P2 Workflow With Final Cut Pro

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This article addresses working with video recorded to P2 cards, putting together the different individual aspects of working with this type of media to outline a complete workflow. This will include covering the following topics: 

    • Converting the contents of P2 cards into backed-up computer files
    • How to choose audio/video settings for P2 media
    • How to import ("ingest") P2 media into Final Cut Pro for editing
    • How to effortlessly re-import material if needed
    • Covers all the little (and important) things to look out for when importing P2 media

In addition, we've also created two short articles to detail how to properly connect to P2 devices. Click here for instructions on how to connect a P2 camera, specifically the Panasonic AG-HVX200. Click here for instructions on how to connect to the Panasonic card reader called the P2 Store.

Workflow Overview

Unlike videotape, a P2 card is a sophisticated type of memory card that in some ways is similar to the ones that ship with consumer digital cameras. The recorded video is stored on the P2 cards as computer files. Because of this, the entire process of getting the video from its recorded medium into an editing system like Final Cut Pro is unique from the process of capturing video from videotape. Instead, we have to transfer the files from the P2 card to the Mac, then convert them into a format that can be read by Final Cut Pro.

In addition, when working in a P2 card environment- a tape-less, file based workflow, its advisable to develop a system that includes a backup strategy. Since P2 card storage is expensive, and the cards are designed to be re-recorded over, then the source material we store on those cards is only temporary. Before the cards can be erased and given back to the production crew for re-recording, we need to make copies of that material - one copy to work from, and one copy to be stored as a backup. This way, if something happens to the original copied media, there is another copy that can be used.

Also, depending on the nature of the production, some of the following activities will happen on set before the video even reaches the editorial department. For example, depending on how many cards are available and how quickly they need to be reused, it may not be feasible to wait and hand in the cards to be taken to the editor or assistant editor at the end of each shoot day. Instead, the cards may need to be copied into the computer on set, then hard drives containing that material are given to the editor at a later point.

The specifics of what to copy, how to connect P2 devices to the computer and how to "ingest" the material into Final Cut Pro will be covered in the following sections. Next is an overview of the entire process.

1. Attach a P2 card reading device to a Mac. The P2 card will "mount" on the Desktop.

2. Copy P2 card into a folder on a media hard drive (drive #1).

3. Copy folder to a backup media hard drive (drive #2).

4. Return P2 card to production to be re-recorded.

5. In FCP, use the Log and Transfer window to mount folder from drive #1 and "ingest" clips, converting them into QuickTime media to be used for editing.

Copying A P2 Card To A Computer Folder

Due to logistics mentioned earlier, its unlikely that there will be the time and luxury to take a recorded P2 card to a Final Cut Pro editing station on set, log and transfer the material as would be eventually needed, then send the card back to production to be re-recorded.

Therefore, the more common approach will be simply to copy the contents of each P2 card in its entirety, without logging, then later let editorial take the time to log and transfer the material into Final Cut Pro.

1. To do this, we need to "mount" the P2 card on a Mac, whether it be a laptop or desktop computer.

Mounting a card is similar to connecting an external hard drive, or digital camera on your computer.

You can use any of the following to mount the P2 card on a Mac:

    • A camera that records to P2 cards.

    • A Panasonic device meant to read P2 cards, like a P2 Store.

    • A PCMCIA card reader (Although most non-Pansonic card readers will not. The PCMCIA card readers in older Mac Powerbooks do work, and the Duel Systems adapter for newer MacBook Pro's are reported to work).

Once the P2 card is inserted in a device capable of reading a P2 card, it will show up on your Desktop like an externally connected hard disk. In this case, it will look similar to when you connect a digital still camera, with the words NO NAME.

2. Create a computer folder on a media hard drive for the purpose of copying the P2 card contents into the folder.

Also, name the folder by the "reel" name you wish it to be assigned in Final Cut Pro (suggested). Later, during the ingest process, this folder name will appear by default in the "Reel" field in Final Cut Pro.

3. Prepare to copy P2 card into folder.

To copy the contents of the P2 card into a folder in a way that will be recognized in Final Cut Pro, the computer folder that's created must have an identical structure to that of the original P2 volume.

To do this, double-click open the mounted P2 card.

Inside will be two items: a CONTENTS folder and a LASTCLIP.TXT file.

