Q: Final Cut express or iDVD quality issue

Hi Al

thanks for replying to me again.

OK< straight out the camera manual , the settings for file capture are

1920 x 1080 Full HD 16:9

25fps

Cmpression was IPB.

no mention of PAL or NTSC

Easy setup up for capture was set as Apple Intermediate 1920x1080i50 at 25fps.

I did initially think of using ALL-I..but memory card capacities forced me to use IPB

I have just created a new project and imported one file.

dragging it to the timeline give an orange bar across the "render "section of the timeline in 'Unlimited RT Mode" and the red bar in Safe RT...so yes i'd guess that render is required.

Maybe it would have been better to render all the footage outside of FCE before importing it ?  is there a better quality way of rendering ?

Too late for this project, but if I ever feel dumb enough to say yes when someone asks a favour like this again, I'll know how to do it better.

Or can I keep all the edits? and some how re-connect them to the re rendered and imported files?

Maybe then it is just that in FCE's limited range of available settings in "Easy Setup" there are no compatible options for the Canon camera output.

Now you mention Stream Clip...I do have it

Maybe we are getting to the issue.  Now you mention it, I seem to remember that the footage direct from the camera WAS not compatible...and I have already transcoded using Streamclip.....

What settings should I have on the output of Stream clip..maybe I'll try some more shots today with the camera and see ...

How shoud I set up Streamclip output  to be compatible with what Easy Setup FCE setting ?

Searching through my e-mails...we discussed the start of this project back in end of march. 

https://discussions.apple.com/message/25328571?ac_cid=op123456#25328571

but can't see anything about Streamclip in there.

Ahhhh...said the blind man.... maybe I see the problem,,.....it is all coming back to me.

The footage I used in the above test..two posts back...was the original camera footage.  I took files from the Original Master Archive for test above.

BUT.....   All the footage I have been using in the main edit  IS already transcoded in MPEG Streamclip.

I  have my 'Original Master Archive'  folder and my working folder.

I have been using the Working folder for all the imports in to FCE.

That Working Folder was the output from MPEG Streamclip.  

Now I re launch Streamclip...I see I created my own preset for the export so I'd use the same settings every time.

here is a screen grab of the output settings from MPEG Streamclip.

Maybe the Inerlacing settings are the issue? I know nothing

about this inter lacing and what settings I should have used.

I actually think that if my settings are wrong,  Maybe I can re transcode externaly, overwrite my Working folder with the the newly transcoded files and re connect them iin FCE to the new files...with the same names as the old.

What output settings do I need on MPEG Streamclip when using it to convert Canon 5DMk3 IPB 25fps 1920x1080 files to  AVCHD - AIC 1920x1080i50 25fps.

Are my above settings correct...because as sure as **** they appear wrong..output is very pixelated and blured comapred to the orignal footage.

Alchroma wrote:

 

The Sreamclip video settings appear OK.

 

****, that is a shame...that was the only reason I could think of that might have been causing a problem.

I have since tried all the other three 1920x1080 outputs..(the check boxes are irrelevant it woudl seem since I have progressive footage)  and none appear to make any difference.

Alchroma wrote:

 

 

The audio can be manually set to 48kHz as this can also cause render issues.

Not sure what type of audio the camera produces.

 

 

Only option is 48 k 16 bit.from the camera, no options.   But that but cause render speed issues...would it cause video quality issues ?

Alchroma wrote:

 

Regards FCE Easy Setup:

You change the Easy Setup first to the matching one, THEN, start adding matching clips to that.

 

Easy setup and all the sequences (apart from two or three that I changed as an experiment, then deleted)   are

Apple Intermediate 1920x1080i50 at 25fps.

The camera footage was externally encoded with the Streamclip settings as posted further up

Alchroma wrote:

 

I'm wondering if the camera can be set to record footage that will work directly??

These newish cameras have a plethora of changable/switchable settings.

Surely Canon would have thought about making one codec that would be a Standard issue!!

 

No, afraid not.  This is why the Open Source Magic Lantern firmware is available, but due to its Alpha/beta stages at the moment, and the risk of bricking a £2000 camera...am not goitn to try it...Too late for this shoot anyway.

Camera output.

I wanted to use ALL-I compression, but had to use IPB since memory card space was an issue ..maybe this is causing the problem..If so then there is nothing else that can be done

I used the 1920x1080
Progressive ouput is the only one this camera does ..no interlaced

Alchroma wrote:

 

Try 1280 X 720 that is one FCE may like.

 

Possible in the future, if I am ever stupid enough to say yes to doing this for anyone else ever again..but it is too late for the 30 hours of footage I shot last month ..

Alchroma wrote:

 

All the 1920 x 1080 FCE settings use interlaced.

 

Al

But MPEG streamclip is converting to interlaced is it not?  I thought that is what I was using it for ..to convert from the h.264 1080p output of the camera in to the AIC 1080i required by FCE/

I tried the Streamclip third 1920 x 1080 option..the 'i' option and it does not appear to give any different result

Looked at that...but FCPX wont import my FCE project ...and that will mean re editing 30 hours of video from two camera back down to a two hour DVD again...so not an option.

So is ther no way to get Streamclip to convert p to i ?

i assumed that since Stream clip had settings for Progerssive movies..   RHS of Options panel....that it could handle and convert P to i...maybe not??

or what other app do you know that can do this?  QT ?  I have 7 and 10 here...but an equally bewildering array of settings.