Jeff Meyer
Forum Replies Created
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Considering a MacPro (8-core) uses 144 watts just sitting idle it makes a lot of sense. ( https://www.anandtech.com/show/3969/apple-mac-pro-mid-2010-review/7 )
Remember, the 85 watt power supply is juicing up both a quad-core laptop, a 17 inch display, and any connected peripherals. Bus-powered firewire drive? It comes from that 85 watts. Charging your phone? Same story.
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The charger can offer 85 watts. If your laptop isn’t charging chances are it’s giving all the power it has for Compressor to run.
I see the same with my 17 in mbp. It’s about a month old w particularly when using a quick cluster. Try dimming the screen as far as possible if it needs to charge while compessing. -
If you are overlaying an Animation+ or ProRes4444 it is possible there is some transparency wthin the file. Perhaps this is what you are noticing.
Alternatively you could save a .motn file and put that on your timeline, which allows you to right-click from the timeline and pick “Open in editor,” make your changes in Motion and save, then return to Final Cut to see the updated version. -
What kind of media are you editing?
Do you plan on using Motion/Color a lot?
Do you have an existing drive for your media? The 1TB drive is great for a system drive, but you need your media on a separate drive. -
Right-click on the file on the timeline and pick Open in Editor.
Change your text in Motion (the project pane from the upper-left could make it easier by showing a layer stack, pick the text layers and use the Inspector tab).
Export from Motion.
Drop that Quicktime movie onto your timeline replacing the Motion template. If you end up with a black background you need to export from Motion using a codec with alpha such a ProRes4444 or Animation+. -
If you’re looking to get into a box that will grow with you as a Final Cut editor I would say get a 8 core and the ATi 5870. You can skimp on RAM for now with the intention of buying more as money allows, but if the real world says it’s unlikely for you to upgrade later I would say get at least 16gb.
For storage I suggest an external RAID enclosure. I’ve been happy with G-Speeds, but depending on the codecs you’re editing something else might be more appropriate. You could get an OS drive and a media drive to start with and expand to a RAID later, but the speed of your drive will make a substantial difference on render times.
For displays, it’s hard to beat the value of the Apple products. Since the MacPros lack the lightpeak port that Apple is still rolling out I don’t know if the usb ports, firewire port, camera, or speakers on the newly released display will work. I always forget the proprietary name Apple has given this port, lightpeak is the Intel term for it.
Looking to a possible future with Premiere there’s certainly benefit in getting a 12 core model – and that is an upgrade you can’t make later. Adobe’s CS5 is multi-core aware, unlike Final Cut Pro, and can take advantage of everything you can throw at it. In addition going with an nVidia video card might be a better option. There are specific cards that can make the Mercury engine sing. You’d have to check with the Premiere editors.
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Reconnect media
Pick a clip (or multiple clips)
Select Modify -> Conform to Sequence -
Go for either the native codec of the footage or uncompressed if you are going to concert to ProRes, or see about alternative delivery options.
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What’s the codec on the footage?
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I was just in the same spot looking at gear for work. We were looking in the same price range, and have the same concerns as far as media are concerned. After a few days of research I landed at 2 Canon XF300s, a Canon XF100, and a GoPro as a crash camera. 4:2:2 50Mbps recording is a major attraction to the Canon XF line, and with the price and reliability of CF cards it was difficult to agree to anything else.
The other cameras that had my attention were the Panasonic HMC-150, the JVC HM700 series, and the Sony 7ZU. Here were my list of strong points the Canon had over those models:
HMC150 – The Canon does not record AVCHD, and has double the bitrate. The Canon (300) also has a lot more lens than the HMC150
HPX170 – P2 cards are expensive, and the same lens as the HMC150. I’m quite familiar with it, and while it isn’t bad, it leaves quite a bit to be desired.
HPX370 – More than we were willing to pay, and more bulk than we want to travel with.
HM700 – Much like P2 cards add dramatically to the cost of Panasonic cameras, the batteries added to the cost of the HM700. Again, more bulk than we want to travel with. The ProRes422 files are hard to say no to however.
7ZU – When you add the SxS cards the cost goes up quite a bit.