My Compressor issues solved
UPDATE 11/9/2008: We've now released a tool to automate this fix, called
Compressor Repair.
I recently experienced the dreaded "Unable to submit to queue. Please restart your computer or verify your Compressor installation is correct" error message when submitting batches with Compressor. I noticed that it listed "No Value" under Cluster instead of "This Machine".
Going to Qmaster Preferences and clicking Start Sharing gave me a message saying that "qmasterd" was not running. This was the cause of the problem.
The first thing I did was look on
Apple's support boards where I found many posts on the subject. Unfortunately most users found that they managed to solve their issues by removing and reinstalling Compressor or the entire Final Cut Studio. This is something I did not want to do.
I used the terminal command
sudo qmasterprefs -reset (this seems to be equivalent to trashing prefs as far as I can gather) and then
sudo qmasterprefs -restart to relaunch qmasterd. I then relaunched Compressor and everything worked as it should.
Except when I restarted my machine, at which point I was back to the same error messages again. I knew that a fix must be possible without a reinstall, and it was probably something simple. So I did some digging around and I discovered that the folder
/Library/StartupItems/Qmaster had the wrong permissions. It was set to No Access for some bizarre reason, preventing OS X from seeing any files inside it.
Note that this was not picked up by Disk Utility when doing a permission repair. So I set the owner back to
system and clicked
Apply to enclosed items to be 100% sure that the permissions would be correct for all files.
I restarted my machine and everything worked. Two restarts later and it still works.
I can't say it will work for everyone but try it if you are experiencing these symptoms.
Posted by Jon Chappell on Apr 16 2008 to
Video Editing,
Final Cut Studio,
ApplePermalinkFinal Cut Pro 6.0.3 released
Can you see an update in Software Update called "Pro Applications Update 2008-01"? Well, confusingly, that's actually Final Cut Pro 6.0.3 and Compressor 3.0.3. It also includes Apple HDV Codec 1.4 and Plugin Manager 1.7.3.
Release NotesFinal Cut Pro 6.0.3This update contains the following:
- XDCAM HD422 support
- "Project is too new or unreadable" error fixed (yay)
- Still images are now exported using their native aspect ratios
- FCP now uses the aspect ratio of the clip when stacking multiple filters in a mixed-format timeline
- When using XML import, FCP can now reconnect files that contain slashes (/) in their filenames
- You can now place generator clips in FXScript filter clip wells, although read the release notes for the caveats
If this update is not appearing for you, you must have OS X 10.4.11 or OS X 10.5.2 installed.
Compressor 3.0.3This update contains the following:
- You can now create Apple TV movies with non-square pixel aspect ratios and there is now a Dolby AC-3 output for it as well
I was very disappointed that it did not fix any of the
bugs with Compressor on Leopard.
Apple HDV Codec 1.4This update contains the following:
Plugin Manager 1.7.3This update contains the following:
- This fixes FxPlug plugins on FCP 5.1.4 that were broken my previous Plugin Manager updates
As always, never update a system mid-project. Don't update if you are not affected by the changes listed above - if it ain't broke, definitely don't fix it in the world of FCP. If you do update, make sure to make a
clone of your system first.
You can get the update
here as well, but you will need to have your Final Cut Studio serial number handy.
Posted by Jon Chappell on Apr 11 2008 to
Apple,
Final Cut Studio,
Video EditingPermalinkHow to run Color below its minimum requirements
Color has some pretty stringent requirements. This tip will tell you how to run Color when you do not meet the minimum system requirements. Why would you want to do this? Well, maybe you have a slow machine and just want to grade a couple of simple shots or perhaps you would like to learn how to use the software before buying a new machine. Whatever the reason, here's how to do it.
Note that Apple doesn't set minimum requirements for the sake of it, and you may experience strange behavior from this tip. I wouldn't advise this for production use.
When you launch Color, it will tell you specifically what is wrong with your configuration. In this case, it is less than 128 MB of VRAM (graphics card memory).
