Converting 4K to 1080p

Questions:

1) Are you converting the flies for use in FCP-7?

2) Are you sure you want to resize the files prior to editing? You will loose the ability to reframe the images - that you would have if you edited 4K source material into a 1080p timeline - is there some reason you want to reduce the size?

MollyDB wrote:

1. I have Brorsoft Video Converter. What do people think of that as a converter? Should I be using something else?

I would run screaming away from that Converter, but that is just my opinion.

I use EditReady:

http://www.divergentmedia.com/editready

which has a limited use free trial offer. I believe during the trial use it only does the first :60 seconds of each clip, but it should be good enough to see if it is for you.

You just drag in the folder that contains the clips, in this case 4K mxf files from a Canon C300, and it finds the clips. Set up the output resize, etc. and you are good to go.

MtD

If you are going to use Premiere Pro, Adobe has built into the latest versions a proxy workflow that allows you to edit 4K material with low horsepower computers.

See:

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/how-to/proxy-media.html

and

https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/kb/ingest-proxy-workflow-premiere-pro-cc-20 15.html

It basically does what you are planning to do, but does so under Premiere's control so that you can work with the proxies to edit, click a button and see the full rez material for color correction, then switch back to proxies to keep editing. When you are done, you export your full rez master.

A note on switching edit systems -

I switched from FCP-7 to Premiere when FCP-X was introduced and FCS apps were abandoned, and now am very happy I did, my freelance business is based on Adobe Creative Cloud . . . BUT . . . any time you switch editing systems, plan on several weeks of unhappiness, face slapping, and frustration.

The main thing is to not look back at the way you used to do things. You'll be much happier if you just shrug your shoulders and adapt to the new way of doing things.

Premiere has a setting to let you change all the keyboard shortcuts in Premiere to the same as FCP-7. My advice - don't do it, learning the new keystrokes will give you a greater insight into how the programers intended the app to be used.

Premiere is a wonderful edit system, especially because of the direct integration with After Effects and Audition. I am very happy I switched. It is current with all the latest codecs and workflows. But there are many things you could do easily in FCP-7 that do not have an equivalent function in Premiere. And there are also many things built into Premiere that make an editors life much easier that do not exist in FCP-7.

Switching edit systems is like moving from New York to London. If you keep saying to yourself "Gee, in New York I went downstairs and walked 20 feet to get coffee, and here I have to take an elevator, get on the tube, and then get coffee" you will never be happy in London.

MtD

If you are committed to going through all the pain and frustration of switching edit systems, and you are getting a new computer anyway, you should really do due diligence and look at least two other options:

1) FCP-X . . . it's not for me, but it may be for you. It uses an entirely new editing paradigm that many people like. Its approach to editing is very different than the model Avid, Premiere, and FCP-7 use, but the big advantage is that Apple is (naturally) committed to have harmony between its hardware and software - which is not the case for software created by other companies. If your hardware is current, there is a 30 day trial period.

2) Blackmagic's Davinci Resolve - an amazing FREE application that seems to straddle the differences between the Avid, Premiere, and FCP-7 paradigm and the FCP-X paradigm.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve

Many people are switching to this as it incorporates state of the art color correction.

MtD