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A question of AVI conversion for use in Final Cut
Hi all,
I have a dilemma. I’ve got loads of old AVI clips that I wish to convert to edit in Final Cut Pro. Since being on a Mac, I absolutely love it and never going back to Windows. However, I do need to address these old clips shot years back on an old Sony Handicam.
What is the best format to go for in conversion though. MOV or MP4?
I am currently using handbrake but want to ensure that as much resolution and quality is kept in the conversion. So if handbrake isn’t the best tool for this job, what is?
Any help greatly appreciated!
cheers,
ian
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2 Replies
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[Ian Dore] “I have a dilemma. I’ve got loads of old AVI clips that I wish to convert to edit in Final Cut Pro…..What is the best format to go for in conversion though. MOV or MP4?…I am currently using handbrake but want to ensure that as much resolution and quality is kept in the conversion.”
Why do you need to convert them at all? Why not just import directly to FCPX? You can’t improve quality by transcoding before importing, this just takes a lot of time and disk space. FCPX essentially edits in ProRes anyway, using a ProRes buffer. This is why the default render file format is ProRes 422, which can be seen by clicking on the project and then in inspector clicking Modify.
AVI will typically be interlaced, and modern distribution is often in 16:9 progressive, so it may be best to import to a 720p or 1080p project, then manually deinterlace by setting that property in the inspector using the “settings” option at the bottom.
If you import the AVI to an NTSC interlaced project it cannot be deinterlaced since by definition NTSC material is interlaced and deinterlacing is handled by the playback chain.
I have a lot of old AVI content captured from a Panasonic AG-DVX100, and I usually import to a 720p or 1080p project then manually deinterlace it before export.
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