importing video

[DaleG]

I use final cut pro (mac) for my video editing and all my movie clips are quicktime files. When I try to import a movie into an image layer, all I see is the image symbol, but no movie shows. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks!

[Rai López]

What codec have you use to compress the clips? maybe that can give us a little clue...

[DaleG]

I use the preset dv ntsc48khz superwhite sequence preset 16 bit for dv..
its been a while since I played with the settings and cant recall where it tells me the codec on FCP.. Can I tell this info by looking at one of my quicktime files?

[Nichod]

I'd try another codec and see if that helps. Or maybe go uncompressed depending on the rez and size of your clips.

[DaleG]

when i import pictures.. i convert them to png format using photoshop.. should I do something similar to my quicktime files before importing? is there a way to tell what codec has been used? Can I use FCP to convert to another codec? All my videos are intended to be saved onto mini dv tape and projected on a screen. I have been using the presets 320 x 240 24 frame rate for moho.. and the dv ntsc presets on final cut. codecs, square vs rectangular pixels.. I find it all confusing.. I was hoping I was keeping it simple by planning to do everything aimed at minidv NTSC settings.. I'm hoping to add animations created in moho to videos I'm making in fcp..

thanks!

[Nichod]

Perhaps someone who uses FCP could pipe in here. But what I would do is animate what you want in Moho. And then export it out at the desired resolution to quicktime with no compression. Then I'd composite into the video for export to mini dv. The reason I say this is you are taking your video through many conversions using your route. Even if you export your video to something compatible with Moho you would have to then export it out again through Moho. Which might lead to a complication that would lead you to editing it and exporting again from FCP. This way you are exporting the Moho animation out once, and then the video with the Moho animation out once. Would better maintain the quality of the film you are trying to produce. Good luck!

Brian

[DaleG]

I think you are saying to make the moho animation.. export to minidv settings no compression quicktime.. and then use fcp the way i usually do and composite the moho animation into it? I'll have to experiment with different settings and try it, but what if I want to take a video I already exported as a quicktime file and include it in the moho video that I'm going to composite into a new video.. Suppose I want to place a current video on a spinning cube in moho. then composite that moho animation back into another video.. can I do that without leading to complications? How do I re-export quick time videos I already made for use in moho if they dont currently import in properly?

thanks!

[F.M.]

Does the movie file contain the .mov to indicate the format? I sometimes render to Quicktime in particleIllusion and it does not append the .mov to the file name, and when I import to Moho there is only the broken icon on the stage, but after adding the .mov to the file name the movie appears correctly.

[DaleG]

you are a genius! My quicktime files have no extensions.. If I add .mov to the file name they import without the broken link symbol! Thanks