4K video problems in FCPX

[CleanFeed]

I'm trying to edit 4k video in FCP but I'm running into a number of problems. Sadly, I'm sure, a lot of it stems from my lack of knowledge and inexperience as I'm very new to this, any help would be hugely appreciated.

The video is from a 'Wolf Action 4K UltraHD' camera. Here are the file details (taken from VLC):

• Codec: H264 - MPEG-4 AVC (part10) (avc1)
• Resolution: 3840x2178
• Display Resolution: 3840x2160
• Frame Rate: 30
• Decoded Format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV
• Audio Codec: MPEG AAC Audio (mp4a)
• Sample Rate: 16000 Hz

So the problem I'm experiencing; the video plays perfectly in VLC and Quicktime but when I import the video directly into FCP it firstly appears as if through a red filter and also flickers (at first I thought the flickering was because the video is taken from inside an aeroplane cockpit and was from the propeller but it doesn't flicker in VLC or Quicktime). If I then change the 'Colour Space Override' to any of the options except 'off' this fixes the red issue but the flickering still persists.

Through experimentation I've found that if I transcode the video in FCP to 'Apple ProRes' the flickering stops BUT the red issue returns and I have to change 'Colour Space Override' to 'rec. 601 (NTSC) to get the correct colour but by doing this the flickering returns.

Also if I try to then share to a Master File I get a 'failed error message'.

I've tried transcoding in Compressor but it just hangs on 'processing' and doesn't do anything.

This is driving me crazy now, I can't understand why the video plays faultlessly in VLC and Quicktime yet I'm having so much trouble in FCPX and Compressor.

If it helps my system is: 15" MacBook Pro (Touchbar), 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB RAM, Radeon Pro 460 GPU.

Any help at all would be really appreciated, thanks!!

 

[ColdCase]

While waiting for someone that knows what he is doing to jump in here, you may want to try editing in proxy mode, then remember to export the project in full resolution.

 

[joema2]

I'm trying to edit 4k video...from a 'Wolf Action 4K UltraHD' camera....the video plays perfectly in VLC and Quicktime but when I import the video directly into FCP it firstly appears as if through a red filter and also flickers...

Download and install Apple Pro Video Formats 2.0.5, then try again: https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1898?locale=en_US

If it still does that, create a new project: File>New>Project, make sure the button at bottom left says "Use Custom Settings" -- which means you are using Automatic settings. The project characteristics will be determined by the first clip added to the timeline.

Import the media. At first do not generate proxy or optimized media. Before you even add a clip to the timeline, evaluate if the Event Browser whether you can play the clip by skimming your mouse across the thumbnail.

Then add a clip to the timeline. If you get an error saying it cannot identify the clip characteristics you'll need to create a custom project for this.

If needed you can try generating proxy or optimized media, which transcodes the camera native files to optimized ProRes. However -- none of these special steps should be necessary -- it should simply work. It's possible that camera is a cut-rate "GoPro clone" which has taken some short cut in the codec they're using.

 

[Gwendolini]

Hello.

If you are willing to share a small sample file from the camera for someone to test, I am willing to give it a go.

 

[Msivyparrot]

What might help, I am not sure if it is still possible, but try and buy Quicktime 7 Pro, this will allow you to convert into a better codec other than h264. I bought a licence a long time ago, and it is still valid, and I am so glad I did!

 

[Gwendolini]

What might help, I am not sure if it is still possible, but try and buy Quicktime 7 Pro, this will allow you to convert into a better codec other than h264. I bought a licence a long time ago, and it is still valid, and I am so glad I did!

Which better codec?

 

[purpletalon55]

H.264 is a great codec especially for 4k, but you need to keep in mind that its max res is 4k. So doing a bunch of crazy stuff might be too much for it.