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Reverse field order in FCP
Help. I’m tearing my hair out here. I’ve in looked the FAQs, and it’s not covered there. If anyone can give me any clues or tips I would be so grateful.
I’m digitizing from VHS/Beta – composite out into a Canopus ADVC-55 analog-to-digital converter, Firewire out into a brand new iMac running OS 10.6.2.
Final Cut Pro 5. Sequence preset is DV Pal 48 kHz, 720×576, 25 fps. Capture preset is DV Pal 48 kHz, 720×576. Device control – non-controllable device. Video playback – Apple Firewire Pal 720×576.
I can’t use “export as Quicktime Movie” because it does about ten seconds and then stops (don’t know why), so I use “export using Quicktime conversion”. I use the Apple Intermediate Codec, and I choose the “other” button for the option of what format to export it as. I check the “interlaced” box and export the movie.
I bring it in to iDVD 7.0.4. and burn the disc, but on playback in a normal DVD machine with a normal monitor, it’s always reverse field. It’s definitely interlaced, but just the wrong order. I’ve tried tests where I get some sample clips of things I’ve captured recently, things I captured last year and made DVDs of successfully on my old Mac computer, and clips from other sources, and they all come out the same – wrong.
I’ve tried changing the capture preset to one where it has the lower field first, and exporting with the lower field first. Then tried changing the capture preset to upper field first and exporting with upper field first. Then I’ve examined a sample frame from both movies side by side and they are identical in terms of the interlacing pattern. In fact, the interlacing at that stage looks correct because where there is a scene change, there’s no frame where you get half of one image and half of another.
Again, please someone help. This is the one stumbling block that is preventing me from making professional DVDs for people. Thanks!
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1 Reply
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What a messy workflow. PAL is always upper field except DV so it is a shame to introduce this codec, but you are obviously locked in by using the Canopus to firewire.
First thing is to try and find out why you can’t export a self contained quicktime movie. Have you tried trashing preferences and repairing permissions? If not, search this forum as it has been covered many times and there are free software tools that help.
If you can export a self contained then try DVD Studio Pro rather than iDVD. I don’t know where the field order error is but it could be the Canopus, the quicktime export, or iDVD. I suspect the quicktime conversion. AIC is also an older and less desirable codec. You would be better off staying in DV codec with a quicktime movie so try and get that working first.
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