Exporting DVC ProHD Material in FCP Session to master tape for maximum quality

[Paul Escandon]

The way you described works – but I don’t see the necessity in going from DVCPRO HD to 8-bit or 10-bit only to go back to DVCPRO HD. That seems like an unnecessary step to me. If there is a benefit in that I’m not recognizing it.

A DVCPRO HD master would be a high quality backup. Since you acquired and edited with that compression – you’re not going to gain anything on your video quality by going to a different format. One benefit of say… going to a higher quality format like HDCAM or HDCAM SR or something would be that anything rendered in final cut like graphics or transitions would be of the higher quality setting. So in that case, yeah going 10-bit would be better for those elements… but only by taking it to a format that has a higher quality than DVCPRO HD.

My advice would be probably just to render out your timeline and take it to a post house to get it on DVCPRO HD tape.

* * *
Paul Escandon
Producer | Director | Editor
Apple Certified Trainer – Final Cut Pro
Oremus Productions
http://www.oremusproductions.com
– –
Adjunct Professor of Media
John Paul the Great Catholic University

[Shane Ross]

SInce it was recorded as DVCPRO HD, the best you can do is output to DVCPRO HD tape. Don’t export as uncompressed…that will compress it. Simply export a self contained QT movie, take that to a post house and have them layback to DVCPRO HD tape, or rent a deck and do it yourself via firewire (mind you, the timeline TC won’t carry…you need a capture card for that).

Shane

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[Nick Bradford-ewart]

thanks
Just to clarify. When i export in FCP to a self-contained quicktime with the setting as DVCProHD there won’t compression, apposed to going with 8-bit or 10-bit uncompressed in compressor?

Nick

[Shane Ross]

Correct. FILE>EXPORT>QUICKTIME MOVIE (not QT Conversion). Do that, make it Self Contained, and there will be no further compression.

Shane

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[Nick Bradford-ewart]

Thanks, this was helpful.
One thing i’m not sure of is render out. Do you mean just to render the sequence and bring the session to a lab?
I guess i just want to go from our tapeless Firestore to FCP to a tape to back up without dropping quality.
Thanks again
Nick

[Nick Bradford-ewart]

Cheers
thanks so much
Nick

[Shane Ross]

[Nick Bradford-Ewart] “One thing i’m not sure of is render out. Do you mean just to render the sequence and bring the session to a lab?”

Lab? You mean post house?

Render out…render then export as a self contained file. That is what I mean.

Shane

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[Nick Bradford-ewart]

Sorry still in the dark ages of film.
Thanks