• Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy

  Frame Rate and Sequence Settings Question

  Posted by Jack Herald on August 27, 2014 at 1:01 am

  So I have footage shot on a GoProHero3+ that was originally in the following format:
  .MP4
  GoPro AVC Encoder
  1920×1080
  AAC
  48000 Hz
  FPS: 47.95

  I have FCP 7 and wasn’t sure what codec to use so I decided on Apple ProRes 422. I converted all my GoPro clips to the following:
  .mov
  Apple ProRes 422
  1920×1080
  Linear PCM
  48000 Hz
  FPS: 47.95

  I also have clips filmed with a Canon Vixia HF10 imported through iMovie. Right now they are in this format:
  Apple Intermediate Codec
  960×540
  Linear PCM
  4800 Hz
  FPS: 29.97

  I attempted to convert the Canon clips so that they were also Apple ProRes 422, 1920×1080, and FPS: 47.95. When I did this I had a slight loss of quality.
  How should I go about converting these clips to match each other without loss of quality? If possible I’d like to leave the converted GoPro clips as they are with Apple ProRes.

  Secondly, what should I do for my sequence settings in FCP to match with all of the clips converted to Apple ProRes? (Or whatever codec/format you think I should use)

  Ideally I’d just use the converted GoPro clips in Apple ProRes and the original Canon clips in Apple Intermediate, although I don’t think you are supposed to mix formats in one project.

  (Sorry if there is any missing important info, let me know and I can add it in)

  Shane Ross replied 12 years ago 2 Members · 1 Reply
• 1 Reply

• 

  Shane Ross

  August 27, 2014 at 3:29 pm

  1080p 48 is a very non-standard format, so FCP might have issues with it. There is also no real delivery format for 1080p48. Yes, there are a couple filmmakers playing around with HFR (High Frame Rate) shooting…The Hobbit for example…but that is for theatrical, and very rare (so far only the Hobbit movies have done this).

  48fps shooting is normally done so that you can slow it down to 23.98fps for smooth slow motion. If that was your intention, then you need to slow that footage down before you bring it into FCP…using Cinema Tools to conform it.

  Now the other footage isn’t 1080p…it’s an odd, in between format called 540p. Why did you use iMovie for this? FCP has Log and Transfer that will import the footage properly…and if not, there’s ClipWrap2 that will convert the footage immediately to ProRes. And both will bring it in in a proper frame size. Was it shot 1080? Blowing up to 1080 will degrade the quality…that’s more than a 100% increase in size. Plus the Apple Intermediate Codec is a very lossy codec.

  And then there’s the issue of shooting two very different frame rates. 48fps and 29.97 (30) fps. FCP does not mix frame rates well…and 48 doesn’t convert to 29.97 smoothly, nor does 29.97 go to 48 smoothly. Even if you went to 23.98fps…the 48fps works fine there…slow motion and normal speed (every other frame removed…it’ll play back smoothly). But 29.97p to 23.98p…will not play smoothly.

  What is your intended delivery? Web? BluRay? DVD? why did you shoot 48fps? and then also 29.97fps?

  Shane
  Little Frog Post
  Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up