Digital Commons at Penn State

Using Final Cut Pro requires that you set the program to match the source from which you will be digitizing your footage. These are your Capture Settings. You can mix footage from several different sources in one project, but you must change your Capture Settings each time.

Before capturing footage Make sure that you Setup your Project Appropriately by following the steps detailed in the tutorial: Setting up a Project in Final Cut Pro

To set the device control presets, go up to Final Cut Pro and choose Audio/Video Settings

From there, follow either option below to achieve the setting needed for your desired media.

A. For MiniDV:

1. Device Control Preset: Change the pull down menu to FireWire NTSC or FireWire NTSC Basic from the Device Control.

This setting will allow you to log and capture and capture directly. You will have full control of your DV device from Final Cut Pro HD’s Capture window.

2. Click OK to save changes.

B. For DVD or VHS:

1. Device Control Preset: Change the pull down menu to say Non-Controllable Device.

This setting will limit you to direct capture. You will have to control your device from the control panel that is on the device itself.

2. Click OK.

III. Capturing with Final Cut Pro

To capture video, go to File > Log and Capture.

The Capture window will appear on your screen and show you a video signal, if available, from your device.

You can now employ one of several methods for capturing clips to use in your project, depending upon what type of device you are using.

A. For MiniDV:

Using MiniDV allows you the option of capturing either direct footage or “logging” your clips and capturing them individually. This works by way of the internal timecode on MiniDV tapes and because of their inherently digital nature.

i. To capture directly from a MiniDV tape:

1. Load the tape into your MiniDV deck or camera.
2. Click Play in the Playback Controls underneath the viewer element of the Capture window.
3. Find the footage you would like to capture and cue up your tape to the proper spot.
a. Using the Playback Controls you can fast forward, rewind and pause the tape as need be to find the right point.
4. Click Play.
5. Click Now under the Capture heading to the right of the video viewer element.

NOTE: You need to set your capture settings to NTSC Anamorphic in order to get a preview window if your footage was shot with the Sony FX-1 in the Digital Commons.

Note: It is a good idea to leave yourself a few seconds of extra video before the beginning of your intended capture to allow for the delay between clicking Play and Now.

6. A window will appear over top of all the other windows showing you the video that you are capturing.

7. When you find the point when you would like to stop your capture, hit the Escape key on your keyboard.

Note: The Capture Now functionality will allow on thirty-minute video clips. To capture more than thirty minutes, it will be necessary to capture a second clip once the time limit is reached.

8. Your video clip will now appear in the Browser window to the left of the Capture window. You may rename this clip to whatever you prefer.

ii. To “log and capture” from a MiniDV tape:

1. Load the tape into your MiniDV deck or camera.
2. Click Play in the Playback Controls underneath the viewer element of the Capture window.
3. Find the beginning of the footage you would like to capture.
a. Using the Playback Controls you can fast forward, rewind and pause the tape as need be to zero in on the right point.
4. On the left side of the Capture window, below the Playback Controls, there are two buttons flanking a text box. Click the right button.
a. This is the Mark – In button.
b. Clicking this button will create an “in-point” for a given clip.

5. Having marked your in-point, click Play again to advance the video to the end of the clip that you are trying to capture.

6. Once you have found and isolated the end of your clip, click on the Mark – Out button.
a. This button is located on the opposite side of the Mark – In button and looks like its mirror image.

7. Click the Clip button under the Capture heading to the right of the viewer element.
8. Name your clip in the dialogue box that appears.

9. A window will appear over top of all the other windows showing you the video that is being captured.
10. Your newly created clip will now appear in the Browser window to the left of the Capture window. You may rename this clip to whatever you prefer.

B. For DVD or VHS:

Capturing from DVD or VHS is not as elegant as capturing from MiniDV. DVDs are copy protected to prevent unauthorized digital duplication, so their video must be redigitized using analog output from a DVD player; VHS tapes are analog from the beginning. Analog video does not carry the timecode features of MiniDV, so the ability to “log and capture” is lost with these sources.

However, Final Cut Pro HD does make it relatively easy to work with digitized video from analog sources.

i. To capture from DVD or VHS:

1. Load the media into your device.
2. Using the controls on your device, find the segment that you would like to capture.

3. Click Now under the Capture heading to the right of the video viewer element.

4. A window will appear over top of all the other windows that will show you the video being captured.
5. Press play on your device to start the video.

Note: It is a good idea to start your video after the capturing begins to allow for Final Cut Pro to set up its disk space and actually begin the capture process.

6. When you reach the end of your desired segment, hit the Escape key on your keyboard.
7. A new clip will now appear in the Browser window to the left of the Capture window.