Help on FINAL CUT EXPRESS HD

[fslg]

Hello, today I tried to use Final Cut Express Hd for the first time.

I have a bunch of .mp4 files created with a Flip Mino HD camera (H264).

I tried to import them in FCE, but I always get the UNRENDERED message on the Canvas window when I try to play it on the timeline.

I know has something to do with the settings I put on the "Easy Setup" thing, but I tried everything and it's not working.

How can I solve this? And what is the best way to work with those kind of HD files?

Thank you

 

[spinnerlys]

MPEG-4 (.mp4, .h264) is a codec not meant for editing.

You have to convert it to AIC first to be able to use it without rendering.

Also the Sequence (Timeline) settings should match the footage in resolution, frame rate, audio bit depth, audio sample rate, and of course CODEC.

As I said before, MPEG-4 is not meant for editing.

You can use MRoogle to find some similar topics in the Digital Video sub-forum.

Also chapter 15, page 205 of the following document might help: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Final_Cut_Express_4_User_Manual.pdf

 

[tbae12]

You can try rendering it. The time it takes varies with format and length.
I think the keyboard shortcut is command:R when you have the timeline selected.

 

[spinnerlys]

You can try rendering it. The time it takes varies with format and length.
I think the keyboard shortcut is command:R when you have the timeline selected.

But every time he moves the clip one frame to the left (or to the right, doesn't matter), it needs to be rendered again.

AIC might take more HDD space, but that is due to storing every frame, and not every nth frame with MPEG-4, where the rest between every nth frame is an approximation (MPEG-4 saves the changes from frame to frame, and only every nth frame is really stored - MPEG-2 saves every 15th frame, I don't know about MPEG-4, therefore the "nth frame").

Some info about MPEG-4: http://healthcare.leverageis.com/pdf/IndigoVision_Understanding_MPEG-4.pdf

 

[fslg]

what a pain in the ass. All my videos are mp4. I might go back to iMovie

 

[spinnerlys]

iMovie won't help you there.

Better editing applications needs to have the footage in an editable format, and MP4 clearly isn't one.

Why don't you convert your Flip Mino HD footage from .h264 into AIC?

You could use MPEG Streamclip to batch convert it to AIC.

 

[fslg]

Because I have no space left in my Hard Disk.

I never had a problem with iMovie and my mp4 files

MPEG-4 (.mp4, .h264) is a codec not meant for editing.

You have to convert it to AIC first to be able to use it without rendering.

Also the Sequence (Timeline) settings should match the footage in resolution, frame rate, audio bit depth, audio sample rate, and of course CODEC.

As I said before, MPEG-4 is not meant for editing.

You can use MRoogle to find some similar topics in the Digital Video sub-forum.

Also chapter 15, page 205 of the following document might help: http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Final_Cut_Express_4_User_Manual.pdf

Hello, I tried to convert the files to AIC with MPEG Streamclip, but I don't see any AIC option. What is AIC?

 

[spinnerlys]

AIC.

I thought you had FCE, so the codec should be installed.

I have FCP and the codec is installed, so I can't check there.

Have you opened the video in MPEG Streamclip, then gone to Movie Export (QuickTime I think, I can't check now, my work Mac is fracking up again), and then selected the Apple Intermediate Codec?

 

[fslg]

AIC.

I thought you had FCE, so the codec should be installed.

I have FCP and the codec is installed, so I can't check there.

Have you opened the video in MPEG Streamclip, then gone to Movie Export (QuickTime I think, I can't check now, my work Mac is fracking up again), and then selected the Apple Intermediate Codec?

Ok found it, thanks