Here’s why.

I just took delivery of a Canon T2i and went for a walk around the lake shooting in the dusky sunset. I came in and remembered I needed the plugin from Canon to get the footage into FCP.

A quick download and install and…

Nothing but a warning that FCP Log and Transfer could not work with the files. Hmmm.

Google to the rescue and within a few minutes I found the problem. Seems Canon did not include the T2i in the cameras supported by the new plugin.

After shaking my head, wondering what they were thinking, I found several work-arounds.

1. Use MPEG Streamclip
   This is a great tool and it’s free. I use it for transcoding D90 footage and gave it a try with T2i footage. Sure enough it did the job just fine. It even allows for batch operations, though it adds several steps to the process. And the user interface is more than clunky, it gives you lots of options for screwing up the process.
2. Use Compressor
   Create a formula you like for transcoding from the H.264 format to the ProRes flavor of your choice, save it out as a droplet then drag-and-drop files all day long. Like MPEG Streamclip, it doesn’t care if you’ve copied the files from your SD card to a folder on your machine. Effective but not great if you want to batch a lot of clips.
3. Hack the Canon plugin
   Seems it’s possible to use a text editor to open the camera plist simply add the T2i to the list of supported cameras. It didn’t work for me on the first try but then I found someone who suggested putting the T2i at the top of the list and that did the trick. Now I could just stay in FCP and use Log and Transfer just like when I bring in footage from the Sony HVR Z5. Not particularly fast but effective. Of course, you have to either work with the files right off the SD card or transfer them wrapped up as a group for later transfer in a special way. Otherwise, you’ll lose the hidden formatting codes and the files are unreadable by FCP.

Then I remembered reading about a new tool from Magic Bullet called Grinder that was made just for getting Canon clips into ProRes. A few clicks and I’d downloaded and installed a trial copy.

One transfer and I bought it.

I’m working on an iMac with the i7 processor. Grinder spread out a clip to each core, all running full tilt. Not only was it much faster than any other way to get the files transcoded, it was super simple to setup. The phrase “fool proof” comes to mind.

You get a few choices for the output and a Start button. Nice and easy.

If you edit off line or need to send copies of your clips to someone else for review you can also create proxy files. Choose the size, type of proxy and what kind of timecode you want burned in and click Start.

Grinder works for clips from the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II as well so if you’re one of the lucky shooters with all three cameras you’re good to go.

Here’s the link to download the trial copy.

http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/magic-bullet-grinder/

Let me know what you think – is this the perfect solution for T2i transcoding to ProRes or what?

Here’s a complete workflow that will get your Canon 5D Mark II footage into Final Cut Pro using tools in Final Cut Studio. And the best part is that it’s free!

DSLR cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II create video files in a format that is great for recording video. Most use some flavor of H.264 which is highly compressed. Besides being great for recording it’s also great for delivering your video on the web. You can burn a Blu-Ray DVD directly with an H.264 file as well.

But the compression scheme used in this format does not edit well.

To edit video you want to have every frame of the video available. Highly compressed formats like H.264 use algorithms that toss some data that can be restored later.

If you try to edit H.264 in Final Cut your transitions may be weird (if they work at all) and you will have to render the timeline after every change. You’ll lose most of the real time effects as well.

The solution is simple. Transcode the highly compressed H.264 files from your DSLR into ProRes files that FCP loves.

But the work flow to do this can be cumbersome. That’s where this great tool from idustrialrevolution.com comes in so handy.

Here’s how their system works:

This unique workflow package allows the user to choose to edit in 1080p, 1080i or straight to standard definition 16×9 25fps. Custom droplets give one click access to compressor that will convert the H264 files into ProRes for editing. The user also has a choice whether to make the clip realtime (i.e. 30fps to 25fps) or timestretch so that one frame in 30fps is one frame in 25fps. This will result in a slowdown of 20% for pin-sharp results.

Compressor droplets are supplied to get the final 1080p/i self contained movie into standard definition 16×9 too.

An easy to follow workflow diagram helps plot the conversions needed to get the best quality from a Canon camera’s HD output.

The new 1.1 version includes support for FCS3 Compressor 3.5. But will it work with footage from a Canon 7D or T2i?

These droplets will process any H.264 video into Pro Res so you should be okay. And the workflow details will help if you decide you want to create your own droplets with specific transcoding features to match your needs.

Download this free tool, check it out and let me know how it works for you.

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PS – check out their other great tools while you’re there…

Check out the video below to see what’s going on.

Nope, I’m not an affiliate and I never met the guy. I’ve used Color to correct problems for since it was first included in FCP and moved to a new level when I started using it to enhance good video. I’m learning how to take it to the next level and this tool is doing it for me.

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Here’s a link to an online resource for learning lots more about color grading. Plus they have an online resource for downloading free presets you can use in Color either to do the job or as a good starting point for your own special look.

Take a look how what you can do…

The second image shows a subtle effect of punching up the shadows in a scene. Even something as simple as this will lift your production values above the normal video. And when you’re lost in the middle of millions of online videos every little bit helps.

The warmth of the second image is a bit more dramatic of a shift but it’s no more difficult to achieve. This is where grading gets into the same level of impact as the pacing of your edit. It can make or break your production. Worth learning more about…

http://www.coloruser.net/grades – for downloads

http://www.coloruser.net/forums – for information

Join up and get to it!

