window dub
 

I need to make a copy to VHS, with a timecode window, of my project, done in FCP 3. Is there a feature in FCP 3 that allows for that? My configuration is FCP 3, with G4, running on OSX, firewired to a Panasonic AG-DV1000, to a standard VHS deck, with monitor output from that deck. Any ideas?

Does FCP have a timecode burn-in filter? (I vaguely remember it does)

Yes, the filter is here, Effects>Video Filters>Video>Time Code Print.

Thanks for the info...

Maximum resolution
 

How do you get maximum resolution when digitizing footage onto Final Cut Pro or any Mac for that matter?! I always seem to get low quality video when I do it. I am using a JVC DVL120u as a deck with the MiniDV tapes I recorded from an XL1 When Capturing in FCP I am using the DV-ntsc option and it's coming out pixelated. I hate it!! How do I get the maximum quality?

Check that you're using the right settings and not offlineRT... dv ntsc sounds right.

2- check that your sequence settings match your capture settings.

3- FCP's monitor/viewer doesn't have that much to do with what your footage actually looks like. Hook up a TV (or better yet, a NTSC monitor if you can afford one) and check to see if things look good.

You can also try viewing your captured clips in quicktime player.

Your footage is probably captured at the highest quality possible. It's hard to mess up the digital transfer. OfflineRT is the only way I can see you capturing at low quality.

window dub.1
 

So in order to get a continous timecode window, via effects>video filters>video>timecode print, it appears I would need to select all clips in the timeline and then render them in unison. Am I correct on this? And once done, will it indeed be a continous running reference window? I thought I would post this thought before I get into what will be a fairly long rendering...

Tim

Yes, you're correct. Render shouldn't be too long.

Importing Cd items
 

I used to import Cd's into FCP with Quicktime. I have updated my Quicktime and I can't import CD's into movies anymore. What is the easiest way to import Cd songs and items into FCP. I tried to do it from FCP but it doesn't allow me to convert it into a movie item. Please help. Thank you.

You could drag the audio off of the CD onto your hardrive and then import it into FCP.

Firewire 800 on a G4
 

I have two LaCie D2 drives. One is a firewire 400 model that I use for audio work and the other is a triple interface model that I use for video. I was wondering if I would gain anything by adding a firewire 800 card to my G4 Dual 1gig to run my video drive on.

I'm currently running two hard drives and my audio interface on the same bus. I was thinking that spreading things out might help my computer's performance a little bit.

iTunes will import your CD music.

With the CD in the drive and iTunes open, double click the CD icon. This brings up the list of tracks on the CD (and will include the CD name, genre, and track names if you are connected to the internet and have selected the preference for iTunes to look up CDs in the online database). Drag the track(s) you want to the Library (or to any iTunes album you have created). iTunes will then copy the tracks and convert them to the format you have chosen (mp3, aiff, etc.) in Preferences (iTunes -> Preferences -> Importing).

Then from FCP, Import the files from the iTunes library.

Are you having problems with dropping frames, audio stutter etc.? In most cases FW400 is plenty fast for DV. What type of performance are you hoping to improve?

There are no major problems. I just keep accumulating firewire peripherals and was wondering if it would help to spread them out or if 400 and 800 are just summed to the same internal bus and none of it would matter anyway.

I have noticed that Photoshop seems a little sluggish when my video drive is mounted. Since I upgraded to FCE 2 I've had occasional dropped frames, but not too often.

Having a firewire 800 card would also free up the 400 port on my video drive for plugging in my camera.

FCP HD and making a QT movie
 

Every time I try to make a QuickTime movie in FCP HD, I get a Final Cut Pro QuickTime movie, which isn't what I need.

What I'm trying to do is make a QT movie for the web. Can anyone explain it for me, please? :-)

Thanks,

heath