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Catalyst Browse / Prepare could be great if it wasn't so terrible

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    Catalyst Browse / Prepare could be great if it wasn't so terrible

    One thing I've really come to appreciate shooting with Sony cameras is MXF. Everyone can open an MXF. The news station with a 4-page spec. sheet written in 2004 can open a Sony MXF. For this reason I've used Catalyst Browse quite a lot - the ability to make selections, minor adjustments and then export a pristine Sony MXF file to send to the client is a real godsend in some situations. It's a much quicker way to tidy up footage than importing into an NLE as it doesn't necessitate transcoding. It's also clear that Catalyst is not at all designed for this purpose.

    I'd really like to be able to flag / select clips for export while I'm looking through footage. There doesn't seem to be any way to do this. If I press the 'select' button to make selections persistent, Catalyst assumes I want everything to be assembled into one long stringout. Useless. Am I missing something obvious here? My workaround is to write down selected clip names on paper and then select them one-by-one for export (really copying) while holding down command! Careful you don't accidentally... ah!!

    When I saw 'clip list' in the menu I thought "Aha! What a fool I am!" but no.

    "Clip lists are a helpful part of a proxy workflow when working with limited bandwidth: copy the proxy clips to your computer, create a clip list using the proxy clips, and then copy the clip list back to the camera or deck. The deck will then play the clip list using your full-resolution source." Who is doing this in 2021?


    So here is how I would like Catalyst to work:

    1. The humble videographer selects entire clips (with the keyboard) or marks in/out points (with the keyboard) while reviewing footage. At the same time making adjustments, turning off unnecessary audio tracks, stabilising etc. Did I mention being able to do things with the keyboard?
    2. Catalyst transcodes when necessary but otherwise directly copies over clips to a new MXF file. The end.

    Is there any way I can get Catalyst to play nicely and do this? Is there any other software that will do something similar? It seems to me that it would be a huge asset to Sony if Catalyst was excellent. Having a fast, usable tool for weeding out bad takes and making quick adjustments would be splendid. Catalyst isn't even that far off, they just need to start again with the interface.







    #2
    I'm a big fan of Catalyst Browse and it is an integral part of my workflow because it cuts down my raw footage by aboout 50%, but I agree that it leaves a lot to be desired. I've got tropical storm Henri bearing down on us and I expect to lose power any minute for a few days, so I'll save my own own complaints and suggestions for another day.

    In the mean time, here's how I deal with the situation you are facing where you want to mark clips for export and not export all the rest. What I do is enter a new IN and OUT point for each clip I want to export. Even if I want to copy 99% of the clip, I still enter a new IN and OUT. If you look at the thumbnails in the left-hand column in the LOGGING view you will see that every clip that has new IN/OUT points has a blue line under it. So, after I've gone through all the clips and added IN/OUT points to the ones I want to batch copy . . . I then go down the column and use COMMAND+CLICK to select the ones I want to copy (those with a blue line) . . . choose a destination . . . and then click copy. As you know, ff you check "Copy only between Mark Point" you can also trim the clips when they are copied. That right there is my favorite feature of CB.

    In summary, the blue line is how I keep track of clips I want to export.
    Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
    HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
    http://www.dougjensen.com/

    Comment


      #3
      I think Sony pulled the plug from Catalyst software (except Catalyst Browse). I used catalyst prepare (bought complete version). Very nice software but never good enough. Never became the bridge between camera and Post Production for me. Added nothing Davinci Resolve can do. I only used Catalyst Browse to copy files to PC.
      I think Sony wanted it to be a road to their Editing Software.(Catalyst Edit).

