Converting MXF files to Quicktimes for FCP7

[Massimo Alberto croce]

https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1024784
good luck

Massimo Alberto Croce
Video Editor, Colorist, Pro Tools Editor
massimoalberto.croce@gmail.com

[Neil Orman]

Thanks for the quick response Massimo, and the link to the great video. I watched it, but when I get to the ‘Log and Transfer’ stage, I still run into the same problem, where FCP7 won’t let me import the MXF footage and says it’s an unrecognizable format. In fact, the MXF files are showing up light/faded like my computer doesn’t even really recognize them. Do you or anyone have any idea why I’m having these issues? Is some kind of conversion step necessary, and if so what’s the best way to accomplish that?
I should mention, in case it’s relevant, that I don’t actually have a P2 reader on my Mac Pro at home, where I’m trying to do this, but rather I’m downloading the MXF footage on my work PC, which has a P2 reader, then putting the footage on a portable harddrive and taking it home, then connecting it to my Mac Pro at home and trying to get it into FCP7, where I keep running into this issue. I was thinking that step wouldn’t make a difference, and maybe it doesn’t, but just in case I wanted to mention that step and the fact my home computer doesn’t have a P2 reader or any kind of P2 software, which I didn’t think was necessary. Last I just wanted to mention that my MXF directory structure looks a little different than the one in Shane’s video, in that it just has a contents folder with a bunch of sub-folders within it, but not that .txt. folder accompanying the contents folder in the tutorial video. Anyway, if anyone has any idea how I can get over this ‘unrecognizable format’ issue and get the footage into FCP7, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Marcus Van bavel]

You might try Raylight for Mac, which creates quicktime link files from P2 MXF files. It can also be used to export P2 files from FCP.

dvfilm.com/raylight/mac

Raylight by DVFilm
https://dvfilm.com/raylight

[Neil Orman]

Thanks Marcus, I do appreciate knowing about this software, which I will consider, but if possible I’d prefer not to pay $150 for new software when I understand Final Cut Pro’s ‘Log and Transfer’ should be able to read/convert this footage. I just can’t get it to do that. Also when I was looking at this software’s reviews, this was one that interested me:

‘The difference is that you get instantaneous access to your footage, instead of having to go through the Log & Transfer process. And you can work from the original footage or even the P2 cards if you want, whereas FCP’s Log & Transfer forces you to take up twice as much space by creating Quicktime files (which take up space but also take time). Plus, because you avoid the whole Log & Transfer process, you avoid any issues that crop up when Apple breaks their system (which has happened on more than one occasion).’

So again this indicates that I should be able to handle these MXF files via FCP’s Log & Transfer functions. Can you or anyone else suggest how I can get these clips to be acknowledged as readable files by FCP7, without buying new software? In Shane Ross’s tutorial video suggested a few posts back, I see him simply open up those files and see them in the Log & Transfer window. Like I said I keep getting an error when I try to do that, and the files aren’t recognized. Is there any other way, short of buying some kind of conversion software, I can overcome this issue and get this footage into FCP7? And if there isn’t, do others agree this Raylight conversion software Marcus suggested is the best, cheapest option?

[Shane Ross]

First off…here’s the updated video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhDnyWFAM10

Second…are you digging deep into the folders to find the MXF files? You shouldn’t be. You need to select the root level…the folder that contains all of the files from the backed up card. So that means that first, you should have backed up each and every single file from that card, in the exact same folder structure. Basically make a folder, drag everything from that card onto that folder. (Or use Shotput Pro from imagineproducts.com that will do that automatically) Then, you select that folder…not digging into it…but the folder you just made…when you use Log and Transfer.

Shane
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[Neil Orman]

Thanks a lot, Shane, for responding to my post. Your tutorial is great, and yes I did attempt to select the entire directory structure and not dig around for the MXF file (although I tried that too when I couldn’t make it work with the correct method of selecting the entire directory/structure!) I find the issue particularly frustrating because I deal with P2 cards a lot at work, using a PC and editing on Premiere Pro. What I’ll do at work is copy the card’s entire contents on to the external harddrive, and it’s always a folder called ‘Contents.’ Then I will rename the ‘Contents’ folder but don’t touch or rename any of the subfolders or their contents. I did the same thing in this case, when I’m trying to bring a P2 card’s ‘contents’ folder home and edit it on my MacPro. I renamed the ‘Contents’ folder something else. Could that be the problem? Like I said it’s never created a problem at work on the PC with Premiere Pro. So just to be sure I understand, you’re saying within ‘log and transfer’ in FCP7, I simply try to open the main ‘contents’ folder and the footage should be viewable, the way it clearly is in your tutorial? Because that’s exactly what I’ve been doing with no success. I’d certainly welcome any other thoughts or ideas, and thanks again for your great tutorial.

[Shane Ross]

Yes…that is EXACTLY your problem. Don’t rename CONTENTS. As I said…make a NEW folder…name that folder. Put the CONTENTS and LASTCLIP.txt file into that…and select THAT folder in FCP.

Do not rename any folder that you copy from the card.

Shane
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Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Neil Orman]

Got it Shane, thanks a lot. I’d just always done it that way at work, and it had never caused a problem. But you did say that clearly and I will follow that from here onward. For some reason I’m also not seeing any LASTCLIP.txt file. So my last quick question is do you have any idea why that could be? I definitely did not ignore or fail to bring over any of the card’s contents.
Very much appreciated again.

[Shane Ross]

[Neil Orman] “I’m also not seeing any LASTCLIP.txt file. So my last quick question is do you have any idea why that could be?”

Yeah. Whoever offloaded the cards didn’t copy that over. They didn’t copy over the full card contents. They only grabbed the CONTENTS folder because, hey, that works. Sure, it works for THAT NLE…might not work with all. FCP can work without that…it might prevent it from joining spanned clips from one card to the next, but it should still bring over the media.

Best practice for any DIT, anyone offloading any type of tapeless media is to make a new folder and grab everything. Or better yet, get software that does that for you, and double checks that everything was copied over. There are times that media files don’t copy over. I SWEAR by ShotPut Pro.

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Neil Orman]

THANK YOU SHANE!