Highlight your capture drive (300Gb) and press the Apple Key, "I" Key, what size does the drive in question show? Can you capture to a different drive?

Is there any way to print the time code to tape when you print a movie to tape so that it is visible when viewing the tape?

The guy who does our music wants to be able to view a VHS tape while composing and wants to see the time code on screen.

Thanks, dp

FCP has a filter that puts TC on the tape. It has to be rendered, as I recall.

I scanned in some photos and got some other photos from a digitial camera that I want to use in my editing. I then took them to photoshop and modified them. I imported the photoshop files in to fc.

the problem is: if I open the pictures as clips they show up clear as day, very detailed but when I drag them into a sequence and view them through there, they are pixcelated and fuzzy. are photoshop files not compatable with fc? any other ideas on why they would show up correctly through clip viewing but not when I drop them in to use them in editing?

let me know if you need any more information and thanks ahead.

Nobody has an answer? Essentially my project that i'm working on will be like 90% 16 bit audio from vx2100's but I have a vx1000 on the way and need to make sure if I capture footage its going to run its 12bit audio in a 16bit project in FCP4.


Also should I capture any footage from the vx1000 within its own 32kHz/12bit project then import it into the 48kHz/16bit one?

You could avoid problems by converting all of the vx1000 audio to 16bit 48khz. This takes time however... I don't know of any quick shortcuts.

1- What you see in Final Cut doesn't have too much to do with how your video will actually look. Hook up a TV to your editing system (highly recommended if you don't know of the various issues that can pop up).

2- I believe Final Cut isn't that good at scaling images down past 50%. If you don't want to do any pan and scan stuff, then resize the images to 720X534 in Photoshop (batch actions can help here) and then import them.

kenstone.net has multiple articles on prepping Photoshop images for Final Cut. Search for "Graphics - Photoshop"
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/fcp_homepage_index.html

I have just purchased FCE2, and I would like advice on which tutorials are best.
I would like a DVD to help walk me through the different stages. Being used to
IMovie I find myself somewhat confused. If anyone has one for sale or could direct me to a good source please let me know.

Thanks for helping.
Bob Trimmer
bdtrimmer@connpoint.net

awesome man. thanks a lot. that gives me a lot of options and hopefully I'll figure something out. first thing I'll try is exporting and seeing how it looks on a tv.

thanks again.

Having trouble with a batch capture of about 16 clips. FCP 4 split some clips up into about 3 smaller clips. However, when the three smaller are played in a row they do not act like the original clip. Instead, there seems to be some dropped frames between these smaller clips.

Is this a problem relating to programs on my Mac that poll the system or a network at specific intervals, like Mail etc?

Would it help to re-capture all of the clips?

(Using a dual G4, 1.25 Ghz by the way)

Yes, accessing a network, such as the internet, or mail, even anti virus programs will inhibit the proper function of FCP during capture. How do you have FCP set to handle dropped frames?

I have Final Cut Pro 4.0 on my old G4 400 mhz and tried upgrading to the HD version. When I try to capture video and play a clip back, it crashes the program and closes it without saving the capture. This does not happen before upgrading to the HD version.

Is my computer underpowered and thus creating this problem? Anyone having a similar problem? Any suggestions for a fix? I'd love to get a dual 2.5 G5 but I may have to wait a while. I also have DVD Studio Pro 3 but it won't run on my G4 since it does not meet the minimum requirements. :(

The first things to check are your ram (384 MB minimum) and OS (10.3.2 or later). SoundTrack and Rt Extreme will not work, you processor is too slow. If you machine passes those minimum I would trash the preferences following the instructions at the top of this forum and if that doesn't fix it you'll need to reinstall FCP.

Jeff I meet the minimum requirements, my G4 is a 400mhz with 768 megs of RAM, I have a 2nd HDD which I keep all the video. I've done a clean install and ONLY have FCP HD installed along with DVD SP 3. Before I install the HD patch, I can capture and playback the captured clips fine. After the upgrade to 4.5 HD, I can capture find, but upon playback of the capture clips, I get the spinning ball and then FCP shuts down and I lose everything. I'm at a loss at this point and not sure what the solution is aside from getting a new and faster 2.5 dual G5. Anyone out there with the same problem or suggestions?