      The one feature I liked is that is also works with the Invinity capture card from Blackmagic, It works on my extra (third) 4K external TV set.
      Peter Bosman

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Publimix View Post
        IAdded nothing Davinci Resolve can do.
        Well, you're very wrong on that point. If I delete a clip in CB it is immediately erased from the memory card or drive, as if it never existed. You can't do that as easily with Resolve and that saves tons of storage space with minimal effort. Also, I can trim a clip and export an identical copy without some of the head or talils so much faster in CB. Also, Resolve cannot read the dozens of settings saved within the clip's technical metadata. It's amazing the amount of information in that data and how helpful in can be in post. No other manufacturer saves that much information onboard the camera, nor gives you a software tool like CB to read it.
        Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
        HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
        http://www.dougjensen.com/

        Comment


          #5
          Well sir, there you are right. The trimming is handy and the metadata is great too, but I realy never needed it. And as far as I know deleting a clip in Davinci does remove the clip from the HD.

          Catalyst Browse and Prepare are very good for selecting and deleting clips, fast color correcting. But I still believe Sony had bigger plans with the software. Sony showed editing software at the IBC in Amsterdam, it looked promissing but I never heard of it again.

          And the fact that I bought the software and they later changed it in subscription-software drove me away. But again the free Browse version is unique.


          Peter Bosman

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Publimix View Post
            And as far as I know deleting a clip in Davinci does remove the clip from the HD.
            As with any NLE, deleting a clip in Resolve just deletes it from the current project, It does not actually erase the clip from the storage device like Catalyst will do. A very powerful feature.

            I have always considered CB and CP as just media management utilities for orgranizing clips, checking clips, looking at metadata, etc. I suppose they are also intended to be used for rendering out dailies for people that have a need for rushes -- with or without a quick grade applied to the copies. I never needed that. Neither one was ever intended to be a full-featured color grading program or NLE. Anyone with those expectations, as this thread proves, will be sorely disappointed. I think Sony tried to have them do too much, and then missed the mark for a lot of it. But if you focus on the simple stuff and don't expect too much from either one of them, they are actually quite useful and powerful utilities.

            Before you give Sony too much crap about Catalyst shortcomings -- just consider that Panasonic, Canon, Nikon, JVC, have NOTHING that even comes close. Nothing at all. I don't know if RED, ARRI, and Blackmagic have anything similar to CB but I highly doubt it. So at least Sony gives us a ton of a metadata and a pretty good utility for doing a lot of things you can't do easily with footage from other cameras.

            Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
            HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
            http://www.dougjensen.com/

            Comment


              #7
              Hi Doug, deleting clips in Davinci will permanently erase the data from the drive. You will get a warning though.

              delete.JPG
              Last edited by Publimix; 08-22-2021, 01:10 PM.
              Peter Bosman

              Comment


                #8
                I think the difference is speed. In Catalyst I just have to right-click on any thumbnail, choose delete, click OK, and it's gone. Takes about two seconds. And I can blast through all my raw footage very quickly. I can also select several clips at once and delete them all as a group just as fast.

                How do you do it in Resolve? I think it takes more steps. Don't you first have to right-click and choose "Reveal in Media Storage" . . . then right-click again on the file name in an entirely different window . . . then choose "Delete Permanentlty" and then click Delete to confirm. Is there a faster way to erase clips while you are previewing them?

                Also, another advantage with previewing, deleting, and trimming clips with Catalyst is that it haoppens BEFORE I have made my multiple back-ups and archive copies of the footage. If I waited to do this sorting of the wheat from the chaff in Resolve, I certainly would have already ingested and made multiple backups of everything by then. Waste.

                Obviously, there are many ways to skin a cat, but for me, Catalyst is a far faster and more powerful way to select/delete/trip my raw footage prior to bringing into Resolve.
                Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                http://www.dougjensen.com/

                Comment


                  #9
                  O boy, I completely missed doing my intake that way. I've been taking the entire SD card over to the hard drive via Catalyst Browse, garbage and good. (Then a second copy to a removable drive).
                  Some clips I see right away are trash except there might be a few seconds of footage worth squirreling away. I'll try your way next time. I'm a FDR-AX700 user - took your Master Class which recommended CB and I adhere to using it for intake.

