I have a potential client who is working in the Avid Media Composer and would like to send me their files for correction. What QuickTime settings are preferred for FCP 7? They sent me one file where the audio plays back fine, but the video codec is not recognized or accepted. Many thanks.
Final Cut Pro 7, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
Do you have the Avid codec installed on your computer? If not, you can download it for free from Avid. Try this link:
Do you have the Avid codec installed on your computer? If not, you can download it for free from Avid. Try this link:
You first will need those Avid codecs. Then, once installed, you need to convert what they have done into an FCP codec, like ProRes. Because FCP, while it will work with Avid codecs in the timeline, you cannot view them on an external monitor for correction. And Color will not accept DNxHD files...only FCP codecs.
You don't need to go BACK to the Avid do you? If so, that's a couple transcodes. I did this, but Avid directly out to ProRes, into Color, grade, export to FCP, output ProRes, AMA into Avid, transcode to DnxHD. Looked good.
Yep, I will need to go back to Avid. I just do teh steps you suggested, no additional plugins needed?
Nope...as you will be exporting a full self contained movie from Avid no plugins needed, other than the Avid codecs. It is best to export the ProRes from Avid...but that requires that that machine have FCP or Motion on it. Because there is a gamma shift that occurs when you convert DNxHD to ProRes. Something you can fix in Color, but really not ideal.
I'm a little lost, Shane. The client does not have FCP or Motion on it, so I'm stuck. What I will have to do is run some tests and send them back to get their approval.
One other question, Shane. If I simply export to tape, will that address the Gamma issue that you mentioned?
Outputting to tape, then capturing that tape, will have NO gamma issues. It will work great. Make sure to get an EDL, so that Color can chop up the single clip you capture.
How would I get an EDL? I aam simply color correcting the clips, and the client will place back on the MC Timeline when received, so is an EDL even needed? I also plan to have all clips in the same sequence, just correct one at a time.
If they give you a single QT file...or output to a tape that you then capture...you will have one long clip. It won't be broken up into individual clips. So unless you have an EDL to bring into Color to break up the file into individual clips...you'll have to go through the entire file and manually chop it up on your own.
And you'd get an EDL from the Avid editor...they'd export it for you.
Doing them one by one would be fine. They simply exported the clips as QuickTime files, and I was able to convert them with the Avid Plugin. Each has different needs amd even FCP's color correction could well do the trick.
Anyone know how to get the Avid mpeg 50 codec to work in FCP 7.04 under 10.6.8? Files play fine with QT player, but not from within FCP, where you get "codec not found" error message.
Look at some of the above replies; there is a plugin that Avid supplies that should hopefully address your issue.
I don't want to convert the files, since they'll be going back to Avid. I could easily use Mpeg Streamclip etc. to do that, as OSX and QT is more than happy to play the files. This used to work on Leopard it must have something to do with the codecs that FCP sees with Snow Leopard. I have even tried a re-install of Final Cut after I had installed the Avid codec packages, to no avail.
The Avids are Windows PCs and I don't think you can have Prores on Windows machines. if so, I could use that as an intermediate codec, even then not ideal.
I really would like to be able to freely operate between FCP, Motion and our Avids according to the jobs I'm doing, without transcoding. We work usually in DNX120 or Mpeg 50 on Avid but even though I have these codecs installed on both my Final Cut systems they bizarrely, do not work from within FCP.
This is all I know to do, but I know you have a slightly difefrent need. I converted from Avid, then gave them a finished delivery on tape.
>I really would like to be able to freely operate between FCP, Motion and our Avids according to the jobs I'm doing, without transcoding.
Sorry, not possible.
Avid uses MXF...FCP uses Quicktime. Avid does DNxHD...and can export DNxHD quicktime. And while FCP can use that QT format, as long as you have the DNxHD codec installed on your computer, it won't perform smoothly.
QuickTime file settings from Avid Media Composer
