This post shows you tips and tricks for importing Canon EOS 5D Mark III .mov files to FCP 7. If you are having issues with editing 5D Mark III H.264 media in FCP7, you may wish to read it. It explains a workaround to transcode H.264 MOV files shot on a 5D Mark III to Apple ProRes for use in Final Cut Pro 7.
Video editing depends on various things: your NLEs, source material, computer capabilities, your skills and final target. In some situations, “transcoding editing” is required for a fast and fluid editing workflow, especially when your source media is in a format that is not suitable for working with your editing program. For example, if you are shooting with a Canon 5D Mark III camera which records in H.264 codec wrapped in an MOV wrapper and want to edit them in FCP7, you may need to convert the 5D Mark III .mov files to ProRes for an optimum performance. That’s mainly because the H.264 is a format proper for capture and delivery, but not quite good for editing. The following guide will give you the information necessary for transcoding 5D Mark III MOV into MOV with ProRes codec using HD Video Converter for Mac so that you can edit them in FCP7 swimmingly without rendering.
You can download a demo version to have a try. It is not free but it is totally worth it.
Process for using HD Video Converter for Mac to convert your 5D Mark III H.264 MOV footage to ProRes for FCP 7
The process is straight forward.
Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as a professional 5D Mark III MOV to FCP 7 Converter. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load source video to it.
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).
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 Canon 5D Mark III MOV files 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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