Final Cut Express Help

[Freg3000]

I just grew out of iMovie and am having a little trouble with FCE. I want to capture video from my Sony DV camera. In iMovie, I would click import, and it would make a new clip every time there was a cut on the original tape. I want to do the same in FCE, but can't figure out how do it. I have imported 1 clip by defining the in and out time codes but that took way to long and is impractical for doing hours of footage that way. What am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

 

[patrick0brien]

-Freg3000

Hit the "Capture Now" button, end your capture with "esc.".

It should ask you to name the clip.

You could always "Import" the "Media" folder of iMovie captures too - I primarily use this when I'm capturing analog video that lacks a timecode that FCX can use.

 

[Freg3000]

Originally posted by patrick0brien
Hit the "Capture Now" button, end your capture with "esc.".

It should ask you to name the clip.

Thanks for replying so fast.

I have indeed tried that, but all I get is a black screen that says Final Cut Express with the Apple logo. Below that it says:

"waiting for timecode
device must be in VTR mode (it is) when device control is enabled
Press ESC to abort"

It doesn't do anything, and when I hit ESC, it says nothing has been imported. Any ideas? It would be rather sad if I had to import my video files via iMovie before i used them in FCE, wouldn't it?

 

[Laslo Panaflex]

Originally posted by Freg3000
"waiting for timecode
device must be in VTR mode (it is) when device control is enabled
Press ESC to abort"

Either you pressed the capture now button before the video device was ready, or the device isn't playing. In Either case you can press the capture now, then press play on your camera.

Peas.

 

[patrick0brien]

-Freg3000

Sounds to me indeed similar to trying to capture an analog tape through a digital camera.

Is this the case?

If not, can you tell me your setup?

If it is, I'm afraid your only choice is to capture with iMovie - save everything else for FCX.

It's not all that inconvenient - exept you'll be importing non-intuitive clips names "Clip 01", "Clip 02", etc. You'll have to rename them in your browser to keep your sanity.

 

[Freg3000]

Originally posted by Laslo Panaflex
Either you pressed the capture now button before the video device was ready, or the device isn't playing. In Either case you can press the capture now, then press play on your camera.

Peas.

Ok, we are getting somewhere. When I press play after hitting capture now, the video starts playing. When I hit ESC to stop it, it does stop, but nothing happens. no dialog boxes asking me what to name it, and nothing appears in the browser.

The iMovie thing does work, but I'd rather do it "the right way."

Edit: I have got it working (thanks for all your help) but I still am doing it manually in the sense that it does not stop when there is a cut in the tape. I'd like to get each clip every time I started to record, and it is too hard to do manually. Should I just get out of this iMovie mindset or is it possible to do this?

 

[LethalWolfe]

I've never cut w/iMovie or FCE and I've never captured using the "scene" or "start/stop" detection that it seems like every iMovie user does. But a short trip the FCE discussion forum on Apple.com taught me this:

FCE will mark the start/stop points in the tape after you capture it where as iMovie does it while you are capturing. So, Freg3000, capture 10 or 15 minutes of footage from the camera and then drop that clip onto the timeline. Then go to Mark-->DV Start/Stop Detection and FCE will mark each start/stop in the clip. Then just create sub-clips and place those sub-clips into whatever bins you have created in the browser.


Lethal