Import, Convert, Exporting

Syncing multiple cameras and audio using FCP workflow

zcream — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 05:51:37 +0000

I use multiple cameras and audio devices for recording. 1. Sync the clock on each device to the correct second. Now the creation TOD is approximately correct. 2. Use Wave Agent software to convert the wav file to bwf (with an embedded TC) using the date of creation. 3. Use QtChange or iTimeize to add TC information to the mov files. BTW on a mac, Cineform does NOT seem to be embedding TC using the creation TOD while converting files.

Now bring in these files into your FCP timeline and use the timeline tools for organizing your footage.

Select all the clips in the timeline. The use “Sequence” -> “Nest Items”. Click OK. Now you can apply an effect to all these clips at once. Now go to “Video filters” -> “Video” -> “Timecode generator” Now the timecode is burnt onto the footage. Lets see if FCP read it off the bwf files as well.

Now there may be drift in your footage. But the drift is only of the order of a few seconds. Its a simple matter syncing either your eye+ear or using Pluraleyes.

Anything else I need to add ?

Interframe Project: 50p/60p from 25p/24p and 30p

tida — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:31:04 +0000

Many of the latest models of LCD TVs now include an extra frames feature, usually either 120Hz or 240Hz. This just means they take the source video, which is usually between 24-30FPS, and add fake frames between the real frames that make the motion look much more smooth.

A lot of people don't realise this, but a lot of TVs made before this feature was introduced are actually capable of displaying 50FPS and 60FPS, and of course most LCD monitors display 60FPS as well.

The PS3 also serves up content at 60FPS, which opens up possibilities for people who use their PS3 as a media server.

This tutorial will allow you to convert videos of any framerate to higher framerates; 25FPS becomes 50FPS and 24/30FPS becomes 60FPS.

As of January 2011, this script offers greater quality than any televisions do.

http://www.spirton.com/convert-videos-to-60fps/

Photoshop CS6 Beta topic

Hallvalla — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:11:13 +0000

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/photoshopcs6/

Premiere Pro Sequence Settings for AVC Intra Footage

cafeteriacarlos — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:46:49 +0000

Apologies if this has been answered.

I read that @driftwood recommends you force premiere to interpret Intra hack footage as AVC Intra 100.

I'm sure there are advantages to this but I'm curious as what they specifically are.

Will an Intra timeline have better editing performance? Was I losing the intra frames entirely by using the DSLR or AVCHD setting?

And lastly, if I transcode to DNxHD (something else I've been toying with lately) - will the intra frames remain intact? Also if any of you transcode to DNxHD for use in something other than Avid, I'd love to know if you gain any performance advantages.

Going from 24fps to 25fps in Quicktime without converting

Frame — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 11:32:18 +0000

Since 25fps/50i hacks seem to be more limited than 24p hacks, i a, looking for a way to modify a 24p Quicktime (let´s say a Quicktime movie of the finished and colorgraded edit) to play at 25 fps.

Not to convert the file, just "telling" it to play at 25fps. (Guess it is not easy with h.264, but other codecs like ProRes?) This would be the same procedure like it is done done with film in PAL-countries for ages, they are simply speed up by 4% to fit into 25fps/50i. Sound is another issue, gues this must be handled on his own.

I am on a Mac, ist there anything available? All the best, Frame

Avc-intra to ProRes for final cut pro 7

Qsik — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:41:14 +0000

I recently hacked my Gh2 and have been testing out the best transcode options clipwrap did all right and after re-wrapping the file for 5dtorgb the program just stalled out and wouldn't give me a completed file. Whats the best method to get the best quality prores file for FCP with the new intra files(Output is approx 88Mbt)?

Render time, response time...some findings (Cineform, Avid, mts)

JackBayer — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 21:28:27 +0000

Hey,

today I´ve tried some different codecs after I downloaded hdcinematics' DSLR Post Prep Utility and here are my findings among Cineform HD (which I normaly convert to), Avid DNxHD and just mts. I usually transcode to CF, because Premiere Pro has a hard time to decode avchd on the fly, when it´s getting serious (multiple streams...).

