export from Final cut to avid and back

[Rafael Amador]

Hi Scott,
If you want to send your FC project to be open with AVID, I think you need AutomaticDuck.
If you are thinking of sending a movie ready to CC, then you can download the AVID codecs from their web site.
Rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Scott Phillips]

Ok great. Then when we want to go back from Avid to Final Cut what do we do? Or qwill the Avid Codecs I download then convert it back from Avid to Final cut? Also will all of this maintain the highest quality HD picture possible or will something be lost?

Thanks for your help.

Scott

[Shane Ross]

Automatic Duck will not send over the media…it will export the timeline (via EDL) to Avid. All of the media will have to be recaptured by the Avid…if not then Avid will “transcode” what you send (if it is a codec that the other machine can even read: HDV, DVCPRO HD, ProRes…Avid cannot read those without purchasing decoders) and then you will have image quality loss. And you cannot have any FCP effects on the timeline…only dissolves and cuts. Plugin effects like film flashes and the like will NOT transfer to the Avid.

Then when they color in the Avid…why not have them output to tape? Because to get it back you’ll need ANOTHER Automatic Duck product…ProIMPORT. ProEXPORT sends the EDL from FCP to Avid, to come back you need ProImport. And then yes, you will need all of the Avid codecs, and even then there is no guarantee of smooth playback.

Why not find a place that uses COLOR? I know that you have a colorist you trust, that uses the Avid, but is there someone who uses color? If not, then you will have to try to get these workarounds to work.

Shane

GETTING ORGANIZED WITH FINAL CUT PRO DVD…don’t miss it.
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[John Steventon]

What video card are you using? The only reason I ask is that I’m doing similar to you – but half-way what you’re doing.

I’m offlining full-res stuff on FCP right now, doing most of the effects (shakes/wipes/lens flares etc) in Final Cut, but then moving to Symphony Nitris for the online/grade. In this instance, I’m exporting DNxHD 185 quicktimes from FCP to import directly into Avid for the grade.

If I were then to go back to FCP (no need to as I’m mastering from Avid) I’d export Blackmagic 8-bit HD Quicktimes which play in real time on my FCP suite (as it uses a Blackmagic Decklink video card).

However, if you want to maitain cut information (rather than having to make an ‘add edit’ in avid at each cut of the film) you’ll need to go down the Automatic Duck route (Pro export for getting to Avid, Pro Import for taking back from Avid).

Good luck!

John

John Steventon
JKL Editing
http://www.jklediting.com
“Success is merely a failure to imagine more…”

2.26 Dual Quad Nehalem Mac Pro / 2 x 23inch Apple Displays / FCP 6.05 / Decklink HD Extreme 3 + Multibridge / JVC HD Monitor / Atto Celerity Fibre Channel with Infortrend 6.5tb Raid 5 Storage / And a smile.

[Mike Kahn]

According to Automatic Duck’s website, the newest version will transcode the media to DNxHD. However as Shane mentioned, the effects will not transfer properly and the Nitris colorist will have to recreate everything.

You could output to tape and deliver an HD tape to the post house for color but you would lose handles. Any clip that needed fixing would have to be fixed on your FCP system and put to tape or exported as a self contained QT with the Avid codec. An EDL would provide the cut info.

[Oscar Postma]

hi Scott,
i was reading some posts concerning fcp to avid and back again and i was wandering, did you manage to to it in a good way.
my experience is that there is always a color and b&w shift. no matter what codec you use.So when your project was graded on avid and then sent back to fcp, did you the same colors as in the avid??

hope to hear from you.
greetzz from the Netherlands

oscar