Curtis,

I use Cleaner to do this. It allows you to crop it at 16:9 or whatever setting you want. You have complete control of the cropping...so it's possible to not only crop out the top and bottom letterbox bars, but also the annoying black lines on the left and right that always appear with Quicktime.

I don't think you can do this directly in QuickTime. I've used Final Cut Pro to set a custom size for a sequence, then drop the movie into it. FCP will scale it automatically to fit in the new sequence, but not the way you want. Turn on wireframe view and stretch the image so the active part fills the frame. Then export back out as a FCP movie (which is actually a Quicktime file).

Thanks for the tips. I am not sure if I have Cleaner or not... does that generally come with FCP?

Anyway what I ended up doing is importing the movie into the timeline and adjusting the "disort" options until I had a perfect anamorphic image. I should of stretched it a wee bit to the left and right as well to get rid of the black XL1 bars (I have only seen these bars on the XL1 for some reason... not sure if any other) cameras do it. Then I exported at a resolution of 400x189 (2.1:1) and it worked out well.

FCP is resolution independent and can edit in virtually any format. The limitations are more hardware based and the budget to allow all the necessary peripherals. There are at least 6 boards available that will allow for uncompressed video. If you have additional questions, post back with your proposed budget and I'll make various recommendations on boards, drives etc.

Having media split across several drives can be a problem, especially the way you (and FCP) manages media. For best results under OS X the system and FCP should be on an internal drive. All the media should be on a different drive. This drive should be a separate drive and not a partition of the internal drive. Drives may suffer performance loss at around 80% if not fragmented. Try defragging and see if it helps.

Cleaner came with one of the very early versions of FCP, I think. But now it is a pretty expensive program. Sounds like you found a good work around.

DVX100 plug in and FCP4
 

Just got the FCP 4 upgrade and am suffering huge problems of confusion due to move from OS 9 to OSX.

I note that in the extras folder on the installation disk there is what seems to be a plug in which deals with the DVX adio sync problems. As far as I can tell there is no information about this in any of the documentation that came with the upgrade. So can anyone help with the following problems? I am sure that these are pretty basic but whilst I know OS 9 and FCP 3 I am tearing out what little hair I have left.

1. Where on earth do I install this? I can't figure out what folder all the plug ins have gone to. The FCP4 manual still talks about the old Final Cut Pro/plugins folder but in the Applications folder there is only the application and no folder. So where on earth are all the plug ins?

2. What does it do? I have the PAL 25p version so don't need any help with 24p. Does this plug in have any relevance to the PAL version?

3. How do I use it? What setting do I use to select it.

Sorry if this is very basic but again I can't find any clear answers in the 12 inch thick mass of documentation.

Go to the applications folder, click on the FCP app while holding down the ctrl key. A menu will pop up, select Show Package, go to plugin folder.

The PAL version may not need the plugin. It works automatically and there are no settings to select (the best of my knowledge).

audio cracks and pops; which audio filter solves this?
 

I have a bunch of miniDV tapes of concerts and outdoor events where the audio sounds really good, but in the background there is slight noise problems: popping and crackling a bit. I'm sure you've all heard something like this when the camera isn't held still or the audio is loud and then soft. Or the camera man has no idea what he is doing.

What audio filter gets rid or reduces these noises. I tryed a couple in FCE, but I soon realized that I have no idea what parameters to change or why. They did significant damage to the audio and clarity, which is what I don't want.

Does anyone half any ideas? Is there a noise rule of thumb setting out there?

thanks.

For low frequency rumble from microphone handling or some wind overload noise, try a low shelf filter at 75 Hz or so.

To keep the audio at a constant level, try the compressor.
This will amplify the quieter sounds.

For removal of occasional microphone pops, try the de popper.

For removal of excessive hisssing on Sssss, try the
de-esser.

For removal of a single frequency, try the notch filter at a narrow setting.

For hum removal ( with harmonics), try the hum remover.