1. Go to Applications, ctrl-click on Color and select
Show Package Contents.
2. Browse to
Contents/Resources.
3. Double-click
minsys.plist to open it up in Property List Editor. Alternatively, you can open it in TextEdit. You might want to save a backup of this file before you change anything.
4. You will see several self-explanatory options here such as minimum QuickTime version and minimum system memory. Go to
AELMinimumVRAM and change it from 128 to something lower. As I am running it on a system with 64 MB of VRAM, I will change it to 64. Just set it to something lower-than or equal-to what you currently have.
5. Save the file and open Color.
If your screen resolution is set too low, the Color interface will be tiny and unfortunately this is a side-effect of hacking the system requirements. Obviously they are there for a reason.
This tip applies to all programs in Final Cut Studio, not just Color.
Update: Our
System Toolkit utility now automates this task. Just select the application name and tick
Low Minimum Requirements.
Posted by Jon Chappell on Apr 10 2008 to
Color Grading,
Apple,
Final Cut StudioPermalinkFinal Cut Server released
It's Tuesday, which means more goodies from Apple. Apple today released their long-awaited and much-delayed
Final Cut Server software, based on the Artbox software they bought from Proximity.
Final Cut Server is an asset management system that allows you to keep track of your media. It is especially useful for facilities with a large stock footage library or companies dealing with large amounts of footage, such as news rooms.
It is also useful for smaller facilities as well. I particularly like the versioning system which tracks changes made to a file, showing you who made the change and when, and offering you a way of reverting the changes if necessary.
One of my favorite features is the event system. You can ask Final Cut Server to watch a specific attribute such as a metadata field and perform an action when that is changed, such as uploading files to a server.
The server software is Mac-only but the client software is for both PC and Mac (this probably had something to do with the delays). Here are the system requirements:
Server software * A Mac computer with a 1.8GHz or faster PowerPC G5, Intel Core Duo, Intel Core 2 Duo, or Intel Xeon processor (Intel Core Duo, Intel Core 2 Duo, or Intel Xeon processor recommended)
* 2GB of RAM (4GB recommended)
* AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card
(Final Cut Server is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors) * Mac OS X v10.5 or later
* QuickTime 7.4.1 or later
* A CD drive for installation
* 500MB of available disk space
Client software for Mac computers * A Mac computer with a 1.25GHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, Intel Core Duo, Intel Core 2 Duo, or Intel Xeon processor
* 1GB of RAM
* AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card
(Final Cut Server is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors) * A display with 1024-by-768 resolution or higher
* Mac OS X v10.4.11 or later
* QuickTime 7.4.1 or later
* Java for Mac OS X v10.4 Release 6 or later
* Final Cut Pro 6.0.2 or later for Final Cut Pro integration
* 20MB of available disk space
Client software for Windows-based computers * A PC with Windows XP (SP2) or Vista
* 1GB of RAM
* AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card
(Final Cut Server is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors) * A display with 1024-by-768 resolution or higher
* QuickTime 7.4.1 or later
* Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 Update 4 or later
* 20MB of available disk space
Important areas to note:* The server software is Leopard-only.
* You must fit a separate graphics card to the machine as the on-board graphics will not suffice. Also note that the G5 servers do not even have on-board graphics. This also affects any machine that you connect to it as well, which rules out MacBooks and low-end PCs.
Final Cut Server is now available for
$999 (10-client version) and
$1999 (Unlimited version). Interestingly, the upgrade for the 10-client version is $999 which makes it cheaper by a dollar to upgrade the 10-client version than it is to buy the unlimited version outright.
Posted by Jon Chappell on Apr 8 2008 to
Apple,
Final Cut Studio,
SoftwarePermalinkExporting chapter markers to DVD Studio Pro
I am constantly seeing posts on Apple's support boards by people who can't get this to work. This seems to be a common problem so I'm going to give a step-by-step workflow followed by troubleshooting tips at the end.
1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, navigate to the point you wish to place the marker, press
M once to place a regular marker and then press
M again to open up the Edit Marker dialog.
