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Beginner question on clips and sequence settings
I’m just putting together a music video as a home project. I have several clips from different online sources, and I would like to assemble them. I dont need the sequence to be in high definition, but would like to view it on a standard television without serious pixelation. I understand that some of my ‘found footage’ may not be of the same quality as my final output, and that’s fine. What’s the best setting to use? And what method should I use to create usable clips?
So far I have tried a 640 x 480 DV/DVCPRO sequence, then exported the clips I had (with Current Settings) to try to make them usable/previewable in the Canvas, but they are becoming far too large and even after I’ve exported them, then reimported them, I still get the “Needs Render” message in the Canvas Window.
I’ve got the FCP Apple Training Series book, and am working on the lessons, but I’d love some advice on how to get my project started. Thanks.
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15 Replies
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720×480 is the proper size for DV NTSC.
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Um, ok…?
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If all of your clips are 720×480 DV NTSC and your sequence is set for dv NTSC, you won’t need to render anymore.
Jeremy
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Okay, that’s what i thought. LOL. I’ve never had so much trouble starting a project. I have a 50GB on my hard disk and every time I render these found clips at 640 x 480 (which are the sequence settings I’ve settled on), it tells me I have run out of room. When I do succesfully render one of them at the current settings (640 x 480), I still have to render. I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. Is there some other setting that has to be made consistent as well?
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[brewster71] “Is there some other setting that has to be made consistent as well?”
The timeline. BOth your clips and timeline have to be set to 720×480 29.97 fps, 48k 16 bit audio.
Once everything is the same format, no more renders.
FCP6 will handle multiple formats and frame rates, but they still have to be a standard video frame rate, codec and frame size. Stuff you download from the web is all over the map in terms of those parameters and FCP doesn’t really know what to do with it. FCP can play different frame sizes/frame rates pretty well if using unlimited rt, but it’s those web delivery codecs that it really chokes on.
Also, if you plan to do a lot of editing, 50GB is not going to be enough. Get more storage, it’s pretty cheap these days.
Jeremy
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Thanks for the advice Jeremy. I’m gonna tackle this stuff tonight. The one clip I exported so far does let me preview in the Timeline without the dreaded “Needs Render”, but it still has a red bar over it when I drag it to the Timeline. The preview is all I need, so I’m happy with that for now. The files I am using were all downloaded from various sources, and are .movs and .avis.
Is it normal for an 2-hour long 600MB avi to get so large (11GB) when I export it at 640 x 480 with no audio (using Quicktime Conversion)?
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* Is it normal for an 2-hour long 600MB avi to get so large (11GB) when I export it at 640 x 480 with no audio (using Quicktime Conversion)?*
I meant exporting as Quicktime movie.
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2 hours? Sheesh, I have no idea what you are doing but it sounds like a doozy.
2 hours of dv ntsc is about 25 Gigs.
If you get a red render bar, something is not right in the settings you chosen for export. You should use the ‘Advanced Format Conversion’ feature in COmpressor to convert to DV NTSC, not quicktime conversion as that leaves a lot of room for error on your part (no offense, it’s just the way it’s setup, compressor’s presets are setup correctly). My hunch tells me that the frame rate or frame size was set wrong in QT conversion.
Jeremy
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Let me explain what I am doing, and maybe you can tell me a better way, if you have the time.
I am trying to make a short music video, comprised of different clips from different sources. Most of these sources are 1-2 hour TV shows. I am trying to do a rough cut, but whenever I assemble the pieces, it gives me the red bar, and tells me that I need to render. All I want to do is see a rough visual of how each clip progresses to the next, but I cannot do that, apparently, without a) rendering every time I add a clip or b) rendering the source file.
I spent the weekend rendering my 3 hour-long source files, then imported them back into FInal Cut, and I STILL get the render bar, although, granted, I can at least now scroll through the source files without the jerkiness. I cannot, however, cut them into clips (with it In/Out points) and add them to the Timeline without getting the red render bar. I am not sure why this is such a production (other than me being inexperienced with this app). I’ve created many videos in Premiere this way. I don’t mean to sound cranky, I just feel like there is something obvious I am missing. Surely I can import a few hours of footage, and experiment with the placement of clips from that footage without rendering constantly?
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Also, the only reason I chose NTSC DV Is because I was told to by somebody on here. All I want to do is create a four minute video that looks decent on a standard television. Again, I am open to suggestions. I am *almost* ready to give up.
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