David Das
Level 1 (40 points)
Apple TV

Q: Blurry import of iPhone video

I took some 240fps super-slo-mo footage in my iPhone 6. I'd like to import it and manipulate it in FCPX (latest version).

 

I imported the media, then created a new project, with video properties set to "set based on first clip." Then I dragged the movie file into the project. I got an error that says: "The video properties of this clip are not recognized. Click OK to use the settings below..." and it's pre-set to 720p HD, 1280x720, and 60p.

 

That's not quite what I want, and I want to preserve the best quality I can, so I changed it to 1080p. (I'm not sure why it didn't already know this, though...)

 

Once I start working with the footage, it's noticeably blurry. When I export it as a Master File (with default settings) and look at its results, it's extremely blurry.

 

What did I do wrong?

Mac Pro, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Jan 2, 2016 4:47 PM

by Tom Wolsky,Solvedanswer
Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky
Level 10 (118,318 points)
Apple TV
A:

AAre you editing in proxy mode? Make sure you switch to original/optimized before you export.

Posted on Jan 2, 2016 9:41 PM

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David Das

Q: Blurry import of iPhone video

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  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Jan 2, 2016 4:51 PM in response to David Das
    Level 10 (118,318 points)
    Apple TV
    Jan 2, 2016 4:51 PM in response to David Das

    IOpen the original clip in the QT player and report exactly what it says in the inspector.

  • by David Das,

    David Das David Das Jan 2, 2016 4:58 PM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (40 points)
    Apple TV
    Jan 2, 2016 4:58 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

    H.264, 1280x720

    FPS: 41.61

    Data size: 106MB

    Data rate: 6.58 Mbit/s

    Current size: 1280x720 (actual)

     

    Wow. Why did it record at 720p? I thought the iPhone's slo-mo mode would be at 1080p like everything else it does.

     

    So now I just created a new FCPX project, repeated the steps but this time let it be set to 720p. The result is still the same. The 720p-exported movie is very blurry, while the original file is crisp.

  • by Tom Wolsky,

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Jan 2, 2016 5:17 PM in response to David Das
    Level 10 (118,318 points)
    Apple TV
    Jan 2, 2016 5:17 PM in response to David Das

    The camera probably can't do 1080 at that frame rate.You'll have to post screenshots of timeline, project properties, original file in QT player, output file in QT player, and inspector information for the output file.

  • by David Das,

    David Das David Das Jan 2, 2016 9:21 PM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (40 points)
    Apple TV
    Jan 2, 2016 9:21 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

    Screenshot of timeline (with the info pane of the original source clip visible):

    http://i.imgur.com/q6jxPxi.jpg

     

    Project properties (for the most recent 720p attempt):

    http://i.imgur.com/rvW40RL.png

     

    Original file in QT Player (with properties visible):

    http://i.imgur.com/IDYFvJs.png

     

    Outputted (FCPX-rendered, 720p version) file in QT Player (with properties visible):

    http://i.imgur.com/n7YGLm9.png

     

    You can clearly see the difference in clarity if you compare the last two screenshots in this post.

     

    Thanks for sticking with me through this.

     

    (Earlier today, I imported a completely different, super-old 640x480 video file from a completely different source into FCPX, did a couple of edits, exported it, and it too was MUCH blurrier than the original -- which was really frustrating -- so now that this is the second video today exhibiting this issue, I feel like I really need to figure out where things are going wrong.)

  • by Tom Wolsky,Solvedanswer

    Tom Wolsky Tom Wolsky Jan 2, 2016 9:41 PM in response to David Das
    Level 10 (118,318 points)
    Apple TV
    Jan 2, 2016 9:41 PM in response to David Das

    AAre you editing in proxy mode? Make sure you switch to original/optimized before you export.

  • by David Das,

    David Das David Das Jan 2, 2016 9:49 PM in response to Tom Wolsky
    Level 1 (40 points)
    Apple TV
    Jan 2, 2016 9:49 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

    Wow. That was it. Thank you so much.

     

    I didn't know about this feature, and never knowingly switched into proxy mode. Furthermore, even if I had, it seems implied that proxy mode would be used for editing, but why would FCPX knowingly export a file at crappy resolution? I would have assumed that even if I was in proxy mode, FCPX would still use the best quality files for the final render.

     

    In any case, I've switched back to Optimized/Original, did a new export, and the new export is as clear as the source media, so that definitely fixed it.

     

    Thanks Tom. I really appreciate your constant help here on the forums.