Wrap vs other with ClipWrap?

For efficient editing both AVCHD and the 1080 60p should be converted to ProRes 422, so unless there is something I am missing you may as well convert it straight away and presumably save time.

I woudl recommend transcoding to ProRes.

Keep in mind, thta you're going to need storgae for this. As ProRes, depending on which version you use will be 3-5X larger than your AVCHD files.

My prefernce is to transcode to ProResLT.

The reason being that the file sizes to image quality is very good.

Unfortuantely FCPX doesn't offer ProResLT as an transcode option on import, as they only offer ProResHQ, ProRes422, nd ProRes Proxy.

If FCPX offered transcode to ProResLT on import it would save me some time on the front end starting my project. But I don't need the size of ProRes422. So the extra ime is worth it.

Overall bty transcoding yoour fooatge to ProRes, you will save time and headaches. As AVCHD media doens't hold up well to compsitng or effects too well. No to mention you're most likely going to export to ProRes, so by having ProRes footage your encode will be MUCH faster, than native AVCHD.

Oh and most important, if yo wind up doing multicam work then ProRes will greatly help you out. As the high compression of AVCHD will be very taxing on your system with 3 or more clips.

I would suggest trying Media Converter for Mac.http://media-converter.sourceforge.net/

I wanted to keep the integrity of my footage while testing a couple of cameras last week that recorded AVCHD 2.0

Media Converter is a free open source app, that simply re-wraps to a QuickTime readable file.

You have to also download the plugin for your AVCHD files located on the site.

Good Luck!!

I have used ClipWrap extensively for transcoding my 1080 60p AVCHD files for FCP X import. I agree with Ian R. Brown and Vegas 22 completely --transcoding to ProRes 422 seems to work much more smoothly than simply rewrapping the files, so this is also what I would recommend (even with the MUCH larger file sizes).

Also, if you were to use FCP X to transcode your media then it would all end up in your Final Cut Events folder. Using ClipWrap (or another program) would allow you to place your media wherever you like (allowing for more control), and then (after Import) your Events folder would simply be filled with alias files that point to your chosen media location.

I have not used Media Converter, but this suggestion may indeed serve your needs just as well.

You can work with different codecs, frame sizes, and frame rates in the Timeline. While I have read that this can be a frustrating experience, I just performed a test of my own: I created a new Project with preferences based on the first clip, which was 29.97i, then I added a 1080 60p (59.94fps) clip to the Timeline, waited for a really quick render, and then played them back flawlessly. So for me it played back 30fps and 60fps clips together really nicely (both AVCHD files from my Panasonic were converted to ProRes 422 prior to import, and this does make a difference with FCP X).

There is also a "Conform Speed" option in the Retime menu, if you want to look into that.

I really hope you're able to make it work. Best of luck!

I tried several converters to convert from MT2S to FCPX. They all had pixeling where there was heavy movement in the video.

I tried Clipwrap in the "rewrap" mode. The video was perfect! (No pixeling) Then I imported to FCP (took about 2 seconds for a minute of video) and the video was still perfect! I can edit it no problem (although I only tried to cut it).

What am I missing? Why do you recommend ProRes422 or ProResLT? What is the advantage?

The downside is the size.

One side note. I am pretty much only storing these video files for now. I don't do much editing. They are videos of my kids that perhaps some day I will do something with. So why change to ProRes and at least quadruple the size of the file?

Any info or advice is appreciated.

You don't need any converters to convert AVCHD . . . unless you have made the mistake of just copying the MTS files off your memory card.

You should always copy the whole folder structure so that FCP X can recognise the files. It will only add a few insignificant megabytes to the size and also includes important metadata.

Nobody is forced to convert to ProRes.

AVCHD is an extremely compressed format which is far from ideal for editing. Converting to ProRes 422 makes it far more editor friendly and helps preserve the highest quality especially after colour-correcting etc.

However, if you are dealing with comparatively simple family films, you will probably not notice any difference and should be able to edit AVCHD natively without any problems.

P.S. If you are editing 1080p60 video you will need to convert to ProRes 422 as 60p (or 50p) footage which is in highly compressed AVCHD puts a tremendous strain on the processor causing dropped frames and other problems.

Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

I use ClipWrap to rewrapped 1080 60p .m2ts files and have not encountered any problem with this method so far. The file sizes stay small, no generation loss, and the .mov files play smoothly on Macs with i3 or higher processors.

My simple workflow:

- import the files from the camera, using BootCamp / Sony Picture Motion Brower which change the file names from stream(1,2,3... etc.).mts to (the date and time).m2ts.

- rewrap the .m2ts files into .mov

- import into FCPX

I did some tests - http://alyudesign.com/images/photo/imovie-export.jpg - and decided to go with ClipWrap instead of Media Converter since I like the rendering of the shadow areas of ClipWrap better.

When the project is done just trash the "Rendered Files" folder and archive the rest since FCP will regenerate the "Rendered Files" when there's a off-chance need to revisit the project.

This method also enables iMovie to export 1080 60p videos since the rewrapped files stay 60p.

Just want to add: iMovie won't import 1080 60p movies from the camera directly, but will work with the rewrapped files just fine. Make sure 60fps is chosen when exporting via QT and you'll get smooth-as-silk 60p. However, FCPX renders the showdow areas much much better than iMovie as shown in the linked image.

Thanks Ian and A.Y.

It looks like ClipWrap rewrap is my solution but I have another question. Not sure if it is relevant but I will give some quick background.

These movies I want to import are from the years 2000 to 2010 when I was a PC user. So I am imported them into SOny's PMB software and was using that until I moved over to MAC. The movies for the last 2 years have been imported directly into FCP (I should have mentioned this initially). In some cases, I have the entire structure folder (3 files per video M2TS, M2TS.MOFF, and MODD) but in some I only have the M2TS file. I can't remember why I deleted the supporting files but I did it.

I think these movies are 720P so I don't need to worry about the 1080 issue (although that does not seem to be an issue with clipwrap).

The files I have from Sony PMB are M2TS, M2TS.MOFF, and MODD.

Do I do anything with the M2TS.MOFF or the MODD files or just rewrap the M2TS file?

Again, I am only storing these videos for the most part (not much editing) but want access to them from FCP as I occasionally bring them up with the kids to view. I don't like having half my library in a format (M2TS/Sony PMB format) that my Mac can not readily read. Additionally I don't want to blow up my storage to any larger than it needs to be.

A.Y Your results at that link were beneficial. I had viewed them prior to my post.

I have no knowledge of the Sony camera or the various files you mention.

It is obvious that you have not shot any 60p footage as it's only been around 2 or 3 years so your best bet is to simply rewrap the MTS files assuming that they play OK for you.

You only need to rewrap .m2ts files. The .modd store date, time and other info for PMB use only.

Thanks Ian and A.Y. That is the info I was looking for.