Continue reading »]]> Q: “Problem: having problems editing Nikon D7000 files in FCP

Just shot some footage with the Nikon D7000, here are the specs:

Video Tracks: 1280 × 720, 29.97 fps, H.264 10.16 Mbps (average)

Audio Tracks: 16-bit Little Endian stereo, 48 kHz, 1.54 Mbps (average)

I’m using a Mac Book Pro connected to FW 800 HD. Mac Book Pro specs- Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Speed: 2.66 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz, Using FCP 6.0.5.

I haven’t shot or edited HD before now, so need some help setting up the project, understanding about transcoding, exporting etc. This is also my first time shooting with a DSLR camera.

The footage itself looks great. Problem is editing a sequence in FCP. I’ve read different things online regarding importing the D7000 directly into FCP. I just imported the .mov files into a project, clicked on a box to have the sequence settings match the files I imported, but I don’t understand what those settings actually are.

Things started off great, but then as I added clips to the timeline, the sequence started halting at each edit, with a dialog box about RT playback etc. So even though I played with various playback settings, it continued to stop at each edit. I then decided to just export it from the timeline to QT movie. Played ok, till the stills I had put in, then it defragmented,image got “scrambled” and crashed QT. So ok, first time out- but I have a lot of questions, and of course a deadline. So here goes.

1. In FCP, what sequence pre-sets to use for these files?

2. How should I be importing them into the project? I watched the tutorial on CC- Tapeless Workflow with Final Cut Pro 7 and discovered that unfortunately I already copied the files from the card to the HD without keeping the exact hierarchy as on the original card. I’m hoping this wont be a problem in editing the files.

3. Do I need to transcode the D7000 files using ProRes or something else? And if so, how? (I’ll look for another CC tutorial)

4. Any other tips, suggestions for editing with the D7000?

Many thanks in advance”

A: Transcode/Compress Nikon D700 H.264 MOV to ProRes MOV for Final Cut Pro on Mac

FCP – like most NLEs – have an issue playing H.264 HD files in real time. It’s a tough file to play.

Even by doing an autoconform – that is, FCP adjusting itself to have the timeline match the clip – will only serve to get you “closer” to 100% playback in RT.

You can change your RT playback to UNLIMITED (vs SAFE) as well as adjust the parameters of it to see if that helps (look to the top left of the timeline for a small oval box)

Best Practice is to convert the H.264 files to ProRes prior to editing. FCP will handle that MUCH better. Since the original file hierarchy is not available, you’ll have to manually transode the material into ProRes. If Log & Tranfer won’t work, you can transcode Nikon D7000 H.264 files to ProRes through the professional Pavtube H.264 to ProRes Converter before bringing them into FCP.

You may want to check out the other forums on the cor, such as Apple Final Cut Pro and Apple Final Cut Pro Basics.

Part One: tutorial for transcoding Nikon D7000 H.264 MOV to ProRes MOV for FCP editing on Mac

Requisite:

Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac – A professional Mac H.264 to ProRes Converter/Compressor, it’s the best choice for encoding Nikon D7000 H.264 MOV to ProRes 422 MOV for FCP on Mac. With it, just few clicks, conversion will be finished. This converter owns friend interface which makes converting Nikon DSLR footage for Final Cut Pro easily. If you need, you can edit Nikon D7000 videos like cropping, trimming, merging videos, setting video codec, frame bitrate and so on.

Tip: Pavtube HD Video Converter for Mac can also covnert Nikon D800, D4, D3S, D90, D7000, D300S, D3100, D3200, D5100 recording H.264 MOV files to ProRes 422 MOV for editing in FCP, FCP X on Mac Mountain Lion 10.8.

Free Download Pavtube H.264 to ProRes Converter for Mac before running the Converter.

Step 1. Add Nikon DSLR H.264 MOV files to the converter.

Run Pavtube H.264 to ProRes Converter on Mac, hit “Add” button to add the Nikon D7000 H.264 MOV files into to FCP Converter Mac from your Mac.

Tips:

1. Batch Convert – Have numerous video files? No worry, you can load all the files once by add files via folder or simply drag and drop. The ProRes Converter will convert video files one by one.

2. Merge – If you want to combine all the files together for easy importing to Final Cut Pro, please tick the box “Merge into one file” on the main interface.

3. Double click on the selected file and you can have a preview on the viewer.

4. You can click the Browse button to choose the output destination as you like. After the Nikon D7000 H.264 MOV to ProRes conversion, you can click the “Open” button to find the converted ProRes MOV files.

Step 2. Hit the Format box and select one of the Apple ProRes codecs on the dropdown list. You are advised to choose “Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)” or “Apple ProRes 422 HQ (*.mov)” format. Due to the difference in the compression standard of H.264 and ProRes 422, the converted files are significantly larger than the original ones. If you prefer smaller file size, please choose “Apple ProRes 422 (LT) (*.mov)” instead.

Step 3: Profile setting for editing Nikon DSLR H.264 MOV in FCP. (Optional)

Adjust the video and audio parameters, including the Bitrate of Video and Audio, the Codec of Video and Audio, Video Size, Sample Rate, Frame Rate, Audio Channels, etc., by clicking the Settings button on the main interface. The screenshot listed below is our recommendation on the settings for you.

Step 4: Start converting Nikon D7000 H.264 MOV to ProRes for FCP on Mac

In this step, when all settings are ready, just click “Convert” button and start transcode Nikon D7000 H.264 MOV to ProRes 422 so that you can open and play the videos on Mac. You can see a progress bar which displays the Nikon H.264 MOV files to ProRes converting status. It allows a few time to complete the converting.

After the H.264 to ProRes conversion is 100% completed, please click run the FCP and click File > Import > Files for importing Nikon D7000 recordings to FCP for further editing.

Part Two: How to free burn Nikon D7000 MOV video to DVD on Mac Mountain Lion 10.8?
Many people want to burn Nikon recording MOV to DVD so that they can enjoy the videos on any DVD player. Is there a solution yet? Of course. What you need is only a Free MOV to DVD Burner on Mac. Pavtube Free DVD Creator for Mac is an easy and fast Mac DVD Creator to help you free burn Nikon D7000 MOV to DVD on Mac. With its simple wizard-style user interface and powerful editing features, DVD authoring and burning can’t be easier. From the “Free Trial” button you will get a completely free Mac DVD Creator to free burn common videos (MKV, AVI, MP4, WMV, MOV, TiVo, etc) to DVD with customized Menu and soundtrack.

After upgrading to paid version, you can make DVD from MXF, AVCHD(MTS,M2TS,TS) videos. Photos can be made into slide show DVD simply with a few clicks. In addition, the Quick Burn feature in paid version enables users to burn archived ISO image and DVD-Video structure instantly.

Supported OS: Mac OS X Leopard (10.5), Snow Leopard (10.6), Lion (10.7), Mountain Lion (10.8)

If you want to learn detailed free burn Nikon D7000 mov to DVD steps, please view here.

Compare Free version with Retail version

That’s all. Enjoy the joy of your Nikon DSLR Camera.