Final Cut support batch import/rendering?
 

I have a workflow question.

I have about 20 educational lecture videos to edit. They're in AVCHD 720/60p.

For each one, I have to input about 4 hours of camera video (2 hours each from 2 cameras), edit it down to 2 hours (mainly just by switching back and forth between the cameras), and then render it out to Blu-Ray and DVD as two approx. 1-hour videos.

Is there a way, once I'm done editing, to tell it to render each of the two video files into both formats and then ingest the video for the next day's editing? Some sort of a batch work processor or something. I'd like to be able to start it when I go to bed, and have it be done at the end of the next workday (I'm guessing about 16 hours of total rendering time for the render/ingestion).

So, is there a way to do this as a nice workflow, or do I have to like set an alarm to remind me to go to the computer and start the next file rendering?

This is EXACTLY what compressor is for.

In FCP, instead of exporting to Blu-ray and then again for DVD, simply export each sequence ONCE to a self contained quicktime file and repeat for all programs.

When you have all the quicktime files exported, load them all in to compressor at the same time, select them all (so they are highlighted) then drop all the target compression types (Blu-ray & DVD & web or what ever!) on to one of the files (and because they were all highlighted they will all get all the compression options) then set the batch going.

Voila!

Come back when they are all done - all files output in all compression types.

You can use Batch Monitor to monitor the exact status of each one.

If you are on a multi-core system you can even set up a quick cluster for compressor so that it will do it all much faster by harnessing the power of each core independently.

I regularly load several programs in to compressor this way and have DVD, Blu-ray, iPhone and Web output for each one - all done at the same time while I eat dinner or sleep etc.

I've never used Compressor, so let me know if I have this right:

Do I drag the ProRes compression on to the AVCHD files to import them into Final Cut?

I'm not quite sure what you are asking here.

Do you already have the AVCHD files transcoded to ProRes422 and on to the FCP sequence, or are you still at the stage of only having AVCHD files?

The info I wrote above assumes you have completed the editing in FCP and you are ready to output for DVD and Blu-ray etc.

If you are still at the point of trying to get AVCHD files in to FCP then try ClipWrap to convert the AVCHD to ProRes files - then drag those on to the FCP sequence, edit as required then save as a quicktime file.

To clarify, you should be creating a (preferably ProRes422 LT) 720/60p sequence then saving that sequence (without transcoding further) to a self contained quicktime file. That is now your master edited file that you can take the Blu-ray and DVD from.

Take the quicktime file in to Compressor and have it make the Blu-ray and DVD files for you at the same time.

If you are unsure about compressor (which is actually VERY easy to use once you understand a couple of key concepts) I suggest a $25 one month subscription to Lynda.com. The compressor tutorial is not that long - but that's because there really is not much to learn.

It seems rather inefficient and somewhat lossy to do so much transcoding... AVCHD->ProRes->QuickTime->DVD. Apparently Premiere transcodes AVCHD to a highly-compressed format for editing only, and then transcodes the AVCHD directly to the output format when rendering.

From reading, it looks like it'll take like 20 hours of transcoding and about half a terabyte of space for one day's editing. I'd be unable to save the intermediate ProRes files (since I don't have 10 TB of space), so is Final Cut able to regenerate these from the project file and source files and re-link the deleted files if I ever need to re-edit?

Ah, so the ProRes file and the QuickTime file are one and the same.

I'll clarify what I want to do:

I want to go from an edited project to BluRay/DVD (which you suggest using Compressor for) and also convert the AVCHD files to ProRes for the *next* editing session (which you suggest ClipWrap for) all in one unattended batch (with no user intervention, and preferably with one piece of software like Compressor) because I'll be sleeping.

Ok - skip this - you added more while I was editing - so I need to re-write what I wrote - back in a few mins!

I'm still a little confused.

1) You want to go from 'an edited project'

Do you actually have all the footage in FCP or do you only have some source AVCHD files at this point?

2) Transcoding for the 'next' project.....

Not sure why you don't just queue them all in ClipWrap and have it munch through ALL the footage as one batch, then pick which files you need for each edit session as required.

So, please let me know - exactly what do you have right now...? Do you only have AVCHD files or do you actually have the first project edit done and you want to move to a second onwards?

ClipWrap can be running in the background converting the next project while you are editing this one .....

1. All I have right now are AVCHD files. I don't have Final Cut. I'm trying to decide which to get, Final Cut or Premiere, and so I'm trying to figure out which one will have the easiest workflow.

2. I have about 80 hours of video, which I calculate will take around 8TB to store as ProRes (and days and days to process), which I don't have space for. However, I do like your suggestion, so maybe I should get a bunch of 2TB external hard drives and do all this before I start. I'd have to be shuffling files on/off the external drives though.