Uncompressed intermediate file

[Jeff Carpenter]

Go to FILE > EXPORT > QUICKTIME and pick the “Current Settings” option.

It will export a copy that uses the same codec settings as the current video. Best to keep everything as close to the original as you can.

[Paul Godard]

That is what I used to do but then some people (Tom if I remember well) reacted on this forum telling that it was not a good idea and that it would be better to use an uncompressed intermediate file.

Here is my workflow :

P2 HVCPRO 720pN25 + 1080p25 + still images in 1080p25 timeline
export to QT with current settings (I use this file to project hidef movie)
put this file in compressor to create the mpg2 for DVDSP (best quality)
create the sd dvd in DVDSP

Tom suggested either to directly create the mpg2 file for DVDSP from FCP using export via compressor but that takes too long. So I am looking at creating an uncompressed intermediate file.

Paul Godard – Soul Photography

[Tom Brooks]

I second Jeff’s recommendation. As long as your project is set up to edit the majority (or perhaps the most important) of your source footage in its native codec, the best export is as Jeff describes. This method does not recompress your material.

Another method is often mentioned on the Cow in cases where the source footage is recorded in a very lossy codec like DV or HDV. The trick is to change the compressor in your sequence to a less lossy codec like Uncompressed 8-bit or ProRes 422 HQ and then export your Quicktime movie from the sequence. Do this at the end of the edit. Use that movie as your intermediate. The purpose of this is to apply less compression to titles, stills, imported animations, etc. I’m sure a search of posts will turn up references to this.

Here’s a quote from another forum as an example:
From Graeme Nattress:
Although many people recommend getting out of HDV as soon as you can, what is usually best for HDV is to edit nativly. Yes – this works fine, as Apple have done a superb job on the codec to make it work right. Then, right at the end of editing, you change the timeline to uncompressed, re-render, and output to your high end HD deck. Quality is maintained as best as possible throughout the whole process, and you don’t need a massive raid while editing, only at the end.

[Paul Godard]

OK I think I start to get your point Tom.

My problem here however is that I have shot in dvcpro hd 720pN25 and put into a timeline with the hdv 1080p settings. You know I wanted to do that because of the hires stills, and I wanted to work the whole movie at full hd 1920 x 1080.

If I look at the different settings that the presets offer, I do not find any dvcpro hd 1080 which offers a higher resolution at 25 fps (only dvcpro 1080p24 or 1080p30).

Can I simply change the QuickTime Video Settings / Compressor to dvcpro? But which one? DVCPRO – PAL or DVC50PRO or uncompressed or which one? But in FCP 5.1 there is definitely no DVCPRO 1080p25!

OK the video footage has been upscaled but I also want the best quality for all the stills as well as the text which represent 65 % of the movie.

Paul Godard – Soul Photography

[Tom Brooks]

I think I understand what you’re after here. But you’re in FCP 5.1 and you have no Kona or other hardware I/O device (Am I right?). So your uncompressed or lossless codec options are limited. In 6.0.2, I have DVCProHD 1080p25 by the way–although I would not be happy to use that as it is still too lossy.

Perhaps the Sheer Video codec would be a good way out of this mess for you. You need the advice of frequent poster Rafael Amador on this one. He makes a good case for that codec, which costs around $150 I think. It has no RT Extreme capability but could be great as an intermediate. You could change your sequence compressor to the 8-bit or 10-bit 4:2:2 HD version of the codec and then export as a QT movie from that sequence. Rafael?

https://www.bitjazz.com/en/products/sheervideo/

[Paul Godard]

Hi Tom

But you’re in FCP 5.1 and you have no Kona or other hardware I/O device (Am I right?). YES correct

1/ The way I have imported my clips from the P2 cards onto my hd is by using the P2 import feature in FCP 5.1 that creates QT files that are DVCPRO HD 720p50 (I don’t know why 50?). Is that first step correct?

2/ If now we totally forget the video (no video in my movie), and only concentrate on the still images with text over and some transition and I want to create the best quality true hd movie at 1920 x 1080 what would be a/ the ideal timeline settings, b/ the settings to export the best quality QT file to play the hd movie from the mac and c/ from the pc and finally d/ the best way to create the mpg2 files for DVDSP to create the best quality sd dvd?

3/ I definitely need to learn more about the basics, I mean the different hd format, the codecs and so… can you point out a good article or a tutorial available on the web?

I really appreciate your efforts to help me in this matter, as I need to understand first and improve my workflow. Thank you Tom!

Paul Godard – Soul Photography

[Tom Brooks]

[Paul Godard] “1/ The way I have imported my clips from the P2 cards onto my hd is by using the P2 import feature in FCP 5.1 that creates QT files that are DVCPRO HD 720p50 (I don’t know why 50?). Is that first step correct?”

That is correct Paul.

[Paul Godard] “2/ If now we totally forget the video (no video in my movie), and only concentrate on the still images with text over and some transition and I want to create the best quality true hd movie at 1920 x 1080 what would be a/ the ideal timeline settings, b/ the settings to export the best quality QT file to play the hd movie from the mac and c/ from the pc and finally d/ the best way to create the mpg2 files for DVDSP to create the best quality sd dvd?”

Look in your Easy Setups. What are the choices for 1080? Choose the best among those. If you buy a high quality codec like Sheer Video, you can create a setup for that codec, but that’s going a bit beyond the basics.

By the way, the choices for DVCProHD have changed over the past couple of years. Apple has updated Final Cut Pro so that it handles more of the shooting modes of the P2 cameras. If you could upgrade to the latest version of Final Cut, you would have more choices in DVCProHD and you’d have ProRes 422.

Uncompressed codecs usually come with hardware capture cards like the Kona product line. If you have no need to capture from or output to an HD or SD VTR via analog or SDI, you probably don’t need a capture card.

Good training sources are the Final Cut manual, the Apple Pro Training Series, and several of the DVDs on this site. Shane’s Getting Organized DVD is probably a great investment. I don’t have it (Sorry Shane!) but I hear good things about it and a basic understanding of project setup and organization are essential.

Email me what you see in your Easy Setups list if you want.
tom at image-stream dot com