FCP to DaVinci DPX workflow with clipfinder 2.2 ?

[Jon Waters]

I need a little help with clipfinder.
I've edited a project in FCP 7.0.1 on an 8 core 2.8GHz macpro. I now need to convert the timeline into DPX files for grading on a DaVinci system.
I've tried doing this through color reconforming the xml in clipfinder to the r3d files. I found it put each clip of pdx files in a separate folder with numbering starting again each time. This was a headache for the colorist.
Now I've discovered the beta version of clipfinder 2.2 has the ability to render DPX files from the xml of FCP but when I try to do this the button stays green for just a short while as the red Xs appear down the info column next to the r3d icons and it renders nothing.
Have I got some settings wrong? I've tried tiffs and I get the same thing.
I also get an error when I try to save the file (could be the beta)
Grateful for any help.
Jon

 

[jake blackstone]

I need a little help with clipfinder.
I've edited a project in FCP 7.0.1 on an 8 core 2.8GHz macpro. I now need to convert the timeline into DPX files for grading on a DaVinci system.
I've tried doing this through color reconforming the xml in clipfinder to the r3d files. I found it put each clip of pdx files in a separate folder with numbering starting again each time. This was a headache for the colorist.
Now I've discovered the beta version of clipfinder 2.2 has the ability to render DPX files from the xml of FCP but when I try to do this the button stays green for just a short while as the red Xs appear down the info column next to the r3d icons and it renders nothing.
Have I got some settings wrong? I've tried tiffs and I get the same thing.
I also get an error when I try to save the file (could be the beta)
Grateful for any help.
Jon

What kind of DaVinci does the finishing place uses? DaVinci Resolve can do the DPX transcode directly from conformed RED RAW timeline in the background. Which means none of the transcoding is needed. Come to think of it, I can't even think of any high end system, that doesn't work with RAW files one way or another... May be it's time to find another place to do the finish, that is up to date with the RED workflow?

 

[Ben Brainerd]

What kind of DaVinci does the finishing place uses? DaVinci Resolve can do the DPX transcode directly from conformed RED RAW timeline in the background. Which means none of the transcoding is needed. Come to think of it, I can't even think of any high end system, that doesn't work with RAW files one way or another... May be it's time to find another place to do the finish, that is up to date with the RED workflow?

Given that places like Company 3 are still doing a lot of their work on the DaVinci 2K, I would think saying "Find a place that's got a bunch of money sunk into the Resolve" is bit much. There are a lot of good colorists and post houses out there that, for various technical reasons, aren't able to be as up to date as we might like. I know I might be a bit iffy on upgrading to a Resolve *JUST* to work with RED footage.

As to the original topic, um... You're sure you reconnected the R3Ds? When you import the XML, Clipfinder doesn't automatically change over. You need to do a "Replace MOV with R3D". Other than that, I'm kinda at a loss. Maybe Hans will pop in here.

 

[Jon Waters]

Hmmm, it is a resolve but this is a freebee short film and I'm trying to save the colourist time. the edl direction has it's problems to, something about time being time of day and not edge code doesn't seem to be any setting for this when exporting the edl in final cut.
I really just can't work out why clipfinder won't render.

 

[jake blackstone]

Given that places like Company 3 are still doing a lot of their work on the DaVinci 2K, I would think saying "Find a place that's got a bunch of money sunk into the Resolve" is bit much. There are a lot of good colorists and post houses out there that, for various technical reasons, aren't able to be as up to date as we might like. I know I might be a bit iffy on upgrading to a Resolve *JUST* to work with RED footage.

As to the original topic, um... You're sure you reconnected the R3Ds? When you import the XML, Clipfinder doesn't automatically change over. You need to do a "Replace MOV with R3D". Other than that, I'm kinda at a loss. Maybe Hans will pop in here.

I guess, any post company, that doesn't feel like accommodating Red workflow, should do it at their own peril (C3 doesn't). You're being just silly, when you suggest, that in order to be able to do Red job, the company needs to spend a ton of money on a new hardware/software. There are plenty of reasonable ways to accomplish this goal- Baselight, Film Master, Lustre, Pablo (?) can accomplish it with just a software upgrade. RocketFuel is an even more cost effective solution for post house with DaVinci 2k, if Red workflow is just an occasional occurrence. I just don't get it. Today there are plenty of places, that can accommodate a full Red pipeline, without a need to ask clients to do their own transcoding. As for anyone, who thinks, that having 10 years old platform in todays market is good enough or ignoring electronic based cinematography will not be around for long.

 

[Jon Waters]

I fully agree, ignore red workflow at your peril, but you have to admit, nothing todo with red work flow happens with ease. It is a particularly difficult format to work with in just about any direction you take, and more of the apps that you need are still in beta development. I'm definitely not knocking red camera, it's quality is lifting the middle ground here in NZ, but it takes a while to get your head around it.
However, getting the thread back on track, as it is not about weather post houses should, or not, embrace red camera technologies and their workflows.
I have managed to render pdx files from clipfinder 2.2 after reconforming my re-exported xml with my tongue on the right side of my mouth (the most important part)
I now wish there was a I could check the files without spending large on glue tools.
I'm guessing their is no way of applying the color looping fix to the process or is it not susceptible since I haven't been through color to get the dpx files.

 

[sander kamp]

Monkey Extract does what you want to do and delivers properly named DPX sequences. I have used it before to render out DPX files for DaVinci. It is more expensive than Clipfinder though.

 

[Jeff Brown]

"nothing todo with red work flow happens with ease."

Really?

Two words in response to that and the topic of the thread:

Monkey Extract


Works everytime and has done for ages , any offline to any online.

Regards

Jeff Brown
Brownian Motion

 

[Luca Immesi]

Although with Monkey extract you can have more options making dpx, you can try this:
Export a xml and edl from fcp
In Clipfinder choose File -Import subclips from FCP XML then choose Tools-Replace mov with r3d, then go to file and open the render window and choose DPX and launch the render. From there you should be able to import the edl into davinci and point to the dpx folder.