Today's filters are not smart enough to know what you want to keep in your audio program. So, you may want to apply these filters on segments of the audio. You're in for a lot of work in audio cleanup.

ATA Hard Drives - where?
 

Hi,
I have an older dual 800 with 2 internal hard drives & 1 external firewire drive. I want to add inexpensive, sort of fast, disk space. I've looked at adding FW800 with striped drives and multiple channels - which sounds way cool, but I'm still in the poor cash flow stage and that is a little pricey for a older machine... So I see these adds for ATA PCI cards and I'm wondering - if you add a couple of cards, where do you put the drives? Is it safe (power wise, floating grounds, etc.) to run IDE drives to a external enclosure? Like maybe an old pc tower with a blown mobo? If not external, what do folks do?
Any ideas?

Thanks in advance,
Mark

HELP! New FCP 3 problems!
 

I transferred mini-dv/compressed files to a G4 FCP 3 system (that does uncompressed). When I playback, only audio is playing, not video, when going to tape. When I open a regular UNcompressed project, no problems with video or audio. Never had this problem before with transferring mini-dv/compressed files with playback before...

Any clues out there? We're using OS 9.2.2 and FCP 3.0.2 (don't ask why we're still on OS 9.2.2).

HELP!

heath@mpsdigital.com

This article explains how to add more hard drives to your G4:

http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage...ata_drive.html

I got 5 hard drives in mine, installing them is very easy, good luck.

Setting to import 16x9 from Photoshop
 

Hey Guys,

Not being a Photoshop Pro and long since gave up winning the Nobel for Math, just curious about creating a Photoshop file to later be imported into FCP for some 16x9 work I am editing.

Thanks
David

Check FCP preference for monitor of playback. I don't remember them under 9.2.2. But playback of video can be changed. It is probably not active over FireWire at the present time. The uncompressed system doesn't use FireWire for playback.

I've done this by creating an 854x480 photoshop file. In FCP make sure your sequence is set to 16:9 anamorphic. It's actually been awhile since I tried, so I can't remember whether it automatically adjust to the right size in FCP or if I needed to stretch it. You might need to use the distort property on the motion tab if it doesn't look right.

Thanks. I had no idea that there was a plugin folder there. Trying your suggestion did work but if anyone else is interested see below.

Well, moving from OS9 to OSX was more of a headache than I had anticipated. I still have virtually no idea where anything is or should be and suddenly feel like I purchased a windows machine. Its all alien!

In fact the answer to my question is buried in the late breaking news about FCP4 available either through the web site or on the online help. I missed it. But in fact what it says is that this should be installed in the Library/Application Support/Final Cut Pro System Support/Plugins folder. It is then available from the Tools menu under offset audio. It works very nicely.

Hi,

OK, got a Sonnet Tempo ATA133 card and a couple of WD 80gig drives. I put one on each channel (1 drive per Ultra ATA Cable). When I go into drive utility it shows one as master, one as slave???? I tried cable select, single, and master (no slave) jumper positions and it makes no difference. I striped them together and see no apparent speed increase (just copying a 10 gig file). Am I doing something wrong (went back to single jumper position)??? Also both cables are hooked up the same, blue to sysem, black to drive. These are the only drives in the stripe set.

If you want a really fast and inexpensive way to add storage, do this:


1. Go to http://www.newegg.com

2. Add these two items to your cart:
a) WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB (currently $90)
b) External 3.5"/5.25" (USB2.0 & IEEE1394) Enclosure - ( Supports 250GB Hard Drive. With a COOLING FAN. ) (currently $68)

3. Get Fed Ex 2 day, which will probably be under $15

4. Assemble it when it comes (really easy; just screw it in with care)

5. Format it and voila - 80GB of really fast firewire storage for around $160.

Can't beat that with a stick, and the drive I mentioned is faster and has more cache (8.9ms seek time and 8MB cache) than any packaged external drive you'll find for almost a $100 more.

