Issues with FCP6

[Joseph Bradley]

OK, so I’m doing it right this time. I imported XDCAM HD, DV Pal and DV NTSC. It all looked good exept for the aspect ratio. I can change the aspect ratio of the clips to match the sequence but you know what that looks like. There’s a lot to consider when setting up a workflow and knowing what the final output needs to be.

Thanks for all the imput.

[Mark Maness]

First, let me applogize if I sounded harsh.

I’m a twenty year veteran in the industry and work is getting much tougher and much more competitive. It amazes me how many projects that I have worked on that someone started who didn’t know what they were doing because they bought the hardware and the software and thought they were an editor/producer.

For people just starting in the business, I would recommend just reading forums, using basic forums for introductory questions, reading books like those that Apple uses for the Pro Training Series (https://www.apple.com/software/pro/training/self_paced.html), and most of all (if you can afford it), going to NAB and attending the Post Production conference. All sorts of information is at our fingertips!

As for formats, a good rule of thumb to remember is if you can see it on the web, its not an edit format. Internet video is not a broadcast quality medium. These are just delivery formats.

As for what book is best, I like the Apple Pro training series of books myself. But there are tons of books that will help on this subject. Most are going to be extremely technical, but the Apple books are going to talk about what is best for your situation.

_______________________________

Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
http://www.schazamproductions.com
https://blogs.creativecow.net/waynecarey

[Mark Maness]

You just found the issue of the century!

It all depends on your output. If most all of your footage is HD, then you’ll have to convert the DV footage to match your HD. And when I say convert, there are many ways to do this. One way is to use Compressor, another is to use Media Manager, or you could scale up your video (this is the least quality).

If I were in your shoes, I would use my capture board (AJA Kona 3) to upconvert all of the DV footage to an HD codec, probably DVCProHD (maybe Apple ProRes422). Then I would edit in HD. That way if I need an HD delivery, I have it and I can easily downconvert to SD for delivery on tape or internet using Compressor.

They key to remember is to ALWAYS work in the best format you can to deliver the best quality possible.

_______________________________

Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
http://www.schazamproductions.com
https://blogs.creativecow.net/waynecarey