Problem capturing footage recorded on Panasonic HVX 200 at 576i/50i in FCP 7

I have footage shot on Panasonic HVX 200 at 576i/50i (recorded by mistake instead of 25p). I'm trying to capture it in FCP 7 by selecting setting DV PAL 48 kHz. FCP captures it in 25fps video rate and so the picture looks squashed on the screen once it’s captured. When I try changing the capture/input setting to DV50 PAL 48kHz (or by selecting other capture/input settings), FCP gives me an error and doesn't let capture the footage. Do you happen to know of a workflow around it or the only way is indeed to capture it in 25 and later change the aspect ratio and scale? Thanks ever so much.

PAL 50i actually IS 25 fps. But you might not want DV Pal, you want DVCPro PAL 50i. Audio sample rate is correct.

You might also look at the FCP Canvas window controls-- three buttons under the title bar. Drop down the first for magnification sizes-- there is one command at the bottom: "Correct for Aspect Ratio." Maybe that'l help display image properly.

HTH

- Loren

Today's FCP 7 keytips:
Copy clip Attributes with Command-C
Paste selected Attributes with Option-V
Remove selected Attributes with Command-Option-V !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide™ Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

thank you, Loren! I finally got my head round that PAL 50i is 25 fps. Foolish me! I couldn't capture using DV50 PAL (FCP would capture for 3 secs and abandon the operation). But I managed to successfully capture using DV Pal. And you were so right on 'Correct for Aspect ratio' tick box (in both Viewer and Canvas) - the footage is now corrected! Thanks ever so much!

Hi Loren. I rushed with the conclusion saying the image was now displayed correctly. Firstly, the tickbox 'Correct for Aspect ratio' should be unticked to display the correct looking ratio (as opposed to 'ticked'). How come? Secondly, even though it looks fine in the canvas/viewer (when unticked), the actual quicktime file still looks stretched. Also, which sequence setting would you recommend to use with this footage? I selected Frame Size 720x576; Pixel Aspect Ratio PAL - CCIR601 (720x576), added footage to the timeline, exported the quicktime and only then it looks right (not stretched anymore). Do you expect this result? Thanks once again for your time and expertise. Asya

[Firstly, the tickbox 'Correct for Aspect ratio' should be unticked to display the correct looking ratio (as opposed to 'ticked'). How come? ]

It's a good question. Could be a bug. Part of the legendary culture of the FCP development was the occasional comment-- "Whoops! It works!"

[Also, which sequence setting would you recommend to use with this footage? I selected Frame Size 720x576; Pixel Aspect Ratio PAL - CCIR601 (720x576), added footage to the timeline, exported the quicktime and only then it looks right (not stretched anymore). Do you expect this result?]

I would indeed. Another foolproof way to deal with correct format for shot material is to start a new sequence of any kind and drag a clip into the timeline-- it'll ask if you want to conform the sequence settings to the clip format. It's amazing! Click Yes and then go into your Sequence Settings and see if they make sense. test an native "Quicktime movie" export.

- Loren

Today's FCP 7 keytips:
Copy clip Attributes with Command-C
Paste selected Attributes with Option-V
Remove selected Attributes with Command-Option-V !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide™ Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Thank you, Loren, for more valuable feedback.

Quote
Loren Miller
Another foolproof way to deal with correct format for shot material is to start a new sequence of any kind and drag a clip into the timeline-- it'll ask if you want to conform the sequence settings to the clip format. It's amazing! Click Yes and then go into your Sequence Settings and see if they make sense.

The crucial expression here is "shot material". If the clip file comes straight from the camera its metadata should be accurate and FCP7 should be able to read it accurately. But if the clip file comes via ingesting software which was set up incorrectly, or via buggy transcoding software, why expect the metadata to be accurate, so why expect the auto-conformed Sequence Settings to be accurate? (Worst are clips several generations away from the originally shot material. I recently had to measure car tires, luckily shot straight on, for their circularity in order to set up the proportions for a restoration of an old work.)

Be warned that other details of clips, even if accurate in their metadata, can be misread or perversely ignored by FCP7 as it auto-conforms the Sequence Settings. Jon Chappell's comment on field dominance is apt: "FCP 7 will sometimes guess at the field dominance for some reason and when it does so it almost always guesses incorrectly" [private communication]. I posted yesterday on FCP7's big bug in this regard.

Nothing's foolproof with FCP7. Loren's earlier statement nails this:

Quote
Loren Miller
"Whoops! It works!"

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany

[The crucial expression here is "shot material". ]

Noted!!

- Loren

Today's FCP 7 keytips:
Copy clip Attributes with Command-C
Paste selected Attributes with Option-V
Remove selected Attributes with Command-Option-V !

Your Final Cut Studio KeyGuide™ Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Thank you, Dennis. The shot material came straight from the camera - I captured it in FCP7 using DV PAL audio setting (the only setting that worked with that tape). My biggest concern is going forward mixing it with other footage (both archival stuff and modern shot in HD) on the same timeline. I might do split screen for some of the material, will have to come up with some creative choices for the rest.

windasya: If you record on tape then the file you plunk into the time line is not quite material straight from the camera since the tape is processed and metadata created during the ingest (log & transfer).

For clips in the form of .mov files (made by log & transfer, or whatever) a small program called "QT Edit" is invaluable for reading (and editing) the metadata.

For mixing various source material I suggest first making a .mov file of each clip in its native format. After you choose the format for the edit, you can use Compressor to carefully convert the clips to what is compatible with the edit. This instead of throwing the clips into the FCP7 timeline, fingers crossed that it does to them what you want.

Dennis Couzin
Berlin, Germany