Controlling format of multicam clip?

Got that Tom, thank you.

I did a show this past week with the same camera setup. Because of the rush I just accepted the HD 25i multicam clip, edited the show, THEN – did exactly what you have suggested: I made a 4K 24p timeline and copy-pasted the whole HD show into it. And everything seems to be working. I'll try and export out today and see if the export resembles the playback. (I did have to 'transform' the HD to fit the cine 17:9 format ... but did it IN the multicam clip so it was just 2 adjustments (2 cameras) for the whole show).

But I was thinking that it seems like I should be able to make the 4K multicam clip straight off ... and thus these questions.

Hi Luis,

Can change format. Can't change frame rate. It seems to be locked at 25i – even though one of the clips is 24p, and one of the clips is straight audio.

Right now I'm going to see if I can change the frame rate AFTER the multicam clip is created. Will report further.

I think I did select the 4K 24p first.

But the multicam preferences seem to display only as HD 1080i ... and when I go to custom I can set the 4096x2160 but not the '4K' and the frame rate doesn't give a choice other than the 25i.

How does FCPX know which one I selected first? OR, maybe there is a technique for 'selecting first'?

I want to go poke around some more -- it seems like I should get the same choices as you (there ain't that much difference in the formats, virtually none).

I made a 4K 25i multicam clip ... but ... curiously ... it seems to taking a half hour to render out something. Got knows what FCPX is doing. So far the thumbnail of the multicam clip is black. We'll see what happens when the render finishes. I can't imagine it's trying to convert the 24p clips to 25i. But maybe that IS the issue ... the cine 24p?

Will report back shortly, when the render? has finished. And will try a couple of more passes at trying to get FCPX to display the '4K' choice when creating the multicam.

I'm looking at this weird 'transcoding' and am now suspicious FCPX is trying to turn the 24p into 25i.

Okay. I'm canceling this. And I'm going back and trying variations to see if I can get what you are getting ...

More shortly.

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh yie yie!

I owe you one Luis (and Tom). Either FCPX is messing with my head, or I need to drink more water. I got it. I must have missed something ... I could have sworn there was no 4K choice in that first window.

So. I set it up as a 4K 24p multicam. FCPX now appears to be 'transcoding' a clip in the process of producing the 4K multicam. Slowly. And it appears to be transcoding the 4K clip – maybe it's just making a proxy or optimized version? It is a 45 minute clip.

When I did the multicam clips set at HD 25i (containing the 4K 24p clips) it seemed to take only a few minutes to produce the multicam, no transcoding. Mmm. Could be that I'd already produced the proxy files.

If this works I will have no complaints. It blows my mind how efficiently that first show went together... and unless something weird happens during the export ... it appears to be a seamless (and in sync) 4K 24p built from the 2 formats and different frame rates.

Will report back as soon as this new 4K 24p multicam clip is done.

Thank you gentlemen for your patience and help.

Ben

Thank you Tom. You're right on. Now I know what's happening. And will in future turn off the optimizing option.

A week ago I thought I was going to have to go through a nightmare of After Effects or Media Encoder plus Logic Audio to adjust audio speed ... yada yada ... big long articles on conforming media. My eyes hurt.

And the FCPX multicam setup is so incredibly easy. And seems to be working so incredibly well. In a few minutes I'm going to output a master of the previous show - which went from HD 25i multicam to 4K 24p master ... and I can't see a single sync issue. Now if the output master looks like what's playing on the timeline... amazing.

Thank you again for your help ... Ben

FCPX doesn't give me the '4K' choice when I do the custom setup ... it stops at 1080p. Maybe something about some of the clips being PAL?