• Compression Techniques

  FCP keeps crashing during compression

  Posted by Russ Spencer on October 6, 2009 at 1:58 am

  I have an 83-minute movie created in FCP, which i have been trying to make into a DVD.

  I have been exporting straight into compressor from the timeline.

  I have FCP 6.0.6 and compressor 3.0.3. Using a MAC Pro dual 2.66 with 5 gigs RAM.

  I am using One pass CBR at a bit rate of 6.0.

  I start the compression, it tells me it will take about 11 hours. I leave and come check it every once in a while. Each time, it will go about six or seven hours, then FCP crashes. This has happened three times in a row.

  Suggestions?

  Rich Rubasch replied 16 years, 7 months ago 3 Members · 4 Replies
• 4 Replies

• 

  Daniel Low

  October 6, 2009 at 4:34 pm

  Export the sequence as a Quicktime movie, using ‘sequence settings’ (make sure every thing is rendered). Quit FCP and then compress the file in compressor.

  You are very likely to be hitting the limit of your RAM with both running.

  __________________________________________________________________
  “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.”

  Steve Ballmer To USA Today
• 

  Russ Spencer

  October 6, 2009 at 5:05 pm

  Yes, I know about exporting a quicktime movie and doing it that way. But this is an extremely important project and I’ve heard that a better result is achieved when Compressor works frame by frame from the timeline.

  I’ve got 5 gigs of RAM, that seems like plenty … could there be another problem?
• 

  Daniel Low

  October 6, 2009 at 5:49 pm

  [Russ Spencer] “But this is an extremely important project and I’ve heard that a better result is achieved when Compressor works frame by frame from the timeline”

  If you export using the sequence settings you are exporting exactly the same as your source quality. If you have mixed sources in the timeline then going direct to compressor will retain the native source format but if the sources in the time sequence is the same then you’ll see no difference.

  You may have no other option if you need to deliver this job.

  The only other thing it could be is a corrupt frame(s) somewhere in the sequence. It may be worth forcing a re-render.

  __________________________________________________________________
  “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance.”

  Steve Ballmer To USA Today
• 

  Rich Rubasch

  October 7, 2009 at 12:48 am

  If you know that all source files and render files are on the local computer, then do a render and an audio mixdown and export a ref clip from your timeline. Quit FCP. Open compressor and drag the ref clip into the window. Set up your encode.

  I think the compressor settings are more important than how compressor gets them, but it is well documented that the export straight to compressor is dicey.

  Try it.

  Rich Rubasch
  Tilt Media Inc.
  Video Production and Post
  Owner/President/Editor/Designer/Animator

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