Here was my plan for the day…
Get home from work and shoot a little video with the 5d and the Sennheiser ME67 microphone. One of the reasons I’m doing this 365 project is to be working on different skill sets each and every day. Sometimes it’s finding a photo where I typically don’t go looking for photos. Sometimes it’s working with audio. Sometimes it will be video.
I just upgraded to Final Cut Studio. Part of that package is Compressor 3.5. I have yet to use Compressor so I thought it would be a good time to figure out this workflow.
After attending Vincent Laforet’s 5d video workshop here in Atlanta I knew that the best editing format for FCP was using Apple’s ProRes 422 codec. Compressor has a setting to convert the 5d H.264 codec into ProRes with a click of the mouse. Awesome right? I start the batch and it tells me that I have to wait four hours until it’s done. Then it says five hours. Then six. All for 12 minutes of original H.264 footage.
I actually wait an hour before I stop the process and drop the original clips into FCP. The nice thing about Final Cut Studio is you can drop 5d native files into a timeline and perform basic edits without the need to render the files first. That is one of the reasons why I upgraded from Final Cut Express. In FCE you have to render the files first then edit. Not so in FCP Studio. I shot the video in B&W to start with so I didn’t need to worry about doing that in post. I should just be able to drop, edit, export. Easy peezy.
I edit my footage in less than 10 minutes and then send the timeline from FCP to Compressor. Surely a five minute video won’t take too long to export for the web. I simply choose Compressor’s YouTube preset as my export option and hit start.
3 hours. 4 hours. 5 hours. I think this effing program should be called Expander. I go to bed and 6.5 hours later I wake up and it’s STILL not finished. It’s telling me that there are three more hours to go on this export yet the status bar has only gotten half way through the video. I cancel the export and go back into FCP. I export the timeline for web using some preset in QuickTime and I take the kids to school. I come back to the house 20 minutes later and the exported file is finished and waiting for me on my desktop.
Now, I’m man enough to admit that there could be some user error going on here since I am completely unfamiliar with this entire editing suite. I’m comfortable in FCP for editing but all of the file formats and preferences and all of that are still a bit foreign to me. Those of you who know me know that I drink the Apple kool-aid daily. Ok, so I’m not a fan of the iPad but Apple is awesome! They have never let me down but I don’t get this statement from their page on Compressor.
New batch templates, enhanced droplets, and convenient auto-detect settings in Compressor 3.5 minimize the time you spend encoding, so you can invest more time in editing. Best of all, you can now keep editing in Final Cut Pro while Compressor encodes and delivers your files for you in the background.
I start uploading my QT export to YouTube and start reading about Compressor and asking questions on Twitter. Turns out a lot of people are complaining about encoding issues with 3.5. Turns out that even if your FCP timeline is fully rendered in FCP, Compressor says to hell with all that and goes back and renders each and every frame again and then converts it. Now, I’m no software engineer, but to me it seems like there should be a handshake between the programs. They live in the same suite and are tied at the hip. Do they not talk to each other? Again, I’m not a software engineer so I’m speaking out of rear but waiting for more than an hour to encode five minutes of footage seems just a bit to0 effing slow.
Again, user error could be the issue here but Apple tells me that this thing is an out of the box fast track to awesomeness.
So here is the video. After all of that… it is the most unremarkable video you have ever laid eyes on.
Every night we sit down for dinner and go through our “Best Part. Worst Part.” routine. We picked this up from our dear friend Kara Pecknold. We all go around the table saying what the best part of our day was and what the worst part of our day was. Little did I know the worst part of my day was ahead of me. Stupid video workflow.
If the video quality completely sucks it’s one of two things.
1) I’m posting this before YouTube finishes processing the file. It’s live but YouTube hasn’t finished putting their VooDoo on it. I’ve wasted enough of my time pushing this thing out and I can’t spend another minute of my day waiting for it. I don’t even want to post it now knowing how many hours of processing this thing has taken.
