Final Cut Pro Dropping Frames During Playback

Question

mcasabar Author

Level 1

16 points

Final Cut Pro Dropping Frames During Playback

Hello All,

I've had FCPro X for a few months, now. Specs

iMac 2.66 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo

8 GB Ram

OS X 10.7.2

Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1 - installed on iMac 640 Gb hard drive

GTech 1TB drive connected via Firewire 800 - this holds the Project Libraries

GTech 2TB drive connected via Firewire 800 - this holds the Media Files

Camera: Canon 7D

When I import, I have FCPro X create proxy media and also have the preferences set to playback proxy media. Unfortunately, when I start playing back my projects, I am constantly getting dropped frames and stuttering.

Any ideas on how I can get my playback to not drop frames? Oh, before I purchased FCPro X, I was running FC Express 4 and had no problems with playback when files were rendered.

Thanks!

Marlo

Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X (10.7.2)

Posted on Oct 17, 2011 12:11 PM

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Answer 1

andynick

Level 5

4,955 points

Oct 17, 2011 12:12 PM in response to mcasabar

First, check the spec of your iMac against the system requirements:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/

Particularly your graphics card. If it's listed here, it's not suitable:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664

If you are getting crashes, there is some conflict on the OS. Create a new (admin) user account on your system and use FCP X from there - if it runs a lot better, there's a conflict and a clean install would be recommended.

Other ways to improve performance:

Create optimised media.

Hide Waveforms at all times when you don't need them (both in Browser and Storyline / Timeline). They take up a lot of processor power.

Create folders in the Project library and put any projects you are not working on currently, in there. (Twirl it closed to hide them).

Move your Projects and Events to an external HD (make sure it's formatted OS Extended - with journaled on or off) and run from there.

Andy

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Answer 2

mcasabar Author

Level 1

16 points

Oct 17, 2011 1:50 PM in response to andynick

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the suggestions! My specs and graphics card were listed as being compatible.

I created optimised media, but it was still stuttering. I then changed to proxy media. I created folders and placed other projects into them.

System is running much better, but still not as nicely as it was when running FCExpress with rendered data. The proxy media seems to skip frames, but FCProX doesn't show any frame dropping.

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Answer 3

Apr 29, 2012 2:51 PM in response to mcasabar

Did you ever get everything working without dropped frames?

Thanks!

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Answer 4

mcasabar Author

Level 1

16 points

Apr 29, 2012 3:15 PM in response to debbiebauman

Hi Debbie,

No, I'm still having those problems. My iMac is almost 3 years old, it started with OSX 10.5 and now I am on 10.7.3.

I have been spending the last week or so backing up data. After I have three good backups, I'm going to actually reformat and reinstall OSX 10.7. Run all updates on the OS. Install apps ... run all the updates on the apps. Then I'll see how the system works.

As an original Windows person, my usual finding with that OS, is that a clean format and reinstall every 9 months really perked up the system. Major pain in the butt, but it was worth it.

After having gone three years on this system, I'm hoping this cleans up a lot of things and helps my system run better.

Personally, what I REALLY want to do is wait for the next generation iMac and get it with an SSD drive a 1TB hard drive.

I'll keep you informed as to is this helps things out.

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Answer 5

May 14, 2012 12:26 PM in response to mcasabar

Thanks. I am still having problems as well. Video I import from my camcorder drops frames constantly during playback, but not video I import from my iPhone or iPad. It's really strange.

-Debbie

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Answer 6

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,034 points

May 14, 2012 12:57 PM in response to debbiebauman

What drives are playing back the media? What's the camera? What's it shoot?

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Answer 7

May 14, 2012 1:03 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Forgive me I don't describe it all correctly. The video is imported onto an external hard drive (1.5TB). The camcorder is a Canon VIXIA HF S100.

I have tried proxy media with some files as a test and I still had issues.

-Debbie

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Answer 8

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,034 points

May 14, 2012 1:18 PM in response to debbiebauman

Sorry still need more information. Was the media optimized? Proxy media shouldn't drop frames, so there might be something else going on with your computer.

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Answer 9

May 14, 2012 1:28 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I did not optimize the media. I don't have proxy media on everything as I don't have unlimited hard drive space. I am going to go back and optimize and try setting up proxy media again on the latest video I imported from my camcorder and see if that changes anything this time.

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Answer 10

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,034 points

May 14, 2012 1:33 PM in response to debbiebauman

Optimize will use a lot of drive space and be even harder for your drives. Proxy is the bets bet.

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Answer 11

May 14, 2012 1:47 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

OK. I tested a video clip from a month ago. When I played the original clip, Final Cut started dropping frames almost immediately. I then switched in Preferences to using Proxy media and played the same clip. It played about halfway through the clip and then started dropping frames. I have 125GB free of hard drive space on the external drive and my computer meets all the requirements to use Final Cut Pro X.

Also, what size should proxy files be? The original file I testes was 1.56 GB and the proxy version was 1.32 GB. That seems very large for proxy media.

-Debbie

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Answer 12

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,034 points

May 14, 2012 1:54 PM in response to debbiebauman

That's about right for proxy media for AVCHD, which is an extraordinarily heavily compressed format.

BTW, is this 10.0.4? Do you get a warning when it drops frames? What does it say?

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Answer 13

May 14, 2012 2:05 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Yes, it's 10.0.4 and here is what it says:

Video frames were dropped during playback.

Issues that may affect playback include available memory, disk speed, graphics performance, and processor performance.

Monday, May 14, 2012 2:04:29 PM Pacific Daylight Tim

-Debbie

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Answer 14

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,034 points

May 14, 2012 2:32 PM in response to debbiebauman

Are these just clips playing back in the browser? Clips in the Timeline? Anything done to the clips?

In playback preferences there are two options Warn when dropping frames during playback and Warn when dropping frames due to drive performance (or some such). Which do you have on? Usually the first is off and the second is on.

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Answer 15

May 14, 2012 2:57 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I haven't done anything to these clips other than import them and now going back and creating proxy media from them.

I am playing them in the browser, not in the timeline yet.

I have both options of warning turned on currently.

I have gone back and created more proxy media for various clips and I am finding that it is not dropping frames about 75% of the time which is much better than what I had before, but still frustrating that it drops at all and that now I need to almost double my hard drive space to create all the proxy media files.

-Debbie

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