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GH2 post-production workflows
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  • towitowi

    @CraftyClown

    On Mac I use "NameMangler". I'm sure there are a lot of similar tools for Windows, but as I use Macs I don't know Windows tools really good, sorry.

  • CraftyClownCraftyClown

    @towi

    That's ok, I'm just being lazy :)

    I shall find a good renaming method and report back for Windows users

  • rozrozrozroz

    @towi

    thanks! forgive me if i lack some vital info- but there's one question i want to make sure: why is the unique timecode THAT necessary? i mean, i can re-name all clips and simply import them once as offline, and then online, no? it's not like i use tape or batch capture, right? it's like each clip is in itself a 'tape' on it's own, no? do you mean that i CANNOT export AAF or EDL if i don't have unique timecode? aren't the clip names themselves are all i need to do all those exports?

  • towitowi

    @rozroz

    yes. Unique timecode is important when you use the same reel name for different clips (for instance for all clips from one SD card or from one shooting session). Avid MC always refers to reel names (Tape-IDs) rather than clip names. This is why reel names are mandatory. One can argue whether or not this is a good thing (me personally I think it is a very good thing). But it's a basic of Avid MC's design.

    Now, if you have for example 10 clips in one folder (folder = reel), all beginning with TC 01:00:00:00 (or whatever), you will edit with 10 different clips from the same reel (with the same Tape-ID) and all use the same timecode. Export an EDL (or AAF) and back-import your color graded footage and Avid won't know exactly how to relink.

  • mrbillmrbill

    http://www.sherrodcomputers.com/products_filerenamer_download.cfm

    I found this freeware, which pretty much solves my avid workflow problems. It allows for me to add a prefix to the .mts file number, which could be a shoot day number or a or b cam - anything you like. I haven't investigated the limit of how many characters you can add to the file name, but it seems you can develop a reasonably complex re-numbering system with this software, which you can incorporate into your reel names - Avid will allow up to 24 characters to describe a source reel (perfect for alexa edls, for instance) . There is a preview function and an undo function, and you can batch re-name too. Most importantly (for avid) this is a way to get unique file numbers before starting to import. You can then copy the source name into the tape name column in your bin after importing (or use any other reel naming convention you wish.)

    On the alexa - shot feature I've just finished editing, we copied the source filename into the camroll column, which meant that source names and timecodes were output in the edl for the grading suite - don't forget this step!

    Forgot to say this is for windows..

  • mozesmozes

    Perhaps this one is interesting, its open source/free-ware
    http://www.lightworksbeta.com
    Q4 2011, AVC-Intra support
    Q1 and Q2 2012 Full 64 bit support

    3rd Party Support
    Inscriber Title-motion
    Boris
    Combustion
    After Effects
    Premiere Plugins (for who wants ColorGHear TOOLKIT but dosent have adobe :idea:
    Digital Fusion
    Sapphire

    Tech Specs
    http://www.lightworksbeta.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108&Itemid=247

  • CraftyClownCraftyClown

    It appears you have to pay if you want I/O to ProRes, DNXHD, AVC Intra and many other formats. I think I'll hold off before jumping ship just yet

  • actact

    I use Adobe Media Encoder for transcoding from MTS to MOV(DNxHD) for editing at Avid MC. But you can go that way for another NLE too.

  • rozrozrozroz

    @act why do you bother, when you can import them into Avid in the first place?

  • actact

    I still at Avid MC 4.05 and 5.54 because 6.0 not yet supported some my favorite plugins like MBL. Those versions haven't support avchd. I prefer transcode files from 5DmkII and GH2 to DNxHD , then fast import to Avid. It works fine. Straight import to Avid fails on long files. Import to 6.0 also not 100% successful because we working with hacked GH2 files with not standard Avchd bitrate.

  • rozrozrozroz

    @act oh.. didn't know high Intra can cause trouble in Avid import :(

  • mrbillmrbill

    @act - any version of avid post 5.03 will import avchd files directly

  • actact

    @mrbill - Just try import long clips - 9 or 12 min 24p or 18 min 50p - regular it fails on different PC's. And this kind of import is with format conversion. It take long time versus FAST IMPORT transcoded MOV files. External transcoding don't takes a host program work hard if you need it's time for editing. Or these MOV files possible to link with AMA.

  • rozrozrozroz

    you see now why i'm all confused with Avid workflow? ;)

  • kavadnikavadni

    Also AVID .. currently 5.5.3 .. an observation that might be usefull.

    I ran my GH2 about two weeks ago with 1.1 (25P) firmware for 38 minutes continuosly - mounted as a static on a drummer. It produced 2 files .. they stalled and would not import when I copied them to my disk.

    I got around it by putting the SD card back in the GH2 and using the Panasonic importer .. imported mts files went into AVID smoothly as expected.

