Suggest best workflow for a small project in FCP that needs color correction?

[Blair Erickson]

I've been reading lots of threads, read the white papers, and experimented for days but I still feel stuck with the Red workflow. This is my first project editing red footage. I've shot about 90 minutes worth of footage that needs to be edited down to a 10 minute scene for online sharing. I'm working off a new macbook pro with the R3D files, Color, RedCine, and Final Cut Pro. I've already transcoded and ingested the footage in FCP.

Here's my challenge... I need to edit the shots in order to match the color and lighting in one frame to the next. Some frames are appropriately shot and others need small adjustments to the Kelvin and ISO. The tweaks are minor and extremely simple in RedCine-X after experimenting. But without editing the footage together and seeing the changes from one frame to the next, I have no way of knowing what footage needs tweaking and how much.

So with that in mind, what should my workflow be in order to properly work with this footage and quickly turnaround my 10 minute cut? From everything I've seen, it is virtually impossible to go from FCP to RedCine right? But what can I do to properly tweak the lighting and colors in my shots if I haven't seen the footage in sequence yet?

I've briefly tinkered with Color over the past few days and the interface and tools available are a total mess compared to the simple tweaks I need in RedCine-X so I'd love to avoid going that route if possible. Is there a solid workflow to accomplish that?

[joe hedge]

If it's just for the internet, why not just use the 3-way color corrector in FCP?

[Blair Erickson]

If it's just for the internet, why not just use the 3-way color corrector in FCP?

That actually doesn't include any options for Kelvin, ISO, Brightness or Exposure which are the primary values that need tweaking.

The footage is stuff that was shot outdoors on both sunny and overcast days. The goal is to make all the footage look overcast. In RedCine-X it's a cinch, just tweak a few of those settings mentioned earlier and viola everything matches the overcast footage. But unfortunately none of the FCP filters seem to properly tweak the footage to achieve the same result.

[Ben Brainerd]

Clipfinder. You can import an XML, and do the basic changes right in the program. Or you can buy 2.5 and send your edit to RC-X.

[jamie parry]

Hiya
if you like redcine and don't mind giving redcine-x a go...and
if your 10 minute piece is just cuts
then try

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=42154

it sends an FCP EDL to redcine-x as a timeline
there's a free trial and I think the unlimited version is $15 ish so well worth it if it works for you...
just try redcine-x out before you spend cash as build 158 -the latest beta- has some issues with exporting stuff at less than full debayer (there may be workarounds for this somewhere though...like use build 104!)
good luck
j

[Mikael Lubtchansky]

it is virtually impossible to go from FCP to RedCine right?

Is there a solid workflow to accomplish that?

clipfinder paid version is solid and will allow to do that.

I also wrote a small applescript that could be useful (EDL2RCX) but it is still in beta so no waranty it will work with your EDL.
Depending on your edit style (usage of speedFX, reversed clips, dissolves) the conform might not work as expected :

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=42154

[Blair Erickson]

clipfinder paid version is solid and will allow to do that.

I also wrote a small applescript that could be useful (EDL2RCX) but it is still in beta so no waranty it will work with your EDL.
Depending on your edit style (usage of speedFX, reversed clips, dissolves) the conform might not work as expected :

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=42154

Awesome. Definitely giving it a try. Question... does the part about "answering a few questions about the location of your R3D files" mean that all my clips need to be in the same main directory? I have mine on an external drive divided into sub categories by the day the footage was shot. Will that still work?