• Apple Final Cut Pro

  Import PAL Footage, Share/Export as H264, is it still PAL?

  Posted by Ned Miller on July 12, 2013 at 9:22 pm

  I have a Russian client who edits in Avid. They do not want my codec of AVCcam because they have trouble importing .mts (I am using the Panasonic AF100).

  So my question is in the subject heading. Is the .mov I create on my desktop still in PAL? I can’t tell.

  Also, they will also accept .mpg, .mp4 Which would be better? I don’t own Compressor but will buy it if necessary. This involves perhaps 60 minute of footage at 1080/50. I need to know within 24 hours

  Thanks!

  Ned Miller
  Chicago Videographer
  http://www.nedmiller.com
  www,bizvideo.com

  Ronny Courtens replied 13 years, 1 month ago 4 Members · 3 Replies
• 3 Replies

• 

  James Cude

  July 12, 2013 at 11:55 pm

  AS long as you haven’t changed the resolution or frame rate of the original footage, it’s should remain PAL if that’s how it started.
• 

  Fabrizio D’agnano

  July 13, 2013 at 6:35 pm

  [Ned Miller] ”
  So my question is in the subject heading. Is the .mov I create on my desktop still in PAL? I can’t tell.”

  It should be if the project is PAL and you exported using a PAL preset. However you can double check. You can import the .mov file into an event (you can skip copying the file to the event location on the drive if it is for double checking only). Then highlight it in the event browser, open the inspector window and select “settings view”. It it is labeled as 25fps in the top left field, it’s PAL.

  Fabrizio D’Agnano
  Rome, Italy
  early 2008 MacPro, BM Intensity Pro, early 2008 iMac, 2011 MacBook Pro, FCP7, FCPX, OSX 10.8.3
• 

  Ronny Courtens

  July 13, 2013 at 9:05 pm

  When you import PAL footage in FCPX and you drop it onto a PAL timeline the exported file will be PAL without any doubt.

  If they don’t accept or cannot handle ProRes files you can export to .mp4 right from within FCPX. Select Share > Master File > Format: Computer, Video Codec: H.264 Better Quality and your exported file will have the .mp4 extension. The quality/bitrate relation of this export is very good for the format of your original video.

  Of course if you want full control over your export settings, and you know how to tweak the settings to get optimal results, you might use Compressor instead.

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