Final Cut Pro won't import video

Question

Final Cut Pro won't import video

I'm looking at the list of what formats Final Cut Pro will import and it looks like it should import a .mov file. But it won't. FCP says it cannot import a Quicktime movie either. Really? Isn't that an Apple format? So I'm trying to find a conversion program or something that will convert to a format it WILL import. What is the best, most compatible format for that, and what should I try? It would seem iMovie would do it too, but nope. I'm very frustrated, can't imagine why this is so difficult. Any help you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks!

Leonard

Mac Pro, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), 16Gb of RAM

Posted on May 28, 2018 11:34 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Meg The Dog

Level 6

13,567 points

May 28, 2018 11:49 AM in response to Leonard Wheeler

The .mov extension on a file is like a label on the outside of a box that says "movie". It doesn't say what kind of movie it is - the technical specifications - so inside a box labeled move is there a VHS? 8mm film? A sequence of animated cells? Some obscure format?

What created this file? If you double click on this file in the finder, does the Quicktime player open and play the file?

It is also possible that the file itself is corrupted.

MtD

Reply

Answer 2

May 28, 2018 12:03 PM in response to Meg The Dog

Thank you for responding, Meg. The .mov file plays fine from a link in email to drive.google.com. And there is a CloudConvert link at the top of the video. I'm converting to .avi and .3gp to see if another format works. I tried to download and convert in RealPlayer, but it wouldn't even play in RealPlayer (audio did, but screen was black). It converted in RP, but although audio was there, video was black the whole thing. I'm surprised Final Cut Pro is so tookie about what it imports.

Leonard

Reply

Answer 3

May 28, 2018 2:03 PM in response to Leonard Wheeler

First, download the file to your mac

Second, does it open in Quicktime Player? If so, press command-I in Quicktime Player and post a screenshot of the Movie Inspector, so we can find out the codecs used in it.

If the file doesn’t not open in Quicktime Player, try VLC. Again, post the codec information.

Converting to avi ir 3gpp is completely inadequate. If a conversion is necessary us not the container format but the codec inside that needs to change.

Reply

Answer 4

Meg The Dog

Level 6

13,567 points

May 28, 2018 12:36 PM in response to Leonard Wheeler

If you are unsure what the original format is but do have options to transcode the video then try to convert it to H.264 for use in FCP.

MtD

Reply

Answer 5

May 28, 2018 12:59 PM in response to Meg The Dog

Thank you!

Reply

Final Cut Pro won't import video

Similar questions