter on the lens. Works OK for people being interviewed but action can look odd. 24p (or 23.97) should normally be 1/48 shutter. 25p - 1/50. 30p - 1/60. These look the most natural for those frame rates.

Hi William,
That video cost me $15.000.and a trip halfway round the world..LOL I've always been a fan of US railroads.
You are spot on , that was shot at 120 at 25fps. I was trying a few different shutter speeds but I still get the jitters at 50 sec at 25fps. I shoot on manual and the camera has three ND filters. The problem is the footage is silky smooth when played on the camera regardless of shutter speeds? So the plot thickens I guess. I have more than 10hrs of footage from the States so I ant it to look the best it can.
Gregg.

It's obvious the camera settings. I can't believe you could be shooting such a thing @25fps. Just changing setting without an understanding of what you're doing is a recipe for disaster. The camera playback is not designed as a definitive representation of the actual video. It be like saying something is wrong with your computer because it looked brighter in your camera's viewfinder.

I'd suggest you put a native clip on Dropbox or whatever and we can have look ourselves.
I shoot 25p most of the time and stick to a 180 degree shutter whenever possible (which is almost always).

Hi Duncan,
I will get a clip up there shortly. I have tried 180 degree shutter at both 25p and 50p, no difference in smoothness and I actually prefer 25p overall.

Gregg.

Interlaced looks awful on modern screens. Why would you shoot interlaced at all? If you want to eliminate judder, shoot 60p.

It depends what your distribution format is to be - B'cast tv is interlaced and Blurry does not support 50fps.