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Activity Forums Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy capturing mini-DV: files too small

  • capturing mini-DV: files too small

    Posted by Eric Snyder on October 13, 2010 at 10:57 pm

    OS: 10.4.11

    What happens: I upload a 60 minute mini-DV tape from a Canon GL2 and export these to a quicktime movie. A 60 minute tape should, or so I’m led to believe, produce a file that’s about 12 gigs. Mine are coming out at 300-some megabytes. File sizes have come out the right size in the past. Why the smaller sizes now? I wonder if there isn’t some setting I’ve accidentally mis-set, but what that might be I have no idea.

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thank you.
    Eric

    Alex Elkins replied 15 years, 7 months ago 5 Members · 12 Replies
  • 12 Replies
  • Zane Barker

    October 13, 2010 at 11:21 pm

    Are you exporting a self contained file or a referenced file?

    **Hindsight is always 1080p**

  • Eric Snyder

    October 14, 2010 at 12:37 am

    Thanks for the question.

    I could be wrong, but I believe I tried both.

    I’m guessing the self-contained file would be larger? Do you happen to have a rough guess on the ratio of the size difference?

    Thank you,
    Eric

  • Mark Petereit

    October 14, 2010 at 1:41 am

    How does it look when you view the quicktime files?

  • Eric Snyder

    October 14, 2010 at 2:11 am

    I expanded the quicktime viewer window to as large as I could get it on my 24″ display, and the quality looked reasonably good.

  • Alex Elkins

    October 14, 2010 at 2:47 pm

    Hi Eric,

    It definitely sounds like you exported a reference file. Make sure you check the box ‘Make movie self-contained’ in the Export Quicktime Movie window and you should find that you get a larger file.

    All the best,
    Alex Elkins

    Salad Daze Films – Freshly Tossed
    Check out my latest addition to the Creative Cow Reels Section

  • Brad Elliott

    October 14, 2010 at 2:48 pm

    When you open the file in QT(you may have to do open with) and do command/Apple + I what does it say?

    If the display size matches the actual size in QT you are seeing it as it was exported.

    What are the Codec/size? DV? 720×480?

    Does it match your sequence settings?
    Do your clip settings in FC match your sequence settings?

  • Eric Snyder

    October 14, 2010 at 4:38 pm

    Self-contained–I will make sure and make the appropriate setting. Thank you!

  • Eric Snyder

    October 14, 2010 at 5:14 pm

    “When you open the file in QT(you may have to do open with) and do command/Apple + I what does it say?”

    ***It says that the Data Size 13.02 GB. That’s encouraging to me, but when I do a command/Apple + I when the .mov file is just sitting on the desktop, the file size comes out to 678.5MB.

    “If the display size matches the actual size in QT you are seeing it as it was exported.

    What are the Codec/size? DV? 720×480?”

    ***mini-DV 720×480 If I view the QT movie as “actual size” command/Apple 1, it appears to be roughly width=7 inches, height=5.

    “Does it match your sequence settings?
    Do your clip settings in FC match your sequence settings?”

    They appear to match.

    So, after poking around a bit with the help of your questions, I guess my big question now is how to understand the two different sizes for the same file: 678.5 MB [desktop command/I] and 13.02 GB [QT Movie Inspector].

    Thank you very much for your help.

    Eric

  • Alex Elkins

    October 14, 2010 at 5:32 pm

    The difference in file size is to do with it being a reference file – it is referencing data of around 16GB but the QuickTime reference file itself is small as it only points to the 16GB, rather than creating new files that size.

    Salad Daze Films – Freshly Tossed
    Check out my latest addition to the Creative Cow Reels Section

  • Alex Elkins

    October 14, 2010 at 6:02 pm
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