4. Copy both items into the newly created folder so that the folder looks exactly the same as the mounted P2 card.

Note: In no case should you copy more than one CONTENTS folder or LASTCLIP.TXT file into the same computer folder. Only one CONTENTS folder and LASTCLIP.TXT file should be in a single folder in order to be properly recognized by Final Cut Pro.

Backing Up P2 Material

The newly created folder (whether done manually or using Archive to Folder) can be used to import clips using Final Cut Pro, but before doing this, you should consider creating a backup of each of the folders created from P2 cards. This is important since the P2 card is going back to production to be re-recorded. If anything happens to this media drive, or the data becomes corrupt, you wouldn't have anything at all to fall back on. Making a backup is like placing your master tapes or film negative away in a vault.

One backup method would be to copy the folder on to an inexpensive FireWire hard drive. The drive doesn't need to be as fast as other media hard drives you use, since this will only be used for storage, not video playback.

1. Copy the folder in its entirety as it existed on the original media hard drive. Leave the name of the folder the same as it was on the original folder.

2. Once the backup drive is filled with folders from P2 cards, disconnect the drive and store it on a shelf. This is your backup if anything goes wrong with your original media hard drive.

Getting From P2 To Final Cut Pro

With the advent of file-based media, a new term has been coined: ingest. Since there is no videotape to work with, there is nothing to capture or digitize. Instead, we are transferring data from one form to another (or one medium to another), which is referred to as ingesting.

This all takes place in an interface in Final Cut Pro called the Log and Transfer window.

MXF and QuickTime

Before we get there, a couple quick words about the type of material being stored on the P2 cards. The contents of P2 cards are not directly native to Final Cut Pro. P2 cards store HD video in a file format called MXF (Material eXchange Format). So part of the ingest process involves converting that MXF data into QuickTime, which is native to Final Cut. There is no need to be concerned about any quality loss. This process simply involves "re-wrapping" the video from one container format to another. This will be handled automatically in the Log and Transfer window.

Video Formats on P2

About formats, a P2 card can store HD video using one of two Panasonic compression formats- DVCPRO HD or AVC-Intra. Both formats can be brought into Final Cut Pro, but there is a slight difference in how they are handled.

DVCPRO HD: This format will simply be re-wrapped from MXF into QuickTime, using the same DVCPRO HD format (codec). You would use a DVCPRO HD Easy Setup in Final Cut for various audio/video settings. There is no option to convert into any other format during the Log and Transfer process.

AVC-Intra: AVC-Intra is a recording codec that is not an editing format native to Final Cut Pro. This codec is also stored on the P2 card in the MXF file format. To work with this video, it must not only be converted from MXF to QuickTime, but it also must be transcoded to a codec that is native to Final Cut. We are given two options- convert to one of Apple's ProRes 422 codecs, either the SQ (standard quality) or HQ (high quality). We'll look at where you make this choice.

Whether the video is DVCPRO HD or AVC-Intra (converted to ProRes) doesn't affect the workflow, as both formats will require the same backup strategy and the user uses the same interface in Final Cut to ingest either format. The only main difference will be in video storage space, as ProRes requires faster hard drives than does DVCPRO HD. Refer to the article at Moviola called Video Storage For Final Cut Pro to see what is needed for either format.

Importing Into Final Cut Pro

Next let's look at how to ingest video from a P2 volume.

The following information and description of steps will focus on the highlights, and things to look out for. For more detailed information on using the Log and Transfer window, in Final Cut Pro, go to the Help menu and choose the option "HD and Broadcast Formats". In the pdf document that opens, go to chapter 4, pg 71.

1. Choose Audio/Video Settings by going to the Final Cut Pro menu > Easy Setup.

Unlike other workflows, this can always be done after the P2 material is imported. Since the material is already in a video file format, there is nothing about the Easy Setup that would prevent the material from importing correctly. As mentioned before, the process is basically about re-wrapping the video from the MXF format into a QuickTime format. The specific video format itself (i.e. 720p/24pn) is locked in and won't be misinterpreted during import.

If you're unsure of settings, because you're not sure exactly what format was recorded, then wait until you've ingested some clips. You can then look at the item properties of one of the clips to determine its format and choose an Easy Setup that matches.

