FCP Render Times - Creating shared computing

Aloha

First I would like to say that you guys/girls have created a great forum here - Thank you
I have noticed that it sometimes takes forever to render out a timeline - for example if i render each clip out it takes only 5-10 minutes to render - If I render out the entire timeline it mentions something like 15 hours to render - the time will eventually settle down to 8 hours. It seems like i can render a lot faster by rendering individual clips then the entire timeline at once - why is this? hope this makes sence


Also i have both a tower and MBP - is there a way to create a render farm using both systems? I remember something about need mac server - please clarify how this is done.

Have a great weekend
Sean

Nope. You can't cluster-render a Final Cut timeline.

As to your long render times ? I'd bet my eye teeth you're cutting HDV or XDCAM. Or maybe IMX, but that's a pretty obscure format compared to the other two. Am I right?

And you aren't having to render just when you drop a clip into the timeline are you? That is a clear sign that your clip settings and timeline settings don't match.


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Yes you are correct - I have a mix of DV, HDV and XDcam footage.

Shane Ross Wrote:
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> And you aren't having to render just when you drop
> a clip into the timeline are you? That is a clear
> sign that your clip settings and timeline settings
> don't match.


Off topic
Shane - thanks for the help - I was just checking out your work credits and saw that you worked on - TIME WARP - Discovery Channel Series / Creative Differences Productions - do you have any idea what cam they were using for the slo mo sequences?

Thanks again
Sean

Yeah, they are using the Phantom. Shoots insane frame rates...50,000fps. They then play out to P2 cards on a P2 Mobile at AVCIntra 1920x1080. Edited on Avids.

Fun show.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

The Red Centre guys did a segment on the Phantom recently. It's an odd little beast. They get the really high frame rates by scanning fewer sensor lines. So you can end up with footage that's 4K pixels by 720 lines if you set it up just right.

Yeah, I saw a demo at NAB. THey can get WICKED frame rates, if they make the image the size of a postage stamp.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

You can get an infinite number of frames per second, if each frame is just one black pixel.

Huh? Oh ? right! There was a question before the committee. Sean, you're in a little bit of a workflow hell, I'm afraid. DV is fine, but HDV and XDCAM are both long-GOP formats, which makes either one of them very processor-intensive (and thus time-consuming) to edit. Converting from one to the other just makes things worse.

I'd suggest that you just live with the render/conform times for this job, then on the next job like this, figure out a more efficient workflow. There are a lot of options, and I know which one I'd pick, but the secret to a happy life isn't taking my word for it or anybody else's, but rather figuring out what works best for you in your situation.

I had that problem several times when using mixed formats in the same sequence. Now, I just take everything in the browser and do a batch export as pro res. I bring in the exported pro res clips, dump the originals and now I can work with them without those long HDV conforming issues. Of course, I make sure that my new sequence settings are correctly set for pro res.
Steve

steve-sharksdelight

Steve Douglas Wrote:
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> I had that problem several times when using mixed
> formats in the same sequence. Now, I just take
> everything in the browser and do a batch export
> as pro res. I bring in the exported pro res
> clips, dump the originals and now I can work with
> them without those long HDV conforming issues. Of
> course, I make sure that my new sequence settings
> are correctly set for pro res.
> Steve


But doesn't that cause you to lose the original timecode for each clip? If you were planning on doing any kind of on-line, wouldn't that mean that your clips will never refer back to the original media?

No, the duration, timecode and everything else will remain as it was. I would do the batch export after you have captured your clips and before you start to build your sequence.
Steve

steve-sharksdelight