In Premiere Pro the response time to dragging the time indicator along the timeline was worlds better in both CFHD and DNxHD. Between the latter two I couldn´t really make out great differences here.

So I went into After Effects to check the same thing there. Here I got no mentionable timely difference in response time to my wild dragging of the current time indicator. Even the mts performed equally, compared to CFHD and Avid.

BUT: The adpative resolution came down to 1/4 on both CFHD and mts. On DNxHD it stayed on full and then eventually came down to 1/2 while maintaining a great response time. I didn´t expect that.

Tomorrow I will redo my rendering tests, my preliminary results just don´t make sense right now.

"Media Converter" for MAC + DNxHD presets

towi — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 19:53:34 +0000

Media Converter (Mac only) is out for some time, but apparently only few people use it. It's based on ffmpeg and it's a very useful tool providing high quality conversions. It's available in 32 + 64bit. You can built your own presets for a large varity of formats (video + audio). I've attached my settings (conversion to QT MOV) for the various DNxHD codecs. Avid MC will fast import the movies.

http://media-converter.sourceforge.net/

There are also presets on the website, including a preset for fast re-wrapping AVCHD to H264 mov: http://media-converter.sourceforge.net/presets.html

Have fun!

Need help with 24p footage for ntsc broadcast (converting)

RoyalCode_GH260D — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:53:25 +0000

Apologies if this has been asked already, I tried looking through the posts but didnt really find what i was looking for. I have my very first commercial shoot for a friend to be broadcasted locally and have no clue what I need to do. I'm using driftwood's orion v4b and was wondering about the workflow and steps to convert 24p footage correctly for it to air properly. I'm guessing i need to use a 3:2 pulldown for it to be (30p)? but i dont know how convert or what i need to do first, as im using Premiere CS5/AE. I'd rather do the conversion myself than giving someone the files to convert as they might not do it correctly. Thanks for any help.

AVCCAM Importer for FCP7

DouglasHorn — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 01:42:48 +0000

It looks like Panasonic has provided a new Importer function so that FCP7 can import and edit AVCCAM footage natively without conversion. I've just downloaded it and will start testing. Has anyone else given this a try?

https://eww.pass.panasonic.co.jp/pro-av/support/desk/e/avc_download.htm#avccamip

GH2 Hack / Final Cut Pro reality check

sdbest — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:16:25 +0000

I've been testing various GH2 hacks courtesy of--and with thanks to--Driftwood. When I check the MTS files in Streamparser, the video is showing the higher bit rates, as expected. However, when I Log and Transfer the files into Final Cut Pro, the data rates are reported as about 13 MB / sec. This value is the same for video shot with the stock Panasonic settings and the Hack settings. Just checking, but is this what I should be seeing?

Regards and thanks, sdbest

Best workflow for 1080i50 -> 1080P50

thomasso — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:50:53 +0000

I am working on a production which includes a portrait of a (wind) surfer. In this portrait I want to include some action footage of the surfing and i want to slow this down. 720P50 is an option (PAL country), but I have been reading a lot and I think 1080i would be the best option to start from. Just can't get it to work properly and I think I am missing something, but hope you guys can help me. I have hacked the camera and I am trying out various hacks with the 1.1 software and use FCP7 and 5D2rgb and JES for conversion of my files. Right now I am on the latest Driftwood Quantum X v1 hack.

When I shoot at AVCHD 1080i FSH, 5D2RGB doesn't recognize the files as 50 frames but as 25 frames.

So what I do: I convert it to Proress 422 with an output of 50 frames. After this the movie is playing double the speed, so I am assuming it is 1080i50 now.

The next step I take is deinterlacing it with JES and double the movie length. Now I assume I have a file which is 1080P50. Probably no proper progressive but it is looking progressive :-) The image is definitely sharp and crisp.

What workflow would you recommend in this case? And how do you guys get to a 1080P 50/60 or do you stick with 720p50?

Cheers!

