7D Video files

[Mnemosyne]

I have heard stories that 7D video files aren't usable straight out of the camera on 3rd party software. And I've searched but see something specific to my question

I use Final Cut, but it's an old version, DEFINITELY before SLR video. Can I import the video files directly with no conversion or fiddling with other stuff? If not, what's the easiest way to do this.

[colourbox]

I'm not a video expert but the issue with the editing software, as I understand it, is not about compatibility, but performance. I have imported Canon 7D files into old obsolete Final Cut Pro 4 right into the Timeline and you can edit. The problem is that you constantly have to render the timeline (slooow) because the compression used in the original video is too CPU-intensive to decode and render quickly enough for real time with edits. What people do, even on the latest Final Cut, is transcode the originals to Apple ProRes copies, to optimize the files for smooth editing performance, and edit with those. The problem with transcoding is that you end up editing with a second copy of your footage that is many times larger than the original, so not only are you tracking more files, but your disk space goes bye bye very fast.

There are iMovie users who say they edit SLR video without transcoding, but what they don't realize is iMovie, being a consumer product, is transcoding behind your back.

The dark horse in all this is Adobe Premiere Pro CS5. It claims to let you drop high-res footage like 7D clips right on the timeline and edit at good performance without having to make those bloated copies, due to its use of not only all CPU cores, but the GPU as well. I don't have it, though.

[ziggy53]

There are several issues to consider relating to computers, software and video compatibility.

You must have a very fast computer to run 1080P video as it has both 6 times the resolution of SD video (DVD quality, for instance) "and" the codec that Canon uses is H.264 AVCHD (for HD files) and that codec uses a very high level of compression meaning that extra CPU cycles are required for both editing and playback.

My older Pentium 4, 3 Ghz, 2Gig RAM and fast serial ATA hard drives, was just marginal for playback and editing was woefully inadequate. My i5, 4 core, 2.66GHz, 4Gig RAM and SATA II hard drive works fine with 1080P video from my 5D MKII.

You must have software that understands the video aspect ratio, file format "and" codec. I am not sure when different software started supporting H.264 AVCHD and 1080P but the software manufacturer should be able to provide that information. I currently use Windows 7 and Corel VideoStudio Pro X3 for editing.

You also typically need to install the appropriate codecs onto the host machine. This can take some digging and it makes a difference whether you use a Mac or Windows and the exact OS can also sometimes make a difference too.

[PhotoLasVegas]

Above is good advice. Of course with a decent computer and Premiere CS5 it's not an issue...

I am working on a video that I'm using the files directly from my 7d and most of the video has 2 to 5 composited sources as well as effects, transitions and things like color correction. My computer instantly renders these right in the preview pane, with a few tiny stutters every once in a while.

i7 slightly overclocked to 2.9ghz (4 cores, but really 8)
6mb 2000mhz DDR3 Ram
GeForce GTX470 slightly overclocked memory @ 1800mhz (3600 data rate) processor at 1500mhz and 1280mb dedicated graphics memory

Here's a 10 second clip still really rough... what's going on is:
- All 4 videos are exposure and color corrected
- 1 video changes size and moves bottom left,
- another video starts very small and moves top right
- a 3rd video starts small and grows bottom right
- 4th video has a 3-d cube type transition, then moves up and left and resizes

When I put these all together and played them the first time, they all 4 played(on top of each other of course) instantly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0bkgzwrcQw