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Since HDV became a native format to edit in Final Cut Pro, there has been constant debate as to how to work efficiently, maintain as high a quality as possible when applying effects, and other issues as well. The best news on this front came recently. Starting with Final Cut Pro version 6.0.2, there are additional settings we can use when capturing HDV via FireWire that will convert the source material into Apple's new ProRes or ProRes HQ formats. I'll outline how to use these new settings, as well as I've created several new Easy Setups for you to download to avoid having to create all these yourself.
Let's start with a few pros and cons to these new options:
Requirements To Capture From HDV To ProRes:
• Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 or later
What To Know About These Settings:
• Unlike standard practice with Final Cut Pro, we do not choose a capture preset with the same frame rate as our footage. This is handled automatically by FCP, whether the footage is 60i, 30p or 24p, it will all get captured in the correct frame rate.
• The settings are slightly different than other ProRes options when capturing through a capture card. The frame size for 1080 video will be 1440x1080, non-square pixels, the same frame size as native HDV. This will be properly recognized as 16x9 video during outputs.
To Access The New Settings Manually
Although Final Cut Pro does not come with new Easy Setups for capturing into ProRes, there are two new Capture Presets buried in your Capture Presets. Later in the article, I've created new Easy Setups for you to download, so the next three steps aren't necessary if you use the Easy Setups.
1. Go to the Final Cut Pro menu > Audio/Video Settings.
It doesn't matter what your current Easy Setup is as you'll be changing these settings manually.
2. Under Capture Presets, click into the menu and choose one of the new presets shown next. Again, don't worry about frame rate, as FCP will handle this automatically. You just need to choose between ProRes (standard quality) or ProRes HQ (high quality).
3. Also in the Audio/Video Settings, check the Device Control Preset matches the device you are using.
As a general rule of thumb, Canon cameras use the HDV FireWire Basic option, and Sony cameras use the Sony HDV FireWire option. This is not the whole story though. To find out what your camera or deck uses, go to this Apple page to find out the correct choice: http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/resources/supportdevices.php
Capturing From HDV Into ProRes
1. Insert a tape in your camera or deck and rewind or fast forward to the spot you want to start capturing from.
2. Go to File menu > Log and Capture. Instead of bringing up the standard Log and Capture window or the HDV Log and Capture window, a small window will pop up, prompting you to name the clip to be captured.
Once you click Capture it starts capturing, similar to a Capture Now.
3. To stop capture, press Escape. When deciding when to press Escape, look in the viewfinder or LCD screen of your HDV camera, as the capture window in FCP may be lagging behind the video. This can be seen by looking at the bottom right corner of the capture window.
In fact, even after you press Escape, FCP may take a little time to finish processing the video, so don't be concerned if the capture window doesn't close immediately.
After capture is complete, the capture process automatically breaks up the source material into individual clips, as shown next, based on when the camera started and stopped during shooting.
4. To rename the clips in a way that will make you and media management "happy", rename the clips, then highlight them all, then right-click over one of the selected clips and choose Rename > File to Match Clip.
Now the clips and media files have the same names which is helpful in case you ever need to Reconnect Media.
5. If you are not using one of the new Easy Setups I've created, you'll need to create a sequence that matches these captures. The easiest way in Final Cut Pro 6 is to create any new sequence, edit a first clip into it, and when you're prompted by the following dialog box, choose Yes and the sequence will be converted to match your clips.
New Easy Setups For Capturing HDV Into ProRes Via FireWire
Next we'll explore how to download and use the new Easy Setups that I've created for your convenience. This will eliminate you having to dig around in the Audio/Video Settings trying to pick the correct settings for capture, sequences, device control and Print to Video options or having to create new Easy Setups for yourself.
1. Download the following file for 12 new Easy Setups for converting and working with HDV converted to ProRes via FireWire capture.
Download: HDV>ProRes.zip
2. After downloading and opening the .zip file, you'll have a new folder labeled HDV to ProRes Settings.
3. Make sure you quit out of Final Cut Pro if its open.
4. Drag the entire folder into the following location: Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > Final Cut Pro System Support > Custom Settings
Once installed, you will have the following presets.
5. In Final Cut Pro, choose one of the new Easy Setups for your particular needs.
Before clicking the Setup button, you can see all the details of the preset.
Of note- The specific frame rate is detailed, the sequence presets are set to a frame size of 1440x1080 which match the captured clips, and if you at any point need to go back to HDV tape, the Print to Video option is set to be compatible with the format you are working with. As with HDV, there is no default option for external monitoring, but you can use a capture card like an AJA Kona card for monitoring.
Exporting To QuickTime
To export the best possible quality version of your ProRes sequence go to the File menu > Export > QuickTime and choose Current Settings in the dialog box. If you are then going to recompress the video for DVD, the Web or other file-based needs, you'll be starting with as high a quality version of your sequence as possible.
Outputting To HDV Tape
Even if you capture and edit your HDV as ProRes, you can still output to HDV tape. Just like native HDV, your only option for recording back to HDV tape is to go to the File menu and choose Print to Video. If you do need to go back to HDV tape, be aware that the video will need to be conformed back into HDV, which could take a pretty long time depending on the length and complexity of your sequence. This conform will happen automatically when you choose Print to Video.
On the other hand, this ProRes sequence can also be output through a capture card like an AJA Kona card to any high quality mastering VTR of your choice. Although, in my tests, if you try and output from one of these sequences through the AJA card, set the View menu > Video Playback to an 8-bit option as opposed to 10-bit. If you want a full 10-bit output, you can copy the contents of your 1440x1080 ProRes sequence into a full raster 1920x1080 ProRes sequence. Then you can use the 10-bit output options in the View menu. I didn't test this with every possible configuration, but the Kona card often doesn't like outputting a "squeezed" format (or some native 8-bit formats for that matter) through a 10-bit output from FCP.
Data Rates Of HDV Converted To ProRes And ProRes HQ
The following data rates are approximate and will vary a bit depending on your material. These rates can give you a good idea whether or not your hard drives are capable of handling ProRes or the higher quality ProRes HQ.
Now that you can capture straight into ProRes without any additional hardware, hopefully you'll start seeing the benefits of an easier format to work with, maybe create some better quality effects, as well as create better looking DVD's with material that originated in the HDV format.
*Note: All the included Easy Setups were created and tested using the Canon XL-H1 HDV camera and the Sony V1U HDV camera. Although you should be able to use the Canon presets for most Canon cameras, and the Sony presets for most Sony cameras, in some cases, you may need to change the default device control. As mentioned earlier in the article, you can visit Apple's website at: http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/resources/supportdevices.php to find out the specific device control protocol for your device and then enter that option in the Audio/Video Settings in Final Cut Pro.
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