Good settings for exporting video for youtube/vimeo

kenoah — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:26:05 +0000

Im exporting a 1080 video for youtube. I was wondering what should I set the 'Target Bit-Rate' setting at?

thx in advance

Frame doubling to 1080/60p with InterFrame

balazer — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:15:37 +0000

InterFrame is an AviSynth script that does motion compensated frame interpolation, to give you double frame rate video that plays back more smoothly. I find that it does a much better job of this than Twixtor. (for normal speed playback, at least. Twixtor might be better for slow motion) The video looks good enough that my prefered workflow is to shoot in 1080/30p and exhibit frame-doubled 1080/60p.

Here is a very poorly shot before-and-after video:

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~balazer/files/interframe_tests/

To play back the sample video, I recommend VLC. Most PCs and players should play back the MPEG-2 version, but you'll need a fast PC to play the 1080/60p h.264 file. If playback is not smooth, try changing the video output module to DirectX. For best results, set your monitor's refresh rate to a multiple of 60 Hz.

Another playback option is MPC-HC with ffdshow-tryouts beta 7 rev. 3154: set the output renderer to Overlay, and the ffdshow h.264 codec to ffmpeg-mt.

The software I use:

Sony Vegas Pro 10.0e
DebugMode FrameServer 2.14
AviSynth 2.58
Interframe 1.12.3
FFmpeg 35509 http://sourceforge.net/projects/mplayer-win32/files/FFmpeg/git-N-35509-g6dd46f5/
libfaac.dll 1.28

My workflow:

In Sony Vegas, set the project properties to 1080/30p, 8-bit, with an audio sample size of 16 bits and the audio sample rate you want. Render to the DebugMode FrameServer. Set the DebugMode template to 'project properties'. Set the signpost mode to RGB32 and enable 'write audio'.

AviSynth reads the signpost AVI, and ffmpeg reads from AviSynth. Attached is the AviSynth script, and two .bat files for drag-and-drop encoding with ffmpeg.

For Internet distribution, I suggest encoding to MPEG-2 at around 26 Mbps. Obviously this is a high bit rate for the Internet, but it is fairly easy to find a PC and decoder fast enough to play it back. Many PCs and players aren't fast enough to decode low complexity h.264 mp4 at even 13 Mbps.

For the highest quality, encode to high bit rate MPEG-2. It's easier to play this video than h.264, but obviously the files are too big to be easily distributed via the Internet.

New VLC 2.0

eyefi — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:31:30 +0000

VLC has a new and improved version.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/releases/2.0.0.html#download

GH2 hacked: Timeline Dropping footage in FCP7 log and transfer and compressor : SOS

Surfceo — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:15:54 +0000

Thanks Vitaliy! I donated!
I have researched for hours without finding a solution and hoping for guidance. I apologize if it has been addressed and I missed it.

Converting to Apple Pro Rez HD the Timeline is dropping the last section of clip in FCP 7 log and transfer and compressor. So a 30 second clip is transcoded to 20 seconds.

I can verify the full length of data is there watching teh AVCHD in preview but cannot get it to transcode fully. I am using a iMac 3.06, 4g ram and never had this issue prior to the hack.

I found a EOS Movie Plugin-E1 suggestion for transcoding but could not find any follow up on what the tag would be to modify the source file to recognize the GH2 and what the workflow would be in FCP to activate this plug-in.

http://personal-view.com/talks/discussion/615/log-and-transfer-old-problems/p1
http://www.finalcutuser.com/?p=1829

I have a project in the can I am desperate not to have to reshoot any help would be most appreciated.
………………………………………………………………..
1. Can anyone advise a workflow for converting Hacked GH2 AVCHD in FCP 7 or compressor to avoid this issue?
…………………………………………………..
2. I found someone is having success tried Volatic and lost even more footage….http://www.zeroplusplus.com/panasonic-gh2-42mbps-avchd-hack-panorama-stitching/
………………………………………………………………..
3. Even though the test file is only 30 seconds, would "not saving to an external HD" be the issue?
http://www.kenstone.net/discussions/read.php?3,36464,36464
……………………………………………………………

Prores & FFmpeg 0.10

alcomposer — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:56:10 +0000

Current FFmpeg 0.10 STABLE is now able to read and write Prores natively, (in current version- not development branch) Since 27th Jan 2012.

