Help for a newbie

[henryfinlay]

So I'm just getting into FCP and editing in general. I have very limited knowledge, and I think I'm learning it well. I need to start on a project, so I'd like to get some help before I start.

So I have 3 types of footage:
HVX200 (1080/30p, 1280x1080, DVCPRO HD, P2 cards)
JVC Everrio (1080/30p, 1920x1080)
GoPro (1080/30p, 1920x1080)

Finished product:
It just needs to go on Youtube. The best I can get on Youtube.

So from what I've learned so far, here's what I think the workflow is:
1. Log and transfer everything from the HVX and GoPro in directly.
2. JVC Evverio has to go through MPEG-Streamclip because it is not meant for Mac's. (what should I export it out of mpeg-streamclip as.... apple pro res? h264? apple hdv?)
3. In FCP, create a project and change the Sequence settings: Frame size: 1920x1080, Pixel Aspect Ratio: Square, Compressor: Apple Pro Res 422 (HQ)
4. Start editing. When I drag the clips into the timeline and it asks "Change sequence settings to match the clip settings?", I should say No? (I was told to do this because I have different types of footage, and this will make them all match)
5. Do all the editing and what not.
6. Export it: Compression: H.264, Dimensions: 1920x1080.

So that's what I think I should be doing. I heard I should be using Apple Pro Res 422 (HQ) because it makes for faster editing, but doesn't diminish quality?
Is there something wrong with my workflow? What am I doing right or wrong? Thank you for the help.

 

[Moseph]

I'm not sure what the advantages of ProRes 422 and DVCPRO HD with regards to each other are, but you should be able to convert all of the footage to one of those, whether it's in L&T or in mpeg streamclip. Maybe someone else can chime in on that.

Not changing your sequence settings won't change a thing when it comes to your footage. If it isn't all the same format, some of it will need to be rendered one way or the other, or you'll have to set your RT to unlimited to play it back. If you don't change your sequence settings to match the footage, ALL of it will need to be rendered.

When you go to export it, you definitely could do 1920x1080, but will people actually watch it at anything higher than 1280x720? I know personally, I wouldn't. I'm sure some people would, but with the cameras that you're using, I don't think you'll see a significant improvement.

 

[henryfinlay]

Thanks for the response.
So if I wanted to use ProRes 422, you're saying everything should be converted to that by the time it's in the Browser? I thought that the way it worked was: if I set the compression in the sequence settings to ProRes 422, and I just dragged the raw files from the Browser (and clicked 'no' when it asks if I want to change the sequence settings to match the video settings), that it does the conversion when I render it? Am I understanding the system wrong?

I think the most footage will be coming from the HVX200 (DVCPRO HD, P2 cards), if that makes a difference in terms of sequence settings.

And with your last comment, you're saying in terms of Youtube, right? Is 1280x720 the maximum that Youtube can put out?

Thanks for the help.

Edit: I just watched a tutorial video where the guy was using H.264 as the sequence setting. I was under the impression that you should only use that for exporting? Maybe I don't have a good understanding of what the difference between the two (sequence settings vs. export settings ) is?

 

[Moseph]

So if I wanted to use ProRes 422, you're saying everything should be converted to that by the time it's in the Browser? I thought that the way it worked was: if I set the compression in the sequence settings to ProRes 422, and I just dragged the raw files from the Browser (and clicked 'no' when it asks if I want to change the sequence settings to match the video settings), that it does the conversion when I render it? Am I understanding the system wrong?

Yes, it should all be ProRes 422 or DVCPRO HD, with the same res and frame rate, before it goes into the browser in my opinion. You can definitely just throw stuff in the sequence, but do you really want sit there while every change you make to a non-native clip has to be rendered? I wouldn't.

I think the most footage will be coming from the HVX200 (DVCPRO HD, P2 cards), if that makes a difference in terms of sequence settings

Well, in that event, I'd probably go with DVCPRO HD, unless someone else knows a good reason not to. This will minimize the time to convert all the footage, since the majority of it won't actually need to be converted, but just changed from an .mfx to a .mov.

And with your last comment, you're saying in terms of Youtube, right? Is 1280x720 the maximum that Youtube can put out?

It does 1080p, which as far as I know is authentic 1080p, but it just seems overkill to me. If you were shooting on cameras that actually could resolve more than around 800 lines, maybe I'd go for it, but I wouldn't bother.
Also, consider that if you do go with editing in DVCPRO HD, you're only getting 1280x1080 anyways.

Edit: I just watched a tutorial video where the guy was using H.264 as the sequence setting. I was under the impression that you should only use that for exporting? Maybe I don't have a good understanding of what the difference between the two (sequence settings vs. export settings ) is?

Cutting in H.264 in FCP doable on the newer macs, a friend of mine cut a 17 minute film in h.264. Editing wasn't that bad, it took around a day to render / export though. It's definitely not recommended if you're doing any sort of color correction though. You're correct, it's meant to be a delivery codec.

 

[bbalser]

Convert P2 to DVCPRO-HD, that's it's native format, it's a great format to work in.
Convert H.264 footage (GoPro) to ProRes (LT).
ProRes HQ is overkill, will use more system resources to deal with, eat up unnecessary drive space, and won't give you any advantages.