Timecode Burn-in and Encode in One Step for Final Cut Studio

Timecode burn-in is used to assist in referencing back to parts of show. Typically this has been used on VHS tapes for producers so they can comment on shows, etc. These days it’s more common to use QuickTime files and DVDs for this type of work. Since you’re going to have to encode the video anyway (most likely using Compressor), why not add timecode burn-in at the same time?

Fortunately, a great new feature in Compressor 3 allows you to do this.
1 Inside Final Cut Pro select the sequence you want to export.
2 Choose File > Export > Using Compressor.
3 Inside Compressor select the setting you’d like to apply to the file. With the setting active, select the Inspector window and click the Filters tab.
4 Choose Timecode Generator.
5 Change the settings for the Timecode Generator as you see fit.
6 Apply the setting to the clip in the Batch window.
7 Submit the job.

Note: If you’re trying to choose the Timecode Generator for an Apple preset you’ll notice there are no filters in the Filters tab of the Inspector. To be able to add the Timecode Generator to one of the Apple presets, you’ll have to duplicate it first (then it becomes a custom preset).

Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.

Final Cut Pro to YouTube

What people tend to forget is that you are sending YouTube a master for them to compress; therefore, send the highest quality you can, that fits within their limitations. YouTube.com is well know for being the busiest video-sharing site, but unfortunately, YouTube uses the much older Sorenson Spark codec for their video encoding. This was the “improved” video format for Flash 7 but is based on the very old H.263 video conferencing codec. Even when new, this was an old, inefficient codec.

Many people send YouTube an already compressed video, and are disappointed when they see the quality that results on YouTube. That’s because most of the information was first thrown away by the encode before upload, so there was little quality left to be encoded to Flash 7.

The goal is to give YouTube a master that they can use for encoding:
• YouTube has two limitations: no more than 10 minutes per video and no larger than 100 MB per video.
• YouTube converts everything that is uploaded to Flash 7 video at 320X240 (although they’ve started to also do 640X480 in H.264).
• Remember the good old days of VHS distribution? You wouldn’t give the duplicator a VHS copy of the show to duplicate. No, you’d give them the highest quality master you could. Therefore, to get the best quality from YouTube, give them a high quality “master” that is close to 99 MB.

Here’s how to pull this off:
1 Use QuickTime Pro or Final Cut Pro to exports to .mp4 with H.264 video.
2 Export as MPEG-4 with H.264 and set the size to 320X240. There is no point providing more resolution than YouTube’s finished size. By going direct to that size means that you can devote bandwidth to making that master look great, instead of sending excess size that will be scaled down. The bonus is that you get to control de-interlacing and scaling.
3 From here on there are two choices: calculate the maximum data rate that will keep the file under 99 MB, or use some general purpose settings.

Thanks to Phil Hodgetts for this guest tip.

Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.

NLEs Are Still Too Expensive?

There has been a lot of noise lately from some folks that even the new Avid hardware pricing is too high. As someone who is in this game for the long haul, this really rankles my feathers. Avid has lowered their pricing by around 50 percent, while delivering a product that greatly increases speed and performance over the existing Adrenaline line. When I try to explain that time is money and the time you save with this gear equals money in the bank, I just get “but FCP is cheaper” as the standard response. So I thought I would follow this new group of editors to their future world…

Two Compleat Idiots Discuss RED Post

Art and Adam discuss the aftermath of the Wii spec spot and Art’s venture into RED post…

The Compleat Idiot’s Guide to RED Post on a Budget

This is by no means a definitive manual on how to post RED footage. Rather, this is how I managed to work with R3D footage while creating a spec spot using the RED. Your mileage may vary. I expect to be flamed repeatedly regarding my handling of this shoot’s post process, but from the ashes I hope to extract some knowledge as to how to do it all better next time.

We did not record any sound on the shoot, so that part of the post process is not addressed. Yay!

For behind-the-scenes action, see Adam Wilt’s post on the shoot itself.

Fun With A Mac, Some Programs, and a Music Video - Do It Again!

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