Thanks for the replies. I guess I am just paranoid because of what happened last time. Do you guys think it will be ok in the back of the truck in the heat too? We're talking middle of the summer Texas heat here! I guess UPS guys do it all the time, so things should be fine??? Thanks again...

Clay

Can someone tell me if I'm right about FCP HD?

It claims uncompressed 10 bit 4:2:2 1080p 24 frame support at 90-160 Mbs HD WITHOUT EXTRA CAPTURE AND EDITING HARDWARE? Am I right in assuming you can just run this on your standard G5 with standard Mac card in it, FCP and enough speed and space and you've got a film-screen worthy HD NLE?

Tell me what I'm missing here?

This link to Apple's FCP pages (http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/) will give you the facts. Here is a list of the supported formats and the I/O's

Supported formats and I/O*


Uncompressed 8- and 10-bit HD (4:2:2, YUV) via PCI card

Uncompressed 8- and 10-bit SD (4:2:2, YUV) via FireWire or PCI card

DVCPRO 50 (4:2:2) via FireWire

DV/DVCAM (4:1:1) via FireWire

NTSC and PAL

HD at 1080i and 1080p (23.976, true 24, 25, 29.97, 30 fps)


Laurence, as you can see the specs for FCP state the an additional PCI card is required. This third party "capture" card is available form several sources. In addition, a RAID 0 will be required for capture and storage of media, at the resolution you want. I'm not sure who made the claims you refer to, but you are being mislead.

Jeff,

Thanks for your response. Well, I know raids are expensive, but I knew that was coming anyway. Is the PCI card expensive? Have you suggestions on which ones to look at? I'm looking to put togeter an HD system that is good enough for editing productions designed for theatrical release (independent of course).

Ya, I've looked at that page you gave me many times, but I'm a bit of a laymen on the inner workings on computers (I'm not too bad, but really need to learn much more) and assumed if you bought a turnkey system with Final Cut Pro HD it would be included.

Here's a turnkey system at B&H that I assume is HD and can do the 10 bit 1080p. Am I correct?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=302873&is=REG

Thanks!

i was wondering if anyone here new how long a 70 min video would take to burn.... i am transfering vhs to dvd imported trought imovie and set it to burn... anyone have any idea -thanks

No, the I/O board they spec will not do HD. You will need the AJA Kona HD board, CineWave HD or the Aurora Ignitor X board. There is another thread here with links. (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26052&highlight=Kona)

Using FCP, I'm trying to rotate and blow up a video clip without it effecting the widescreen matte I've put on it. As it is now, the matte is rotating and scaling larger also. (I placed the matte after adjusting the clip rotation and size...) Anyone know how to isolate the widescreen matte so it's not effected by filters, movement etc.?

Remover the widescreen matte from the clip you want to rotate - then rotate it and put the widescreen matte on a seperate track (above the rotated clip).

OR what I've found easiest (especially if you need to apply widescreen to lots of seperate clips) is to finish the piece - colour correction, editing, audio etc etc and nest the whole thing in a new sequence - then apply the widescreen filter to that finished nested sequence - that way you only need apply the widescreen filter once (and you will avoid the problems of the matte changing position and/or colour).

So, is this not a problem that should be happening? It doesn't make sense to me either, maybe there's a simple thing that I'm not doing.... anyone...?

The Apple Help menu for FCP has complete, detailed instructions for nesting. It sounds like you are missing a step or have a box uncecked somewhere. I don't use Express and it's different enough from FCP, I don't want to give suggestions only to find out Express has a slightly different configuration. I would read the FCP Express manual and if it's still not working, try the Apple FCP Express forums. (http://discussions.info.apple.com/WebX?14@27.Zp5paghPn4T.0@.3bbdbd29)

Cheers Jeff, I'll give them a go.

Intelligent Assistance has "Practical Color Correction" a training DVD that is quite good. You can read all about it and get it in the lafcpug store.

http://www.lafcpug.org/store_tutorials.html#anchor12201575

Otherwise there is indeed room for FCP training DVDs focusing on advanced features such as cutting 24P, HD workflow, cutting dialouge, etc.

mike

Hey everyone,

got another (probably silly) question...

In FCP4, I am trying to import an MP3 (i downloaded it illegally, sorry) into an audio track and no matter what mp3 I choose, I get the same unwanted result. The clip shows up in the timeline and I can view it in its waveform and play it from the beginning in the viewer, but when I press space bar or hit play to see the video footage accompanying the audio track all I hear is a beeping noise.... beep-beep-beep... what do i do?!!?

