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AVID (MXF from RED) to FCP thru to (or Direct to) Color
Forgive me Cow, but it is some years since my last confession.
I am currently stumped on this one, and any suggestions would be gratefully received. I’ll post it in the Color forum too.
I’ve offered to do a grade for a MA students graduation film. This was shot on Red and edited in Avid. I’m a FCP user and grade either in Color or FCP (I want to grade this one in Color).
(I know, I know it did raise alarm bells, but I’m up for a technical challenge here and there – keeps us on our feet and all that)
I’ve come to learn that the rushes were coverted to MXF before edit, but I want to get back to the R3D files for grade.
So my question is – how? I’ve asked for EDLs from the Avid and have had some success importing those into Color, but at a guess I would say 25 – 40% of this footage is errornous. (I’m currently rendering it all back out to check against my reference movie). I’ve brought the EDL into FCP, but I cannot re-link the media because the clip names seem to be truncated and so impossible to discern which is which.
My main lack of knowledge here is the Avid, I haven’t used one in over 10 years and then it was only a dabble. I’m fairly up to speed with XML imports etc from offlines into Color.
I’ve tried a number of methods out and am now trawling the interweb for other options. Any solid advice out there.
Many thanks in advance.
Mark
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6 Replies
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The trick is to make sure the file names match the R3Ds exactly. If not then you are in a world of pain. If they do then the EDL must be doing the truncating.
I have had AVID EDLs and linked back to RED media without problems before. The trick is to make sure the clip name and file name are identical and the clip name is included as EDL notes. Also in Color, it helps if all the media is on a single drive and also not scattered in multiple folders. Even then, there will be the odd file that you have to do manually.
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Not that I have done this…but what I’d do is relink to the R3D file in Avid, THEN export the EDL for Color. I have exported EDLs from Avid to Color with great success. I just haven’t dealt with RED in Avid. There is a 30 day free trial, so you can download Avid MC and do the relinking yourself. I’m sure there’s a tutorial online somewhere.
But…here’s a big question for you. How do they want the files back? DPX? Not sure Avid imports DPX. Image sequence and ProRes file are your only other options.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
The EDL doesn’t include any file linking. It is all based on the clip/file name being in the notes for each event so in Color you need to relink anyway. If the names were not carried through from R3D to MXF then you have a manual eye match to do
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From memory the Avid mxf conversions were the same filename with some spurreous text added to the end. I’n the EDL however these filenames are def. Truncated.
Thanks for the solid suggestions, will get straight onto them first thing in the morning (gone midnight here).
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Well, when I color correct from Avid to FCP, what I do is export a self contained ProRes QT from Avid, and an EDL. Color chops up that file.
Can’t do that with original R3D files. So my workflow won’t work.
Shane
GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Hi Mark,
I’ve just successfully done a quick test using the following method:
1. Edit in Avid using R3D files (link via AMA)
2. Transcode to DNXHD 36
3. Export AAF
4. Import AAF into FCP using Automatic Duck (which is now free) with ‘Use existing media’ unchecked. The sequence imports but everything is offline, which is fine and to be expected. Note that all clip names carry through in full, but also have ‘.new.01’ appended to the clip names. eg ‘A013_C003_11090S_001.new.01’
5. Export EDL from FCP
6. Open the EDL in TextEdit
7. Search for ‘_001.new.01’ and replace with nothing, i.e. ‘A013_C003_11090S_001.new.01’ becomes ‘A013_C003_11090S’
8. Save the EDL
9. Import EDL into Color and link to the raw files. 100% successful re-link.I realise that you said the raw files were transcoded to MXF at the start, but what the test shows is that provided the file and reel names have been maintained during the MXF transcode, you should be able to go from Avid to Color via Automatic Duck and FCP. Can you ask the editor to send you an AAF rather than an EDL and see if that carries through the complete clip names?
I beleive DaVinci Resolve Lite (free) will also import an Avid AAF and let you export an FCP XML if needed. That could be another option, but I’ve not tested it.
Alex Elkins
Twitter: @postbluetv
http://www.PostBlue.tv
View Post Blue showreel
Shot on RED @ 100fps, Post on FCP/Color: Capoeira Film
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