[Ryan Holmes]

[Devinda Fernando] ” I need to first convert it to Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) before importing it to Adobe Premiere, then export to FCP XML, then send to Apple Color, then Back to FCP, and export again as Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) and then re-import back to Adobe Premiere?”

It’s best to do your conversion when you ingest your footage. You can use something Prelude to bring all your footage in and do your transcode on ingest.

By the way, you’re not gaining resolution or quality by converting to ProRes. What you are doing is allowing FCP/Color to work correctly as they are centered around a ProRes workflow. h.264 files tend to cause errors in legacy FCP.

It’s also not much use to use ProRes (HQ) if you’re shooting on a DSLR. Like I said, you’re not gaining quality by converting to ProRes. You are gaining a mezzanine codec that works buttery smooth in FCP/Color and holds up very well to multiple re-encodes. When shooting DSLR footage I don’t go to anything higher than standard ProRes, and typically I’ll transcode to ProRes (LT). But if you just like using hard drive space, you’re welcome to use ProRes (HQ)! 🙂 But it really isn’t gaining you anything other than larger files. The clip cannot exceed the quality at which it was shot at…so transcode accordingly.

So you’re workflow would look like:
Prelude (convert to ProRes) –> Premiere for edit –> XML to FCP –> FCP to Color –> Export ProRes from Color –> Color to FCP –> FCP to Premiere

You may also consider switching to DaVinci Resolve as a more powerful color correcting option. Blackmagic makes it and offers a “Lite” version which handles about 95% of all color needs. The “Lite” version is free. This integrates very smoothly with Premiere. So with Resolve you’re workflow would look like this:

Prelude –> Premiere for edit –> XML to Resolve –> Export ProRes from Resolve –> Resolve to Premiere

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

DSLR’s = use second source audio. The in-camera audio on DSLR’s should really only be used as scratch audio, in my opinion.

Your question about adjusting headphone volume is answered in the Canon manual, page 235.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

Why not just take the master ProRes file from FCP7 and bring that directly into AME. AME can do frame rate conversion and interlacing. Sounds like you went through a lot of programs so any one of them could’ve introduced the problem.

Take your finished file from FCP7 and go straight into AME. Then list out all your settings on here so this forum can help you and see if something is listed incorrectly.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

[Bill Ravens] “BMD can’t even agree to feed an RGB signal instead of YUV, unless one pays for HDLink. So, I rather doubt they can negotiate ProRes with Apple.”

^^ This! So true…

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

[Chris Tomberlin] “Well that’s the problem isn’t it? There IS NO officially supported ProRes codec (for writing) on the Windows platform.”

Completely agree. But as you say this is an Apple problem, not a BMD/Avid/Adobe problem. If a company supplies one of these “work-arounds” as a certified solution for Windows users they’d be on the line for if/when that codec fails to meet QC standards (as has been a problem with previous reverse-engineered ProRes attempts). It’s a bag of hurt to be sure.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

[Bill Ravens] “OT! The Mirizon codec overwrites the authentic Apple ProRes codec when it installs. Certain features, not available in the Mirizon version, become disabled. Not a good suggestion.”

[Juan Salvo] “Miraizon is reverse engineered prores (ffmpeg) as such not actually fully qualified prores. Official licensing from Apple requires permission from Apple and as such isn’t at BMDs discretion.”

I believe the CineMartin ProRes codec falls into the same problem listed by Bill and Juan. It’s a buyer-beware situation since they are not officially supported codecs from Apple on the Windows platform.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

Well it really depends on your needs. DSLR have pros/cons just like a camcorder.

For instance, the T1i you reference can only shoot 1080p at 20fps. It can do 720p at 30fps. Add to that the fact that the T1i is a nearly 6 year old camera. The sensor technology has changed dramatically since 2008/2009. Also remember that DSLR’s have a 12 minute recording maximum on them. To get around this you have to start/stop the camera around that time. So if you plan on recording a 20-minute talking head, I’d steer clear of DSLR’s.

With DSLR’s the lens on the front of it makes a big, big, BIG difference. You can easily spend far more for lenses than the body of the camera. Keep this in mind as it can also impact your final product. Also, audio on DSLR’s is an awful, awful experience (look up Audio Gain Control for DSLR’s and you’ll get the idea). These cameras are meant as “still” cameras first; movie capabilities were, and to some extent, still are an afterthought.

I’m not saying don’t buy a DSLR, but do your homework. Know your product, your delivery method, your shooting times, and your post-produciton pipeline. You may be better served by a “less-sexy” camcorder than by an old DSLR.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

I’m running 10.9.2 on several previous-gen Mac Pro CUDA based workstations and don’t have any problems. I’ve heard 10.9.3 is a bag-of-hurt and so I’m staying away….

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

I’m running 10.9.2 here on several workstations (Mac Pros) and don’t have problems with any of the apps you’ve listed (no experience with SonicFire though).

You’re mileage may vary….

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost

[Ryan Holmes]

What are your settings in AME? Data rate, resolution, key frame distance, etc.

What type of footage is it – sports, concert, talking head, etc.? Sometimes you need to treat different types of footage differently in the encoder by changing settings. For example, sports can be very demanding changing radically from scene to scene. A talking head though, is pretty static frame to frame and doesn’t necessarily demand as high data rate or as short a key frame distance.

Ryan Holmes
http://www.ryanholmes.me
@CutColorPost