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User profile for user: bmong
bmong Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Maintaining video quality on analog tape import to FCP?

I am looking for any suggestions on how to best maintain video quality when importing 8mm analog camcorder tapes into FCP.

Currently the playback camera is a Sony CCD-TR818, using a Canopus ADVC-55 DV converter connected via a Monster cable S-video and rca connectors for audio. The output connection is a 6pin firewire cable with a Thunderbolt adaptor on the end into my MacPro (late2013) running FCP 10.1.4..

Everything works fine but my question is how can I best improve the resulting video (either on capture or production)? When I observe the video through the cameras color viewfinder it looks pretty decent, nice and smooth. But as I capture the video it appears much more grainy, dull, and reduced color. Is this because of compression loss on the capture (in which case how can I fix) or should I use filters or corrections once its in FCP (I’m a newbie with FCP)? I ask now before I start to import about 2 dozen two hour tapes!

I really appreciate any insight to this from the community, thanks.

Posted on Mar 5, 2015 9:28 AM

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User profile for user: Tom Wolsky
Tom Wolsky
User level: Level 10
151,010 points

Posted on Mar 5, 2015 9:34 AM

It looks good in the viewfinder because the image is compressed into a small screen and the brightness and saturation is enhanced. You can increase the saturation and do other color enhancement in FCP, but the grain is there and short of serious plugins is not going to go away. It's standard definition video. There's only so much that you can do it make it look good.

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User profile for user: Tom Wolsky
Tom Wolsky
User level: Level 10
151,010 points

Mar 5, 2015 9:34 AM in response to bmong

It looks good in the viewfinder because the image is compressed into a small screen and the brightness and saturation is enhanced. You can increase the saturation and do other color enhancement in FCP, but the grain is there and short of serious plugins is not going to go away. It's standard definition video. There's only so much that you can do it make it look good.

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Maintaining video quality on analog tape import to FCP?

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