I made that decision several years ago. In 1995 I became a certified Avid editor. In 2000 I switched to FCP. stability was not a major factor, but work flow, cost vs. benefits etc were factors. Now, almost 5 years later I wouldn't change a thing. FCP and Apple is still the best combination for me.

Thanks alot for the input you are helping me to go back to FCP.

Cheers,
David Applegate

HDV & Final Cut Pro 4
 

Hi guys, has anyone heard news on support for HDV in FCP4 ?

This is to support the new 'currently titled' hdv format spec agreed to upon by Canon/Sony/Sharp/JVC - also the generic format of JVC's HD 1 Chipper.


Thanks folks.
Paul

Is the deck set to DV or DVCAM? Since you shot on a Canon, you need to make sure the deck is set to DV mode.

Cheers

FCP "offline" clips problem IN HAITI
 

March 21, 2004

Hi -

Been non-communicative since we were busy with a regime change, I got hit by a rebel bullet ricochet, etc.

We are trying to get back to normal, which means editing a longish doc using FCP 3.0 on a G4. We digitized low rez and are working away. All clips are on an external hard drive. We started in Jan but had to stop due to events here...

We recently took the FCP file (the project) and put in our Powerbook. We did this before... in fact did some editing for a while on that and then switched to the G4 and there was no problem.

But for this switch back to the Powerbook, BIG PROBLEM!

The browser sees all the media on the ext. hard drive, but a number of clips in the two sequences (in the timeline) say they are "offline." Not all. And not the same ones...

When I select a clip and then select "item properties" and then hit "okay," the clip goes from "offline" to normal.

I save the project.

Then I change sequences or close and re-open.

Guess what?

Clip is "off line" in the sequence (timeline) again.

I am kind of panicking (of course).

Here we are in Port-au-Prince Haiti. Not too many experts here.

Please any help would be so useful.

Thanks,

Jane Regan

I have seen this when you move projects around from computer to computer. You have to "Reconnect Media". On the timeline, go to where the white Media Offline clips are. Right click (or control click if you don't have a two button mouse) on the clip and select "Reconnect media". Now navigate to where that clip's source file is on the external drive or wherever and select it. Bam! There you go. Save. You may have to do this each time you move the project around from computer to computer.

Hope things get better for you all in Haiti.

Hi Jane,

I hope you are all right – the fact that you are editing and writing is probably a good sign.

Did you try reconnecting the media directly in the time line?

Select the offline clip in the timeline. Make sure that the offline clip in the browser is not selected. Then choose "reconnect media” or something like that – I have a German version from FCP 3 so I’m guessing the wording, in the "File” menu. You will get a dialog which asks you to tell FCP where the file to be linked is. Find the file, select it and click ok.

If that doesn’t help, and there aren’t a lot of clips that are offline, then you could try recapturing them from the original tapes, by selecting an offline clip, control clicking it and choosing "capture...” (again it may be a word like capture, it could be "record” as well). FCP will only capture the missing footage in that clip.

I hope this helps.

Editing in low res. is really tricky – I have had a lot of problems with doing that.

Good luck, and heal well!

I use a DSR-11 with FCP4 and have never had any problem with capturing.

What does sometimes happen is that I run of the end of the time code onto a blank portion of the tape and that confuses FCP4.

How do you make multiple subclips into self contained movies? FC Express
 

I have a bunch of subclips that need to be made into self contained movies. Is there a way to do this to a whole group at once or do you have to Ctr+click each one and select 'Export' - 'Movie' ?

Hope one of you can save me a bunch of time!

Cheers,
Brian

Use batch export. It's under file --> batch export.

I'm using Final Cut Express (should have mentioned that in the first post) and I don't see that option. Should it be under 'Export' of the Ctrl+Click menu? Cause if so it looks like Express doesn't have it, all that's listed under that menu is 'Movie'

Thanks for the help.

Does FCE have a media manager? In FCP you can do this with its media manager deleting all media found in the main clip thats not used by the subclips and leaving self contained sub clips.Do this only if you no longer need the media.Possibly a greater chance of deleting needed media this way though if you are not paying attention.

Just checked the Apple site and FCE doesn't have the Media Manager, so it looks like I'll just have to do each individual clip. Matt, I figured it should have something like, similar to the 'Trim-Project' I've used with Premiere and I thought that since FCE was suppose to basically be FCP3 that it would have that feature but it looks like they axed it.