Posting this as I was able to find a 'prebuilt' binary for long suffering Mac users, that includes Prores: http://ffmpegmac.net/

I'm sure that there are 'copious' MS / Linux binaries out there...

(normally I roll my own, but I am getting lazy and want results NOW!)

Nice for delivering video in strange formats to clients in one swoop... (also means that you can delegate an extra PC for encoding jobs) if you are into Prores...

Transcoding and release thoughts for huge bitrate avchd

chauncy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:50:32 +0000

What are people using for output with, for example, the 176mb mts file.
Say in adobe, right now, I'm putting the clips in a 108024p avchd sequence file. Is this my best choice?

Then through media encoder I output the edited file to say, h264 with maxiumn render quality.
I up the bitrate(though I'm unsure this actually does much) a little to say, avg 40mb/ max 50mb.

The final files look great, but I have to wonder, since the orginal file is beyond avchd spec at 176mb,
is there a better way with adobe cs 5.5 to retain better quality? It definitely holds up to grading way better
than the stock camera settings.

Editing Codec : Prores/DNxHD/Aquamotion/seaQuake/etc.

Nityananda_SCSMath — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:35:40 +0000

I would like this thread to be a discussion of what is the appropriate required "flavor" or bitrate of an editing codec for a certain hack.

For instance, I am recording using the 100Mbps Aquamotion v2 hack, and I want to transcode to normal Prores 422, which is about 115Mbps for 1080p24. I don't want to transcode to HQ (220Mbps) or 4444 (330Mbps) if I don't have to. But am I losing quality? How much? I would rather have my file sizes be nearly half and have 98% of the quality of the hack, but I wouldn't make that sacrifice if I'm only getting 70% of the hack's capable quality. So some input from those who are more knowledgeable would be good.

Is this correct?

Aquamotion v2 100Mbps -> Appropriate Editing Codec -> Prores 422 or DNxHD 145

seaQuake 176mbs -> Appropriate Editing Codec -> Prores 422 HQ or DNxHD 220

Of course this thread should be an open discussion of different hacks and editing codecs not just relevant to me as the "Original Poster," I'm just starting things off.

-Chris

Lightroom + Mogrify plugin

stoney — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:54:42 +0000

The plug-in generated so much sharper JPEG. Great for web uploading.

MediaCoder not playing well with hacked clips

Athiril — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:46:37 +0000

When I encode (doesn't matter which codec) with MediaCoder from GH2 MTS files, one of the colour components is shifted vertically. Changing the source off the default MEncoder setting to others (such as FFMpeg) doesn't help. When I preview the video in the filter window there is no shift, only on the preview of the encoded output as in the picture below.

Whats the problem here?

Using 'Quantum V7' patch on GH2.

It's decoding it properly, I can see from the preview when looking at filters, but the output is borked, as above switching codecs doesn't seem to help, and doesn't change how it's borked, the borkedness is identical...

Help Please: How to import mts (gh1/2 hacked 25p native) into FCP

dts — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:27:26 +0000

I am using Vegas so no problem here, but my buddy uses FCP and says he cannot import his files without re-coding. Is it possible to remux them into a container that FCP would "swallow" so there would be no need for recompression ? ;)

Sorry for the rookie question but i could not find an answer in the search... so please be gentle guys!

Thanx in advance

Gop 1 export for YouTube

DrDave — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:30:34 +0000

Anyone ever experiment with taking any source, even GOP30 and exporting it with GOP1 to see if it bumps up the YouTube render quality for the end user?
Interested in reports of user experiences.

Best Mac Cross Conversion Software for 720P to 1080P

bigtuna — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 17:43:11 +0000

Hi

I am looking for the best Mac Cross Conversion Software for 720P to 1080P. I shoot 1080P on the 5DMKII and want to use my hacked GH2 for slomo at 720P. I need to deliver the highest quality 1080P master that I can. What is the best method for cross converting the 720P material to 1080P ?

I have tried transcoding to ProRes 422 720P and then working with this in Avid Media Composer in a 1080P project, final results are not great this way. I have also tried converting the 720P material to 1080P ProRes - the results are not so great either.

