best resolution for still images in Final Cut Pro

Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy

best resolution for still images in Final Cut Pro

Posted by Lee Frank on April 12, 2011 at 1:29 pm

Hi all,
I just have to gush thanks for all the great tips and tutorials authors put up on this site. I work in a far flung part of northern Australia and this kind of resource is absolutely critical for me to get the results I need.

I’ve been scouring CreativeCOW, Larry Jordan’s online webinars and the net more generally for about a week trying to figure out why I can’t see my photos in full screen final cut with the same clarity I can view them in Photoshop or Aperture.
I’ve tried adjusting my video settings in FCP, I’ve tried resizing my stills in Photoshop, I’ve tried directly dropping 3 mb shots into my FCP browser but nothing seems to do the trick.

I’m creating a short film using still images and video. The real pain is when I zoom in to the stills the resolution is shot to hell.

My sequence preset is Dv PAL 48 kHz Anamorphic
Capture preset as above

Frame size 720 x 576
editing time base 35 fps
Pixel aspect ratio PAL CCIR 601
Anamorphic 16:9 On

The photos range from 2048 x 1536 72 dpi to 3256 x 2440 72 dpi
I suspect my photos are being automatically resized to fit the 720 x 576 frame size.
I’ve hesitated to write a post as it seems this issue is quite common one but after exhausting all other avenues I humbly request assistance here.

Many thanks for your patience and tolerance

Lee Frank replied 15 years, 1 month ago 4 Members · 6 Replies
6 Replies

John Knapich
April 12, 2011 at 3:35 pm

It looks to me like your photos are fine, the right size to move and zoom in FCP. Have you tried rendering out a full rez quicktime from FCP to see what the final result is? Sometimes FCP does not do photos justice in the viewer depending on your settings.
BTW, when I have a project with lots of photos, I sometimes end up doing the moves in After Effects. Adjustments and rendering seem faster there to me.

FCP 6.06, OS 10.5.8 2x3GHZ Quad-Core Intel Xeon, Kona LHe, Dulce Duo-eSATA 8 Drive, 4TB Raid.

John Knapich
Creative Director/Partner
Assembypix.tv
Mark Suszko
April 12, 2011 at 4:44 pm

You are in the DV codec. Maybe you’re asking too much of it.
Paul Jay
April 12, 2011 at 10:29 pm

Use a ProRes 422/444 HD or 2K timeline.

DVPAL compression is terrible.
And you are in a SD timeline.

Why?
Lee Frank
April 13, 2011 at 11:15 am

Thanks John,
Yes, have rendered a full res quicktime and the shots appeared much the same as they did in the canvas. I’ll keep on trying with FCP as it’s the app I know. Until such time as the wall upon which I’m bashing my head triumphs I’d prefer to stay with FCP – bloody skull n all.

[John Knapich] “Sometimes FCP does not do photos justice in the viewer depending on your settings. “

Can you tell me what settings these are?
Lee Frank
April 13, 2011 at 11:27 pm

Hi Paul, Thanks for your comments. I have started a new project with the settings you outlined but am still having trouble getting the fine detail I can so readily get with Photoshop. The settings I posted originally were given to me as the best for the short film festival I’m entering.

I’m using PAL since I’m based in Australia. When I make it home I’ll post my current proRes settings and a cropped image comparing the original shot to the image shown in FCP.

I’m also trawling through old posts on Creative Cow and seeing what can help.
Lee Frank
April 16, 2011 at 11:23 pm

Thanks everybody I tweaked the settings and viola! with Sequence preset at Apple ProRes 4444 1920 x 1080 25 p and capture preset at DVCPRO HD 1080i50 things are looking decidedly up.

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