Thanks all,

Jerry

The beeping ususlly indicates that the audio track(s) has not been rendered.

I don't know about illustrator files but, the proper size for FCP (DV) is 720x480.
Make sure the illustrator graphics are created in the RGB color space. The legal RGB color range for NTSC is 16 to 235. The color limits I use for RGB graphics are: White: 235, 235, 235; Black: 32, 32, 32; Red: 180, 16,16; Yellow: 210,210,25; Blue: 20,20,210; Super Black: 16, 16, 16.

Hope that helps

As far as the illustrator files go, if FCP won't open them, pehaps they could be exported from illustrator and saved as tifs. Then you could import the tif files directly into FCP.

I am running FCP 4 on a Dual @ 2 GHz G5 w/2.5 gigs of RAM and 2 internal 250 GB HDs.

I created a series of 110 minute programs in FCP 4. Exported them as QT.mov(s) using QuickTime conversion. Saved a few on my second internal HD that is dedicated for media only, and the others on an external HD also dedicated for media storage. These drives are not partitioned.

I am importing the QT.mov versions back in to FCP in order to make copies of the programs on DV Tape.

I am having trouble playing some of them back. I get a dropped frame error message. No other sequences are open, RT is set to safe, the windows aren't overlapping eachother in FCP...

Any ideas on how to improve playback performance would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Paul

What size are the windows set to? Try fit to window.

ok. thanks, that worked - i rendered the audio track. but do i need to do this for each track i put in the timeline? it seems like sort of a time killer - especially when i usually try out 4 or 5 songs before i am set on which one i want to edit with...

As long as the music is in mp3 format, FCP is going to have to do extra work, which means some amount of rendering.

FCP will be much happier if you convert the music to aiff and then import it. iTunes can do the conversion for you.

ok great, thanks alot!

Thanks Jeff, I double checked and the viewer and canvas are set for "fit to window".

You could try trashing the three FCP preferences files. This works for many errors. You can get to the link from here. (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26397)

Hi all

I've been playing around with final cut pro hd (4.5) and wondering how to get the offline footage to work.

let me explain the setup first: I have a powerbook g4 1.5G with 80G onboard disk. I've logged a huge amount of footage onto an external firewire disk and I need to edit.

So, first I've converted the footage to photo jpeg and saved the resulting project to my hard disk. It makes a huge difference to the size and it's easier on the G4 to handle and it leaves me with loads of headroom for other bits and pieces I mess about with as I learn this huge package.

Ok, so I have a nice small project working on the internal disk and I can edit it easily. Question is, what is the procedure to convert this offline footage back into a full blown DV clip that I can output back to tape as a master?

I am going to read the manual in more detail tonight but for the moment I'd appreciat some tips on how to use this feature correctly.

thanks
Donie

I'm about to get a Sony VX-2100 in a few days, along with a cta battery (don't know if i'll use/keep it), a NP-F960 battery, 4 year extended warranty, and a lens.
I've also had the G5 1.8ghz dual for more than a few months.
I also got FCP4 and DVDsp2.
My question is, since im sorta of a noob to DV(used to work with a Sony VX-3 Hi-8), is what else do i need or should have to video and edit films, movies, ect?
Any tips, suggestions would be appreciated(like quirks of the cameras, software, minidv tapes, ect)

Donnie,
I think this thread (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3966) might give you some insight. Basically, you work with a highly-compressed (JPEG) version of the footage, do your edit, and then re-capture the footage in full DV format to finish up.

Well firstly, you need skill/talent/experience.

And you also need an idea and things to shoot.

I don't know what else you need since I don't know what exactly you plan on shooting and editing, but generally to make a great video you will need (in addition to camera + NLE):

good sound gear (which gear depends how you shoot)
good monitors if you are going to mix
headphones to monitor sound

tripod

NTSC monitor (depends on your needs)

lights (depends)

2- The VX2100 doesn't need an additional lens. Maybe you mean something else?

3- Extended warranties usually aren't worth it. It's up to you though.

Hi Ken

thanks for that. I had read it already and was hoping to get some input from somebody who actually uses this feature and has the time to discuss it's shortcomings/benifits.

I gather from that thread that the original capture is done using photo jpeg? Am I correct? In that case I should not be logging these massive DV format clips?

I edit using the photojpeg clips and then I re-capture?

There are lots of options and I suppose I want somebody to hold my hand for fear I'll screw the whole lot up. I don't mind playing about but if I'm going to commit and edit using this mechanism I'd like to be sure I'm doing it right...

