ScreenFlow export for FCP

I did a screen recording with Screenflow and now need to add it to my timeline in FCP. I tried a couple of different exports out of Screenflow but it always looked blur either as a QT file or in FCP. What would you recommend I use for setting when exporting for FCP.

FCP sequence is DVCPro HD 1080 60i, vid rate 29.97

Laurie,

In ScreenFlow, there are a couple of preference settings that can affect the output quality of screen recording. In the Advanced "tab," choose "Lossless" for the Screen Recording Compression. You may also try both of the Video Magnification options, as well, to see which works best for your situation.

And, when you export, you should choose the Lossless preset (as you may have already done), and then customize it to match your FCP project settings (frame rate, size, etc.). ProRes 422 (HQ), ProRes 422, or Animation should work well as the export codec. Although you wouldn't need to render DVCPro HD in your FCP project, I would avoid exporting with DVCPro HD, as you will lose visible quality.

You may also notice a decrease in quality if your screen recording area is smaller than your FCP sequence frame size. You should probably do all of your scaling, zooming, and panning of your screen recording in ScreenFlow. If your screen recording area is larger than your FCP sequence frame size (say, all of the 30" Cinema Display, 2560 x 1600), you may want to crop your "canvas" in ScreenFlow to HD resolution before export.

You could try different export settings until you get one that looks suitable.

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Of course, the other side of this issue is your choice of sequence settings. DVCPro HD may not be the best choice, depending on your delivery format. If you don't need to deliver to DVCPro HD, you may want to edit your sequence in ProRes 422 or ProRes 422 (HQ), as you'll maintain a sharper image (your screen recording will be more clearly readable). Check your sequence settings to make sure things are set for the highest quality (Video Processing and Render Control).

-Dave

P.S. - Feel free to ask for clarification of my comments... I have edited my post a couple of times but it still may not be clear enough...

That makes perfect sense. I did have to use the zoom in feature in Screenflow at some parts, but what you said worked. I was able to get a sharp recording in FCP.

Thank you so much Dave for helping me out