Using FCP and AVID

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dasonras

Well-known member
I am preparing to edit a 60 minute documentary. I am primarily and avid editor, but just recently started to used FCP.

I like the features in both FCP and Avid; it seems to be what avid lacks, FCP has, and what FCP lacks, avid has.

Bottom line, i want to edit in both programs. something like edit in avid until i have a rough cut and then move it into fcp to create a final cut with effects and livetype stuff.


What is the best way and method to utilize the both programs. Is there a way i can move the project content directly, say using an OMF feature (?).

Is it best to capture in avid, edit in avid and then move to fcp or should i capture in fcp, edit in fcp and then move to avid?
 
There is a good book out there FCP for Avid editors this might help. I don't know Avid that good but if it can export an XML file that will be the best. OMF works good also. As far as capturing. I don't know how Avid deals with quicktime files. But I would capture in fcp with quicktime files. Only beacuse that is what livetype and motion use. and if that is why you want to use fcp for those reasons then that would be the way to go. Or use some intermediate codec that both editors use.
 
Why? Tell me what's missing from Automatic Duck for your workflow and I'll try to offer something better.
 
While Krestofre does that, I'll offer any workaround you might need for you to just stay in FCP... other than key mapping... you're on your own there.

Other than that... you're set!!

CaptM
 
Oh, i'm not saying that the auto duck won't do the job; i just don't want to spend extra money on a third party software to do something that fcp should be able to do on its own.

I can't believe FCP does not have a standard OMF export option built in!!!!


Okay, let's put the OMF issue aside. After i edit my 60 minute cut (cut down from 20 hours of footage) in avid, what is the best way to export the sequence from avid and bring it into fcp for some mastering such as titles and cool transitions?Nothing too major.


Usually from Avid i would export as QT ref and then use sorenson to do whatever. Or sometimes I will export from Avid as simply a QT movie that is compressed but self-contained.

If i am sending my video to FCP, obviously i want to export from avid using high res and probably not compressed QT (???).
 
The problem that you're going to run into is how each program handles its media files. Avid has a very specific and unique way of managing your media and it's mostly designed so that you (the user) don't mess with it. If you capture in Avid and try to pull the footage over to FCP it's going to be a huge process of exporting your clips one by one and importing them into FCP. There's no way to feed FCP your Avid media (other than Automatic Duck).

I'm going to agree with the Captain. I'd just stay in FCP for your project. Either that or figure out whether you can't live without Avid's feature, or FCP's features more. They were never built to work together, and Automatic Duck is just a workaround. I understand that $500 can be a hefty price tag, but in my opinion it's a must have if you're working one project across both platforms.
 
I know that FCP saved captured footage a dv file and then creates a map.

Avid saves captured footage as OMFI.

All i want to do is edit my entire 20 hours of footage down to a rough cut in avid. Then export my ~hour rough cut to fcp for some tweaking.


FCP has some great effects and livetype i would like to utilize, but avid wins in the organization category. I feel it is much easier to organize and consolidate clips in avid than in fcp.
 
Then you're looking at exporting from your Avid timeline clip by clip. Use Quicktime Same as Source and then set up your FCP project with the same codec and such. Then you'll have to rebuild your timeline in FCP.

If you don't need individual clips on your FCP timeline then you can just export one big QT from Avid and import that into FCP.

Good luck with it, either way.
 
Depends on how you're thinking about "no compression." It won't export a true uncompressed Quicktime, instead it will export it with the same codec that you captured the video. So if you capture 1:1 in Avid, then it will export 1:1 if you capture DV it will export DV. The advantage is that you're not going through another transcode of your media so you're avoiding a generation loss.
 
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