Any advice for me before installing FCP HD?
 

Hi,

Just got a brand new g5 with FCP HD. Is there any advice from vetertans before I install FCP? I know some people recently had to go back and due fresh installs for some reason. Just want to keep away as few problems as possilbe.

Thanks.

Simple FCP Capture Issue
 

When I capture I don't setup anything fancy, I just find the clip I want then get it onto my computer. So far the only way I found to do this was with the 'Capture Now' option, I don't have a problem with that, but i'm used to naming files after they were captured and not as Untitled 1 ... How can I set it up for filenames?

And also I don't get any sound when I am in the capture window but I do when I playback, or any other time for that matter.

Just let the installer install all the apps. in the default location and leave them there.

And run repair permissions once you are done with the installation.

Applications->Disk Utility->Repair Permissions

Need advice on hardware/software.
 

I am looking to build a new computer for DV editing. I am getting into the event videography business. I can't decide whether to just use my existing amd 3000+, 2gb ram, 9800 pro and add a matrox rtx100 card and some more storage space or to buy a new computer.

Any reson specifically to switch to Mac? or FCP?

Will the above config work well for dv editing? If not what would you recommend?

I am going to be filming using a pd170.

I was thinking of using the adobe software(premiere pro) that comes with the matrox rtx100 card.

Any ideas?

problem with compressor
 

I need help. Each time I try to compress a project I get this error message... "unable to connect to background process" What do I do to fix this so I can start working on the DVDs?

Thanks,
Matt

Well this is a coincidence. This just happened to someone else
as well. For that reason I'm point you to the other thread which
you can find here.

Please introduce yourself there stating you have the same
problem. To keep everything in one place I'm locking this thread,
thank you!

Thanks Dave.
You got me right to the right place. In FCP 4.1 it's:
View > External Video > All Frames

That did the trick.

audio timeline making acting up
 

Hello,

I am fairly new to FCP so excuse me if this is an elementary question.
When I import an audio track and render it in my timeline and play it back the audio makes a very strange noise. I can only describe it as a brief absence of all sound every few seconds that only lasts for a fraction of a second but is enough to both alert and frusturate me. Any idea what this could be or how to fix it?
Please let me know if my explanation isnt good enough and I will try to put it in other words.

PS I am importing mp3 and aiff files.

Premier 6.5 Export issues
 

I just finished a test DVD burn on a portion of my DV project. The quick time file that I used to encode seems to have field dominance issues and the final DVD does too. The rendered playback that I viewed on a TV monitor didnt seem to have these noticeable lines and quality issues. I did have to change the rendering/field dominace settings on some of the shots because of the speed changes that I did to the clips. Once again these changes looked like they were working fine before I exported to quick time and on to the DVD. I think I may have had the field dominace settings set to uppers first instead of lowers first when I initially set up the project. I caught this before it was to late though. Here is a break down of my settings and equip. I mac G4 1.25, Premier 6.5, 60i footage @ 29.97 fps, 1/60 shutter, 720x486 via GL2, lower fields first.
I have tried exporting as DV stream and quick time file at highest quality with settings that match the project.
I did try a search on this topic and it seems that everyone had to adjust their field dominance settigns and they were on their way. I have had to adjust dominance on some clips but not on others. Once I smoothed this out I saw problems with clips that didnt have this issue on the rendered previews. Please help.

DV Stream is a lower quality setting. Change your video settings.

Unfortuantely, this is a common complaint here... You can find some info about this if you search for "out of sync" under the search function.

In brief, the problem seems worse with Canon cameras and sync issue just gets more pronounced the longer your capture is. I don't know what software you're editing with or what version it is, but FCP 3 has a User Preferences option where you can designate the program to keep audio/video in sync, whereas in FCP 4 (some or all versions, I don't know) the sync adjust is built in.

Anyway, a quick search on this site will turn up many explanations and some workarounds that other people have used. Good luck.

Try trashing the FCP preferences, the instruction are in the post at the top of the page.

Apple 17" LCD and Color Space in FCP HD
 

What should I set my LCD monitor for closest possible video output match. I don't have an external monitor.

Thanks

anybody? this is really slowing my progress in finishing up videos....

Audio While Capturing
 

Sorry for all the questions, I really am. This is my first few days on a mac/fcp and I want to get all my major gripes worked out so I can be happy. This is my last question for a while, I promise.

Ok when I have the capture window open it doesn't play any audio, but it captures it as normal. Is there anyway to get it to play the audio while you have the capture window open? Because I kind of need that.

Re: Audio While Capturing
 

<<<-- Originally posted by Steve LaClair : Sorry for all the questions, I really am. This is my first few days on a mac/fcp and I want to get all my major gripes worked out so I can be happy. This is my last question for a while, I promise.

Ok when I have the capture window open it doesn't play any audio, but it captures it as normal. Is there anyway to get it to play the audio while you have the capture window open? Because I kind of need that. -->>>

You would need to plug in the audio rca inputs (white and red) from the camera to the computer.
Or you can do what I do, if you have a camera with a LCD screen that plays back the audio too, use it as your audio source.

