bbalser
Veteran
FS-100, FCP, Variable Frame Rates
FS-100, FCP, Variable Frame Rates
I don't have the paper I wrote for Matt, lost it in a hard drive crash right after I sent it to him. But here is how you do VFR with the FS-100. First up, you have to have FCP 5.0.4, 5.1.1 is much better. The Variable Frame Rate converter is not automatically installed with FCP. It is in the Extras folder on the FCP 5.1 installation disk, not on the FCP 5.0 disk, although it will run in 5.0.4. I think you can even download it from Apple. I have it on-line here if anyone needs it, it's very small, should download in a few seconds. Just drop this into the Plug ins folder located via this path: Library/Application Support/Final Cut Pro Support/Plugins.
Righ click (control + click if you still haven't trashed your useless one button mouse) this URL and Save Link As...
http://www.wolfdigitalmedia.net/public/DVCPROHD_Frame_Rate_Converter.bundle
This is how you do it from a P2 card, hard drive, or the FS-100, it all works the same way.
Import your MXF files as normal via the P2 Import window, BUT do NOT check the advanced pull down option. It won't work if you do the pull down. Make sure the pull down option is UN-checked! Very important! The advanced pull down option only works with standard frame rates, not VFRs!
Once your clip is in your Broswer in FCP, highlight it and then go to Tools > DVCPRO Frame Rate Converter. IF the file is really a clip that uses VFR, you then set various options in the FRC window and click OK. It gives you the option of making a whole new file and importing that into FCP, which is nice. That way you have your original in case something goes wrong. If the clip is not properly formated, you'll get a warning that says the clip is not DVCPRO HD 720 59.94 and can't be converted.
When selecting a frame rate to conver to, you want to match the Seqeucne you're editing in. Let's say I shoot 720p24 for my project, and for my slo-mo fight scene I do a VFR of 60fps in the Scene File. Once in FCP I'll set my Sequence is 24fps, that's the "native" format of my Sequence. Thus, in the FRC I choose 23.98. Then FCP takes the over cranked 60fps clip and uses every single flagged frame and spreads it out over my 24fps format.
To explain on a little more geeky level, let's look at just one second of my original 60fps over cranked footage. The first 60 frames of that one second of footage get spread over a little more than 2 seconds of 24fps format. The first 24 frames of my over cranked clip get assigned to the first second of the 24fps frame rate in the conversion. The next 24 go into the next one second section of footage, the remaining 12 frames of my original 60fps footage to into the begining of the 3rd one second section of footage. Thus, native slo-mo, bro!
Quick Tip: I placed two new buttons in my Browser's button bar for the P2 Import and FRC functions since I use them so much.
Anyway, here's two screen captures of the VFR window in FCP. I'm putting links as I don't know how to attach photos to these messages.
http:www.wolfdigitalmedia.net/public/FRC1.jpg
http:www.wolfdigitalmedia.net/public/FRC2.jpg
And yes, I do this with footage I shoot on my FS-100 all the time! It works just fine! Please stop the false rumors that the FS-100 doesn't do VFR! It does, it always has!
FS-100, FCP, Variable Frame Rates
I don't have the paper I wrote for Matt, lost it in a hard drive crash right after I sent it to him. But here is how you do VFR with the FS-100. First up, you have to have FCP 5.0.4, 5.1.1 is much better. The Variable Frame Rate converter is not automatically installed with FCP. It is in the Extras folder on the FCP 5.1 installation disk, not on the FCP 5.0 disk, although it will run in 5.0.4. I think you can even download it from Apple. I have it on-line here if anyone needs it, it's very small, should download in a few seconds. Just drop this into the Plug ins folder located via this path: Library/Application Support/Final Cut Pro Support/Plugins.
Righ click (control + click if you still haven't trashed your useless one button mouse) this URL and Save Link As...
http://www.wolfdigitalmedia.net/public/DVCPROHD_Frame_Rate_Converter.bundle
This is how you do it from a P2 card, hard drive, or the FS-100, it all works the same way.
Import your MXF files as normal via the P2 Import window, BUT do NOT check the advanced pull down option. It won't work if you do the pull down. Make sure the pull down option is UN-checked! Very important! The advanced pull down option only works with standard frame rates, not VFRs!
Once your clip is in your Broswer in FCP, highlight it and then go to Tools > DVCPRO Frame Rate Converter. IF the file is really a clip that uses VFR, you then set various options in the FRC window and click OK. It gives you the option of making a whole new file and importing that into FCP, which is nice. That way you have your original in case something goes wrong. If the clip is not properly formated, you'll get a warning that says the clip is not DVCPRO HD 720 59.94 and can't be converted.
When selecting a frame rate to conver to, you want to match the Seqeucne you're editing in. Let's say I shoot 720p24 for my project, and for my slo-mo fight scene I do a VFR of 60fps in the Scene File. Once in FCP I'll set my Sequence is 24fps, that's the "native" format of my Sequence. Thus, in the FRC I choose 23.98. Then FCP takes the over cranked 60fps clip and uses every single flagged frame and spreads it out over my 24fps format.
To explain on a little more geeky level, let's look at just one second of my original 60fps over cranked footage. The first 60 frames of that one second of footage get spread over a little more than 2 seconds of 24fps format. The first 24 frames of my over cranked clip get assigned to the first second of the 24fps frame rate in the conversion. The next 24 go into the next one second section of footage, the remaining 12 frames of my original 60fps footage to into the begining of the 3rd one second section of footage. Thus, native slo-mo, bro!
Quick Tip: I placed two new buttons in my Browser's button bar for the P2 Import and FRC functions since I use them so much.
Anyway, here's two screen captures of the VFR window in FCP. I'm putting links as I don't know how to attach photos to these messages.
http:www.wolfdigitalmedia.net/public/FRC1.jpg
http:www.wolfdigitalmedia.net/public/FRC2.jpg
And yes, I do this with footage I shoot on my FS-100 all the time! It works just fine! Please stop the false rumors that the FS-100 doesn't do VFR! It does, it always has!
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