Greg Reyna
Level 1 (90 points)
Notebooks

Q: Project files don't "contain" complete capture

I'm digitizing 23 year-old VHS tapes using a Mitsubishi VCR, a Canopus ADVC 110 converter box, and Final Cut Express 4.0.1 (it's not the 'HD' version if that's a separate program). Running an 8-core Mac Pro (2010) OS 10.8.5.  In System Settings, only one scratch disc is used for all four video & audio capture and render checkboxes.  These files are on a separate partition--not the boot partition. Every other setting is at the default.  I'm using the Easy Setup settings of DV-NTSC 48kHz.  Over the years I've used FCE a number of times, but only have a rudimentary knowledge of the program and the way it handles data.

 

What's puzzling me is that the Project file, which was saved before digitizing, doesn't 'hold on' to the entire capture.  For example, the tape I just digitized is about 1 hour 40 minutes long.  (While creating the original recordings, the camera had been turned on and off many times.)  After FCE capture is complete, the project file displays three icons. 'Untitled' contains digitized data, and is approx 15 minutes long.  'Untitled 1' contains no data. There is also a 'Sequence 1' icon that contains no data.  There's no problem in that the entire VHS tape was indeed digitized.  The 'Untitled 1' file exists with its 1 hour 25 minutes of data intact in the folder: Final Cut Express Documents:Capture Scratch:Title of Project.

 

Why aren't both files contained in the project?  When I double-click on either of them in the Finder, Quicktime opens it just fine.  I want both files to be part of the project, so I guess I have to Import Untitled 1, but why was it left out in the first place?  And also, I need to ask if Untitled 1, since it isn't contained in the project file, has been compressed in any way.  Is there any quality difference between the two files?

 

Thanks for any help,

 

Greg

Mac Pro, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 10, 2014 11:03 AM

by MartinR,Solvedanswer
MartinR MartinR
Level 6 (14,891 points)
A:
  • 'Untitled' contains digitized data, and is approx 15 minutes long.
  • 'Untitled 1' contains no data.
  • There's no problem in that the entire VHS tape was indeed digitized ... The 'Untitled 1' file exists with its 1 hour 25 minutes of data intact in the folder: Final Cut Express Documents:Capture Scratch:Title of Project.

In the FCE Browser, Untitled and Untitled 1 are clips.  Based on what you said, they appear to be incomplete or empty clips. You can delete them from your FCE Browser (delete it in the FCE Browser, not from your hard drive).  Deleting clips in the FCE Browser does not delete the underlying files from your hard drive.

 

Then re-import the Untitled 1 clip from your hard drive.  BTW, it would be a good idea to rename this file on your hard drive before you re-import it into FCE so that it has a name that is recognizable to you.  Rename it in the Finder before you re-import the clip into FCE.

 

ps.  Check your Capture Scratch folder to see if there is a file named Untitled in addition to your Untitled 1 file.  If there is, you would want to rename & re-import the Untitled file also.

 

'Sequence 1' icon that contains no data.

Sequence 1 is the name of your editing sequence in FCE (some people call this the timeline, but there can be multiple sequences in a timeline)

 

There will be no 'data' in your sequence until you start placing clips into the sequence.  There are multiple ways to do this in FCE but it is common to drag a clip to the Viewer to set IN and OUT points, then drag it from the Viewer to either the Canvas or directly to the Sequence (aka timeline).

 

Why aren't both files contained in the project?

Untitled 1, but why was it left out in the first place?

No way to tell at this point.  It appears you may have tried 2-3 times to import video and only 1 time actually worked.   This could be because there was a break in the timecode on your tape, you may have hit the ESC key unintentionally, stopped the first couple of captures early, who knows?

 

if Untitled 1, since it isn't contained in the project file, has been compressed in any way.  Is there any quality difference between the two files?

It appears to have been successfully captured by FCE.  It is not compressed.  FCE captures DV video (in your case from your ADVC-110) as QuickTime DV, which is actually just a copying process of the DV video feed.  There is no additional compression and you should not see any quality difference between the two clips unless there was a difference in the original video itself.

Posted on Oct 11, 2014 8:07 AM

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Greg Reyna

Q: Project files don't "contain" complete capture

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  • by MartinR,Solvedanswer

    MartinR MartinR Oct 11, 2014 8:07 AM in response to Greg Reyna
    Level 6 (14,891 points)
    Oct 11, 2014 8:07 AM in response to Greg Reyna
    • 'Untitled' contains digitized data, and is approx 15 minutes long.
    • 'Untitled 1' contains no data.
    • There's no problem in that the entire VHS tape was indeed digitized ... The 'Untitled 1' file exists with its 1 hour 25 minutes of data intact in the folder: Final Cut Express Documents:Capture Scratch:Title of Project.

    In the FCE Browser, Untitled and Untitled 1 are clips.  Based on what you said, they appear to be incomplete or empty clips. You can delete them from your FCE Browser (delete it in the FCE Browser, not from your hard drive).  Deleting clips in the FCE Browser does not delete the underlying files from your hard drive.

     

    Then re-import the Untitled 1 clip from your hard drive.  BTW, it would be a good idea to rename this file on your hard drive before you re-import it into FCE so that it has a name that is recognizable to you.  Rename it in the Finder before you re-import the clip into FCE.

