FCE HD import size versus export - settings?

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Level 1

7 points

FCE HD import size versus export - settings?

I have an issue with FCE HD4 - I am confused by the "System Settings" versus "Easy Setup", and why my exporting looks very different from my source material.

I apologize if I'm using the wrong terms but I hired 2 people with pro cameras for this job and I'm not well-versed in video. Plus I have been limping along with FCE 4 HD for a while, but it's paid for...

The basic issue:

The video I am importing is "wide" format, but when I output it, it is "square". Screenshot shows the difference between the "viewer" window and the "canvas". Notice that "canvas" alters the size a makes the video "square" and positions letterbox-like bars at the top and bottom. I don't want that.

When I open the source video in Quicktime, it shows the Format as Apple ProRes 422 1920 x 1080, which looks amazing and "wide".

When I choose "export > quicktime video" the result is 720 x 480 which is not "wide".

How do I export to make the file "wide", e.g. 1920 x 1080? Or how do I set FCE 4 to show the canvas as "wide"?

thanks

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Feb 11, 2013 3:40 PM

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Answer 1

glankrudolph Author

Level 1

7 points

Feb 11, 2013 5:17 PM in response to glankrudolph

I think I found it in another post:

Right-click the sequence in the bin. Select "Settings" from the contextual menu

Click "Load sequence preset" button

Select the preset you want from the pop-up menu and click OK

Click OK to close the settings dialog

I'll see if this works

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Answer 2

MartinR

Level 6

18,875 points

Feb 11, 2013 8:28 PM in response to glankrudolph

An Easy Setup is a group of standard settings for video & audio: frame size, frame rate, video codec, audio, etc. When you create a new sequence, the sequence settings are determined by the currently active Easy Setup.

When I choose "export > quicktime video" the result is 720 x 480 which is not "wide".

This is because your Easy Setup, and therefore the Sequence you created, is the default "DV-NTSC" easy setup. You have already figured out how to change the Sequence settings on an existing sequence.

That said, I noticed you said your source material is QuickTime ProRes 4:2:2. FCE does not actually support ProRes ... you may be faced with a lot of rendering while you edit, and your results may be unpredictable. FCE officially supports Apple DV and Apple Intermediate Codec. Final Cut Pro (as in Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Pro X) support ProRes. For best results with FCE you should transcode (convert) the ProRes 4:2:2 material to QuickTime/Apple Intermediate Codec. You can probably do that with MPEG Streamclip. Before importing the material into FCE, set your easy setup to one of the AVCHD easy setups that matches your frame size & frame rate.

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