Make sure that you are adding the markers to the sequence itself and not to an individual clip. There are some rules though - Don't place one within 1 second of the beginning, don't place one within 1 second of the end and don't place them less than 1 second apart.
2. Click the button marked Add Chapter Marker and it will automatically insert some text into the box. Do not change this text; just click Ok.
Repeat for every marker.
3. Go to
File > Export > QuickTime Movie. Do not export as QuickTime Conversion. Under the Markers drop-down, select
DVD Studio Pro Markers.
Or Go to
File > Export > Using Compressor. This will not display a dialog box but you will be able to see markers on the timeline in the Preview window.
4. Export the file.
5. Open up DVD Studio Pro and drag the exported file onto a track.
In the timeline, drag the edge of the horizontal scroll bar to decrease the size of the timeline and see everything at once. You should be able to see all of your chapter markers.
6. Go to Simulate and double-check that they work.
TroubleshootingLet me know if you can think of any more troubleshooting tips.
Final Cut Server coming soon?
Apple just mysteriously added a new category to their discussion forum named
Artbox. Now, if you recall Artbox was originally developed by Proximity and was purchased by Apple two years ago and turned into
Final Cut Server.
It was announced at NAB 2007 and slated for release in the summer of that year, but never came. It was then pushed back to January 2008 but still has not been released. I hope this is a sign that preparations are being made for its release.
The most plausible answer of course is that it's just a support section for existing Artbox users (rather late though, considering Apple purchased them in 2006), although I am not aware of Apple doing this for Final Touch users before the release of Color.
Posted by Jon Chappell on Mar 17 2008 to
Apple,
Analysis,
Final Cut StudioPermalinkHow to banish the Final Cut Pro registration screen forever
Update: We've now developed an automated solution for this with System Toolkit in FCS Maintenance Pack.
Everyone hates it - the annoying "please register" screen that pops up every 5 or 6 launches of Final Cut Pro and Apple's other ProApps. Of course, the easiest way to get rid of it is to just register but that may not always be practical or advisable. Many companies do not connect their editing machines to the internet (quite rightly) and some of the tinfoil hat-wearers among us might not be keen on giving their personal data out to Apple.
Whatever the reason, here is a method of stopping the Final Cut Pro registration screen from appearing again without having to register.
1. Make sure all Final Cut Studio applications are closed.
2. Go to /Library/Application Support/ProApps and open the file Final Cut Studio System ID.
3. In Property List Editor, click the arrow next to Root and you will see some details about the unique ID that FCS has created for your machine. On this machine, I upgraded from Final Cut Studio 1 to Final Cut Studio 2, so I have two IDs listed under 100-1 and 100-6. If you look under fullKey1, it tells me that the original ID is marked 100-1 so the new one (FCS 2) must be 100-6.
Yours may differ a little but if one doesn't work, try the other.
Update: If you don't have the Apple Developer Tools installed, you won't have a copy of Property List Editor on your system. In this situation we recommend using System Toolkit in FCS Maintenance Pack.
4. On the 100-6 option (or whatever yours says), double-click the data under the Value tab to select it and then copy it to the clipboard.
5. Go to /Library/Preferences and open com.apple.RegFinalCutStudio.plist.
6. Click the arrow next to Root and delete all of the entries in the list.
7. Now select Root and click New Child. Enter the name AECoreTechRegInfo, select Data as Class and paste the value you copied earlier into the Value column.
Update: For Final Cut Studio 3, you need to add an additional String with the name AECoreTechRegister and value of YES.
8. With the entry you just created still selected, click New Sibling up the top and type AECoreTechRegSent, keep the Class as String and enter a value of YES. Your final plist should look like this:
9. Save the file and enjoy a nag-free Final Cut Studio experience. It works for all applications in the Studio, not just FCP.
It is worth noting that this works for all of Apple's ProApps including Shake, Aperture and Logic. For Shake, use /Library/Application Support/ProApps/Shake System ID and /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RegShake.plist. The issue is especially annoying with Shake because if the registration screen appears, Shake will "forget" the project or file you wanted to open, so you have to open it again.
