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image sequence questions
Hi,
I think I’m about to take the plunge into FCP X. I like the idea of a DSLR optimized editing program. First, I have a couple questions that I can’t find the answers for on the web.
I do a lot of VFX compositing, CG, time-lapse, and stop-motion animation. For all of those, I use DPX, TIFF, or JPEG image sequences (which format is based on where the media is going or where it came from). I see that FCPX has image sequence export but can it import an image sequence directly or do we still need to use QT Player or AE to convert it to Quicktime? And if it can import image sequences, has anyone tried importing directly from a camera SD card?
Also, the on-line specs for FCPX just says “image sequence” for export. Do you know if it can export a full range or file types or is it just one or two formats?
Thanks for your help
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5 Replies
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Export settings for an image sequence in FCPX are TIFF, PNG, Photoshop, DPX, Jpeg, IFF and OpenEXR.
I must admit I haven’t investigated too many workflows for time-lapse in FCPX, as these days I generally use Motion to put together the image sequence (works well with optical flow), but I guess you could set preferences in FCPX to import images as single frames.
Liam Hall
Director/DoP/Editor
http://www.liamhall.net -
Thanks Liam for the reply (you have a great website, by the way)
I went ahead and bought FCPX and I’m pretty impressed overall. If anyone else is wondering if you can import image sequences into FCPX, you cannot – at least as far as I can tell. It really is a shame, I figured that since they put Image Sequence front and center as an export setting, you’d be able to import an image sequence. But, alas, I can’t. It would be great to be able to select a clip from your edit, export it as an image sequence, work on it in Nuke or whatever and then replace the clip in your timeline with a new image sequence without having to utilize the color-shifting devil that is Quicktime.
If anyone from Apple sees this, if you do decide to add this feature, please do it the way it is designed in Flame/Smoke and Nuke where a sequence can be collapsed into a single item in the file browser and not the lame way it is in After Effects where you see all the files in a sequence and select the first file.
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I’m a little surprised here. I’m working on a time lapse video this weekend. I used QT7 to pull in the images and create the sequence. I’d like to see Apple do something on this front other than QT7 because time lapse seqs are the only reason I keep QT7 around. FCPX would be great but I’d take anything that has a better future than QT7.
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Amazing…. I too work in VFX and am stunned that a “pro nle” ignores frame sequences.. This is a hall mark of consumer apps.
On the same subject, I assume open-EXR, RED, EDLs, linear work-flow, 16/32bit color space, are also all ignored..? What the hell, didn’t these guys buy the “Shake” dev group near a decade ago??Well, in the end, what do you expect for 300 bucks.. FYI: If you need something that takes frames, allows any resolution and frame rate, can handle basic comping and requires “NO” pre-processing/transcoding of any kind, you could do worse than Vegas Pro.. We all use it here as our basic utility to build animatics, put together shots, build previews, edit music and sound, even file conversions.
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As awesome as QT 7 is (I keep it on a G5 for quick rough edits or cutting out clips, nothing beats it for that stuff), Compressor 4 will convert image sequence to whatever you like. Hopefully Apple doesn’t kill Compressor too, though it needs an overhaul too. A lame workaround until they add support for importing image sequences in FCPX.
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