Best way to use 29.97i in 24p timeline?

[oxband]

A problem: I have some 29.97i footage I need to use in a 23.98fps project. To be specific, it's PF24 footage shot with a Canon camera.

In years past, I'd deinterlace the footage in Cinema Tools before putting it in my timeline. I've now upgraded to Mojave so Cinema Tools is now out of the question. So, what's the best way to use?

I know of two options: convert it in Compressor or having FCPX do it. Any advice or thoughts on this? Having never done this before with either program, any specs to use or things to care about?

 

[sevoneone]

If you are importing from camera/tape, FCPX should handle the pulldown removal automatically. If what you have are existing video files, you will need to use Compressor.

 

[oxband]

I already imported it. Can I ever get it back to its original quality 24 fps through compressor? If I hadn't already played with and keyworded up the footage in my library, I'd just reimport. But I already did that.

 

[sevoneone]

Hmm. You'd have to make a copy of your media files and then follow these steps in the link below to create a preset in compressor that will do the reverse telecine and place new files in a new folder. FCP likely will not allow you to use File > Relink Files... as I'm pretty sure the Frame Rates and Length of the media must match. You'd need to import the new files as new clips and manually replace.

I'm not aware of any way to do this and keep the existing clips, though it's been quite some time since I've done anything with pulldown, so others might know a better way.

Use reverse telecine in Compressor

In Compressor, convert motion picture film to the NTSC video format used in broadcast television by modifying the frame rate using reverse telecine.

support.apple.com

 

[kohlson]

If I understand the situation, you have 29.97 assets that you want to use in a 23.98 project. Note that the original assets are untouched by FCPX. But you should be able to create a new Project and select the Rate from the pull down. Once you've created a project, I don't think you can't change the rate (though you can change resolution) in the Project Properties-Modify.

 

[alFR]

Run it through Handbrake to detelecine it? I guess you could optionally convert it to 24fps at the same time.

 

[joema2]

The OP asked about adding 29.97i material to a 24 fps project in FCPX. In the most common case, there is no need for reverse telecine or pulldown removal. Those are only used if the 24 fps *original* material was *first* converted to 29.97i using 3:2 pulldown, *then* you wanted to remove the pulldown for combining with a 24 fps project.

By contrast it appears the OP 29.97i material is as originally shot, although he did not state the material's origin. If so, there has been no pulldown added. If the question is simply how to add 29.97i to a 24 fps project with best results, the answer is simple:

Just use the deinterlace filter in the FCPX inspector on the 29.97 clips in the 24 fps timeline, and export as a 24 fps file. Unless the 29.97i material was captured from a source which already added pulldown, he does not need Compressor, Handbrake, reverse telecine, pulldown removal or anything else.

Optionally he can use one of the other rate conforming modes in the FCPX inspector: nearest neighbor, blend, or optical flow. He does that by clicking on the 29.97i clips and selecting the desired rate conforming algorithm.

 

[oxband]

So, it is footage that was shot on a Canon XA-10. Apparently, the way the dreaded PF24 so it captured at 24P but when I did log and transfer, it converts it to 60i. Ugh.

So, right now my footage is 29.97i. What I'll need to do is reexport the footage from the original cards which I do have backed up.

 

[sevoneone]

If you have your original cards backed up as disk images or an Archive from FCP X, you should be able to access them in the Import Media window and check this box. That should do all the work for you.

 

[oxband]

Old thread....but I'm finally trying to do this (instead od just reverse telecining already imported clips) and that option is greyed out. Any thoughts? I wonder if the way the XA-10 wraps the footage means FCP X can't tell what it did and I'll just have to do this in Compressor