HDSLR converion without FCP

[Steve Crow]

Here’s a link to a video I did explaining how to use MPEG Streamclip to convert HD DSLR footage.

https://crowdigitalmedia.com/hd-dslr-workflow-%E2%80%93-part-2-%E2%80%93-transcoding-syncing-and-more-much-more

Now I use FCP and a Mac so I convert my footage to ProRes LT – you will want to instead convert your footage to a PC friendly format.

Cineform is the one I hear the most about but you will probably have to buy this codec before MPEG-Streamclip can convert your files to that format. If you already have Cineform installed on your system then you should be ready to go.

Here’s the Cineform encoding application: https://www.cineform.com/neoscene/

You could also try exporting AVI or MOV files out of MPEG Streamclip since I assume Premiere can work with these formats. By the way, I am noticing a growing trend of people running Premiere on a Mac for HD DSLR editing – in other words moving away from FCP.

All the best to you!

[Lance Bachelder]

If you’re happy with the real-time performance of cutting native Canon footage in CS5 then there’s no reason to convert first. You can do color timing on the original footage in Premiere or open your finished cut in After Effects and use Color Finesse. Or cut your show first and render it to a better codec like Avid DNxHD (free on the Avid site) which is similar to ProRES and color time that. Lots of options and no you don’t need FCP.

That said, all this buzz about switching from FCP to CS5 is just crazy. Yeah CS5 is great and has nice integration between apps, but as far as NLE’s go and true professional editing tools, Premiere is seriously lacking in features as compared to NLE’s like FCP or Avid. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do pro work with Premiere and if that’s all you’ve ever you used you may never miss the tools I’m talking about, but there is a significant lack of editing features, some even basic, in Premiere Pro.

Lance Bachelder
Southern California

[Rasmus Jürs]

think i might look into the cineform solution. at least try the free trial. Just to see if it gives a tangible difference.
thanks

[Rasmus Jürs]

Thanks for the answer.
My day to day work is primarily focused on printed media and web. But sometimes we get requests for small video productions. (Primarily web based) so i for the time being Premiere and After Effects more than encompass the range of tools i need.
But since i’m still kinda new to the HDSLR thing, i haven’t really nailed my workflow yet.
That is why im looking around for the possibility that converting to a format and codec that might improve the editing and CC speed and quality would be very welcome.
So when i read that FCP users should convert to ProRes to get better editing and CC capabilities i started wondering if there was a similar process for Premiere users.
And like Steve suggested, Cineform might be something to look into.

[Ben Holmes]

If you want a fast, simple and cheap solution for transcoding DSLR footage to ProRes for use in FCP, I would recommend Magic Bullet’s Grinder. I think it’s $50, and uses all 8 cores on a Mac Pro to transcode 8 files at once. Drag and drop batch simple.

Edit Out Ltd
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https://www.blackmagic-design.com/casestudies/detail.asp?case=therydercup