2. Choose a scratch disk from the Final Cut Pro menu > System Settings.

The folder of P2 material will be converted to QuickTime files mentioned earlier. The scratch disk is where Final Cut will place the newly created QuickTime files. Choose a hard drive fast enough for playback of the HD format you're working with. This is the exact same process as choosing a scratch disk for tape-based media.

3. Create a logging bin in your Final Cut project.

Although not necessary, it is more a more organized approach. Create a bin. Highlight it and go up to the File menu and choose Set Logging Bin.

4. Open the Log and Transfer window. Go to the File menu > Log and Transfer (Shift/Command/8).

The window that opens will at first be empty unless there is a P2 card currently mounted on the computer (in which case the contents of the card would show automatically here in the window).

Since the workflow described in this article involves ingesting from folders containing P2 material as opposed to actual P2 cards, then we'll need to manually point Final Cut to the folder(s) of P2 material, to be covered in the next step.

5. If working with AVC-Intra media, choose an import format in the Log and Transfer preferences. If working with DVCPRO HD, skip to step #6.

In the upper part of the Log and Transfer window, near the middle, is a little button, the "Action" pop-up button, shown below.

Click on the button and choose the option Preferences.

In the Preferences, across from "P2 AVC-Intra, under the column "Transcode to", click on the current format, which defaults to Apple ProRes 422. On clicking on it, a pop-up menu opens giving you a choice between Apple ProRes 422 or Apple ProRes 422 (HQ).

After choosing, click OK to close the Preferences.

6. Use the "Add Folder" button to point Final Cut to a P2 folder to import.

In the upper left corner of the Log and Transfer window is an "Add Folder" button. Click on it.

This will bring up a dialog box. Navigate to the media drive where the folder of P2 material is stored. Click on the folder, but do not navigate into the folder to choose one of the items inside. For example, in the next screenshot, notice that the folder Reel 1 is highlighted (the correct method). Then click Open.

The folder's contents, all the shots recorded to a P2 card, will now show in the main Browse area, as shown next.

7. Mount all folders needed for "spanned" clips.

A spanned clip is a shot that was recorded on set to more than one P2 card. This can happen when there are multiple P2 cards in a camera, and during shooting, the first card gets filled up, so the remainder of the shot is recorded to the next available P2 card. In order to import this shot as a single continuous clip, you need to mount all folders that contain the material related to a spanned clip.

Note in the next screenshot that the last clip has the word "incomplete" after it.

This means that this is a spanned clip. If you've been labeling the P2 folders with the "reel" information from production, then it should be a simple matter to locate the P2 folder containing the remainder of the spanned clip.

In this example, since we started with Reel1, it would be natural to assume that the rest of the spanned clip is on Reel2.

Use the Add Folder to add the additional folder(s) containing the rest of the spanned clip. By the way, a clip could be spanned across multiple cards, depending on how long the shot was being recorded, and the availability of multiple P2 cards in the camera.

Once the additional folder is mounted, notice that the spanned clip has the word "spanned" across from it. You won't need to do anything special to import this clip as it imports just like any other clip.

8. Check and modify Import Settings for the clips to be imported.

Similar to logging video from tape, you have a choice to import video, audio or both. In addition, you have a choice to import up to 4 audio channels, either as pairs of mono or stereo tracks. Since the default is to import 4 channels of audio, if there are only 2 recorded channels, this is something you'll likely want to change before import- to avoid having to deal with 2 empty tracks of audio while editing, or to keep from passing along 2 empty channels of audio to an audio mixing application.

Although the Log and Transfer window gives you the ability to change settings for multiple clips- the default actions will only affect one clip at a time. But we can make changes that affect multiple clips.

To modify import settings for multiple clips, start by changing the view of the Browse area to "hierarchical" view. Click on the button shown below to change the view from "flat" which is the button on the left, to "hierarchical" which is the button on the right.

Notice how the P2 volume now shows as a folder, with the contents indented.

If needed, this allows you to collapse certain volumes to see or work with other volumes more easily.

For now, single click on a single folder icon (or P2 card icon if working directly from a P2 card) as shown next.

On the right side of the window is a logging area. Notice the buttons in the lower right side labeled Logging and Import Settings. Clicking between them gives you different options.

Click on Import Settings to modify how incoming audio and video is handled. Change the settings as desired.

