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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

EPIC AND FCP TEN...(possible workflows)

David Battistella

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I am going to post a few step by steps to help anyone who wants to use FCP X and RED material while we wait for native support. :)

I test everything in real world scenarios. I am not talking out my ass.

Here is a basic FCP X workflow for starters.


SHOOT EPIC OR RED MX - EDIT AND FINISH IN FCP X

Brandon,

This is a "possible workflow".

Everything depends on where/how you want to edit, color grade etc. I'll stick to an all RCX workflow.


1. render out PR 4444 of your selects from RCX to a 4K File. You can use RCX in out point to trim etc. REDCOLOR 2, REDLOG FILM
2. Import the media into FCP X and have FCP "create optimized media"
3. Set your sequence like this.
c.png


4. Edit with the preferences like this...

A.png


5. Then when you are finished your edit/ color correction, etc you simply relink to all of the highrez files by changing the preferences. It seems to easy to be true but it is.

B.png


6. Set your sequence setting to the size of the orginal 4K media. Then just render the final sequence.

d.png



Now you have a 4K Prores 4444 rendered and color corrected sequence of your final edit. From here you can create all of your other "media" for uploading or whatever.


David
 
SHOOT EPIC SCARLET OR RED MX - EDIT FCP X - FINISH IN DAVINCI RESOLVE OR RESOLVE LIGHT



1. Render out PR 4444 from RCX of selects or DAILLIES
2. You can use RCX in out point to trim etc. REDCOLOR 2, REDLOGFILM
2. Import the media into FCP X create optimized media
3. Set your sequence like this.
c.png


4. Edit with the preferences like this...

A.png


5. Then when you are finished your edit SAVE AN FCP X XML FILE

EXPORT XML.png

FCP XML.png


6. OPEN IN RESOLVE

resolve.png




7. GRADE AND RENDER FINAL SEQUENCE in RESOLVE.


Now you have a 4K Prores 4444 rendered and color corrected sequence of your final edit. From here you can create all of your other "media" for uploading or whatever.


David
 
Your first method doesn't work if you put text in your timeline, the size of all of your text will decrease once you go from 720P to 4k for a final output.
 
Your first method doesn't work if you put text in your timeline, the size of all of your text will decrease once you go from 720P to 4k for a final output. But if your okay with going back and changing font sizes for everything this works pretty damn good.
 
Great thread David, keep this going! Thanks a lot for sharing!
 
Your first method doesn't work if you put text in your timeline, the size of all of your text will decrease once you go from 720P to 4k for a final output. But if your okay with going back and changing font sizes for everything this works pretty damn good.

This makes sense. Thanks for adding that workaround.

David
 
appreciate you starting this thread David. Will keep checking back.

Stu Aull
Alaska
 
New workflow added.

FCP X EDIT
DaVINCI Resolve Color Correction
 
I just cut a project with a similar workflow to the first one above but with one variation. I left my project at 4K and used the proxy media setting. I had no trouble with playback on an i7 Macbook Pro, just had to wait out the background rendering of the proxy media.

I have a question about your resolve workflow. Does this relink the original R3D files? If not, is there a way to modify the XML file before importing into resolve to link the R3D files? I assume a find and replace may be in order but don't know until I look at the XML file.
 
If the original R3D files are in your Resolve media pool, Resolve should find them without any trouble. FCPX to Resolve is actually pretty simple to manage. If you're interested, you can't go wrong by giving it a try with Resolve Lite.
 
If using FCP X and RESOLVE (reconnecting to R3D media) then you don't need to create ProRes 4444 4K media from redcine-x. A pro-res proxy 4K will do just fine in FCP-X. Now the reason I suggest 4K proxy instead of 720P proxy is any pan/scan you do at 720P, (in theory I haven't tested this), may not cary across to 4K media. Someone else can confirm or deny this idea. In at least FCP 7, X and Y moves are based on pixel values or some abstract value, not percentage. So a x move of 5 in 720P won't be the same distance in 4K. Any scaling should be ok since that is percentage based.

