How to import Sony F55 XAVC to FCP X?


Came upon issues editing Sony F55 XAVC footage in FCP X? If so, you may wish to read this thread. It aims to help those who are looking for an effective way to work with Sony F55 XAVC material in FCP X smoothly.

Can’t edit Sony F55 XAVC footage in FCP X smoothly
“Hi all, I hope someone can help. We shot a multicam shoot using F55’s and now when we are trying to edit the XAVC Intra HD files in FCP X. With XAVC/XDCAM Plug-in for Apple (PDZK-LT2) installed, we can import the footage to FCP X, but the editing process is unstable and unreliable. Has anyone encountered this problem? How can we make FCP X work smoothly with F55 XAVC footage? Please suggest a solution if you know. Thanks!”
issues editing Sony F55 XAVC footage in FCP X

To be able to import Sony XAVC footage to FCP X, users need to download and install XAVC/XDCAM Plug-in for Apple (PDZK-LT2). This Camera Import Plug-in provides support for XAVC and XDCAM / XDCAM EX files shot on Sony SxS card, allowing viewing and editing capability in Final Cut Pro X. However, this plug-in requires Final Cut Pro X 10.0.8 or higher for XAVC format. For those who can’t install the XAVC Plug-in correctly or still have issues after installed this plug-in, we would recommend transcoding F55 XAVC files to ProRes 422 for use in FCP X flawlessly. Read on to learn a quick guide on how to encode F55 XAVC files to Apple ProRes for FCP X editing.

Here’s what you need
HD Video Converter for Mac
work with Sony F55 XAVC material in FCP X

[Guide] How to convert Sony F55 XAVC to ProRes 422 for FCP X?

The steps:
Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as a professional Sony F55 XAVC to ProRes Converter. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load source video to it.
can’t edit Sony F55 XAVC footage in FCP X smoothly

Step 2: Select ‘Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)’ as output format for opening with FCP 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 X and its former version FCP 6 and FCP 7. When loading them into FCP X/6/7, you needn’t wait for a long time for rendering.
transcoding F55 XAVC files to ProRes 422 for 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: 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 Sony F55 XAVC video to ProRes MOV conversion.

Step 5: Click ‘Open Folder’ to get generated ProRes 422 QuickTime files for transferring and editing in Final Cut Pro X with optimum performance.

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