BTW, I don't work for or make any money by endorsing NewEgg.com. They are simply a very reliable vendor I've used for some time, and I recommend them to everyone.

Here is a link to their hard drives page, and each drive has a link to their external cases page:

http://www.newegg.com/app/manufactor...alog=14&DEPA=1

The reason I recommended 80GB is because, having worked as a tech, I just don't trust any hard drive with all my data. Don't put all your Gigs in one basket. Get yourself an external case such as the one I mentioned, and you can stack them on top of each other. Unless you really need it, I would never recommend getting one of those 250 or 500Gb drives unless you just like to say you have one, or unless you have it set up with RAID and know that you will not lose data in the event of a failure.

I bought two different enclosures for around 50-70 buckos each this year and put in 7200rpm drives. Each came to about $400 Cdn. I consider that a decent way to expand your space. I try not to dump straight to those external drives though as I don't trust Firewire over capture speeds. Just my feeling.

my firewire drive stopped working. please help quick!
 

i had my firewire drive (which i made myself) turned off for a few days, and when i tired to turn it on the computer would not recognize it again. i tried doing what i did to initilize it and erase it but then it went to this thing that said "unmounting old volume" after about a few minutes my computer seemed to be stuck so i turned the harddrive off (probably not the best idea) and then restarted and i have no clue what to do. after it restarted i tired letting it go through that remounting thing all night and it still wont work? any ideas? please i need help fast! should i take the harddrive out of the mount and reinstall it into the hardrive enclosure again? any ideas please?

Alfred,
It sounds like you've already walked through the Mac OS disk utility trying to reinitialize it.

When you say you "made" your Firewire drive what do you mean? Did you buy an empty enclosure and a separate drive? If so, what brand of enclosure and drive are you using, just for the record here.

Two ideas. First, try changing Firewire cables. I know it may sound like a long shot, but we've had a few similar experiences that have been traced to a faulty cable.

Failing that, try to connect the drive to your Mac's internal ATA cable to see if the drive is actually dead. If you can't initialize and mount the drive internally then it's probably a goner. If you can, then the enclosure may have a problem.

Good luck.

Well i was going to take your advice and install in into my mac, but when i opened the box the harddrive was hot and i looked at the connection and the flat ribbon cable was a little loose so i connected it tight and it works again. i was so happy i could have almost cried!

apple studio display works with pc?
 

can the 17" apple studio display work with a pc thru adc to dvi converter??
i know there are products for converting adc display to dvi and i've also seen it worked with the 20" cinema display on a pc; but i am not sure if the 17 will work or not. since, the apple stores or retailers do not have a friendly return policy, i am affraid to buy it and try it out.

currently i am saving up money for a low end G5 (or possibly a price dropping G4 .) i am also in the need of a good lcd display. i am thinking that while i am saving money i could get a apple display first, then when the mac arrives i would have the display ready. so there came the problem with competability . i am really in love with the apple display; however i don't know if it will work with my pc . so if the adc to dvi connector works, i'll be able to shoot two birds with one stone .

any body have experience on this?

i am using a p4 2.4 with Gforce Fx5200 VS
canon optura pi

thanks

The Apple LCD displays will work with a PC. You will need the adapter. I think they are in the $150 dollar range.

Bravo Alfred! What a relief, eh?

thanks jeff.

there are several after market adapters seem to serve the same purpose and cheaper (even the apple one cost 99 bucks now). i don't know if those connectors/ converters affect the image quality thou. (because some of the company claim that their connector is better and no pixle lost)
hope that apple store or resellers have a better return policy, so that i don't have to take that risk.

FCP/GL2 sync?
 