    I have had the same issue with longer files from my Sony AVCHD cameras. The solution was the same .. I used Sony's PMB first .. it actually stitches the files into onefile

  • HallvallaHallvalla

    Haven't seen any Premiere workflows w/hacks. Anybody here using PP? Any settings tips?

  • sohussohus

    I have tried the latest version of Premiere Pro extensively (5.5) and I simply don't like it. It is better than CS4, but not even at 70% of FCP in terms of usability, editing speed and flexibility. I always hated Avid but with the latest 6.0 update and the inclusion of smart tools (version 5.5 if I reminded well), AMA, I think it bodes well for the future. Premiere will also grow but all Adobe's programs have become bloated and they totally seem to lacking a vision. Premiere Pro is essentially trying to be everything FCP was now.

    With regards to Apple, I totally disagree. Apple is not a phone company. The earn a lot of money with it, which gives them lots of leverage. Apple bets on a big shift in the way editors work, and I think they are right. I don't say FCPX is a good product right now, it isn't yet but it will be. The next update will be about multicam and broadcast monitoring... please tell me which consumer needs either of those? I keep reminding people of this: go read reviews and opinions about OS X 10.0. FCPX is OS X 10.0. It will take three big updates to fix it. The market is changing... I bet there will be editors for iPad Pro models in the future with big touch screens and Apple has an interface already that will work, Avid and Adobe don't.

  • nomadnomad

    Well, I dare to disagree. With the current speed of updates, FCP-X may be a great NLE around the time VK is hacking the GH4 ;-)

  • mattherematthere

    It's horses for courses, there will always be people who like different things for different reasons... I used to use FCP but have now moved across to Premier Pro (I am not disrespecting anyone who still likes FCP.. just going with what works for me) A lot of other forums get bogged down in this vs that and as far as I can see, those debates rarely end up in agreement! I would love to know more about other's workflows as I am a bit of a Premiernoob, but this thread would be better served by everyone giving their own workflows and less trying to convert others to their own preferences :)

  • brianlucebrianluce

    Any Sony Vegas users? Care to share?

  • ErhardErhard

    @ sohus "... I am on a mac so other tools (Lightworks, Vegas) are out of scope for me now."

    I'm working with Vegas and I've installed it on my Mac via Bootcamp. It works well.

    Erhard

  • JDNJDN

    This is a reply to a question on the LOW GOP thread that has been moved here:

    "@JDN Thanks for the advice! I just investigated further, and noticed that in fact the last frame - or maybe last two - of the clip (prores encoded through Clipwrap) does NOT show up at all in FCP, but it DOES in Quicktime... So it seems really, that FCP is the culprit. But then you say, that you had never any problems going Clipwrap->ProRes->FCP? Hm...

    If I use the "rewrap" function in Clipwrap, FCP crashes trying to play the such created files.

    In Avid, do you then just cut the MTS files - or do you still transcode?

    Sorry for all the questions, just starting a long-term doc project, and trying to get it right from the start... I've used FCP since they brought it out, but maybe it IS time to switch to Avid...? (With the $1000 FCP crossgrade discount...)"

    @rbna I always transcode -- sometimes when I'm dealing with a lot of footage, I'll use the ama (if I'm on a fast enough computer) to review it, and chose what I will and won't import. But it always gets transcoded to dnxhd.

    I'm also on a big doc project that will probably be moving from FCP to AVID so we can handle a 2 hours sequence with access to all our footage without breaking it into lots of projects as you would on FCP (we also have lots of stills and FCP can be pretty grumpy with stills).

    So what I'm testing over the next few days is:

    • Rename .mts files with free "NameChanger" app -- each gets a unique prefix for the project name (ws), contributor 01, 02 etc and file 0001, 0002 etc. This is a nice thing about being free from the tyranny of FCP's log and transfer is that I can rename the files logically.
    • Import as DNxHD 36 -- we were thinking of editing at 175X and skipping online but did a hard drive comparison and figured we were looking at 6 2 TB drives for the whole project at 36 and 30 at 175X, so even if we lose a day or two with the conform, we more than make it up in drive space (to say something about the chance of failure. In all likelihood we'll just run it off a RAID array which is still reasonable when dealing with 12 TB of footage, but a little expensive when dealing with 60.
    • Edit in DNxHD 36, duplicate sequence, decompose and import at full res and conform.

    Hopefully it will work flawlessly -- if anyone else is doing offline/online with avid and gh2 I'd LOVE to hear about your workflow.

  • JDNJDN

    Premiere Pro users, what is the longest project you have cut? Just curious if there are any large project stability issues like in FCP7.

  • mrbillmrbill

    @JDN - your workflow sounds bang on - just remember to dupe the new file names into the tape column in your bins. I'd try a dummy conform of a short sequence just to be belt and braces.

  • stanlymanly2stanlymanly2

    I have found a way to edit footage in premiere pro and color grade it in Apple Color!!! :D

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