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XH-A1S, MRC1K, and Final Cut Pro Workflow Question.
So I just got a new Macbook with Final Cut Pro on it. I had been editing on a PC with CS5 using the Cineform Codec, but now I am wanting to learn the FCP workflow with prores since I have heard good things about it. Here’s the thing,.. neither FCP or compressor will accept my M2T files that I import from my MRC1K that I use when shooting with my XH-A1S. However, MPEG Streamclip will. So what I am doing now is converting my M2T files to ProRes 422 and then importing the into FCP.
Is this a good way to get my workflow started, or is there any better suggestions? Also, is the 24F from the XH-A1s coming in as progressive footage when I do this?
Bonus Question (if anyone has any input) I sometimes shoot with the 7D also, which imports in FCP beautifully. Any suggestions combining the 1920×1080 DSLR footage with the 1440×1080 HDV footage?
Sorry for so many questions. Any input would be appreciated.
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3 Replies
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[Brad Ballew] “Bonus Question (if anyone has any input) I sometimes shoot with the 7D also, which imports in FCP beautifully. Any suggestions combining the 1920×1080 DSLR footage with the 1440×1080 HDV footage?”
As long as your frame rates are the same for the DSLR footage and the HDV footage (ex. 23.98), you can just edit in a ProRes 422 1920×1080 23.98 and Final Cut will scale the HDV accordingly. You’re probably better off just upresing all the HDV to 1920×1080 ProRes to match your DSLR footage on your transcode and then you can edit natively in Final Cut without having to render as much. Just make sure you transcode your DSLR footage to something “Final Cut edit friendly” like ProRes 422, too.
tony
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Tony is spot on.
If you’re looking to simplify the process, you can attempt to do a Final Cut batch convert/conform to process all of your footage into the ProRes422 codec, or use Compressor.
Another option (which many people don’t have access to) is to bring in your HDV footage from a deck through HD-SDI (not Firewire) and then you can digitize directly into your codec of choice.
Generally speaking, when ALL of your material is the same codec/frame rate/frame size/audio setup then your editing process is MUCH smoother. Can it be done other ways? Yes. Is it a headache while editing? For something longer than a few minutes, yes.
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I guess my next question is if neither Final Cut or compressor is willing to recognize my hdv files from my MRC1K,.. is using MPEG streamclip to convert them to PRO Res 422 an ok workflow? Or should I try to shoot to tape and capture via FCP? I though I saw someone say once that you don’t get as good of quality from your conversions when using mpeg streamclip.. However, if I want to shoot to solid state with my XHa1s then it is my only option.. I really like shooting to solid state, but if I can get better quality using tape and having FCP do my conversion then I will..
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