• Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy

  FCP7 SmoothCam Jitters Workflow

  Posted by Charles Fasano on February 17, 2011 at 11:41 pm

  Aloha to All:

  I’d like to explain a problem I’m having with the smoothcam filter in FCP7 and some solutions.

  I’m using a 17″ macbook pro 4gig RAM with 4TB (2 2TB) ext hard drives where all capture and render files are stored. All the project files are on my hardrive.

  I have made an underwater movie (85min) using FCE4. All the clips were edited, colored, and speed changed in FCE4 knowing that I would buy FCP7 and apply the smoothcam filter that everyone was raving about in FCP6 when it became close to release. (Having a 2 year old now forced me to wait to justify purchasing FC Suite until now.)

  After installing FCP7, I opened the project without any hitches and individually exported the clips as independent files with an added naming structure of “_smooth” at the end. I then re-imported these new “_smooth” clips and applied the smoothcam analysis while the files were in their own bin in the browser. The analysis worked as it should in that it created a separate mtdf file in the same folder as the exported corresponding file it analyzed.
  I then placed the new analyzed clip into the timeline on a new separate track, instead of replacing the old clip, and applied the smoothcam filter to the new clip, then applied any transition that it required to match the old clip. The old clip was then deleted from the timeline.

  After rendering and viewing all the clips that had the smoothcam filter applied, I was very happy with the outcome. I did make some small changes to some clips that didn’t need to have a 2.5 in the translation or rotational smooth properties, but rendered again and all was perfect when viewed in the Canvas and Viewer. The filter worked exactly how I imagined it would and really cleaned the smoothness to the point that it looked like I had the camera on either a crane or a track underwater during filming.

  I then created a Blu-ray disk using FCP7’s Share menu and after 18hours finally had a 1st copy of my film. When I went to play the disk on my blu-ray player, the clarity was just awesome and mesmerizing. I then started noticing that ALL the clips that had the smoothcam filter applied to it were very jittery. So jittery that it gave my wife and I a headache from watching them.

  The next day, I investigated all the clips in FCP7 and they were operating fine in the Canvas and Viewer. Then I started googling smoothcam jitters and have found that a lot of people have this same problem.

  The best solution I found so far was ensuring that the mtdf file, created during analysis, and its corresponding file are in the same folder. I checked and they are set up in that manner. I also came across a solution to export the file that has the smoothcam filter applied, then re-importing without applying the effect since it should have the effect imbedded in export. Unfortunately, upon export, the clip is still jittery when played independently in QT AND when re-imported into FCP7, meaning it exported the file with the jitters.

  If there is anyone who can assist with this, please, please do. Please excuse my elementary approach but understand that I am a marine biologist first, and a wanna-be film-maker 2nd.

  Again, thank you for any and all help.

  Aloha!

  Charles Fasano replied 15 years, 3 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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