Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

Hello!

I'm currently working on a few projects at my job and they use Final Cut Pro. I'm naturally a Sony Vegas editor so my knowledge is pretty limited when it comes to FCP. My question is, can FCP playback PSD and AI files in realtime WITHOUT having to render every time I make a change?

Having to render constantly is very tedious and time consuming. Am I missing a setting that will allow it to playback in realtime? It baffles me that it won't even playback any generated text in realtime...I MUST be doing something wrong if FCP isn't even playing that in realtime...Premiere, Vegas ALL playback simple titles in realtime.

So, being that this is FCP i'm a disappointed that it won't do such a simple task in realtime...I'm hoping a FCP guru can shed some light on this issue and enlighten me a bit.

Getting to use FCP hands on is great because I've been thinking about making the switch, but, well.......i dunno now!

EDIT: I'm loving the Mac experience though...interface, keyboard, mouse, and stability are great.

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

On the left top of your timeline, you should have a button with RT.
Is that on Safe RT or on Unlimited RT?

You should get better results with Unlimited RT...

And remember that a lot of code of FCP is now old and the latest generation doesn't always compare favorable against the newest versions of Premiere Pro etc.
Apple will release FCP-X at the end of June (normally) which should further minimize rendering.

Good luck.
After 3 years, still very glad with my Mac-transition too :-)

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

The only options I see are:

1.) Play Base Layer Only - Checked
2.) Record to tape
3.) Use Playback Settings
4.) Full Quality - Checked

I don't see an option for Safe RT or Unlimited RT.

Yeah, I saw a few things regarding FCP X when researching and it sounds like it's going to get a major revamp. I'm excited to try it out. I've been toying with the idea of switching over for about 3 years now...lol. I'm still very hesitant especially because Apple is so proprietary, but I can't deny how much i'm enjoying my experience on a Mac. Money is the other issue, but not the biggest. I love Vegas too...Premiere Pro CS5 has gotten TONS better from ALL the previous versions.

I dunno...i'm on the fence and have been for quite some.

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

You don't see this?

Normally, it's on Safe RT on default. Changing it to Unlimited RT makes a huge difference in playback of effects without rendering. I put all the rest on dynamic.

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

Nope. This is what mine looks like.

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

Hi roger, check your sequence settings. the codec or frame size you are using must not support real time playback.

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

Hi Craig,

these are my settings:

1280x720 HDTV 720p (16:9)
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square (anamorphic 16:9 not checked)
Editing Timebase: 59.94
Compressor: H.264

The footage was shot with a Canon 7D.

Thanks!

What I find really odd is that FCP has to render generated text as well. The text alone should be able to playback in realtime. This is the first editor I use that needs to render any title cards...I can work around the footage by not adding any filters until my main edit is done.

If this makes any difference, here's my hardware:

iMac
Mac OS X version 10.6.7
3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
8 GB 1067 MHz DDR3

Thanks for the help guys!

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

Unfortunately final cut cant do realtime h.264 editing. You need to transcode your footage to prores ideally. Its one of the issues of Final Cuts older engine. If you change your sequence settings you'll see final cut can o real time text generation, just not to h.264 codec. Change your coompressor setting to prores on your current sequnce and put txt over black space (not your footage) and you'll see what i mean.

Re: Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 Realtime Playback...?
 

Craig,

Thank you! Changing the compressor setting to Prores did play back text real time AND I also got the options that Mathieu showed me. Very cool. Alright, 5 points for FCP! Had I known this, would've converted my footage to ProRes, but live and learn!

I hope the new FC can do h264 playback in realtime- especially after seeing Premiere and Vegas do it with such ease. I definitely do like the Mac's performance and ease of use and FCP has a great GUI and with this issue clarified, it just gained a couple points. Thanks again Craig! And thank you all for your replies.