In an extremely detailed and well thought-out post, Roughly Drafted calmly pours a steaming mug of SimmaDown for the video community that is perpetuating the rumor that Apple is shopping it’s Pro Applications around to the highest bidder. These rumors really surfaced after Apple’s announcement that, like Avid, they would not have a booth presence at NAB 2008. This post is well worth the read if you are even mildly concerned that Final Cut Studio will be leaving the Apple fold in the near future. Continue reading ‘Reports of ProApps Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated’

Ahh, the Final Cut Pro vs. Avid debate. Much like the Mac vs. PC flamewars, this debate is destined to rage for as long as the two software packages exist. I believe this is because the choice of editing software is largely subjective and based on what you specifically demand out of a system and what your post workflow requires. So while I have built a Mac/FCP editing system and workflow for my work, I would be loathe to crown it as generally better than Avid, or any other NLE for that matter…too many variables exist, and everyone’s needs are different. I’m finding it better for ME at this point. That’s why it’s refreshing to read personal accounts like this one, an ACE feature film editor who is used to working with Avid but was forced to use FCP for a specific project. He lays out some of the differences between the two NLE’s as well as his specific likes and dislikes. A good read.

(Via Scott Simmons)

This article is part of a series of tests FreshDV conducted with the Sony XDCAM PMW-EX1. Thanks to Miami rental house and Sony dealer Midtown Video for providing a XDCAM EX camera. And thanks to DSC Labs for providing test chart patterns. You can read more about ours and others experiences with this camera here.

For our testing Midtown Video provided FreshDV with a EX1 camcorder with the 8GB SxS media card. Before the camera arrived, I downloaded the latest XDCAM Transfer software and SxS drivers. I also had to ensure that I was at the latest FCP version, 6.0.2, and I also brought my Tiger OS and Quicktime versions up date using Software Update (I’ve been a bit behind, these things make me nervous). I should note that I am using Final Cut Studio on a PPC G5 2.7 Dual. I did not have a computer with ExpressCard slot available for these tests, so the USB connection on the camcorder was used. It simply uses a standard USB cable with mini connector on the camcorder end. Footage shot was a mixed bag…most of the time the card ended up with a mix of SP, HQ, and overcranked 60p footage on it. But regardless of the format, the import procedure into FCP is the same. I wanted to note my experiences with that process. For starters we should note a few things about the camcorder.

Below the rotating handgrip is a small flip-up plastic cover that conceals a line of output connections…A/V, Component mini, and USB mini. The EX has both Camera and Media (VTR) modes, but you can connect to your computer in either mode. When you connect the USB mini cable to the camera and computer, the EX will ask on the display if you would like to connect to the computer…Execute or Cancel. You can use the jogstick at the top of the handgrip to select and click Execute. As a side note, this camera makes you feel really powerful…every confirmation action prompts you to choose “Execute!” The only way that process could be geekier is if the camera gave you a “Make It So!” option. But I digress… Continue reading ‘XDCAM EX1 Hands-On - Final Cut Pro Workflow’

Post Production Standards has two great posts up with recommendations on naming clips for Visual Effects and turnover. They advocate using version numbers rather than dates for sequences, and outline a simple method for naming VFX shots that is extensible and easy to understand. Simple, yet effective info.

Shane Ross and his cronies discovered that they can import P2 MXF files natively into Final Cut Pro without using the Log and Transfer function. This is possible with the help of a little importer component that comes along with P2CMS.

Did the Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 update cause P2 importing via Log and Transfer to stop working? Shane Ross may have the answer for you…he narrowed down his FCP issues to a plugin package.

“… At this point I yanked out the new drive and put back the old one. I ran the FX Factory Uninstaller. And guess what? I was able to import P2 using the Log and Transfer window! If you have FX Factory, uninstall it and see what happens. If not, it might be some other FxPlug plugin.”

UPDATE: Check the comments below for a update from FX Factory.

