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orph

macrumors 68000
Dec 12, 2005
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UK
XML is how i move projects from FC7/PP/Resolve, can be tad funky at times but works well.
best way to work with legacy projects, always good to save an XML export when you end a project to save problems at later dates if you ever need to go back.
 

eclipse

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 18, 2005
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How do you go back? Are you saying saving as XML is so lossless you can even reimport it into other software if you need to do another edit?
 

kohlson

macrumors 68020
Apr 23, 2010
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It may be useful to understand how NLEs (iMovie, FCPX, Resolve, PP, and really any modern video editor) work. Briefly, the editor doesn't actually manipulate the actual video. Instead, there are instructions/code about what happens at specific points. Many NLEs use instruction sets based on the eXtended Markup Language (XML). It's worth noting that just because they use XML doesn't mean it's the same between different editors (much as just because they use the same alphabet doesn't mean you understand French and English, or even English and English).
But as noted above, it does work, mostly, between some NLEs.

You can "move" between iMovie and FCPX, and between FCPX, Resolve, and PPro -- all facilitated by XML. Since the source video is unchanged at every step, in that sense this is lossless. But the editing (titles, color, transitions, etc.), which rely on XML - I don't think you'll find anyone who would say this is "lossless," as each vendor has different interpretations for the XML instructions, or may not have that instruction.
 
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iluvmacs99

macrumors 6502a
Apr 9, 2019
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@eclipse

I share your desire for a solution where you can move iMovie projects into another NLE program like Final Cut X, Premiere Pro, Resolve, Vegas Pro, KdenLive etc to leverage the power of each computer hardware. Meaning that your project can live in different computers running different operating systems, but you can edit, render and export projects with minimal fuss. And while XML help achieve cross platform sharing, it requires some work, some restoration of timeline, audio work and so forth if your project has some complications. XML was meant to allow universal portability of NLE project so you can edit and create a movie in one program, then export it and re-import it into another NLE for color grading and final production. XML isn't meant to be a drop and forget solution. Meaning that what is created in iMovie and can be dropped in KdenLive unaltered and unchanged on the timeline as though it's plug and play. Unfortunately, you will not find it with XML. I tried it myself already last year and came to the conclusion that it requires "TIME" and "WORK" and I had decided to standardize the NLE across all available computing platform and also, like iMovie, is free of charge. That NLE is Davinci Resolve. Why did I choose Davinci Resolve other than it was free for the lite version?
Davinci Resolve is available on 3 OS platforms; Mac OSX, Windows and Linux! Very helpful if you plan to build a Xeon based multi-core super duper latest Nvidia GPU render farm for brute force encoding your projects in h.264 and h.265 with a Windows machine or a Linux machine.

My solution to the iMovie projects conversion is to export the project to a standard XML format and import them into Davinci Resolve. There, I work on the timeline and make the project good enough to be saved in the native Davinci Resolve format. Once saved in Davinci Resolve format, you can then export your Davinci Resolve project as a Project Archive file. This project archive is similar to the iMovie library file where basically the archive is a backup of the entire timeline, transitions, titles and original footages. When you import this archive say in another platform like in Linux or Windows running the Davinci Resolve NLE software, it will restore the entire project with zero fuss! You can literally work in any platform as long as it is able to restore the project archive. In fact, I set up the Mac Mini as a media server for Davinci Resolve and Resolve is designed to work natively with networked media drives. When your designate one of your storage drive as a network drive, it will seek that drive during launch.

So you can edit in Windows (I have a Windows 10 machine), edit on a Macbook Air or on a Mac Pro.

Why did I chose Davinci Resolve? The reason is simple. I can leverage the pluses of each computer I have. For example, I have Quicksync for fast h.264 encoding, but my Mac Pro does not have quicksync and I don't have a Vega 56 to use hardware encoding in High Sierra. NO PROBLEM!

I leveraged the power of my Mac Pro 5,1 with the Radeon RX580 and edit my iMovie footages XML exported in Davinci Resolve and then work on the titles and transitions and effects very smoothly. Then when I export, I export it to my network server as a project archive file with all the original footages etc.. Lossless which is pretty quick. Exporting to Pro Res is actually slower than exporting to project archive. Then using my Macbook Air and restore the project archive. Plug and play and then I just render that footage I did with my Mac Pro with my Macbook Air using Quicksync to a h.264 file.

