2009
Table Of Contents
- Final Cut Studio Workflows
- Contents
- Introduction
- Developing a Post-Production Strategy
- Ingesting and Organizing Your Media
- Integration During Editorial Development
- Client Review
- Finishing
- What Is Finishing?
- Finishing Using Compressed Versus Uncompressed Media
- Format Conversion When Finishing Mixed-Format Sequences
- Reconforming Media to Online Quality
- Creating Final Broadcast Design Elements and Effects
- Color Correction
- Final Sound Editing, Design, and Mixing
- Mastering
- Output and Delivery
Types of Programs
Program types commonly include direct-to-video programming, shorts and features
intended for film festival exhibition, corporate communication videos, and educational
programming.
Typical Acquisition Formats and Means of Ingest
Acquisition formats include but are not limited to DV-25, DVCPRO 50, HDV, AVCHD,
DVCPRO HD, and XDCAM, to name just a few. What this means for ingest is:
• Tape-based formats are ingested via the Log and Capture window in Final Cut Pro using
an appropriate built-in interface (FireWire) or a third-party capture card.
• Tapeless formats (also called file-based formats) are typically ingested by copying the
native video data from the camera to your storage system and then transferring the
video data to Final Cut Pro using the Log and Transfer window.
Quality-Control Guidelines
Unless programming is being delivered to a formal distributor, quality-control standards
tend not to be tightly applied. However, because the exhibition is intended for televisions
and video projectors, practical video and audio signal limitations apply if you want to
ensure trouble-free playback in the widest variety of situations. What this means to you
is:
• You should use reasonable standards when color correcting your program, either in
Final Cut Pro or in Color, to ensure consistent playback.
• You don’t typically have to be as strict as a broadcaster might require, although it pays
to use an appropriate broadcast monitor as you work.
Delivery Specifications
Delivery is typically in one of the common video formats, including NTSC and PAL frame
sizes for standard definition (SD) and 720 or 1080 frame sizes for high definition (HD).
Frame rates are usually limited to 23.98 fps (for DVD and Blu-ray authoring), 25 fps for
PAL, or 29.97 fps for NTSC. Although the final product is often an authored DVD, it’s
common to master to a high-quality tape format for long-term archiving. What this means
is:
• You usually output a QuickTime master of your program.
• You will probably use Compressor and DVD Studio Pro to author a DVD of your program
for direct delivery or replication.
• You may optionally use your QuickTime master to create a Blu-ray version of your
program.
• Using Compressor, you can also create versions of your program suitable for high-end
digital distribution, such as SD or HD playback on Apple TV or iPhone.
17Chapter 1 Developing a Post-Production Strategy