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Video Card for MAC when editing RED footage in FCP
Just wondering if you need a video card, like the Kona 3 or others, for editing footage from the RED in FCP. I’ll be working with the footage for the first time in a couple of days and I was told that you need a card to edit in Hi-res and also edit in Low-res without rendering. I heard without it you can only edit with Low-res, but you have to render and you can view the Hi-res files at all in FCP. But, I also heard you only need a card if you want to play back on a monitor. Just wondering which one is true or not. I want to have an easy workflow for this project. If anyone can help me that would be great. Thanks.
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13 Replies
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If you are editing an HD project then you will need a card (AJA, Decklink etc) to view on an external monitor, which also will need to be HD.
I wouldn’t want to edit any HD format, particularly RED without a decent external monitor so I would say yes to card/monitor. However, FCP will let you edit without a card.
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First off, if you’re new to RED, you should read the following whitepaper:
https://www.red.com/downloads/b3e85d9754267709471008e4b692c2e7f34f3d33/RED%20FCS%20Whitepaper.pdf
If you want to know more how the Kona 3 would help with the RED workflow, check out his whitepaper:
https://www.aja.com/pdf/support/AJA_whitepaper_Red_workflow.pdf
If you’re going to try to edit with the RED proxy files, then you’ll most likely need to change you’re RT quality settings to medium or low. I suggest using a program like REDRushes or ClipFinder to export offline files to edit with, as I don’t completely trust editing with the proxy files. This will allow you to edit with files that are much more edit friendly and at the full quality of the codec you choose instead of editing at low quality with the proxy files.
Also, the Kona 3 doesn’t add the functionality of being able to playback a RED proxy files at high quality. That has more to do with your machine than anything else.
-Russ
Russell Lasson
Universal Post
Ridgeline Digital Cinema Mastering
Salt Lake City, UT -
The big deal with Kona3 and RED is being able to monitor 2k
if you have dual link and a broadcast monitor that supports it. -
Chris,
The simple answer is that you don’t need a video card to edit RED. It works in the same way as when you edit any other project. Of course, if you want to view on a broadcast monitor then you will indeed need a video card.
There are so many different ways to work with RED in post that you really need to have a clear idea as to how you will go about it before you start. This appears to be what you’re doing, so good on you for not diving in blindly. The advice that most people give, and I agree, is to work backwards – i.e. how will this be delivered? Next, determine how you want/need to edit – offline/online or online throughout? There are advantages and disadvantages to both.
As Russell mentioned, have a read of the RED Final Cut Studio Whitepaper. It’s very informative.Good luck,
Alex Elkins -
[Alex Elkins] “The simple answer is that you don’t need a video card to edit RED. It works in the same way as when you edit any other project. Of course, if you want to view on a broadcast monitor then you will indeed need a video card. “
Alex
I take the exact opposite view. Since RED is not a camera in the same manner as DV or HDV and is really and truly overkill for the web I see RED solely as a Professional tool.Professional to me means that at some point the user is going to have to deliver content to a client in an industry standard and right now that still means that certain rules for Broadcast need to be followed.
Your unless your content is solely for Web delivery will need to pass standards to be broadcast, and to do that you will need to see and grade the footage on a professional monitor and deliver on HDCamSR or D5 tape. Even if you are only planning for an SD DVD you will still have to make sure that your footage conforms to the specifications for your part of the world.
RED recommends Kona cards on their website to handle your content.
Laptop configurations RED recommends ONLY 1K proxies for editing,
Final Cut Currently has a 2K frame size limitation, but how are you going to view that on a display?if you are planning to use RED’s R3D content, be prepared,as the camera is not the only new thing you will need. I tell everyone that will listen that your computer needs to be the same age as your Red Camera just to be able to survive and newer to take control of the process.
gary adcock
Studio37
HD & Film Consultation
Post and Production WorkflowsInside look at the IoHD
https://library.creativecow.net/articles/adcock_gary/AJAIOHD.php -
[gary adcock] “truly overkill for the web I see RED solely as a Professional tool.
Professional to me means that at some point the user is going to have to deliver content to a client in an industry standard and right now that still means that certain rules for Broadcast need to be followed.”
Hi Gary,
That’s an very legitimate point. Nobody using the RED is likely to be using it in a situation where they wouldn’t need to be monitoring and outputting to professional standards. The fact that you can work without monitoring doesn’t mean you do!
All the best,
Alex Elkins -
Hey guys,
Thank you so much for your responses. They’ve been very helpful. I have the White paper from the RED site. I looked it over a bit and I plan to use it when I start editing. The project that I’m working on, I’m not shooting and the RED footage is being loaded up in RAID drives. I plan on doing some test hopefully tomorrow to see what I’m getting into to. If you know if there’s any video tutorials or step by step instructions on this site as well just let me know. It’s good to know about the card. At first I won’t have a monitor to view the footage, other than the computer monitor of course. Not sure if I’ll hook up a monitor down the road, but for now I just want to test how to get the footage in FCP, how edit, and how to export it say to a QT, FCP file or even a DVD. Thanks again and I’m sure I’ll have more questions as I continue this project.
Chris
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Also, I am working on a newer MAC Pro I just got with the new Final Cut Studio. The MAC is Quad-core.
Chris
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[Chris Woods] “Not sure if I’ll hook up a monitor down the road”
Then, IMHO, I’m not sure you should be editing RED footage for profit. Whatever the end delivery format, you should have a proper monitor to view this on. FCP DOES NOT show you a proper quality preview in the canvas.
I think most people get so bored of saying this on here, they don’t bother. Just because new HD formats do not require a card to capture footage, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use one to view it. What happens if you convert it to an interlaced format for delivery? How can you colour correct (essential with RED footage)?
Even a properly calibrated HDMI monitor/TV would be better than nothing, with something like the BM Intensity card (although I wouldn’t go this route myself, perhaps it will encourage others to take the next step). Otherwise you could use the Matrox MXO with a computer monitor.
If I was the person who paid to have RED footage shot on $60,000 worth of equipment, I would expect this spec at a minimum.
I know you will think me a grouch and curmudgeon for even saying this – but I’m afraid it’s yet another step towards the ‘don’t know, don’t care’ school of FCP editing, which does the entire industry a disservice.
Edit Out Ltd
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FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producer -
Good point on using a monitor with RED footage. I do agree with you. I always check on a NTSC monitor after I cut a rough draft to see how it looks. Right now I don’t have an HD monitor, but I believe the person that will be doing the color correcting for this project will have one. I believe I am getting the video card, just have to find the best one at a good price. I heard blackmagic is all right. Any thoughts on that card? Thanks.
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