Best Workflow in FCP 7? Help!!

[MikeTraum]

Hey everyone im new to the site although I have picked up some pretty good tips from the site! Im kind of a newbie when it comes to video and have somewhat of a basic understanding of well...the basics.
I guess my question here would be, all in all, what is the best workflow using an HV20 in FCP 7? I pretty much need help in understanding how to import and setup my sequence, etc. to work with 24p 1080/720p. The whole pulldown thing throws me waaayyyy off and im clueless as if im setting up correctly! So if someone could help me with some tips on how to create a template to capture real 24p in hd and the best export settings?
In a nutshell: Importing and Capturing in true 24p hd, setting up fcp7 for those settings, and exporting in true 24p hd (codecs? what?!)
Thanks in advance! -The New Guy

[cgbier]

Capture 1080i60 in FCP, then run your clips through Compressor. Reverse Telecine, Framrate 23.97, resplution to your liking (1080 or 720). Then create a 24p timeline in FCP and import that stuff.

Read them stickies.

[MikeTraum]

Thanks alot im going to try that now! Is there a noticeable difference to the untrained eye? Be back with my results!

[MikeTraum]

How do i create a 24p timeline?

[cgbier]

Difference between what?

[MikeTraum]

WOW! I need a serial for Compressor! Help PLZ! Or is there any other compressors availabel?! Im just trying to get this 24p workflow thing down to a tee! Help PLZZZZ!

[MikeTraum]

Real 24p and I guess 30fps/29.9? lol

[cgbier]

Open FCP and hit Control & Q. Then just choose any HDV 24p preset. Or you just pull your footage onto the timeline and FCP will ask if you want to change the timeline settings.

[cgbier]

WOW! I need a serial for Compressor!

You need what?

[MikeTraum]

I cant get my Compressor to open for some reason? I have to re enter my serial in which i do not have! ={

[MikeTraum]

So with fcp7 is this all i need to do to capture true 24p? setup for hdv1080p24? Do i not need compressor or perform a "pulldown"?

[cgbier]

The HV20 doesn't have "true" 24p. Therefore, you'll have to run it through Compressor.

Is your FCS obtained 100% legally? If not, the discussion ends here.

[MikeTraum]

Yes of course, the problem consist of me installing windows on my mac and i having to move i lost alot of my packaging and so forth due to the move. I also never registered and on top of that when i installed my VMware it seemed to kinda install some bugs...just my luck!

[HueyNRolf]

iThinker!
We have another one!

I think JES deinterlacer will remove pulldown and transcode to prores. It's freeware, but I don't think it will do batches; you'll have to transcode your clips one at a time.

[MikeTraum]

iThinker!
We have another one!

Ahhh yes! I do have the JES what settings would you recommend?

[MikeTraum]

Once again...thanks in advance guys!

[MikeTraum]

Hey man thanks. Now i am confused as to what i should set the input fields, should i check the box "top feild first in" or "progressive"? And also in the output field in the output box i have several options such as .mov, aic, photo-jpeg, etc. Now if i could get this problem resolved I think i may finally have my solution thanks to you guys! I tried a direct output if the AIC put then i get the lines throughout? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[MikeTraum]

ok well i think i did it...how can i tell in fcp or either in the exported product...(which ive yet to learn which filetype and settings are best and most common) that it is 23.97?

[iThinkergoiMac]

JES will automatically set everything for the most part. And, yes, it can do batch processing. In the project tab, you need to hit inverse telecine (and tell it to search for cadence breaks if after importing into FCP it didn't break the footage at the start/stop markers) back to 23.976 and then tell it to export direct to AIC (I don't believe that JES does ProRes, but that could be because my copy of FCP doesn't do ProRes so the codec isn't on my system).

[MikeTraum]

Thanks a whole lot! One more stupid question, i have had trouble lately with the right export file, meaning i always thoughs mp4 which i believe is mpeg-4, was the most common hd file to use for playback on most devives. Am i wrong in assuming? Avi, mpeg-2/4, or what?

[iThinkergoiMac]

MP4 is MPEG-4, and is my favorite codec (partially because it encodes so quickly and is playable on my slow computer). H.264 is another great codec, but it takes a very long time to encode. You get better quality out of H.264 for the same MB size. I'd stay away from MPEG-2. It's a great codec, don't get me wrong, but not as many people will have the codec to play it back, and it's not as efficient as MPEG-4/H.264. AVI is a container, not a codec. I nearly always export in MPEG-4 in a .mov container.