Converting .MTS and .vid files for editing in FCPX?

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Level 1

9 points

Converting .MTS and .vid files for editing in FCPX?

I have some .MTS files that were produced on a Canon Vixia HF M500 camera and copied onto my internal hard drive from the camera's memory chip via a card reader. When I try to import them, FCPX says, "None of the files can be imported."

I have VidConvert, which can convert into a variety of formats. (E.g., All Apple Devices, . . . , [.mov], [.mp4], [.avi :AVI, DivX], and some others.)

Which would be the best format to convert them into?

I also have a .vid file (downloaded from VIMEO) that MPEG Streamclip can export into QuickTime, DV, AVI, and others.

Which would be the best format for that export?

Thanks in advance.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Mar 27, 2013 12:55 PM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

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152,816 points

Mar 27, 2013 2:58 PM in response to BigJer

Convert to QuickTime using the ProRes codec.

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Answer 2

BigJer Author

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Mar 31, 2013 2:16 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks, Tom. Not sure how to find the ProRes codec in my conversion apps. These are the compression types available for MPEG Streamclip and Reelbean, respectively:

Hopefully, one or another of these will serve.

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Answer 3

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Mar 31, 2013 2:46 PM in response to BigJer

Do you have Final Cut Pro installed? Did you download the additional content from the FCP menu? You can also get this as an update from the App Store I believe.

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Answer 4

BigJer Author

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Mar 31, 2013 4:15 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Yes, it's installed and I've downloaded the additional codecs. What next?

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Answer 5

Tom Wolsky

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152,816 points

Mar 31, 2013 4:27 PM in response to BigJer

A serious problem on the system if you have the codecs and they're not appearing.

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Answer 6

BigJer Author

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Mar 31, 2013 5:41 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Where should they be appearing, Tom?

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Answer 7

Tom Wolsky

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152,816 points

Mar 31, 2013 5:45 PM in response to BigJer

In the lists you're showing.

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Answer 8

BigJer Author

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Mar 31, 2013 6:46 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Ok. I restarted my computer. The MPEG Streamclip compression types now include:

and many more. Which should I use?

However, while MPEG Streamclip successfully opens the .vid file, it fails to open the .MTS files. Nor does ReelBean, now. VidConvert seems to, but the codecs available to it are too limited:

So my two remaining questions here are: 1) which ProRes codec should I use to convert the .vid file. 2) What software suggestions do you have for converting the .MTS files for FCPX?

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Answer 9

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Mar 31, 2013 6:59 PM in response to BigJer

Use ProRes 422. Try Media Converter from the App Store or ClipWrap.

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Answer 10

BigJer Author

Level 1

9 points

Apr 22, 2013 12:36 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thanks, Tom. ProRes 422 it is. I finally settled on Pavtube MTS-M2TS Converter, which did the job needed at a price I can afford.

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