Conforming to R3D with FCP vs Clipfinder

[nshepard]

Isn't it better to used the RED whitepaper method (using media manager) of conforming to the R3D files, that way you only are wrapping the actual content in the sequence, not all of the source files?

Are there advantages of using Clipfinder's conform over FCP's media manager method as outlined in the whitepaper?

I'm testing in both and Clipfinder is taking WAY longer as one of the steps is to transcode all the RED media to wrapped R3D via L&T.

Cheers in advance
​

 

[craigjkharris]

Cheers,

It is faster to use ClipFinder to create offline or online QT files.
Clipfinder is able to use every processor in your computer which gives you faster render times than FCP. If you create Pro Res files then you also do not need to render anything in FCP. Hope that helps.

 

[Ben Brainerd]

The other reason to use Clipfinder is if you didn't use FCP's L&T to ingest at the beginning. Proxies generated with RedRushes? L&T won't work. Editing using camera proxies? Well, you wouldn't really need to conform, but if you did, L&T won't work...

Short version: The Whitepaper media manager method is only useful if you're using the whitepaper workflow all the way through. For various reasons, some of us choose other paths, and Clipfinder's a godsend in that case.

 

[nshepard]

Thanks for the response guys, but my main issue is still not answered. When i tested the whitepaper vs clipfinder method, I found that the clipfinder took WAY longer. This weas because before conforming in clipfinder, you have to use L&T to wrap all the R3D files in your project. on the other hand, using the whitepaper method, media manager only wraps what is in the timeline plus handles.

Am I missing something?

 

[Ben Brainerd]

What steps are you taking for a Clipfinder workflow. There's really not any point where you should need to re-transcode before conforming.

For example, my workflow on my latest project, along with some commentary:

1) Open *ALL* the clips in clipfinder. (More or less the same as loading everything into FCP's L&T window)

2) Make any changes necessary to make editing easier. Usually bump up the ISO a stop or so, etc. (I can do all this in Clipfinder, unlike L&T which I'd need to go to RedAlert to make an RSX, then jump through a lot of hoops if I've got a variety of clips that need different corrections)

3) Render all my clips/all my good takes/whatever I need to 1/2 (or 1/4 if I'm working 4K) res ProRes proxies. (Clipfinder renders faster than FCP, and I can do a distributed render using several Macs)

4) Import the files into FCP, edit.

5) Export final edit to XML.

6) Run conform on the XML using clipfinder to connect to the M or F proxies. (Takes like 5-10 seconds)

7 Bring the conformed XML back into FCP and send to Color.

Hopefully that makes a bit of sense and helps clear things up. Basically, using Clipfinder, you're not wrapping anything.

 

[Matt Weatherly]

Nshepard,
If you want to take advantage of Clipfinder without rendering the excess that you're not using in the timeline, you'll need to "Import Subclips with FCP XML" as opposed to "Clips."

The disadvantage is that Clipfinder currently does not allow roundtripping your XML with subclips, so depending upon the length of your project, it can get cumbersome to reconnect everything. I've detailed what I did to get around this here:

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=546026#post546026

-Matt

 

[nshepard]

What steps are you taking for a Clipfinder workflow. There's really not any point where you should need to re-transcode before conforming



6) Run conform on the XML using clipfinder to connect to the M or F proxies. (Takes like 5-10 seconds)

7 Bring the conformed XML back into FCP and send to Color.

Hopefully that makes a bit of sense and helps clear things up. Basically, using Clipfinder, you're not wrapping anything.

I want the final media that the FCP project is linked to to be the R3D raw files. SO i can either send to Color or output a Redcode Quicktime that can be colored on another system. I'm pretty sure I have to transcode for that don't I.

 

[nshepard]

Nshepard,
If you want to take advantage of Clipfinder without rendering the excess that you're not using in the timeline, you'll need to "Import Subclips with FCP XML" as opposed to "Clips."

The disadvantage is that Clipfinder currently does not allow roundtripping your XML with subclips, so depending upon the length of your project, it can get cumbersome to reconnect everything. I've detailed what I did to get around this here:

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?p=546026#post546026

-Matt

Thanks Matt

I think you basically answered my question. becuase Clipfinder can't (or is a hassle) dealing with subclips, I think it is faster to do the whitepaper method using media manager.

A question though. I don't need to send the final project sequence to Color. i just need to render out a 2K Redcode (Raw R3D) Quicktime to be colored on either a Baselight or a DaVinci. Do I still need to transcode/wrap the r3D files or can FCP just "look" to them and then I can render out the file from there?