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Final Cut Pro 7 XML to Resolve. Timecode differences?
Hi everyone. I am having the same problem I had many times when conforming projects from FCP XML to Resolve.
Basically it consists in a source timecode difference between FCP and Resolve. Actually, it’s a timecode difference between FCP and the original timecode.
It only happened to me in big projects (TV or feature films, not commercials) and usually with XDCAM media. Anyway I’m not saying it’s exclusively related to XDCAM.
This problem only happens when using XML, and in previous occasions I would use an EDL, but this project has a ridiculous amount of sizing settings so I would be saved if I could go with the XML.
I think this is related to how the XML handles timecodes using frame count instead of absolute timecodes (EDL always uses absolute timecodes).Project is 25fps, all media is 25fps.
All of the clips are out of sync, and sync differences are not equal (comparing to the offline clip).
Problem is only with source TC, not with Record TC (all of the edit points are in the right place). Also, from the clap on, the timecode matches exactly when viewing the source or FCP. The problem is related to how the XML “regenerates” the timecode.
When you open the clip in the Viewer in FCP and go to the first frame, it’s the exact slate frame when it just clapped, so the problem seems related to some process that the editor makes when syncing sound.
Let’s talk about one specific clip. First frame in Final Cut is 02:28:47:15 and shows the closed slate. Edit goes from 02:29:02:24 to 02:29:06:07. First frame in Quicktime or Resolve is 02:28:44:19 and shows the open slate. Edit in Resolve (loaded through XML) goes from 02:29:00:03 to 02:29:03:11. So the XML in this clip has a 71 frames off from the original.I believe (and hope) this is a common problem and there is an easy solution for it that I just don’t know yet, because it happened to me many times.
I also hope I am not too confusing.What I want basically is a way to export an XML with the right timecode (probably a process one has to do in FCP to make clips read the original entire source clip), so Resolve loads everything allright.
Thanks to everyone wishing to help!
Rodrigo.—
twitter.com/rsilves
http://www.rsilves.com -
3 Replies
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Sounds like our work flow is very similar. I started having issues somewhere after 9 came out on one of the upgrades. What I have started doing now to help me get around issues and you might want to try is on import of XML uncheck the box that says to “automatically set settings”. Before import go to the project page and set all of your settings up front rather than letting the XML do it. What was happening is that my XML was based on a 29.97 time line but after import and the ‘Auto Settings” checked I went back to the project settings only to find out that it had been switched to 30fps instead of 29.97
Also if you make a mistake it’s best to start a whole new project and try again rather than trying to delete XML and clips and try again. I have found that once it has gone bad it just gets worse if you stay in the same project.
Hope this helps -
Thanks Dave but that is not the case.
The offset I have in each shot is the same as the duration between the start of the recording and the slate, this is specifically related to some process editors do during syncing sound.
The problem is that FCP doesn’t see the clips from the beginning (when I go to the first frame of a clip in FCP it’s always the slate when it just closed).
Actually the real problem is that Resolve doesn’t read the XML the way it should. It seems that it measures cuts based on an incorrect start timecode (now defined by the editor on the slate frame).
I’ll post again if I find any solution to this.
Rodrigo.
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twitter.com/rsilves
http://www.rsilves.com -
I had the same problem and solved it by going into project settings > camera raw > red > timecode > Absolute. I also unckecked the “assist using reel names” option.
Originally it was set to camera and the timecode was wrong.
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