For example, we'll assume all the audio in this P2 volume is just 2 channels. In the following screenshot, notice how I've changed the settings so that channels 3 and 4 have been grayed out. This is done to keep these channels from importing.

Next, click on the button labeled "Apply to Selection", which is located just below the listed audio channels, and can be seen in the previous screenshot. You'll be prompted by the following alert. Click OK.

Since we started out by selecting an entire P2 folder in the Browse area, by choosing this button, all clips in the volume have now had channels 3 and 4 disabled.

Alternately, you can also manually select a group of clips by shift or command/clicking, and use the same Apply to Selection button to affect all selected clips.

9. Log clips.

I won't spend much time here, as logging is similar to the Log and Capture window in Final Cut. So I'll just cover a couple highlights.

Naming: Here is one important aspect that should be addressed- you'll notice that in the Browse area all the clips are given non-friendly names by default- just a series of numbers and letters.

Some users are reluctant to change this information for fear they won't be able to re-import the same material at a later point. The good news- there is embedded metadata that Final Cut is keeping with the clips and project. So you are free to change the names to whatever useful information you desire. Re-importing, as we'll look at a bit later, is simple if you know a couple simple basics.

If you single click on a clip, it will appear on the right side of the window. You can play and mark clips just like in the Log and Capture window.

Once you re-name a clip in the Logging area, notice how the name updates in the Browse area.

Feel free to name clips, even if you don't plan on importing them right now. This information is stored in the project and can be used later (we'll come back to how this works).

Marking Clips: Just like the Log and Capture window, in the upper part of the right side of the Log and Transfer window is a Preview area, transport controls and marking controls. You can use the same key commands for mark In and Out, and navigating through clips (i.e. using J, K, L or Spacebar).

Also feel free to mark In and Out points for clips you don't plan on importing right away as this information is stored within the project and you can always re-mount a P2 volume and the marks will still be there, ready for import.

Fast/Slow Motion: If a clip was shot for slow or fast motion, you'll be able to see the speed effect immediately during playback here. These clips will not need any special processing during or after import to play fast or slow.

Logging Spanned Clips: There is only one small issue related to spanned clips. Notice in the next screenshot that the spanned clip shows which volumes contain the spanned clip, but the default "Reel" field that will be used during import just says "Spanned Reel".

To avoid possible future confusion, you may want to re-label the Reel field to indicate which volumes this clip comes from.

10. Import Clips.

Clips that have been marked or named have not been ingested yet. To do this, you add clips to the Transfer Queue area, shown below, highlighted in red. This starts the import process, creating QuickTime files from the original MXF folder.

There are several ways you can add clips to the Transfer Queue (maybe too many, but its up to you to choose which works best for you).

Adding one clip at a time to the queue:

    • Method 1: With a clip highlighted, click the Add Clip to Queue button in the Logging area.

   

    • Method 2: With a clip highlighted, press F2.

    • Method 3: With a clip highlighted, drag the image in the Preview area into the Transfer Queue.
   

Adding multiple clips at a time to the queue:

    • Highlight a group of clips in the Browse area, then click the Add Selection to Queue button, shown next.

   

    • Highlight a group of clips in the Browse area, then press F2.

    • Highlight a group of clips in the Browse area, then drag down to the Transfer Queue.

The Transfer Queue and Importing: As clips are added to the Transfer Queue, they start importing- creating a QuickTime file on your scratch disk, and importing the clip into the Final Cut project.

In the following screenshot, notice the clips in the queue. The current one that's importing has two indicators: in the Status column there is a rotating import symbol across from the currently importing clip. In the upper right area of the queue is a progress bar showing how much of the clip has been imported.

This is a background process. This is very cool and a break from traditional videotape capturing/digitizing. As clips are importing, any finished clips will appear in the Browser window and can start being edited. You do not need to wait until all clips have been imported. You can even minimize the Log and Transfer window to the dock while getting back to work in Final Cut.

Symbols related to imported clips: After an import of clips, the little circular icons to the left of clips in the Browse area take on some changes, as shown next.

Circle empty: no frames from the clip have been imported
Circle half-filled in: Some frames of the clip have been imported, but not all frames
Circle completely filled-in: All frames of the clip have been imported

So if you're marking in/out points that don't span the entire duration of the clip, then the icon will be the half-filled in circle.

