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Export for Nitris DS D5 out
I’m finishing a feature film, 100 minutes, shot on Red which we edited in FCP and graded in Color. Had to bring the files back to FCP from color due to speed changes on a few clips and scaling/framing for D5.
All is well now in the timeline, but I need to get an uncompressed version of the final product to a Nitris DS system for the D5 output. I don’t want to work on the file at all in Nitris (willing to if necessary, but I’m not looking for editing capabilities, etc.) just want to use it for putting on tape.
Our plan was to do a DPX export, but without buying a $400 piece of software, that doesn’t look possible from FCP, and I’m worried that if I take the whole thing BACK into Color, the speed and scale changes will get wonky again.
So we started an Image Sequence export using TIFF. Which should work, except that FCP is now indicating that it will take 11 DAYS to render. Seems not right. I’m running an 8-core 3.5Ghz machine. All r3d files are on 3 internal 1TB SATA drives, exporting to external 1TB Firewire 800 drive (tried exporting a small clip to the internal drive to test, with same results, so it’s not the FW800 that’s choking it).
We’re thinking about exporting a quicktime instead, either Animation or Uncompressed 10-bit, but in my test I got a “file too bog” error. I’ve found out that can be fixed in preferences, but before I go that route, I’d like to hear opinions of my best options here.
A) Let it continue it’s 11-day TIFF sequence render?
B) Export to Quicktime, with which codec?
C) Use another program to export a DPX sequence?
i) Color? What about the speed/scale issues?
ii) Crimson or GlueTools? I’d rather not spend the money, but if it’s the only good solution…
D) Something I haven’t thought of?Thanks,
Scott -
5 Replies
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If your FCP timeline has the corrected files out of Color, then they must have been rendered to some codec like Apple ProRes, or as Uncompressed whatever was set in Color. So you now have an FCP timeline that’s either ProRes or Uncompressed.
You could export that final FCP timeline as a Quicktime self-contained. Then import that exported Quicktime into a new project in Color, and set the Project properties to DPX or Cineon. Then when you render this timeline in Color by adding it to the render queue, your destination folder will have a DPX sequence of your whole edit. No question of MFX going wonky as you’re dealing with one flattened Quicktime as a source.
In effect Color is the Quicktime to DPX converter. No need for GlueTools. It is a great tool to have though. Has many other uses too.
Another cheap and cheerful free way to convert QT to DPX is with Blackmagic’s Framelink, or AJA’s QTtoDPX converter.
This DPX or Cineon Sequence can be imported into DS.
Alternately, if your FCP system has a Blackmagic or AJA HD card, you can layoff to tape out of FCP. Why DS Nitris. Chances are it will even look better than going through these hoops converting just so DS can ingest it.
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Neil Sadwelkar
neilsadwelkar.blogspot.com
twitter: fcpguru
FCP Editor, Edit systems consultant
Mumbai India -
Thanks, Neil.
I don’t have a BlackMagic card, or I would have tried to take my tower down to the post house, and lay off straight from FCP.
The FCP is ProRes, which doesn’t look that great on the timeline, especially for the title sequences, but when I export a TIFF from that, it’s apparently looking directly at the .r3d files, and it looks great. So if I render a Quicktime from the FCP timeline, I’m assuming it will do the same? In that case, which codec would you suggest? I was thinking either animation or uncompressed 10-bit. But those are both bound to be really big files, and take a while to render. Fine as long as they work. And if I do that, will I need to take it back to color for DPX? I supposed I could do that from After Effects, too. But couldn’t Nitris ingest either of those formats?
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[Scott Russell] “I don’t have a BlackMagic card”
Silly question, but if you don’t have a card, how were you monitoring, especially the grade?
Regarding animation or Uncompressed codecs, why not make a short test in each and see if AVID can import and play properly.
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Grading on a 30″ HD Cinema display, calibrated, with an NTSC monitor attached via firewire deck for extra check.
Anyone know of file size restriction for FCP export? There’s not that 2GB restriction on external hard disks they used to have, is there?
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the 2 gig limit occurs if you export to a Fat32 drive. You’ll need paragon NTFS to write to an NTFS drive on a Mac or put macdrive on a station the DS can access.(macdrive is NOT recommended on a DS) The DS will use whatever media you send it and create GEN files if it’s version 10 or MXF if it’s prior to version 10. You might also see a gamma change moving across platforms.
Though your grading monitor is somewhat suspect, why not render out of FCP a short test particularly were you might be seeing issues with text and take that to a Kona or BM enabled station at a local post house and see what it really looks like on HD Scopes and Monitors.
if you render out 10 bit uncompressed it’s basically 10 gig a minute
something in the order of 2TB drive for the complete movie with wiggle room.
It’s pretty much an overnight copy for the whole thing to an array capable of playback, and a heads up is in order to make room for a file that large. I have 12TB available to me but would not have room for a 2 TB file with wiggle unless I prepped a day ahead of time due to ongoing and archived projects that need to be accessible.Doug Beal
Editor / Engineer
Rock Creative Images
Nashville TN
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