[Michael Gissing]

Two thoughts. Firstly don’t nest. Copy & paste the elements to the new sequence. The comments about text scaling in a nest may be an issue. Frankly I avoid nesting and there is no need for your application to nest. A non nested sequence should handle the text properly.

Secondly if you were viewing text on a progressive HD sequence (you didn’t say what the XDCam was), then the SD sequence, which is interlaced, will show the text badly on your computer screen. You can only judge interlaced text on an external monitor. Even if this isn’t the case, after looking at HD for weeks, SD looks shabby. Try generating a new text element and compare it to the ones from your original sequence. I bet they look the same. If not, then we would like to know.

I have been disappointed with FCP downscaling so now, I use my HDW 1800 HDCam to do it in realtime. Yes the graphics take a slight hit, but overall the pictures are better. I believe the Kona3 realtime downconvert is also excellent and of course a Terranex would be better.

[Michael Gissing]

It also makes sense to be using the latest FCP vers 6.0.4 . I would never let my QT versions get ahead of my FCP version.

That said it may not help. Like Shane I have not changed to 7.5.5 because it adds nothing to FCP and until I hear otherwise, is likely to break things.

[Michael Gissing]

Without info on your sequence settings and what you are trying to output to and with, etc it is hard to know, but I have seen that happen when the sequence settings don’t have an output codec.

I would suggest re checking your easy setup and if necessary, checking the output codecs in the sequence settings.

[Michael Gissing]

One option is to capture as native HDV via firewire and in your sequence settings, change the render option to ProRes so your final before ouptut is ProRes. I have done many projects with this workflow on a humble G5 and external firewire800 drives so it is not difficult or overly hardware demanding.

Others (you will find heaps with a search of this forum) prefer to go straight to ProRes and avoid editing mpeg.

[Michael Gissing]

Cheapest deck is the Sony J3 which is play only and both 525 and 625. it has SDI out into the Decklink with embedded audio. They don’t spool and cue as nicely as the bigger decks but that isn’t a biggie when capturing.

You didn’t say which Decklink card but as most have SDI, avoid analog I/O. I also presume it has RS422 deck control.

[Michael Gissing]

A lot of capture codecs use anamorphic. In my opinion, the biggest factor is not raster size but lens resolution. I have seen soggy HDCam and brilliant HDV.

Presuming a codec like HDV has poor resolution is silly. Three of the four docos nominated for best cinematography at this years AFI (Australian Film Institute awards) are HDV or XDCam. I am betting the one shot on HDV (and graded by me) will win because it is pin sharp, well lit & shot (Sony V1U). The next best looking was shot XDCam (35M/bs). Ironically the Panasonic one looks poorest, but again I suspect lens & filters to be the factor.

[Michael Gissing]

[Ben Holmes] “This is what soundmen are for (and it’s the only thing they’re for, apart from moaning).”

Yes, us ex location soundmen have heard it all before. We are quite interchangeable with drummer jokes too.

The bottom line is that sound is always 60% or more of a final production. It rarely gets above 5% of the budget, so it is the best value for money on any production. How about taking half the grade or graphics budget and seeing what you can do with good sound.

If I said you were only there to randomly push the insert button, would that be a fair description of and editor?

Didn’t think so.

[Michael Gissing]

I have had success with the Lyric sharpen filters. I found it much better than the FCP sharpen.

https://www.lyric.com/fcp-plugins/index.htm#effects

[Michael Gissing]

Sounds like a lot of mucking around with codec conversions for a simple workflow.

If I read you right you have DV footage @ 29.97 and you want to add in AE graphics and render in a nice codec for final. Here’s my basic workflow for that. Copy the DV sequence and drop into a 10 bit 29.97 uncompressed sequence. In AE output your graphics as Animation codec if you need the alpha channel or bog standard 10 bit uncompressed. Same frame rate as program if you want smooth graphics.

Drop AE material into FCP timeline, render and playout to tape. I do this all the time (in PAL so there might be an issue with 480 versus 486 pixels). I don’t see the need to use ProRes in SD as you are only using uncompressed for your final render and it runs on firewire 800.

[Michael Gissing]

There is more than one standard. NTSC broadcast expects -20dbfs and European (EBU) standard is -18dbfs. -12dbfs is a standard of sorts but the least likely so it is annoying that FCP defaults. There is nothing stopping you having a default project with your bars and tone pre set.

Each time you start a new edit, open your default and start. Even if it is a different codec, FCP will change the setting to match your captured footage, but your bars and tone, head board and countdown will be ready to go.