Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6
by Sandra Ciccone
on
Sep 19, 2008 at 2:52:56 pm
Hi,
I am working on a video right now, where we are getting footage from various cinematographers. We received a drive from a guy in Berlin who shot with the HVX200 camera, PAL version. He told us he could just put the files on a drive and send them over, and they would be compatible with FCP. However, when I got the drive and saw that it contained all mxf files, I was immediately alarmed. I've never worked with those files before.
Here is where I am in need of major help. How can I get these files to a format that FCP will accept? I've read up on a lot of forums, tried various things and can't get anything to work.
On our system here, the project settings are DVCProHD 720p24p, on Final Cut V. 6 (Final Cut Studio 2).
Here are the specs the DP included with the drive:
- The file format is 720p25 DVCProHD (only European version of the camera was available, therefore no 24p)
- The files are .mfx
- For each video clip there are 4 separate sound clips for each channel with the suffix A, B, L, R and the numbers 01, 02,…
-The corresponding videofile has the suffix w and the numbers 01,02,…
-You can directly import the files into any NLE which supports the .mfx. (I checked it at least with AVID and Premiere CS3)
Since he said it worked with Avid, I had a friend try it on his system and he is getting an error that says the .mxf files cannot be imported because they don't match the project frame rate? Apparently, the Avid does not have an option for 720p25 or 720p50 and it seems that the mxf files are in that format.
The footage was recorded on to a FireStore 100 and then transferred to this drive that was sent to us.
There was no CONTENTS or LASTCLIP.txt folder on the drive--just the mxf files and a log folder that contains some xml files, which won't open in FCP either.
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Rafael Amador on Sep 19, 2008 at 3:27:51 pm
Hi Sandra,
Sorry but I don't know much about P2 workflow.
You can post directly to Shane Ross (one of the forum leaders) who is a real expert on the format, or in the PANASONIC HVX forum. You may have a faster answer.
cheers,
rafael
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Shane Ross on Sep 19, 2008 at 3:28:50 pm
Well, looks like the DP has done the classic blunder of just grabbing the video and audio files and throwing them into a folder. That is NOT the way to do this. This might work with a couple edit systems, but not all of them. They need to keep the entire P2 file structure intact...the CONTENTS folder and LASTCLIP.TXT file that are on each card need to be archived, if they want this footage to be compatible with all systems.
Now your options are Raylight by dvfilm.com...that will allow FCP to read the MXF files and will tie the audio to them...MXF4Quicktime, that will allow you to import the MXF files natively. Although you will have to manually marry audio and video. Install P2CMS from Panasonic and that should also allow you to import the files (this is free)...again, you will have to manually relink audio and video.
I found that Avid will deal with certain P2 files natively, but in other instances it needs the file structure as well. But for DVCPRO 50, we just threw the files (like you got) into one folder and imported and they were fine. But not sure about your PAL issue....that version of Avid might not be compatible with 25p...50i yes, but 25p support was slow on all fronts.
Gotta tell the DP to keep the file structure. Doing what he is doing is very limiting in terms of editing options.
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Sandra Ciccone on Sep 19, 2008 at 3:51:11 pm
I know I can always count on you guys! I'm going to take a stab at your recommendations, Shane.
So you're saying I can do either of the 3: Raylight, Flip4Mac or P2CMS? I am going to try P2CMS now and see if I can resolve anything. Thanks so much for the insight!
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by andre delena on Sep 19, 2008 at 9:43:04 pm
Couldn't you use the Log&Transfer tool that comes with FCP? We use Raylight, but when Raylight chokes on a card or file, as it inevitably does for whatever reason, it only takes a few more minutes to ingest through L&T. Between the two I've rarely missed a shot.
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Michael Tamme on Sep 27, 2008 at 9:11:02 am
Hi Sandra,
we had the same trouble with P2 files which were imported to avid. we bought the mxf4qt product from mxf4mac and it saved our life. we also tried raylight but it doesn't help if you only have the pure mxfs. we tried the p2cms and calibrated but there is not timecode and it is very slow. the fcp project took 10 minutes to open. we tried mxf4qt and there is timecode and it works with fcp very fast. we received a beta of p2 flow from mxf4mac and this one is just fantastic if you work with the unchanged p2 contents.
the web adress is mxf4mac.com and I found a movie at you tube youtube.com/user/MXF4mac
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Mark Fanjoy on Sep 28, 2008 at 6:20:30 am
I'm trying the P2 format for the first time. Transfered from P2 to external RAID nicely, the contents folder (with all the directory files,) and the all-important LASTCLIP.txt file. So why doesn't FC Studio 6 see the files and allow them to import with the Log & Transfer function? What am I not doing correctly I wonder?
