FS7: Sony Fs7 FCPX workflow question

F

filmekanik

New member
If anyone can advise it would be much appreciated.

Have read up on it but still confused...

I shot 25fps & 300fps 1080 XAVC-I codec, on an fs7

Media downloaded to external hard drive.

I imported it into FCPX fine. I clicked leave files in place/so as not to create duplicates. IN the main settings menu I have also clicked leave files in place. Is that correct?

All the media showed up fine in the browser but I noticed it had a small circle on it in the- this is like a timer and gradually each clip became 'transcoded' ? and it disappeared. I noticed that 'duplicates'? were being made in the fcp orginal media folder.

This is where I got confused. I said leave files in place and I did not select optimise media. Yet all the files transcoded into .mov files in the orginal media folder

Are these new files better/different than the orginals straight from the FS7? Is this just part of the workflow.

I was unsure on this so also selected all the clips and created optimized media files of them too.

So I now have 3 sets of media (as well as another back up of the orginal files - XDROOT - XAVCI MXL- on another drive)
Media from the card XDROOT - XAVCI MXL
Original media .mov
Optmized media .mov

Do I need these 3 sets? What is the difference between them.

If anyone can let me know or tell me their workflow with FS7 files in FCPX it would be really apprciated.

Cheers

James
 
Are you certain that when you imported you selected the versions on the hard drive rather than the memory card?
Sometimes when you import something the little progress wheel is just showing re-wrapping rather than full blown transcoding (optimizing). Are you sure that FCPX can natively edit the FS7 clips? If it can't then it has to at least rewrap them and put a copy into the Library.
The files, whether rewrapped or transcoded, should show no quality loss compared to the originals.
 
filmekanik said:
I shot 25fps & 300fps 1080 XAVC-I codec, on an fs7
Click to expand...

James, I don't edit with FCPX so I can't help you with your root question, but I'm going to point out that 300 fps is not possible. For 25P (PAL) the fastest XAVC frame rate you can select is 150 fps.
I know you probably know that and just made a typo but I felt compelled to correct it anyway.
 
James,
First - what version of FCPX are you using? 10.2 is the latest and had an upgrade on the ability to import XAVC codec (previous versions needed a Sony plug-in to import XAVC & MPEG422 footage) as well as a bit of a different import window.
Assuming you copied entire contents of your XQD card to an external drive first, then once inside FCPX, you selected import - and were importing from the external drive - and had selected "leave files in place" and did not check to create optimize or proxy media, then that would create "pointer" files - that create a new .mov wrapper for the xml files. But these should be small kb size files, not large mov files. And, if memory is correct, these are placed wherever you've chosen as your "library". So, if your library was created on that same external drive, then you would have the pointer files there - pointing to the original xml files on that external drive.
If you want to to transcode to ProRes on import, then you would select "create optimized media" and that would create ProRes versions of your shot footage.
So - in reading your post, I'm assuming you originally had the original shot footage and then created the pointer files only (which have the .mov extension but will be very small file sizes). And lastly, if you then re-imported while transcoding, you also created ProRes versions of those files.
So, no, you don't need all of them... but may need to re-link them (the first non-optimized files) if you opened FCPX without having your external drive connected.
Hope that helps.
 
Also - just re-read your post. To answer your last question...For my normal workflow, I find no reason to transcode the XAVC-I footage. While I have always liked ProRes, I find the XAVC to be pretty equal in quality with a bit of file size reduction. Having said that, I do usually copy the files to my library - which is on a different external drive than my "storage drive" and means I now have two different places my footage resides - before it gets backed up on a third place.
 
i always work with the XAVC-I files directly, i don't see the need to transcode to anything...which means i leave the checkboxes in the (now with 10.2 new) import screen...i usually choose to copy the files to wherever they are going (usually my external raid)...i believe the circle you are talking about is just fcpx showing you th progress of th import....because you can start working on the files right away, before they are even finished being copied to your drive....this was a little strange with the old import display, you had to check the progress window to see if the import was finished....and sometimes you could actually try to eject the card and the finder would tell you that fcpx is still using the card (which sometimes created issues with the import actually being interrupted...)
you can always go into your fcpx library bundle (control click, "show bundle content") which will show you all projects in a folder view and simply check the original media and optimized folders where you will see what you actually have.....
there is a great little app "final cut library manager" which is a great way of getting rid of unwanted files and such....
 
