Flipping 35mm adapter footage

Hay. I'm new here, and hope I post in the right part of the forum.

I'm new to tcp, and uses fcpx. I have been using fcp6 some years ago, and then I imported som HDV footage that was shot with a 35mm adapter. That makes the footage up side down. Now it's time to learn fcpx, so that I can edit my movie, that should have been done years ago.

So to the question, how do I easiest flip the footage thats up side down, so I can work whit it. It's quit many clips, so It should be easy. I tried to flip it in quicktime but realized it change the pixelrango, and compressed the footage.

So the best thing would bee, if I could do some thing whit the footage, that flipped it, before importing it, but with out any losses. Ore that I can flip al clips joust as I got it in fcpx, so that I always se the footage right.

I hope I got my question understandable (english is not my native language).

I will give this a shot. Ingest your media. Put your clip(s) in the timeline. Go to the effects browser and look for the "flipped"effect. Drag it onto your clip. In the inspector under effects you can flip the video horizontal, vertical or both. There is even an "amount" slider.

Hope this helps in some way

Dave

You have to flip both horizontal and vertical – don't touch the "Amount" slider.

You also can do it with QT Player 7 prior to import the same way.

-Andreas

the best would be if I could get the footage right flipped from the beginning, not doing it in the timeline, then I feel it's "to late", and makes the work harder.

How do I import the footage in quicktime and flipping it? As it is right now, if I take the already imported files and rotates them, and then saves them, they will be compressed and in the wrong pixel ratio.

In QT Player 7 open the files.



Press both buttons marked and save – no re-compression.
You can write an AppleScript or Automator action to do it in a batch process.

-Andreas

Just right click each clip in the event browser and "open in timeline", then go to the inspector and under the transform area, just type in 180 for the rotation and it will flip the clip. That's the easiest and best way to do it in FCPX.

With all respect clicking each single clip open it in a timeline and rotate it or flip-flop is not a good option.
It will blow up the data base and will cost performance – and its time consuming.

If the HDV files can be opened with QT Player 7 a small script can be way better especially when the files will be converted to ProRes on import.

on open names
set theFilePathList to names
repeat with theFilePath in theFilePathList
my FlipFlop(theFilePath)
end repeat
end open

on FlipFlop(theFilePath)
try
tell application "QuickTime Player 7"
activate
open theFilePath
try
set theDoc to document 1
tell theDoc
tell last track -- assuming the video track is always the last one
rotate by 180
end tell
save
close
end tell
end try
end tell
end try
end FlipFlop

Open the code in AppleScript Editor and save as Application (Stay Open, Startup Screen).
Drag the the .mov files to the app.

-Andreas

If you are not familiar with AppleScript here a little app.

www.spherico.com/filmtools/xFlipFlop/XFF.dmg

-Andreas

Thanks Andreas, that was just what I was looking for. And thanks for making the program for me.

The problem is that it does not work. Ore, it works whit some files that I have saved whit quicktime and have the codec AAC, H.264
The problem is the files that I want to flipflop, are imported whit FCP6 some years ago, and have the codec MPEG-2 video, Linear PCM, timecode. And that don't seem to work.

Can you help me doing something whit the program so I can flipflop these files as well, ore do I need to import them again?

The app can't do any conversion for none QT formats.

BUT in your case you can use MPEG Streamclip.
Make a setup which save the clips to ProRes and rotates them 180 degrees.

Then you can batch convert them before ingesting into FCPX.

-Andreas

Hmm, I tried the MPEG Streamclip. The problem is that the files are getting huge, like 4 times bigger then the original. Plus that the HDV ratio 1440*1080 makes the final movie clip in the wrong ratio.

So what are my alternatives now? To import the files again from the HDV tapes, but in an other format, so I easily can flip them, ore use them use flipped, and then flip them in the timeline? Ore is there an easier alternative so I can use the already existing files and just flip them?

Hmm, I tried the MPEG Streamclip. The problem is that the files are getting huge, like 4 times bigger then the original. Plus that the HDV ratio 1440*1080 makes the final movie clip in the wrong ratio.

Mpeg-2 is highly compressed so its normal that the files get big.
You can set the conversion size to 1920x1080

So what are my alternatives now? To import the files again from the HDV tapes, but in an other format, ...

Thats another option - maybe a better one, but more time consuming. Then use the little app of mine to flipflop them instead doing it in the timeline.
For capturing use a codec with I-Frame only. This will speed up your editing in FCPX (or any other NLE).

-Andreas

I think I will import the footage again, so I can use your flipflop program. And get an not so compressing codec.

So how do I import it again in the best possible what, using qt player ore fcpx? And how do I do that, whit what settings (remember, I'm a total newbie).