Hey Jeff,

I use the Contour Shuttle Pro keyboard and love it. The colors make a difference for me. I can basically hit shortcuts keys without even really looking down at the keyboard now. The colors sort of jump out at you. I'm sure its not needed, but I have found it an added bonus.

FCP set to report dropped frames - not sure if there are additional ways to handle the frames.

Another weird thing happened to other clips. Two of these clips were out of sync w/ audio once they were in the timeline. They played fine in the viewer, but when they played in the timeline, the audio was a few seconds off. I recaptured these clips, and after that the original clips played fine in the timeline. So the clips went from out of sync to back in sync.

I'm thinking this may be resulting from the external HD I'm using, correct?

Sync issues are generally associated with dropped frames. What external HD are you using? what other FireWire devices do you have connected?

My church is getting a new G5 to replace the G4 that they have now. They are currently running FCP 1 on it.

If they buy the 4.5 upgrade, do they have to first install FCP 1 on the G5 or do they just need the serial number from FCP 1 when installing 4.5?

Thanks!

They should just need the serial number. The install is on a DVD now.

Thanks Jeff.

There are now 2 options for a 2GHz G5. One with NVIDIA & one with Radeon. Is there much of a difference? Is one better than the other???
Chris

The NVIDIA FX5200 is standard. The 2 ATI cards are upgrades, as is the NVIDIA 6800 that is required to run the new 30" screen. Both the top end ATI and NVIDIA are so wide they fit over one of the PCI-X slots. This could be an issue if you need to add cards for networking, audio, SCSI etc.

The upgrades aren't necessary for plain old DV unless you hope to use the 30" screen.

Compositing apps may take advantage of the video card acceleration (may speed up real-time previews, but not renders). For video editing you should probably get the cheapest card.

I'm using a Western Digital. The only other firewire device connected is my cam I use for importing (Canon ZR70 mc).

I moved the project onto my internal HD and the entire proect now seems to be out of sync w/ audio - very frustrating.

I'm wondering if it's a problem w/ the G4. I just got it back from the shop after it was giving me problems. They replaced the logic board, and when I took it home it was still buggy. I brought it back for another repair - they claimed that Apple sent a bad logic board. So the logic board has been replaced twice and I wonder if they really have fixed my mac? This may be the source of the aduio sync problem, I don't know?

So if I'm getting this right, there's not a significant difference between the two in normal DV applications? But if I have the choice should I choose the radeon in the older 2GHz G5 or the NVIDIA in the new 2GHz G5 at more or less the same price?

Thanks Guy's & thank's Jeff - 7239 post's... that's about equal to writing "War & Peace".

Ran DiscWarrior and Disc Utility last night - everything seems to be working fine. Thanks for the advice.

I am still very much a newbie in the whole editing realm. I am currently in the middle of Tom Wolskys Workshop for Final Cut Express. I know it is the next step but is it worth getting imersed ASAP in Final Cut Pro HD or should i carry out on the route i am on ? I plan on having a GS400 once out in Canada and currently run a Dual 2.0 G5. I know the FCP is way more advanced but watching the Apple propaganda on their site sure makes one interested. My ultimate goal is to make extreme sledding/ATV DVDs and other similiar projects.

I haven't used FCE, but am still working in FCP3 on a G4. Have just started up another large project, and while I'm sure the newer versions have lots of cool stuff, I just don't feel much need to upgrade. The fast G5 will tilt this equation for you. Does the latest version of FCP render faster and provide more RT effects as opposed to FCE? I'd imagine so, but do you need any of this?

My point is that if you don't know whether you need to upgrade then you probably don't need to upgrade. If you're just starting out and can't yet put your finger on a specific feature that you need, then why change? Apple has been rolling out lots of FCP updates it seems, so I'm completely happy that I sat out FCP 4 for example. If you wait a little longer there will be another, even cooler must-have version.

