Final Cut Pro X is optimized for speed

One thing that often get lost in discussions: in addition to some of its uniqueness (trackless, magnetic timeline, roles...) FCPX is optimized for speed. It uses the hardware better than PP during editing (more of a fluid response) and during export (faster exports.) 

From a 90 min. ProRes Timeline, with ProRes clips, with color correction applied, EQ and compressor applied to audio, FCPX exports a ProRes 422 file in less than 30min. without pre-rendering. It uses at least between 580% and 830% of CPU, most of the time around 750% of CPU, and something like 4.65GB of RAM.

Export from FCPX, six cores in action.

In comparison, Premiere Pro/ Adobe Media Encoder takes 94min. for the same task (again without pre-rendering), and it uses the CPU at under 500% at best, and about 9GB RAM.

Export from Premiere/AME (Queued), same six cores.

Again, a 90min. Timeline exports in 30min. with FCPX. It takes 94min. in PP, THREE TIMES LONGER!

These are my numbers on a MacPro 5,1 mid 2012, 3.46Mhz six core with 32GB RAM, macOS Sierra 10.12.6 and a Sapphire Radeon 7950 3GB VRAM.

Do you have a Nvidia card in a similar specced system? Do you have a system that fares better? Would you be nice enough to send real test numbers my way? Make a HD Timeline with Prores 422 clips, add some color correction and EQ+compressor on audio and Export away to ProRes 422 - no rendering allowed. Start your timer and report in the comments. Thanks!

Adobe Encore CS6 Audio Out

I'm using Encore on a DVD project (macOS Sierra 10.12.6) and as you know Encore can playback the timeline and preview your DVD, but for some reason I got no sound output through my brand new 24bit 48k audio interface.

In Encore, one sets the Preference/Audio/Video Out by clicking on Audio Output Device. This will open the Mac Audio Midi Setup. Click on Adobe Encore DVD 6.0 an you will see that all the devices are greyed out. Clicking and selecting your favorite device only activates it briefly, as soon as you return to Encore, all devices turn back to inactive...

Unlike Premiere Pro 6.0, it does not stick. Well the trick is to leave Adobe Encore DVD 6.0 alone, select your Audio interface/device as the System Sound Output in Mac Preferences, and in Audio Midi Setup set the device to 16bit., 24bit does not work with Encore, only 16bit.

At last! Audio output from Encore! 

FCPX drives me crazy with the stupid TIMELINE behavior! Apple please FIX THIS ASAP!!!

FCPX has a weird way to load whatever it pleases into the Timeline on opening a Library. This behavior SUCKS!

What sucks even more is when you are working under the gun and have a group of audio stems and need to do some subtle mix adjustments, to say the music - happens all the time, always at the last minute, right when I need to export my Master ASAP and be done already!!!

INSTEAD of opening the proper Group or Compound Clip, FCPX opens whatever old / other Compound from an old Snapshot opened at RANDOM on Startup!

At this point I have TWO different Compound Clips with the same name in the Timeline.

In FCPX the Timeline is TOO EASILY populated with CRAP that I cannot close or organize in a meaningful way.

There I said it, this is my number one gripe with FCPX.

So I do to alter my Music Stem in my Compound Clip and it does not reflect in my Project. Why? Because it's the WRONG one!

But which is which? No way to tell but to Click on the damn Timeline Arrow and then see... that it belongs to an old Snapshot. Aaaargl!!!

- Why is this even loaded in the Timeline?
- Why can't I get rid of it?

So not intuitive.

I have to CLOSE the Library completely, re-open it -and by the way FCPX finds it's great to load the Timeline with... a random Compound Clip instead of the Project I need to work on. Great!

Then I need to load the actual Project, and Right+Click on my Audio Stems Compound to "Open Clip" and load it into the second "tab" or whatever you call this of the Timeline.

Poof! for some reason FCPX closes the other one this time... go figure? FINALLY, it opens the proper Stems. Oh boy...

Alright so, please Apple, make this Timeline navigation snafu a thing of the past, you know what we want already, we have commented on this for years.

Give us a FREAKING HISTORY ala Adobe. We need a History of the Timeline with the capability to ORGANIZE our Projects and Clips, and a CLEAR LABELLING of things so we can order them, delete them, etc.

Just add this to the Index and be done already.

Is it too much to ask?

IS IT!??

How to Deal With Cinema DNG from BlackMagic Cameras in FCPX

 FCPX does not like Cinema DNG and does not understand it, period. It probably never will now that ProRes RAW is out in the wild.

So what do you do when you receive a ".dng" image sequence and want to edit with FCPX? You will have to go the Offline Route, and use Resolve to do it.

Not a bad thing anyway since you will likely grade and finish your film into Resolve anyway. Probably not the only option, but one that works for me.

STEPS:

• Import your footage into Resolve.
• Select a day's worth of media (or half day, whatever works for you.) Generate a new Timeline from the selected media. It's good Practice to create one Timeline for each day or half day of shooting. Name it in a way you know what's what.
• Optional: Into the Color Tab/ Camera Raw, set the Decode Using to Cinema DNG Default to make the image look somewhat normal as opposed to the washed out RAW look. If you prefer, you can leave the Setting to Camera Metadata for a log output, and turn the Log Processing to BMD Film in FCPX instead. From my experience it does not slow down editing in FCPX.
• Optional: You can add Timecode and Clip Name Burn-in, (or any info you need visible) from Workspace/ Data Burn-in Menu.
• Go to the Deliver Tab.
• Select Render to FCPX.
• Select Format: Quicktime, and Codec: Apple ProRes LT. You can choose whatever you want, LT makes things fast for me in FCPX.
• Select the Resolution of your choice, I use HD or UHD depending which I am finalizing into.
• I like to check Use Constant Bitrate.
• Browse /Create a New Folder, name it "FCPX Proxy Media" or whatever you want, it will be your export folder.
• Click Add To Render Queue. Resolve will add the Job to the Render Queue, Click Start Render.

