How can I work with Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K video files in Final Cut Pro?


This thread is written for people who are having issues importing and editing Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K footage in FCP version 7 and FCP X. If you are looking for a smooth way to work with RX10 II XAVC S 4K video in Final Cut, you may wish to read it.
issues importing and editing Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K footage in FCP
XAVC-S is now supported natively in FCP X since version 10.1. But people still have issues one or another handling XAVC S 4K footage in FCP X. For instance,

“Hi, there, I have difficulty understanding a strange behavior by FCPX when handling Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K files. When I try to import from the SDXC card containing the 4K files thru a card reader attached to a USB 3 into the MacPro, the card shows well on the desktop and when I call for the Import window for FCP X the card sometimes will appear as a camera as it should, but other times it will appear as volume. If the card appears as a camera I am able to import XAVC-S (4k) from my Sony RX10 II (SD card) into FCP X with no problems. But if FCPX recognizes the card as a volume I cannot see the files and it won’t let me create an archive. This happens intermittently.  Even when I am able to create an Archive and checking that all the files are there, when I bring the Archive previously created to the Favorite sidebar in the import window to start editing, the 4K files will not show up for selection to import or trim the size before import into FCPX only the JPEG, HD, or AVCHD FILES WILL SHOW UP but none of the 4K files. I am using ver. 10.1.4 and have never had any problems using this workflow to edit anything you throw at FCPX but I don’t know if the Sony File structure is at fault or why it happens intermittently. Feel so frustrated. Please help.”

If for whatever reason you are unable to ingest Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K video into FCP X/7, we would recommend transcoding RX10 II XAVC S 4K video to a format that is best suitable for editing in Final Cut, such as Apple ProRes.
Note: The discontinued FCP 7 doesn’t support XAVC S codec natively. To be able to use RX10 II XAVC S 4K media in FCP 7 fluidly, you will have to convert XAVC S files first.

Read on to learn a quick guide on how to convert Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K files for use in FCP X/7 smoothly.

Here’s what you need
HD Video Converter for Mac
work with RX10 II XAVC S 4K video in Final Cut

[Guide] How to convert Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K files to ProRes 422 for FCP 7/X?

Download, install and run HD Video Converter for Mac, then follow these steps:
Step 1: Run HD Video Converter for Mac as a professional RX10 II XAVC S 4K to ProRes Converter. When its main interface comes up, click ‘Add File’ to load source video to it.
ingest Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K video into FCP X/7

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.
convert Sony RX10 II XAVC S 4K files to ProRes 422 for FCP 7/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 RX10 II XAVC S 4K 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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