Edit natively in H.264 vs intermediate Codec-color me confused!

medeamajic said:
Just stating that AVCHD is not the best codec to use and was not intended to be edited natively does not change the fact that it can be edited natively with many software programs.
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Except that the OPs question was in regard to editing AVCHD in FCPro, not in "other editing programs". You are OT.
 
Yeah, in the FCP section where a question is asked about FCP, there is no reason at all to drop in just to say "try Adobe." That's just trolling.
 
Thanks for all the replies. So while it IS possible to edit nativelyin H.264 with FCP, it is not recommended for the many reasons listed. Came across this article on ProRes which helped me understand some of its advantages
http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/apple/story/prores_a_closer_look/

Since I'm also somewhat crippled with a 4 year old iMac (dual 2Ghz Intel, 2GB RAM), my best guess is that I will have fewer headaches converting to an intermediate like ProRes than trying to edit natively in H.264.
 
Matt is correct on the suggestion to go to Pro Res LT if you have FCP 7/FCS3.

It requires an Intel Mac, but Pro Res LT is the best value for the conversion insofar as space and quality is concerned, and editing is like butter. Grades well, and edits well.
 
I've used the other NLE's, and they have the same issues that convince me not to edit natively with Long-GOP formats. In the long run, you'll take more time start to finish. Log & Transfer (Pro Res (LT) for H.264, ProRes 422 for HDV, due to bit rate issues) is actually faster than it takes for all NLE's to transcode that native Long-GOP Sequence to an output format. And yes, FCP can edit H.264 natively, but it's a bad idea for a variety of reasons.

I mean, why work with an 8-bit format, which will kill your titles, graphics, photos? ProRes brings you into a 10-bit, higher color sampling rate world, which keeps text, graphics, photos, etc, looking WAY better. Yep, you can edit native AVCHD/H.264 in other NLE's easier than in FCP, but you're also forcing your other elements to lose quality.

http://www.postmagazine.com/Publica...HDSLR-files-natively-may-not-be-a-smart-.aspx
 
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I agree with Ben and that is my experience after trying to edit, grade, add FX and titling with native h.264 in CS5 Premiere with a NVIDIA 4800 on a multithreaded Mac Pro.

As others have suggested, a transcode to ProRes LT for use in Final Cut Pro is a best practices for me.
 
So is there any reason to convert HDSLR footage to anything higher than ProRes LT? I know there are opinions for ProRes LT, ProRes, ProRes HQ, and ProRes 4444. I also know that you're not actually increasing quality, only creating a file that'll hold up better for post. So ProRes LT has enough quality for HDSLRs that you needn't transcode to higher?
 
Technically, ProRes (LT) is 10-bit, your H.264 is 8-bit. It's capable of a higher bit rate, and larger color sampling ratio than your DLSR H.264, by a good amount. Going to ProRes 422 for DSLR footage won't gain you anything at all. When working with HDV footage, we recommend ProRes 422 only because HDV has a higher bit rate than H.264 that LT would barely keep up with. And 422 creates larger files than LT. That's why you use LT with DSLR H.24 footage. HQ is only for Film DI work (from actual film, RED, Viper, etc). Those of us with highly compressed DV cams (AVCHD, H.264, HDV, DVCPRO-HD, etc), we use 422 or LT. HQ creates HUGE files, is a MONSTER to deal with, and will bog most systems down, due to its very high bit rate, color sampling, file size.
 
I really appreciate all the info on this guys. Thank you.

So correct me if I am wrong, but using ProRes Proxy would actually be enough for a very basic sequence, which didn't have any major graphics, and only the most basic transitions?
 
NO! ProRes Proxy should be left alone, it's LESS quality than your H.264 original.

For DSLR, ProRes (LT)
For HDV, ProRes 422
 
ProRes Proxy is more intended for offline editing, i.e. you edit on a Macbook with no external storage attached and then reconnect or recapture with higher bitrate files for VFX/grading.
 
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