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MillimeterOptimizing Encoding Performance with Apple Final Cut Pro, Part 1
Oct 20, 2009 12:00 PM, By Jan Ozer
Table 1: Encoding times for using the Share option versus encoding in Apple Compressor with Qmaster.
Your rendering options
Before Final Cut Pro 7, you had three basic rendering options: direct to Compressor, direct to a QuickTime reference movie for import into Compressor, or direct to the desired output format using QuickTime Conversion. Most producers used the first two because Compressor can batch-encode multiple files and is generally more capable than QuickTime as an encoding tool. Choosing either Compressor approach also gave you access to Qmaster from Compressor—though as far as I can tell, only a relatively small percentage of Final Cut Pro producers actually use Qmaster.
With Final Cut Pro 7, you can still export to a QuickTime reference movie or output via QuickTime conversion. However, one of the major new features in Final Cut Pro 7 is the new Share option, which lets you batch-output to any Compressor-supported format and render in the background while you continue editing in Final Cut Pro. This is a great convenience option, but it has one key negative: the inability to access Qmaster during encoding.
Table 1 shows the difference in encoding time for a 3-minute file on two different computers, a desktop and a notebook. Multiply those numbers by 20 to translate 3 minutes into an hour-long project, and you can easily see how Qmaster can make the difference between meeting a deadline or missing it.
Figure 2. Exporting to Compressor from Final Cut Pro.
Interestingly, if you export to Compressor from Final Cut Pro, you immediately free Final Cut Pro for editing, but you still can't use Qmaster for encoding. The only way to access Qmaster is to export a QuickTime reference movie and import that into Compressor as a separate step. This is quite different from the previous version of Final Cut Pro, where sending the video file directly to Compressor allowed you to access Qmaster—though Final Cut Pro was locked up for the duration.
So when time isn't critical, the Share option is great. If you are in a hurry, you should produce a QuickTime reference movie from Final Cut Pro and input that manually into Compressor.
That's it. I hope I've piqued your interest in how to set up, configure, and use Qmaster, which I'll cover the next time around.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.