[Tom Wolsky]

We’re ingesting, cutting on a laptop and delivering within a couple of hours. I have to test it in field conditions unfortunately, not in a lab. I have to test what the operator is going to work with and what he/she will have to use to produce acceptable results in the field.

That’s bad. That’s really, really bad to hear. How far out are the scopes in FCP? In what direction, or is it variable, which it most likely is, and the worst possible case.

It’s really bad when the editor works with the material, which does not look like the material the cameraperson believes they are producing, that the material to the editor looks like it’s one or two stops too dark.

The FCP scopes are also showing that everything coming from the camera seems to have a little set-up to it, maybe 2 or 3% above black, nothing like 7.5, but set up just a little.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

Thanks Gary. Though it’s very disappointing to hear of problems like this with QuickTime, which is the basis of so much of what we do.

I’m not happy with the new scopes in 5.1.2. The waveform monitor is just a smudge, and I have to keep switching back and forth between 16-line mode to make it readable. In some ways the new WFM is a step back. Why does it have to be so hard to read? It’s really bad on a laptop. Can’t a little more luma be cranked into the scopes themselves? God forbid you don’t can’t do this in a darkened room, there’s no way any thing could be seen.

I was comparing the FCP scopes with zebra in the camera, not zebra within FCP, which I presume is triggered in the same way. Though I have to say in earlier versions I’ve noticed discrepancies between the zebra display and the WFM and histogram.

I haven’t used the gamma controls, but it doesn’t surprise me that it would start it effect other material. What other material is it affecting? The application seems to be able to distinguish formats. For instance the gamma control in item properties is non-functional on video clips. Could it be affecting clips imported through P2 import? I’ll have to test it and see if I get changes when I change the user prefs and import P2 material.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

Your first paragraph is the way zebra should work and does not correspond to what you said in earlier messages, but never mind that.

I’m monitoring on the scopes inside FCP. That’s what I’m talking about. NOTHING external to FCP. You said earlier the scopes in FCP are unreliable. Once again what is the basis for this statement? How can there be scopes in a video application that do not correctly correspond to the values of the digital image? The scopes tell me the image is dark, and this corresponds to the the display in FCP, but it is the scopes in the application that I’m enquiring about and the its discrepancy to the behavior of the camera.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

The common measuring device is the unit of measurement for luminance. I don’t have to use the same ruler to measure a foot. All rulers are supposed to measure one foot the same. If FCP scopes are not considered trustworthy then what’s the frakin’ point of having them. On what basis do you say this?

You talk about IRE in one of your messages. IRE is an absolute unit of measure. The FCP IRE cannot be different from the Panasonic IRE. It’s like saying a meter is Paris is different from one in Tokyo. That would be absurd.

I’m not hooked up to an external device. I’m looking a the FCP scopes.

“your capture card”

What are you talking about?

There is no capture device. This is P2 media. It’s a data transfer, converted from P2 to QuickTIme by FCP. Talking about capturing is ridiculous. The “capture” device is either a G4 laptop cardbus slot, or the camera itself, which by the way is dog slow.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

“A camera will tell you when you’ve hit 70 ire, but it won’t tell you much you’ve gone over.”

I don’t know what that means. Do you mean the zebra only shows exactly 70 units (assuming you’ve set 70 for zebra), but doesn’t shows values beyond that as zebra? That would be crazy. Surely the camera does not work like that.

I don’t want to go into the workflow issue here, but we’re not happy with it for a number of reasons, primarily to do with archiving and workflow in the field with a small crew, limited time, and fast shooting on four cards.

So basically you’re not seeing the discrepancy I’m seeing.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

I tried the HDV Rack. It did not recognize the camera.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

Thank you, but I know the benefit of scopes. I’ve been using them for some time.

Are you are user of this camera?

Zebras are NOT supposed to be ballpark. There are a direct reflection of the luminance value generated by the camera processor.

We’re working in DVCPRO HD 720p30pn. We’ve looking at the viewscreen and Marshall HD monitor. We’re looking the material inside FCP, on the FCP screen using the FCP scopes.

I’m trying to find out where the inaccuracy might lie and if others are seeing similar inaccuracies.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

While we were shooting? No. It’s not really practical for the type of production we do.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

Everything you’d learn in FCE would serve you in FCP. The application’s operations are almost identical. You can do more in FCP, but nothing in FCE is different.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs

[Tom Wolsky]

Isolate the skin in the frame with the crop. Use the flesh line in the vectorscope to guide your CC controls. Drive the colors so the skin color is on the flesh line.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy” DVDs