FCP 7 I cannot output to tape to a DVCAM without video pixelating a lot

Hello
I have a great looking video in FCP7. It looks fine in the timeline but everytime I edit to tape the playback result is very pixelated.

I have a H.264 pro res 422 video and no matter what I do to the timeline it still looks bad once it goes to DVCAM tape.

I'm in Standard Def. Any ideas what to do here?

Regards,
Steve M

What are your sequence settings?

Hi Steve

Ditto Jude and can you post a 1:1 screen grab of a 100% scaled DVCAM output so we can see what you mean?

"I have a H.264 pro res 422 video" <- do you mean you have both? - H.264 and ProRes are not the same thing.

What pixel size is the source material?



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Hello Ben and Jude
Thank you for taking the time to look at my issues.

In a nutshell I now edit my show in FCPX and then output the final video in every format I could think of to output to tape in FCP7 since Apple left out the print to tape feature in X. X is so fast that it saves me a ton of time editing. BTW I had this same issue when I only edited in FCP7.

I have tried pro res 422, and all sorts of ways. I shoot with a Canon 5Dmk11 and have left the footage the same, i tried DV NTSC 48Kz audio, I have tried pro res 422.

What I see in FCP7 is everything looks fine in playback in the viewer. Very clear and looks good in SD.

I'm also monitoring via firewire to a Sony DSR-50 DVCAM deck and the output of that to my monitor. Everything that heads to the deck is pixcelated. Everything in the viewer in FCP7 at that same time looks fine.

The ONLY type of video that looks decent is when I export a video in FCP7 as DV Stream then put it back in FCP7 and allow the timeline to keep it in its native video type then print to video. From that point edit to tape give me a very liveable video.

Attached is some screen shots of
#1 A screen shot in FCP7 exported as a still picture. This is what it should look like
#2 Is a picture of the monitor out from the DVCAM using DV Steam. This looks the best while monitoring the output of the DVCAM.
#3 is a paused shot of what every type except for DV stream looks like

I can output a video from the timeline and it looks very good. What I have found is when I EDIT TO TAPE everything looks pixelated except for DV Stream video on the timeline left in native format.

After all this I realized I can't see an option to attach the pics.

Regards,
Steve

Hi Steve

You might want to upload the screenshots to a webserver or photobucket or similar and link them...


I presume you are doing something like the following:


? Import your final edit (ProRes HD output from FCPX) into FCP7

? Use an easy set-up DV NTSC Anamorphic Timeline

? Drag your final edit (ProRes HD output from FCPX) into the DVCAM 16:9 Anamorphic Timeline (Don't adjust the timeline to match the settings).

? Render it down (make sure you have set the render settings to render even the olive-green realtime tracks).

? Playout via FireWire


Now FCP7 never really was much good at this route without a decent resize plugin.

My suggestions:

? Export your movie from FCPX to SD NTSC DV 16:9 720x480 Anamorphic via compressor

Or

? a rougher version from a ProRes Master file using Quicktime Pro to export a NTSC DV Anamorphic SD master and use that directly in FCP7 for FireWire DV output.

Or

? Better still (and from limited tests faster too) is set-up a new FCPX NTSC DV Anamorphic project

? cut and paste the entire master FCPX project timeline (HD) into it (or your rendered HD master file).

? Export this as Export Media>current settings and playback in FCP7 to DVCAM deck.



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Or better still!

? Duplicate your FCPX master project (event) in FCPX and change the settings.





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