Continue reading »]]> Summary: How to convert Canon PowerShot SX500/SX160 IS footage (h.264 .mov) to Apple ProRes 422 codec so as to avoid rendering process in Final Cut Pro X or FCP 6/7, a professional Canon footage to FCP X Converter can do it. Please read the following articles.

“I have been editing a feature film which uses a FCP X 24p HD 1440 x 1080 timeline. The movie was filmed exclusively on a Canon HV40 camera using, of course, 24p HD footage, widescreen. However, I am now adding footage shot on a small Canon PowerShot SX500 IS digital camera which also can shoot decent HD video (.mov files likewise, but not in 24p). When I put this HD video into my timeline, a red render bar appears above the footage, and apparently I have to render the footage before being able to view any of it in “Safe RT” mode. When in “Unlimited RT” mode, an orange bar appears above the footage, and it “plays”, but the footage plays very unsteady, stopping and starting, making it nearly impossible to edit fast & intuitively because the eyes/mind don’t see the full clips in all their natural wonder/splendor. One just sees images that skip and fumble by, along with their sounds, and it’s somewhat headache-inducing. Is there any cure for this?”

That’s usually a good indication that the video clip doesn’t match the Sequence settings in FCP X. If they matched, you wouldn’t need to render. Canon HV records to HDV and XDCAM, for example. But the Canon Powershot SX500/SX160 IS camera films MOV movies in H.264, and that is not a good codec for editing in FCP. That will have to be converted to Apple ProRes 422 codec that FCP X/FCP 6/FCP 7 Can edit.

Refer to below guide for how to convert PowerShot SX500/SX160 IS footage (.mov) to Apple ProRes 422 codec so as to avoid rendering process in Final Cut Pro X or FCP 6/7.

Required software:
Free Download Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac.

Part One: Transcode Canon PowerShot SX500/SX160 IS H.264 .mov to Apple ProRes .mov for FCP X natural editing on Mac.

Step 1. Back up the PowerShot SX500 or SX160 IS .mov footage from PowerShot SX500 IS camera/SD card to Mac HDD.

Step 2. Run the Canon footege to FCP X. Drag and drop H.264 .mov footage to the converter.

Step 3. Press on “Format” bar and choose “Final Cut Pro” >> “Apple ProRres 422 (*.mov)” format as best codec for FCP X.

Note:

1. Since ProRes 422 (LT), ProRes 422 (Proxy) and ProRes 4444 have not been added to FCP 6, you’d better not set one of them as output if you happen to edit your H.264 files in FCP 6 before upgrading FCP 7

2. Like Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) and ProRes 422, the ProRes 422 (LT) balances incredible image quality with smaller file size and is perfect for digital broadcast environments where storage capacity and bandwidth are offen at a premium.

3. If you want to use ProRes format in offline editing workflows with Final Cut Server, the Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy) is the ideal format.

Step 4. Press the “Settings” button to set frame rate to 24fps, which is preferred for film making. You can resize the 1280 x 720 footage to 1920 x 1080 if necessary.

Step 5. Press the big “Convert” button to start encoding Canon PowerShot SX500/SX160 IS H.264 .mov to ProRes. Wait till the conversion completes. Then press Open to find converted ProRes video.

Part Two: Transfer and Managing your converted videos onto Final Cut Pro X for editing

The converted Apple ProRes .mov video is naturally supported by Final Cut Pro X or FCP 6/7 and can be imported to FCP X instantly. Just run Final Cut Pro, follow “File > Import > Files…” to browse and import videos video to Final Cut Pro X for post-production. Want to sy on Skype? You can try Skype Spy Software here.

Continue reading »]]> Though Apple claims Final Cut Pro X “a revolutionary new version of the world’s most popular Pro video editing software”, we see more negative reviews than positive ones since the release of Final Cut Pro X version 1.0. There has been a ton of complaints regarding Final Cut Pro X. It has been accused of “Apple’s biggest mistake” (by Kevin Hall) and “ruining everything”. It is understandable that a 1.0 release is difficult and not every feature can be added. However, the biggest problem is that Final Cut Pro 7 support ended. Final Cut Pro 7, which is for now the better product, will be going away. This urged me to move to FCP X, which I find later is very different from FCP 7. Here’re some tips for those who feel like to give a shoot to FCP X, mainly about importing media to FCP X.

1.Log and Transfer is replaced with Import From Camera.

In Final Cut Pro 7 we choose File>Log and Transfer to ingest/load HD footage from a digital camcorder. In Final Cut Pro X the thing is different, because there’s no Log and Transfer option. To load a tapeless recording media from camcorder, you need to follow File>Import From Camera… instead. Apple has added a page for user to check whether their cameras are supported by FCP X, which is helpful. Click to learn
Final Cut Pro X Supported Cameras.

2. iMovie project is supported, but FCP 7 project is not.

The funny thing about new is that no matter what the Madison Avenue folks think, the first thing we associate with “new” isn’t “improved,” it’s “different.” The lack of support for importing Final Cut Pro 7 projects clearly shows us how “different” FCP X is. The good thing is now you can import iMovie project and medias from iMovie Event Library.

3. Be compatible with iPad 2 and SD card.

It is not surprising that Apple added iPad 2, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4 to the support list of FCP X. But I find FCP X performs really FAST when importing and editing MP4 videos. And FCPX will import a memory card in the background, allowing you to edit the footage directly from the card and then replace it seamlessly with the media on the hard disk once the transfer is complete. I think this is a great idea.

4. Import errors? Unsupported file types?

People have been reporting load errors with FCP X in Apple forum. I had received error message when tying to load .mxf clips taken with my Canon XF105. FCP X should work with AVCHD videos but the .mts files also turned gray when I tried to importing them to FCP X. Maybe I missed something here but after transcoding AVCHD MTS to ProRes Codec the videos are loaded to Final Cut Pro X instantly (without rendering).

More than importing issues concerned with MXF and MTS clips, you may also encounter problems when input Nikon D7000 MOV to FCP X, edit Canon footage in Final Cut Pro X.

If this is the case, you can try to use Pavtube HD Video Converter Mac to encode AVCHD/MTS/MOV/MOD/TOD/MXF to FCP, FCP X, FCE, iMovie, Avid Media Composer.

Anyway, Final Cut Pro X is here, probably to stay, which is good because it is a good product that will continue to get better. So, use the new app and be ready for the day when Final Cut Pro X become matured enough to be a viable replacement.