What confuses me are options like "take offline". What does it do? When I select it on a clip it just removes the link to the original media. The manual is great but I think it lacks a bit in describing this area, or maybe I'm just too dumb to own a computer ;)

regardless, I'm going to try playing about a bit more and try to tame this this thing they call FCP (Freggin Complicated Program).

thanks for a great site, it'a a lifeline for me...
Donie

firstly, you need skill/talent/experience.

Got it, over 4 years of Hi-8 shooting

And you also need an idea and things to shoot.

Got it

I don't know what else you need since I don't know what exactly you plan on shooting and editing, but generally to make a great video you will need (in addition to camera + NLE):

What's NLE, by the way?

good sound gear (which gear depends how you shoot)
good monitors if you are going to mix
headphones to monitor sound

Apple 17" flatsceen, I don't think that's the best for editing, but that's what I got.



2- The VX2100 doesn't need an additional lens. Maybe you mean something else?

Century Optics .3x ultrafisheye

3- Extended warranties usually aren't worth it. It's up to you though.

Was $149, includes one head cleaning per year, as well as repairs ect., seems like a good deal

NLE: Non Linear Editing. We usually refer to non linear editing softwares to NLE. You said that you have Final Cut Pro 4, so you already have a NLE.

"I gather from that thread that the original capture is done using photo jpeg? Am I correct? In that case I should not be logging these massive DV format clips?"Correct. When you start your capture, you'll see a tab on the Capture panel titled "Capture/Input". Select "DV to OfflineRT NTSC (Photo JPEG)". (Or select the "Anamorphic" option if your footage is 16:9.) Then just capture as you normally would.
I edit using the photojpeg clips and then I re-capture?Yes.

The term "offline" is imprecisely and ambiguously used so, indeed, your confusion is understandable. The other context of the term is when a clip is inaccessible. That is, it's been logged in the project, with in and out points, but FCP can't find the source clip at the expected location. Reconnecting the clip is generally just a matter of telling FCP where to find it.

Unless you're under the gun, experiment! Remember, FCP can't trash your master tapes. The worst that will happen is that you'll have to trash your project and start over. But you'll certainly learn something along the way.

Have fun!

Success! Trashing the preferences and repairing permissions worked - Thank you.

Last night I captured a miniDV tape recorded by a friend and burned it to dvd. It looks great on the computer monitor, but terrible on the television. Everything is jittery when movement is involved, almost as if repeating frames. At first I thought it might be the tape, but recorded new footage with my own camcorder and burned that to dvd. It resulted in the same jitter-look as my friend's footage.

I'm pretty sure this isn't camcorder related because, when plugging the camcorder directly into the tv, the footage looks great. I'm also pretty sure its not related to field dominance because I've changed those settings as well, but received the same results. Also, frame mode seems to look better than interlaced, but still a little funny.

This is my first project since updating to Quicktime Pro 6.5.1 and Toast Titanium 6.0.5. Could this update be related? Has anyone else had similar problems?

You need to make sure that your capture settings are correctly set, the settings might have changed or you need to change them for this camera or this footage.

I'd start there.

Did you shoot this footage differently then other footage you've captured?

I've got some footage that is of part of a documentary we shot for a company, I captured all 4 tapes onto my system before I shipped them the tapes (being paranoid and wanting to get paid) but now I've got these four big files (11, 10, 11 and 1.9 gigs) on my media drives and I want to get them off but don't want to delete them since I might want to use some of it for a reel or something.

I know the simplist answer is going to be "buy a big ass hard drive and dump them on that and unplug it and store it. " but I just don't have the cash to drop on a 100+ gig HD right this week.

I have been thinking about using a compression program to split them into sizes that would fit onto data DVDs.

Any sharp ideas or suggestions would be MUCHO appreciated!

Thank you guys both. I posted this same question on other forums and it sounds like APC is tha way to go.

Apple has released a new update, possibly the last before Tiger, which is due the end of summer or early fall. The following is a list of improvements:


The 10.3.4 Update delivers enhanced functionality and improved reliability for Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther" and is recommended for all users.

Key enhancements include:
- improved file sharing and directory services for Mac (AFP), UNIX (NFS), PPTP, and wireless networks
- improved OpenGL technology and updated ATI and NVIDIA graphics drivers
- improved disc burning and recording functionality
- iPods connected via USB 2.0 are now recognized by iTunes and iSync
- additional FireWire audio and USB device compatibility
- updated Address Book, Mail, Safari, Stickies, and QuickTime applications
- improved compatibility for third party applications
- previous standalone security updates

For detailed information on this Update, please visit this website: http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n25764


It can be down loaded via Software Update (System Preference, or Apple Menu) or at the link above. If you down load via software Update I recommend downloading only and not installing directly.

