Effect won't play back correctly

[aaron smith]

Hello this is the first time I have posted here, and i've don'e searches and haven't found any answers to my problem.
I am editing on a clients computer, it is a Mac Book Pro with the latest version of final cut pro. I am editing using red footage, and after i imported the footage and dropped a clip into the timeline to allow final cut to adjust the sequence settings, my clips all had to be rendered. i looked at the settings and the compressor was set to apple pro res (hq). i went ahead and changed the compressor to redcode and then my clips were able to play without render. however, when i went to add a dissolve, it rendered to a solid grey screen. this is the case for any effect i try to place on a clip. i even tried to adjust the clip opacity mauaully and create my own dissolves that way, but as soon as anything renders it plays out to a solid grey screen. unrendered, i can advance frame by frame through the effect and watch it just fine...the grey screen is only happening after i render, which i have to do, of course.
The only way i have found around this problem is to keep the sequence settings the way final cut sets it - with the compressor set to apple pro res (hq). then i have to render all my clips and my dissolves will show up, as well. of course, anytime i make a change i have to rerender that portion of the clip again, which is quite annoying. thanks in advance for any help.

aaron

 

[M Most]

Hello this is the first time I have posted here, and i've don'e searches and haven't found any answers to my problem.
I am editing on a clients computer, it is a Mac Book Pro with the latest version of final cut pro. I am editing using red footage, and after i imported the footage and dropped a clip into the timeline to allow final cut to adjust the sequence settings, my clips all had to be rendered.

I assume you're using the QT proxies. Leave the timeline set to ProRes. You need to set RT to Unlimited (it's probably on Safe). You then need to set Playback Video Quality to either Dynamic or Low. You should then have an orange bar across all clips, allowing you to play at real time (albeit at reduced quality) and effects should work (although most dissolves will play with some stuttering unless you render them).

 

[aaron smith]

thanks for the reply, unfortunately that did not work. i wondered if it was the playback settings before, so i exported a short quicktime movie and the grey was still there.
after changing the settings you recommended, the clips still remained with a red line over them.
i've just been rerendering each time i make a change...leaving the compressor on apple pro res (hq) of course. still very annoying, but i haven't been able to come up with a solution. the footage was shot at 3K, 40fps...the macbook pro is a 2.6 duo core.
still confusing to me...i want to take some footage home to my mac pro which is a 3.0 duo quad cores to see if the same problem occurs.
is it possible it is a red problem and not a final cut pro problem?

 

[M Most]

thanks for the reply, unfortunately that did not work.

Which proxy are you using? If you're using the "H" proxy, try the "M" proxy. If you're using the "F", that likely won't work. Also, don't use HQ, set the timeline to regular ProRes 422.

 

[Uli Plank]

3K is still buggy in FCP (and not officially supported, see whitepaper). Better transcode to ProRes with RR or Clipfinder, will give you better quality too.

 

[Mike Yonts]

Aaron, even though FCP will let you change the compression in the sequence settings to RedCode, you won't be able to render anything (like your dissolves) because RedCode is a read-only codec.

If you're bringing in your footage through Log and Transfer and want it to play without rendering, you'll need to make sure you're bringing it in as ProRes or ProResHQ. There's a little gear icon at the top of the Log and Transfer window. Click on that and select Preferences. In the column that says, "Transcode To," choose ProRes or ProRes HQ if you want to play back without rendering. Choosing Native means you'll have red lines over everything in your timeline, but you'll have the ability to color-correct in Color with the ability to undo any color tweaks that were done in-camera.

Hope that helps.