2) It’s YouTube. I prefer blip.tv for my online videos but I didn’t want to populate this through my blip.tv podcast feed. I save that for Critiques, screen casts, etc. I don’t think my 365 snippets need to go through there.
How it was shot :: 5d Mk II on tripod, handheld Sennheiser ME67 Mic, Edited in Final Cut. Cursed at a number of times. Stupid Compressor.
For you video folks out there… Is it user error? Do I need to set up the preferences differently? What gives? My set up…
Local Media
OSX 10.5.8
MBP 2.53 Duo
4 gig RAM
Cheers,
Zack
38 Comments
My favorite part: “The worst part of my day is eating macaroni and cheese, and vegetables” LOL
Good job!
It’s crazy how a simple video can take hours upon hours of work. I haven’t used the new droplets yet, but I do use FCP and MPEG Streamclip. I use streamclip to convert everything before bringing it into FCP and then I usually export the timeline as a current settings .mov file. Then I drag the .mov into compressor and use it there. The apple tv setting is great for online work and usually plays smoothly. I completely agree on the youtube hosting and some great sites for hosting video that you don’t want the youtube vibe on are vimeo and exposureroom. Sorry to throw a bunch of info at you, but I’m bringing video into my workflow too and those are a few things that have helped me. I love this idea of talking about the day too and you’ve got a great crew to share things with. Good luck with video!
So flippin cute. Love the idea too. We have three kids so I might have to steal that one for dinner tonight.
Hi Zack.
I’ve seen many 365 projects in the last time… but I think yours is a special one!
Keep up the great work. It’s always nice to see how relaxed your dealing with lighting, photography and your kids.
Greetings from Germany!
Zack,
Greetings again! Hope you are well. re; your FCP problems, I would try and export the edited sequence first from FCP. Go to file export -> QuickTime Movie -> and then keep all the current settings.
The thing with FCP is when you first create a brand new sequence, the very first video clip you put to the timeline will be the “master” instruction to tell what type of sequence settings you will make. The current 5DMKII firmware sets the video 30fps and h264 compression. FCP can edit this, but it can be a little choppy w/ transitions. When you export this same sequence settings, your export h264 again. So it’s a resource hog.
You can only change the master setting once (you can change codec), so if you drag another non-5DMKII file first, you will have to create a new sequence and make sure you drag a 5DMKII file first into timeline.
Take the exported clip- and drag it into compressor. From there drag a droplet to the video for it’s settings.
This workflow will use more space, but you’ve got the file out of FCP, and compressor can work on it by it self.
Apple has had a problem with their suite since Final Cut Studio 1 (FCP 5.0) talking to the other programs like Motion and Soundtrack. I end up always exporting my project, taking it to another program for an edit and then re-import to FCP. Hopefully one day they will clean this act up. I suspect it won’t be until they make it 64bit and do a complete re-write.
Canon just announced this week that they are releasing a free plugin for FCP that will automate importing and batch converting to ProRes422 and they say it will be twice as fast as compressor. It will take log and capture information like a normal video workflow. This plugin will absolutely change my workflow and make my life much easier. I am really exited about this. But for now you can either convert yourself to ProRes or you can keep it native.
wew- lots of tech talk. Hope this helps. let me know if I can help.
take care,
Michael
Also had Dr. Snip in December; I think the worst part of my day was waiting for it though. Brilliant work Zack – you make me want to make videos of my kids right now (the kid sick on the couch… so sad, but so cute).
Zack,
No way unremarkable! The video brings a giant smile to my face. Sorry I can’t answer you about the Final Cut issues you are having.
Nice little vid. Too bad it was so much of a hassle to share.
Question – how do you set your exposure on the 5D when shooting video. I’m assuming you are manually setting it or do you use something like Av and just the let the camera do it’s thing?
thats hilarious! Now I can’t show this to my wife – it will remind her to start nagging me about getting “the procedure”…..I’m scared.
Hi Zack,
Well beautyful, and inspiring video became the output. Friendly, warm, caring and everyday stuff from children and adults.