Also, if you do want to register but don't want to keep opening and closing the application until the registration dialog appears, just delete the com.apple.RegFinalCutStudio.plist file, launch FCP and it will appear immediately.
Major blog overhaul
Just wanted to let everyone know that we've completed a major overhaul of this blog. It's now much faster to load and puts less of a strain on the server, which is something that was worrying me as its popularity increased.
The most important change is to the page URLs. Instead of having one central page, each post now has its own separate page. The old page will forward requests to the correct place but for improved speed and general ease-of-use,
you are advised to update your bookmarks.
Also, I have noticed that a lot of people are using the category RSS feeds instead of the
main feed. That means they are missing out on a lot of other posts. The old blog didn't make this clear so if you don't want to miss half of the posts on this forum, subscribe to the global feed listed above (if you can even read this, that is).
P.S. There might be a few teething problems over the next few days so please bear with us.
Using Pacifist to downgrade QuickTime
Since I often need to use this information for reference, I am posting a guide here. As you may already be aware, certain versions of QuickTime can cause havoc with Final Cut Pro and other professional applications like After Effects. For example, many users of FCP 4.5 HD have been unable to capture long clips after installing QuickTime 7.3 and up.
Apple does not offer a means of uninstalling a rogue version of QuickTime so the solution is rather "hacky". It will solve the problem but for best results, you are recommended to perform a full Erase and Install to reinstall Mac OS X.
Also, don't perform this process unless it is absolutely necessary.
1.
Download Pacifist.
2.
Check which version of QuickTime works best with your software.
3.
Download the version of QuickTime you wish to downgrade to.
4. Start up Pacifist and drag the
QuickTime package onto the Pacifist logo in the main window.
5. A new window will pop up. Use the disclosure triangles to select the following two directories:
System/Library/Components
System/Library/QuickTime
It might be worth backing up the existing
/System/Library/Components and
/System/Library/QuickTime directories on your hard disk before performing this.
6. Now click
Install up the top.
7. You will get this message, click
Install and then type in your admin password:
8. It will spend a minute or so extracting and verifying files then this message will appear:
Click
"Don't ask again for this installation" and then hit
Replace.
9. When it finishes, restart your machine. If you go to QuickTime Player, it will still say the version number of the old version but if you open Final Cut Pro, it will now work as it did previously.
Full credit for this tip goes to
Fred Turner.
Edit 2/17/08: Fixed a couple of errors.
Update 11/16/08: Erik Smith sent me another
solution to the issue, although I would definitely say try it at your own risk.
Posted by Jon Chappell on Feb 15 2008 to
Apple,
QuickTime,
Final Cut StudioPermalinkHow to restore the DVD Studio Pro welcome screen
I saw
this thread on Apple's discussion forum in which a user was asking how to get back DVD Studio Pro's welcome screen once you deselect "Show at startup". Unlike Motion, DVD Studio Pro has no option in its menu to restore it once again.
Here's how to do it:
1. Make sure DVD Studio Pro is closed.
2. Navigate to
~/Library/Preferences (
~ refers to your user directory).
3. Double-click on
com.dvdstudiopro.plist to open it in Property List Editor.
4. Click the arrow next to "Root" to expand the options and then click
New Sibling at the top.
5. Type
showFirstLaunchDialog exactly as shown here.
6. Set Class to Number.
7. Set Value to 2.
8. Click File > Save.
9. Fire up DVD Studio Pro and enjoy your restored welcome screen.
Hope this helps other people who were having this issue.
Posted by Jon Chappell on Feb 13 2008 to
Apple,
DVD,
Final Cut StudioPermalink
Kollaborate
Pro Maintenance Tools
Pro Media Tools
CinePlay
Post Haste
Preference Manager
FCS Remover
Cut Notes
CinePlay
Aspect Ratio Matte Generator
Video Space Calculator