Resolved Final Cut Pro X - Saving/Exporting file size issue

[RandomHavoc]

Just started trying to use this program. Mostly I want to use it to cut out parts of files that I'm otherwise happy with. Problem is when I'm done is giving me files that are hugely larger than they originally were. Example: Have a 1.35gb avi file. I cut a scene in FCPX, then when I try to save it it's telling me over 30gb. I switch the codec option to h264 and it still says it'll be over 7 gb, which is way obviously still too big.

Is there any easy way to fix this problem?

Thanks.

 

[marshzd]

How long is the file you are exporting? What settings are you exporting it with? If you want a high quality file that isn't huge, use the AppleTV settings, they will get you a solid (and web deliverable) 720/1080 export at less than 2gb (most feature length movies end up around 2gb, that's about 2 hours).

Unless you're doing a several hour video, you must be missing something.

You can also go the compressor route and set up a custom bit-rate and frame to make it smaller. You can import a compressor setting into Final Cut X.

 

[Zwhaler]

Make sure your project settings are right and you don't have the resolution set too big, which would bump your export sizes.

 

[Borntorun]

Export size has very little to do with resolution.

It has EVERYTHING to do with the codec you use.

When you import footage into FCPX, you typically import footage from a source which use a codec employing inter-frame compression, I.e. only a number of key frames are actually recorded, and only the delta (or change) from one to the other is used to describe the frames in-between. It saves significantly on storage, but relies on a lot of processing power to replay.

Footage of this nature is difficult to deal with on an NLE such as FCPX, as it requires constant recoding of the individual frames not recorded by the source. Hence, FCPX "optimizes" the footage and recodes it into an INTRA-frame type codec, I.e. it keeps the keyframes, and creates actual individual frames for each frame not recorded in the original, but described through the codec. The file size is much larger for this type of codec, but requires little processing power.

This speeds up the editing process as the CPU does it have to deal with complex decoding all the time, and can focus on the tasks during the editing process itself.

Now, when you export a movie in FCPX, make sure you don't export your footage using any of the Apple ProRES codecs. These are interframe codecs, and are used for editing purposes only.

Export your footage to compressor, and select something such as h.264 with settings that matches your source.

 

[marshzd]

Export size has very little to do with resolution.

LOL. When you're doing low rates, this is absolutely not true. That's why I'm making suggestions until I know the details of his project, and also looking for more details.

Resolution can literally be the difference between 100MB and 2GB, which matters for low end users. I don't care about either size because I can upload both in a matter of seconds, and download just about the same. Others, it does matter.

The rate and resolution should be tied together. If you are going higher resolution, than you need to do a higher rate in order not to lose quality. If you're going smaller resolution, it can be smaller.

I'm seriously LOLing right now. I literally export hundreds of videos a week. Using the same codec, and I do various sizes of the individual videos, from 360p all the way up to 4k. And trust me, they have a vast size difference. I'll be happy to post several examples if you need them.

 

[Borntorun]

I did not say "no" difference, I said "little" difference.

The OP mentioned he imported an AVI into FCPX, I did not think that was possible, neither did I ever try to do it myself (do not have access to my Mac at this stage to test as I am travelling).

Assuming it somehow is possible, it is quite possible that his AVI's are sampled at a low fps of, say, 10-15fps, and low and behold, it might even be interlaced rather than progressive scan footage.

Ingressing that into FCPX, transcode to an intermediate codec and export at "modern" rates of 24/25/30 fps, assuming progressive, will yield a much larger in increase in file size than up scaling the resolution.

In order to unequivocally give the OP some guidance, he needs to provide much more details:

1) what is the exact specifications of the source footage?
2) settings used in FCPX?
3) settings used to export.

That should settle it.

 

[marshzd]

I did not say "no" difference, I said "little" difference.

The OP mentioned he imported an AVI into FCPX, I did not think that was possible, neither did I ever try to do it myself (do not have access to my Mac at this stage to test as I am travelling).

Assuming it somehow is possible, it is quite possible that his AVI's are sampled at a low fps of, say, 10-15fps, and low and behold, it might even be interlaced rather than progressive scan footage.

Ingressing that into FCPX, transcode to an intermediate codec and export at "modern" rates of 24/25/30 fps, assuming progressive, will yield a much larger in increase in file size than up scaling the resolution.

In order to unequivocally give the OP some guidance, he needs to provide much more details:

1) what is the exact specifications of the source footage?
2) settings used in FCPX?
3) settings used to export.

That should settle it.

Hence why I was asking him questions about his project in my first post.

 

[Borntorun]

Hence why I was asking him questions about his project in my first post.

Good, because the real answer will be much more complex than merely suggesting a change in resolution.

 

[marshzd]

Good, because the real answer will be much more complex than merely suggesting a change in resolution.

Hardly the only suggestion I made. Setting up custom settings in Compressor to "make it smaller" was referring to file size, not resolution.

But that's alright.

 

[talmy]

For cutting out parts of videos use MPEG Streamclip or Quicktime 7 Pro. It's much faster and won't ever make the files larger.

 

[RandomHavoc]

Thanks Talmy, the easiest thing was to switch to using mpeg streamclip like you suggested.