It was a nice watch!
regards,
-michael
Try MPEG Streamclip. It’s free and a lot faster for the initial transcode to PreRes. http://www.squared5.com/
The video was worth it–At least for us viewers.
Thanks for sharing what you do!
Glad you made it back from Columbus okay.
Cheers!
Scott
For putting your files into a different format, you might try a free program called “MPEG Streamclip” instead of Compressor. You can get it from a place called Squared 5. In there you can do a batch of files or a single file really easily and it has worked flawlessly for me every time. From there I take it in FCP for all the editing.
i’m amazed how much like you caleb looks in this video. i photoshopped glasses and a goatee on him in my head and its brilliant.
Zack,
Have you had MPEG Streamclip (http://www.squared5.com/) suggested to you yet? When I am using 5D2 footage in FCP, I use Streamclip to create my ProRes clips first before importing to FCP. Once I get to my final edit, I save as a (humungous) .mov file, and then use QT or Streamclip to reencode to the size/codec I want. Not the most elegant of solutions, but it has saved me hours of headache in compressor.
Cheers,
Chris
I’ve been in your shoes, man! Compressor has caused me more problems than it’s worth to use it, so I try to use other workarounds when I can.
The good news is Canon’s EOS E1 Video plugin for FCP:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/1002/10020801canoneose1videoplug-in.asp
Maybe it’ll put some good mojo back into the FCP workflow.
I thought the video looked great! I can’t give any further insight to the troubles you’ve been having, I’ve always done my editing on a PC using Avid a bit but mostly Adobe’s Premiere Pro. I do agree with you, if Compressor is wanting to re-render everything you send to it it’s not a very efficient workflow. Hope to see a lot more of these, by the way, your family is great!
Nice work Zack – you are getting close to inspiring me to do a 365 project. Close. not there yet. You need to look at Philip Bloom’s video here. http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/education/technical/frame_rate_conversion.do – it will help you with your 5D conversions for editing – email me and I will give you my compressor settings.
I wish you had posted the video to your blip.tv account so i could watch it at work. The firewall here blocks youtube but I have no problem downloading via itunes.
Cheers…
i give mad props to the digital video gurus. i was asked a few month to do a video for a song. i have 5dmkii so i said yes. i went from knowing nothing about video or editing to a finished product in 2 (hellish)days.
though i made many mistakes, the biggest one was not setting the resolution and fps before i began the project. so once i imported all of the files (45) into FCE i was limited and could not go back without re-rendering the files in mpeg streamclip and re-editing all over. needless to say, i settled for lower resolution.
lesson learned: set the project preferences before importing and editing. know what the best format to render your clips to first with short samples. for me it was one of the hi-res apple codecs.
to see the amateur-ish final product, go here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAmWxNj4QDo
however, content is EVERYTHING. and of course, zack, you nailed it.
Nice Zack! Good to see your family sits down for dinner together (a lost tradition these days). Is it worth learning FCP or handing it off to an editor? I’m on the fence. I typically throw these types of videos into imovie for a quick edit. Becoming a video editor/sound mixer feels like I’m spreading myself sooooo thin
Hey its me caleb just wanting to say hi!
Cheers me
as for i will always remain my rockin’ self:^{D
That video IS remarkable, if for no other reason than the fact you managed to gather your awesome family around a dinner table. Do you realize how impossible and rare that is these days?
Well done, sire.
W.
Zack,
I use Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum for video editing. It’s the easiest and most complete software out there and I even favor it over adobe premiere. It just does EVERYTHING! I see you are having trouble with the comressor. If it’s software based or external, try these settings. Ratio 2:1, Threshold -10 db, attach 50ms, release 500ms, if it has noise gate, set it to -25 threshold and around 300ms for the rate. Compression is used to level out the signal, but you don’t want to squash it so much that is sounds flat unless you’re in broadcast radio or doing a commercial or something like that. Play with these settings and if the audio source is more aggressive, set the ratio to 4:1 or higher. The higher the first number, the more it will level out the loud spikes that may occur. For acoustic guitars, stable vocals, like talking etc… 2:1 works perfectly. 1:1 = no compression. Basically for ever increase in decibals, say a whisper to a scream, a 2:1 will only reduce the loud part by 1/2 the volume of the whisper, which will give you too much variance and clip the output. If you have an extreme scenario such as soft to loud, try a higher ratio to keep the audio leveled out, but be aware that you may experience more noise, which is why a noise gate is recommended. I hope I enlighted or helped you in the least. I want you to succeed Zack and am here if you need any more assistance! I support what you do and can be considered your tech support team if you wish. lol
Peace, Chris
Best: that video. Nice work Zack.
