No sir, I do not have FCPX. And it doesn't support my graphics card. I think I missed it by only one "level". I would have to buy a new iMac. And add to that an optical drive!!! Oh, and then there're my USB 2.0/FireWire drives. I guess the USB would work, but it wouldn't run at USB 3.0 speed.
I think I'll make due with iMovie 9.0.4 for now. I can manage, but of course I welcome any tips to make things easier! I'd like to get iMovie 9.0.8, or whatever the latest is -- IF it would have some useful-to-me bug fixes and not break anything I currently have. I don't want to do a semi-non-reversable upgrade from 10.6.8 to Mountain Lion just to find out that iMovie 9.0.8 breaks something! Is it really asking to much for Apple to provide a comprehensive list of bug fixes, like DEC, Compaq, and now hp do with their VMS operation system? (I assume hp still does. I haven't upgraded a VMS system in years, so I'd have to check.)
Fortunately, at least for current projects, I have very few titles and transitions. Hmmm, I just remembered. My movie "Silent Quake" has transtions, and I didn't have any trouble copying them. You know what? I might have done my experiment copying from a 24 fps to a 30 fps project. Yes, that must be it. It seems that nothing comes over right when you do that. . . . OK, transitions are okay when not changing the frame rate.
As far as converting to a different frame rate goes, I'm doing it. Here's what it takes (approx. 14 minutes, 45 video clips plus titles and one transition):
Plan to make 30 fps VFT
Document 24 fps version
For each clip
Take screenshot of the first frame
Take screenshot of the last frame
Get speed
Get duration
Take notes about what got cropped
Write down color correction parameters (Or I could copy and paste, but that involves the old back-and-forth bit. Hey, can't write down the color correction params in FCPX, right?! Yes, FCPX color correction has more capabilities than iMovie's.)
Build the 30 fps version
Create a 30 fps project
Copy single clip of the raw footage to the project
Split the footage at each clip's first frame.
Make cuts so that the last frame of each clip is correct.
Copy music over
Sync with music
Adjust the speeds
Adjust the durations
Apply cropping
Apply color correction
So far I've done the following:
VFT D-3 16 24 fps version
VFT E 0 30 fps version (copied the single big clip from the Event Browser to a new blank project.)
VFT E 1 first-frame cuts applied except very first
VFT E 2 last-frame cuts applied
Well, I still have to document the 24 fps version from Get Speed and forward.
As far as titles go, my current set of movies all have original titles shot in Super 8. Only my "Visuals for Timesteps" movie doesn't. I presently have 5 titles for that, so it's not real bad. And I still have to go back and forth between the projects once in a while.
Message was edited by: betaneptune. I fat-fingered the post operation before I finished. Finished now.