Using Resolve to convert frame rates of source clips

Hello,

I have hundreds of 25p clips I want to convert to 23.976 in preparation for editing in Avid.

From what I can tell, once I have all the 25p clips on a 23.976 timeline in Resolve, I can render out 23.976 clips using Optical Flow retiming - but only by rendering out the whole timeline, which is not ideal. If I render source clips, it renders the clips at their source frame rate as well - 25p. The only workaround would be to create a timeline per clip, which would take a while.

The Teranex has also been suggested to me, but can I use that in a file-based workflow? My understanding is that I'd have to stream a clip from one computer, through the Teranx, to another. This would take even longer than creating all the timelines in Resolve.

I could also use Twixtor, which I have, but that would take just as long to set up in After Effects as it would in Resolve.

Thnx for any tips!

Are you looking to keep the same duration or go for the best quality? The best quality would be a frame for frame conversion which results in a 4% slomo. If that is the case, then you need to pay with the audio sample rate to sync. See my blog and spreadsheet for calculating any rate to any rate.

http://24p.com/wordpress/?p=195

If same duration is needed, then quality will differ based on solution.


Michael

Optical flow, just like frame-blending and nearest frame solutions, should only be used on a case-by-case basis. It can give you some seriously wacky results if you just apply it to everything.

As far as I'm concerned, the only solution you should be using is a frame-for-frame conversion such as that employed by Cinema Tools, though FCPX, Premiere and Smoke all have their own implementation too. Not sure if R12 does.

Optical flow, just like frame-blending and nearest frame solutions, should only be used on a case-by-case basis. It can give you some seriously wacky results if you just apply it to everything.

As far as I'm concerned, the only solution you should be using is a frame-for-frame conversion such as that employed by Cinema Tools, though FCPX, Premiere and Smoke all have their own implementation too. Not sure if R12 does.

yea, dead simple, go to the media page and select the clips and change rate to 23.98.

yea, dead simple, go to the media page and select the clips and change rate to 23.98.

That was my immediate response, too, Dermot. The o.p. can select all the clips, right click to Change Attributes, and then alter the speed there. Be aware that it's better to do this prior to placing the clip on the timeline. It will result in a 4.1% slow-down, but that's the price you pay for converting from a PAL/25 world to a 23.976-frame world. At least there are no artifacts this way.

Whoa, lots of responses. Apparently I wasn't getting notifications for this topic

I get the slowdown option but couldn't help but wonder if there was a way to keep it all at realtime these days. Adding to 25p, I was also getting 30p and 29.97 footage as well, plus iPhone footage with variable frame rates. I decided to throw it all into After Effects and use Twixtor to do the frame rate conversion. I've taken a look at a lot of it and it looks mint to me!

If you have a copy of Final Cut Studio, you can use Cinema Tools. Works instantly with NO quality loss. Just be sure to duplicate any clips first with a new name first—it will overwrite the original file. Might be easier to just edit in 25p, then convert the final output. Does Resolve do the same thing—just rewrite the header?

On further testing, the smaller the difference in frame rate, like 25 to 23.98, the better Twixtor looks.
30 to 23.98 has some artifacting sometimes, but then that's the situation that something like Cinema Tools won't work with. Too much of a difference.

Wish I could edit in 25, but the great majority of the show is 23.98.

All motion estimated solutions will leave some artefacts for 25p source. Nothing on the planet will do it perfectly, so I would not bother.
Just slow it down to 23.976p if you don't mind audio slowdown (eg. it's not some classical music footage).

Apple Cinema Tools do it on QT headers level, but they don't process audio.
Any tool where you can assume new fps is good- in the worse case you will have footage transcoded, so use high quality codec- ProRes, uncompressed etc.
Just load it to Resolve, assume 23.976p on the source level and export back.

Teranex is pretty much useless these days. It doesn't do motion estimated fps conversion. All can be done in file based world even with better quality. Teranex is good for realtime processing in SDI chain, but offers not much in file based workflow. Days where its algorithms for deinterlacing, scaling, etc. were above other solutions are over.

All motion estimated solutions will leave some artefacts for 25p source. Nothing on the planet will do it perfectly, so I would not bother.
Just slow it down to 23.976p if you don't mind audio slowdown (eg. it's not some classical music footage).

Apple Cinema Tools do it on QT headers level, but they don't process audio.
Any tool where you can assume new fps is good- in the worse case you will have footage transcoded, so use high quality codec- ProRes, uncompressed etc.
Just load it to Resolve, assume 23.976p on the source level and export back.

Teranex is pretty much useless these days. It doesn't do motion estimated fps conversion. All can be done in file based world even with better quality. Teranex is good for realtime processing in SDI chain, but offers not much in file based workflow. Days where its algorithms for deinterlacing, scaling, etc. were above other solutions are over.

you can also slow down the audio and re - pitched. .

Pitch correction is almost as tricky as fps conversion. Most 25fps DVDs/BDs originated from film source don't have pitch correction. If you do pitch correction use good software, e.g. TimeFactory.

Hi Michael.
I cannot access your link - all I get is the following:

This site can’t be reached
24p.com’s server IP address could not be found.

Is there any chance of a fresh link?
How do I go about doing a frame-for-frame 25 to 24 conversion please?
I can resample the audio - but it is the run time that bothers me.
Stupid film crew were asked to shoot at 24, but refused.

How do I go about doing a frame-for-frame 25 to 24 conversion please?

Go into Clip Attributes and change it there, though you'll have to do the audio separately. Or else, change project Mixed Frame Rate Format to None in General Options, but you'll need to do that before importing any media (and possibly before making any timelines but I'm not sure).