-
Importing HDV to FCP…looks soft
Okay guys…going nuts. I suppose it’s possible that somehow this footage is just soft focused..I wasn’t the camera operator on this shoot.
I’ve installed the patch for HDV from Sony into FCP. I’ve done a firewire transfer through “Log and Transfer” from the memory unit/card. I’ve also tried to bring it in via Black Magic/HDMI.
When I double click the clips that were transferred via firewire in the bin….and play back…they’re 4×3. If dragged to the time line, and told it to NOT change the timeline to match…it plays back 16×9..but it looks noisy and soft.
We shot on a Z7u, and I can only image that perhaps there’s some sort of down conversion going on?
Or, some setting in Transfer and Log that could change things?
Worse…I’ve been at this so long that nothing looks right. I’d sure appreciate some insight.
-
9 Replies
-
Why did you tell FCP. It to change the settings? You might be un an SD sequence. What are the sequence settings?
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Sequence is currently HDTV 16:9, square pixel, 29.97, None dominance, Apple Pro-Res HQ.
If I try to drag one of the files brought in via firewire…it makes it 1440×1080.
-
Did you render? It’ll be soft until you render
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Thanks….yes I did notice that…but it still seems a bit soft. Perhaps I’m expecting too much from the format?
I have found by using the color corrector and dropping black just a bit seems to help, too.
I know lots of guys using this format, without these concerns.
-
You also over-estimate the quality that you get from the FCP Canvas and Viewer. They aren’t designed to show full quality. Only an IO device going to an HDTV will show you what it really looks like.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Thanks Shane…I agree. I output to a monitor via a BlackMagic Ultra Studio 3d.
I’ve since uploaded via fireire in Log & Capture using a HDV to ProRes setting. Seems to have helped.
-
Z7U’s shooting size it is 1440×1080 non-square pixel
capturing into pro res should rectify the frame size and aspect but natively hdv from this camera should be 1440 x 1080 frame size and 1920 by 1080 display size.
converting to pro res on injest will allow square pixels, and 1920 x 1080 frame and display sizeDoug Beal
Editor / Engineer
Rock Creative Images
Nashville TN -
IN my experience, when you ingest HDV as ProREs via firewire, it comes in as 1440×1080 ProRes. Still flagged as anamorphic…so still fills the frame. But can’t multiclip with other ProREs files that are 1920×1080.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Soft compared to what? How the footage looks like in the camera’s view finder? How the footage looks if you hook the camera up to a broadcast monitor and play it back? You even said yourself, maybe the footage itself is slightly out of focus. I’ve seen a ton of slightly out of focus footage from smaller HD cameras as it’s much more difficult to judge focus on the on-board viewfinder or LCD than it was for SD cameras.
The shooters swear up and down they focused but the minute you view it on something larger than the camera’s tiny LCD screen it is glaringly obvious that the subject is a hair soft. They wall right behind the subject is tack sharp though. 😉
[Shane Ross] “IN my experience, when you ingest HDV as ProREs via firewire, it comes in as 1440×1080 ProRes. Still flagged as anamorphic…so still fills the frame. But can’t multiclip with other ProREs files that are 1920×1080.”
Correct. HDV captured as PR via FW will keep it’s native frame size unfortunately.-Andrew
2.9 GHz 8-core (4,1), FCP 7.0.3, 10.6.6
Blackmagic Multibridge Eclipse (7.9.5)
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up