avoiding excessive rendering with QT files

[Brian Gaither]

The support page says
You can get the Quicktime Reference Files created in camera to play without rendering by simply dragging any RDC folder containing the R3D file and associated QT reference movies into the FCP bin, FCP will not recognize the R3D files but it will recognize the QT reference movies as long as you are using FCP 6.02 or later and have the REDCODE plugin installed on your Intel Mac.

Okay, not understanding this seemingly simple instruction.

Dragging from inside FCP doesn't work, the R3D's are grayed out. Dragging from Finder yields an error message. Any suggestions for a ticket out of render hell?

This in an 8 core Mac, this can't be right. Render render render is all I hear around here.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kaku Ito]

It's trying to say R3D won't work directly but the works with QT reference movies which is another words, proxies.

So drag in one of the proxies (I usually work with m size for 4k, H size for 2k) then when FCP tells you to match the timeline setting, then choose yes. Make sure you set the RT setting of the timeline as "unlimited RT" in order to playback in realtime. Proxies won't be as efficient to playback as the normal QTs that we are used to.

To avoid rendering during editing, some prefer encoding to say, prores to edit offline, conform the edit to native R3D later to send it to Color.

I know it is frustrating to find out the trick in the beginning, but you'll get used to it.

 

[joe hedge]

This in an 8 core Mac, this can't be right. Render render render is all I hear around here.

It's right.

FCP does not work natively with r3d's.

If you're working in short form (music vids/commercials) and know exactly which shots you want to use, you can maybe get away with using the proxies in the timelines if you can stand working in non-framerate playback in unlimited rt (orange render bar in timeline). A MacPro with a Kona card will allow full framerate playback of proxies because the card is doing the playback, not the Mac processor chip.

The good news is you have an 8 core. Use RedRushes, which is multi-processor aware (FCP is not), to transcode everything to ProRes. Once that's done, no rendering needed (except effects of course). That way you can edit in your finished resolution (up to 2k and 10 bit color) and not have to go back to the r3d's to conform.

Or you can transcode to a lower res and conform to 2k:

http://www.indie4k.com/archives/110