Thanks for the info guys, back to work...

Cheers,
Brian

Is there any avid users out there who would tell us why you like avid so much?

Cheers,

David Applegate

A film editor I know very much prefers the user interface for Avid but has no problems with FCP other than that.

I use both Avid and FCP. At work I use Avid Media Compser and have gotten cerified. For my personal business I use FCP. I see it as more of a preference thing. I like both and each are very strong. Avid has a larger learning curve than FCP. They are both capable of doing mostly the same stuff. I dont have a lot of extra plugins for FCP so I think I am partial to Avid. The media management in Avid is way better. In FCP you just make a folder for your project and you dont have to worry about that. I have been using both for years. I spend more time in Avid and have been happier with the things you can do with it. As stated though I do have a lot of bells and whistels to go with the Avid suite so I guess I am partial. We all know Avid also cost a lot more. Another plus for people like me who use both Mac and PC I can share files when created or caputred in Avid on both platforms.

I do not believe the question which is better can be given. It just depends on which one you like best or have the budjet for. I would personally choose Avid over FCP even thogh I think they are a close match.

FCP4.1 not capturing
 

Weird problem. My boss has FCP4.1 and all of a sudden, it's stopped capturing. Takes in cues on batch capture and ignores out cues on batch capture. Nothing is recodding to drives. We have tried recording to a Maxtor and Ultra Scuzzi stripes, neither is running when we try.

Here's the weird part. When he boots up FCP3 with os9, it DOES capture to these drives.

Oh vast and unpaid research department, here my plea and answer my call.

WTF?

G4 dual 533 Seperate system drives. One with osx and one with os9.

Have you trashed the preferences to FCP on OS X? Do a search and you'll see my instructions. There are three files that need to be deleted, not just one file.

Jeff,

Been searching, can't find a specific thread, maybe I'm not using the right search words. preferences, FCP,

Boss says he knows his way around OS9 but not X. (Hey, I'm sitting across the room typing this on my PC that runs avid. Yeah, we've got a line painted down the studio, but hey... the fridge is on my side.)

Can you point me to the right thread?

Thankz

Search trash and FCP with my name as author. This one will help you.

Funky problem in FCP with mystery clips popping up...
 

Hey All: well I'm AE on a feature up here in Boston for a few weeks and the director and I have run into a rather strange problem with our project. It seems that throughout the project (1.5 hrs) while editing it, there are pieces of footage from a different part of the film popping in for maybe 5 seconds at a time during unrelated shots. Above each instance when this occurs, the timeline is BLUE indicating that it has been rendered. So far we haven't added any filters, color correction etc. (the footage is untouched) that would require a render. Checking the properties of these clips that have the random cut ins shows that nothing has been added like a special feature or effect. We tried to copy and paste into a new sequence and if you only copy a few shots, the problem is fixed. If you copy the entire project over, then we get the problem back. Also, it seems as if when we first encountered this problem maybe a few days ago, it only occured once. Since then, it seems to be happening many more times now throughout the film (around 20 at this point). Finally, when the problem occurs, it is only the picture and not the sound though the sound was recorded on a DAT tape and then we synched it in post. We are editing in a lab so we've tried the project on numerous machines with the same result. We're running an external 160 gig HD that the files are stored on. Does anyone have some suggestions for fixing this problem without anything too drastic? Thanks in advance. Cheers.

Trash FCP's three preferences files. I've written instructions for this on many occasions, so a search of key words preference and FCP should turn up some of my posts.

Jeff- Maybe the instructions for trashing the prefs should be in your signature. :)

Not a bad idea Ted, thanks.

Question about setups in FCP 4.1
 

Dual 2 G5 w/1.5 Ram 2 160 HD's
Is there a setup I'm missing?
Footage shot with a Canon XL1

When I park on an image that has motion I'm seeing dual lines of the image like the fields are pulled apart. It has the look of TV Lines from an older Avid Ice effect.

Any Ideas?

Are you seeing the lines in the slug or canvas? What size (%) are they set to? Try setting to fit to Window. You may just be seeing interlace lines.

Steven, there is a button at the top, center of the Slug and Canvas (has numbers and % sign). It has to do with how large the window is. Try reducing the size of the window or use the "Fit to Window" setting.

