How to import and edit Panasonic G5 AVCHD video in FCP X?


Summary: This post is writing for people who are considering AVCHD as a pain to work with FCP X. It displays a way to transcode Panasonic G5 AVCHD video to ProRes 422 for use in FCP X with excellent quality.
lumix g5
Does anyone know a good Lumix AVCHD to FCP X Converter?
“Hi, guys, does anyone know a good Lumix AVCHD to FCP X Converter? I needed to convert some Panasonic Lumix G5 MTS video files to .mov so I could edit on my Mac (Final Cut Pro X). After conducting a Google search on converting G5 AVCHD files, I got lots of options. The thing is that I was unable to figure out which one is best suited for my request. Anyone got any suggestions? Thanks a lot.”

Some universal transcoders may be able to convert Panasonic G5 AVCHD footage to other formats for editing and playing, such as iMedia Converter for Mac and Video Converter for Mac. In this post, we are going to talk about how to convert G5 AVCHD MTS files to ProRes 422 using Video Converter for Mac in simple steps.

Before we start, you may want to know more about Videography Capability of Panasonic Lumix G5.
Panasonic Lumix G5 Videography Capability
Movie Format
AVCHD (Audio format: Dolby Digital 2ch) / / MP4 (Audio format AAC 2ch)

Movie Recording
Motion Image (MP4 : NTSC):
[Full HD]1920×1080, 30fps (sensor output is 30p)
[HD]1280×720, 30fps (sensor output is 30p)
[VGA] 640×480, 30fps (sensor output is 30p)

Motion Image (AVCHD : NTSC):
[Full HD] 1920×1080, 60p (sensor output is 60p) (PSH: 28Mbps)
[Full HD] 1920×1080, 60i (sensor output is 60p) (FSH: 17Mbps)
[Full HD] 1920×1080, 30p (sensor output is 60p) (FPH: 17Mbps)
[HD] 1280 x 720, 60p (sensor output is 60p) (SH: 17Mbps)

How to encode Panasonic Lumix G5 AVCHD MTS clips to ProRes 422 for FCP X?

First of all, download a free trial of Video Converter for Mac
lumix g5 avchd to prores converter

User review – “I think the software is great- I tried and sampled many others and none were both straight forward and accurate- particularly with regard to synchronizing audio with the video. (Smith)”

The steps:

Step 1: Run Video Converter for Mac as a professional Panasonic G5 AVCHD to ProRes Converter. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load source video to it.
convert g5 avchd to fcp x

Step 2: Select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format under ‘Final Cut Pro’ column. The ProRes codec is workable in FCP X and its former version FCP 6 and 7.
lumix g5 and fcp x workflow

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 Panasonic G5 MTS video to ProRes MOV conversion.

Step 5: Click ‘Open Folder’ to get generated ProRes QuickTime files for using in Final Cut Pro X/7/6 with optimum performance.

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