Stutter on motion in FCP

[Tom Alexander]

I’m adding more info about my problem. I believe when I started this project I let FCP decide what to
do with my 1080i footage as far as AV settings. A week and a half later on a finished program, I found that the “AV sequence presets” set it to XDCAM HD 1080i50 CBR, which says its for mpeg-2 at 25 FPS
and a1440x1080. If this is the problem, what can I do to correct this, and get it right.

[Craig Seeman]

First FCP shouldn’t make that kind of “wrong” decision. You need to see if it was your error or whether you’re missing the EX easy setups.

You should drop a clip on a new timeline and it’ll ask you to match the clip. It would then use the correct easy setup.

If you have FCP 6.0.2 and up (you should be at 6.0.6 or 7.0.1) it’ll have the EX easy setups.

Create a new sequence and drop a source clip on it.
Accept the pop up box that asks if you want to match the source clip.
Look at the sequence settings and report what it says.

If it’s an EX setting than apparently you did something wrong.
If it’s not an EX setting than apparently there’s an issue with FCP.
Check you FCP version number.

The fix depends on what you find.

[Tom Alexander]

Everything you mention checks out OK, except, I did match my sequence to an EX setting. If, that’s wrong what setting should it be.

Thanks for your help on my first FCP/EX project.

[Craig Seeman]

[tom alexander] “Everything you mention checks out OK, except, I did match my sequence to an EX setting. If, that’s wrong what setting should it be. “

[tom alexander] “”AV sequence presets” set it to XDCAM HD 1080i50 CBR”

I’m confused. Please explain what you’re seeing. Your previous post shows that it did not match your XDCAM EX setting.

If it now matches the XDCAM EX (not HD) setting then that’s what it should have been in the first place. You need to examine your workflow then because FCP always gets it right in my own experience.

[Tom Alexander]

Now I’m getting somewhere with stutter on moving shots. This is my first FCP/EX project and workflow experience.

I did the rough shots only first edit in the wrong settings somehow, Then I hired a freelancer to finish it fast. When he made a new sequence, overall settings where never changed.
Everything played great, moving titles/effects, except the moving-shot stutter which I assumed would not be there on output. Project not rendered at this point. Then went to output a Full-size quicktime.
When it was done, FCP asked to save the modified file. Being unsure went no. Then went
to play time line in FCP and 75% of the project stop playing properly. Jerky, type, moves ect.

Panic. Creative cow. Next Day.

So, I corrected the Footage stutter by starting a new sequence and dropping in an EX file and
set it match it to that. Then I cut and paste the program into the properly set sequence. Now all
shots reverted to 4:5 ratio. Went through all the shots and modified with Conform to Sequence.
That fixed that. Now my problem is all the editors finishing work on V2,3,4,and 5, now stutters
and degrades the quality of the video it’s over, and I can’t “conform to sequence” images with moves or lose all his work.

Looking forward to help on next steps.

FYI:

General Sequence settings:1920 x 1080 HDTV 1080i (16:9)
Quicktime video settings, Compressor: XDCAM EX 1080i60 (35mbps)

[Tom Alexander]

Forgot to mention:

The original “editor finished” program had the incorrect sequence setting of:
1440×1080 HD 16:9 with quicktime compressor at HDV 1080i 60.

[Craig Seeman]

To put it bluntly you should have hired a professional with XDCAM EX and FCP experience to do this project.

The hours of trouble shooting is costing you big time. You’ve dug yourself into a hole that’s hard for us to help with. Apparently you don’t have the experience with the the codec or the NLE. It’s not going to be easy to train you online since there seems to be way too many mistakes you’re making that even a correct response may lead you into another hole since there are too many gaps in your knowledge.

Start with the correct sequence settings.
Read Sony’s Final Cut Pro workflow they provide as a free PDF download.
If you don’t know how to use FCP you should’ve professed that upfront.

Sorry to be so harsh but since you weren’t even sure how to save the changes the gaps in your knowledge are too big for me to tackle. Maybe another kindly COW person will pick up.

Maybe you’ll spend money on an experienced editor and/or some basic training.

[Tom Alexander]

Thanks for your feedback and you’re right. However, just from trial and error at this point, and
your help, I know more about this than ever before. Good news is my client loved the “content”
quicktime so I’ll just start over from the beginning.

[Craig Seeman]

Best to cut the project in a new timeline with proper settings and then save it.

[Tom Alexander]

Everything turned out great.

In the new timeline, the insert took about an hour to clean up timing issues caused by going from the wrong preset of HDV 25fps to 1080i 30fps. My editor is fantastic and fast. The mistakes where
all mine first when I transfered the EXfiles, then when he started, he questioned the stutter, and I told him that a window came up saying that footage would not play smooth on my powermac.

In the end, we exceeded client expectations, and I learned how to work in FCP for the first time
and love it.