[Ina Clausen]

Thankyou! I believe that answered my question.

Ina Clausen
Videojournalist (VJ)
LeadIT ApS
Denmark
FCP 7

[Ina Clausen]

Thanks Rafael
The reason I ask is that it is my understanding, that working directly with MP4 in FCP is preferable to log and transfer or importing through XDCAM transfer, because the quality is better. I have been working with XDCAM for a long time and have always used xdcam transfer, but then most of what I edit is for the web and it’s not all that important if image quality is superior. However this movie is high end corporate stuff for showing on big screens and we are also editing a series of commercials that are to be shown in the cinema. SO we need the best possible quality.

So I guess I could refrase my question to ask the advantages and disadvantages to using L&T or xdcam transfer as opposed to importing and editing mp4 using for instance Calibrated.

By the way I did get the calibrated software to work, so it seems I have managed to successfully import the clips bypassing the usual transfer tools.. Still answers to the above question about quality are very welcome.

Ina Clausen
Videojournalist (VJ)
LeadIT ApS
Denmark
FCP 7

[Ina Clausen]

Ups, sorry. We are using FCP 7 and I am using XDCAM Transfer to import the files to fcp.
So is there no need to use special software to edit this in the best possible quality? What is it that software such as Calibrated and Cinemon do then?

Ina Clausen
Videojournalist (VJ)
LeadIT ApS
Odense, Denmark

[Ina Clausen]

Yes it seems like it uses the color material for the clips but not for the transitions. But the problem is it shouldn’t be using them at all since the sequence I exported was from BEFORE I sent it to color. That is what I don’t understand. I hope I am making sense here..
And then the other mystery: Why does it only seem to use the color material when I export using original sequence settings but NOT when I use convertion?
As for rendering handles then it is very possible that I didn’t render the transitions properly in color. Where do I set the handles for renders? Thanks.

Ina Clausen
Videojournalist (VJ)
LeadIT ApS
Odense, Denmark

[Ina Clausen]

Thanks for the reassuring answers. I did consider posting in the color forum, but my question relates more to how FCP manages the color material. At least it does now.
My problem is this.

Final Cut studio 7
Sequence settings
29.97 frms
1920×1080 square pxls
JPEG photo codec

When I send to color, corrected and send it all back I tried exporting the – old non-colored – project as a quicktime movie with the original sequence settings.
In the exported film it seems the changes I made in color apply to the clips but NOT my transitions – even though the exported project was from a timeline created prior to exporting to color.
In the beginning of the 1 minute coorporate film there are some weather shots with ordinary cross dissolve transitions between them. So I would see the first weather shot in the corrected version and as soon as the transition started the clip would go back to the non-corrected media. At the end of the transition the new clip would change from original media to the corrected media. I just dont get how this can happen when this is the original timeline – the one from before I even send it to color.

I then tried exporting the film using quicktime conversion, H264 codec, 1920×1080 pxls, 25 frms (Project is to be delivered in 25 frms) and this film was OK – no problems.

Im confused as to what is going on and why I cant export the movie with the original settings?

Thanks for the answers so far.

Ina Clausen
Videojournalist (VJ)
LeadIT ApS
Odense, Denmark

[Ina Clausen]

We tried both Mpeg Streamclip, Sorenson Squeeze and Compressor, but I suspect the file may have been corrupt somehow.
I’m a video journalist and still quite new to Final Cut Studio as we used Sony Vegas before. We occationally call in a freelance editor to help with projects that require special attention – like more advanced graphics or commercials – and he helped get things running.
I was not actually on that project but was helping a new employee who just quit so now it’s all mine to deal with. Unfortunately it does seem the JPEG codec is causing problems. I need to pretty much re-edit the whole thing and it proves difficult to watch effects of any kind without rendering.
Will I need to convert everything in order to be able to work with this smoothly?

Right now preferences are 1920×1080, 29,97 frames, Photo-JPEG codec and we are working in FCP 6.06
Kind Regards Ina

Ina Clausen
Videojournalist (VJ)
LeadIT ApS
Odense, Denmark

[Ina Clausen]

Thank you to both of you. Both posts were helpful. We ended up hiring an editor to come help solve the problem and he did explain some of these things to me. For now the problem seems to be solved. First we tried to convert the h.264 using a different codec, but it wouldn’t work in any converter, so we had to request an uncompressed version of the h.264 file and then we converted that to have the same codec and framerate as the other files. For now that seems to have solved the problem. If the JPEG codec causes problems at least I will know where to start to solve it.
Thanks for trying to explain this to me in detail. I am sure that knowledge will come in handy in the future.
Can you suggest a good site to help me get a solid fundamental understanding of how these things work?
Thanks again.
Ina