Why is FCP7 Log/Transfer cropping video?

[John Pale]

In Quicktime Pro, open the movie, then select “Show Movie Properties” from the Window Menu.

In the Properties window, select the movie itself (not the video track, then go to the Presentation Pane.

Click “Conform aperture to:” select Production from the drop down menu.

See if that helps.

[Ted Coakley]

Hi John, thanks for your reply!

I have QT Player Version 10.1 (not QTPro), and I don’t see “Show Movie Properties” in the Window Menu or anywhere else, nor do I see “Conform aperture to:” anywhere.
Any other way to about it whatever “Conform aperture to:” is supposed to achieve?

Thanks,
Ted

[Shane Ross]

Holy Cow…you are right. Here are the samples I took:

Raw MXF in Quicktime:

And then imported via FCP, and opened in QT:

Look at the window frame on the upper right, and the edge of the sign on the left.

Never noticed this before.

Here’s the same clip AMA’d and transcoded in Avid…full image:

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[John Pale]

You need Quicktime Pro to do this. Not an option in QuickTime X’s player.

If you have access to FCP7, its on the install disk. You get QTPro for free with an FCP7 install. It installs the Quicktime Player for v7 in your Utilities folder (look there, you may have it and not know). Even though its quite old, it still works just fine in Mavericks.

[John Pale]

[Shane Ross] “Never noticed this before.
“

See my post below about the QuickTime Pro aperture setting. In my limited tests, it seems to work. Weird that Apple buries that setting and doesn’t offer it at all in Quicktime X.

[Ted Coakley]

Some “wow”s, “huh”s and Qs to reply to this:

a) YES, I DO have QT7 in my Utilities – thanks for pointing it out!

b) I have QTPlayer7, NOT QT7 PRO.

c) Despite being QTPlayer7, not Pro, I still can access the Movie Properties > Presentation > Conform: Production setting you mention. So, is getting QT7Pro necessary for some reason?

d) Why does QTPlayer7 have functionality that later generation QT10 Player does not (i.e Open Image Sequence (That I’ve been searching for and wondering where it went for last few weeks!) and Show Movie Properties)?! Anybody have any thoughts/advice on whether to use QTPlayer10 vs QTPlayer7, vs either version of Pro? Seems rather convoluted/nonsensical at this point (considering 7 has functionality 10 does not).

e) *** YES – setting Conform to Production returned the full frame image – In QTPlayer7, that is. I saved the file w/the Conform:Production setting, then opened again in various viewers (i.e. QTPlayer10, FCP7, Finder’s Quick Look), and it only shows the full frame in QTPlayer7.

f) SO, I guess FCP7 Log/Transfer did NOT crop the image, but rather leave a marker in the .MOV file it made to tell viewers (i.e. QTPlayer10, FCP7, Finder’s Quick Look) to NOT show the full image?

g) Is there a way to get FCP7 and other viewers/editors to utilize the whole image that actually is there in the .MOV file, just like your Conform:Production technique did?

h) I don’t have Mavericks, I have 10.7.5 on my 2011 MacBook Pro. Afraid to upgrade, as I loathe the dozens (scores? hundreds?) of hours of time/troubleshooting/backingup/restoring/verifying-files-exist that always follow reinstalling or OS upgrades. Stomach turns at the thought of it.

WOW, interesting/frustrating.

THANKS!

[Ted Coakley]

Is your post about QTPro aperture setting in this thread (I don’t remember it)?

***Check out John Pale’s post in this thread about Conform:Production (https://forums.creativecow.net/readpost/8/1182746). It doesn’t totally solve the problem, but shows that the .MOV file DOES contain the full frame image – it just ain’t showing it in various viewers/editors – and maybe would help lead people more savvy than me to a full-solution! Then, my post replying to his has relevant/pursuant thoughts/Qs.

[John Pale] “Weird that Apple buries that setting and doesn’t offer it at all in Quicktime X.”

