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Basic (read cheap) EX1 editing on a Mac
Being an EX user (on PCs) someone asked me recently what software is available to undertake basic editing from the cards on a Mac. I use, and suggested, FCPX but for simple cuts and exports I think this will be overkill for him. Do you have any suggestions that we could try?
Many thanks for your advice.
Alan
XdcamEx & HD, C300, DSLRs, all sorts of production & post gear and a very untidy desk. On the East Coast of the UK
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6 Replies
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As a Sony EX user I can say that I edit on Media 100 and it works a treat. I import my XDCAM media through Sony Transfer and Media 100 converts it into my chosen codec which is ProRes 422 HQ but Media 100 lets you choose from a multiple of codecs.
Michael Slowe
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Thanks Michael, I’ll check it out and let my colleague know. It’s cheaper than FCPX and to be honest I’m no fan of that. Do youi happen to know if iMovie is capable of handling the EX media?
XdcamEx & HD, C300, DSLRs, all sorts of production & post gear and a very untidy desk. On the East Coast of the UK
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Alan, I would have thought so yes but that is a very limited editing tool. You would probably have to convert your footage into a codec that iMovie can handle, but then I do the same with Media 100, you would need one of the Sony software applications. They started with the nice easy Sony EX Transfer, which I still use,but, as they all do, they wanted to get more complicated so we had Browser, then another which I can’t remember. The lovely Transfer is no longer available but the others probably are.
Michael Slowe
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Thanks again Michael. I’ll suggest Media100 then. I think I’ve got all the old EX browser/transfer downloads on a machine somewhere – mind you having said that they will be for the PC sadly. Do you have to use one of these to get the BPAV folders into Media100? What’s your workflow on your Mac?
All this help is very appreciated. AT $99 I’ll install a copy myself to have a play with it and try to help him out a bit – especially as at the moment that price seems to include Boris Red5.
XdcamEx & HD, C300, DSLRs, all sorts of production & post gear and a very untidy desk. On the East Coast of the UK
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Well Alan, I’m Mac so can’t comment on any PC tech stuff. The BPAV folders do, as you know, have to come out of your card in their entirety. I store them on a separate drive for the whole of my editing process, once a production is complete and exported I delete all my camera BPAV files, merely archiving the final ProRes file.
As to my workflow, I use, as I said, Sony Transfer (any of these similar Sony Apps will do), to convert the media to a QT.mov file. I’m not sure what happens to all the other information that’s in the BPAV, I suppose the Transfer takes care of that. So, with Transfer open and the clips from the folder visible, I select a clip, mark in and out that I want and import into my Media 100, having selected ProRes 422 HQ as my codec. On pressing import the media is rendered before import, much quicker than real time but nevertheless a bit of a pain if you’re in a hurry. Audio comes in automatically at the same time. After that, once the media is in the appropriate bins that I have prepared I close Transfer and edit in the normal way.
Others will doubtless have different workflows but this has worked for me since I’ve been shooting with the EX 1 for the last seven or eight years. Make sure that you can access and use the Transfer software though, that’s an essential link in the process.
Michael Slowe
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Thanks again Michael. Your workflow sounds very similar to the one I used when forced to edit in FCP (legacy) years ago.
All the very best
Alan
XdcamEx & HD, C300, DSLRs, all sorts of production & post gear and a very untidy desk. On the East Coast of the UK
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