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XDCAM and FCP Batch Import./Relinking… please,
please don’t tell me a re-linking is not possible?!?
I have worked with XDCam Material for some time now, but never had to retouch a project. My Client stores XDCam Data on a hard-drive from which I am importing via XDCam Transfer 2.7 from Sony.
Now is the first time I have to reconnect an old project and I can’t find any method to re-link the offline media.
I have browsed the forum and only found info that its impossible but that would be insane. How am I supposed to archive my footage for FCP re-use then? Change all my MP4 files to XDCam-Quicktimes??I found someone who proposed a new XDCam log and transfer and I can access my XDCam Archives directly with log+transfer which didn’t work before. Anyway when trying to re-batch the old clips I captured with the XDCam Transfer I just get a prompt that the folder is not accessible?!? Please someone tell me I don’t have to replace all clips by hand with new imports?!?
Is this issue adressed with the new FCP7 Release and are there any workflow tutorials for working with XDCam on larger projects?
Thanks for any help in advance,
Karim
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6 Replies
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Karim,
It depends on how the high-res media is stored.
As impored QT’s with reelnames or (as you suggest), as MXF files?If the high end is stored as QT, you should be able to reconnect with this tool:
https://www.videotoolshed.com/?page=products&pID=41But if it’s MXF, you first should convert them to QT.
(And of course then you don’t know what files you need…)I have made another tool that can extract the files used from the original disks. It’s here:
https://www.videotoolshed.com/?page=products&pID=40But, that one does not allow you to point at a folder where you want to extract from, but that can be fixed.
Most important is, how is the high-res media stored?
(Each disc including XML files inside a subfolder with logical names?)Bouke
https://www.videotoolshed.com/
smart tools for video pro’s -
Hey Bouke,
Just a couple questions about your XDCAM Extract for FCP:
1) Does it still exist?!
2) Does it work from hard drives or just from the discs? I ask because I see in your documentation that it’s meant to work from the discs, but will it also work if the footage is sitting on a hard drive?
Here’s the workflow and why I’m asking:
Client shot most of their footage on EX1, but didn’t have the space/computer power to edit with ProRes, so they converted everything to DV. Ended up being about 15 TB. We have all that footage on a hard drive, but need to convert it ProRes for the online edit and color correction; we simply don’t have the time or space to convert what will end up being roughly 150TB of footage, so we’re hoping to reconnect to the original MP4 files, then media manage ONLY what’s in the timeline–saving us valuable time and space. Does this sound like something your Extract can do or am I overreaching?
Ben
Final Frame Post -
Ben,
The Xdcam Extract is for optical XDcam, no good for this workflow.You can however use FCPreconnect.
(It can relink based on TC / tapename)
Do get the demo, as the manual explains a lot how / when FCP relinks, and when to expect problems.
https://www.videotoolshed.com/product/41/fcpreconnectBut, i’m missing the point here…
If you ingest the material without transcode, and then media manage to offline resolution, you should be able to swap out the offline / online material and media manage your final sequence to Prores.
Or what am i missing?Bouke
https://www.videotoolshed.com/
smart tools for video pros -
Thanks Bouke,
let me explain the workflow that or client did that we no need to fix. The shot huge amounts of footage more than 1000 hours so they didn’t have the storage space to keep all of the footage @ Sony ex resolution so they logged and transferred the material into FCP and then down-converted the material to DV data rates for the off line. Then they threw away the EX QT files leaving only the MP4 originals and the DV files. We can reconnect to the MP4 files in cases where the media wasn’t spanned across two files. We have more than 900 files that were spanned so we have 900 files we can’t relink to. So we are trying to figure out how to relink the the spanned files but because they are not actually QT files I don’t think your software will do it. We are using creative’s Sony EX QT software and I don’t think you can work with that.
Please let me know if you have any thoughts
Thanks,
Will
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well, in that case, why not convert the spanned clips to .mov again,
relink, and media manage to ProRes?
If needed, attach a few cheap external drives for the inbetweens.
Should do the trick, right?Bouke
https://www.videotoolshed.com/
smart tools for video pros -
Coming from the Avid world for 12 years and fairly new to FCP, maybe I’ve overlooked the obvious in your question and previous statements. But you can come back to a project with offline XDCAM EX footage and re-import the media through FCP’s Log and Transfer.
With the Log and Transfer window open, simply select the desired offline clip to the lower left window of the Log and Transfer window pane called the “Transfer Que.” A dialog box will then appear asking which media you want to have re-imported (Selected or All offline within selection). Make your selection and select OK.
Was your question more complicated than what assessed?
Paul Grady
Dewitt Smith Video
Atlanta, GA
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