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Canon XL1s and iMove = Crap
Forum Index -> Video -> Camcorders (DV/HDV/AVCHD) Printer-friendly version
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DavidMaitland
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Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Post Posted: Nov 06, 2009 17:25 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Hi, i have been a Mac user for a very long time and also an iMove user. My dad owns a Canon XL1s 3CCD camera which i am using for doing a short film. I have done some test which i played back on my HD TV and the footage looks amazing. But when i import on my MacBook using firewire 400 in to iMove HD the video quality is worse than my mobile phone. I have tried many different import settings which all give the same bad result, would i still have this problem if i brought Final Cut Express?

Also two effects i need to be able to do is color grading and masks. The color grading for obvious reasons but the masking to make someone fade away, i know how to do this, but what software would be best? FCE? FXHome?

Thanks for your help.

edDV
Member


Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
Post Posted: Nov 06, 2009 17:44 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
DavidMaitland wrote:
Hi, i have been a Mac user for a very long time and also an iMove user. My dad owns a Canon XL1s 3CCD camera which i am using for doing a short film. I have done some test which i played back on my HD TV and the footage looks amazing.


You mean when the camcorder plays directly to the TV over S-Video?

DavidMaitland wrote:
But when i import on my MacBook using firewire 400 in to iMove HD the video quality is worse than my mobile phone. I have tried many different import settings which all give the same bad result, would i still have this problem if i brought Final Cut Express?


How are you judging video quality? By the Mac screen?

What are these many settings? DV is DV.

If you want a true test, transfer DV back to the camcorder and play from there. It should look the same as the original.
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DavidMaitland
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Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Post Posted: Nov 06, 2009 17:53 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
What i mean by direct to the TV is by playing out of the composite out.

The many settings is the import options such as PAL, PAL Wide, 25fps, 30fps, 24.7fps.

I am judging the quality by watching it on my Mac in iMove on the preview screen, it is worse than video from my iPhone on the same screen.

Do you know of any other programs that import DV of FireWire than iMove or FC that might be free?

edDV
Member


Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
Post Posted: Nov 06, 2009 18:03 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
DavidMaitland wrote:
What i mean by direct to the TV is by playing out of the composite out.

The many settings is the import options such as PAL, PAL Wide, 25fps, 30fps, 24.7fps.

I am judging the quality by watching it on my Mac in iMove on the preview screen, it is worse than video from my iPhone on the same screen.

Do you know of any other programs that import DV of FireWire than iMove or FC that might be free?


Those settings are for project? DV has no import options once the project is set. If you are in the UK, 25fps should be correct.

The monitor is a representation of the video content, not representative of quality.

I'm a couple of hours from my nearest Mac. Be back later.
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DavidMaitland
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Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Post Posted: Nov 06, 2009 18:07 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Ok thank you.

edDV
Member


Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 01:37 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Back to home Mac.

Yes the iMovieHD preview window quality does suck.

Here's a tip: Under "Preferences" and "Playback" check
"Play DV project through to DV camera"
then connect the camcorder S-Video to a good TV monitor. You will see preview video in full quality.



imoviehd1.png
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DavidMaitland
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Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 07:34 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
yes, when i output back to the tv the quality of the image is 100 times worse. here is a screen shot of some exported video in the best setting possible, as you can see the quality is awful compared to my TV from the composite out which looks very very close to HD

screen%20shot%202009-11-07%20at%2013.31.44.png

DavidMaitland
Member


Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 07:39 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
I cant believe that after import you get such bad quality images, the camera is still used in TV especially for documentaries because of the interchangeable lenses. To buy a second hand one you would be paying £1,050.00 of amazon. Where you could buy a £20 mobile phone with a better camera.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-DM-XL1s-Professional-Mini-Camcorder/dp/B00005QF76

jagabo
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Joined: 09 Dec 2005
Location: none
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 10:04 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
What you're missing is that the problem has to do with the way the video is being displayed and processed by the software. There's nothing wrong with the DV video data from the camera.

edDV
Member


Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 12:17 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
DavidMaitland wrote:
yes, when i output back to the tv the quality of the image is 100 times worse. here is a screen shot of some exported video in the best setting possible, as you can see the quality is awful compared to my TV from the composite out which looks very very close to HD

screen%20shot%202009-11-07%20at%2013.31.44.png


If things are working correctly, the DV format return to the camcorder should look identical to the original tape playback. You are still working in first generation. If you add effects, filter or encode you will see some loss. This is true for all NLEs.

What sucks is the way iMovieHD displays the interlace DV video on the computer progressive display. It is not representative of the actual video quality. This is why advanced users monitor true image quality on a TV attached to the camcorder. CRT TVs show the true interlace. Progressive LCD/plasma monitors add their own deinterlace distortions.

I monitor my DV projects on a Sony pro PVM series CRT monitor.
TV Monitor <--S-Video--<Camcorder<---Firewire(bi-directional)-->MAC

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edDV
Member


Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 13:01 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
By the way, Final Cut does a much better job displaying DV. This is the same clip.



finalcut.png
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lordsmurf
Video Restorer


Joined: 10 Jun 2003
Location: Want my advice? PM me.
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 13:04 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
iMovie = crap
Canon XL1s is fine.
Try Final Cut Pro instead.
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DavidMaitland
Member


Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 13:10 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
p.s. i just realised that in the topic title i spelt iMovie wrong smile.gif

Last edited by DavidMaitland on Nov 07, 2009 13:15, edited 1 time in total
DavidMaitland
Member


Joined: 06 Nov 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 13:12 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Ok, screw iMovie im buying FinalCut.

Thanks for your help!

edDV
Member


Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 13:31 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
lordsmurf wrote:
iMovie = crap
Canon XL1s is fine.
Try Final Cut Pro instead.


Or Final Cut Express. Much less $$$ and features are enough for most.
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edDV
Member


Joined: 06 Mar 2004
Location: Northern California, USA
Post Posted: Nov 07, 2009 16:40 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Yo Moderator!

Please move this thread to Mac.
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