Mark Maness
Forum Replies Created
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BINGO!
Arnie hit it on the nose! That’s why when your doing projects with multiple media that you really really need to down-convert your footage to match the rest for the edit.
Hardware conversion is a thousand times better than software conversion. This is an area that most people overlook when purchasing hardware, and what you are seeing here is usually the result of that decision making process.
This is why I have always said that cutting corners sometimes can bite you in the butt!
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
Well, Anthony…
The ONLY ways you can reduce render times is to have the fastest computer on the market with the fastest graphics card you can buy and lots of memory. The only thing a capture card will give you is the ability to capture your footage into ANY codec so that you can edit more efficiently.
You say that 90% of your work is composite work, what kind of composite work are you talking about? Do you create images or are you doing video composite work, if so what programs are you using and how are you outputting this composite work?
I ask this because using XDCAM HD with composite work is fine BUT you will have render times. As with ANY composite work, you’ll have render times. The ONLY way you can reduce the amount of times is to have ALL of you footage in the same codec, at the same sizes, and at the same frame rate.
So I would suggest that you get a capture card, capture all of your XDCAM footage ProRes422 720p59.94 and edit that way. Or if you need you can capture 720p23.98.
How are you compressing your H.264 output?
I ask because it sounds like you could use that Matrox MXO2 Max box for this. Its a capture/output box with H.264 hardware encoding for workflows such as yours. It would be a perfect addition to your workflow.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
Go in the User Preferences and uncheck the size to project checkbox. Now, every time you import an image it will retain its original size.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
[Robert Pettigrew] “Frame Rate of captured video is awful, there are jumps, black spots etc. This is not just in preview or canvas/slug playback, but in the playback of the digitalized Video file in Quicktime.
There are problems with Timecode as well. “
Hmmm…. I see several thing here that may be your problem.
First, it sounds like you may have a clogged head on you camera. Or the camera is not setup properly.
Secondly, and I don’t know why Sony does this, but did you setup the timecode properly before you shot your video. I say this because Sony’s default for timecode is Auto. This was a stupid feature to put on a prosumer camcorder. It needs to be set to DF or NDF, not Auto.
On top of all this, DV or SD video doesn’t do anamorphic video real well at all. Its much better to shoot in HD and down-convert on the fly to DV if need. By the way, the video will look ten times better if you do.
You’ll have to select an anamorphic PAL DV capture settings to capture this without issues, and then, you’ll still battle with it a little on the edit.
Can you describe exactly how your video looks? Is it full screen and stretched? If so, you’ll have to set each clip in your Browser to anamorphic.
I hope this helps…
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
This was the point I was trying to make, Rafael.
But it seems that Anthony does not have a capture/output card on his system.
I’m still confused by looking at his workflow. The easiest thing for him would be to import the media, edit in XDCAM HD and output to XDCAM HD disc or whatever they need AFTER the edit.
Some folks here try to over-complicate the process and it ends up confusing everyone when problems arise. Don’t make this harder than it has to be. Before starting ANY project, you have to ask yourself a series of questions.
What is the format of the tapes or discs that I will be capturing (importing)? How long will this project need to be? How much drive space will I need? Will I need graphics and how complex do they need to be? Should I edit in the captured codec or edit in another codec? What’s the timeframe for completion on this project?
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
Bud… That’s a graphics card, not an output card. A graphics will only help FX enabled filters. I’m talking about something like an AJA Kona, Blackmagic Decklink or the Matrox MXO2 cards.
You haven’t answered my question.
How are you monitoring your output (you know, what you see in the canvas window)?
There’s no way you can properly monitor your sequences using your computer monitor only, especially if your color correcting.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
Well… First of all, how do you monitor your work without some sort of capture/output card? Without one of these, how do you color correct?
XDCAM HD is a wonderful acquistion format but not a good editing format within FCP. Personally speaking, we choose to capture (or recapture) all of our footage into DVCProHD 1080i60. But that’s our workflow. You may wish to capture into ProRes422. That’s fine, too, but we find ProRes422 to be too slow for our needs.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
Ok…. I don’t see that you have a problem, then. There’s nothing wrong with how the video was shot. Its still 59.94 (or 29.97). It doesn’t matter, but it DOES give you the option to edit 23.98.
Just edit using 720p23.98 and hopefully your capture card will add the pulldown for you for monitoring. You don’t need to convert anything, just edit away.
23.98 is really 59.94 with pulldown. This is done so you can edit and monitor your output. You cannot see a true 24p signal on a monitor. This is because of the electrical standards that we have before us. The US being 60hz and Europe being 50hz. Neither of these translate into true 24p without having stuttering issues. Thus, 23.98. This is close enough for 24p but with pulldown added to view on standard monitors. I could get in real depth, but all you need to know is that true 24p s for film only and 23.98 is for everything else. OK?
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
What will your final output be? Film or TV?
I say this because TV cannot handle “true” 24p. It can handle 23.97 with pulldown but not “true” 24p. “True” 24p is strictly for film out. It looks like your video already has pulldown added so you’re fine for TV.
Now, I have a question. Why 24p? Why not 30p? 24p will not give you any better picture on TV than shooting in 30p. As a mater of fact, 24p will give you stutters and 30p will not. I’m sure you know this, but I felt like I had to rehash this for those that do not.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com -
John…
The easiest thing to do here is to use Compressor to re-compress the footage into something that is useful to FCP. Once you do this, everything should be fine. Just remember that FCP will only formally recognize the common formats, not the odd ones, like Fraps.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions
https://web.mac.com/schazamproductions
schazamproductions@mac.com