final cut pro x and avchd

Hi there. I'm thinking about upgrading to FCPX from iMovie '11 and have a couple of questions.

First, does anybody have a book they can recommend? I tried looking to see if the "For Dummies" series has a book but it doesn't look like they do. I only found a handful on amazon and they all seem to have only 3 of 3.5 star ratings so I'm hoping maybe someone has a specific recommendation for my situation.

I guess I'm mainly looking to make the switch because I want to be able to edit natively in HD video. I have a Canon HF-M41 and it records in HD but when I import it into iMovie ''11, it down converts it. I'm not sure to what but I don't believe it full HD anymore. Of course, once you're finish with your project in iMovie, then you can export it to iDVD and of course, the dvd is not hd quality. Therefore, I'm looking to us FCPX to keep the entire process in HD, which leads to my second question.

Does anybody had an external blu-ray burner they can recommend?

Thanks.

iMovie converts to AIC codec for editing purposes...it does not down-convert and will export the video in either 720p or 1080p depending on source video...the final render should look great....mine does...FWIW

codda said:

iMovie converts to AIC codec for editing purposes...it does not down-convert and will export the video in either 720p or 1080p depending on source video...the final render should look great....mine does...FWIW

Click to expand...

When you say export to 720p or 1080p or i, are you referring to finalizing your project and then say exporting it to ipad 2 or appletv because iDVD won't be ble to create a dvd in 720p ot 1080i or p?

Yes...You cannot create an iDVD with those resolutions...you mentioned an external Blu Ray...Also, if you want to edit naitively in FCP X...make sure you have the horsepower once you start adding transitions, effects, or third party plugins...That's one of the benefits of iMovie...it won't grind to a halt on a lower spec'd machine...depending on your needs of course.

Hi - I have taken the free course at Final Cut Pro X Tutorial, Web-Based and Totally Free! | Izzy Video and bought access to his advanced course. Highly recommended !!!

After that I have bought access to Lynda.com and the courses there. So now I'm 100 % up and FCPX-running.

Final Cut X

Hello, there is a very good book from the Apple Pro Training Series by Diana Weynand called "Apple Pro Training Series-Final Cut Pro X". It is available from Peachpit Press.

My experience with the series was with the Final Cut Pro 7 book. I found it easy to read and the practical lessons with the enclosed dvd were very helpful.

Happy editing.

Murman

Related question:

(I am a complete newbie regarding video editing. I'm an audio pro literally just starting out with video.)

I know that FCP-X (which I have) can work natively with AVCHD. However, is it wiser to pre-convert the video to MOV, or whatever? (I think Neoscene does this, yes?)

If one had the HD space, and let Neoscene do it's thing overnight, would it then be a more pleasant experience when doing the actual FCP editing?

Bump.

Anyone?

Optimize video on import...which will take a little longer initially, but after the import ,you'll be ready to roll....Don't see the need to convert the video at all.

Excellent, thanks!

That means I also don't have to store a ton of larger data until it's actually needed.