How to ensure a smooth workflow working with Sony XDCAM BPAV folder in Final Cut Pro (version 7 or version X). Read this post to learn a way of converting BPAV/MPEG-4 files to ProRes .MOV for FCP X/7 editing with optimum performance.
If you shot with Sony EX1 or EX3, you will have video footage with .mp4 extension in the BPAV folder. To be able to import BPAV/MPEG-4 files to Final Cut Pro 7 for further editing, you need Sony’s log and transfer utility installed. In FCP 7 launch the log and transfer window and select import and to your BVAP folder – the individual clips will appear in the log window. You also need to install additional software to import Sony BPAV/MPEG-4 files to FCP X. However, this method doesn’t always work. Some people have reported errors bringing BPAV folder to FCP 7: WARNING – “BPAV” contains unsupported media or has an invalid directory structure. Please choose a folder whose directory structure matches supported media.
If for whatever reason you are having problems importing BPAV files from Sony XDCamEX into FCP X/7, we would recommend transcoding BPAV/MPEG-4 to ProRes 422 prior. It’s very important to transcode your BPAV files to ProRes 422 prepare them for editing. It will make the performance of the computer very smooth. Read on to find a quick guide on how to convert BPAV files to ProRes 422 for FCP X/7 editing.
Here’s what you need
HD Video Converter for Mac
[Guide] How to encode BPAV/MPEG-4 video files to ProRes 422 for FCP editing?
Download, install and run HD Video Converter for Mac, then follow these steps:
Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as a professional BPAV to ProRes 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/X
From the ‘Profile’ list, 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 most recent version FCP X. When loading them into Final Cut, you needn’t wait for a long time for rendering.
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 BPAV/MPEG-4 video files to ProRes conversion.
Step 5: Click ‘Open Folder’ to get generated ProRes 422 QuickTime files for transferring and editing in Final Cut Pro 7/X with optimum performance.
To import the transcoded files into Final Cut Pro 7, simply navigate to File > Import > Files and select the converted clips. Alternately you can simply drag and drop the files into your “Bin.”
To import the transcoded files into Final Cut Pro X. navigate to File > Import > Media. In the window that comes up select your transcoded ProRes clips. DO NOT check “Create Optimized Media” OR “Create Proxy Media”. Both of these check boxes are unnecessary because we already converted the media to ProRes which means Final Cut Pro X can use the footage without “optimizing” it. Checking this box would create a redundant and time consuming second transcode of your footage.
You’re now ready to edit!
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