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Smokey Blacks and diplomacy issues
I’ve come to an issue where it seems that everything I send out of the FCP 4.5 has a smokey look to it, especially the blacks. Internally in the Canvas this does not seem appearant, but we have viewed the troublesome media on several monitors and tv’s and through and through, it appears that the pedistal is not correct.
The footage was captured on a J-30 through the firewire, using a DV codec.
Is this a hardware or a software problem?
I have another problem I could use help on and I guess it’s one of diplomacy. We were running on the Discreet Edit system that crashed on average of 10 times a day, destroyed media ruthlessly, and wasn’t even supported any more. We bought the new FCP 4.5 system, and every time we have a hickup like this, My boss (who is an editor and videographer by trade) keeps advocating going back to the old system, and I find myself trying to reason with him that all systems have kinks and this is the best way to go. And yet everytime it doesn’t do exactly what he wants, he mentions just throwing it away and going back to Discreet.
My question is, am I fighting a loosing battle here? Am I just better off trashing this FCP and going back to the old system, or am I just not using this sytem correctly? I was the one who really pushed for us to move towards the FCP after I had to spend countless nights rebuilding Jobs that the Discreet system corrupted. I did the research, talked with other editors, and I heard all praise of the FCP and it’s abilities, but it seems that I’m getting burned big time here, and I really want this thing to work out.
Thanks for any help or advice you can offer.
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8 Replies
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While you are editing, are you monitoring on an external critical video monitor? You may catch the “smokey” problem a lot earlier. If you do have an external monitor, just ignore the canvas and trust the monitor from now on, as long as it gets calibrated! I don’t have an answer for why. There are folks here definitely more techno-savvy than I. Hopefully one of them will have a real answer to that problem.
Going back to a dead system is just foolish. Your boss just want to carp. Let ‘im carp. If he was really serious, he’d have dragged it back in by now.
Every system has it’s quirks, like you say. He’ll get used to FCPs soon enough, as will you. If you can, just let it roll off your back. Otherwise, call his bluff. And then ask for technical support for the dead system. Who’s going to reinstall it? If the manufacturer isn’t supporting the product anymore, what does he expect? For you to magically turn into an engineer? It’ll cost him more money to revert to a dead system than it will to just take the time to get used to the new workflow. This problem is NOT insurmountable, and it is NOT a failing of FCP. You don’t have to live with it. Hopefully, someone here will help you solve it!
Or, if his behavior is truly unbearable, perhaps it’s time to spruce up the ol’ resume and reel and go looking for a boss that’s more reasonable and flexible! Once the system gets it’s kinks flushed out, what will he obsess about next, and is the job worth it to put up with him?
My 2
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Why are you capturing to 25Mbps from 4:2:2 color sampling Beta?
When you are Log and Capture do you have the scopes displayed?
Are you seeing setup on the Waveform monitor? Digital video black is 0 (zero) so you should see no setup.
Do you have a video board in your FCP 4.5 system like an AJA Kona SD, AJA Kona HD or Cinewave?
What is your final delivery format? If it is DVD and you have setup on your DVD, some DVD players add a second setup.
Your issue is not FCP 4.5, but perhaps your production pipeline.
Inquiring minds…
Bryce WhitesideDon’t worry Mr. B. I have a cunning plan…
PowerBook 1.67 Ghz ATI 9700 128 MB 2 GB
Final Cut Pro HD
DVD Studio Pro 3
Motion -
adding to Bryce’s post, check the level of your blacks coming in to FCP. If your blacks are at 7.5IRE then setup is not being removed before your capture and you should remove it in FCP. The only time setup should even be an issue is when dealing with analog formats so if you are exporting to DVD, Digibeta, HD then your blacks should be at zero. Setup will then be added by the deck or dvd player on playback. It sounds like your footage has setup and then setup is being added again on playback.
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As for the diplomacy, sometimes people just need to see that everyone else is using the same thing. Do a little search and you will find major motion pictures being soley done on FCP. If your boss can say to your clients, ‘we use the same software that they used on Jarhead (or whatever)’ then perhaps that will help out a bit.
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One suggestion would be seeking out available courses on FCP in your area which can quickly get you up to speed on the advanced features and techniques FCP offers.
NLE editing classes are one of the most powerful methods to master any new software/hardware system. Without the proper educational background you will waste thousands of hours pulling your hair out wondering why,how and when will you figure out the mess you are in.
Even if you have to pay for the courses yourself the knowledge gained will make your services that much more valuable and in demand.
It is all up to you to seek out the knowledge you need to commit to the work you are expected to perform.
Good luck,
Tony Salgado
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Read this carefully:
https://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/video_levels_nattress.html
There’s probably a switch somewhere on the J-30 that’s not in the right position – that’s my guess. Blacks should be at zero in FCP.
Graeme
– http://www.nattress.com – Film Effects and Standards Conversion for FCP
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Thanks everyone. It turns out it was a decklink issue, it was the culprite of adding the setup to the signal.
But I really do appreciate all your advice, thanks a million.
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Discussing it here on Creativecow.net can often cause an epiphany.
Inquiring minds…
Bryce WhitesideDon’t worry Mr. B. I have a cunning plan…
PowerBook 1.67 Ghz ATI 9700 128 MB 2 GB
Final Cut Pro HD
DVD Studio Pro 3
Motion
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