Importing P2 MXF files into AE?

[Kevin Camp]

yes, ae 8.0.2 will import p2/mxf files natively (unless you have a powerpc mac).

however, your 1080i footage is 29.97 fps (59.94 fields per second) so i’m not sure avid is doing anything wrong with your footage.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Topher Welsh]

hmmm I’m on AE 7 so I don’t think I can get them in there… but you are saying that even if Avid is exporting it as 29.97 fps it still has 59.94 FIELDS… so my footage should in theory look really smooth if I slow it half speed, because it still looks jumpy (like when you slow down 30 fps or 24 fps) Did I mention I also set the shutter speed to 2000?

Im just trying to make my slomo’s look really smooth.

Topher Welsh
Head Editor & Motion Graphics
Emerald Downs Horse Racing
Television Department

[Kevin Camp]

with ae7 you are out of luck. you will need to convert them with another piece of software.

as dave mentions, if you footage is 1080i (and i think it most likely is), then the avid should be able to export that as 1080i for after effects. if you keep the interlacing intact from avid (and you want to), then you can use the interpret footage settings to separate fields (upper for 1080i), check the preserve edges option and to save an extra step, set it to loop once. now drag the footage to the make comp icon and stretch it (layer>time>stretch…) to 200%.

the result should be pretty smooth with no interpolation (well, minimal interpolation since ae has to fill in the alternating fields)…. but as dave mentioned the high shutter speed may become and issue and those plugins he mentions may help.

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Greg Neumayer]

Kevin, I hope you’re right, but I’ve been struggling with this for weeks. Are you (Kevin) running other apps that installed the codec for you? (like FCP.. maybe Avid?)

I’ve had absolutely no luck getting footage in running AE8.0.2 on my Intel Mac, but I was able to see DVCPROHD footage on my non-Intel.

This morning, I came across a blog about Calibrated Software’s codec, which amazingly allowed me to see DVCPRO HD footage. (1080i 60)

https://www.calibratedsoftware.com/MXFImportQ_OSX.html

I’m not even sure if that addresses your issue, but I’m sure happy to find at least one third-party codec that will start me on my way to being able to say “no problem” to my client’s footage.

Please post if you find other throughput solutions. I’ve wasted a lot of time just trying to understand the whole issue and it looks like there are a lot of facets to it. Here’s another good post related to color issues I’m keeping my eye on:
https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/2/919924#933581

-Greg

Antifreeze Design
https://www.antifreezemotiongraphics.com

[Kevin Camp]

ae8.0.2 allows the import of p2/mxf files… which isn’t quite the same as dvcprohd mov files.

my understanding is that if you have some files that are encoded by the dvcprohd codec in mxf files (like those shot on a p2 card from panasonic hvx200, for example) then those can be imported directly into ae8.0.2 (except for powerpc macs, unless that has been resolved).

i have been able to import p2 files from a hvx on a mac pro even though i do not have the universal binary version of the dvcprohd codec that that is necessary to read quicktime versions of dvcprohd (that’s the codec, or qt component, that gets installed by fcp). so, i know that works fine.

i also have the powerpc version of the dvcprohd codec (or qt component) on a g5 that can read the dvcprohd mov files fine.

i have also been able to install the powerpc dvcprohd qt codec on a macpro, have run both quicktime and/or after effects both in powerpc mode (select the application, choose file>get info then check the option for ‘run under rosetta’), and have been able to get access to dvcprohd footage in both applications. i usually then just convert it to something else so i can work in native intel software.

hope that info helps you out….

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Greg Neumayer]

Thanks Kevin. I’m a noob at Rosetta. In fact, I don’t know what it is, save that it sounds like a PPC emulator from your post. So, are you saying I should switch AE to Rosetta mode temporarily, try to extract/save those files, then switch back out of Rosetta back to AE Intel mode?
-Greg

Antifreeze Design
https://www.antifreezemotiongraphics.com

[Kevin Camp]

yep and yep..

rosetta is a ppc emulator that allows you to run most ppc software surprisingly well on an intel mac. with ae (and probably most demanding software), however, it has some issues but will actual work alright for the most part.

and, if you have the ppc dvcprohd codec/component in the library>quick time folder it should allow you to work with quick time files that have been encoded with the dvcprohd codec when you force the application to run the ppc version (or ‘open using rosetta’).

and, as i mentioned in your other post about retrodots, this method will work for old ppc effects too, so you can get access to old projects, or even use those old effects if you’re daring enough to work in ppc emulation mode…. (it does work in a pinch, and i do occasionally work this way).

Kevin Camp
Senior Designer
KCPQ, KMYQ & KRCW

[Mike Schrengohst]

Try this:

https://dvfilm.com/raylight/mac/index.htm

[Topher Welsh]

So I have tried a few of the techniques that you guys said, and its not really looking great… I mean i can see a difference, but not what I am looking for. I think I might just have to reshoot or learn to live with what I have. its kind of shaky anyways, so I am thinking of building a cheap steadycam and reshooting it. Thanks for all your help though, I got schooled on HD, interlacing, frame rates and field per second… hahaha.

Topher Welsh
Head Editor & Motion Graphics
Emerald Downs Horse Racing
Television Department