export time variables with stacking in FCP timeline

while exporting from my FCP 5.04 HDV native timeline, I wondered if it were better to first export a self-contained current settings picture and sound track and then laying the single picture track and the stereo mix in a new sequence and then doing the export to MPEG2 and AC3 tracks.

will the time it takes to do the export to MPEG2 and AC3 be shorter? Will the quality suffer by doing the extra step?

My project is 40 minutes long and there are about 4 stacks of picture and 20 of sound.

Since none of the experts in this forum responded, it may be that the question is not specific enough. Ok.

Which is faster to export from HDV Native timeline in FCP 5.04, say 10 second project:

1. HDV export QT movie, Current Settings, Self-Contained, All Markers > Save
2. HDV export Conversion, H264, Best Settings, Current Size, Best Sound > Save
3. HDV export Conversion, PNG, Best Settings, De-Interlace, Best Sound > Save
4. HDV ... other options

The target of the export is to make the best quality DVD in DVD SP or iDVD

Give us TIME man...this is a national holiday weekend here. Most of us were living it up without internet access...and no desire to help people while we are on a boat soaking up the rays.

Fastest way to make a DVD? Export a QT movie, NOT self contained (making a reference movie), then bringing that into Compressor and choosing one of the DVD presets.

Best looking? I'm sure some HDV veterans have some tricks to do this, because I know that the fast way isn't the best way.


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What are you trying to get to? Your first post suggested that you were intending to make a DVD. If that's the case then none of the combinations in your 2nd post are best.

HDV is long GOP. MPEG2 is long GOP. It's not a good idea to go from one long GOP format directly to another.

The best option is to render out your HDV sequence as prores. This can be done by nesting the HDV sequence into a ProRes sequence and then exporting a self-contained QT.

Then take the QT into Compressor and transcode to MPEG and AC3.

Andy

PS: I know you were asking what's faster in your second post, but you asked what's better in your first post. To me, there's no point in doing it fast if it's not going to look good.

First, thanks both of you.

Shane, I'm really happy for you. I know what it feels like to be in a sailboat, the sun and breeze on your face and the sound of the waves hitting the hull and the wind slapping the sails ... it's fantastic (many moons ago I lived and worked in Norway). Well, back to the export for DVD:

That's a nice tip regarding just making a Reference movie for the sake of a quick DVD. As a follow-up question, if you will allow me, is the MPEG2 resulting from the Compressor a stand alone file or will it be lost if the original reference movie is deleted?

And, Andy, thanks for the explanation regarding the LONG GOP in export. I don't have ProRes, is there another Codec I can use for exporting from HDV?

Also, is the G5 (non-Intel) and FCP 5.04 capable of utilizing ProRes? To tell you the truth, I was planning to buy another Mac just so I can use one Mac for encoding and another for editing, because I'm falling really behind in editing my myriad projects. I'm having so many problems exporting usable files...

So my question is what Mac should I buy? I was thinking of buying a basic Intel-Chip Mac just for digitizing and encoding and doing my editing on the G5 and FCP 5.04.

Or should I do the reverse, do the encoding on an older Mac and buy the latest super duper Mac with the latest FCP?

I forgot that FCP 5 doesn't come with ProRes. You can use any intraframe codec but with your setup that means either uncompressed or the Apple Intermediate Codec. Uncompressed is certainly high quality, but the file size is quite large. AIC is what ProRes more or less replaces, so it should work, though I've no experience with it in terms of file size, or quality expectations.

Andy

thanks, Andy, I'm trying the AIC on the file tonight. The encode will take over 3 hours for the 40 minute movie (HDV nested in AIC sequence and rendering). I will then drag the resulting file into DVD SP and see what happens. I'll know by tomorrow.

A client sent me some Apple Intermediate media just recently, in addition to some other media from the same shoot that was captured in native HDV. I was gobsmacked at how crappy the Apple Intermediate stuff looked compared to the native stuff. None of it was great ? low light, lots of obvious compression artifacts ? but the Apple Intermediate footage was even more obviously compressed.

I don't recommend Apple Intermediate for anything. Amateurs who want to do HD really need to step up and buy Final Cut 6 for the ProRes workflow. Everything else just pales in comparison these days.

Thank you, Jeff. I've been a filmmaker for 40 years. I've made my living as a filmmaker the entire time. I'm very concerned about the quality of my digital export because I have many feature films that I need to put on DVD.

I really appreciate your help. So what you're saying is that FCP 6 and ProRes is the only way to go -- at least for now. I don't like to spend a lot of money on computers and software, but I'm stuck. At this point, I can't afford to buy FCP 6 and another computer, namely an Intel Mac to do this work of exporting a Standard DVD. At this point I don't need HD. In fact, I may not use HD at all. I have too many features and it's going to be very expensive for me to go the HD route.

So I need to find the best way to export MPEG2s at this point using what I have:

G5, FCP Studio 5.04, 2.7 GHz dual processors, 4 MB RAM.

Also, what I noticed is that there is little consensus on encoding workflows from HDV using my set up. Some of the problem is that most people have moved on and they have forgotten the best procedure for encoding SD DVDs using my state of technology.

Thanks again for your help.

Dude, there is no single best option with the tools you have. The hardware/software combination at your disposal was never suited for high-definition work, nor for converting high-def to standard-def. It's not the right tool for that job. Better tools are available ? not a little better, but totally game-changingly better ? and the consensus is that you should use them. Short of that, strike whatever compromise best works for you. You can use Apple Intermediate, but you'll take a quality hit. You can work in HDV, but it's very slow. You can go uncompressed, but you'll need a lot of storage and disk bandwidth. Those are really your choices at this point. You seem to want to be told, "Do this, it's easy, fast and doesn't cost anything," but you aren't going to get that answer with the constraints you've set up. Sorry.

"Faster" and "best quality" cost money. You can go slow-and-good or fast-but-crappy, or you can invest in your tools.

Thanks, Jeff. That's all I was asking. Your answer is thoroughly professional.

1. You can use Apple Intermediate, but you'll take a quality hit.
2. You can work in HDV, but it's very slow.
3. You can go uncompressed, but you'll need a lot of storage and disk bandwidth.

Now I can put this matter to rest. It's been at least two years, Jeff. I really appreciate it.

For your information, here's what works for me:

1. At the present, I will use only uncompressed 8-bit to output my SD DVDs.
2. In the future (hopefully near), I will buy a Mac and FCP 6.

Stay in touch. I hope to work with you in the future. Send me an email if you wish so I can contact you. vic@releasing.net