Your mileage may vary however. If you're someone who's only happy if they have the latest and greatest, and if you can afford it, then go for it....

I think the thing to do is read up on the differences between express and Pro and ask yourself if your current projects would benefit from FCP or not.

For most people here, they are independent filmmakers or production folks and for most of us the bottom line is the all mighty dollar.

I've passed on upgrades for my computers so I could buy a couple of lights, a new microphone or something like that.

IMO, It's all a matter of what you want to do and what you need to get there. That's how I decided on the expense of FCP.

One fantastic thing about APPLE though is that they will let you upgrade to the latest version from ANY previous version of FCP. That means if you can find an old, _unregistered_, copy of FCP 1.2 you can upgrade to FCP HD 4.5 for only $399.00. Something to keep in mind.

I use FCP HD at work and FCE at home. I've used it since it came out and still use version 1.01.

I do DV at home and that's the only codec FCE works with. At work we do uncompressed 10 bit.

I think FCE is a great app and am very happy with it. Also, the switch from FCE to FCP is pretty easy. The interface is very similar.

Thanks Jeff. I found it and it did what I needed.

A while back, I used Avid at school and enjoyed its ability to manipulate audio pitch. It could speed up audio without giving it a high-pitched, chipmunk effect or could just change the real-time pitch to higher or lower. Is there a way to accomplish this in Final Cut Pro?

so here is my big question for the day... I mainly edit on an AVID System and am trying to pass on something i have edited to someone on FCP 4HD... what i have done is dumped my sequence to a dv tape that has 32k 12 bit audio and split it across the 4 tracks...

now i am trying to digitize the footage in FCP while keeping the audio in a split format...

example
a1 nats from camera
a2 sound efx / sub music
a3 main music
a4 vo and sound bites...

i have tried to configure the capture preset to 32k and 12bit and it keeps mixing the four tracks to a stereo pair on me no matter what i try to set in the preferences...

anyhelp would be greatly appreciated...
Brian Gauthier

P.S. as a last ditch effort i guess i can just lay down the sequence 4 times each with a different audio track on it to get it split... and then go ahead and digitize it back into FCP 4 times, but it sounds like its a big waste of time to accomplish this simple task of split audio...

I don't do a great deal of this type of work, but I know my students use SoundTrack to adjust the tempo without effecting the pitch. GarageBand may also have this feature, I don't know for sure.

You can't do the audio in one pass. Capture audio 1 & 2 in one pass, with the video. Audio 3 & 4 can be captured in a second pass. Be sure the source (camera?) is not mixing the audio.

I would like to add a TV to my G5 for video editing. Can someone tell me what the best tv would be ? All i can find is a 13inch being the smallest. One brand better than the other ? Things i should be looking for in a editing monitor ?

Hi Chris,

Welcome to DV Info. You can find quick answers to questions like this by using the search function in the upper right corner of this window or use the search link in my signature. Use the terms broadcast and monitor in your search for best results. I prefer the Sony look, but JVC and Panasonic make nice monitors also.

I will be shooting a sports documentary this summer. in a 16:9 native DV camera, win NTSC. We'd like to shoot 16:9.
The rights holder will want to send it to news satelite feeds. So I was thinking of taking my Powerbook with a Lacie drive to do the edit. I just found out, THEY will needs 4:3 PAL, since uplink trucks in Italy only hold PAL equipment and all news are 4:3. and THEY say it is impossible for them to put in a NTSC deck in the uplink facility. Never mind what is possible there, but technically is All this conversion possible inside FCPHD with the additional equipment of a PAL deck? Is that alot of rendering time? Should I at least consider shooting 4:3 instead, sacrificing the focal length?
If someone has done this before, even half of it, please give me some advice. All suggestions opinions welcomed.
THanks in advance,
Takeshi FUksuhima

Takeshi,

converting NTSC to PAL in FCP will not produce broadcastable results, you'll probably find motion artifacts and the picture will be jumpy. You're best bet will be to shoot it in 16:9 NTSC and then take it to a post house and have it converted professionally.

i have to spend the time and record the second stereo pair in a second pass... that seams like its a waste of drive space and time... (one being the time to digitize and two being the same video in the second pass for space !!!) AVID you can do this in one pass !!!

but with that complaint stated... how do i get this accomplished...?

do i set the Capture preference to 1 and 2 for the first and then 3 and 4 for the second one. ????

and after that how do i sync them back up without knowing exactly how much space / timecode is between the slate and the start of the audio files.... ?

