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Recompressing Canon 7D H.264 .movs to XDCam Settings
Hello,
I am having trouble working with 2 different types of footage that I have shot and would appreciate some advice on next steps before I begin the edit. Half of the footage was shot using a Sony EX3 (XDCAM EX 1920x1080p25) and the other half using a Canon 7D (H.264 1920X1080p25).
Because I would not be able to edit with these two peices of footage in the same timeline (without rendering) I was advised to recompress the H.2654 footage shot on the Canon 7D to match the compression of the footage shot on the EX3 using Media Manager. I did this overnight at the end of each day’s filming (there were 15 days in total). The settings I used in Media Manager to recompress were as follows:
Recompress media using: XDCam HD 1080p25 VBR
Include master clips outside selection (ticked)
Duplicate selected items and place into a new project (ticked)
Base medi file names on existing file names.Having recompressed all the Canon 7D H.264 footage using these settings, the idea was then to link these recompressed files to the imported EX3 files by making multiclips (each camera recorded the same event). And here’s where I discovered the problem:
Whilst trying to make a multiclip, a message appeared informing me that FCP could not make the multiclip because the two clips had different aspect ratios. I checked the clip infomation in the browser and noticed that the recompression had changed all the H.264 1920x1080p25 clips to XDCam HD 1440x1080p25 clips, changing the original aspect ratios.
I realised by now that I had used the wrong settings to recompress although in the compression options in Media Manager there was no option for XDCam EX compression.
Looking for a solution to link the clips rather than using Multiclip, I tried linking the XDCAM EX 1920x1080p25 clips and the XDCam HD 1440x1080p25 clips in a timline manually in Video layers one and two. The clips play fine one after the other but where layered in this way, frames are dropped even in Unlimited RT. I am thinking this is becuase FCP and/or my CPU cannot cope with the two different frame rates layered on top of each other. (My CPU is a Macbook Pro 2.2ghz 4gb ram). Is this the case?
After this, I tested recompressing a small H.264 file using custom settings in Media Manager, matching exactly the settings of the XDCam footage shot on the EX3. The settings I used were:
1920 x 1080 HD
Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square
Field dominance: None
Editing timebase: 25
Timecode rate: Same as editing timebase
Quickime video settings Compressor: XDCam EX 1080p25.This seems to have worked and this new recompressed file links up in multiclip with the original Sony EX3 shot footage as it should do.
My big qustion now is – do I have to recompress ALL my original H.264 footage using these new custom settings in Media Manager or is there any simpler and quicker way of getting it all to work with the Sony EX3 shot footage?
Naturally I would like to avoid recompressing all the H.264 footage again (time consuming) and if possible use the 1440x1080p25 XDCam clips I have already recompressed from the H.264 footage.
N.B. I would accept working in the same timeline with the 1440×1080 clips and the 1920×1080 clips and match them up manually instead of using the Multiclip function. Please let me know your thoughts on this also.
Thank you
Ed
I have shot footage on two different formats:
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4 Replies
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Hi Edmon,
You shouldn’t have converted the H264 to Ex-1, but rather to Prores, for example.
You are going from a very compressed format to another very compressed one, and probably the compression took ages.
Prores is your best option. Keep all the setting of the original pictures (size, pixels, etc).
Just change the codec. Will work well in the XDCAM sequence.
Or better, you can make a Prores sequence and edit there. In the end export to Prores.
Export back to EX-1 only if you are delivering in that format.
Rafael -
Hi Edmond!
In my humble opinion I would re encode your H264 files to 1920×1080. Don’t reduce the resolution unless you have a good reason.
Also think about using ProRes as your codec instead of EX1. It’s a great codec when it comes to space but it can be severely compressed.
There are multiple programs for compression. I think you’re using Final Cut Pro 6 but I don’t know for sure since your profile isn’t filled out. (HINT HINT HINT!)
Compressor is bundled with FCP. You can use media manager or Compressor. I would use Compressor.
Also be sure to encode a short test clip with your settings and try it in FCP before you set all of your footage up to convert overnight.
-Nicholas Bierzonski
Senior Editor/DVD Author/Java Boy
http://www.finalfocusvideo.com
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[Nicholas Bierzonski] “Also think about using ProRes as your codec instead of EX1. It’s a great codec when it comes to space but it can be severely compressed.”
You are right. XDCAM are good acquisition codecs but, unless you are working in an XDCAM network, avoid going back to him.
Rafael -
[Edmond Buckley] “My big qustion now is – do I have to recompress ALL my original H.264 footage … “
Thats what I would suggest Ed.
Also note that if you are planning on setting up a multiclip edit then you’ll need the clips to match codec as well as frame size and frame rate so I wouldn’t suggest transcoding the 7D footage to ProRes unless you intend to do the same with the EX3 footage … and if you plan to do that then it would be wise to check that you have the necessary storage capacity for the transcoded footage.
Hope it helps
Andy
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