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DPX Craziness
Hi. I recently opened a post suite running FCP on a Mac Pro and doing color-correction in Final Touch HD. I have a BlackMagic card installed that can go up to 1080 at 4:2:2. Projects up to now have worked fine for the most part, because I usually just receive uncompressed Quicktimes for projects originated on film. But I went with a new company to get my scans and they use a Da Vinci resolve. So, he delivered to me raw DPX files at 4:4:4 RGB and they are broken up into folders of 20,000 frames. Although the project is edited and I’m at the online stage, I had the company transfer all of the footage because it was cheaper than having him hunt for selects. I then went to Glue Tools and downloaded the Cineon/DPX Component for Quicktime. I have that up and running. Is there a way using these tools to create uncompressed 1080 23.98 Quicktimes that have the timecode of the original transfer reels? I have opened the DPX files in FCP and they appear with the proper timecode but how do I get an EDL to look to those files as the media to connect to? They appear in the bin as single files but that is only a reference to the folder of DPX files. Also, I converted my 30 frame EDL in Cinema Tools to 24 but when I tried to import that new EDL into FCP, the file was grayed out so I could not import it. Am I missing something simple there? Sorry for the long post.
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6 Replies
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Howdy!
But I went with a new company to get my scans and they use a Da Vinci resolve.
< They use a Resolve to scan? wow. So, he delivered to me raw DPX files at 4:4:4 RGB and they are broken up into folders of 20,000 frames. Although the project is edited and I'm at the online stage, < You mean your comforming from uncut neg? I had the company transfer all of the footage because it was cheaper than having him hunt for selects. < Sounds very expensive. Hmmm. How much footage are you talking about? I then went to Glue Tools and downloaded the Cineon/DPX Component for Quicktime. I have that up and running. Is there a way using these tools to create uncompressed 1080 23.98 Quicktimes that have the timecode of the original transfer reels? < Sounds like you might have to break out each shot out of your DPX sequence/timeline and lay it into a new timeline with correct start TC and export with new timecode, if it's not reading the DPV header info. I have opened the DPX files in FCP and they appear with the proper timecode but how do I get an EDL to look to those files as the media to connect to? < Did you get flex files with keycode information? Is this what you used to edit with? Sorry probably not much help.. need more info. Chris 🙂
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Hi Chris,
Thanks for responding. It’s one of the more complicated workflows I’ve had to deal with so I please bear with me. Any help is appreciated.
So, he delivered to me raw DPX files at 4:4:4 RGB and they are broken up into folders of 20,000 frames. Although the project is edited and I’m at the online stage,
< You mean your comforming from uncut neg? Yes. I had the company transfer all of the footage because it was cheaper than having him hunt for selects. < Sounds very expensive. Hmmm. How much footage are you talking about? I had 7 rolls of Super16MM (about 3500 ft.) scanned to DPX files. Total footage time is 90 minutes for a 10 minute film. I then went to Glue Tools and downloaded the Cineon/DPX Component for Quicktime. I have that up and running. Is there a way using these tools to create uncompressed 1080 23.98 Quicktimes that have the timecode of the original transfer reels? < Sounds like you might have to break out each shot out of your DPX sequence/timeline and lay it into a new timeline with correct start TC and export with new timecode, if it's not reading the DPV header info. This is the key part I need help on right here. I can open the DPX sequences (which means the original full camera rolls) in FCP and lay them into timelines where the timecode matches the original transfers. Is there a way to export that sequence out as a new Quicktime with the timecode of the sequence applied? If so, then I will have new camera reels with timecode that matches the original dailies transfers. I'm not using keycode but rather the original timecode from the dailies transfers. I appreciate any help I can get. I hope this clarifies it a bit. The fundamental question is: Can I export a Quicktime from a FCP sequence and maintain the timecode from the timeline? Thanks for your help, Chris and anyone else who might have some insight. Michael
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Chris,
I figured it out. Thanks. I never realized that when you export a Quicktime from FCP (not using QT Conversion) that it maintains the timecode of the sequence. So, my workflow is as follows:
I open the DPX files in FCP, which places them in the bins as clips named after the first DPX file in the folder. Because of the Glue Tools DPX QT Component, they appear as clips with the timecode of the original camera roll.
Then, I put them into a sequence with the Codecs and TC base that I want the media to be, making the timeline timecode match the TC from the DPX files. Render the sequnce out.
Then, I export a Quicktime Movie using Current Settings.
I’ll end with 7 QT’s that match the timecode of the original dailies made of the 7 camera rolls of S16MM.
Then I just connect the media from the edl. I still have to figure out why my 24fps EDL from Cinema Tools won’t import.
Is there a way to convert XMLs from 30 to 24fps?
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M.
Yay! Glad it worked out..
We use EDL MAX.. We always ask for 30 and convert to 24 ourselves. Works great!
Just curious.. Who did your scanning? What did they charge per frame?
Have a nice evening!
Chris
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M.
You may want to check out Silverstack : http://www.pomfort.com/silverstack
It does batch DPX to Quicktime conversion, reads the timecode in the DPX header and apply it to the Quicktime TC track. You can determine which Quicktime codec to use. This application is great for making offline Quicktime clips from DPX sequences to edit in FCP and then spit out an EDL to conform back to the DPX sequences in a DI suite later.
Check it out.
-chrispy
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Chris,
I’m in Chicago and I used a company here called Screen Time Images, which is really a restoration company that has gotten into delivering scans because they have the equipment for it. They charge $400 an hour for the transfers and then $2 per minute of footage to transfer it over to your hard drive. The main thing that I’m contending with at this point is the grain issue. DPX files are raw off of the negative and have a sharpness that I am used to having softened by an outboard noise reducer. (I was a colorist for years at a post-house.) I’m using Final Touch for color correction and the grain reducer in the ColorFX only seems to enhance the swimminess. I’ve used it on other projects with better results but for some reason, on the footage from the DPX files, it changes it from a fine graininess to very obvious noise. I’m experimenting with blur filters in FCP to see what I can do. Although just applying the color correction itself in Final Touch does help soften the grain a little.
Chrispy,
Thanks for the info about Silverstack. I’ll check it out. It sounds like it could save me a step in using FCP to create the HD Quicktimes that I need. I’m actually using FCP with a BlackMagic Card and Final Touch to do HD Onlines and DI’s at a reasonable price. Chicago doesn’t have the resources that LA has and filmamkers here generally have to go to higher end post-houses that are used to charging Commerical Rates for things. With all of the people shooting HD and using HVX-200’s, I thought an HD Online suite using FCP and Final Touch could help filmmakers get films festival-ready at more reasonable rates. But I also want to be able finish films originated on film. So, I’m figuring out that route with this project.
Thanks again, guys.
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