GeniusDV class
 

I just got back from Miami after taking a Final Cut Pro class from GeniusDV.

It is a great bacis class and it got me up and running in 3 days. They cover a lot of ground in a short period of time. Small class and a great instructior.

If any beginners out there are considering it, go ahead. I was pleased.

Joe Gioielli

Split Screen help
 

I'm shooting a movie in a month with a dvx100 and I would love to do a split in the middle of a continous steady cam shot.

The lead guy is walking along then gets a phone call - SCREEN SPLITS WITH THE GIRL WHO'S CALLING HIM - they talk and then the screen UNSPLITS as the guy finishes the scene in one uninterrupted take
Anybody have any idea? I have after effects, premiere, vegas and avid dvxpress to use in post.

Thank you very much, I learn so much from this board.

Josh Townsend
Empty Bottle, Loaded Gun Productions
Jacksonville Florida

Child Lock on G4 + G5
 

Please could someone tell me how to stop my boy from playing
with the computer.
Can I make a pass word on the users loggin or is this the wrong place?
I have D450 G4 and will get G5 later on.

I would like to thank this community for this web page, I look at it
evey night for the past 3 years its the best of the web sites.
Many thanks for any help

Yes u can make a pasword for your startup, if your on osx.

Go into 'system pref.'
Then click on 'login.'
Chosee 'login window.'
De-select 'automatically log in.'

This will require a password to login every time you restart. You can also set-up a password for your screen saver and then set a hot-corner to start the screen saver. If you always remember to activate it when you walk away from the machine it will lock-out the machine until you enter the password again.

Go into 'system pref.'
Then click on 'scrensaver.'
Chosee 'activation.'
Select 'use my user account password.'

Hope this helps!

There's more flexibility than that. You can set your son up with his own account and limit access to just the programs you want him to be able to use.

Apple Menu>System Preferences>Accounts

If the padlock in the lower left corner is locked, click on it and enter your admin password at the prompt. Once unlocked click on the plus sign above the padlock to add a new account. Enter all the information requested for your son (name, password for him to use, hints for password if he forgets etc.). Once entered, click on limitations and select just the applications you want him to use.

Once his account is setup, you can change login options to list of users and un-check automatically log in. If the time involved in logging in an out seems too long you can setup "Fast User switching" in the login options. If you need additional help use the help menu (search logout) or post back.

Ripple delete?
 

Ok so I shot a music video the other day and sat down to edit it last night. Everything in my rough edit lined up fine. Then I started getting rid of some clips and changind etc. etc. I go to play with my newly tuned sequence and it was so far out of sync now. As I was yelling at my monitor and mac, and steve jobs I realized I had been hitting the delete key to get rid of clips instead of backspace. Moral of the story you ask? Dumb mistake.... but I figured it's a nice change to post this instead of constantly complaining that there's a bug in the system.


Honestly its my only mistake, everything else was a glitch with FCP ;)

Do a horizontal wipe (hard or soft edge) and only do it half way. There are numerous other ways, involving key frames, mattes etc. but the simple wipe should suffice.

Thanks for the information Joe.

still wierd offline probs in Haiti
 

Hi Guys -

Thanks for the advice but I am still having a problem!

I decided not to change computers after all of that and have been working on the G4 with an ext hard drive. All has been fine.

But today I turned on the G4 and opened the program forgetting that the ext was not turned on. Of course FCP reported "clips offline." So I closed, not "saving changes," shut down, etc. The connect ext, turned on, opened the movie and... voila... a bunch of clips THINK they are offline. they play fine, but in the timeline are all RED and scarey looking.

Advice? This is driving me nuts.

Stop-watch in FCP 4?
 

Hi,
I am putting together a pilot for a documentary. 3 cameras were used to film a simulated train crash : one inside the train, one outside and one in the hospital. I would like to put a stop-watch running continually in the corner of the screen as the images jump from one scene to the other. Is there anything in FCP 4 that will do this for me or anything in Mac software that I can import? or do I physically have to shoot a stop-watch? I´m using a Dual G5.
Thanks for any suggestions concerning this urgent matter!
Kirsten

Shoot a stop watch. There are no effects like that in FCP.

Have rendered the effects again? You can try and link the clips with the media manager.

Kirsten,

I recently searched for the same thing but couldn't find anything.

Graeme Nattress started working on an FCP plug to do that...but I'm not sure if he's finished it or not.