FCP to Premiere Pro FULL CONVERT

[Tim Kolb]

ProRes encode capability is only available inside FCP. You can write Mr. Jobs a nice thank you note if you’d like, but his intention to use ProRes to sell FCP worked out pretty well for Apple…

Also, keep in mind that FCP “rewraps” several formats and the decoder for those is also tied to FCP only. I think if you have rewrapped DVCProHD for instance, PPro may be able to read it as long as FCP is installed on the same machine, but since I’m not a Mac user primarily, I’d rather have someone else confirm that…I know that you can render out of AE to ProRes when FCP is installed (or at least you used to be able to…) so I suspect that PPro will read these other formats as long as FCP and therefore the codecs are installed.

Calibrated software makes several products that handle these codecs for the non-FCP owner as well. Also, AJA’s drivers will handle several of the FCP-centric codecs so if you have an AJA card, you may be good to go.

I do know that FCP’s rewrapped HDV files are a particular hangup sometimes…

However, ProRes can be read by anyone with QuickTime these days, I have an Adobe TV segment where I edit and author using ProRes source media…using my Windows XP laptop. You can’t export or render to ProRes on a non-Mac, or on a Mac without FCP. That alone may be the reason for a lot of FCPX sales…people paying 300 USD for ProRes…

So…I guess I’d use FCP as your conversion tool to ProRes…then the XML of the edit projects from FCP will not probably bring in unused clips automatically, so you’ll want those clips organized well enough so you can go back and bring the unused material into the PPro project.

Does that make sense?

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

Adobe Certified Instructor

[Ben G unguren]

[Tim Kolb] “ProRes encode capability is only available inside FCP”

Really? I just converted a bunch of AVCHD files to ProRes using a custom preset made in Premiere and then processed with Adobe Media Encoder (CS5, all, on a Mac that also has FCP installed). Maybe I’m misunderstanding something, but converting to ProRes is entirely doable without using FCP directly, as long as you have the proper codecs installed.

[Tim Kolb]

Try uninstalling FCP and doing that.

The encoder is part of FCP. It’s in the QuickTime codec library when FCP is installed, but you have to have FCP in the machine (and of course therefore it has to be a Mac) to encode ProRes. So, yes, you have to have FCP to encode ProRes.

or…you could feed SDI realtime out to a device like an AJA KiPro product.

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

Adobe Certified Instructor

[Ben G unguren]

[Tim Kolb] ” Try uninstalling FCP and doing that.”

I’ll just take your word for it 🙂

What would you suggest as a good editing intraframe codec (as opposed to AVCHD or H264, which work okay, but can slow things down sometimes, especially on slower machines) that can be exported software-only?

[Ron Pestes]

OK, now I’m confused. Can I edit ProRes on a Windows computer? Are you saying I have to have FCP installed on the same computer to edit ProRes? That would rule out all Windows computers wouldn’t it? Please enlighten me. Thanks.

ronpesteshdvideo.com
Apple Certified Master Pro FCS 2
Sony EX-3
MacBook Pro
New convert to Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium

[Tim Kolb]

…you can play/decode/source an edit from ProRes on any computer with QuickTime installed.

(I have an Adobe TV clip where I editied a 90 minute sequence of ProRes on my Windows XP laptop in CS4.)

You can’t encode (render out/export, etc.) to ProRes unless you are on a Mac with FCP installed…or you have a system with SDI, HDMI, or analog component HD output and an external recording device lika an AJA KiPro.

(My initial response was poorly worded when I said “inside FCP” which is why Ben found it confusing…and frankly, incorrect).

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

Adobe Certified Instructor

[Ron Pestes]

OK, great. I was a little scared there for a moment. I will not be getting another Apple computer so I am glad I can do it on Windows. I will keep my older MacBook Pro so I can still edit on FCS 3 when needed but hope to get completely over to PP ASAP.

ronpesteshdvideo.com
Apple Certified Master Pro FCS 2
Sony EX-3
MacBook Pro
New convert to Adobe CS5.5 Production Premium

[Ben G unguren]

Thanks for the clarification, Tim. I’m still curious if you have a preferred codec when/if you want to convert an interframe codec like a DSLR’s H264 or AVCHD to an edit-ready intraframe codec….

[Dexter Andrada]

Just a follow up to what you asked.

Is there a software to seamlessly transfer the Bin together with the metadata placed on the FCP project and let it be seen properly on Premiere Pro?

XML is best designed to get your edits into premiere pro and back.

[Tim Kolb]

I am personally partial to CineForm (disclaimer: I have an infrequent personal affiliation with them, I wrote/designed the First Light Manual).

Completely cross platform…wrap as QT or AVI…and rewrap if necessary for ecosystem workflow. Extremely high quality AND they have a RAW version of the codec which is the acquisition codec for the SI2K camera, and RED RAW can quickly be converted for those of us more partial to FirstLight than REDCINE….and the quintessential single-clip 3D format for easy stereo editing including 3D relationship manipulation from FirstLight, saved to metadata.

Avid DNxHD is freely available from the Avid website and is not proprietary. You can load it on your system and use it as you would any other codec. I’ve heard of people who swear by it, and those who swear at it…no doubt the truth is somewhere in between, but how can it hurt to have a codec that you can use to easily exchange material with Avid editors?

ProRes is an excellent codec, and if Apple decides to release it separately for 199.99 USD so anyone can use it to encode/decode, I think it may be a popular option no matter what platform you use.

Kind of a broad answer, but I’ve touched enough codecs to know that to pick a clear workflow winner, you need to take the entire ecosystem into account…what system are you using for effects? What for audio post? Are you editing for a client who requires a particular mastered format?

You have questions…I have…more questions, typically. 🙂

TimK,
Director, Consultant
Kolb Productions,

Adobe Certified Instructor