     

    ps.  Check your Capture Scratch folder to see if there is a file named Untitled in addition to your Untitled 1 file.  If there is, you would want to rename & re-import the Untitled file also.

     

    'Sequence 1' icon that contains no data.

    Sequence 1 is the name of your editing sequence in FCE (some people call this the timeline, but there can be multiple sequences in a timeline)

     

    There will be no 'data' in your sequence until you start placing clips into the sequence.  There are multiple ways to do this in FCE but it is common to drag a clip to the Viewer to set IN and OUT points, then drag it from the Viewer to either the Canvas or directly to the Sequence (aka timeline).

     

    Why aren't both files contained in the project?

    Untitled 1, but why was it left out in the first place?

    No way to tell at this point.  It appears you may have tried 2-3 times to import video and only 1 time actually worked.   This could be because there was a break in the timecode on your tape, you may have hit the ESC key unintentionally, stopped the first couple of captures early, who knows?

     

    if Untitled 1, since it isn't contained in the project file, has been compressed in any way.  Is there any quality difference between the two files?

    It appears to have been successfully captured by FCE.  It is not compressed.  FCE captures DV video (in your case from your ADVC-110) as QuickTime DV, which is actually just a copying process of the DV video feed.  There is no additional compression and you should not see any quality difference between the two clips unless there was a difference in the original video itself.

  • by Greg Reyna,

    Greg Reyna Greg Reyna Oct 12, 2014 12:28 PM in response to MartinR
    Level 1 (90 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 12, 2014 12:28 PM in response to MartinR

    Thanks very much MartinR, your thoughtful remarks help me understand how FCE works.  Yes, there must have been a break in the timecode that automatically stopped the auto-import of digitized data into the project.  This 'left out'  subsequent digitized material, creating a new file to contain it.  I'm glad to know that there's no difference between the files the project 'keeps' and the files in the Capture Scratch folder.  It appeared that was the case, but I wanted to know for sure.  I haven't yet imported any of the left out files into the project.  Before doing so I will rename them as you suggest.

     

    Greg

  • by MartinR,

    MartinR MartinR Oct 13, 2014 9:13 AM in response to Greg Reyna
    Level 6 (14,891 points)
    Oct 13, 2014 9:13 AM in response to Greg Reyna

    Hi Greg,

     

    A little further info that will hopefully help you get started ...

     

    When you capture video in Final Cut Express, FCE saves the clips as files in your Capture Scratch folder.  It is good practice to "name" the clip in the Capture Now (or Capture Clip) window before you actually start capturing.  That way, you won't get any more "Untitled" clips.   The clip names in the FCE Browser match the corresponding file names in your Capture Scratch folder.  "Untitled" results from not having named the clip before you captured it.  You may want to read up about naming clips -> look it up in FCE Help.

     

    In FCE, video clips, stills & audio files listed in the FCE Browser are just references to the actual files that are stored on your hard drive.  Normally your video clips are stored in your Capture Scratch folder; other media will be wherever you happened to have saved it.   When you import media into your FCE project all that really happens is FCE sets up references to the actual files that are on your hard drive' - there is no actual media "stored" inside your Project File(s).

     

    Sequences live inside your FCE project.  Sequences are where you actually assemble your video from all the individual clips & other media.  It's a good idea to name your sequences.   Click the sequence name in the FCE Browser and you will be able to change it.  An individual FCE project may contain many sequences; this is useful if you have a complex project.  I often create a separate sequence for beginning titles, main video, credits, etc. and then assemble them into a final sequence (yes, sequences can even contain sequences, this nesting can be quite useful).

     

    Izzy Video has some excellent tutorials about Final Cut Express, here is the link:

    http://www.izzyvideo.com/learn-final-cut-express-pt1

     

     

    Good luck with your VHS conversion project!

  • by Greg Reyna,

    Greg Reyna Greg Reyna Oct 13, 2014 9:06 PM in response to MartinR
    Level 1 (90 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 13, 2014 9:06 PM in response to MartinR

    Thanks for the additional tips MartinR, good ideas!  The link to izzyvideo's tutorials will surely be useful.

     

    There's one more thing I need to know.  I have maybe 40 VHS tapes and want to move them to a separate 'storage' hard drive, one without an OS installed.  What I'd like to do is to move everything FCE needs, so I could run FCE and access the remote files from my laptop if needed.  I'd prefer that both the project and data files be on the new hard drive.

     

    Here is the way I currently have things set up:

     

    On my 'bootdrive' the username:Documents folder contains a 'Final Cut Express Documents' folder.  This is where my Project files are.

    Then on a separate partition, let's call it 'data', there's another Final Cut Express Documents' folder.  This is where FCE installed all six default folders it uses, one of which is 'Capture Scratch'.  All of the Quicktime data files are located here.

     

    If, before doing any editing, I were to create the two 'Final Cut Express Documents'  folders (one of them being nested of course) onto a new, 1TB hard drive, copy all of the project files to one of the folders, and all of the data files from the Capture Scratch folder to the other, FCE should have everything it needs to work with them.  My question is, if I do this , when I open one of the project files, how will FCE know where the new Capture Scratch folder is?  I assume it will ask me, is that correct?  Or maybe there's a hidden prefs file I can edit to tell FCE where the moved data files are.

     

    If you prefer, I will pose this as a new question so you can get credit for answering another one.

     

    Thanks very much,

    Greg