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DSLR video and Final Cut Express
Has anybody used DSLR footage in Final Cut Express?
FCE doesn’t come with Compressor for transcoding and it doesn’t support 24p sequences. It does however support 720p 30fps and 1080i 60fps sequences. I wonder if I’d have to shoot in those frame rates or if I could shoot in 24p and transcode to 30p? Also, the only HD codec Final Cut Express supports is Apple Intermediate Codec.
I’ll bet I could batch convert the footage using MPEG Streamclip to Apple Intermediate Codec. I just wonder if 24p material would convert smoothly to 30p. If I had a DSLR I’d find out.
Is there somewhere I can download raw footage shot on a DSLR that I can try out? Preferably shot at different resolutions and frame rates (like 720p and 1080p at both 24p and 30p).
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11 Replies
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It should work. Usually you can play back 24fps footage in 30 fps timeline because it will interpolate the frame rate by duplicating 2 frames every 4 frames. The same applies when transcoding straight to 30 fps. Resolution shouldn’t make a difference as far as I know. I have converted one of my Canon 7d 24p files to apple intermediate codec 1280X720 at 30 fps at it looks good. Give me your email address and I will send you the test file along with the original.
Regards,
ErrolErrol X. Lazare
EXL Films
http://www.exlfilms.com -
No worries. 24P footage can still be edited as 60i footage as long as you don’t plan on making a 35mm print from it (in other words, you’re planning on staying in the video realm). 24P is technically just 60i with a 2:3 pulldown to simulate a film look, though NLEs treat it differently now. 24P will strobe a bit if you convert to 30P so you are better off just leaving 24P footage the way it is and edit as regular interlaced video (60i) or as 24P.
I’ve used MPEG Steamclip (freeware) to upres footage to ProRes and a few others, but I’m not sure what file format is ideal for FCE. I prefer Compressor because you have more control over the footage. Honestly, if you plan on doing a lot with HD footage, you really need to buy FCS – it’s an incredibly full-featured video suite and well worth the price. What you make back in the long run more than pays for the software.
You should find a bunch of footage if you search. I went to google and searched “canon 7D raw footage download” (no quotes) and found several sites with good links. Found this one: https://exposureroom.com/members/philipbloom/0b8e68acc32349378168a568c69816ef/ a – link from Philip Bloom with a link at the very bottom with “Download.” You can chnage 7D to 5D to T2i to Nikon D90 to any of the other DSLR cameras. I like Canon, but I’ve only ever used Canon.
Jonathan Ziegler
https://www.electrictiger.com/
520-360-8293 -
Thanks for all the info;
here’s my e-mail address: simpson.patrick@yahoo.com
20″ intel iMac, 2.66 GHz, 4GB ram
View my reel – http://www.youtube.com/patrickdsimpson -
[Jonathan Ziegler] “No worries. 24P footage can still be edited as 60i footage as long as you don’t plan on making a 35mm print from it (in other words, you’re planning on staying in the video realm). 24P is technically just 60i with a 2:3 pulldown to simulate a film look, though NLEs treat it differently now. 24P will strobe a bit if you convert to 30P so you are better off just leaving 24P footage the way it is and edit as regular interlaced video (60i) or as 24P.”
Unfortunately that doesn’t apply to most DSLR cameras. As they have no tape to shoot to- none of them shoot 24p with pulldown but rather as native 23.98/24p. So yeah, FCE is totally useless for 24p footage acquired from most DSLR cameras- such as the Canon T2i, 7D and 5D Mark II…
Noah
Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio. -
Hmmm, wonder if they’ll make a 24PA camera or just give us back 24fps! That was one of the nice things to the 5D! 🙂
Jonathan Ziegler
https://www.electrictiger.com/
520-360-8293 -
I downloaded the linked clip (1080p 23.98). I converted it with MPEG Streamclip to AIC 1080p, and dropped it in Final Cut Express in an AIC 1080 60i sequence. FCE played it just fine without any rendering. It just automatically doubled up every fourth frame, the same as when I converted the clip to 30p using MPEG Streamclip.
The quality of the AIC files I created are good (I converted the same clip to different resolutions and frame rates); they retained the quality well. The only issue was the converting and exporting from FCE seemed to affect the brightness and color a little bit (sometimes it was a bit darker, sometimes lighter).
It’s probably not an ideal solution for editing DSLR footage but I’d say it’s an adequate solution if it’s the best you can do – and it may be the solution I have to use if I get a camera.
20″ intel iMac, 2.66 GHz, 4GB ram
View my reel – http://www.youtube.com/patrickdsimpson -
Yeah but what does 24p doubled up to 60i look like when put out to a broadcast HD monitor? Not so great… FCP is worth every penny.
Noah
Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio. -
Why would we want 24pA on a tapeless camera? Once you shake off tape and rigid adherence to a particular format you can use any frame rate you want. And native 24p capture is the best thing to have.
Noah
Check out my book: RED: The Ultimate Guide to Using the Revolutionary Camera!
Unlock the secrets of 24p, HD and Final Cut Studio with Call Box Training. Featuring the Sony EX1 Guidebook, Panasonic HVX200, Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D.
Watch Formosa- My indie movie shot with the SDX900 and finished with Final Cut Studio. -
That’s a great question; I wonder if someone has tried this. It’s a funny thought, actually, editing with FCE costing $150 and a broadcast HD monitor costing thousands. Make no mistake, I’ll be using FCP just as soon as I can, but now that a high quality HD DSLR camera costs less than $1,000, there will be more and more people (like myself) looking to shoot great HD on a VERY tight budget, just buying the $900 camera will be a stretch. I’ll be lucky to get a decent tripod or another lens.
I may just stick with shooting 30p and publishing only on the web anyway.
20″ intel iMac, 2.66 GHz, 4GB ram
View my reel – http://www.youtube.com/patrickdsimpson -
No problem on the web, everybody will see their own version of color and contrast anyway…
Director of the Institute of Media Research (IMF) at Braunschweig University of Arts
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