This way Resove makes an XML that will open in FCPX and load all the low resolution/proxy clips that are a breeze to edit with in FCPX.

Edit away!

When you are done editing, Export an XML of your cut from FCPX. Import the XML into Resolve. Uncheck Automatically import Source Clips into media pool (we don't want Resolve to relink to the low res files.) Resolve will automatically link to the Cinema DNG files and populate the Timelime, ready for Color Grading / Finishing.

I give you... ProRes RAW

ProRes was a game changer, will ProRes RAW be as successful? It certainly looks promising.

LumaForge presentation from Atomos' Jeremy Young at NAB 2018:

https://youtu.be/9f3G9mP9Tsk

Excerpts:

• Capturing 12 bit from Japanese cameras, will improve over time.
• 16bit capable, capable of even more as it is bit independent, resolution independent, frame rate independent.
• Two flavas: RAW (DataRate less than ProRes 422) and RAW HQ (DataRate less than ProRes 4444.)
• Variable DataRate, lower if properly exposed image, higher if noisy sensor output.
• Faster rendering times than real time (up to x4.)
• Not a Mastering format, will be Mastering to ProRes4444. Indeed there is no ProRes RAW option for Export/Share in FCPX 10.4.1. Which brings the question: what about VFX roundtrips?
• Atomos devices screens up to 10.5 stops 1500 nits HDR high brights, LUT capable, RAW to normal conversion.
• Atomos devices support input up to 15 Stops, 12 bit RGB (will support higher bits),  up to 5.7K (at 30fps?), 4K at 60fps, up to 240fps (at 2K), 12Gb/s SDI, Camera Data (Camera, F-Stop, ISO, Shutter, Lens, Iris, WB, ND.)
• Selected Atomos devices are HDMI RAW capable - ALTHOUGH THERE IS NO HDMI RAW OUTPUT FROM ANY CAMERA AT THIS TIME - SDI ONLY. Which manufacturer will announce HDMI RAW capable first?
• "In HDR it looks phenomenal". Evidently that's the push: ProRes RAW the to-go solution for HDR production.
• Real performance with FCPX: PIP 5 simultaneous streams of 6K, 4K (x3), 2K with mixed original frame rate 24p to 240p. Do you need an iMac Pro for that?

Thank you, Lumaforge!

Premiere New Folder Window STUCK!!!

OK, to reproduce this problem do this in Premiere:

• File/New Project.
• In the New Project Window, click onto Location/Browse.
• Click on New Folder.
• Click onto a Safari web browser page.
• Click on the Location/Browse Window again...

The FREAKING New Folder Window HIDES ITSELF! All of a sudden, IT'S GONE!

It hides itself somewhere and I cannot find it, I cannot click on it, I cannot cancel.

Other Premiere windows are probably hiding it, but I cannot move them away. Premiere keeps on beeping, ding, ding, I cannot close windows, I cannot escape, nada. I have to Force Quit!

I just lost 1hr. of work - last time I saved. Not true of course, evidently I have AutoSave turned on and saving every 10min. So I actually only really lost 10min. But man! Premiere is lame sometimes.

---- UPDATE ---- 

If this happens to you: click at the BOTTOM of the Location/Browse Window and move it aside. It's likely the New Folder Window is hiding behind it.

The thing is, you cannot move the Location/Browse Window by clicking on the top bar. Only if you click I the bottom section does it allow you to move it.

Adobe???

BlackmagicDesign DaVinci Resolve 15 Beta Is Mind Blowing!

 BMD just released Resolve 15 Beta and it's overwhelming! This great color grading tool has evolved into a full-on post-production in a box software.

Check the 19min. YouTube video below if you don't believe me.

https://youtu.be/84e7iCI9Jkk

Now it's very likely full of bugs and lacking many a functionality. And it doesn't have (yet) specific things we like FCPX for: Overall fluidity, Magnetic timeline, Roles, FilmStrips View, Smart Collections, etc.

Nevertheless, you have to recognize the beauty of this thing, and the beauty of where I think it's heading.

I see this new release as a full integration of all the steps in Post-prod with very advanced specialty tools just a button away: Media Manage/Edit/Color/FX/Sound/Delivery. No more clunky back and forth between departments. It's not only all under one roof, it's all under one app!

Now while we wonder and experiment with the shiny new Resolve, BMD folks will be working on Collaboration. As I foresee, editors, colorists, sound people, fx people, we will be working on the SAME Resolve project.

The editor will rough FXs in the Timeline, and "pass" them to the FX artist in an INSTANT. No more managing media, sending notes, screeners and rough comps, it's all in there!

While color, FX and audio people are working in their specialty pages, with auto-linking/management of each comp/media/project, BMD cloud will upload the newly created media in the background for all to see and use when ready. The Timeline will update AUTOMATICALLY at a push of a button, or as set in the prefs.

No more conforming as it is now BUILT-IN. And you will be able to choose when this happens: end of day, in the background, or right now!

Let's see how stable it is under stress, and where this new paradigm leads us. A lot to dig in!

Exciting times!