Another theory (haven't tested) is if you do have 720P proxy media, load it into a 4K sequence. It may SCALE automatically to fit, and zero out (make it act like it's 4K native material as scaling is concerned). You can check this by loading 720P footage in a 4K timeline, and see if you see a SCALE setting higher than 100% on the scale attributes. If it fills the 4K container, and scale is 100% then you are all good. If scale is 200%+ then it won't work.
 
I have a question about your resolve workflow. Does this relink the original R3D files? If not, is there a way to modify the XML file before importing into resolve to link the R3D files? I assume a find and replace may be in order but don't know until I look at the XML file.

I have tested this.

I have not tried a relink in Davinci because it linked to the QT offline media from FCP.

I acutally did this and it worked.

Send from FCP X to Resolve via XML
Open in resolve.
Export XML from resolve
Open XML in FCP 7
Export FCP 7 XML
in CLIPFINDER Run FCP workflow to relink r3ds
OPEN Clipfinder XML in resolve.

It actually works!

David
 
Any options for editing pro res proxy media in FCPX, transfer XML back to RCX, relink with original media, color grade in RCX, bring it back to FCPX for finishing?

Perhaps a future version will incorporate the importing and exporting of the FCPX.xml format )because it is a new rich XML protocol not just XML because it includes roles.

This will be interesting with roles.

VFX shots can be assigned a role of VFX
problem shots can be assined a role
close ups
wide shots
day scenes
night scenes

You get the point.

When you open this on the other end each role will show up in its own track in sequence with the track name carrying the role.

In audio terms rather than track one, two, three etc.

Dialog
music
fx
ambience
Interview location one
interview location two
fx 2

The roles will be split into their own tracks in protools or logic.

itàs like your notes to the sound designer or colorist can be defined in roles which get presplit into tracks.


David
 
I have tested this.

I have not tried a relink in Davinci because it linked to the QT offline media from FCP.

I acutally did this and it worked.

Send from FCP X to Resolve via XML
Open in resolve.
Export XML from resolve
Open XML in FCP 7
Export FCP 7 XML
in CLIPFINDER Run FCP workflow to relink r3ds
OPEN Clipfinder XML in resolve.

It actually works!

David

I wonder if that workflow would work for sending a FCPX to RCX.

Again, speaking speculatively but I wonder if this would work:

Edit in FCPX
Use Xto7 for transferring FCPX XML to Sequence XML
Open it up in Clipfinder
Send Clipfinder XML to RCX or Resolve.

Also, will Clipfinder work with Epic/Scarlet and RCX Pro?

Again, never used it so I don't know.

EDIT: Well since I forgot Clipfinder no longer exists, is it possible to relink to original media in RCX Pro?
 
Last edited:
So I tested it out (and finally figured it out) and this seems to work really well for if you want to color grade the original R3Ds.

1. In RCX Convert all of your clips individually to whatever file size you want in Pro Res 422 (I chose 720p to save on space and render time).

Side Note: Make sure you name your clips the same as your original R3D. It won't link back up if you don't.

2. Import Clips as original media.
3. Edit your clips as you would a final edit. Do all of your audio in the Proxy timeline. Just don't color grade or do titles yet.
4. When you've finished your edit, export XML.
5. Open the .fcpxml file in Xto7 ($50 in the App Store). This will convert the .fcpxml file to a standard .xml file.
6. Open the XML file in RCX. Select the folder containing the original R3Ds. It will relink the entire project to their original Raw files.
7. Do your color grading in RCX.
8. Export 4K ProRes 4444.
9. Create new 4K Project. Import your 4K ProRes file.
10. Copy audio files from the Proxy Project to the final project. (I have not tested this with a project containing in camera audio, so you all will have to figure that part out on your own.)
11. Add Titles and finish.

Now you have a 4K Project that you color graded in RAW.

Note: When you're done in RCX, you can also export the XML to Resolve for further color grading.
 
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