Update (2-23-15):
Avid has a new article about updating Media Composer. Read it here:
http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/faq/Media-Composer-Software-Born-On-Date-Licensing-FAQ/
Old rant and how-to (12-30-14) below:
Of course Avid has to make things complicated for you.
The Application Manager is of no help whatsoever. It will display confusing messages as you try to read info / update either Application Manager or Media Composer itself.
At first there is no Update available for MC, then if you check the info under App Manager you get cryptic message: no need to update if you plan to update MC...
Well... How? If you update App Manager, then there is an Update button that shows for MC, but it is not working! Avid tells you that you need to buy or subscribe and that no Update is available to you. Great.
So for you mindful users wanting to update to MC 8.3 from MC 8.1, in case you are a Perpetual Licensee, with a Yearly Plan Subscription and do not use a dongle, do this:
1 (one) De-Activate and Re-Activate Media Composer from the Licensing tab in Application Manager. (No idea why Avid wants you to do this, but just to be safe.)
2 (two) In your web browser, log-in into your Avid User Account, go to My Products and Subscriptions.
3 (three) Click on Products Details and Download Links "Show" (Why Avid has to hide the good stuff under irate pull-down menus like "Show" / "Show Info" / "More Info" / "Details" ... Is beyond me. Usually it's hiding three lines of important info that would be just fine being displayed right there in plain sight, that would make the experience much more straightforward.
4 (four) Download the Media Composer 8.3 installer.
5 (five) Open and Install Media Composer from the installer.
6 (six) Restart your computer.
7 (seven) Check that Application Manager and Avid Media Composer are current. Yeah!
Now go edit some 4k stuff!
There is a variety of ways to achieve frame rate conversion. Using Hardware boxes like Terranex, Alchemist PhC, or... Software that's available to you.
And there are two ways to tackle it, you can either:
1) maintain the duration (= modify the number of frames) which has the effect that the footage will play at the same speed in the new 25 fps frame rate. This process is slower, takes more processing time,
or
2) reduce the duration (= maintain the same number of frames) which has the effect of speeding-up the footage in the new 25fps frame rate. This process is faster since no new frames are created.
Below are a few examples using different Software. As a general rule, use the best settings possible and the best codec/export settings, knowing that highest quality equals longer render times. Run tests.
1) Maintain duration (plays at same speed)
Compressor:
Use Apple Settings QT ProRes with pass through audio as a starting point.
Go to Inspector, Encoder, Video Format Select Frame Rate 25, make sure AR is correct. Verify your media source, check your Geometry tab, set Frame Size 1920x1080 and Pixel Aspect Square if necessary (Open Preview Window and look at the results) Something is set wrong in the AR or Geometry if you are getting a squeezed or stretched image.
Go to Frame Control. turn Controls ON, select Rate Conversion: Best (You might see ghosting with the other settings, test on a short clip.)
After Effects:
import your footage, right-click / New comp from selection.
Go to: Composition / Settings, change Frame Rate to 25. Click OK.
In the Composition window, enable Frame Blending, set Layer / Frame Blending to Pixel Motion.
Optional: add Force Motion Blur to taste.
FCPX:
Import your footage.
File / New Project, set Frame Rate at 25
Drag your footage into the Project Timeline
Select the clip, Go to the Inspector /Video /Rate Conform, Select Frame Sampling = Optical Flow (best.)
2) Reduce duration (plays faster)
Cinema Tools
This one is probably the easiest of the bunch, but USE THIS ON A DUPLICATE FILE as it will modify the QT and not create a new one -- no rendering needed. Open Clip, click Conform, Select Conform to 25, Click Conform.
Compressor:
Use Apple Settings QT ProRes with pass through audio as a starting point.
Go to Inspector, Encoder, Video Format Select Frame Rate 25, make sure AR is correct. Verify your media source, check you Geometry tab, set Frame Size 1920x1080 and Pixel Aspect Square if necessary (Open Preview Window and look at the results) Something is set wrong in the AR or Geometry if you are getting a squeezed or stretched image.
Go to Frame Control. Click so Source Frames play at... Select 23.976 @ 25.
After Effects:
import your footage, right-click / interpret footage / Main
conform frame rate to 25, click OK, Export.
FCPX:
Import your footage.
File / New Project, set Frame Rate at 25
Drag your footage into the Project Timeline
Select the clip, Go to the Speed button, select Automatic Speed.
We got selected as one of the guest films for the Real Experimental Film Series at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills, and we needed a DCP, pronto!
I started researching DCPs a couple years back when I worked as a post-producer on an other indy feature, but the tests weren't conclusive, so I didn't get to make the actual DCP for it.
It was time to dive again into DCP waters. I tested a few new encoding apps, Wraptor for AME, DCP-o-matic, EasyDCP plug-in for Resolve. But at the end of the day, I went back to FinalDCP. I retested the entire workflow, and talked to a couple of colleagues just to make sure I got everything right.
I elected to make a flat, Interop DCP and I set the Jpeg2000 bitrate at around 150Mbps. Since our master was HD, I selected to pad the image, without resizing.
I had previously prepped an LCR mix from the stereo mix stems, so I encoded in 5.1 with empty LFE, Ls, and Rs tracks.
It took 16 long hours to encode, but it went steadily. The software converted from the 23.976fps of the ProRes QT HD Master to the 24fps of the DCP which probably added to the render time. The conversion was perfect, no skipping frames or stuttering.
I QC the package on the computer using the DCP Player app, and all was fine! Image checked, sound checked.
I then formatted a WD portable drive to Linux Ext3, using an old MacBook with Ubuntu, and I copied the DCP from the Mac HFS drive to the Linux drive on the same MacBook.
The drive was sent to the theater for ingest. I got to check the film a couple days before the show... and the movie played beautifully! Yes!
On screening night the movie looked and sounded great on the big screen, with cast and crew and an audience, powerful stuff! The director was thrilled, and so was I.
It's a success!
