Final Cut Pro X - Import AVCHD?

I waded through the thread - I am not a pro, so pls forgive me if my question repeats the first one, but...

is it, after all the writing, correct to summarize that FCP (nor iMovie) can NOT deal with individual .MTS files on my separate HDs (or macs HD) without

a. them being transcoded /converted by some free / not-free program (which takes valuable time)

b. juggled back to a SD-card with original file structure

c. re-creating the file structure on my HD

d. some other manouver?

Bottom-line: any way of using individual original .MTS files on FCP from external HD / macs HD?

So that if someone is more clever than me and starts from the end of the thread, they'd get an answer to this short and clear.

I was very disappointed as I bought a nice semipro Canon XA10, the shot some 1000 clips, had to empty them on a separate HD, name the files by dates etc. and after all that started with FCP and wasnt able to manouver the original files. The amount of clips if far too big to put them back to the file structure (and it'ss confuse my system) so now I've started to just convert them (btw, using wondershares ultimate converter for mac). Hours and hours...

If this is not solved by Apple, I have decided to change the camera, but keep the FCP (and iMOvie) - and my Mac, which I otherwise love.

Tom

a. if you only have the .mts files without the proper camera wrapper then the file will have to at least be rewrapped

b. not sure what these means. You can't put the .mts files back onto a card and rebuild the metadata for them

c. can't be done AFAIK

Wondershare should NOT be used for this. It does not deliver the media in a good production format.

There is nothing wrong with the camera if the media is correctly archived.

Moving the raw MTS files out of the card, is like taking out the tape from a Betacam cassette and trow it in a pile and expext everyone to be able to manage it, and see the content. Magnetic tape in video cassettes is simply not meant to be handled that way.. neither is the content of the Private folder in a SD card.

No, FCPX does not handle RAW MPEG2 (MTS) files directly, proberbly due to licensing, but does handle offloading it from the camera.

You also loose all the metadata from the camera, if you don't save the small metadata files!

For AVCHD, you can make a folder, and drag the Private 'bundle' over, and FCPX should be able to see the content, but if you dig into the Private structure and take out the MTS files, you are on your own.

I'm sorry to repeat what has already been stated (I'm sure Chris would love to jump in here but he leaves the easy questions to the rest of us): to c. recreating/reconstructing the folder structure can be done using RevolverHD (there is a free trial version) and the second best solution is rewrapping using ClipWrap. Listen to Tom and don't use third party transcoding software that degrades your clips.

I apology in advance if I'm repeating something since I don't have time to read all the posts.

This works best for me importing 1080 60p AVCHD2 videos:

- import AVCHD files from the camera, using BootCamp / PC software that cames with your cameras. I have Sony cameras and camcorder so Picture Motion Browser changes the stream(1,2,3...).mts files to (the date and time).m2ts.

- rewrap the .m2ts files into .mov with ClipWrap

- import .mov files into FCPX or iMovie

I chose ClipWrap over Media Converter because I prefered the rendering of the shadow areas from ClipWrapped files: http://alyudesign.com/images/photo/imovie-export.jpg

I have not encounter problems with FCPX nor iMovie using the rewrapped files and both apps can export 1080 60p movies.

Many thanks for valuable information, much appreciated - it seems that I myself do not know enough about things that I should... It was an enlightening example, Jakob.

Anyway, me being such a beginner, I hope it is not too much a simple question to ask (as I fully didn't get the answer from previous posts), but what is the big difference between "coverting" and "rewrapping"? What does the rewrap (like ClipWrap, which is mentioned repeatedly here) do to assist FCP to handle the clip?

Thanks for your patience...

I'm not clear why you don't just import into FCP directly. Does your camera not work with the application?

Coverting = Convert highly compressed 8GB/hr AVCHD videos to a far less compressed codec like 40+GB/hr Apple Intermediate Codec (iMovie) or 60+GB/hr ProRes (FCPX) - formats that are easier for the NLE apps to work with. The file sizes will increase substantically and all of the AVCHD clips will be converted whether you're going to use them or not.