For a 1hour 4K to 1080pHD export, it took 51min with just the iGPU. If I have an eGPU for the Air, the process would be much quicker because the titles and transitions and LUTs need to be re-rendered on the new computer's GPU. The Air's iGPU is severely underpowered than the Radeon RX580

For the same 1hr footage export, it will take the Mac Pro 1hour and 51min with a Radeon RX580.

It's cool to see my Macbook Air churns away on those h.264 projects while I edit the next imovie import project on my Mac Pro 5,1. Davinci Resolve supports batch export as well. I recently re-did some of my older movies; improved some of the footages by removing vibrations with VideoProc and improving sharpness and upscaling from 480p to 1080pHD using Avidemux. The horsepower provided by my Mac Pro 5,1 is well appreciated coming from an older 2011 Mac Mini.

This means that if I switch or add to a Windows or Linux platform, then I can still access my video archives and edit with minimal fuss. I can also build a low cost fast Windows multi-core system with the latest Nvidia GPU card to speed up the rendering if I need to.

So basically, you have to decide on which NLE you want to standardize on with the most flexible support and options and go from there. It's not easy to just move from iMovie to any platform and then expect that it is a plug and play experience. It's usually not. But once you ported the iMovie project into a NLE software that can be used universally across 3 platforms, then your options and choices become better.
 
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orph

macrumors 68000
Dec 12, 2005
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UK
wow two nice posts.

an XML file is just a kind of save file, it's a text doc that keeps tracks of video/audio files and where they are on the timeline.

all effects transitions etc tend to get lost when moving between apps

and it's not a one click fix, last time I open an old timeline from CS6 PP in to resolve i had to import each timeline individually as there was no 'import all timelines'

you also have to keep the original working video/audio files as the XML file is just a link to them, most apps when importing will let you point to the folder holding them so they don't have to be in the same place

but if you have a complex project that has 20+ timelines of synced video/audio and edits the small part of work importing it and cleaning it up is nothing compared to trying to re do the project from scratch

I don't just save as an XML i just make a second save next to the native app save with an XML for luck, most the time ill never go back to an old project to re edit

for simple projects it may never be needed, i just find it handy as i've got projects from FC7/CS6 PP/FCX/resolve.

one thing that really helps is to keep files ordered in a simple way, so I keep things in neat folders,
project folder- named and dated
-original video folder
-original external audio folder
-save files folder - save files are all named with a version no 'V001' 'v002' etc (some times dated to)
-folder of any extra graphics needed or text for subs etc
-folder with text files with notes about project
-exports folder
-If needed a proxy folder

and so on as needed, sometimes i'll have folders for edited audio and graded video as well, not the best way to do it but works for me.

keeping it all in a neat single folder makes it really easy to reopen an old project and keep things organized, with FCX/imovie you have (last time I looked) the option to import files but leave them in place.

but for simple projects it may not be needed
 
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eclipse

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 18, 2005
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Sydney
Thanks guys, very helpful!

I just wanted to say I can see the attraction of Da Vinci Resolve, but they don't let free users do 4k and Kden does. So given the new iphones record in 4k, I thought I might start playing with Kden. :) I'll miss iMovie though.
 

orph

macrumors 68000
Dec 12, 2005
1,884
393
UK
Resolve lets you use 4K on the free version.
just try them both and use the one you like best :D

you can get PP elments to fairly cheep if you want.

Resolve is my fave at the mo, still like FC7/FCX too
 

eclipse

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 18, 2005
986
13
Sydney
Resolve lets you use 4K on the free version.
just try them both and use the one you like best :D

you can get PP elments to fairly cheep if you want.

Resolve is my fave at the mo, still like FC7/FCX too

Are you sure it's full 4k? Wait a minute, I'm not sure I understand...

Is home user 4k different to cinema 4k? Is true Cinema 4k just not a thing home users get to record in, but we use the slightly smaller UltraHD standard?
 
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kohlson

macrumors 68020
Apr 23, 2010
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I use Resolve to edit and output 4K content from GH5. It's the free version. I think the "Free Resolve doesn't do 4K" confusion comes from:
- Only Studio does DCI 4K.
- In earlier versions of Resolve, only the Studio version did any type of 4K. That has not been the case since Resolve 14.
 
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eclipse

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 18, 2005
986
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Sydney
Thank, I appreciate it. I forgot an important detail regarding my software limitations - my 2011 imac! ;-) Something not as GPU hungry like Kden or Olive might have to do till I can upgrade my hardware one day.
 
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