Tuesday
Sep142010
X2PPro 001 - Getting Started
Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 9:23AM First of all, X2PPro means “Switch to Premiere Pro” just so you know why you are seeing more of that on my site.
Secondly, I believe one of the best ways to LEARN is thru mistakes and discoveries… for that reason I left this very raw and WITH some of MY mistakes. Let me know… did I over do it? Does it help you retain?
There will be many more of these.
tagged X2PPro in Premiere Pro, Tutorial
X2PPro in Premiere Pro, Tutorial
Reader Comments (19)
Great idea, Chris! I'll be following your transition with great interest.
This example worked well, because your project used DSLR footage. Can projects that use ProRes footage be transferred using the same technique, or will Premiere choke on FCP codecs?
Good question Alex... I'll give that a try. My guess is, it'll be fine. My observations have been that PPro is WAY better at mixed format editing then FCP. Not sure, but I think it's because of the Mercury Engine thingy, which is "schmarketing" for 'badass code and such'!!
Just ordered CS5 Production Suite so will be following along with your journey. I guess you started In FCP because there is no Mac Pluraleyes yet for PPro for your colleague to use. Are those files native with custom camera naming or transcoded? I don't think I have ever tried Pluraleyes with native files.
Pluralize works with the native files... the client did that for me...
and you are right... we did the pluraleyes pass in FCP and used XML to get the timeline into PPro.
as for names... yes... what I do with a card of data that comes in from the field is insert the date, the camera letter and the reel number before the Canon Name... I do it after I pull the card data off and put it on my work drive.
I use a utility called Renamer4Mac... you can do it with Automator but, apparently i'm not smart enough to figure out how to do it. Renamer is drop dead easy. perfect for me.
I have another tutorial to post... probably tomorrow.
Glad to have you along. Follow along on twitter and tell your friends.
Hey, thats really good start, keep up the no edits style in your video because they're the bits that are most valuable.
I use to work on premiere for 5 years and then switched to fcp without regrets but native file editing is something that can't be overlooked. unfortunately it seems harder to smoothly go back to premiere than it was to leave it .
Chris, I found you thru TWIP and 16x6, then hooked up with your website. I love the fact that you are going over to PPro. I could listen and watch your tutorials all day. You have what it takes to make a great teacher IMHO.
Thanks!
I haven't been quite sure where the best place to put this post from my switcher experience but I thought "When in doubt, start at the beginning".
On my older post on X2PPro 006 I mentioned I had a crash which set me back. So with some new resolve I started to work on the footage again armed with the new audio tip. Unfortunately a couple of minutes later it fell over again but this time it corrupted the file. PPro would crash if I tried to open it. I went back to the autosaves of which there were 4 - all empty. So I was back at square 1. If there is one thing I hate it's redoing things. I am Mr Cut and Paste. I do this video thing for fun and, at this point, I wasn't having much fun. So I decided to try and fix the file.
I found a couple of things on the net and the one I tried was to use the import. It gives you 2 options: whole project or sequence. I tried project first but that killed the donor project. Then I brought in the 2 sequences but not the third I had been working on. Each sequence was a step in the edit process so I was already 50% back. So far so good so save that and push things a bit further. Tried the third sequence again but down again as soon as you move it to the timeline. So I did some lateral thinking and decided to export the sequence from the bin as FCP XML. I then deleted the sequence and imported the XML back in. You lose anything other than the cut points but this acted as the "disinfectant"
So learnings are not to trust autosaves - at least check it's really doing something. But I think I am going to do DIY archive saves like I do on FCP. I am going to suspend judgement on stability for now as I was so keen to play I forgot to run the patches first - school boy error.
Andy @endeavouruk
Interesting. But then your posts usually are. :-)
HEY CHRIS,
IS THERE A WAY TO GET YOUR POSTS IN EMAIL?
I'D LIKE TO! -Buck
Buck... I think that is what the RSS button allows you to do... I'm not into eMailing but I post nearly daily... just check back. I hope you are enjoying everything.
Very good articles Chris. I've been now for 10 years working with Premiere, but when I saw Final Cut Pro with all the plugs, I don't know what software I must use. For example FCP has a very good stabilization plugin called Loack & Load only for FCP. This plug can't be installed in Premiere, so some shots I must stabilize in FCP
Second I found the 3-way Color Corrector in FCP much better then the simple version in Premiere and with the apart software Color, I can much more then the colortools in Premiere. I have buy Synthetic Color Finess 3, a great piece of software but very, very slow with rendering.
Further I foundt much more transitions inside FCP then in Premiere like FxFactory with the great Whoosh plugin.
So, I don't know if I must stay in Premiere or move to FCP. Can you advice me please if you think at the Stabilization and the Color features!
Erik
Erik...
First, I'm not one for gimmicky 'transitions'... so that point is not that important to me... some people live and die by them and I understand.
