[Rob Grauert]

Nice. Great explanation, David

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

I think I’ve had that problem before too.

When you speed up or slow down a clip, the clip becomes longer or shorter (obviously). Consequently it causes other clips afterward on the timeline to move too, which is actually annoying I think. If for some reason FCP doesn’t want to move the other clips, try moving the clip you want to change the speed of to the end of the timeline and make the speed change there. Then move it back to it’s original location on the timeline. It’s annoying, but it’s worked for me and maybe it will for you too.

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

Is the image already 1440X960 before it’s brought into photoshop to correct the pixel aspect ratio? If it is, there’s no need to open a preset photoshop document. Just open the image in photoshop then go to Image>Pixel Aspect Ratio> (choose the correct option)

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

This is all my guess:

Even though you converted the video clip to match the compressor and frame rate of the timeline, the bar may still be green if you haven’t changed the resolution, as you mentioned. So FCP has to scale down your clip in real time to match the 720X480 resolution.

When the bar is red, it means FCP can’t make the changes to the clip to make it match timeline settings in real time. For example, if the compressor settings don’t match, FCP has to compress the clip to match the timeline. FCP can’t do this in real time to allow you to view in real time, so you have to render.

If it’s green, it means FCP can handle some of the rendering for real time viewing, but not for optimal viewing.

All the rendering has to do with the CPU. So basically, my guess (like i said), is that when it’s red, your asking too much from the CPU. When it’s green, like the resolution situation, the CPU can kinda handle it. I would imagine scale isn’t nearly as taxing as compressing.

Does that make sense? but like i said, this is my guess…an educated guess.

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

Dave,

To answer your question, the images will not be moving. They will be static and we will add 3D text in Illustrator to make it look like the text is in the “scene.” The images will simply cut from one to another. The reason we will use Illustrator for the text is because the 3D extrude tool works quite nicely and will work better than trying to fake 3D text in Motion or After Effects. The text will not be moving, so it shouldn’t cause any problems when creating the illusion of 3D.

One question for you though: I think I will take up your idea of starting with 1280X720 and then down-converting, but why do the NTSC version first? Will it make a difference if I do the PAL version first. We happen to need the PAL version for the client first.

Thanks for the help.

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

oh ok. I understand.

Thanks.

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

try taking the photos into photoshop and exporting them to a smaller resolution. I’ve read that FCP doesn’t like really big images.

Also, in photoshop you’ll need to convert all pictures to the proper pixel aspect ratio.

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

“I was going to ask if OWC made sold good upgrades. I guess you’re happy with the RAM since you’re suggesting it? Have you tried their RAIDs?”

I am happy with their RAM. I just bought more and upgraded my computer to 13GB. You won’t need that much RAM if you aren’t working in Motion or After Effects though. 4GB will be fine if you are working mostly in FCP and doing some audio editing in Soundtrack Pro.

As for their RAIDs, I have no experience and don’t know much about them. I don’t use a RAID since I don’t need one. I’m still working in SD with DV or DVCPro50. Even in some HD codecs like XDCam HD and DVCPro HD, eSata drives should be fine.

“Yeah, don’t need a 30″ but do need HD, so I guess I’m going to have to look elsewhere…someone suggested the Dell 2408WFP. Would anyone recommend that one?”

I’ve read that Dell monitors don’t generate accurate contrast/luminance levels. It shouldn’t be a problem is you set up an external video monitor and set the color bars and use that as the final reference to see what your video image truly looks like.

“I plan on getting a final cut keyboard, so is this overkill, I know it served a specific function, but people got along fine without it. Is it a big workflow timesaver? ”

I just use the regular keyboard that came with my Mac. I think the more you use FCP, the more you will remember the keyboard shortcuts. So in my opinion, it’s not really a necessity. Doesn’t really save you any time.

I don’t think the Shuttle Pro you mentioned is a necessity either. If you want to scrub through your footage quickly, just press “J” or “L” or use the mouse.

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

I get my RAM from http://www.otherworldcomputing.com. Everything else you should be able to find at http://www.bhphotovideo.com. I dunno know if you’ll find a 23″ monitor though. I’ve been looking for another too. It annoys me that Apple discontinued it.

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.

[Rob Grauert]

If you are using the latest version of Final Cut, when you first drop a clip into your timeline, if the clip’s settings do not match the sequence’s settings, FCP will ask you if you want it to automatically change the sequence’s settings to match the clip you are trying to drop into the timeline. You should do this, however, once your sequence settings are established, you can not change them again. So if you try to drop footage with a different format into your timeline, it will need to be rendered to view in real time, but I don’t think the render will cause the clip to then match the timeline settings. Does that make sense?

Walter Biscardi does a good job explaining this in a tutorial:

https://library.creativecow.net/articles/biscardi_walter/realtime_sequences/video-tutorial.php

Robert J. Grauert, Jr.