I disagree with that. Frustrating and nonsensical, yes, but weird (if you mean unusual or uncommon) I’d say no way. If I had the time or emotional fortitude to address every frustrating and seemingly nonsensical/dumbshit thing Apple (or Microsoft or Adobe or Dell or pick-any-phone/cable/internet/telecom company, IRS, ETC ETC) did, it would be a full time job for me and a staff of 20 me’s. I swear, with all the obstructing or distracting issues I run into (like this weird cropping thing), I feel like a world-class sprinter who rarely has the time to train/compete because I’m always so busy weaving the fibers to repair breaking shoelaces and harvesting the rubber and fashioning it into better fitting soles for my shoes. I wonder if all other editors and computer users are equally frustrated, or just much better shoelace-fiber-weavers and shoe-sole-rubber-harvesters/fashioners than I am! :-ppp

[John Pale]

Sounds like introduced more questions than I answered.

Some points…

If you have FC Studio installed, QuickTime Player 7 should detect it and unlock Quicktime Pro. You can check to see if you have Pro enabled by seeing if “Export” is greyed out. If it is, Pro is not enabled. I think without Pro, you also don’t get to change anything in the Properties Pane. If you can, then maybe you do have Pro. Its been awhile since I have had to unlock Pro features on my system.

It appears that the image is not really cropped. The player you use for Quicktime crops it by default, but its non destructive.

https://support.apple.com/kb/ht4265

https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=106%26section=6%26tasks=true

Of course, no other Quicktime Players respect this setting….including Quicktime Player X. I believe it is possible to set this bit in a web embedded QT movie, but have not tried it. QuickTime Player X has much diminished functionality than QuickTime 7, so much so that Apple continued to recommend installing QT7 to all FCP users.

In short, its a limitation with Quicktime that Apple feels is a feature. If you can’t live with it, you are going to have to export to something other than a Quicktime movie.

[Ted Coakley]

[John Pale] ” You can check to see if you have Pro enabled by seeing if “Export” is greyed out. If it is, Pro is not enabled. I think without Pro, you also don’t get to change anything in the Properties Pane. If you can, then maybe you do have Pro”

Export is not greyed out, I can change things in the Properties Pane, and I DO see mention of “Pro” at File > About QuickTime Player 7 (there is a little “Pro” icon on the blue “Q” icon.). I also see “Pro” mentioned at File > Registration. Although it doesn’t say Pro in a normal obvious location for such mention (i.e. app’s name in Toolbar), I guess it is Pro.

[John Pale] “https://documentation.apple.com/en/finalcutpro/usermanual/index.html#chapte…”

a-ha! This article says, “Note: Final Cut Pro always displays video in the Production aperture display mode. The default setting for QuickTime movies exported from Final Cut Pro is also the Production aperture display mode.”
Strange that it sets Conform:Production (maintains the full-frame/image) view in FCP and in FCP exports, but the Capture Scratch’s .MOV files from Log/Transfer are Conform:Clean (NOT full-frame/image).

[John Pale] “The player you use for Quicktime crops it by default,”

There isn’t a player I use for QT. The player I use is QT.

[John Pale] “QuickTime Player X has much diminished functionality than QuickTime 7, so much so that Apple continued to recommend installing QT7 to all FCP users.”

B-b-but, why? Why would later version be so less functional than earlier version?

[John Pale] “Sounds like introduced more questions than I answered.”
Yep – sorry! Hopefully someone can answer the rest of the Qs.

THANKS!

[John Pale]

“a-ha! This article says, “Note: Final Cut Pro always displays video in the Production aperture display mode. The default setting for QuickTime movies exported from Final Cut Pro is also the Production aperture display mode.”
Strange that it sets Conform:Production (maintains the full-frame/image) view in FCP and in FCP exports, but the Capture Scratch’s .MOV files from Log/Transfer are Conform:Clean (NOT full-frame/image).”

How are you determining the aperture settings of movies in the Capture Scratch folder? Are you viewing in QuickTime Player 7 or in QuickTime Player X? QuickTime Player X always displays as Clean. It ignores the Production setting. Only QuickTime Player 7 will display it using the Production setting.

“There isn’t a player I use for QT. The player I use is QT.”

QuickTime is a part of the operating system. To view QuickTime movies, you are using a player. You can use QuickTime player 7 (pro), QuickTime Player X probably your system default, when you double click a movie.
There are also third party players.

“[John Pale] “QuickTime Player X has much diminished functionality than QuickTime 7, so much so that Apple continued to recommend installing QT7 to all FCP users.”

B-b-but, why? Why would later version be so less functional than earlier version?”

I think that’s a good question for Tim Cook. A very good question. I assume many asked the same question when FCPX was first released.