Getting an excellent 720P final master, but what is the best way of working with the 720P and 1080P material to get the highest quality 1080P final master file ?

Many thanks indeed !

Speedgate Workflow?

artiswar — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 21:52:55 +0000

So I'm wrapping up a short film for a university project and the.workflow's been a bit "stumbly" from the GH2. I'm trying to keep it as loss less as possible but that's proving to be a challenge. I had issues getting native MTS files handled okay in Premiere so I ended up transcoding to ProRes. Edited it all together and started fumbling around with grading in Resolve which proved to be not worth it's time on my 2009 17" MacBook Pro. I got a licence from a professor for Speedgrade which proved to be spectacular. I exported an EDL from Premiere to Speedgrade and am working on grading currently. I have everything that required a composite done and the edit is pretty much set (just need to add some transitions back in that didn't port over with the EDL). What's left is foley, ADR, and some noise reduction. So my question is two fold.

1. Would I render out the timeline in Speedgrade as individual clips and simply replace the old clips in the edit with the re-rendered, graded clips?

2. What would be a more streamlined workflow for future reference?

Thanks in advance!

GH2 AVCHD Playback Problem (Premiere)

artiswar — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 23:13:59 +0000

Hey all and thanks Vitality for the hack!

I've been working on a short that's being shot on the GH2 with what I believe is the 66M hack. When I bring the native AVCHD clips into Premiere, they play back with this odd pulsing twitch like motion as if the motions being repeated. If I try to rewrap or transcode in ClipWrap, I get the same results. All 3 types of clips, when played back in Final Cut 7 or Quicktime they playback the same. When imported through Log and Transfer to Final Cut, they play back fine both in Final Cut and Premiere. Any ideas?

Thanks.

Hacked GH2 card not importable in FCP X

robbie75vr — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 14:27:22 +0000

Yesterday I hacked my gh2, today I shooted an entire 16GB car and few GB of a second card, if I manually open the single files in both cards they works without problems. When I try to import them in Final Cut Pro X directly from the card, it gives me an error on the first one, the full card. It says: " "PRIVATE" contains unsupported media or has an invalid directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory structure matches supported media. No problem with the second card.

I tried to restore the card directories with "ACVCAM Restorer", but it also gives an error message "Error, Sorry. It is not possible to restore it because of the data recorded with the product not supported.

Attached file is my hacked firmware.

Files works fine in Adobe Premiere but Final Cut Pro X want the entire folder structure as in the card, that is why I import directly from the SD or I copy the entire card in my hard disk and not just the video files.

Hacked GH1 - AVCHD transcoding...wont go above 15mbps

Ecoleica — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 20:54:59 +0000

Hey all, finally managed to get some tests done with my hacked gh1. I have played around with the 75mbps Peak Reliability patch ahd the 100mbps max lat patch. I have shot a range of subjects from grassing fields/trees/test patterns, and at a range of isos, apatures and shutterspeeds. However once I bring them into FCP 6 and transcode them...i end up with clips that will not go over 15mbps. Am I trancoding wrongly? or has the patch not worked properly? (I have yet to have my camera freeze up on me).

Mac software to fix GH2 HDMI output

jeschot — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:14:45 +0000

As discussed on this site and elsewhere the HDMI output of the GH2 camera is always interlaced, even if the clip is really 24p.
The telecine method used to convert from 24p to 50i or 60i results in very irregular interlace patterns that defeat standard inverse telecine procedures.

The following cases need correction:
1. 24p output in NTSC mode (60i)
1. 24p output in PAL mode (50i)
3. 29.97i output as 30i (NTSC)

If there are more, let me know.

So far I have been able to deal with the 24p->50i case. If you have a Mac and a PAL camera download my software JES Deinterlacer (Mac only) and give it a try. You need the latest alpha (v3.8).
For the other two cases I need test files. One or two minutes of footage is enough. Just provide me with a download link.

Jan E.

3 famous directors talk about bluray and the importance of bit rate.

azza_act — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:41:55 +0000