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T2i/final cut 7 questions

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ridearmada14
Posts: 441 - Karma: 11
k, this is very frustrating right now. I'm new to final cut and there's so many options it's tough.

Can someone please give me a step by step process to get canon t2i footage (60frames/second) into final cut correctly?

Also, can someone give me a step by step on how to export the project?

I'm so confused about converting to ProRes, i'm not sure if you're supposed to do this before/after importing to final cut and not even sure what it does. Thanks

+K TO ALL ANSWERS
Aug 18 2011 8:57PM
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[evan]
Posts: 5628 - Karma: 117
Well I don't have FCP so I'm not 100% on all the technicalities, but I know the basic workflow is this.

1. Copy/move video files from SD Card to folder on Desktop or External HD.

2. Use Mpeg Streamclip to bath transcode the clips to ProRes 422. (FCP has to be installed to have this codec show up)

3. Match sequence settings in FCP with video clip footage. (This is where I assume you're having trouble)

4. Edit

5. Export footage in H.264 (.mov) format.
Aug 18 2011 9:00PM
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kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
You missed a step. Figures, you're thirteen.

After you transcode the footage to ProRes 422, open up Cinema Tools and Batch Conform (File > Batch Conform I believe.) all of your footage. This makes all of the frame rates consistent (24p), so that you don't get differentials in playback. To speed up your 24p clips that were previously 60p, just speed it up by 240%, speeding up 24p that was previously 30p should be... I think 120% percent for normal speed? And shooting in 24p just get normal speed.

This step is important because speeding 24p that was previously 60p up to full speed make the footage drop frames, making everything playback at 24p. If you just slow down the footage in FCP, you'll get choppiness.

Any more questions, just ask.
Aug 18 2011 9:18PM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
Make sure it's proress 422 LT. Any higher of a bit rate will degrade your footage.
Aug 18 2011 10:43PM
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[evan]
Posts: 5628 - Karma: 117
Uncalled for.
Aug 18 2011 10:49PM
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207
Posts: 8969 - Karma: 3,846
match current settings worked for me... but i was shooting in 24p so that's probably why
Aug 18 2011 10:56PM
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blatt
Posts: 5584 - Karma: 3,097
usually what I do too. You can choose what codec you want FCP to work in. Just drag and drop a video clip before you put in a music clip
Aug 18 2011 10:57PM
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CoachG
Posts: 2546 - Karma: 448
Technically using cinema tools is an option, not a necessary step. Figures, you'd give false info.
Aug 18 2011 11:09PM
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robert77
Posts: 361 - Karma: 235
follow:


Aug 19 2011 4:47AM
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robert77
Posts: 361 - Karma: 235
aaand youre welcome for the huge video... opsey
Aug 19 2011 4:48AM
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andstuff
Posts: 1118 - Karma: 61
For edits with long takes, it is most definitely a necessary step. Otherwise FCP will give you an error message every time you try to render saying "general error."

And yeah, don't go above ProRes 422 LT. ProRes 422, Prores 422 HQ, and ProRes 4444 will all harm your footage.
Aug 19 2011 4:53PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14504 - Karma: 10,751
This is so confusing. I only edited in FCP once so far, and I just uploaded my footy to imovie then transfered because nothing else was working for me. The quality was not downgraded or anything. I am gonna have to relearn how to do it tho :/
Aug 19 2011 5:12PM
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andstuff
Posts: 1118 - Karma: 61
Technically, the quality WAS downgraded because iMovie uses an inferior codec.
Aug 19 2011 5:37PM
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Lemuel
Posts: 14504 - Karma: 10,751
*Wasn't downgraded enough for me to really notice (although it was my first time using my new cam and FCP haha). I'll learn how to do it the correct way.

What is the mpeg streamline something something that bedtime boy was talking about? Is that part of final cut or do I have to download separately?
Aug 19 2011 6:23PM
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1337
Posts: 31061 - Karma: 29,360
download separately, but its free
Aug 19 2011 6:26PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
I havent even tried it but could i run my clips off my camera right through mpeg streamclip? so i would only have the 422(lt) versions saved on my computer. That would save me some time and space.
Aug 19 2011 6:34PM
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andstuff
Posts: 1118 - Karma: 61
I recommend transferring the files to your computer first because they will transcode faster. Otherwise its pulling the files off your camera through USB, which is slooooow.
Aug 19 2011 7:12PM
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CrotchKiller
Posts: 9037 - Karma: 6,943
Alright, good to know. thanks man
Aug 19 2011 7:38PM
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kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
Yes, technically it is, but if you want your footage to look great, conforming is the way to go. Even if you're not using it at the conformed rate, having your sixty being played back at 24 looks better than having 60 and 24 mixed together. And I do everything to make my footage look better.
Aug 19 2011 8:07PM
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CoachG
Posts: 2546 - Karma: 448
How is using cinema tools necessary for long takes? That doesn't make sense. If you have a long take and you're getting that message then you're probably doing something wrong. I never get that message. If you are properly transcoding your footage, you shouldn't be getting any error messages. The only time cinema tools is necessary is when you have multiple clips with varied frame rates that are going into one edit.

I guess what i was getting at is that the o.p. technically does not need to conform anything if all of his footage is of the same frame rate.
Aug 20 2011 9:53AM
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kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
Well, he shot all of his stuff in 60 for a reason, most likely to use slow motion, because if he wanted to use normal speed, he should have just shot in 24 with a T2i. So in the OP's case, conforming SHOULD be necessary in order to get the smooth slow motion he's looking for.
Aug 20 2011 10:00AM
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andstuff
Posts: 1118 - Karma: 61
It does make sense. Digital cameras don't shoot framerates in integers, they shoot in decimals (23.98 instead of 24, etc.). Because of this, if a shot is long enough, sometimes that .02 or .03 difference in the framerate will cause the clip to become out of whack and not be synced to the audio. Instead of fixing this, FCP just refused to render and the only way to fix is to conform the source file to its original frame rate. However this only occurs with LONG takes, so for ski edits I don't think its an issue.

But for slow motion, cinematools is necessary because its the best way to achieve slow motion. Dropping a 60p clip directly into FCP then slowing it down in the timeline isn't optimal because FCP sucks when it comes to framerates, and often exhibits ghosting, frame blending, or other less-than-ideal manifestations of poor image processing.
Aug 20 2011 2:32PM
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