Renaming Clips After Import

Long-time Final Cut Pro users know the danger of renaming clips inside Final Cut because of potential issues with using the Reconnect Media feature at some later date. In Final Cut Pro 6, there is a new feature that "fixes" this issue. If you rename a clip, then its prudent to use the new feature that also renames the media file to the same name as the clip. This makes reconnecting media a bit more full-proof.

If you are unsure of how to do this, highlight a renamed clip or group of renamed clips in the Browser. Then right-click over one of the selected clips and choose Rename > File to Match Clip.

But what about renaming P2 clips after import? Does this affect being able to re-import at a later time? The good news is you can rename P2 clips, and then use the Final Cut 6 feature to rename the media files. If at some point you need to re-import P2 media, the process will work the same (smoothly, that is) as if you had never renamed anything.

Un-Mounting P2 Volumes

After you've imported from a P2 card or P2 folder, you can empty the Log and Transfer window by the Eject button in the upper left corner of the interface.

1. Single click on a P2 clip, or select the P2 volume when using Hierarchal view.

2. Press the Eject button.

    • If the mounted volume is a P2 folder, it will simply remove the folder from the window but it can be re-mounted at any time.

    • If the mounted volume is a P2 card, it will un-mount the volume from the Desktop (similar to ejecting a FireWire hard drive before disconnecting it).

Re-Importing

Just as important as importing is re-importing. If a media hard drive goes bad, or QuickTime files become corrupt, they'll need to be re-imported. This can be done from the original P2 folder (MXF format) that was created on your media drive, or from the backup folder that you copied to a second hard drive and stored on a shelf.

There is metadata stored within the Final Cut project and stored with clips that help Final Cut to identify media already logged from P2 volumes so that you can easily re-mount a P2 volume and Final Cut will know which clips to re-import.

Here's an example issue: media from a project has been deleted or the drive storing the media went bad. Inside Final Cut Pro the clips in the Browser and any used sequences display the dreaded offline media indicators, like the red slash through the clips in the next screenshot.

To re-import this media, follow the next steps.

1. Select clips to be re-imported.

In the Browser, highlight all clips to be re-imported.

2. Use "Batch Capture" to re-import selected clips.

Right-click over one of the selected clips and choose Batch Capture (you can also choose Batch Capture from the File menu).

This process will launch the Log and Transfer window to start the re-importing process but this may also trigger the following warning message.

If this happens, its because the P2 folders needed for re-importing are not currently mounted in the Log and Transfer window.

Use the Add Folder button to add any volumes you'll need for the re-importing.

Then, re-choose Batch Capture. It doesn't matter if you do this with the Log and Transfer window open or closed. If its closed, it will simply re-open.

After choosing Batch Capture, the next dialog box will appear.

Choose between the two options and click OK. The clips will re-import, creating new QuickTimes and reconnecting to the current clips in your project.

Importing From Previously Mounted P2 Volumes

As mentioned before, there is metadata stored along with the Final Cut clips and within the Final Cut project, but there is a difference between the two which is worth pointing out.

First off, you can re-import clips using the previous method described whether or not the clips are stored in their original project or not. Final Cut will know which Final Cut clips relate to the MXF clips in the P2 volume.

On the other hand, opening two different projects will produce different results in the information available to you in the Log and Transfer window.

If you want to access information you previously logged from a P2 volume, whether or not you ingested any clips, you must first open the project where the material was logged.

If you open a new project and mount the original P2 volumes, the Log and Transfer window will not show you the previously logged information.

Notice in the previous screenshots, the window on the left shows what clips have been logged and/or imported. In this case, the original logged project was opened before opening the Log and Transfer window.

On the other hand, the window on the right is also pointing to the same P2 volume, except that none of the logged information is showing up. This Log and Transfer window was opened from a new Final Cut project and does not recognize the previously logged information.

The moral of this story: if you need access to the previously logged information, open the original Final Cut project you logged in. In the previous screen shot on the left, the clips named Hollywood Blvd_1 and Hollywood Blvd_2 have previously been logged but not imported. If you want to import these clips without renaming them or re-marking In or Out points, then first open the original logged project.

