5DmII + FCE = Enough to make n00bs cry

schmoo

So I've been told that in order to be able to process 5DmII movie files through Final Cut I'm going to need to convert them from their current format to Apple ProRes. To do that, use MPEG Streamclip.

OK. But for some reason I don't see that format in the list of options:



What am I missing? A Google search for "mpeg streamclip final cut 5d" gave me a few answers that simultaneously made this conversion look like a snap and said that it wasn't even necessary.

I started playing around with FCE yesterday and was able to get clips into it, unconverted, fresh 5DmII .MOV files. I hade to re-render the clips any time I made a change, which is annoying, but maybe that's just the way it goes. Maybe I don't even need to bother with conversion? What kinds of problems would I be encountering if the format was truly incompatible?

When I first fired it up, I was prompted with this window which should have been my first red flag because I was totally confused. (So confused, in fact, I took a screen grab yanno just in case) But I've been poking around Apple's site and apparently one of the top features of FCE 4 is that it's an "open format timeline." I think this means I should be able to import clips from most formats without a problem.

Could someone here explain in really basic terms if things are totally OK, totally wrong, or if I should just give up and learn to knit instead.

tijoseph

For the conversion to pro-res I use apple's compressor. Whenever doing a large video, movie, whatever I do this.

You can easily batch everything and just let it go.

P.S. Final cut pro imports my 5d mark 2 files without conversion. If I am doing a small video, I just import and whammo! Video is finished.

tijoseph

P.S.

Rendering is part of the game. no matter what file type you use, you have to render when adding effects, transitions, or just about anything.

Get used to it!

I would recommend online tutorials. I use and have used Lynda.com for just about everything. I subscribe monthly and refer to it often for just about any software or program.

schmoo

Thanks for the tips! Yeah I got a rec for Lynda so that's great to hear that it's good for not just FC but other programs. Since I'm wading ever-deeper into the tech pool on a daily basis, maybe I should see what else they offer. I'm headed there now!

I find it a bit disappointing that you do have to render even making at small adjustment to a clip? It seems really disruptive to the flow (compared to how I was working in iMovie), but eh, I'll give it two weeks to get used to it.

I'm hoping to learn how to use FC before I am able to shoot a project in October, and it sounds like I'm gonna need every second of that time.

DavidTO

Schmoo has FCE, not FCP, so Compressor is not an option.

FCE or P do not edit 5DMKII files natively. You have to render everything, which, as Schmoo points out, is a PITA.

You can watch the files, cut them in a timeline, but every time it hits an edit it will stall. At least on my system it does, and I'm sure that's the same issue Schmoo is having. Yes, some effects require rendering no matter what, but simple editing and basic transitions should not.

Schmoo, I'm not sure why it's not showing up for you, I'll see what I can find out.

DavidTO

I'm not sure, but the ProRes codec may only be installed if you have installed FCP. I don't know for sure, though. We'd have to do some more research and also see which would be a good alternative codec for you.

DavidTO

Yup. I found this.

DavidTO

Sounds like Apple Intermediate Codec is the one you should use.

DavidTO

DavidTO wrote:

Sounds like Apple Intermediate Codec is the one you should use.

I guess I lied. DV is supposed to have better quality. I work in FCP every day (even this weekend, working OT!!), but I never have to deal with codecs all that much since our workflow is pretty restricted to DV.

Anyway, don't worry too much about the quality during editing. If you want to edit in DV, which works great in FCE, then convert your clips to DV, edit, and then later you can reconnect the clips to the higher res original files. Since you won't be editing at that point (you'll be done making all your decisions) you can reconnect to the original files and automatically bump the quality back up to full and beautiful HD. Do a test on this for yourself. Convert one reel of footage, use that to chop it up in a sequence, then go through the reconnect process and direct FC to the original footage. It should work a charm.

Then you need to choose an output format!

schmoo

DavidTO wrote:

I guess I lied. DV is supposed to have better quality. I work in FCP every day (even this weekend, working OT!!), but I never have to deal with codecs all that much since our workflow is pretty restricted to DV.

Anyway, don't worry too much about the quality during editing. If you want to edit in DV, which works great in FCE, then convert your clips to DV, edit, and then later you can reconnect the clips to the higher res original files. Since you won't be editing at that point (you'll be done making all your decisions) you can reconnect to the original files and automatically bump the quality back up to full and beautiful HD. Do a test on this for yourself. Convert one reel of footage, use that to chop it up in a sequence, then go through the reconnect process and direct FC to the original footage. It should work a charm.

Then you need to choose an output format!

You're putting in OT for me too! Thanks David. I actually have been just putting clips in the timeline, rendering when needed, and stuff and things. We may be getting somewhere, slowly.

I think I might have messed up my audio, though. Anyone know how to fix it?

DavidTO

schmoo wrote:

You're putting in OT for me too! Thanks David. I actually have been just putting clips in the timeline, rendering when needed, and stuff and things. We may be getting somewhere, slowly.

I think I might have messed up my audio, though. Anyone know how to fix it?

It's just out of sync. The numbers in the red box tell you how far off it is. If you right click in the red you can slip or move one of the two clips to be in sync with the other. In this case the video won't move, only slip, since there's other clips in the way.

schmoo

DavidTO wrote: »

Then you need to choose an output format!

OK I am approaching this step, I think (finally!)

Any suggestions? I tried using a screen grab of some previous iMovie settings as a guideline but the movie (after uploading to SM) looked and sounded like poo.

This is what's cookin' now but I'll see how it goes in the morning.

So far my video experience has been a lot like lomography. Delayed gratification, and a gamble

DavidTO

schmoo wrote: »

OK I am approaching this step, I think (finally!)

Any suggestions? I tried using a screen grab of some previous iMovie settings as a guideline but the movie (after uploading to SM) looked and sounded like poo.

This is what's cookin' now but I'll see how it goes in the morning.

So far my video experience has been a lot like lomography. Delayed gratification, and a gamble

It looked and sounded good before upload?