FCPX-Compressor: Conforming/converting 29.97 fps to 24 fps.

Sigh.

I'm on an Intel Mac ... which I bought two weeks before the M1 came out. The Intel machines don't do the Machine Learning as far as I've heard.

I'm going to see if the theatres can run a DCP 30 fps. Compressor seems to do a decent 30 fps from 29.97. As far as my eye can tell.

Compressor ver. 4.10

And I've just found out I have to make the conversion ... their system is state-of-the-art but focused on 24 fps.

The DCP-o-matic seems to work ... if I can start with a 24 fps master.

So I desperately need to do the conversion.

I did going from 29.97 to 30 fps. It seemed to work.

Now I'm making myself a 29.97 (optical flow turned on for each clip) version from FCPX to Compressor directly. Then I am going to try and figure out how to convert that 29.97 to 24. It seems like the idea DCP for these theatres is 24 fps.

One of the theatres did their own DCP from my ProRes 29.97 ... using Dolby CineAsset ... converting the 29.97 to 24 in the process. They say it worked. But I haven't had a chance to see the results in a theatre. And I'm not sure how closely they were watching it when they screened their results.

So. At the moment, I'm trying to find a way to make my 29.97 master a 24 fps ... with which I can make my own DCP using DCP-o-matic.

I can't get Compressor to do a 'reverse telecine' ... none of the 'quality' settings work, they are all greyed out. I've been told Compressor 4.6 is the latest version (that's where these settings are supposed to be found). I've got version 4.10 ... which I think is even more recent: Apple is weird on this. They say 4.6 is the latest version, then you click the link and it takes you to 4.10. With no explanation as to the version number shift.

The reverse telecine was one of the suggestions I came across when searching ... and they were talking about 29.97 to 24. I confess I didn't understand their reasoning. But it was one of the first answers that came up when I did a search. (Expressly related to using Compressor to make the conversion.)

I used the Optical Flow when going to 30 fps and it seemed to work. But further research suggests finding a way to get a 24 fps for those particular projectors. I'm still searching hither and thither. Time for a cigar on the balcony and contemplating eternity.

Thank you Joema ...

Great procedure. I'm trying it now. I got one done earlier and it looked okay (not seen on an IMAX screen). I'm trying to see if there is any difference in using Linear/Bicubic/the Lancsos2or3 ... and whether clicking 'Adaptive Limiter' has any effect. I am curious ... in Logic, and even FCPX, I sometimes use an 'Adaptive limiter' but it's always related to audio (a kind of compression algorithm to be used wisely) ... I'm not sure what it's doing in Compressor and making a video, or if it means the same thing (compressing the audio). Google AI says it's something else. I'm not sure I trust Google AI.

Thank you for your help Joema. Making a 'preset' for myself is a great idea. I've been slack in that department, always starting from scratch (and thus sometimes forgetting a click). Veyr much appreciated.

I'm going to try a couple of the choices in the 'Quality' and see if it makes any difference. Will report back here.

This would save my film, if I can get a decent conversion to 24 fps. At least in terms of a theatrical run.

I tried both ways Tom. This is Send to Compressor. The 'Quality' was greyed out in both cases.

Google AI has a blurb saying 4.6 was the latest version of Compressor ... first thing that comes up when Googling.