Deleting P2 Folders From Computer

If you no longer need the P2 folder containing the original MXF data, the folder can be deleted similar to deleting any computer folder- with one exception. There are items stored in these folders that are locked, so when you try and empty the Trash in your Mac, you will get the following warning.

Instead, before you empty the Trash, hold down the Option key while selecting to empty the trash. This will force locked items to be deleted.

Odds And Ends

A couple other things to mention that can help out when working with P2 media, covered in the next couple sections. This includes:

    • Using an alternate method for copying P2 cards into computer folders- called Archive to Folder
    • There are a couple features in the Logging tab of the Log and Transfer window that can be helpful

Using "Archive To Folder" Method For Copying P2 Cards

When a camera or card reader has several cards in it, and then the device is connected to your Mac, multiple P2 cards will show up on the Desktop. As you can see from the following picture, its not easy at this point to tell which card has which content as each card carries the generic name "No Name".

As mentioned previously, it can be helpful to rename the computer folder being created for the P2 media to the "Reel" name from production, so that it can be easier to manage the different assets you'll be working with.

The easy answer- use Final Cut Pro to create the folders and make the copy of the MXF data into these folders using a feature called Archive to Folder.

1. Plug in and turn on the P2 device with multiple cards.

This content can be stored in the hard drive of a P2 Store, or multiple cards inserted in a P2 camera.

2. Open Final Cut Pro.

Note: you do not need a specific project open for this task as you won't be doing any logging at this point, just copying material.

3. Go to File > Log and Transfer.

All Desktop mounted volumes should automatically mount in the window.

4. Switch to "Hierarchal" view from the top of the window to see a list of all mounted volumes.

5. Go through a volume to identify it.

Opening clips in the logging area to help identify the volume, look for a way to name this volume for later use, like finding a "reel" name for the volume that was used during shooting.

6. Right-click over the name of the volume, and choose Archive to Folder from the drop down menu.

This process will create a folder and copy the contents of the P2 volume to the new folder. You'll be prompted to name the archive. This will be the name of the new folder. Choose a name like the "Reel" name used during shooting.

7. When done archiving the volumes, eject the mounted P2 cards.

You can do this directly from within Final Cut Pro. Highlight a volume, then press the eject button in the upper left corner of the Log and Transfer window. This should un-mount all P2 cards from the Desktop and the P2 device can now be safely unplugged or turned off.

Additional Logging Options

A couple of quick things about the logging process, including how to use previously logged info, how to quickly increment different takes of a shot, reverting back to the original data of the P2 cards and opening additional columns of information.

Accessing Logged Clip Information

Once you've logged and imported a shot, that previously entered information can be used to help you fill out fields for other clips.

Notice in the next screenshot the arrows to the right of each field in the Logging area.

Clicking on an arrow brings up a list of previously logged/imported shots.

Choosing one of these options will replace the selected field.

Incrementing Shots

Also handy is a quick way to increment shots. Notice in the next screenshot the little plus button across from the Name field.

Clicking on this button has updated the previous name of this shot from "Hollywood Blvd_2" to the new name in the field "Hollywood Blvd_3".

Reverting To Original Metadata

Occasionally, you may want to clear the fields for information you've previously entered, restoring the original information from the P2 volume.

Start out by selecting the clips to be "reverted" in the Browse area.

Then click into the Action pop-up button and choose Revert to Original Metadata.

The fields will go back to the original naming conventions from the P2 volume.

Showing Additional Columns

Another handy option is to show additional columns in the Log and Transfer window. Similar to working in Final Cut's Browser window, you can right-click on a column header and a drop down menu of available columns will appear. In the example of the next screenshot, the option for a column called "Format" is being chosen.

In this case, the new column gives us information about the specific Panasonic format that was shot.

Final Note

Although this article seems fairly thorough, it is meant to cover the entire process, including those important things to look out for. But there are more aspects to logging in the Log and Transfer window that you can check out. With Final Cut Pro open, go to the Help menu and choose the option "HD and Broadcast Formats". This will open a pdf document. In chapter 4, starting on page 71, you will find more detailed information about using the Log and Transfer window itself. In addition, Final Cut guru and editor Shane Ross has written a video tutorial at http://library.creativecow.net/articles/ross_shane/p2fcp6.php that you can check out on the P2 process, some organizational tips and information about a 3rd party application that can be helpful.