Compressing HD to h.264 issues

Alright im using FCP 5.0.4 and ive imported my HD files from a HVX-200a on a P2 card. im editing it all as SD. everything looks gorgeous in my viewers but the second i go to compress it the footage gets smashed vertically. ive tried at least 5 different compression set ups using quicktime compression out of the export menu in FCP (compressor freezes up on me every time i use it) which one do i need im just trying to get it out @ 4:3 with letterboxed 16:9 inside of it for a web series my roommate is working on.

What was your P2 shot at? 720P, 1080i?
What is your SD sequence setting? Anamorphic - Y/N ?

ak
Sleeplings, AWAKE!

Export via Compressor was seriously flawed in older versions of FCP. Avoid until FCP 6.

If you shot SD anamorphic and are editing in an anamorphic sequence in FCP, then I'd just export a Self-contained or reference QT, not Quicktime Conversion.

Take the SCQT or REFQT into compressor and choose your H.264 setting. Go into the Geometry section and under Padding, select the 16:9 preset. This will squeeze the anamorphic file into the correct aspect ratio and give you a 4:3 quicktime with letterboxed video.

Andy

720p and the sequence is set at 3:2 ntsc dv non anamorphic. ive never delved to much into changing the settings in final cut and this is my first full hd project everything before this was mini dv footage

So you edited 720p footage in an NTSC dv sequence? You were rendering with every edit?

andy

yeah every clip had to get rendered it was a pain in the ass. id love to know how to get around that. im not very familiar with hd editing and when i first learned FCP it was FCP2 then i didnt do video work for about 2 years then i went and got a mac with FCP studio so i missed the whole wave of HD coming in.

but to be more on topic how do i export this footage the way i want. then maybe later some one can tell me the nuances of dealing with HD on an HD sequence

Can you post a screen shot of the "squishing" you're referring to? By editing in a DV sequence, FCP should have automatically scaled your video to fit the frame. So when you were editing, it should have looked like a 4:3 letterboxed video. When you export as a SCQT it should look exactly as it did in FCP.

But, and I have to stress this, you are severely trashing the quality of your footage by editing in the fashion you did which will ultimately affect the H.264 QT you're attempting to make. My advice is to set up a 720p sequence that has the same settings as your footage and then copy and paste the contents of your DV sequence into the HD sequence. You'll have to undo the scaling of the clips but that's not difficult. Select all the clips and hit CMD+OPT+V and check the Basic Motion box (hopefully you don't have any other scaling or resizing going on).

Then I would export your HD sequence as a SCQT and compress it in Compressor with the H.264 setting I detailed above, making sure that your frame size is a 4:3 ratio.

Andy

heres my screen now after creating a new hd sequence with the sequence options open so i can show you guys how i have it set up and if its right. ive done everything stated in the post above

You have all your settings messed up.
If you want to edit in HD or SD you should go to the bottom left and click on the "Load Sequence Presets and choose one from there.
It seems like you chose a preset for a JVC HDV camera.
I would suggest keeping your timeline with the original format and only convert at the end to your final format. (DVCPROHD 720 or 1080)

God Bless,

Douglas Villalba
director/cinematographer/editor
Miami, Florida

[www.DouglasVillalba.info]
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I agree with Doug. You need to match your sequence to your footage. Check the format of you footage by selecting a clip in the browser and hitting CMD+9. You either shot 720P, or 720PN with the HVX-200.

Hit CMD+OPT+N to create a new sequence that lets you choose the format. In the drop down menu, find the presets for DVCProHD. If you shot 720P, then choose DVCProHD 720p60. If you shot 720PN, then choose DVCProHD 720p24. Copy your clips into the new sequence. If you've done it correctly, no rendering should be necessary.

Your aspect problem is related to how the HVX shoots 720p. Proper aspect for 720p is 1280x720, but the HVX shoots this in an anamorphic way with a 960x720 frame. This will look 16:9 in the proper FCP sequence, but is really 4:3.

Once you've got your footage in the correct sequence, export a SCQT and use the method I detailed above to get a 4:3 proper letterbox video.

Andy

i got everything good now and now im editing with out having to render every clip and itrs amazing thank you very much every one that helped to get me on to hd footage i highly appreciate it

Hi.
I have an HD1080i60 sequence. When I export it as a self contained movie and open it with Quicktime it is too large to view. When I try to export it with compressor, compressor does not allow me to access anything but audio settings. I am cutting on Final Cut 5.1.4
Any tips on how to compress the output so that I can burn it onto a dvd and play the sequence on a dvd player?
thanks so much for your help,
lovetolaf