Here’s a handy video tutorial for Avid Media Composer editors that shows a simple Panasonic P2 import workflow, and how to use P2-sourced video in a offline/online workflow. In the tutorial, instructor Bob Russo walks the viewer through all the steps necessary to import P2 MXF media and clip info into a bin. He then demonstrates how to transcode the HD footage to a standard-definition for snappier offline editing. Finally, Bob explains how to painlessly relink the final edited sequence back to the HD sources for the online.

(Via AE Portal News)

Here at FreshDV we tend to lean towards more Final Cut Studio-centric tutorials and tips, as those are the tools we use on a regular basis in production. But that is not to say that we’re unaware of other editing and software solutions. To that end, I’ve been reading the Avid-related blog Splice Here. One recent post pointed out a new blog that delivers tips and tricks for Assistant Editors. They already have a collection of informative and useful posts up, like this management tip for color coding timelines, or this handy little trick for maintaining mattes when resizing.

Great stuff! I like the site so much I’ve added it to CrispyFeeds News.

Useful third-party codec pack Perian may cause issues with Final Cut Pro 6. The Apple fix is simple…just trash /Library/QuickTime/Perian.component if FCP is crashing when attempting to transfer AVCHD footage.

Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 is out in the wild, and they have added XDCAM EX1 support. It still requires the installation of Sony’s Transfer software, and a plugin…but it is supported. And just in time, as the EX1 should be shipping out in the next few days. There are also a number of bugfixes and some behavior changes. Scott Simmons has a post over at the Editblog that talks about all the Avid-like features and UI changes introduced in this new update. Stuff like “Zoom In on Playhead in Timeline” and “Scroll to Playhead”, all commonly-noted annoyances by new FCP users.

You’ll find a slightly more detailed list of additions and changes thanks to an apparently fully-caffeinated Mike Curtis. Oh…important note: Users won’t see the FCP 6.02 option in Software Update until they first update OS X to version 10.4.11. All the other FCP Studio updates are listed at that last link as well. Thanks Mike!

Videography has an interesting article on the use of Final Cut Pro in post-production for TNT’s The Closer. It seems that purchasing multiple FCP systems was a more affordable option than a year’s season’s Avid rental fees.

“The Closer has six systems that each cost only about $10,000, which in total is less than Avid rental would typically cost for a season. More important to me is that I can afford to own a system at home. I’m a young mother, so sometimes I’ll take the drives home and work on an episode there. This gives me a chance to spend more time with my kids, which is very liberating. In addition, the assistants have greater access to the project and can cut some scenes on their own, giving them a way to hone their own skills.â€?

Via Shane Ross comes this time-saving Final Cut Pro setting tip from Patrick Sheffield. If you want to play back a clip or scene to check timing, and don’t particularly care about the filters you’ve applied, you can save render time (and frustration) by turning on the Play Base Layer Only setting in the timeline RT menu.

If the clip has a filter on it and it is rendered, it’ll play the rendered clip. But if the clip has a filter on it and ISN’T rendered, then it will play the base clip without filters.

Shane has an example image of the RT menu at his site.

The recent 6.0.1 FCP software updated adds AVCHD ingest support via the Log and Transfer interface. However, there are a few caveats; it’s only available on Intel Macs, Standard-def AVCHD sources cannot be captured, and the footage must be transcoded into either AIC or ProRes for editing. There also appear to be a few scrubbing related bugs and in/out point wonkiness. So while it feels a bit incomplete, at least there is a supported option for AVCHD users. Read on for details on what is or is not supported. Continue reading ‘Final Cut Pro 6.0.1 Update Adds AVCHD Support’

Ripple Training has a short and sweet video tutorial on how to save commonly used filters and groups of effects as Favorites for later re-use. Doubtless this is used by many FCP editors…I personally have found it to be extremely handy. However, I wasn’t aware that you can also save motion keyframes as a Motion Favorite, which can then be re-applied to clips or text on demand. Very cool, and very useful.

From Camcorderinfo comes a Youtube link from the not-too-distant past…it’s an overview of how to edit two-inch quad video tape, reel to reel. It really makes you appreciate the power and convenience of today’s digital non-linear editing systems. You can watch the video below. Continue reading ‘Blast from the Past - Editing 2″ Quad Video Tape’