Re: FCP X's import process

Hi Ken,

I have some questions about FCP X's import process:

1) In the import window for h.264 footage shot with the Canon 5d Mark III, I see the codec listed as PAL. Why does
FCP X sees it as such instead of h.264?

2) When I imported a scene from this footage into the FCP X Library and checked "Optimize Media", I expected to see Apple ProRes 422 in the Info tab of the Inspector. Instead, what I see is the original camera codec "h.264, Linear PCM". (See attachment #1)

3) As a control test, I re-imported the same scene which I had transcoded earlier in FCP 7 to Apple ProRes 422 HQ. In the Inspector Info tab, it is correctly ID'ed as Apple ProRes 422 HQ. (See attachment #2)

4) Finally, I did a "Get Info" on the Original Camera clip, the same clip as FCP X Optimized Media, and the same clip transcoded to Apple ProRes 422 HQ.

I'm wondering why the FCP X Optimized clip is listed almost identically as the original camera clip and is, in fact, almost the same file size whereas the FCP 7 version is logically larger and appropriately listed as ProRes.

Is the ProRes transcoding process in FCP X different than FCP 7?

Thanks,
Phil

Hi Phil,

1. PAL is not a format, it's a color standard. Footage shot @25fps will be displayed as PAL while footage shot @30fps will be displayed as NTSC, no matter what coded the footage has been shot in. Apparently 24fps is also displayed as PAL, probably because it's closer to 25 than to 30.

2. The Inspector always shows the format of the original media. The "Available Media Representations" in the info tab shows you if you also have optimized or proxy media. These are always in the same format.

3. That's quite logical. As you have imported the ProRes 422 HQ files these files are your original media. That's why the Inspector shows them as ProRes 422 HQ.

4. That's also logical. Optimized media are always regular ProRes 422. The media you have created in FCP7 are ProRes 422 HQ. This format produces larger files than regular ProRes 422.

Best wishes,

Ronny

Thanks so much for the clarification, Ronny. I wasn't aware that FCP X Inspector showed Original Media.

Just for the record, this is how the import window presented PAL as the codec. (See pic #2)

It's confusing because the Info panel presented the codec as h.264. (See pic #1)

-Phil

I agree that's strange. Must have something to do with the metadata in the Mark III files because FCP X correctly lists native H.264 files (see screenshot).

Best wishes,

Ronny

Is your pic from the Inspector, Ronny?

No, that's from the Import window.

Best wishes,

Ronny