I used to convert everything and ended up with 200+GB projects which were a pain to deal with and store.

Rewrapping = not converting the AVCHD videos to another codec, just wrap the videos into .mov container so the files can be reconized and worked with by iMovie or FCPX. The file sizes stay pretty much the same.

Personally, I much prefer the rewrapping methods. Now my projects are 60 to 70GB in size and after the projects are done, I trash the "Rendered File" folders and cut the archive size down to less than 10GB.

A.Y. wrote:

I chose ClipWrap over Media Converter because I prefered the rendering of the shadow areas from ClipWrapped files: http://alyudesign.com/images/photo/imovie-export.jpg

I made many tests but I couldn't see a significant difference between clips being rewrapped using ClipWrap ($50) or Media Converter (free).

Thanks for all again; A.Y. - ok, but as I converted .MTS to .mp4 the file size actually deminishes, and, I must say (it might be just my very unprofessional eye) as coxorange points out, I too didn't find big difference in .MTS or the converted .mp4. Helps with FCP anyway.

Tom - Canon works fine with FCP (luckily), but the problem is formed by the appr. 1000 clips I ALREADY attached from the original folder structure (before realising there'd be a problem) to separate HDs. In the future I must import from the cam / SD cards, much less hassle I guess.

It's noticeable only for footage shot under extreme low-light situations - something I have to deal with often.

Then again, Media Converter might have improved since I did the tests. I'll look into it one of these days!

Most media converters available in the App Store and online don't seem to handle the audio properly.

Hi

MTS is a container for an h.264 encoded video file. The MTS file plus the associated metadata and folders is an AVCHD file.

If you 'convert' or 'transcode' your MTS to a new mp4 (or AVI or any codec) using re-encoding you achieve nothing other than deterioration of your data because the conversion will not be lossless. If you convert MTS to mp4 and the mp4 is smaller in file size you can be SURE you lost quality. Or audio channels. MediaConverter and the like do this. They should be avioded at all costs. Don't go this way! It's SLOW, tedious and causes loss of image and/or audio quality - and is unnecessary.

To avoid loss of quality, and to do things quickly, just rewrap the MTS, which puts the original h.264 data that your camera put into the MTS file into a Mov container that can be opened directly in FCP. Original quality of both video and audio as shot. Rewrapping is fast (data is copied, not transcoded). That's how to do it. It's well worth the $50 for clipwrap if you've got lots of MTS files on a hard disk.

Of course if you directly import your shots to FCP from your memory card or connected camera, none of this is necessary as FCP will work with nearly all cameras this way. The exception may be some new cameras that shoot the socalled 'AVCHD2' 50p/60p footage, these may be more problematic, but it depends on the camera etc, and Apple is supporting more and more of these formats.

Native mp4 AVCHD/MTS files can be edited in FCPX as-is, but requires a lot of CPU. If you have a computer that chokes with these kinds of files, then check the create proxy or optimised proxy media and then on import the Mac generates about five times bigger intermediary video files that are easier on the CPU (but clog up your hard disk).

I think that just about summarises the situation.

ct

why not just import direct into FCPX and optimise Media in the usual way...this all seems so complicated what's the point I don't understand. if you want to back up frst create an archive and then import. I think it's all there in the sotware this all sounds like incredibly hard and convoluted work to me.

ctzsnooze wrote:

MTS is a container for an h.264 encoded video file. The MTS file plus the associated metadata and folders is an AVCHD file.

Ah, yeah, my bad - it's h.264, not MPEG2.. ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD

And yeah, I don't understand why people go all this way to use it in FCPX, unless they messed up the SDcard structure!

FCPX, during import, copy (if you so chooce) the original media and transcode to ProRes[Proxy] that is Much faster to work with.