Basic Conversion over from Vegas Video to FCP 5.0.4 Help... things r very different.

[Cross]

Ok well basically I have used Vegas Video sincce version 3.0 for quite some time. I really REALLY like it and I am used to it of course.

Now I switched to Mac because I have always pref'd Mac laptops. (My first laptop was a Powerbook 5300cs and from there I have owned almost every model up through the iBook G4 and TiBooks.)

However nothing is close to being familure in FCP.

I am used to the following and I am looking for some basic guidence on where these changes are in FCP so I can get back to playing around again.

With Vegas Video I would have a section called media files. These were all the files I was using in the current clip I was making. Some did not even get used but were there for source video mainly or if I did decided to change to an idea I had with them.

I could Flag points of interest that I felt might be a good scene to use in my video.
I could select Audio and Video or just Video (Or just Audio for that matter).
I could edit these clips at any time and it did not affect the source video it just put it into my main selection. (This is the biggest problem I have FCP does not seem to be anything like this)


In FCP I can not just select Video and the editor opens up Quicktime which does not let me flag items nor copy and paste them into my selection, it was me to open the video multiple times and edit it down to the sections I want.

I need to be able to mark parts of the video that are of interest to me, get only the video and not the audio and I need to know where the basic setup of how files layout is. I can not even seem to get the audio in my video to play all I get is a beeping noise unless I pull the slider and then I can hear it. I am not sure whats up with that.

I guess I am just not used to the program but I did not expect this much trouble from it. I expected some differences but with just some basic playing around to see where the different setups were.

I hate the idea of Quicktime being an editor. I want to open the clip with a time line andf mark sections be able to select sections in the time line then and pull them to my main project while leaving the rest and leaving the source file untouched. (Just copying the data over to my main movie).

Either I am completely missing something or this program is just not going to let me edit like I have been for so long in which case I need a program that will so suggestions there are welcome.

Thanks guys!

 

[LethalWolfe]

Pretty much everything you want to do is very basic. I suggest doing the tutorial that came w/the proggie so you can get the basics down as well as familiarize yourself w/Final Cut's workflow and nomenclature (viewer, canvas, browser, etc.,.).

It might take you a bit to stop thinking in "Vegas" terms 'cause Vegas (from what I remember of it) seemed more different in it's approach and UI than other NLEs like Avid, Final Cut, or Premiere.


Lethal

 

[Cross]

I am currently readint through the quick guide and other sections trying what I can. I guess I will just keep going here until i get the hang of it and post more direct questions.

For now my main questions are:
1) How do I Remove Audio from a Video segment I want to use?
2) Is there any way to edit a video using a time line feature thats a video other then your main segment?
3) Why when I play the main video do i hear beeping instead of the music I have selected?
4) How do I select the clips I want to transfer over to my Main Timeline/movie?
5) Can I mark, flag etc portions of other video files I am using as source as areas of interest that I want to use in my video in differennt sections or possibles for different sections?

 

[LethalWolfe]

I am currently readint through the quick guide and other sections trying what I can. I guess I will just keep going here until i get the hang of it and post more direct questions.

More direct is always better.

For now my main questions are:
1) How do I Remove Audio from a Video segment I want to use?

Do you mean you want to place only video from a master clip into the timeline? If so, just look at the left side of timeline and you'll see V1, A1, A2 (these represent the a/v tracks on the time line) and v1, a1, a2 (these represent the a/v tracks of the master clip you currently have loaded in the viewer). To edit in only video from the master clip into the timeline you can "unplug" the incoming audio channels by clicking on a1 and a2 and they will separate from A1 and A2.

2) Is there any way to edit a video using a time line feature thats a video other then your main segment?

No. Unfortunately their is no timeline for master clips. What you can do though is make a subclip and use those instead of the master clip.

3) Why when I play the main video do i hear beeping instead of the music I have selected?

Beeping means the audio needs to be rendered. $20 says the audio you've laid in is not a 16bit/48k audio file AIFF or WAV file. Final Cut will not use MP3s w/o rendering.

4) How do I select the clips I want to transfer over to my Main Timeline/movie?

Double click on the clip in the browser and it will appear in the viewer. Once it's in the viewer you can edit it into the timeline.

5) Can I mark, flag etc portions of other video files I am using as source as areas of interest that I want to use in my video in differennt sections or possibles for different sections?

Press "M" to drop a marker. Press "M" twice and it will drop a marker and open up a dialog box where you can enter text.


Lethal

 

[Cross]

Awsome! Thanks I think I can make some progress with that.

How do I render the audio then if its in mp3 format?

On the diting and removing audio from it I will try but here is what i did:
I dragged the whole movie into the main timeline and it transfered both. i still and not sure how to just select segments.

I am getting from what you said that the audio will be there it just will not play? When I pulled it over it always went to audio channel 3 and 4 etc.

But editing the clips in the viewer is where I am confused so far.

The mark way really helps thanks so much. I think with just a little more help i should be able to get most everything down and be able to leanr the rest through playing around.

Thanks for helping its really nice to have help ^-^

 

[Lebowski]

to render audio (or video, effects or transitions) command+A (select all - while in timeline) and then command+R (render all) - also found under the Sequence>Render menu.


you may have your audio tracks muted (there is a round speaker icon to the left of audio in the timeline) it should be green if its on, grayed out it its muted. Just click it, and it changes state.

 

[LethalWolfe]

How do I render the audio then if its in mp3 format?

From the menu bar Sequence->Render All->Audio
It'll be easier though if you either convert the MP3 to AIFF (you can use iTunes) or just import from the original CD into Final Cut

On the diting and removing audio from it I will try but here is what i did:
I dragged the whole movie into the main timeline and it transfered both. i still and not sure how to just select segments.

