[Steve Teak]

Hi, its not hard to do u just need to know the right settings and progs to use.

Here’s my workflow. apart from I always shoot 720p 25/50

1. convert footage to QT using P2 log pro ( u will need to buy this or I think there is a cheaper convertor out there I tested but cant remember the name) i assume u have the card backups on a HD somewhere, you need to have all the information of the card capture/copy intact as it was copied to read the mxfs properly.

2. In FCP in your project choose settings for the sequence.. this should be the 1080i HD frame size choosen, pixel aspect choose HD 1080 or square.. I dont use 1080 so might not be the best person person to ask.
Fields see what u shoot- upper if pal?
Compressor DVCPRO HD 1080i – make sure you have the latest updates to FCP

3. Now import the folder with your converted Qts in. .. and if all good you should be able to play clips without needing to render the time line.

Its not difficult but might take a bit to understand everything thats happening and how it affects playbaxk etc and playing with settings.

4. So then edit in HD, and for the final output to SD use comperssor if you need it to mpeg2/dvd or use export with QT function if you need a mov etc.

[Steve Teak]

Hi,

I have figured it out, so for anyone else who is experiencing problems with FCP not reading/displaying the correct version of a font here it is.

Gill Sans is a good example, – in font book and most other apps shows all available versions.

All versions are a slightly or wildly different design for this font. Bold is similar to plain but not just a bold version, yes its bold but its also redesigned not just letter thickness increased.
Light is completly difernt from plain, its really beautiful and modern and italic versions are completley differnt too.

The trouble is FCP text tool actually appears to add thickness itsself for bold and for italic it angles the font… and this is verydiffernt from gill sans using a unique variation of the font for these variations.

So I have 6 versions in font book of gill sans.

Bold, Bold italic, italic, light, light italic and regular. Each of these is actually a difffernt font design so this is where FCP doesnt work, with a simple one design font it does.

So here is the workaround…

Say you want to use only light, disable all the other options of font in font book and force FCP to be able to only see one version of the font, now you will have access to that one everytime instead of what ever one it references first and you can add weight to it or angle using the bold or italic controls. – but remember these are not the true italic or bold versions displayed. If you require these for a job, then enable just that in font book so us can use it as a true version.

Now I see a problem when I need to use say plain and bold in one screeen at a time. I think copying the font and importing it in again as a duplicate but rename to say bold and disable all other variations in it so u force FCP to read bold, and then repeat this for every version if needed….

So its not perfect (and could confuse other apps.. time will tell) but at least i’ve figured out how to get the version of the font I really want in FCP.

Cheers
Hope this help any others.. as was driving me nuts yesterday!

steve

[Steve Teak]

More Thoughts on this.

I think it might have something to do with, the font having a ‘Light’ version and FCP is getting mixed up. Strange thing is that the regular was looking like the light version of gill sans and bold was a thicker version. This doesnt actually exist. Light is a slightly differnt version(much nicer) than regualr and bold gill sans.

Comparing gill sans the dot on the i is a giveaway, light has a square dot and regular and bold have circular dots….

On can anyone tell me different and could be a corrupted font, FCP not having enough selection abilities to properlly fonts with 5 differnt versions?

Cheers
Steve

[Steve Teak]

Wow, actually real balls! We’re so used to cg these days that I overlooked this possibly being real- I did watch it on telly the other week and marvelled at the cg and compositing especially the shadows and ones in shade – Was that just me?!!

[Steve Teak]

Cheers Tom,

That is exactly how I was trying to do it, but selecting ease in/out on start and end keyframes (of only 2) Produced bezier curve handles that resembled a rollercoaster, also did the movement! And I checked to see if I had left hidden keyframes in and started with new image etc. Weird. Will try it again later.
Also I have searched a lot of archives here and there seems to be a few with similar control problems. And it seems suck a simple move to do, but also very common in my type of work.
I’m a combustion and premier user so I know it’s not just me!
Is FCP not the right program to use for making promo DVDs made up from moving layers of stills and layer/text/graphics comps?
Should I just stick to a compositing program like combustion?
Cheers
Stevo

[Steve Teak]

Hi above post was meant for the FCP Calf forum as it’s pretty basic operating question. But if willing to give advice go-ahead!

Cheers
Steve

[Steve Teak]

I understood the GOP structure was determined by the camera recording information to tape initially and not the capture of it.
Did you end up with your capture as a mpeg2?
HDV footage I captured (on a pc) was viewable with Windows media player on pc and quicktime 6 on mac, with mpeg2 component. But to edit it was a pain had to export to a mov. first. Can be done with FFmeg streamclip.
Also I found that the mpeg2 clips were stuttery in some slightly older pcs using WMP, just a disk streaming and processing thing. So a standard office pc would have trouble playing them.

Steve