Thanks
Brian

Thanks Adrian,
Yeah, I have just been told about this. We are probably going to rent a PAL version PD-150 or something, whatever is available, and designate this camera for the news feed, have an extra guy shoot it. While we concentrate on what we're really doing.

Just started surfning. My back is sun burnt like crazy.
not been to Chigasaki yet. Must be some pretty good waves now that the Typhoon is here.
Chears.
Takeshi

With FCP 3 they bundled a copy of the Peak DV audio software. I've never really played around with it much, but the manual says that it has this feature. Are they still bundling it or has it been replaced with SoundTrack?

Yes, GarageBand does allow you to change pitch, although my only experience with it is using a MIDI keyboard, so not sure if that feature works with live audio. GarageBand is sort of limited regarding import/export from what I've seen.

Ship it to someone you know that works in Vegas. They'll pitch shift up or down 24 semi-tones very easily by selecting the audio track and pressing the + or - key (other shortcuts for full octave shifts). They can then render it back out and send it back to you.

BTW, John Kerry actually sounds better pitch shifted down a octave to Hillary Clinton's normal range ; 0

(Probably going to get sent to the penalty box for that one.)

Thanks for the replies.
I think I'm going go go with Boyd's suggestion. Peak 3 Express comes bundled with Final Cut Pro. I haven't ever used or even installed this program and was hoping FCP could be sweet-talked into changing the pitch, but apparently that's not an option. So it looks like I'll get to have some fun with a new program.

Thanks again.

Hi guys.

My FCP4 HD wants me to render EVERYTHING I capture and place on a timeline. When I scroll the mov file to this timeline, the red render bar appears. Why??????

When I press the PLAY button of the Canvas, after rendering, it doesn´t output properly to the monitor.

I´m using a mac G5, AJA Io and Final Cut Pro 4 HD updated last week.

What may be the problem?

The AJA troubleshooting manual says "the sequence setting does not match the clip setting". Is it right? Maybe the problem are my settings?

Settings should be the first place to look when everything indicates a need to render. What is the source of the material and what are your sequence settings?

Your best option is to shoot 16:9 PAL and convert it to everything else :-)

Get a house to do a tape to tape conversion with a Snell & Wilcox box or some of the software options are:

Procoder, PC only, http://www.canopus.com
DVAtlantis, mac/pc http://www.dvfilm.com/atlantis/macversion.htm
Nattress FCP plug-in, http://www.nattress.com/standardsConversion.htm
Convert, mac/pc, http://www.mtifilm.com/

FCPro doesn't support Standards Conversion as is, you need the plug-in or a 3rd party app,

Jake

Let me know if you have trouble getting a PAL cam as I have a PAL XL1.

If you want to surf in Chigasaki bring a longboard and don't come on the weekend. The tyhoon has bought a good swell but as usual the banks here can't handle it. The strange thing about surfing here in Shonan is that when it's small, .3m, almost every day, there's 100s of people out but as soon as there is some size the crowd almost disapears. If the banks were good I'd be stoked as I hate surfing small waves.

does anyone know if there's a way to flip an audio track 180 degrees out of phase. at work i often edit interviews that use 2 microphones and alot of the time they are out of phase. if there was a plugin or something in fcp4 that would do this, that would make things a helluva lot easier. thanks.

corey

<--The AJA troubleshooting manual says "the sequence setting does not match the clip setting". Is it right? Maybe the problem are my settings?-->

Yes, this sounds correct. You can control click the sequnce to change its settings but it sounds like your FCP setup settings don't match the source material.