You need to select "in" and "out" points in your master clip. Put an "in" at the beginning of the section you want and an "out" at the end.

I am getting from what you said that the audio will be there it just will not play? When I pulled it over it always went to audio channel 3 and 4 etc.

Usually if it automatically goes to 3/4 it means you are dragging the video onto V2. If you clicked on a1 and a2 to "uplug" them (there should be a gap between the a1/a2 icons and the A1/A2 icons) the audio tracks will not be edited into the timeline.

But editing the clips in the viewer is where I am confused so far.

The mark way really helps thanks so much.

Did you try using the subclip feature? Bring up your master clip in the viewer, mark in/ou around the portion of the clip that you want and hit "command+U" to make the subclip. Now look back over at the master clip in the browser and you'll see the subclip right below it. The subclip contains only the a/v that you selected w/your in and out points.

Thanks for helping its really nice to have help ^-^

No problem. But seriously, if you spend a few hours doing the tutorial pretty much every question you've asked so far will be solved.


Lethal

 

[Cross]

I pref talking and asking direct questions though.. ADHD thing lol.

I got the audio in and rendered lol. I am still working on getting video clips done the way I want them. But with this information I think I can make it to my next question atleast.

I got the subclips down. I guess that works for me along with the markers, just a different setup.

However I am still working on not getting the audio with the clip. No luck yet, still working on it.

 

[Cross]

Ok now I understand what you ment by unpluging the audio in.

So I have the video only but now when I play it I get unrendered. Do I have to render it everytime I add a clip or want to see how it matches up with that segment of audio?

Its WMV format that I brought in.

 

[rand()]

Its WMV format that I brought in.

Oww. Owwww.... ouch. Those three letters really sting. It's not your fault.

Before doing anything else, I would *highly* recommend converting your WMV over to a regular Quicktime DV and re-importing. Flags went off in my head when you said "Quicktime as an editor..." as you shouldn't be seeing much of Quicktime; most of your clip editing (as far as in/out setting) would typically be done in the viewer and then taken to the main timeline.

FCP is extremely flexible. There are many, many ways of doing almost everything. But yes, if you keep your source material as WMV, you're going to have to render every time you make the most minor of changes. I would also imagine that you're opening yourself up to a world of sync problems, frame droppage, and quality issues.

The very best thing you could do is look at your sequence settings, and convert your WMV source into whatever codec, frame size, and quality you have listed there. That's going to make your FCP experience a whole lot more friendly.

And definitely do the tutorials when you get the chance. They're going to clear up a lot of these basic editing issues (markers, in/outs, timelines, sync, etc.).

Rock and roll!

-rand()

 

[Cross]

Yes I am finding i have to render everytime... Oh well since most every video is WMV, AVI I am stuck with it for now. I will work on conversion when I have a drive bigger then 60 internal and 40 external usb 1.1 (I can not get anything firewire to recognize I think the external I have does not work with firewire anymore.

I will have to work through the annoying problems of WMV for now but I have some clips and the music working now. Rendering every time is annoying so I just do about 6-7 clips at a time and then try to place them and go back and do it again.

Def not what I am used to with Vegas but for now it works. When i get the method down and hopefully convert my files I am sure it will be much smoother.

On question though. I have been watching my drive size.

I want to know every time I make a clip from the file I am using does that just make a ref point or is it actually copying the video else where.

From what I understand its not editing the source I am using just making a clip. With Vegas those were just ref points and the file size was under 500k every time if not much less.

Now I noticed my FCP Project file size is like 167K but I also watched my drive start to go down in space so is it actually making clips and storing them in another location?

Thanks again!

 

[rand()]

Yes I am finding i have to render everytime... Oh well since most every video is WMV, AVI I am stuck with it for now. I will work on conversion when I have a drive bigger then 60 internal and 40 external usb 1.1 (I can not get anything firewire to recognize I think the external I have does not work with firewire anymore.

...

Now I noticed my FCP Project file size is like 167K but I also watched my drive start to go down in space so is it actually making clips and storing them in another location?

Well, see, that's the thing. The reason you must render is because the source material encoding does not match the sequence settings. The rendering eats up a lot of space - simply because Final Cut is converting the material for you. It has to for it to play properly. Yes, your project file will only be a few hundered KB, but if you look to your Render Files folder you'll see it growing each and every time you render (in this case, any time you make a cut).

Even with your space constraints, you're still better off converting the footage in one fell swoop. If it doesn't have to render, the size of your project will stay constistent, because FCP won't be constantly generating more video files.

The firewire issue sounds troubling as well... you can't get anything to work, or you can't get just that drive to work?

Convert your footage! Resistance is futile!

-rand()

 

[Cross]

The only firewire item I have is that drive and I have taken it apart so many times I think its def the drive.

If I had something else I would test the port with it but thats all I have. I don't see how my firewire could be bad on the computer though. The Lappy runs great. And the firewire port does power the drive it just does not show up.

 

[rand()]

The only firewire item I have is that drive and I have taken it apart so many times I think its def the drive.

You'd be surprised. I've seen both ends go bad in different ways; some drives don't meet the correct FW specs and will 'blow out' a port. In this case, often the drive powers, but because the control chips are burnt it will never show up.

Power on a firewire port has nothing to do with the actual data pins. One can work and not the other. I'd ask a friend to borrow another device (like a camera, not a drive) and check the port on the computer.

You could also do a quick System Profiler check and see if your Firewire Bus is even present. If you've only got the one port, and it's burnt out, System Profiler might say "no Firewire bus present" or something similar.

-rand()