Worst: knowing I was under the weather yesterday and couldn’t help with the crazy, frantic day.
See you guys on Thursday – my super intern powers should be restored by then.
Corey – We make sure we do it every single night… Sometimes it’s at the studio. Sometimes at Chick-fil-A. Wherever. We always have a meal together. It’s awesome.
Cheers,
Zack
Thank you all so much for all of the advice and tips and tricks. I really do appreciate it.
Cheers,
Zack
Oops, I think I confused even myself with my explanation regarding the reducing the volume by 1/2 above. Basically, a 2:1 ratio means that every time the volume goes above your set threshold the compressor will allow a 1 db increase in volume for every 2 db’s above the max you set. At 4:1 it can be 4 times louder than the normal volume and still only increase by 1 db overall. The thing with compressors is that they are supposed to sound natural and not like a limiter, which doesn’t allow an increase in volume at all. That’s why you set your threshold to -10 or more if needed to allow the increase in volume, but to keep it below clipping levels. At say a 6:1 ratios, the db’s can be 6 times louder, such as with a soft then loud audio source. The compressor will keep the audio sounding almost even, but you’ll still be able to hear the loudness increase, but not as drastically as if there was no compressor. It just sort of smooths out the recording. Too much compression will make the mix sound muddy though. A good place to start is 2:1 and then use 4:1 ratios if the volume is more unpredictable from whisper soft to LOUD. I hope that makes some sense now.
Not a comment on your professional work, sorry, but you two are clearly doing a kick-ass job as parents. Nice, well-spoken, grateful kids… keep doing whatever you’re doing!
So much love in your family, thanks for sharing!
I LOVE this! Your children are darling! And I LOVED your last statement! Ha!
Zack,
you did everything right. The problem is the acquisition. H.264 is a delivery codec, not an editing codec; hence no Easy Setup for it in FCP. Did you transcode to ProRes non HQ? Since it is coming from H.264, there is no need to go to HQ. May save you some time.
Codec: one of the few drawbacks of shooting video on dSLR.
…the best part of my day was this little film you’ve made.it’s actually the brightest part of my week! thnx!
stef
Hey Zack…i don’t claim to be able to explain it, but i have been finding that if I use the new “SHARE” menu in FCP and dial in the Compressor settings I need to go faster than going to Compressor itself. Which is odd, since the Share menu is just a new front end for Compressor. Give it a shot and see if you see any faster exports.
Oh, and thanks for all the inspiration over the last couple years. You’ve managed to GMOMA (getmeoffmyass) more times than I care to admit.
Sug,
In FCP Studio there is an easy setup for it and you can edit raw h.264 without the need to render during editing but as I have found out, it has to render at export… Well, all things do I guess to some extent. Didn’t Apple freaking invent h.264? Can’t they somehow make it a native editing format? I’m sure it’s coming down the pipe.
I did not transcode to ProRes at the beginning because Compressor was telling me it was going to take hours to do. I didn’t have hours. Besides, I had 12 minutes of footage. Hours to transcode that? Something ain’t right.
Cheers,
Zack
awesome video. the moment i saw this vid, i knew then that zack you are a family-oriented man. keep it up! :)
Awww, Zak.. I miss all of you guys!! How nice to see you again. Miss you so!
more videos please!!
without sounding like a dummy, why not do it in imovie?
One Trackback
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by zarias: Day 39/365 :: Best Part / Worst Part :: http://bit.ly/bEkUZX
(And how I am none too happy with Compressor 3.5 right now)…