How to import Canon XF200/XF205 MXF files to Final Cut Pro?


Summary: If you are facing problems while transferring MXF movies from a Canon XF200/XF205 camcorder to Final Cut Pro, this posy may be worth reading. It explains how to transcode t Canon XF200/XF205 MXF files to QuickTime ProRes format for native use within FCP 7/6/X.

Transferring MXF film from a Canon XF200 to Final Cut Pro
User Question, “Hi, everyone, I’m wondering if you can help. I am a professional musician. My work required me to rent a Canon XF200 camcorder for a music video project. My problem is that, when I tried to import the XF200 MXF files to FCP 7, FCP 7 refused recognizing the XF200 MXF movies. I needed to edit them in FCP 7 to a short film for festivals and competitions. Can anyone suggest what should I do to solve the incompatibility issue? Thanks in advance.”
xf200 and xf205

Our Quick Answer
By using a third party MXF to ProRes Converter, you can easily makeCanon XF200/XF205 movies editable in FCP 7 or its former version FCP 6 and the later version FCP X. If you are looking for a fast, independent software application for converting MXF to MOV or to a variety of other formats, the HD Video Converter for Mac utility is what you need.

Download a free trial of HD Video Converter for Mac
Canon MXF to MOV Converter for Mac
The HD Video Converter is very simple and straightforward – it doesn’t try to do too much – it just does what it’s designed to do and that’s it – and it does it very well.

Canon XF200/205 MXF to FCP (X) – re-encode XF200/205 MXF to Apple ProRes for use in FCP 7/6/X

As we mentioned above, to be able to get FCP (X) to recognize Canon XF200/XF205 MXF files as import, you will need to convert Canon XF200/XF205 MXF files to QuickTime ProRes previously using HD Video Converter for Mac. To process XF200/XF205 MXF to FCP transcoding, follow these steps:
convert xf200/xf205 mxf to quicktime prores

Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as the best MXF to ProRes Converter. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add Video’ to import your source files to the program.

Step 2: Select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format for Final Cut Pro.
This Mac Canon MXF to QuickTime Converter program offers a couple of ProRes formats for users to choose from, including Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes 422 (HQ), Apple ProRes 422 (LT), Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy), and Apple ProRes 4444, you can select one as target format depending on your request in post production.

Apple ProRes 422 – Higher quality than Apple ProRes 422 (LT);
Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) – Keep original video quality for editing in FCP;
Apple ProRes 422 (LT) – Get a smaller file sizes than Apple ProRes 422;
Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy) – SD levels – 480i/p and 576i/p. Used in offline workflows.
Apple ProRes 4444 – Edit and finish 4:4:4 material.

Step 3: Adjust video and audio settings (for advanced users)
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button to modify video and audio settings like resolution, bit rate, frame rate, sample rate and audio channel.

Step 4: Click ‘Convert’ to start Canon XF200/205 MXF footage to ProRes conversion for Final Cut Pro.

Step 5: When the conversion complete, click ‘Open’ to get generated ProRes QuickTime files for using in Final Cut Pro X/7/6 with optimum performance.

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