Work with Nikon 1 J5 4K/60p video in iMovie and FCP X


If you are having issues importing and editing Nikon 1 J5 4K/60p video on Mac through iMovie or FCP X, you may wish to read this post. It explains an easy way of converting Nikon 1 J5 H.264 footage to an “edit” friendly format for use in iMovie and FCP X with optimum performance.
importing and editing Nikon 1 J5 4K/60p video on Mac
Announced as the latest powerful addition to the Nikon 1 System of compact interchangeable lens cameras, the Nikon 1 J5 comes with a more traditional shape and feel with a contoured grip and secondary command dial. Its 1″(13.2 x 8.8 mm) 20.8MP BSI-CMOS sensor offers a boost in resolution over its predecessor, and is capable of 4K video capture at 15 fps (15p), as well as 1920 x 1080 video recordings at 60p/30p and 1280 x720 video capture at 120p/60p/30p.

Videography features of the Nikon 1 J5 include:
Resolutions: 4K (15p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (120p/60p/30p)
Format: MPEG-4, H.264
Videography notes: Slow motion: 1280 x 720 (120 fps), 800 x 296 (400 fps), 400 x 144 (1200 fps)
Microphone: Stereo
Speaker: Mono

If for some reason you can not use Nikon 1 J5 recordings in Apple iMovie and FCP X smoothly, we are afraid that you will need third party converter software to process file conversion before editing. Considering the ease of use and lossless quality, we would recommend HD Video Converter for Mac. Read on to find the detailed steps required to transcode Nikon 1 J5 4K/1080p/720p video to AIC/ProRes .mov for editing in iMovie/FCP X with optimum performance.

[Guide] How to encode Nikon 1 J5 4K/1080p/720p video to AIC/ProRes .mov for editing in iMovie/FCP X?

First of all, download a demo of HD Video Converter for Mac
converting Nikon 1 J5 H.264 to an “edit” friendly format for iMovie and FCP X

Then follow these steps:
Step 1: Open up HD Video Converter for Mac as a Nikon 1 J5 Video Converter for Mac. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load your source media.
Nikon 1 J5 Video Converter for Mac

Step 2: Select output format for your editing program
To convert Nikon 1 J5 video for iMovie, from ‘Profile’ list, choose ‘Apple InterMediate Codec (AIC) (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘iMovie and Final Cut Express’ column. This profile is also suitable for use in the discontinued Final Cut Express.
transcode Nikon 1 J5 4K/1080p/720p video to AIC/ProRes .mov

To transcode Nikon 1 J5 files for FCP X, select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Final Cut Pro’ column. The ProRes codec is also workable in its former version FCP 6 and FCP 7.
encode Nikon 1 J5 4K/1080p/720p video to AIC/ProRes .mov for iMovie/FCP X
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: Custom video and audio settings (optional)
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: Begin Nikon 1 J5 Video Conversion on Mac
When ready, click ‘Convert’ to start format conversion. Once the conversion process is complete, you can click ‘Open Folder’ button to get the generated AIC MOV files or ProRes MOV files for editing in iMovie, Final Cut Express or FCP X with optimum performance.

Tips: If you don’t want to wait for the entire conversion process, you can tick off ‘Showdown computer when conversion completed’ and go away to do other things.

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