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Shane Ross on Sep 28, 2008 at 4:07:22 pm
Did you click on that folder symbol in the upper left of the L&T window? Navigate to the folder in question? And really, the P2 card dump should NOT be on the media drive. You need to put that onto the drive you are going to archive it to. When you import with LOG AND TRANSFER, it wil wrap it in a QT wrapper and copy it to your media drive.
Oh, have FX Factory installed? That interefered with P2 import. Remove it, or update to 2.0.1 and that will fix it.
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Mark Fanjoy on Sep 29, 2008 at 1:25:36 am
I figured it out! I was trying to bring in the Video files into FCP and needed to be choosing the parent folder itself to bring in. Now I know why the folder name would be black and everything else inside was always grey.
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Jonathan Skurnik on Oct 17, 2008 at 12:38:22 am
I have a question. I was told that with FCP 6, I could read P2 files natively, but in the L&T window, I still have to import them into a Quicktime compatible format. Since I have a Powerbook, not Intel, Mac, I can't use Calibrated's product. So, does anyone have a simple workflow how to they can send me? For example, Shane says to have one drive for the files, another drive for the Quicktime converted files, which he calls the media drive. Is that the best way to do this? Also, do those transferred quicktime files double the date space?
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Shane Ross on Oct 17, 2008 at 6:01:19 am
[Jonathan Skurnik]"I was told that with FCP 6, I could read P2 files natively,"
Then you were told wrong. FCP cannot, not without third party software like Raylight or Calibrated or MXF4QT. There is also HD Log, which includes the means to offload the cards much like Shotput P2 does (same company).
[Jonathan Skurnik]"Shane says to have one drive for the files, another drive for the Quicktime converted files, which he calls the media drive. Is that the best way to do this?"
Well, being Shane, I say yes. Why? Well, once you capture your footage, you don't throw your tapes into the garbage, right? No, you keep them on a shelf. Same with P2. Archive a drive after you Log and Transfer the footage. This is backup...if your media drive fails, then you'd be hosed.
Even if you used software to read the MXF files natively, you should copy the cards to your media drive, THEN use the software (Raylight was mentioned) to import that into FCP. So you are still copying files and taking that time, so why not convert? FCP will stitch spanned clips, and allow you to name them.
[Jonathan Skurnik]"Also, do those transferred quicktime files double the date space?"
I guess. Again, one drive for archive, another for editing. You need a way to archive the footage, and hard drives are the cheapest and quickest way to do so. If you want, you can look at LTO and DLT tape backup systems.
Re: Trouble importing mxf files into FCP 6 by Mark Fanjoy on Oct 17, 2008 at 6:05:13 am
Jonathan, not sure if there is a way to work directly from the native MXF file, at least with FC6. I have not been able to. Probably has something to do with Panasonic's split directory structure. An import must be performed for FC to read and manage the split files via the xxx.txt file.
I can tell you for sure that allowing the L&T function to do its job converting the files into QT is perfectly fine, does not degrade the quality of the native files, and "wraps" all the multiple native source files (Audio, Video, BMP Thumb) into single manageable QT files. Yes, this doubles your hard drive capacity use.
As for workflows, someone can point you to a better PDF source, but I have all MXF directories on my local hard disk AND backed up on two other separate external drives. I have one single batch capture directory (on my hard disk) for every QT file converted with L&T. For me, there is no reason to manage multiple QT directories/sub directories when FC6 is doing that job with bins. And it makes L&T a pain in the rear doing so. I don't back up the QT directory, because it is so easy and fast to simply re capture video from the native files if they ever got blown out.
Also, research the pros and cons for changing the original source file name when in the L&T mode.
DOUBLE AND/OR TRIPLE BACK UP YOUR MXF FILES. Hard drive space is cheap compared to the alternative consequences.