Hey everyone

I'm working on a wedding video, and having some problems with photoshop graphics. I attempted to do a scrolling credits file with fairly large text (approx. 20-25 pt) and once it is keyframed, the text jitters on playback.

I thought that a deinterlace filter would help fix this problem, but it did nothing.

I have also had some text jitter problems on static graphics (no keyframing) with somewhat smaller text (around 15pt or so). Is there a general rule for a minimum text size to prevent these jitters?

does anyone have any ideas on how to fix these problems? I love the new non-square pixel compatibility in photoshop cs, but i really need these files to display properly in final cut!

This tutorial (http://www.lafcpug.org/tutorials/basic_photoshop_files.html) should help. I would also consider Live Type (http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/livetype.html) as well.

Thanks Kevin, but it actually ended up being the Toast update. For some reason it goofs up the mpeg-2 encoding. After trashing that version and installing 6.0.3, everything worked just fine. At this point, I'd advise against updating until Roxio makes a patch or something for this.

How do I export stills from my fcp footage to use on my website?

Ryan,

Place the playhead over the frame you want to capture.

Go to File>Export>Using Quicktime Conversion

and then at the bottom of that window choose "Still Image". Name it and save it to disk.

After that, import it into Photoshop, choose Image>Image Size

UNCLICK the constrain proportion box and resize the height to 534 (if you're using an NTSC camera).

Crop off the black sidebars, RECLICK the constrain proportion box and resize as needed, and then choose Save for Web.

You may also want to de-interlace the image and if you have Photoshop got to Filter>Video>de-interlace to remove the interlacing.

Any pointers you can pass on, Jeff, about using the Deinterlace filter? I can never seem to get a smooth deinterlace. It always looks as though someone took their fingers and smudged the image in rows...like dragging your fingers through a wet painting.

I've had to resort to localized deinterlacing, and floating a semi-transparent layer with Gaussian blur to get really smooth results. But I'm sure there's something I'm overlooking with the filter.

Use a digital still camera (DSC). Here is a site (http://www.100fps.com/) that can probably answer all your questions. There is no simple answer, each image is different, based on the motion present in the video frame.

<<Use a digital still camera>>

Pow! In the kisser! I'm down for the count. ;)

That's an informative site, Jeff. Thanks. For some reason, I couldn't view the .avi samples, but I get the idea from the still samples.

The external monitor will show only the first frame at the playhead, and whatever frame I stop on. Nothing in between--no motion. "Show All Frames" is checked.

I'm using a JVC TM-910SU NTSC external monitor. I'm running a G5 1.8 single processor, 2gigs ram. I'm using an ADVC-100 converter through firewire--s-video out from the converter and into the monitor.

I'm using 24 fps on the timeline, used advanced 2:3:3:2 pulldown for my footage (shot in 24p on Panasonic AGDVX100). RT unlimited, playback "high."

Please help! Looking forward to color correcting, but just can't figure this out....so close....Thanks for you thoughts on this subject. I'm sure there's some setting that I'm failing to tweak properly.

Could it have something to do with the advanced pulldown removal? The canvas shows the footage perfectly.

I am in need of "the best" (if that's possible) manual for FCP 2. What do you suggest?

Did a little research and found the following manuals that are currently available. Has anyone used any of them?

-Final Cut Pro 2 Editing Workshop
Tom Wolsky

-Macworld Final Cut Pro 2 Bible
Zed Saeed, Keith Underdahl

-Final Cut Pro 2 for Macintosh : Visual QuickPro Guide
Lisa Brenneis, Wendy Sharp (Editor)

-Final Cut Pro 2.0 for Firewire DV Editing
Charles Roberts, Foreword by Ralph Fairweather

-Revolutionary Final Cut Pro 2 Digital Film Making (with CD ROM)
Luther Blissett, George Kingsnorth, Jerome Turner, Diannah Morgan, Schuman Hoque

Thank you.

Tom Wolsky's book is quite a good logical dance step guide.

Lisa Brenneis' "Visual" books are good references and are well structured presentations.

Browse our Read About It (http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=36) forum for more suggestions and ideas.

I have a TiPB 400 I'm using with FCP 3. I connected an external monitor to split edit. But when I play the Canvas on the PB's screen I get an orange matte. Even the Viewer sometimes has an orange matte when it plays.

Is there something in my Preferences or Audio Video Settings that's wrong, it's not RGB+Alpha which gives an orange tint, this is like an orange matte.

Or maybe the PB 400 can't handle it, I don't know.

Goin' crazy,
elmer