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Round-tripping from FCPX to exterior sound & color?
So Im working on a series of videos at my job on the newly installed FCPX and now that I am getting ready to prep the videos for color correction and sound mix I am realizing that this might not be as simple as I at first thought.
1- Color Correction – I need to send out the video without graphics to the color corrector and they send the entire video as a ready single quicktime. I need to be able to lay this exactly where the previous video is so that all my graphic timings stay the same. I can’t figure out how to do this? I don’t want to have to go through each video and fix everything so it is perfectly timed.
2- Audio mix – Same question, how do I export my sound and then import it all back to the same exact location. The audio mixer will be sending me a mixed singular file with 2 tracks. Again, I want to be able to simple drop it in the right place without having to go through everything frame by frame to make sure nothing moved.
With tracks this was easy enough but now with this magnetic time line I can’t do it. -
5 Replies
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[Jonathan Marx] “1- Color Correction”
Depends on whether your colorist needs an EDL. There are 3 ways to do this depending on workflow and their software.
1. Export a flattened file (textless) from FCP X and let them “notch” the cuts using scene detection. Most grading apps have this function. When you get their rendered file back, simply turn off the visibility of your timeline clips and place the graded file as a connected clip above. Move any titles you may have above it.
2. DaVinci Resolve supports a roundtrip using the FCPXML list format. Simply send them an FCPXML and the associated camera files. They will render single clips with handles or a flattened clip. Both require a new FCPXML from Resolve, which can be imported back into FCP X. Media should then be properly relinked. You may have to copy and paste titles to this new sequence.
3. EDLs. Many grading applications use EDLs to link to the camera media. If that’s the case here you need to go to FCP7 (using Xto7 to translate the FCPXML file) and generate an EDL. Or you need to use EDL-X to directly translate an EDL from the FCPXML file. If you get a flat file back, then it’s the same as option 1. If you get new, individual clips with handles, you will likely need to use FCP 7 to relink. Then use 7toX to translate an FCP7 XML into an FCPXML, which can be imported into FCP X, like in option 2.
[Jonathan Marx] “2- Audio mix”
Similar options as color correction. In all cases, you’ll get a mixed track back, which should line up at the head of your sequence and be in sync throughout. Again 3 options.
1. FCP X uses roles. You can segregate your audio elements by role, such as dialogue, SFX, music, etc. This can be exported as multiple AIFF files or a multichannel QT file. Understand, though, that in this export all clips of the same role are mixed together, baking in any fades, levels and effects that you’ve added. If you are careful and premix everything and create your own checkerboard “track assignments” by using multiple subroles, then this is viable. But remember the mixer has no handles unless you create it that way for him.
2. AAF. If your mixer can accept AAF files, then use X2Pro Audio Convert to create an AAF file with linked or embedded media.
3. OMF. If your mixer wants OMF with embedded media, then export an FCPXML file. Translate to XML using Xto7 and open the sequence in FCP 7. This will link to all of your media and gives you a way to make sure all the audio is actually there. Now generate an OMF from FCP 7 and send that to your mixer.
Hope that help.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
hey oliver, have you ever dealt with roundtripping to autodesk program? either smoke or flame?
i’m trying to figure out what I need to do to my timeline to “prep” it before i create xml for my post guy who works in flame….
-j
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I have sent FCPXML lists to Smoke 2013. It worked well, but of course no filters and you will have to rebuild titles, etc. This is a one-way street, so the master would be generated from Smoke.
I haven’t done Flame. The process is likely different and media compatibilities are different, so ask him for his specs.
Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
I’ve gone to Smoke from FCPX for a few projects as well, and was very pleased with the transition. A lot of things that don’t always make the transition well (speed changes always get wrecked going into Resolve) seemed to work fine. One piece had a significant number of speed changes in it and they all came through perfectly as Time Warps. I know Ronny Courtens uses this as part of his regular workflow and every time I’ve seen him talk about it on here it’s been pretty positive.
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FCP X Certified Pro, Level Two
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1. What is the colorist working on?
2. What does the sound designer want from you? OMF? Then you need to get an external app, since X is incapable of outputting OMF nor AAF.
Sascha Engel
TIME BANDITZ Productions
http://www.youtube.com/taikang
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