4K workflow in Final Cut Pro X/7

Q1: “Can FCP 7.0.3 edit 4k material? I’m working on a 4K project on a MacPro.”

Q2: “I may have a 4K edit job in the next few months. I’m running FCPX on an iMac. Can Final Cut Pro X support 4K files perfectly?”

As more and more 4K support cameras come out like Sony F5, F55, Sony AX100, Sony A7s, Panasonic GH4, DJI Phantom 3, Canon XC10 and more, more and more guys are stuck in 4K importing & editing issues. The typical one is how to import 4K to Final Cut Pro 7/X. In this article, we will talk about the issue and give you some hints.

Although FCP-X(FCP X 10.1.) supports some 4K videos( 4K ProRes, Sony XAVC and REDCODE RAW), while old version FCP X and Final Cut Pro 6/7 and like many editors use 1080p as primary delivery format and will continue to do so for a long time. If you want to have a smooth 4K video and FCP workflow, you are advised to convert 4K video to ProRes in proper settings(1080p) for further editing in FCP 6/7/X.  With the help of Brorsoft Video Converter for Mac, you can easily achieve the goal.

Overall, this program is a completely professional 4K video converter, player and editor. Unlike some free video converters, it is capable of serving as the best 4K Video Converter for Mac. It provides hundreds of output format presets for 4K videos, such as Apple ProRes 422, Apple ProRes 422(HQ), Apple ProRes 422 (LT), Apple ProRes 422 (Proxy), and Apple ProRes 4444 for Final Cut Pro, AIC MOV for FCE (Final Cut Express) and iMovie, MP4 for any mobile or PC video players, and more formats for better editing, playing, and burning. This Ultra HD Video Converter is also available to customize the output resolutions to any size the users want.

How to Convert 4K videos to ProRes for Final Cut Pro

Step 1: Add 4K source video > Click “Add” button on the top of the main interface to load original 4K videos to the program. Or you can simply drag&drop the videos to the software.

Step 2: Choose ProRes as output format > Press “Format” option and navigate the mouse cursor to choose “Format > Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)” as the best codec for FCP  on Mac.

Step 3: Advance video/audio settings > You can click the “Settings” button and customize proper video/audio parameters if necessary. Video size, bitrate and fame rate are flexible and can be adjusted as you like. Usually 1920*1080 video size and 30fps video frame rate are recommended for FCP editing.

Step 4: Start 4K to FCP conversion Hit the convert button to start the 4k video to ProRes conversion on Mac OS X. After the conversion, click Open to get the output videos. And you can start editing these transcoded 4K files in FCP 7, FCP X. Create a project, make an event, drag the files to the event folder and start editing with light speed in FCP.

Related Guides:

Import Panasonic FZ300 4K to FCP/Premiere Pro/Avid
Importing Sony a7R II 4K XAVC S to Final Cut Pro 7/X
Importing Panasonic DMC-CM1 4K into FCP 7
Downscaling 4K to 1080P, 2K for Easier Playback & Editing
Importing Panasonic DMC-GH4 4K MP4/MOV to Final Cut Pro

Importing Panasonic DMC-CM1 4K into FCP 7

Panasonic DMC-CM1, a large-sensor camera smartphone, can capture 4K video recording at 15fps, as well as Full HD recording at 30fps. I’ve got a Panasonic DMC-CM1, what I want is to work with the 4K files from DMC-CM1 in FCP 7. So my problem is will Final Cut Pro 7 support 4K files? Is it possible to edit Panasonic DMC-CM1 4K in FCP 7 natively?

A little searching turns out the result. Granted, Final Cut Pro(FCP X 10.1.) and above can support 4K files without much problem; while, the old version FCP X or Final Cut Pro 6/7 is not able to deal with 4K well(Currently 1080p is the primary delivery format for FCP). Thus, to use Panasonic CM1 4K files in Final Cut Pro 7, a suggestion is to convert DMC-CM1 4K MP4 clips to Final Cut Pro native format- ProRes.

Searching further, I found Brorsoft Video Converter for Mac is what most guys recommend. Overall, this 4K video converter provides the most reliable and professional 4K solutions to all format issues including 4K MP4, 4K XAVC/XAVC S, 4K MOV, 4K MXF and more. With it, you can transcode Panasonic CM1 4K video to FCP compatible ProRes 422, 4444 without any quality loss. It comes with various format presets for 4K videos, such as DNxHD for Avid, Apple InterMediate Codec for iMovie, MPEG-2 for Adobe Premiere. Besides, this 4K converter is also available to customize the output resolutions to any size like 1080p, 2K, 4K as users want. Just download it and follow the tutorial below to get the work done.

Convert Panasonic DMC-CM1 4K video for editing in FCP 7

1. Load 4K files

Run the program you just set up. Drag and drop the 4K video files to the converter. You can also hit Add files button to import videos to the app. If you wanna combine several videos into one file, you can click the “Merge into one” box.

2. Choose output format

Click “format” bar to choose the output format. You can freely choose Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov) for FCP.

3. Adjust video, audio settings

Click the “Settings” button and customize proper video/audio parameters including Video size, bitrate and fame rate and mroe. Usually 1920*1080 video size and 30fps video frame rate are recommended for FCP 7 editing.

3. Start converting 4K footage to FCP

Hit the convert button of the best  4K to ProRes Converter. It will start converting 4K for importing to FCP immediately. Soon after the conversion, just click “Open” button to get the generated files for natively editing Panasonic DMC-CM1 4K video in FCP 7 as well as Final Cut Pro X perfectly.

Related Guides:

Tips for Importing DJI Inspire 1 4K to iMovie
Importing Blackmagic 4K ProRes to FCP 7, Avid, Adobe Premiere
Importing Panasonic DMC-GH4 4K MP4/MOV to Final Cut Pro
Importing Panasonic DMC-FZ1000 4K MP4 to Final Cut Pro