NoFilmSchool » fcp

Apple Adds XML Interchange* to Final Cut Pro X with First Update

Ryan Koo — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:56:51 +0000

XML import/export has finally made its way to Final Cut Pro X in a 10.0.1 update Apple released today. This brings, ~~yes, a form of backwards compatibility for Final Cut Pro 7 users~~, as one can now import and export rich XML files from FCPX. Unfortuantely — and I initially misunderstood this — “rich XML” does NOT work with Final Cut Pro 7 (more on this after the jump)! But also among the new features are GPU-accelerated export rendering (as opposed to just playback), Xsan support, and a camera import SDK (to allow developers to write plugins for specific cameras). Apple’s Richard Townhill, senior director of applications product marketing said of the release: (more…)

More Final Cut Pro X Screenshots Show Off Advanced Color Grading Interface

Ryan Koo — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:56:08 +0000

More screenshots of Final Cut Pro X (set to be released this month) have been discovered via twitter, this time by @MortGoldman2. Apparently taken from FCP X training videos that the user claims are “publicly available” (though not found easily or released legally), the new screenshots demonstrate the color correction interface of FCP X, which looks a lot like the Motion screenshots we saw last week. The screens show off a new primary and secondary color correction interface, as well as a full suite of video scopes. From these screens, it would appear that Color (but not Motion) has been folded right into FCP X: (more…)

Are These the First Screenshots of the New Apple Motion? And FCP X Ships this Month, Right?

Ryan Koo — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:40:06 +0000

There were no Final Cut Pro X-related announcements among the recent iOS and iCloud-focused Apple updates from WWDC, which was not unexpected (WWDC is not traditionally a film or video event). Except it was originally announced Final Cut Pro X will ship in June, which would mean the much-debanticipated (yes, FCP X hype deserves its own word, a combination of “debated” and “anticipated”) software has a scant three weeks to appear in the App Store. Since the original demonstration, videos, and screenshots, we’ve heard nothing. Then Twitter use BWilks2001 dropped these screenshots, which are reportedly of the new Apple Motion application: (more…)

See Apple's Final Cut Pro X Interface at Work in Unofficial Video

Ryan Koo — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:18:12 +0000

Apple hasn’t posted any official acknowledgement of last night’s demonstrations of Final Cut Pro X on their website, and so everyone on the internet is speculating based on lists of features rather than seeing the presentation. Until Apple gets official with any such announcement, then, the next best thing to an official video is an unofficial (kind of shaky) video of the presentation. In my liveblog of the event I noted, “editors are crazy,” and you’ll see that to be the case based on the overenthusiastic reactions here: (more…)

Apple to Demonstrate the Next Final Cut Pro at NAB SuperMeet April 12

Ryan Koo — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:10:45 +0000

Every year at NAB the FCPUG (Final Cut Pro User Group) puts on their own event dubbed the “SuperMeet.” Since Apple pulled out of NAB two years ago, no one knew how the expected announcement of a new Final Cut Pro at this year’s NAB would take place. With all other scheduled events at this year’s SuperMeet suddenly being cancelled at the request of Apple, who apparently wants exclusive stage time, it looks like the new FCP will be unveiled publicly on April 12 at Bally’s Event Center. The event opens at 4:30pm with presentations beginning at 7. Tickets are currently sold out; guess I should’ve bought a ticket when I had a chance. More details: (more…)

Will Apple Split Up Final Cut Studio and Sell the Components a la Carte?

Ryan Koo — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:46:08 +0000

Since Apple showed a new version of Final Cut Pro behind closed doors, the internets have been flooded with all manner of speculation as to what is so groundbreaking about the latest update to FCP. Idle speculation alert — if you’re not a Final Cut-based editor or you simply don’t care about what could be, feel free to skip this post — we’ll get proper news soon enough. But because there are a lot of FCP editors out there — and because so many folks are throwing ideas at the wall — I thought I’d share a few of the ideas floating about. (more…)

With a New Final Cut Pro on the Way and New MacBook Pros with Thunderbolt, Apple Pro is Back

Ryan Koo — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 19:11:18 +0000

Apple (finally) demonstrated the new version of Final Cut Pro to industry insiders this week, and because everyone who saw it is under a Non Disclosure Agreement, we won’t be hearing any details about it soon (until sometime around NAB, I’m guessing — though Apple is not listed as an exhibitor, they will likely stage their own event). Without going into specifics, however, the new FCP is being called “the biggest overhaul to Final Cut Pro since the original version was created over 10 years ago,” and more simply, “jaw-dropping.” More on the new FCP in a second. Apple also released new MacBook Pros this week, which, along with the usual slew of processor and graphics updates, debuted a brand new 10Gbps (read: ridiculously fast) interface — Thunderbolt. Apple Pro is back. (more…)

How to Get 1000FPS Slow-Mo in Final Cut Studio (No Extra Plugins Required)

Ryan Koo — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:36:38 +0000

The go-to slow motion plugin in many an editor’s toolbox is RE:Vision Effects’ Twixtor. Twixtor can often stretch a shot originally filmed at 30 or 60 frames per second into Matrix-like levels of slowness. However, the enterprising guys at Crumblepop have come up with a way of achieving this same effect using the Optical Flow filter that ships as part of Apple Motion. Here it is in action: (more…)

Does 5DtoRGB Yield the Absolute Best Quality DSLR Footage?

