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Convert or compress mxf files for easier use in FCP
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[Cherin Bower] “The native mxf files are too large for import to FCP and I don’t necessarily want to create proxy media for every clip. I prefer to “copy files to library” on import into FCP so I will end up creating large FCP libraries.”
Couldn’t you use a sort-of 2-pass approach, where you first “leave media in place” as you add clips to FCP, but create proxy media for each clip as you import; then once you’ve narrowed down what you want to use, tidy up your library and consolidate the media in it, copying only what you’re going to use? I know you say you don’t want to create proxy media for every clip, but as long as you’re keeping the originals in place, the proxy-only library would only add a fraction of add’l usage relative to the disk space already in use by the originals. Then you can toss the proxies (and links to originals) you don’t want once you’ve had a chance to scrub through everything, hopefully scrubbing w/ much better performance and stability as ProRes Proxy.
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Hi all, and Fred, Anton in particular maybe…
Any idea why my ‘leave files in place’ option is greyed out and cannot be clicked?
I just shot my first footage with an FS7 and have copied the whole XDROOT directory from the card to an external drive. I would like to leave the files in place on the external drive. They’re too large to ingest to the internal hard drive, which is where I always keep my Library files.
Anyone know why I’m unable to choose ‘leave files in place’? Or should I just create my FCP library file on the external drive. But even then I would still have to copy to Library and be forced to duplicate them unnecessarily.
Curiously, when I take the ‘clip’ folder with the mxf files out of the original card directory, the ‘leave files in place’ option becomes available on FCP import, but something goes weird with the levels: they do not display the slog image, but something overexposed and nasty-looking.
Excuse all my non-technical descriptions… first post! Tips appreciated.
Cheers
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[Ross Harrison] “Anyone know why I’m unable to choose ‘leave files in place’?”
Because FCP X is seeing the complete card structure and so it assumes that it is a memory card. It has no way of know that its not.
[Ross Harrison] “Curiously, when I take the ‘clip’ folder with the mxf files out of the original card directory, the ‘leave files in place’ option becomes available on FCP import”
As you have seen, if you drag the MXF files out of the Clip folder it will just see loose files on the filesystem and let you leave them in place.
I’m not sure why this is a problem. Are you saying that you work without any backups of your original media? Because most editors have some sort of camera archives as a backup and we are always working on a copy of our media and if you are not working this way, you should think long and hard about what would happen if one of your original media files got deleted or corrupt and you could not get it back!
What you really want to do is have a backup drive with your original camera media in the original folder structure and then have another drive that you work on your active project media. If one goes bad, you always have the other. You are playing with fire if you are working without any backups. This is why FCP X will not allow you to edit your original camera media and forces you to make a backup. It’s just enforcing best practice.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasstsoftware.com -
Thanks, John.
Yes, I do always have backups. I’ve just never worked with XDCAM footage before, so files have always come straight as .mov from a camera and then those are saved plus backed up.
So if I save the MXF files separate to the card file structure, then import with ‘leave in place’, what happens to the levels? It ends up with levels shifted overexposed as in the following:
How footage should look in slog:
How it looks after I ‘leave files in places’ for MXF on external drive:
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[Ross Harrison] “Yes, I do always have backups. I’ve just never worked with XDCAM footage before, so files have always come straight as .mov from a camera and then those are saved plus backed up.”
What I do is have a separate drive for all of my Camera Archives. Usually these are 1TB USB 3.0 drives and as soon as I finish shooting I plug the card into my MacBook Pro, plug the USB 3.0 drive in and use Create Camera Archive to archive the entire card to the external drive. Now I have a drive will all of my camera cards. (this also gets backed up btw so that I have 2 copies of all of the cards before I start working).
Then when I’m ready to start work on a project, I attached the camera card archive drive and have the files copied into my Library on my working drive. This ensures that I am always working on a copy of the original media and that I always have all of the metadata that was recorded on the camera card. It is NEVER a good idea to take raw files out of the camera card structure any more than it was a good idea to take DV tape out of it’s cartridge! ???? The camera card structure is the cartridge.
I like the fact that FCP X keeps me honest and requires me to work on copies of the original camera card media. I also don’t import the whole card or even the whole clip. I use in and out points to just take the sections of the media that I need which is also why it needs to be copied. That leaves me with smaller Libraries.
[Ross Harrison] “So if I save the MXF files separate to the card file structure, then import with ‘leave in place’, what happens to the levels? It ends up with levels shifted overexposed as in the following: “
I cannot reproduce this. I downloaded one of the XDROOT HD Log files from the link earlier in this post and I copied one of the files and placed it outside the camera card structure and renamed it. When I import media, both the file inside the camera card structure and external to it come in looking exactly the same (flat as you would expect).
Something is not right on your end. Are you using the latest FCP X 10.3.2? I’m not seeing this behavior and cannot reproduce it.
~jr
http://www.johnrofrano.com
http://www.vasstsoftware.com -
I’ve been working with Catalyst Browse lately and really digging the media management tools. It will let you set in and out points for clips before copying or transcoding them, basically letting you keep only the clips and portions of clips that you want. You can also do basic color eval and correction if needed. Renaming clips is super easy. With a few clicks you can copy the card to your backup (including in/out and renamed files), and you can output any number of ProRes varieties for import into FCPX. This gets around the need to make optimized media and lets you leave files in place when importing.
One limitation is that Browse will only output 2k ProRes, but with Catalyst Prepare you can do 4k. But you have to pay for Prepare.
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Good tips on workflow. Thanks for those.
Yes, I’m on the latest version of FCP X.
Can’t see where there is a link in this post to any other XDROOT HD Log files? I would download and test with some others if I could…
If anyone else has ideas about this colour shift I’m seeing when importing separated MXF files, please chip in.
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If anyone else has ideas about this colour shift I’m seeing when importing separated MXF files, please chip in.
It might be FCPX applying a LUT to the footage automatically. Check this in the clip’s Inspector under Settings.
Jason R. Johnston
Cinematographer
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