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FCP 6.0.6 and the Canon 5D. What should I expect?
Hey Guys,
I am cutting my teeth on the 5D. Just shot a commercial spot and want to make sure I do everything right. I have a few questions I hope someone out there can help me with.
1. Is it time for me to upgrade to the newest FCP version, or can I get away with 6.0.6?
2. The files are .MOV natively, is there a necessary or preferred compression conversion (using Compressor) before bringing them into FCP?
3. To ProRes or NOT to ProRes. Can I get some light shed on this issue, and I beg your indulgence here….I would love some rookie-speak, just to make sure I understand it correctly.
4. What should my import settings be for the timeline/project? I shot it at 30FPS. 1990×1080.
5. Are there any other pitfalls I can avoid by heeding your advice in advance?As always,….I am here because the humble part of me realizes, many of you are way smarter than I. Thanks in advance for your help.
Jared
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5 Replies
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Yes, definitely get the firmware update to shoot 29.97.
In my opinion, FCP 6.0.6 is just fine, but it doesn’t hurt to upgrade if you can afford it.
You must convert the footage to another codec before editing. The 5d puts out .mov files that are in the H.264 codec. This codec is really hard for the computer to decode, so it will slow fcp immensely. The best codec to use is ProRes (for FCP). The files will be much bigger. I have a friend that converts it to XDCAM, which saves on file size, but I wouldn’t recommend this.
You can use Compressor or MPEGStreamClip (MPSC) for conversion. If you really want to be anal-retentive, I would download this program to convert the clips: https://rarevision.com/5dtorgb/. It is much better than compressor and MPSC. You’ll notice that your footage looks darker when converted, if you use compressor or MPSC. With 5DtoRGB, the footage stays the same color (describing why this is is beyond the purpose of this post).
When in FCP with the converted clips, select Apple ProRes 422 1920×1080 29.97fps as your preset and you should be good to go.
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Hey Andy,
Much thanks to yourself and Phil, and the rest who have so quickly responded to my question(s). FCP Philanthropy, alive and well to those of us who stand in need. Seriously, thanks for taking the time. Very generous.
Jared -
Hey Dave,
Thank you very much for taking the time to answer each part of my inquiry. I appreciate the organizational stratification of each of the topics as you addressed them. It’s clear you write and think like an editor. Thanks for all of the tips. It will help my learning curve be a little less treacherous as I navigate through it.
Jared -
Check Shane Ross’s tutorial on using Log & Transfer with the Canon plugin. I am not sure if it works with FCP 6.0.6 but it does an excellent job of importing 5D files including the metadata as timecode.
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https://library.creativecow.net/ross_shane/tapeless-workflow_fcp-7/1If it is only for FCP 7 then it will give you reason to consider the cheap upgrade. The other reason to upgrade is the much better Color 1.5
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Hi Jared,
Everybody agree that Prores is the way to go, so I think is very recommendable to update to FC7.
Gamma problems has been solved.
rafael
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