Oh damn, I thought it was just something I was missing, Or could I even get the left and right stereo cables that turn into the headphone jack at the end and just shove them in the audio in jack. But thanks for letting me know I didn't screw anything up, I have a lcd on my vx2100 but I don't think i'm going to be using that much longer for capturing footage. But most one chips have lcd's anyways, so I'll be in good shape either way. Thanks.

Check out this thread. Your questions should be answered.


http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?s=&threadid=28215

You can try using the "SMPTE-C" or "NTSC (1953)" profiles. Alternately, if you have access to a monitor color calibration system you'll want to create a custom profile for your monitor.

But, honestly, no matter what you do the color space on your Mac's monitor will not really match that of your video's true color space. So be cautious of attempting to make accurate color corrections if you need to do so.

THanks Ken, maybe i should consider a monitor. Is there an inexpensive monitor that you can recommend that can output from FCP firewire?

No production monitors (that I know of) will take Firewire input. All will require an analog signal, such as a composite. That means you'll have to come out of a deck, your camera or some type of a/d converter.

There are many good production monitors. Browse through B&H's site. Sony is the gold standard, but JVC and Panasonic have very good units, too. A 13" is a good, economical size. 9" is just a bit small and generally a bit too low of resolution for desktop color work, in my experience.

fcp4 viewer glithches w/apple's 17" cinema display
 

i just replaced my old viewsonic crt with a 17" apple cd. i've found and annoying bug it has while playing back footage in the FCP4 viewer windows. i see a strange ripple effect (on/off) that doesn't show up in the quicktime clips in my scratch disk and isn't on the original footage. my "system settings" for playback are rt unlimited ~ high etc.. i've moved them all around and the bug remains. i've also laid it back to tape (from FCP4) and the image is clean. it appears as if it some playback conflict/refresh rate issue the 17" apple cd has with final cut. any advice or tips? if it were a slow refresh rate issue (tearing) wouldn't it appear in my quicktime viewer or when i view a dvd with idvd? i can't figure out why it only appears in the fcp4 viewer windows! what gives......


powermac g4 1.25 ghz (sp) ~ 1.25 RAM ~ os x (10.3.4)
200 gb western digital firewire drive ata 100

Sorry, I thought I'd posted my solution. I put the Qt file in the trash then clicked into FCP and when it cried 'missing file', I brought the file out of the trash and reconnected it and everything was wonderful.

Thanks,
elmer

Lowering the quality setting didn't help? Do you have the latest video drivers installed?

question about DVDSP2 (for Jeff Donald)
 

Jeff, you always seem to be able to answer the questions i have about DVDSP2 very quickly. Have you ever built a DVD9 or anything bigger? I have heard that there are now dual layer DVD10 and DVD11. can DVDSP2 or 3 handle burning the image of a DVD10 (dual layer) or a DVD11 to a hard drive? All i know is that it can handle DVD9s. If you have can you shoot me an email to alfredbot9000@yahoo.com becuase i was wondering if it would be possilbe to give you a call or have you call me because we are in a slump with making a dvd9 for a band because of size constraints we may have to go to a dvd10 or 11.

thanks much.

I'm still using DVD SP 2 and as far as I know DVD9 is it for this version. DVD SP 3 might do DVD10 or 11, but I doubt it. It will do a Video_TS file to a hard drive and your replicator may be able to do a DVD10 or 11 from the HD. You might also want to ask on the Apple support forum here.

I would think that you could author two separate projects and burn each to a side of the DVD10. I don't see why that wouldn't work.

Hard drive problems after FCP re-install
 

After re-installing FCP 4.0 (to fix other problems involving inability to export to Compressor) on my G4 (have OS X 10.3.4, and two external hard drives), I tried to open projects that I had worked on before, and got the message: "Cannot read file. It appears to be corrupted." Tried multiple projects that had been on other drives, same answer. Then, I download the FCP HD upgrade, restart my computer, and try to launch it from my dock, but it won't launch. Other programs will launch, though. Closest I can get into my FCP projects is to launch the project's shortcut off my desktop, and then FCP 4.0 opens, with the "corrupted file" message.

Can anyone help me? To see what else I've already tried, go to the thread at: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?threadid=28158&goto=newpost

Thanks for any help you can give.

hmm thanks for the link ray but thats not the same problem i am having.
FCP is taking the quality out of my audio track - i can still hear the music but it sounds much worse than in iTunes

Possibly your memory - be sure you have at least 1 to 1.5 gig of ram. I had the same problem where I thought the music (which was an imported MP3) was cutting in and out but only marginally. When I actually exported it, it was fine, but while previewing edits it seemed skippy (like it was choppy) so to speak. Also when I exported it to a Quicktime Movie, the audio did seem to be the same. Memory should solve that issue.

After you let us know about the memory config your using, maybe someone else can chime in with some advise.

Good luck.

Projects in FCP HD can not be read (in most cases) in FCP 4.1 You'll need to update here

still picture montage in final cut hd
 

Hey everyone...
I'm working on a video project that is a montage of still pictures. I have created videos like this many times before and am familiar with the whole keyframing process, but there is one problem I can never seem to figure out:

When I add motion to these pictures (slow zooming or panning, or both), the more detailed areas in the picture will become jagged and shaky. this appears in the final cut viewer window as well as the NTSC monitor. Can anyone tell me how to fix this problem, so that the pictures appear smoothly as they move across the screen?

