Help a new FCP user understand the file formats

[dsc106]

Hey little confused. I'm used to working on the PC with Adobe Premiere, but decided to make the switch to FCP.

 

Would someone be so kind as to explain the file formats used with video and how they interact? What is the equivalent of the DV .avi file (12gb/hour?) is it a .mov file with what kind of compression?

 

Can/does FCP support .avi for editing, how well, why or why not?

 

What settings do I use to render out to a .mov file?

 

I know thats just a few questions, but I am so used to PC and .mov files being a compressed format, and I'm used to the way PC interacts with the video files (capture avi, edit avi, output a new avi) etc. etc.... I'm kind of lossed. So even if I didn't ask it, I would love to hear a detailed run through of how FCP interacts with video file formats... if you wouldn't mind sharing, of course.

 

I'd really appreciate it! Thanks so much!

[riktor]

The .mov format can be used with a numerous amount of codecs, I mean its pretty comparable to .avi. Because there are DV Pro Codecs that are lossless, HD Codecs that are lossless and pretty much the same as there windows (avi) counterparts. There is really large amount codecs based on video type, region, and media and all are pretty much lossless though that can be changed but most by default are lossless. Final Cut is a very common tool used for film editing so they have to have things pretty high quality. 4:4:4 HDVPRO footage is not uncommon in FCP nor is 2k Cineon which are large amount of bandwidth.

 

The thing you have to get passed with being a previous windows user is the mov is the new avi, and there are more codecs other then animation and sorenson 3.

[A Nonny Moose]

avi does have a lot of little facets to it and one avi file can be completely different in terms of codecs from another. The easiest way to find out if the Mac can read this file is if QuickTime Player can read it. If so, then chances are FCP will also.

 

If you really want an easy way to do things, I'd suggest iMovie, which pretty much has everything an amateur wants in a movie making application (plus, Magic iMovie works exactly the same way you described).

[dsc106]

If you really want an easy way to do things, I'd suggest iMovie, which pretty much has everything an amateur wants in a movie making application (plus, Magic iMovie works exactly the same way you described).

 

Not an amateur been editing 7 years, just switched from Premiere Pro as not enough features... just trying to adjust to new file formats, etc.

 

Thanks for the explanation riktor... I am wondering, why is that sometimes when I export a file for output from FCP, it does not show any file extension (I am viewing all file extensions)? And I double click and it defaults to open in FCP?

 

How can I export the equivalent of a DV .avi (aprox 12gb/hour) to a .mov (aprox 12gb/hour)? (standard def NTSC 720x480 29.97)?

[Zulu.Walker]

If you've been editing for 7 years, you should already have known that AVI/MOV DV NTSC is essentially the same; the AVI/MOV is the "container", DV NTSC is the format/codec. Premiere Pro can do what FCP does, but with a different approach, just like Avid and other NLEs.

 

If you've read far enough into the users manual, you'd find that exporting a MOV takes only two clicks: Click File, hover to Export, click Quicktime Movie. You do not need to recompress all the frames (unless you like a bit of genloss), just make it Self-Contained.

 

RTFM! It's not really cool to say you've been editing for 7 years and not know anything about cross-platform and codecs, it's a given that post-production specialists should know these things. Not flaming you, but there are a lot of other forums and resource sites that could help you with this.

 

As for your other questions, try looking up some of the basics of Mac OS X, like showing file extensions and stuff.

 

Back to work.

[dsc106]

I have show file extensions turned on, thats why I was wondering why I didn't see a file extension (I do for other files in the same folder). I did export via quicktime but I got a file w/no extension... and wasn't sure if this was the same as a DV .avi...

 

But yup its true, I don't know much about the formats and technical side of stuff, and I've worked only on PC prior to now.

 

If Mac/FCP already recognizes the same codecs in a different container, there anything i can install to allow Mac/FCP to play and export to the .avi container then?

[Zulu.Walker]

It's time to change your mindset. Stop using AVI for Pro Apps on OS X! There are a few extensions that QT may need to playback your AVIs (DIVX, 3ivx, whatnot), but not all AVI codecs are supported by QT.

