Send to FCP... FAIL!

Hey guys

This is a new one on me and I've not seen this behaviour before. Maybe you can shed some light, a fix or a work-around?

Project (not my choosing as this is a client work-flow on a client Online suite)

Timeline 10bit Uncompressed 1920x1080i50 (all sequences have mixed formats ProRes, XDCAM HD 50Mbps and Uncompressed 10bit) all speed and comps baked and replaced for grading.

Send to Color from FCP - no issues.

First sequence graded, rendered and sent back to FCP no issues.

Second sequence sent to Color then graded and rendered

Sent back to FCP...

Relinks to original media and not graded media!

Tried exporting XML and relinking in FCP - no joy.


I have 4 sequences left to finish grading and rendering next week so before I commit them to the long process I was hoping someone might know what this Color bug is and if I need to do anything drastic beforehand.

Also if there is a work-around that will allow me to relink the media from the failed sequence 2 without doing it manually in FCP?


System is Mac OS 10.5.8
Color 1.5.3
Quad 2Ghz MacPro 4GB RAM (low I know but not had any other memory related issues)
Kona 3
Fibre-channel RAID (loads of space and no errors)


The round-trip does work and I've only had one minor Color crash mid-grade on the first sequence which was successful.

Any thoughts?



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Color does not like mixed formats in one timeline. If so, your round trip will almost always fail.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
biscardicreative.com

Hey Walter!

I thought it might be something like this - however there are more mixed formats in the first sequence and that works fine!

Just to add there are no stills or multiclips - everything is baked.

So do you think a MM of the sequences to a single codec is the way forwards? Thats a lot of work - will have to inform them of the time/cost ASAP.

As you read this I was just looking at some Cow posts on this subject from 2009 - I guess Apple haven't fixed it yet!

It is really odd that I've never had this issue in Color before with even more crazy mixed timelines. Although I have had a few XDCAM clips not link at all in Color; yet other XDCAM footage does!



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

The really confusing thing (to me at least) is that all the clips link in Color; they grade and render fine

It's just the sending back to FCP that fails - and not even failing to import an XML from Color as the sequence from Color imports just fine too.

Its just Color is failing to export an XML linking to the rendered files!



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Not surprising to me in the least. Again, Color does not like mixed codecs in the same timeline. The fact that the first one worked is the most surprising to me actually.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
biscardicreative.com

Ok - thank for the response man - I'll test sequence 2 out as a uniform codec and see if it works.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Although I checked a couple of older Color projects and I've never ever seen this mixed codec/format issue in Color and until yesterday I'd never even heard of it.

To be sure I've just done a test mixed format sequence with 1 clip of XDCAM EX 35Mbps 1920x1080p25, 1 PAL DV25 720x576 i50, 1 HDV 1440x1080i50 and 1 HDV 1280x720p25.

Round tripped with no issues.

I don't think the "mixed format" is the real issue - I think its another case of sloppy XML coding.

However I will test the uniform format on the sequence and see if that solves the problem.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Doesn't matter how many tests you run. One uniform codec is the only way to have Color work consistently time and again.

If you want to keep mixing codecs and formats, go right ahead. It might work, it might not. Just depends on how much you like getting right up against deadlines.

I tend to work the proper way so I know what my results are going to be before I start the color grade and I know I can master the project on the first try.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
biscardicreative.com

Yes indeed - one project with the same mixed media worked perfectly and the only way to do the second project was indeed to transcode to one codec (in this case ProRes 422).

The client wasn't too happy about the extra time but they were understanding so overnighted all the other projects to ProRes so shouldn't have the issues.

Cheers for the input man - its one to add to the workflow time calculations to be sure!



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Other things Color does not "Like"

1. Freeze Frames (No exceptions sorry )
2. Speed changes using the "ttt" tool in FCP or made in the Motion tab. (color will resubmit the entire clip and you have to reapply the speed change) (Speed change = Varying the clip by X%)
3. Editing clip lengths in Color (when your round-tripping FCP-Color-FCP). Unless you make the desired changes in your FCP sequence. Then instead of resubmitting your project to Color and reapplying the saved grades, just reconform (Drop down option in Color) your FCP project to your saved Color project.

Hope this comes in handy...

[strypesinpost.com]



www.strypesinpost.com