I am using 3.2 megapixel images, and have not modified them in photoshop in any way before hand, and I don't want to unless that's the only way to fix this issue. I have tried deinterlacing the montage video but it does not fix anything.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated!

FCP 4.5 Freezes during capture
 

Hi all

I'm amazed by FCP 4.5, it's really great but there is a bug in capture (under my setup anyway) that is getting really annoying. When I try to "Capture NOW" it seems to behave very slugginsh but it eventually pops up the window showing the footage from the tape. Usually it has lost a few seconds from the point I hit capture now.

Leave it logging for a few minutes and I press escape. Now I get the spinng beachball and it fills the remaining space on my drive with a file called untitled-av. I need to reboot to get out of this loop.

I have tried to search for this on this site but there are no answers. Soembody mentions that I should limit the capture to 30 mminutes and I have done that to no avail.

This bug or misconfiguration is really annoying and I have started to use GCam to log my footage but I lose the information about the tape doing it this way and cannot relog in the future.

Anybody else having this problem? I've seen mention of it on the apple support forums and the solution was to stop Norton. I had Norton installed but I think I've stopped it. Does it need to be removed from the disk completly?

I have not dumped my configuration files as mentioned at the top of this forum but I will try that if somebody has noticed that doing this will solve the problem.

Any input is appreciated...
Many thanks
Donie

<<<-- Originally posted by Jerry Ricciotti : hmm thanks for the link ray but thats not the same problem i am having.
FCP is taking the quality out of my audio track - i can still hear the music but it sounds much worse than in iTunes -->>>

Go into Easy setup and check what way you have the audio setup. Is it set to stero 48Khz? Just guessing.

I had the problem with audio as reference by the link above and it solved it by converting it to aiff. Have you tried that? Make sure to convert it to the format you are using in the timline ie: stereo 48Khz I presume you are using. If you set it to something else you are putting a lot of strain on the playback as it has to convert in real time and there may be problems with that if your machine is being stressed by other stuff on the timeline.

Just some thoughts. Hopefully you'll sort it out. Let us know if you solve it.

regards
Donie

I would guess you are still having issues with Norton. are you sure it's not running in the background? You can always use Batch Capture instead of Capture Now.

Ultra or not
 

Hi. .
Shopping for hard drives.
I am getting confused by the wordage.
Looking at Maxtor 250GB SATA for my G5, 1.8 Dual. Want to have video scratch, storage & render disc for FCE2.
Any one know what "Ultra" means as opposed to not. The price is less, as well as the warranty period, however, I don't know what the difference would be compared to other models, without the "Ultra" wording.
I have gone to the Maxtor web site and cannot find good explanatory descriptions in layperson terms.
Thanks.
Any feedback appreciated.
Loretta

ULTRA - $154.
Maxtor 250 GB Complete Ultra Series Hard Drive Kit
Huge 8 MB Cache!
7200 RPM Ultra ATA/133
w/ 1-year warranty
Model: L01P250


NOT "ULTRA"
Maxtor 250GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive, Model 7Y250M0, OEM Drive Only

$199.00
Model# 7Y250M0
Item # N82E16822144327
Specifications:
Capacity: 250GB
Average Seek Time: 9 ms
Buffer: 8MB
Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM
Interface: Serial ATA
Features: S.M.A.R.T. compliance features
Manufacturer Warranty: 3 years
Packaging: OEM Drive Only

I believe "Ultra" refers to the Ultra/133MHz buss they use. Depending on the age of your computer, you may or may not be able to take advantage of the faster buss speeds.

Bella versus Contour shuttle pro
 

Has anyone tried BOTH the Bella DV keyboard (with jog shuttle) and the Contour Shuttle Pro? If so, which do you prefer?

Do the colored keys really make a difference to editing?

Thanks.

Playback and capture problems with FCP HD
 

have a Sony Media Converter and a Panasonic AG-DV2500. Now I've gone through enough posts to realize that FCP cannot recognize two capture devices simultaneously. So I turned off the Panasonic, as I need to capture from my media converter. However, I have my device control set to non-controllable device (I'm coming from a VHS deck), and am using the DV 48khz capture preset, and have set my scratch disk. I have checked my cabling, and am going out of the vhs deck to the media converter via RCA cables, and then into the back of my G4 via a firewire cable. The converter is set to Analog In, and is powered up.

The message I get is:
Attempt to capture video without a video device selected. Please select a video device in your capture presets and try again.

Perhaps related, when I go to "Video Playback" under "View", my choices are:
None
(Missing) Apple Firewire NTSC

And under Audio Playback, my choices are grayed out. And also perhaps related, I cannot playback any audio.

What should I do?

Try start FCP with the convertor on and then off and see if FCP will recognize it one way or the other. Some devices are particular about being on or off when the software starts. Once the capture device recognized, you should have options for playing back audio, internal sound and external, if a device is detected.