Thanks all for the replies very helpfull. My old mac died and the new one only did fcpx, which is fine, just still working my head around a few things. I have v 10.2 and haven't shot with the fs7 before



DDixon - It works natively with the Fs7 files so thought, I assume incorrecty,that meant it worked straight with XAVC-I footage/file system that came from the card XDROOT - XAVCI MXL. But as you suggested, the files created in the original media folder may be the media rewrapped in a .mov file ready for use and that's where I got confused (as they are not pointer files - well I think they aren't as they are the same size as the ones shot on the cards) and I thought this might affect their gradedabilty as they were shot slog3 cinestyle. If thats the case I can get rid of the original media from the card XDROOT - XAVCI MXL or at least store it somewhere else?

Doug - yes a typo - 120fps

Mark - Thanks that makes sense and that's what I originally thought- the only thing is, I don't think they are pointer files as the original media from the cards came to 481gb - the new .mov files in the original media folder which I mentioned come to 475gb - when I click reveal file in finder the files in the original media folder are the ones chosen. So I am assuming that these are the rewrapped original XAVC files now in a .mov format ready for use as DDixon suggested If that's the case is he original media/file system from the card redundant?

Paul - If I understand you right- what you are saying is that the little circle is fcpx importing/un wrapping the XAVC files and putting them in the original media folder in a .mov format. And I thought, incorrectly, that because I could see the files in fcpx straight away after import that was me all set to work with the XAVC-I files directy, but in reality FCPX has to import these files and put them in a .mov format. Again does this mean that the original media straight from the card is now redundant as the media has been unwrapped and put into these .mov files, and these new .mov files are now the orginal media.

Apologies for being slow here, I think I'm there but if anyone could confirm that would be great.

Thanks again.
 
filmekanik said:
Thanks all for the replies very helpfull. My old mac died and the new one only did fcpx, which is fine, just still working my head around a few things. I have v 10.2 and haven't shot with the fs7 before



DDixon - It works natively with the Fs7 files so thought, I assume incorrecty,that meant it worked straight with XAVC-I footage/file system that came from the card XDROOT - XAVCI MXL. But as you suggested, the files created in the original media folder may be the media rewrapped in a .mov file ready for use and that's where I got confused (as they are not pointer files - well I think they aren't as they are the same size as the ones shot on the cards) and I thought this might affect their gradedabilty as they were shot slog3 cinestyle. If thats the case I can get rid of the original media from the card XDROOT - XAVCI MXL or at least store it somewhere else?

Doug - yes a typo - 120fps

Mark - Thanks that makes sense and that's what I originally thought- the only thing is, I don't think they are pointer files as the original media from the cards came to 481gb - the new .mov files in the original media folder which I mentioned come to 475gb - when I click reveal file in finder the files in the original media folder are the ones chosen. So I am assuming that these are the rewrapped original XAVC files now in a .mov format ready for use as DDixon suggested If that's the case is he original media/file system from the card redundant?

Paul - If I understand you right- what you are saying is that the little circle is fcpx importing/un wrapping the XAVC files and putting them in the original media folder in a .mov format. And I thought, incorrectly, that because I could see the files in fcpx straight away after import that was me all set to work with the XAVC-I files directy, but in reality FCPX has to import these files and put them in a .mov format. Again does this mean that the original media straight from the card is now redundant as the media has been unwrapped and put into these .mov files, and these new .mov files are now the orginal media.

Apologies for being slow here, I think I'm there but if anyone could confirm that would be great.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
afaik that is correct....the .mov files that end up in you original media folder are the unwrapped XAVC-I files....they are identical...just a different extension....and yes it is a little misleading that you are working with the files who they are being copied over....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top