 

There is a reason why FCP primarily exports to QT, maybe because the whole OS and Pro Apps revolve around Apple's own video format? *sarcasm*

 

Whooops, ran out of time. My FCP render just finished. Look at One River Media's Codec Resource Site for in-depth info on professional codecs and their advantages/disadvantages.

 

When you capture to FCP from an SD source (in this case, DV), everything is in QT MOV. Just stick to QT MOV from now on even in windows (which I did a lot with QT Reference files under Avid), don't use highly-compressed lossy video codecs (like H.264), and when in doubt regarding the quality, use QT Uncompressed. Just make sure you have enough disk space for QT Uncompressed and that your disk subsystem can cope with the throughput.

 

RTFM RTFM RTFM! Lol. You really don't need to read it actually, I got everything I needed to know technically about editing back when I still had my old P2-400 with 512MB SDRAM and my Premiere 4.2 manual. Edius manual? No need. Liquid Manual? What for? Avid Xpress Pro manual? No need. Premiere Pro manual? Hell no. Avid Media Composer Manual? No need. FCP manual? NO NEED. The Premiere Pro 4.2 manual already had everything I needed to know to properly understand the processes of an NLE, they all copied just one app (guess which one, and it's not Adobe), and they all work with the same goal in mind.

 

The basics for one NLE applies to every NLE, be it on proprietary hardware or Mac/Windows. I just hope I didn't sound offensive, too much coffee and too little sleep. Now go educate yourself on codecs before a client complains that he can't open your soft-copy preview.

[Wayland]

I'm going to be a little nicer than the last post

 

The FCP output doesn't really have an extension. You send it to PC and it is extensionless... why? I have no idea why they did that. Rename it and throw on .mov extension on the end of it, and you'll be stylin'. It may appear compressed inside of windows with it's playback, but it's not really. Not sure why it appears like a low res file in windows, but if you send it to a dvd burning program and then watch the output, it's much much clearer.

 

MOV files are really much more versitile to edit with because they can be both movies and also instruction files. If I have a targa sequence and want to create a MOV file that can be ready by other programs, it can create a "Quicktime reference" file that is a .mov, but is more like a detailed link to the other files.

 

.avi files really aren't as compattible as MOV's due to a lot of the codecs available. Mov's seemed to have adapted for HD and are used for more lossless footage.

[riktor]

If you want and extension you have type it, OS X handles file types differently by reading the header of the file (Im aussuming) and windows reads the extension. I constantly have to remind myself that I have to type .mov or type .psd if I plan on it reading the file type correctly in windows.

[toddicus]

FCP can import and edit your .avi files if you have files already captured and need them for a project. But it will give you a warning that they aren't optimized for FCP, so they work, but you'll have to render most likely, the real time engine won't work with .avi files.

 

I'm not sure your question has been directly answered - what format can you export that would be like a DV encoded .avi? The answer is a DV encoded .mov. The easiest way has been mentioned File>Export>Quicktime Movie This will make a .mov and you have a few options on codecs. Choosing "Current Settings" from the setting popup will give you a quicktime movie encoded natively in whatever format your sequence is set to, DV NTSC 48khz is default.

 

Export using quicktime conversion (in the same popup) will let you pick your movie container (.avi, .mov and others) and your specific codec/quality etc.

 

Export using Compressor will send your export through another application, used primarily for making the MPEG-2 files (.m2v) and AC3 files (.ac3) to be used with DVD studio pro and other DVD authoring applications. Compressor is a lot more than that though, it has lots of presets, and you can choose all the same options for quicktime movies.

 

Here's a tip - don't shoot video in LP mode, or in SP with 32 khz audio, FCP is capable of cutting 32 khz audio, but it doesn't like to, you'll have to tweak with settings to make it work without your audio getting out of sync.

 

good luck!

[Hirez]

wow i think dsc has left? i mean you guys dont have to be so harsh I have also been editing for a while (still, lots ofthings to learn) and judging from this thread right here, i still have plenty to learn when it comes to switch or try FCP. In windows I have so called DV files (avi with DV video inside). But in FCP you basically work with .mov files??

IF i want the 100% quality capture straight off from the video camera what would this be called?? In premiere i simply export in DV settings etc. but here its all in mov or even without any extension.. well its a bit different alright, takes everbody some getting used to.