You’ll also find excellent tutorials about Apple Color over at CreativeCow.net. Here’s a link to one about using vignettes in a moving shot.

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Here’s an excellent tutorial on color correction using pretty well every tool out there.

Color Grading Effects Demystified

I am going to revisit the topic of color grading inside Final Cut Pro. Although Color is a great tool, it’s not right in all situations and can be very challenging on many machines. Quite frankly, an awful lot of color grading is done right inside the NLE timeline. I am writing this from the point-of-view of Final Cut, but the processes can be utilized with any editing or compositing tool that can apply a stack of filters to each clip.

What’s amazing is how he’s able to get almost the same look with different tools. I’ve always found that there is seldom one way to do anything. Rather than collect a bunch of tools you never really use, it’s more important to learn to use one tool to the max, get everything out of it possible. Then add another and do the same.

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Look at all the different effects the image can have just by deliberately changing the color values in the video. It’s called grading from the film industry and it has always been a key part of a professional workflow. The problem is that professional grading could be very expensive.

Now pro level grading tools are built into many editing applications and easily available from 3rd party software companies like Red Giant. This is a demo of a tool called Mojo and for $99 it’s one powerful color management tool that works right in your FCP timeline. For that matter, the plug in works in P

Here a tutorial showing the key parameters.

Here’s a link for more information about Mojo – http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/mojo/

More color tools coming through the rest of the week…

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Most people spend time lighting for the best possible look, finding the perfect camera shot, editing sequences again and again, layering awesome audio under everything then render and deliver, right?

Wrong!

You left out one of the most important steps in a professional work flow – color grading. And it can raise your production value as much as anything else you can do. And if you’re looking to add some mojo to your project, this is the place to start.

If you take a DSLR out of the box and start shooting you’ll get a factory preset look. Spend a few minutes with the manual or playing with the menu’s on the camera and you’ll discover more preset looks. A bit more time and you’ll learn how to create your own presets.

One of the most important things you can do is create a preset that is flat – take out the extra saturation, extra sharpening, extra contrast and other extras added by the manufacturer to make sure their cameras shoot stunning images.

Yes, you want stunning images but if you shoot them that way and need to correct them later you’ll wish they were not so stunning. That’s why it’s good to learn how to shoot flat images. Here’s brief tutorial showing how this increases the dynamic range of the Canon 7D.

How to increase the Canon 7D dynamic range (Tutorial) from Luka on Vimeo.

Click here to read Stu Maschwitz’s excellent post showing how to do this on a Canon 5d. Should work on a 7D just as well.

Click here for a post showing how to create this preset for a Nikon D90.

Now that you’ve got a good flat image, what can you do with it?

Now you can learn how to creatively modify the color – actually the entire image – to clean up or fix imperfections in your footage, increase the impact of the images in your project, and increase the production value of everything you create.

We’ll spend the rest of the week looking at tools, tutorials and ideas focused on color grading to make your video look more like film than ever before.

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If you use Apple’s Final Cut video editing package on a regular basis you’ll quickly wish you had a better way to deal with some of the regular maintenance and usability issues of this remarkable environment. If so, you’ll appreciate Final Cut Assistant.

Go to http://www.finalcutassistant.info and you’ll find a link to download the app, another for basic documentation, and a 3rd to donate $7 through PayPal to the developer. It’s a great deal…

Final Cut Assistant is billed as “The Essential Toolset for maintaining and optimizing your Final Cut Pro System” and that it is. Here’s the description from the Apple.com download section:

Features:
- Reset Final Cut Pro
- Empty Thumbnail and Waveform Cache
- Manage Easy Setups
- Backup and Restore User Settings
- Deactivate Final Cut Studio
- Configure OS X for Final Cut Pro
- Convert audio files to AIFF
- Save and load custom user settings
- Support for Mac OS X Tiger
- Convert still images to QuickTime
- Copy files on import
- Create empty project files

Click on the Documentation link on the web site for more information about what each of these functions does. It won’t make you that much better of a FCP editor but you’ll be happier and less likely to find yourself in trouble.

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PS – take some time away from your computer with family and friends and deliberately feel and express gratitude for everything in your life. Even a few moments of this are worth the effort. Happy Thanksgiving!

Interlaced video is an artifact of older video formats but it’s still the way all HDV cameras create video. That’s what the “i” stands for in 1080i.

Interlaced video produces bad video online and when played on computers because those formats are progressive. Most DVD’s released are progressive. And all flat screen monitors are progressive.

If you’re shooting with a DSLR the chances are you’re shooting progressive video. Each frame is a complete frame of information in a progressive sequence rather than two frames, each with half the scan lines, interlaced to produce a complete image.

But it’s possible that you’ll need to mix progressive video and interlaced video on the same timeline. If so, it’s a good idea to convert your interlaced footage to progressive before dropping it in the timeline. You’ll thank yourself later when it comes time to render.

Here’s an article about a nifty tool that will process your interlaced footage into progressive video files.

http://www.geniusdv.com/news_and_tutorials/2009/11/software_for_de-interlacing_video.php

You can do the same thing in Apple Compressor or using MPEG Streamclip but you might find this tool fits your workflow better.

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