Is it possible to import MOV camera recordings to FCP7 without transcoding?


Can H.264 MOV files be edited in FCP 7 without transcoding? This post will present an easy and direct method to ingest camera .mov shootings to FCP7.

Can H.264 MOV files be ingested to FCP7 without transcoding?
”Hello all, I’ve changed my Panasonic Lumix TZ10 to a Lumix GH4. One of the attractions is that it records in QuickTime .mov format as an option. I have been using third party converter for the transcoding of the Lumix TZ10 AVCHD Lite files, but it’s a time-consuming activity on my MacBook Air. So I’m wondering, can these H.264 .mov files be imported to FCP7 without transcoding? I definitely do not want to learn a new NLE, if I can avoid it; taken too long to learn FCP 7! Thanks for any reply.”

Codec H.264 is the problem with FCP7. If you wish to stick with FCP7 and have no budget for replacing the MacBook Air with the fastest MacBook Pro for transcoding the H.264 MOV to ProRes HQ, we do recommend using HD Video Converter for Mac to process file conversion. Working well as an H.264 MOV to ProRes Converter, this app provides 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 requirement in post production.

Download a demo of HD Video Converter for Mac
H.264 MOV files be edited in FCP 7

H.264 MOV and FCP 7 – how to transcode MOV files to ProRes 422 for FCP 7 in a fast way?

Follow these steps:
Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as a professional MOV to FCP 7 Converter. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load source video to it.
ingest camera .mov shootings to FCP7

Step 2: Select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format for opening with FCP 7
From the Format bar, move to ‘Final Cut Pro’ catalogue, and select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as target format. Apple ProRes is the best suited editing codec for FCP 7 and its former version FCP 6 and the most recent version FCPX. When loading them into FCP (X), you needn’t wait for a long time for rendering. To create smaller files, transcode your source files to Apple ProRes 422 (LT).
transcoding the H.264 MOV to ProRes HQ

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.

Important: If you’ve loaded a number of video clips to do batch conversion, please do remember ticking off ‘Apply to All’ option before you start.

Step 3: Adjust video and audio settings (for advanced users)
If necessary, you can click ‘Settings’ button and go to ‘Profiles Settings’ panel to modify video and audio settings like video encoder, resolution, video bit rate, frame rate, aspect ratio, audio encoder, sample rate, audio bit rate, and audio channels. 3D settings are also available.

Step 4: Click ‘Convert’ to start H.264 MOV to ProRes MOV conversion. Step 5: Click ‘Open Folder’ to get generated ProRes QuickTime files for transferring and editing in Final Cut Pro 7 with optimum performance.

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