Importing AVCHD video into Mac OS X

X, if you subsequently want to work in FCP with your clips processed by ClipWrap, you'll need to import the original ClipWrap-processed files into FCP. What you work on in FCE will be converted to AIC in FCE, so you don't want to use video edited in FCE if you move over to FCP if you can avoid it.

Not sure if you can export an XML file from FCE that contains the editing info from the sequences you create in FCE to be able to reassemble (and reconnect) your edited sequences in FCP or not--you'll need to research this!

And one caveat regarding using ClipWrap is that those ClipWrap processed files will no longer be transferable via the Log & Transfer function in either FCE or FCP. So if you think you may want to use Log & Transfer on that footage at any point in the future, make sure to archive a copy (or copies for redundancy) of the original AVCHD cam file folder retaining the original folder/file structure unaltered.

Hope this helps!

- Mary Lynn

Chart of which versions of Final Cut Pro will import what versions of Final Cut Express

X

Unless you need ClipWrap for reasons such as Eric outlined, you may be better making an archieve of the originals via disc image, etc., then bring into FCE and edit away and not get too hung up on the Color Space and the rest. Space for video storage is fairly inexpensive in the grand scheme of things at this point in time, 1.5 Terrabytes is under $100, you will be able to save many hours of video fairly easily, AIC is about 50 Gigs per hour, ProRes (varies on version) assume about 75 Gigs an hour for ProRes that is more than adequate for most things.

I am not saying there will not be differences between things and you will get better quality with different workflows, but very often it may be somewhat more academic then things to get too caught up in. For instance text in a DV timeline is something to avoid. Inadvertantly shifting fields is another thing to avoid. But otherwise the biggest part of the battle is getting the thing as best as you can when shooting then get editing happening.

Not sure where your footage will wind up, but if you are not doing this commercially (and even more so broadcast commercially) do not miss the forest through the trees. If something needs to be changed latter on, you can do it relatively easily or is otherwise worth the time (In other words you get the Studio later on and however you did the project in FCE really has a practical impact on the results as compared to a full workflow in Final Cut Studio. Reediting/reconforming etc. is part of the turf.) If your intent is to try to really knock things out of the ballpark, get the Final Cut Studio with all of its bells & whistles, plus a good monitoring system and storage, to do the work. Even then alot could be overkill anyway. Again I am not trying to say you should not be concerned about various color space and the rest, it will have times where there are advantages, but be careful of missing the forest though the trees. I have shot with many cameras and worked with many cameras in editing and when dealing with things the lesser cameras have produced better results.

But I have attended the San Diego Undersea Film Exhibition and watched many movies shot with HDV cameras that look wonderful on the big screen because the footage was shot well and put together with good stories.

I agree with Drew. An entertaining, well-produced video done in iMovie trumps no production at all!

Thanks for the feedback!

Here is something odd. Log and Transfer used to work with my AVCHD files now it doesn't 1 week after installing Clip Wrap. Perhaps coincidence. I have searched high and low on Google for fixes but all seem to end in t dead-ends? Mary Lynn, Log and Transfer actually ingested one of my Clip Wrap converted AVCHD files (not meant to right) but this doesn't work either now. Strikes me Log and Transfer is very buggy. I have joined Eric's workflow with Clip Wrap. What I would now like to find is a transfer program where I can extract and add meta-data, to rename, and convert desired clips to ProRes 422 LT. I could really use this for streamlining my 3D workflow and creating paired left/right clips.

Any thoughts?

ClipWrap doesn't get "installed." It's just a package copied to your applications folder, so it cannot be the thing affecting Log and Transfer.

So... how are you going to add metadata to Quicktime movies? Where would the metadata get stored?

If you rename the files before they get ClipWrapped, you can use the date and time they were captured in the rename. Photo Mechanic can do this, as can other renaming programs. After the re-wrap, the new files will obviously have file creation dates from when they were wrapped.

That is what I thought and hence the "coincidence" statement. There just seems to be some voodoo around why things work on/off in FCP.

Regarding metadata, I was referring to extracting metadata (date, time, etc) and putting in the clip name.

This step is what I was looking for. I haven't used Photo Mechanic as I primarily work with video and hadn't considered for video applications. I have googled a few renaming apps. The important step here that you mentioned is doing it BEFORE you ClipWrap as I tried AFTER

Any good free renaming apps that can extract date & time data? I will keep looking.

Ok. So I tried Name Mangler (free download) and it worked great to modify my clips names very quickly. So added to Clip Wrap, I have a great combo!

Note that metadata information is lost when re-wrapping. For example, the original MTS files are created when the clips are recorded. If you re-wrap, the files get new file creation dates. I do a batch rename of the MTS files and encode the original creation date into the filename before re-wrapping in ClipWrap.

Are you renaming the MTS files on the camcorder or a copy of them on our hard drive? If the former, does this not affect the camcorder file organization?

Just on the computer copy.

Shawn,

Before you did all that, since the problem occurred in FC's Log and transfer, did you first try trashing your preferences? That might have been all you needed to do.

Steve

Sure...until it crashes again. I am getting very tired of trashing preferences, repairing disk permissions, restarting and resetting my preferences. Just not worth it after awhile.

I don't blame you Shawn and I hear the frustration. I have been using FC since Version 1 and both ML and I got Apple certified together. However, I have never experienced the problems you are having.

If it were me, I would completely delete any of the more recent 3rd party plug ins to see which, if any, could be causing the problem. I doubt if it is FC itself. If that didn't work and you couldn't find the guilty culprit, I would use App Zapper or App Delete to entirely delete FC and all its hidden files and do a complete reinstall. Of course, before doing so you would want to do a complete system back up on an external drive.

This should eliminate your problem. Then as you add more 3rd party plug ins, should it occur again, you will then have found the culprit.

Steve

ps App Zapper gives you 6 free deletes before you have to buy, but it is very cheap to purchase and I have used both many times with never a problem.

Hi all

Lurker Rowlands here. I've discovered this post late but am glad I did as I've just downgraded (size-wise) to a Sony NEX-5 and was amazed the video files wouldn't flow seemlessly into FCP. I tried ClipWrap but for some reason (could have been me) there was still a problem using the clips in FCP so I looked around and found Aunsoft MTS Converter www.aunsoft.com/mts-converter-mac The files end up smaller than the original but the quality, to my eye, looks identical. It's only $29.99 but if you want a desktop and a laptop copy you have to buy 2.

I was very grateful to Eric for starting this thread and hope the above helps.

Best wishes

Peter Rowlands