Edit

Setting up an HD edit with HD footage.

 

If your footage is High Definition (HD - 16:9), below are some possible workflows you can use to make sure that your footage goes into an editing system without having to render or conform the footage to match the editing timeline settings.

 

Setting up SD footage for use in an HD edit.

 

If your source footage is Standard Definition (SD - 4:3) this section will describe some possible workflows to prepare your SD footage for editing in an HD timeline.


 
1.) First we need to Conform any Frame Rates that are not already 23.98. At the same time, in most cases, we also need to remove any Interlaced Frames. Our goal is to have all true Progressive Frames and remove any interlacing Artifacts. These artifacts are visible as "combing" lines that run horizontally. Sometimes on every frame, other times only on certain frames in a particular pattern throughout. They will only be visible by viewing the footage in Final Cut Pro in the 'Viewer' or 'Canvas' with the view settings at 100%. You will not see any interlace artifacts (DV Footage) in Quicktime 6.5 or later or in FCP with the view size of the 'Viewer' or 'Canvas' at anything other than 100%. 

DV NTSC - 60i

720x480 Frame Size - Interlaced Fields - 29.97 Frame Rate - 0.9 Pixel Aspect Ratio
 

If you shot your footage with a standard DV camera most likely you'll be dealing with footage that has interlaced lines and the following characteristics. Interlace line (combing/artifacts) are visible when viewing on a computer monitor or while watching on a television, any subjects in motion apear "jittery" when the video is paused.

Click below to learn how to begin transfering your footage into 24fps video, ready for the web.    

DV NTSC - 29.97 (60i) - 720x480 - 0.9 ratio px - 30FPS Interlaced footage

 

DV NTSC - 30P 720x480 Frame Size - Proressive Frames - 29.97 Frame Rate - 0.9 Pixel Aspect Ratio 
 

If you shot your footage with a DV camera that had a 30fps, 30P or 30 Progressive ("Cine-Like") setting, there is a simple process that will conver the 30 frames per second into 24 frames per second. This is one DV video format that is natively progressive so there is no need for additional processing to remove interlacing.

Click below to conform your footage to 24FPS in a simple workflow.  

DV NTSC - 29.97 (30P) - 720x480 - 0.9 ratio px

 

DV NTSC - 24P  720x480 Frame Size - 3:2 Pulldown applied - 29.97 Frame Rate - 0.9 Pixel Aspect Ratio 
 

If you shot your footage with a DV camera that is able shoot in a standard "24P" or Film Frame Rate mode, you will have to perform a standard 3:2 pulldown removal. Your 24P footage had a "Pulldown" applied to it is the recording process to conform it to 29.97 frame rate so that it could play on a standard NTSC television. You footage is identified as 3:2 pulldown when you see a pattern of 3 progessive frames followed by 2 interlaced frames, then the pattern repeats. 

Click below to learn how to remove the 3:2 Pulldown, leaving true progressive 24fps footage: 

DV NTSC - 29.97 (24P) - 720x480 - 0.9 ratio px

 

 DV NTSC - 24Pa
  720x480 Frame Size - 2:3:3:2 Pulldown applied - 29.97 Frame Rate - 0.9 Pixel Aspect Ratio
 

If you shot your footage with a DV camera that is able shoot in the "Advanced 24P" Frame Rate mode, you will have to perform a specific 'advanced' pulldown removal. Your 24Pa footage had a n advanced "Pulldown" applied to it is the recording process to conform it to 29.97 frame rate so that it could play on a standard NTSC television. You footage is identified as 2:3:3:2 pulldown when you see a pattern of 4 progessive frames followed by 1 interlaced frame, then the pattern repeats. 

Click below to learn how to remove the 2:3:3:2 Pulldown, leaving true progressive 24fps footage:

DV NTSC - 29.97 (24Pa) - 720x480 - 0.9 ratio px

At this point any of the above scenarios will now be conformed to one of the following two video specs:

720x480 Frame Size -  DV (0.9) Pixel Ratio - 23.98 Frame Rate - All Progressive Frames 

640x480 Frame Size - Square (1.0) Pixel Ratio - 23.98 Frame Rate - All Progressive Frames 

2.) If you started with 60i, 24P or 24Pa footage you will now need to "Squeeze" the footage in Final Cut Studio's Compressor application or an equivalent. The squeeze will make 720x480 footage at a pixel ratio of 0.9 into 640x480 footage at a pixel ratio of 1.0. This means that DV footage will no longer look slightly blurry or stretched when viewed on a computer monitor. This is an important step to start with the highest quality image before going to the Upres process. If you started with 30P footage and followed our workflow above, your 30P footage will have had the sqeeze applied when it was conformed to 23.98 frame rate in step 1. 

 

3.) The next step would be to upres footage to HD (1280x720)

Reconnect proxy footage to a full resolution HD timeline/edit.