Simple transcode/replace proxy on XML import?

Hey all,

I've been cutting a few projects in Premiere Pro lately (very impressed BTW) and I'd still like to do my color correction in COLOR, so I'm trying to go PPro>FCP7>Color. The FCP XML export function from PPro works really well, but since I'm cutting native Canon 7D files in PPro I wind up with a sequence full of H.264 clips in FCP and a lot of angry, red render bars.

I'm wondering if there's some trick to relinking the H.264 clips to proper transcoded versions (ProRes) when I import the XML? I tried doing it afterwards (taking the H.264 offline then manually relinking to the ProRes) but I get the 'start/stop doesn't match' error and it won't link to the ProRes clips.

I suppose I could also Media Manage the H.64 sequence and convert all the clips to ProRes that way, would that be easiest?

TIA,
JVK

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SCQT! Self-contained QuickTime ? pass it on!

"I suppose I could also Media Manage the H.64 sequence and convert all the clips to ProRes that way, would that be easiest?"

it would be pretty easy to try,
but you'd definitely want to do a cross-check to ensure it has worked.
i'd say there is plenty of room for error, although i haven't tried it myself.

but there should not have been a problem with your reconnect.

when you transcoded your rushes did you do the full length of all files?
did your XML from PP truncate the clips in any way?


nick

Here's the thing...

Color handles H.264 clips just fine in my experience. FCP7 not so. Sending an XML sequence to Color directly should be fine but PPro, for some odd reason, can't export an XML sequence, but prefers to export entire project files.

You can transcode the clips separately into another file directory and do a find and replace path with Text Wrangler. Try that on a clip. Not sure if those clips have time codec.

I had odd issues with FCP7 not wanting to re-connect to all the ProRes files, but only allowing for manual clip by clip re-connection. I guess this had something to do with the metadata hidden in the Canon files. I doubt that metadata will be written in a PPro XML, so a find/replace file path may just work.



www.strypesinpost.com

Be careful with the timecode track though. L&T inserts TC from the thm files while I think PPro ignores it.

Alternatively, you could try importing the XML with media offline in FCP an reconnecting them in Color.



www.strypesinpost.com

Alternatively try transcoding with Prelude/AME and relinking in Premiere. That will probably give you more love at the expense of time.

No, PPro can't consolidate/transcode. That's an oft requested feature/complaint.



www.strypesinpost.com

strypes Wrote:
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> Be careful with the timecode track though. L&T
> inserts TC from the thm files while I think PPro
> ignores it.

THAT'S what happened with my re-connect issue. I did the transcode via Log & Transfer after I imported the XML from PPro; the original H.264 clips don't have timecode but the transcoded ProRes clips do, hence the problem.


> Alternatively, you could try importing the XML with media offline in FCP an reconnecting them in Color.

I may try that, or just grade the H.264 in Color anyway (the ProRes transcode won't gain me any additional latitude, right?). Would be nice if PPro would just export a sequence instead of the whole project so I could directly into Color...

Thanks for your help, guys!

JVK

>the ProRes transcode won't gain me any additional latitude, right?

Nope, transcoding to a lossy format, no matter how visually lossless it is, will result in a loss of quality. But besides that, I noticed that for some shots, Color decodes the clips differently from FCP/QT. I think that has something to do with the color profiles used on the H.264 clips, and for those shots, the highlights seem to clip earlier in FCP than in Color.



www.strypesinpost.com