Video distortion when outputting to QT

What are the Sequence Settings for the sequence you are trying to export?

Click anywhere in the timeline and type Command + 0 {zero} to see the Sequence Settings. Either report those settings here, or take a screen shot of the Sequence Settings and post that screen shot here.

It sounds like you are attempting to work with a timeline with a codec set to H.264, which will produce unpredictable results in FCP7.

MtD

At the time FCP-7 was built, h.264 was an acquisition format and not used for editing, so FCP-7 does not work with it correctly.

Change the codec to Apple ProRes 422. When you export, the timeline will be converted to ProRes, which will result in a much larger file. It should help with your problem, although best practice is to convert your source material from H.264 to ProRes prior to editing - so check the output file carefully.

Once you have your ProRes master file, if you need to make versions for the web, etc, take that file into Compressor and use the presets to create the file formats you need.

MtD

ClipWrap is fine...and the file is makes is ProRes 422, an editing codec FCP uses. But you put it into an H.264 sequence...that was the bad thing.

Make a new sequence. Add one of the converted clips to it. Click YES when FCP asks if you want the settings to match the clip. Then copy/paste the contents of the bad sequence to this good one. The ONLY things that should require a render are stills and clips with effects.

When you converted the files in Clipwrap, what settings did you use?

If you intend to work in FCP-7, then ProRes:

Pierre Degaillande1 wrote:

Is there another workaround that will take less time?

Not that I am aware of*. H.264 is problematic in FCP7. You either convert the footage to an FCP edit friendly format prior to editing, or you end up in your situation and do so on the timeline.

I am using a Sony HXR-NX5U camera shooting at 1080i at 30fps,

Do you mean 1080i at 29.97 fps?

* If you still have the files that are 15 minute subsections of the full clip, use QuickTime 7 to copy and paste them together into a complete file, and save that file. In QT7, Open the all the subclips as separate QTs, then in the second movie, select the entire movie, copy it, and then go to the first movie and move the playhead to the end of the clip and the paste the copied 2nd movie into the first. Repeat as necessary. No guarantees.

MtD

By that I mean the clip that was converted. You have your camera originals...you used ClipWrap to convert them (to what is the question Meg asked...and thats a GOOD one. Because if you just did a "re-wrap," then that means the source didn't change...it's still H.264. Re-Wrap converts MTS to MOV, but keeps it H.264. FCP does not work with H.264...it MUST be converted to ProRes 422 in order for FCP to work with it. Or ProRes LT if you want the files to take up less space.

Use ClipWrap to convert them to ProRes LT, or ProRes 422. Then take the original conversions offline...move them. And relink to the newly converted clips. Then, make a new ProRes 422 project, or LT...copy and paste the sequence into that.

Use ClipWrap to convert the footage to ProRes 422...not just re-wrap it. Same app, just use a different option.

FCP 7 does not work with H.264...so if you plan on not transcoding, then you need to abandon that app. The reason you are getting those glitches is because you are editing with H.264.

FCX will work with those files without transcoding, yes. It does prefer to "optimize" them by converting them to ProRes...which it can do in the background while you work. But it will also make large files....that's the nature of ProRes....high quality, not as compressed as H.264...and easier to work with. You CAN, however, in FCX, optimize to ProRes Proxy....a low res ProRes version....and edit with that, and relink to the H.264 masters when done. Just know that FCX is VERY different than FCP 7. The learning curve might take a while. But I hear that if you stick with it, you'll actually edit faster (according to some).

There's also Adobe Premiere Pro...that'll edit with the files without any converting or transcoding needed. Dont' even need ClipWrap. But, in order to work with AVCHD, which is a highly compressed and one of the most difficult formats to work with natively...you'll need a LOT of RAM, an expensive Graphics card to enable CUDA (a thing which adds processing power to the app), and fast processors...meaning a really good computer with loads of extras.

To Edit AVCHD smoothly, you either need to convert it, or throw it on a beefy computer that can crunch that complex format.