Ryan Koo — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:43:38 +0000

Months ago here on NoFilmSchool I tried to call attention to a little-known DSLR plugin in development known as 5DtoRGB. 5DtoRGB is a software plugin from Rarevision similar to Canon E1, MPEG Streamclip, and Magic Bullet Grinder in that it is designed to transcode your DSLR footage into something that’s eminently more editable. 5DtoRGB claims to offer the highest quality output of all of these options, but despite my posting about the plugin repeatedly, I could do no actual tests with it since my lowly laptop was restricted to 32-bit processing (5DtoRGB requires a 64-bit processor). Now that I’ve successfully built a 64-bit hackintosh, however (the how-to article is coming soon!), I was looking forward to putting the plugin to work. But I was beat to the punch by NoFilmSchool regular Robin Schmidt, who has done some great tests of his own, and as a result the word is out; now even 24 DP Rodney Charters is tweeting about 5DtoRGB. So now that we have our hands on the plugin, what’s the verdict? (more…)

Lock & Load X a Viable Solution for Reducing Rolling Shutter Artifacts?

Ryan Koo — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:30:52 +0000

Rolling shutter, aka “jellocam,” is one of the chief drawbacks to shooting with large CMOS sensors. Other than to avoid whip-pans or shaky camerawork, however, there’s not much shooters can do about it in the acquisition stage; is there a good solution in post? CoreMelt is a software company that’s just released a Final Cut plugin designed expressly to reduce rolling shutter artifacts. (more…)

How to remove stuck pixels from video footage

Ryan Koo — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:34:57 +0000

One of the drawbacks to shooting movies with DSLRs is the problem of stuck pixels, also known as “hot” or “dead” pixels. If every pixel on a DSLR’s large CMOS sensor is essentially a bucket for catching light, out of the tens of millions of buckets (21 million in the case of the 5D Mark II), there are always going to be a few faulty ones. But whereas dead pixels are easy to remove from still images (and harder to detect), on video they stick out like a sore thumb. So — what to do if your otherwise beautiful footage is marred by one (or more) stuck pixels? Thankfully there are a number of solutions to removing dead pixels in post, using your software of choice. Included here are methods based on Final Cut Pro, Vegas, Aperture, and After Effects.

Adobe and Apple still getting along in the editing world, at least

Ryan Koo — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:42:35 +0000

Most of us use both Adobe and Apple products — most commonly Adobe Photoshop and Apple Final Cut, I’m guessing. With the ongoing feud between the two companies reaching a joke T-shirt-spawning level, however, it’s nice to know that their respective NLE programs still talk to each other (thanks to standards-based XML files). Since CS4, Premiere Pro has been able to open and export Final Cut XML files (which is handy for getting FCP sequences into After Effects, an action that used to require a $500 plugin). CS5 tutorial after the jump: (more…)

Shoot on a Canon DSLR? Edit in Final Cut? You need this now

Ryan Koo — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:00:04 +0000

If you meet the criteria (Canon DSLR user, Mac user, Final cut user), the newly released EOS Movie Plugin-E1 for Final Cut Pro from Canon will change your workflow for the better. The free plugin offers the following highly beneficial features:

Automatic transcoding of clips from H.264 to various Apple codecs
Transcoding time may be up to 3x faster than previously possible with EOS movie files using Compressor, or similar
Time Code is added to each clip (based on the camera’s date/time stamp), as well as user-given reel names embedded in the ProRes files, which can then be viewed from FCP throughout the editing process
With the Log and Transfer function, users can set in and out points to transcode and import only the portion of the clip needed for the project, greatly improving speed and productivity

Once you click through to the download link, be sure to select Mac OS X in order for the plugin to show up. First 24p for the 5d Mark II, now this; Canon is really owning the HDSLR revolution.

Why filmmakers might switch from Macs to PCs in 2010

Ryan Koo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:00:17 +0000

This isn’t for anyone who works at a huge corporation or has a lot of money, but for the rest of us, I think the best guerilla solution for filmmaking in 2010 will be a PC. I’ve been a Mac guy for the past four years but I suspect things are about to change; here’s why. (more…)