ProRes 422 HQ showing up as a text file

Hello,

I just imported HDV footage using the HQ codec. It plays fine from my computer within FCP, but the files in the capture scratch show up as text files. When I try to re-import them into a new project, I get "error file unknown." I need to send these files to another editor and I'm afraid they won't import properly on her computer. Any idea why these are showing up as text files?

FCP 7.01
Snow Leopard
2.8 GHZ Intel Core 2 Duo Power Book

Try adding/changing the file extension to ".mov" in the finder. Try it on one file and see if that works.



www.strypesinpost.com

Yeah, what Gerard said. Just change the file extension to ".mov". I don't know why it does that but it freaked my out the first time it happened to me.

That sounds like an FCP 7/SL bug. Because it was a feature in FCP 6, that FCP can read QT files without file extensions.

Anyway, if that works, install this:

[junecloud.com]

And use Automator to add extensions to all the files without file extensions. You should be able to reconnect the files in your previous FCP project.



www.strypesinpost.com

Thanks guys. That worked great.

It IS an FCP 7 bug, but it's not limited to Snow Leopard. The problem crops up in regular Leopard as well.

I downloaded Name Changer, a freeware file changing program to handle adding .mov extensions onto my clips.

Andy

strypes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That sounds like an FCP 7/SL bug. Because it was a
> feature in FCP 6, that FCP can read QT files
> without file extensions.

Yes, but files without file extensions need to have the correct type code set in order to identify them as QuickTimes to Final Cut Pro.

My software:
Pro Maintenance Tools - Tools to keep Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro running smoothly and fix problems when they arise
Pro Media Tools - Edit QuickTime chapters and metadata, detect gamma shifts, edit markers, watch renders and more
More tools...

Thanks Jon. I'm considering that the file is generated by L&T or L&C as they appear in the capture scratch.

I'll be quite surprised if the files can be read by FCP in the project that did the capture, but not on a re-import.



www.strypesinpost.com

Yeah, you can't re-import the file until you add the .mov extension. But if you capture into FCP and start cutting, you're fine. You won't know it's missing the extension until you go to the folder where the file is and see that the extension is not there. If you do a command "I" it will say it's a text document. Talk about spending hours capturing and seeing that! Freaky man...

This sounds like a weird ass bug. I'm flipping this over to bug report.



www.strypesinpost.com

My gut tells me this is a Launch Services issue, not a Final Cut issue. Eric, can you capture some short bit of footage (just a few seconds will do) and make it available for download via iDisk or yousendit or something similar? I'd like to see one of these problematic files for myself.

It sounds to me like Final Cut Pro is not checking the type code when capturing the file (because it already knows it's a movie) but the lack of a type code is preventing it from being imported because there's no way for FCP to know an imported file is a movie without a file extension or type code.

My software:
Pro Maintenance Tools - Tools to keep Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro running smoothly and fix problems when they arise
Pro Media Tools - Edit QuickTime chapters and metadata, detect gamma shifts, edit markers, watch renders and more
More tools...

Late note:

You shouldn't need outside apps for file/type creator extension changes. If you want to change the type and creator of any batch of selected files it's a Finder operation; just do Command-Option-I and select the desired opening application from the "Opens With" dropdown menu.

- Loren

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