Exporting in .MP4

[Shane Ross]

Typically one would start a new topic for your issue, since it is completely unrelated to the topic you are posting in. Next time please start a new topic.

EditReady from divergentmedia.com will convert this format. Warning…it requires OS 10.9. FCP 7 will still work under that OS, but Motion and Compressor will have issues, or not work at all, as that OS doesn’t support that old software. But EditReady will convert that footage to ProRes just fine.

There are no solutions that work on previous OS versions…as that camera format is new, and all software solutions are written for later versions of computer OSs.

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

[Anthony Von seck]

Thanks Shane. My first post on CCow. I will adhere next time. Pavtube managed to do it well, and quickly. Appreciate your quick response. As I’m new to the A7S Rii I will try and impart what I learn to any who encounter problems here.

[Jan Laidlaw]

Thanks Shane Ross, I’m still using FCP7 (more than 2 years after this post!) and have been struggling to get reasonable quality YouTube settings. Saving my QT movie as an MP4 in MPEG STREAMCLIP worked great!

[Christopher Mcdonell]

[adam chesbrough] “So there is no way to “send to compressor” and then create a custom export setting that gives me .mp4 container…is that correct?”

You can still do this with Compressor 3. But not with Compressor 4. However, “sending” to Compressor prevents you from continuing to use FCP for editing. So I actually prefer exporting a QT Movie (I always do two: self-contained and reference), which you’ll want for your archives anyway, then dragging that into Compressor. And to answer your question, of course you can create custom .mp4 settings! Just duplicate the setting in Compressor, rename it, and make your changes.

It’s really best to know where you’ll be streaming your video and for whom when it comes to compression. Streaming 1080p at a decent quality requires a higher bit rate and consequently a larger file size. The last thing you want is for the video to stop and start during play for your end-user, which is exactly what will happen if the bitrate is too high and their download speed too slow. People know there’s a compromise when it comes to quality on the web. But if the video keeps stopping, they’ll just give up and surf elsewhere.

Vimeo defaults it’s streaming at 720p and I think provides a 360p for mobile (automatic switching, depending on the person’s device). So if that’s your end route, you can use Compressor to export a 720p H.264 at 15 MBs with PCM audio and upload that. The file size will be smaller than a 1080p, and if it’s not being delivered as a 1080p, no need to make one.

If, however, your end user is a broadcaster for example, and you’re sending them a rough-cut of something, you can upload a 1080p and change the settings in Vimeo to accommodate. People in the know will know that they may need to let the video download a bit before playing.

As a side note…

I have a website that streams some of my work and I used to host my own videos. For every clip or movie, you need at least three MP4 files: an HD version (higher quality, like 1080p or 720p), SD version (lower quality, like 540p), and mobile (360p). THEN, you need WebM versions of each for FireFox (at least the older versions). It’s a lot of compressing, and if you don’t have a good server, there’ll be hiccups and people will complain. THIS is why I’ve become an advocate of using a platform like Vimeo. You can embed the movies into your own website or just send people a link. It’s easier and way more reliable.

My specs: FCP 6.0.6, El Capitan, rMBP 15″ i7 2.6 GHz, 16 GB RAM