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Activity Forums Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy Flip cameras – Mpeg Streamclip to FCP

  • Flip cameras – Mpeg Streamclip to FCP

    Posted by Justin Rev. barnes on April 16, 2010 at 8:46 am

    Hey gang,

    As all of you know those flip cameras are a pain! MAJORLY!
    I am a big fan of Mpeg Streamclip and wanted to find the best way to convert and edit both the HD and 1st generation flips in Final Cut Pro. Most likely on seperate timelines!

    So what format can I convert these FLIP clips into so that FCP can actually cut these natively (if Possible) or just to get them out of h.264 and have a better workflow? And what should I be setting my timelines or sequences to?

    seriously who films with these on a “pro” level?

    I really do appreciate any help I could get here gang!

    John Fishback
    replied 16 years, 3 months ago
    2 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • John Fishback

    April 17, 2010 at 6:18 pm

    I use Compressor instead of Streamclip because I feel I get a better result. Either way use ProRes as the codec. It edits beautifully in FCP.

    John

    MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.8 QT7.6.4 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870, 24″ TV-Logic Monitor, ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
    FCS 3 (FCP 7.0.2, Motion 4.0.2, Comp 3.5.2, DVDSP 4.2.2, Color 1.5.2)

    Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO & 192 Digital I/O, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN

  • Justin Rev. barnes

    May 12, 2010 at 6:01 am

    John, thank you for the reply. Unfortunately converting creates file sizes that triple the initial clip. What settings do you use in compressor?

  • John Fishback

    May 12, 2010 at 2:51 pm

    Try a lower-quality codec like DVCPro50 (DV50). That should make the files smaller. You can go as low as DV, but it will be DV quality = not great. Many Flip models make pictures better than DV so I’d avoid it. This is important! Make sure your audio is 48kHz sample rate, 16 or 24 bit depth and Linear PCM to ensure proper sync in FCP.

    John

    MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.8 QT7.6.4 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870, 24″ TV-Logic Monitor, ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
    FCS 3 (FCP 7.0.2, Motion 4.0.2, Comp 3.5.2, DVDSP 4.2.2, Color 1.5.2)

    Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO & 192 Digital I/O, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN

  • Justin Rev. barnes

    May 12, 2010 at 11:50 pm

    I just did that before reading your post. Used the dvcpro50 but kept my flip hd scaled to 1280×720. My main problem with this footage is that I still have to render it. What format or codec will let FCP read this natively?

    Do you only use ProRes codecs with your flip? I dont want the oversized files. and does the ProRes let you edit the Flips footage without rendering? and are you using the Flips that record”HD” ?

  • John Fishback

    May 13, 2010 at 2:17 am

    The scaling is probably the reason you have to render DVCPro5r0 is 720×480. For widescreen it needs to be anamorphic, not 1280×720. Another reason to use ProRes – it can be 1280×720.

    I convert all non-standard codecs that come into the shop to ProRes422 before editing. And no rendering is needed until you apply filters, etc. to the point your system can’t keep up. With terabyte drives costing $85 there’s no reason to worry about file size. You should try ProResLT which will produce smaller files than ProRes422. You could even try ProRes Proxy and see what you think image-wise. Do not use ProResHQ.

    I’ve converted many Flip HD clips to ProRes and they look a lot better than I expected.

    John

    MacPro 8-core 2.8GHz 8 GB RAM OS 10.5.8 QT7.6.4 Kona 3 Dual Cinema 23 ATI Radeon HD 3870, 24″ TV-Logic Monitor, ATTO ExpressSAS R380 RAID Adapter, PDE enclosure with 8-drive 6TB RAID 5
    FCS 3 (FCP 7.0.2, Motion 4.0.2, Comp 3.5.2, DVDSP 4.2.2, Color 1.5.2)

    Pro Tools HD w SYNC IO & 192 Digital I/O, Yamaha DM1000, Millennia Media HV-3C, Neumann U87, Schoeps Mk41 mics, Genelec Monitors, PrimaLT ISDN

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