                  Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post

                  Also, another advantage with previewing, deleting, and trimming clips with Catalyst is that it haoppens BEFORE I have made my multiple back-ups and archive copies of the footage. If I waited to do this sorting of the wheat from the chaff in Resolve, I certainly would have already ingested and made multiple backups of everything by then. Waste.

                  Obviously, there are many ways to skin a cat, but for me, Catalyst is a far faster and more powerful way to select/delete/trip my raw footage prior to bringing into Resolve.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post
                    Even if I want to copy 99% of the clip, I still enter a new IN and OUT. If you look at the thumbnails in the left-hand column in the LOGGING view you will see that every clip that has new IN/OUT points has a blue line under it. So, after I've gone through all the clips and added IN/OUT points to the ones I want to batch copy . . . I then go down the column and use COMMAND+CLICK to select the ones I want to copy (those with a blue line) . . . choose a destination . . . and then click copy. As you know, ff you check "Copy only between Mark Point" you can also trim the clips when they are copied. That right there is my favorite feature of CB.

                    In summary, the blue line is how I keep track of clips I want to export.
                    Thanks Doug, that's a really useful trick and I'll definitely use it. Kind of crazy that such basic functionality requires a workaround like that though. I generally agree on the usefulness of pre-ingest software that allows you to trim away rubbish and not have it wasting disk space, clean up footage for a client without transcoding, read all of the metadata from the camera. It even handles playback a lot better than Premiere, although that's not saying much.

                    Maybe Sony don't realise the potential of what they have. Most Sony shooters probably don't even bother downloading it as they just assume it will be rubbish. It is, but it's also kind of great.
                    Good luck in the storm!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      On a kind of related note, Adobe is discontinuing Prelude in a few weeks.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Well, just to be clear, there's nothing wrong with ingesting and backing up the full contents of every card. It is faster and safer and I'd never try to talk someone out of doing it that way. But personally, I prefer to do a bit of a pre-edit (when I have the time) and throw away the garbage during ingest.

                        For example, during rocket launches at KSC I usually have 5-6 cameras shooting in slow-mo. Some of them are locked down and I have to start them a couple of minutes before launch and I can't get back to stop them for about 10 minutes. By that time, a couple of them running at 120 fps will have run off a 50 minute clip, of which I only need about 2-4 minutes in the middle where the rocket lifted off and exited frame. So, I chop off the heads and tails and reduce the data I need to back up and store by about 1000%. This is especially important with RAW files from my F55 which have been recorded at 1200 Mbps. That's a lot of data and really adds up when you start making backups and archive copies of the raw footage. The beauty of Catalyst is that the copied files are not transcoded and are identical to the originals in every way, including all metadata, file names, etc. they are just shorter.

                        I also shoot a lot of wildlife in slow-mo and sometimes a shot may run 2-4 minutes when I'm following action. But usually only 20-30 key seconds are worth keeping, so trimming off those uneeded minutes is helpful. Plus it's also a good chance to completely delete clips where nothing useful happened -- which is pretty common. So I dump them.
                        Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                        HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                        http://www.dougjensen.com/

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by NorBro View Post
                          On a kind of related note, Adobe is discontinuing Prelude in a few weeks.
                          I took a look at Prelude years ago but didn't see how it fit my workflow. Seemed to add an uneeded layer of complexity without much benefit. I'll admit I didn't give it a fair evluation and I always thought I should take another look to see what I missed. But now that they've killed it, I'm glad I didn't bother and suspect my initial reaction was probably correct.
                          Doug Jensen, Sony camcorder instructor
                          HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING STOCK
                          http://www.dougjensen.com/

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Ideally you'd have software like CB or similar functionality built into your NLE (Resolve, Premiere, FCP).

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Doug Jensen View Post
                              The beauty of Catalyst is that the copied files are not transcoded and are identical to the originals in every way, including all metadata, file names, etc. they are just shorter.
                              Oh I actually didn't realise that trimmed files are also not transcoded. Presumably this only works for XAVC-I? XAVC-L would have to be re-compressed after a trim, I assume.

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