2009

Ingest Methods Based on Media Type
The type of acquisition format you work with determines the ingest method used by the
specific Final Cut Studio application. Most tape-based or tapeless acquisition formats
must be captured or transferred using Final Cut Pro. Other formats, including QuickTime
media, still-image files, and audio files, can be imported directly into any of the
Final Cut Studio applications that are capable of using them.
The following ingest methods are described here:
• “Ingesting Tapeless Media”
• “Ingesting Tape-Based Media”
• “Ingesting Film Transferred to Video”
• “Ingesting Film Transferred as DPX or Cineon Image Sequences”
• “Ingesting Audio”
• “Ingesting Individual Still Images”
• “Ingesting Animation and Broadcast Design Files”
For more information about the formats covered in the above sections, see
Professional Formats and Workflows, available in Final Cut Pro Help.
Ingesting Tapeless Media
Tapeless media formats (also called file-based formats) are increasingly popular for
acquisition, and, in fact, most new video and digital cinema formats being introduced
are tapeless. Tapeless acquisition usually requires the Log and Transfer window in
Final Cut Pro; some formats that aren’t supported directly by Final Cut Pro can be converted
to a supported QuickTime format using a third-party utility.
Popular Formats
Popular tapeless formats that Final Cut Studio is compatible with include P2, AVCHD,
AVC-Intra, IMX, XDCAM, XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, and REDCODE (which requires additional
third-party software).
Method of Ingest
All tapeless formats are ingested using the Log and Transfer window in Final Cut Pro. The
media you want to ingest needs to be on a mounted storage device prior to transfer.
Clip Organization
Before you begin the transfer process, you need to decide what media you want to archive
for the long term (preferably by backing it up in two separate places). It’s usually wise to
archive everything that was originally shot, and it’s critical to preserve the original directory
structure of each set of media that you copy from the camera’s recording media.
32 Chapter 2 Ingesting and Organizing Your Media