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  • FCP export quality issues

    Posted by John Pegg on May 26, 2010 at 5:54 pm

    Hi,

    I’m new to posting here – though this site has helped me immensely on previous projects so thanks for that, and hence the following:

    I’m editing in FCP 5 and it seems impossible to export footage that matches the quality of the canvas window (depth of colour, black levels, etc). I’ve been reading threads on export quality all day and have tried many well-praised and recommended settings, but nothing I export comes close to matching the FCP canvas window. Surely it’s possible – what’s the use in Final Cut making the footage so sexy if the editor’s the only one who gets to see it that way, right?

    INFO

    FOOTAGE:
    DVX100B, 25p, squeeze mode.

    EDITING ON:
    iMac (2.16 Ghz, Intel Core 2 Duo, 2Gb mem), FCP 5.1.4 (easy setup DV PAL Anamorphic)

    BEST RESULT SO FAR:
    Export using QT Conversion
    (Compression: DV-PAL,
    Quality: Best,
    Frame rate: Current (25),
    Scan Mode: Progressive,
    Aspect Ratio: 16:9,
    Dimensions: 1024×756)

    Thanks for taking the time to read my babbling woes and I certainly look forward to your advice. Much appreciation in advance!

    John Pegg replied 16 years, 3 months ago 2 Members · 4 Replies
  • 4 Replies
  • David Roth weiss

    May 26, 2010 at 6:28 pm

    Of course when taking DV PAL footage and scaling it up to dimensions that are approximately 2X the original size you will not get results that are identical to your original.

    Export>>Quicktime Movie using current settings exports a QT file precisely 100% identical to the video on the timeline.

    David Roth Weiss
    Director/Editor/Colorist
    David Weiss Productions, Inc.
    Los Angeles

    POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

    EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards

    A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

  • John Pegg

    May 26, 2010 at 7:33 pm

    Thanks for such quick response!

    Please can you tell me, when using DVX100 squeeze mode, what should the resulting image size be at 100%, as mine, somehow, seems to be 1024×576?

    Just tried Export/QuickTime Movie/current settings once more – the depth of shadow and colour are still weak in comparison. Any suggestions?

  • David Roth weiss

    May 26, 2010 at 10:29 pm

    [John Pegg] “Just tried Export/QuickTime Movie/current settings once more – the depth of shadow and colour are still weak in comparison. Any suggestions?”

    How are you monitoring?

    Export QT Movie at current settings is precisely 1 to 1 in every way. So, the problem lies elsewhere, most likely in your monitor calibration.

    Widescreen PAL DV is 720×576 with the anamorphic button checked (rectangular pixels).

    David Roth Weiss
    Director/Editor/Colorist
    David Weiss Productions, Inc.
    Los Angeles

    POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

    EPK Colorist – UP IN THE AIR – nominated for six academy awards

    A forum host of Creative COW’s Apple Final Cut Pro, Business & Marketing, Indie Film & Documentary, and Film History & Appreciations forums.

  • John Pegg

    May 30, 2010 at 2:01 pm

    Just a basic setup with the iMac screen.

    For the actual frame size though, as 720×576 is what I’ve previously used when working with 4:3 footage, I assumed for ‘squeeze mode’ footage to reach 16:9 that the 720 would need to be stretched to something like 1024 (which is how I came to exporting 1024×576). Is this wrong?

    Thanks again for your time and assistance.

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