Deinterlace magic?

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Level 4

1,445 points

Deinterlace magic?

Hello All,

I'm coming from many years using FCE. Over the years, from time to time I transfer 8mm film footage. I have the film transferred to SD digital video (on a miniDV tape). When I imported that footage into FCE you could see the "jaggies" right away so I used JES deinterlacer and everything was fine.

In FCPX I have tried to read up on deinterlacing and it isn't very clear how or why or if you deinterlace in FCPX.

Does this sound right? I was importing some film footage into FCPX (SD digital video from a miniDV tape) and there was a screen that asked me how I wanted to import it. So I checked off the box and it said it was going to import it as "progressive". Once imported it looked to me as if the footage was deinterlaced. I couldn't see any "jaggies". I could move in the timeline frame by frame and it was perfect. I even exported some still images to iphoto and there were no "jaggies". I put the footage onto a DVD and it looked fine.

So my question is if I import the film footage as "progressive" does this mean FCPX automatically deinterlaces it? If it's not why I'm I seeing no "jaggies" in any of my footage (which I would see all the time in FCE if I didn't deinterlance).

Thanks for your help.

Mike

Posted on Aug 19, 2012 5:57 PM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Aug 19, 2012 6:10 PM in response to Michael Ryan.

there was a screen that asked me how I wanted to import it. So I checked off the box and it said it was going to import it as "progressive".

What screen is this? Can you post a screen shot of this?

You should deinterlace with JES.

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Answer 2

Michael Ryan. Author

Level 4

1,445 points

Aug 19, 2012 6:27 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Hello Tom,

I have just checked around a bit and I can't seem to find it. I remember it gave me three options to import the footage and one of them was interlaced and the one I choose was 29.97P. If the footage is not deinterlaced why I'm I not seeing the jaggies? I would see them everytime in FCE.

In FCE I would take freeze frames from the timeline and if it wasn't deinterlaced you would see the jaggies every time in iphoto. I've taken 20 or 30 stills from the FCPX timeline and imported them to iphoto and not one of them has the jaggies.

Mike

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Answer 3

Goldfish

Level 2

364 points

Aug 20, 2012 7:26 AM in response to Michael Ryan.

I'd love to see some full size clips of this too.

It would be pretty amazing if FCPX were doing a respectable job of deinterlacing on ingest rather than just tossing one field away.

Please post something if you can.

g

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Answer 4

Michael Ryan. Author

Level 4

1,445 points

Aug 20, 2012 2:02 PM in response to Goldfish

I have tried to re-create the box that asked me if I wanted to import my film as 29.97P (progressive) footage and I can't seem to do it. If I look at my films "properties" in the video property window it shows it as 29.97P footage (it wasn't shot or transferred as that).

I'm I missing something here? Isn't progressive footage by its very nature not interlaced? If the all the film footage I have imported (SD digital video from a miniDV tape) is interlaced why am I not seeing the jaggies? In FCE I saw these all the time.

Mike

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Answer 5

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Aug 20, 2012 2:05 PM in response to Michael Ryan.

Switch the viewer display in the upper right to show both fields.

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Answer 6

Aug 20, 2012 2:38 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I shoot all my videos at 1080i and append outros that are 1080p. I export to QT7 at H.264 then send to Toast for DVD burn. I don't notice any degradation of the video because of interlacing. The only degradation I see is if I select "Show Both Fields" which I never select.

Am I missing something?

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Answer 7

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Aug 20, 2012 3:05 PM in response to David Fahnestock1

If you watch your DVDs on TV you won't see any degradation. Interlacing is designed for television display.

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Answer 8

Aug 20, 2012 5:02 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Tom,

The videos are created interlaced because my Sony HDV-PJ50V will give me 52 hours recording time as opposed to twenty some hours using progresive. The main body of the video is 1080i. The outro is 1080p.

I export to QT7 as H.264 via Compressor. It plays beutifully on my 24 inch iMac. It also plays great on You Tube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir_YRdS1A8E&list=UUpqHQ2t8Q1AQWO64ljNwn_g&index=1 &feature=plcp

This is the "Get Info" shot.

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Answer 9

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Aug 20, 2012 5:09 PM in response to David Fahnestock1

Get Info doesn't give anything useful.

Compressor deinterlaces to H.264.

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Answer 10

Michael Ryan. Author

Level 4

1,445 points

Aug 21, 2012 5:11 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Hello Tom,

I hope you are reading this as I finally have a screen shot and I found the window I was talking about in the original question.

The window box comes up when I'm adding a new project. Under "Video Properties" if I click "Custom" it shows me the format which in my case is NTSC SD, Resolution 720x480 DV and it has three options for frame rates. One is interlaced (29.97i) and the one I'm clicking is 29.97p (progressive).

So I guess my question is: by checking off this box is it importing the film footage as progressive? In that case, I believe I don't have to deinterlace and this would be the reason I'm not seeing any "jaggies".

Mike

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Answer 11

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Aug 21, 2012 5:51 PM in response to Michael Ryan.

So I guess my question is: by checking off this box is it importing the film footage as progressive?

No. Your project properties have nothing at all to do with the import function. You import into an event not into a project. The media in an event can be used in any project.

By selecting the option you're selecting you're creating a project that gives a progressive output. This may not be satisfactory if your original media is interlaced.

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Answer 12

Michael Ryan. Author

Level 4

1,445 points

Aug 21, 2012 6:00 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Hello Tom,

I'm outputing my footage to DVD. You mentioned that this may not be satisfactory...in what way would it not be satisfactory?

Mike

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Answer 13

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Aug 21, 2012 6:10 PM in response to Michael Ryan.

The DVD format is designed specifically for display on a television set. It's designed to be either 24fps progressive for film distribution or interlaced for television programming distribution. If you're media is interlaced, to be displayed on television, as the DVD format presumes, then you don't really want it to be deinterlaced. That will only add degradaition and loss of resolution to the image.

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