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Quality of video reduced in Finalcut Pro X export

Hi,

I am trying to find out how to export video files in the same quality as the original source video. I am filming on a DJI Osmo pocket 3, 4KUHG HLD mode, bitrate of 110mb/s. I am using a Macbook Air, M1 silicon, processing in Wide Colour Gamut using 2020HLG transcoding. The output file, 4kUHD HLG, computer, even set for better quality, is 45mb/s. Is there a way to up this export bitrate to match the source?

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Sep 10, 2024 1:21 AM

Reply
9 replies

Sep 11, 2024 5:57 AM in response to nmurf01

Why be reticent to mention DV Resolve? Many people know it's as good as FCP and gives you infinitely more control.   


Yes, it allows you to export at 80 MB/s and has an auto setting which might even let you export at the camera's bit rate (I haven't tested it).


However, I am convinced the only difference you will see is the larger file sizes.

Sep 10, 2024 2:08 AM in response to nmurf01

FCP does not give direct control over bit rate. If you want that, you may want to try Compressor.


Do you notice a decrease in quality? Higher bit rate may only produce noticeable differences in some particular content. I am sure most people will not notice any difference.


Also: how are you distributing your content? If it is in places like youtube, be aware that anything you upload will be recompressed on the site, and most users will never see anything like the super high quality that you uploaded.


Sep 10, 2024 2:58 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hi Luis,

Thank you for responding so quickly, I am distributing on Youtube so I am not concerned about the quality there, but I do have the ability to stream from a NAS for enjoying my holiday videos at home and would like them to be as good as possible. My TV does allow me to insert the microSD card from the Pocket 3 and watch the videos directly in 4kUHD HLG, so I can see a difference in quality between the original file and the Finalcut Pro file, but these have not been edited down or sequenced so there are pauses between clips. I have compressor but have not fully engaged with it, only seeing presets that I do not want to use. I appreciate I probably need to spend some time getting to know how compressor works.


Thanks again.

Sep 10, 2024 6:22 AM in response to nmurf01

I do have the ability to stream from a NAS for enjoying my holiday videos at home and would like them to be as good as possible

If you want the quality to be as good as possible, you could use ProRes. But seriously, you can duplicate some Compressor preset, fine-tune it and then use that via Final Cut. Personally I have been happy with the stock FCP AppleDevices .m4v presets that use somewhat lower bitrates than the Computer .mp4 presets, for example. Occasionally I have had to use some 10-bit setting when the low quality input has produced too much visible banding in the 8-bit output preset.

Sep 10, 2024 7:59 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Hi Tom,

The Computer setting I believe would be the most compatible for other devices. I use 10-bit HEVC or 10-bit HEVC HLG Dolby Vision, they give the same file size but 10-bit HEVC does not force my TV to go to Dolby Vision setting options which are awful. If I was not able to view the original files directly on the TV I would not be aware of the difference, but the Final Cut Pro files look softer, not horrible, but it is knowing there is a difference. I need to play with compressor.

Sep 11, 2024 3:05 AM in response to Matti Haveri

Hi Matti,

I am trying to get a compromise between quality and data storage, the ProRes options can make for silly file sizes. Thank you for the suggestion regarding duplicating Compressor presets and changing parameters, I was not aware you could do this, but, even this appears to only allow me to get a maximum of 50mbs. It looks like an alternative well known creator software might do the job, and it is free.

Sep 11, 2024 5:45 AM in response to nmurf01

Luis' question is pertinent . . . do you see any deterioration in quality on the output file?


I am pretty confident you will not be able to detect the slightest difference for the reasons Luis mentioned. You could probably export at 20 MB/s and still not notice anything amiss.


Forget the numbers as in this case they are irrelevant and one further advantage is that your edited files will be less than half the original size pro rata.

Sep 19, 2024 10:19 AM in response to nmurf01

Thanks everyone, it occurred to me that I was conducting unfair comparisons, original file straight into TV and direct playback versus streaming from a NAS drive. I have transferred some videos from the NAS onto a SD card and viewed them directly on the TV. The difference is considerable. I shall be moving the rest of my files on to SD cards for viewing.

Quality of video reduced in Finalcut Pro X export

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