I'll be collaborating on a music video project with a friend who cuts on FCP. The video's perfomance shots will shot with a Canon 5D MkII as 1080p, while we also need to incorporate selected 1080i/50 P2HD media currently in a project on my Avid system into the video. Requirements are:
1) Export selected clips from Avid 1080i/50 project in a flavour that FCP can import (DNxHD?)
2) Shoot band with 5D in 1080p
3) Do preliminary/offline cut on FCP, after deinterlacing 1080i footage originally from Avid project
4) Move project back to Avid system, finish, make use of Matrox MX02 for client preview, and finally master project to SD tape thru SDI Mojo.
I would appreciate any advice on a tried and tested FCP/Avid workflow regarding the following:
1) What would be the best way to export the P2 media currently in the Avid project to FCP? It won't be practical to give the original P2 media to FCP editor as he only needs selected clips and there is close to 15hours of raw P2 media! I'm thinking DNxHD, but I guess he'll have to install the Avid codecs then. Practical?
2) Is it better to deinterlace the 1080i clips in Avid first, or to do that in FCP when cutting in the 1080p 5D footage?
3) What is the best way of moving the project back to Avid after finishing the prelim cut in FCP? First prize would be to have the full editable timeline, otherwise a single file (Prores/DNxHD) would suffice.
Any advice will be much appeciated. Avid system is MC 5.0.3.7r on Win7. FCP on Macbook Pro.
No answers for you but, do not be surprized if there are gamma shifts when you move between Avid and FCP and back..... it is the nature of the beast unless of course your intermediate is tape..... Even Snow Leopard and the latest FCP. Any QT that comes into FCP is assumed to be Gamma 1.8 (standard for Avid and the rest of the world is 2.2). You can fix this for still files but not QTs. Also remember that QT is RGB levels, and Avid is video levels. None of this comes inot play using tape but definitely when working with files.
Now, I will turn it back over to the editors for their exremely practical solutions......
1. You use FCP for this job or he uses Avid for the duration of the job. Or just one of you does the edit. Why make life harder than it needs to be. Especially if you're adding 5D footage into the mix.
2.Automatic Duck....
3. Your could export you selects as some form of offline QT's (or install Avid in trial mode on his mac and export Pro-Res).
Export an ALE, convert it to a Batch List to retain the extra metadata. Edit in FCP and use an EDL to get the FCP cut back into Avid and hope you can re-link to your P2 footage. Have done this with tape but not P2 and personally wouldn't even try with stupid DSLR files, unless they were converted to an editing codec and had unque timecode and source metadata.
You could also export a single file (Pro-Res) from FCP and an EDL. Import Pro-res into Avid via ama, use the EDL to give you the cut points in Avid and add the cut points to the single clip on a timeline. Only really any good if you'll just want to grade or shuffle the shots in Avid.
5. Just do the whole job in Avid and save yourself a world of hurt, especially if attending, paying clients are invovled. What if they want to change a D5 shot? Er just gotta go back to FCP....
30 Day trial available for OSX from Avid.com.
Edd Maggs
www.eddmaggs.co.uk
Mac OS 10.6 support Gamma 2.2 as a default.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3712
Do you think there is no gamma shift if I use Mac OS 10.6 ?I'm not sure it works as I haven't test yet.
Guys the editor on the FCP is actually doing me a big favour in helping me out in this job and we need to be practical to get this done. The tools available is all we have and we need to make it work.
From your replies I gather the following:
1) Avid can indeed import Prores through AMA without the need to install any special codecs, correct? I assume he will need to install the Avid codec pack on his side to import my DNxHD? I suggest the workaround then is to stick to good old Animation codec QTs to export the P2 clips to his FCP.
2) Thanks for the heads-up on the gamma issue. Is there any way to avoid this, or deal with it after import?
http://www.borisfx.com/AAF/
That can be the answer for you. You have a fully functionnal demo for 14 days.
It is worth trying.
As for the gamma shift:
lateral:install Avid in trial mode on his mac and export Pro-Res
peace luca
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