Second.. .remember, if you have Premiere Pro, you probably have After Effects to, After Effects has all sorts of motion tracking and image stabilization tools...
MY experience with a lot of Apple software, (stabilzation, Motion and Soundtrack Pro and Color) is that it DEMOS very well, but in the real world the results are often lacking.
Third, As for color, I use Magic Bullet Looks... Once I buy it, i can install it in all the host applications. FCP and PPro. But you are right... The 3 way color corrector in FCP is very good. I used exclusively that for years.
First, I'm not one for gimmicky 'transitions'... so that point is not that important to me... some people live and die by them and I understand.
>> You have right
Second.. .remember, if you have Premiere Pro, you probably have After Effects to, After Effects has all sorts of motion tracking and image stabilization tools...
>> Yes indead, much it cost much longer work then a stabilisation inside FCP. In FCP you put a stabilization on a clip and in a few seconds it's done. In Premiere you must go first to After Effects, do the stabilization and then back to Premiere.
MY experience with a lot of Apple software, (stabilzation, Motion and Soundtrack Pro and Color) is that it DEMOS very well, but in the real world the results are often lacking.
> Try Lock & Load. from CoreMelt. it's the best stabilization software I've even seen and it works perfectly. I can do it with Motiontracking in After Effects, but it costs much much more time.
Third, As for color, I use Magic Bullet Looks... Once I buy it, i can install it in all the host applications. FCP and PPro. But you are right... The 3 way color corrector in FCP is very good. I used exclusively that for years.
>> So you use Color too?? But how do you dot it?? You made the pre-production with Color in FCP and the post-production in Premiere, because I do this now on this way. Alle the Effects and Colocrcorrection I do in FCP and the post-production in Premiere.
How do you do it??
Erik
Cris,
I really enjoy an appreciate the information I find on your site, and your recent work with Carl Olson.
I am looking to make the transition from still to motion ( I am reading the book) with my 5Dmk2.
I want to get into video editing. My problem is, most of what I read talks about high end editing and projects using very high end equipment.
I am not in a hurry. I do not have nor ever see in my future a 12 core processor. I would like to get good results.
I do have a Core 2 Duo Mac Book Pro with the Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT GPU that I hope to use. I am struggling with which editor to use.
I have a trial version of PPro. My .mov files do not work well on the timeline. Is that an understatement? Is there a trial version of FCP?
I hope you can help...
I would like to get the best quality video at the end, and do not mind watching my little computer do work in the background. Can Canon DSLR .mov files be edited on a laptop? Which editor would be most effective. I think I understand that FCP requires Canon DSLR .mov files to be trancoded regardless of the computing capability. Am I correct in saying that files transcoded with ProRes Proxy or LT would edit well on my computer in FCP?
I do not remember what you finally said when you discussed transcoding with Carl Olson. I think your final word was to go to PPro and not transcode.
Now I would really like to use the Adobe Production Suite. I have used Photoshop with my photography for a long time. I hope to learn the other applications in the suite. I have been waiting to upgrade to CS5 until I decide to buy the Production Suite or just upgrade to PhotoShop CS5 and go with FCP.
So... what is the best workflow / transcode options for a less powerful computer using PPro and the Production Suite.
One last question...do you have any experience with the Adobe products with Windows 7 on the Mac platform and Boot Camp? I have heard that Windows 7 uses any multiple processor more efficiently than Snow Leopard.
Thank you.
Chuck
Wanted to give ppro a try, but it won't import the xml file of a sequence from fcp 7.0.3, Leopard, cs5, export using xmlv.5.
General error import failed. Googled, but can't find a quick fix.
Did notice, though, with a random clip, that you have to click in the canvas window, not the timeline, to activate shuttling and cutting. PITA.
Hi, I just discover this web. I likea lot. The apple Proress file when you open the Final Cut XLM in Abobe Premiere you need to make a new sequence in the desktop mode, you can make the sequence in any apple pro format, and no need to render, the work in editing mode en Sony XDCAM HD. By the way, wen you want to put effects in other clips or all the sequence jus copy and paste the effect, simple like that.
Chris,
I was very fortunate to recieve a 5d Mark II as a present and I am now on a steep learning curve as to learning all its functions.
In particular with the video portion of the camera. Can you recommend a good site, video or book that describes the basics of converting my clips? I am totally lost in the post processing work flow and haven't a clue on the large selection of compression formats and when to select which. It is very confusing for a newbie.
I love your tutorials but I am being dropped in the middle of some great stuff but need to get to the begining so that I can understand all the material you are painstakingly taking the time out the teach us. (Thanks by the way).
Any help would be greatly be appreciated.
The Meltdowmnan
"Banging, Huge Audio Meters" now I know what to buy you for Christmas.
Vincent Laforet has a really great run down of PPro and switching over from FCP.
As a long time PPro user i actually learned afew things about premiere that I didn't even know it did!
http://vimeo.com/26657845