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MP4 video looks blurry in Final Cut pro x

hi!! I'm trying to edit some videos from my sony nex-5 (mp4) in final cut pro x, but those videos look blurry on fcpx. however in quick time those look amazing. i tried several ways using compressor 4 ( ProRes LT, ProRes 422(HQ), MPEG-4 Video) and the results still the same. I'm using iMac 27" 2.7 Ghz intel Core i5, 4 GB memory.

any fixes?

please help

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.3)

Posted on Apr 24, 2012 5:47 PM

Reply
17 replies

Apr 24, 2012 8:34 PM in response to Isma85

If you imported your video with the Proxy media option and have your preferences set to use proxy media, then what you're are seeing is the low resolution version of your video (about 1/4 the resolution of your originals.) You can comfortably edit your video with proxy media, but upon export, switch back to Optimized or High Quality, otherwise your export will also be low resolution.

Oct 6, 2012 4:48 PM in response to Isma85

did you get to the bottom of the problem? i have the same problem. i've tried importing numerous non hd video files from at least one dozen different sources (vhs, dvd, mini dvd, cameras, video cameras, sd cards, etc.... i've tried using/converting to mov, mp4, dv, avi files, to name a few. after importing into my computer, all look fine, untill i import into fcpx. i use import data with optimization. the images blur and the color pales. if i import straight to idvd, they look fine, but they need editing, so i need fcp. Tech support wants all of the specs. for all of the sources and files that i'm having problems with. i'm not a computer/tech geek, but i do have some uncommon sense...... When you have 10-15 different files (that are all different file types), from many different sources, that looked great "pre" fcp, and become degraded when in fcp, it's obvious that the specs. of the files/sources are irrevelant. i even went to the apple store and was told by a so called "genius" that my problem is because fcpx is an hd program, and my files are not hd. the bottom line is, when i watch them in quicktime, realplayer, and idvd on my computer, they look great. after importing into fcpx........ ****! i've also burned dvds to see if they only look bad within fcp, but the dvds look just as bad. sorry to unload and vent, but either i have a bad download of fcpx and experiencing what no one else is experiencing, or there is an elephant in the middle of the living room that everyone is pretending isn't there. if you solved your problem, PLEASE let me know how. thanks.

Nov 22, 2012 9:33 AM in response to David8989789

Same here.

From the Finder... SHARP images (even though it's SD 640x480); then in FCPX 10.0.6, the Import files window shows that the image is POOR, and it never improves throughout the process of editing and output.

I can find no way to adjus how FCPX is transcoding the file, so it's automatically interpreted as HD.


I've tried converting the same original file in StreamClip (to a variety of formats)... always crystal clear when viewed outside of FCPX, but ****-poor upon initiation of FCPX import.

I gave up and edited the SD video in iMovie.


If this is NOT a problem for other people, then I'm missing a CODEC or something; if it's the same for everybody, then the Genius is right and FCPX is not meant to work with SD footage.

Nov 22, 2012 10:15 AM in response to webfandango

then the Genius is right and FCPX is not meant to work with SD footage.


I don't know who this Genius is, but he or she is misinformed. Standard definition video has a horizontal size of 720 pixels, either in NTSC or PAL. That's the specification of standard definition video. 640 is not. This is a square pixel representation. I don't know what you're doing or what you're video is or anything at all about it's specs, but starting with 640x480 is not acceptable for the standard definition video specification.

Nov 22, 2012 12:49 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks for your response Tom.

This seems to point to a missing codec or something.


I neglected to point out that I had tried this a couple different ways... introducing the footage to the timeline based on the first clip, as a 720px, and as a custom 640px.

In the Finder, the properties showed this to be a 640x480 .mov file; this is why I referred to it as such.

But... same result for all.


So, side by side, the video appears crisp in the Finder, in StreamClip, and in iMovie; but, at introduction to FCPX is pixelated. I wondered if this was FCPX just working in Proxy display, but again, all these versions kicked out the same poor quality image.

Jan 27, 2013 7:37 PM in response to webfandango

I wondered if this was FCPX just working in Proxy display, but again, all these versions kicked out the same poor quality image.

This still sounds, to me, like what happens when you are stuck in Proxy mode Playback.

Do you have the option Preferences | Playback | Use Original or Optimised Media ?


Contrary to what I (and many wrongly) expected, exporting doesn't always use original media. If playback is set to Proxy media, it exports that as well.

MP4 video looks blurry in Final Cut pro x

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