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How to Import QuickTime Movie Files to a 30-Frame Project in FCP

If a QuickTime movie file conforms to the NTSC standard, the broadcast standard for North America, its frame rate is 29.97 frames per second (fps). This is also the true frame rate of a 30 fps project in Final Cut Pro 7. It is a very straightforward process to import these files, since they already conform to the project settings. However, if the file conforms to the PAL standard, which is used in Europe, its frame rate is 25 fps. In this case, you must first convert the frame rate from 25 to 29.97 before importing it into FCP.

Things You'll Need

  • Cinema Tools 4
  • Compressor 3
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Instructions

  1. NTSC

    • 1

      Right-click or Option-click in the FCP browser window.

    • 2

      Select "Import" from the drop-down menu, then "Files."

    • 3

      Navigate to your QuickTime movie file, select it and click "Choose." FCP will import the file and place it in the browser window.

    PAL

    • 4

      Open Cinema Tools, which is included with FCP in the Final Cut Suite.

    • 5

      Select "Open Clip" from the File menu. The "Open Database" pop-up window will appear, displaying the browser. Navigate to your PAL video, click on it and click "Choose."

    • 6

      Click the "Conform" button at the bottom of the screen.

    • 7

      Choose 23.98 as your frame rate in the pop-up menu that appears, then click "Conform." Wait until the file is completely conformed before you close Cinema Tools.

    • 8

      Open Compressor, which also comes bundled in the Final Cut Suite.

    • 9

      Click the "Add File" button at the top of the screen. Navigate to the file you exported from Cinema Tools, click on it and then click "Open."

    • 10

      Click on the "Settings" tab in the Settings window, expand the "Advanced Format Conversions" folder and then choose "DV NTSC."

    • 11

      Click the "Frame Controls" icon in the Inspector to view the frame options.

    • 12

      Select "Best" from the "Resize Filter" drop-down menu.

    • 13

      Select "Same As Source" from the "Output Fields" drop-down menu.

    • 14

      Select "Better" from the "Deinterlace" drop-down menu.

    • 15

      Select "Fast" from the "Rate Conversion" drop-down menu.

    • 16

      Click the "Encoder" icon in the Inspector to view the encoding options.

    • 17

      Select "29.97" from the "Frame Rate" drop-down menu.

    • 18

      Press the "Save" button at the bottom of the Inspector window and name the preset. It is saved in the "Custom" folder in the Settings tab.

    • 19

      Drag and drop your preset on the file in the Batch window.

    • 20

      Right-click or Option-click on the file and select "Destination" from the drop-down menu. Another drop-down menu appears where you can select a pre-existing location, or choose "Other" to create a new one.

    • 21

      Click "Submit" to begin transcoding the file.

    • 22

      Open Final Cut Pro when the file has finished transcoding.

    • 23

      Right-click or Option-click in the FCP Browser window.

    • 24

      Select "Import" from the drop-down window that appears, then click "Files."

    • 25

      Navigate to your QuickTime movie file, select it and click "Choose." FCP will import the file and place it in the browser window.

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