Hey Ken,

Nice to see another FCP user here. I have a question that veers a little from Ambarish's original post, but maybe you can help. I have had my GL2 for about a month now and also just upgraded to FCP 4. I have captured several hours of footage shot in frame mode on the GL2 (using ZR40 as my deck). Everything looks great, but on all my captures (using firwire basic preset), the audio is consistantly 2 frames out of sync. I have heard that Canons sometimes have sync issues with FCP, but I thought this was cleared up with the GL2. The only workaround I have found so far is to drop my entire clip into a sequence, slide the audio two frames, set the sequence timecode to match the original clip, then export the sequence and reimport into the exported clip into the FCP project. Not a deal breaker, but definitley a hassle. Just wondering if you have any info or ideas why this is happening or how to solve it?

Thanks,
Chief

Matthew,
This is something of a Canon DV issue, rather than specifically a GL2 or an FCP issue. Audio and video can drift apart during long captures.

In your User Preferences, be sure that you select "Synch audio capture to video source if present" under the General tab. This should help keep your a/v tracks lined up.

Ken,

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, FCP 4 has gotten rid of the autosync preference. Apprently it is supposed to be automatically incorporated into the software now. I did try a capture last nite in FCP 3.0.4 with the "sync audio capture" option selected, but still no luck.

I guess I will just have to keep syncing the clips manually and exporting and reimport. Luckily, the sync is not drifting, it is just consistantly 2 frames off.

Chief

external video issues.
 

Okay so I just captured a video and I want to start editing it with my new external monitor.

I have my sony trv20 miniDV cam connected to the firewire port and then the composite video out to the monitor. (9" tv)

In FCE when I select View -> Video -> Firewire nothing happens. I still can't see the video on the monitor. The only settings are RealTime or Firewire, don't I want both though? Am I missing something here?

any help is appreciated. thanks.

Are you passing the signal through the camera? Some cameras don't support pass through, can you see video in the cameras viewfinder?

I am pretty sure I have the video pass through feature on my camera.

There is no video on the camera's viewfinder either, so video is definitely not coming out the firewire port.

thanks.

I don't use FCE, so with that said here goes. On FCP 3 (and earlier) there is a command to show all frames. I'm away from my office so I can't check the exact menu bar heading, but look for something similar. Try the settings under that option (might be something like single frame, show all frames etc.

Does it show in your instruction manual the capability to record camera to camera (using your camera as the recorder)?

I got it working!

Apparently on the camera's menu the DV out feature has to be turned off.

Seems kind of odd because you would have to turn it back on in order to capture. but whatever, editing I go!

Final Cut Express Re-capture
 

Hi

I captured a larg-ish clip the other day and placed about 20 seconds of it into my sequence.

Is there an easy way for me to recapture the clip (just the 20 seconds of it that I'm actually using) so that FCE will easily re-link to it without me having to re-import it and do all the maipulation, filtering and blending etc again.

The reason is that I want to archive the work and that clip alone is 1.4 GB and most of it is unused.

New Powerbooks??
 

How long have the current PBs been available? Does anyone know if a G5 powerbook is coming soon? I'm thinking of getting a G4, but I don't want to buy it, only to have newer models come out in a month or something....

I know that the G5s have a question about the heat they give off, and that might require some re-engineering in a notebook form factor for cooling purposes, but nonetheless, I wasn't sure how long the current ones have been in the marketplace (I did notice that Apple lowered their prices on them recently--usually a sign that they're trying to move them out...)

Thanks!!!!

G5 PowerBooks are not expected until after the first of the year. They may be announced at MacWorld SF in January and ship late winter. However, Apple surprised everyone by making some updates before the Holidays last year (early November), but I wouldn't expect that this year.

The G5 chip presents some serious technical issues that will need to be resolved. Not the least of which are power consumption and heat dissipation. Apple is rumored to be working on a dual processor G5 PowerBook, but that would not be available until 2005, if at all.

Glad to hear you got it figured out.

Jeff, when will we see a revised 15" G4 Powerbook that will have the same feature set and construction as its bigger and smaller brothers? I've been waiting because I have a Goldilocks-type preference for this "just right" sized laptop, but I don't want to buy yesterdays' model.