Trouble exporting Qt Reference file

Why on earth do my Qt reference files take so long to export?

I sync up my stuff in Pluraleyes. It works.

Then to make a Multiclip, I export each video and audio track separately as a Ref Movie (and NOT as self contained, which I uncheck).

Example: one video/audio track: it has 8 shots strung out over a 1 hour 15 minute timeline. About half of that is blank space and half is pic+audio. Absolutely no effects, filters, motion on these shots, so presumably no need to re-render.

My sequence settings and so on all appear to be correct and matching

At the top of the Timeline, above each clip, are two grey bars which I see means "Rendered Proxy" This mayb be a clue. I have no idea what that means.

It takes about 25 minutes to export as a Ref movie.

I am in HDV, FCP 6.0.5, System 10.6.3 on an 8 Core Tower - and before you groan, this is a super stable combination which has taken years of misery to delevop and which never ever crashes.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Best,

Harry.

Because HDV has to conform on export. FCP has to rebuild the GOP structure of the rendered material at every cut, because the format doesn't have individual frames, but rather a Group Of Frames all together, that it has to figure out and remake.

If you try exporting a single clip 30 seconds long it will export way quicker than a clip 30 seconds long with fifteen cuts in it.

The problem with HDV has not really been stability - although it can (and does) drop up to fifteen frames during shooting sometimes, but the fact that it doesn't have individual frames, so it's not great as en editing codec. Doesn't mean you can't work in HDV if you want to though.

Jude -

Thank you so much for the eloquent explanation

I trust all is well with you in sunny Australia, apparently the land of swarms of giant jellyfish.

Best wishes and thanks again,

Harry.

Jellyfish, sharks, crocs, spiders, snakes. We got em all. In fact, there's a series being made at a place I work right now that lists 72 deadly Australian creatures. Every one of them got in the show by actually killing someone.

Welcome to Australia. Enjoy your stay.

I believe that flies also get the red carpet treatment - hence the Australian Salute, no? Or is that a myth?

Do you see the level to which this forum has now devolved?

Best

Harry.

Not a myth.

"At the top of the Timeline, above each clip, are two grey bars which I see means "Rendered Proxy" This may be a clue. I have no idea what that means. "

i'd say that's more of a problem than the HDV

I've exported ref moves from very busy HDV timelines, and they don't take forever

my memory is sightly hazy after preparing two films for finishing at the same time, then jumping on a plane for Cambodia


the "rendered proxy" lines are a kind of brown from memory
but any render bar means your reference movie needs to contain rendered media.

so you've looked for any effects on those clips?
what happens if you match frame them and edit back into the timeline?


nick

Thanks for ther reply, Nick. I think I've got some damn setting screwed up here. Sometinmes it will make a reference file in 10 seconds and somethes it takes as lkong as it does to make a real QT export. I will have to do some tests to estab;ish precisely when it is doing them properly - trouble is that I very seldom use them - only for Pluraleyes Multiclip.

Give my love to Cambodia.

Best,

harry.