[BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

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Chris Hocking

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[BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostSun Jan 15, 2023 9:29 am

For any macOS Final Cut Pro users in the group, I'm currently beta testing a new application called BRAW Toolbox which allows you to work with BRAW files natively in Final Cut Pro - no transcoding required.

If you're interested in testing, you can learn more and download via TestFlight here:

http://ltnt.tv/braw

Any questions let me know!
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostTue Jan 24, 2023 10:20 pm

Unless something unexpected happens, I'm planning to release BRAW Toolbox on the Mac App Store on Monday, so this is your last week to do a free "test run". Feedback welcome!

Links and information here: http://brawtoolbox.io
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roger.magnusson

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostTue Jan 24, 2023 11:43 pm

Thank you for doing this. If you don't mind me asking, how come you're able to do this but BMD wasn't? They've said they offered to make a plugin for free but Apple didn't respond. Am I right in assuming you already have access to a non-public FCP API because of your previous projects?

Edit: Nevermind, there's excellent detail about how it works in the FAQ on the BRAW Toolbox site.
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostTue Jan 24, 2023 11:57 pm

No, unfortunately, like Blackmagic, I also don't have access to Final Cut Pro's private decode API - nor do I have any other deep connections to Apple or the Final Cut Pro team.

We had to just make do with the two public API's we had access to - Workflow Extensions and FxPlug4.

We use the Workflow Extension API as our "user interface", where users can select the footage they want to import, and preset any RAW controls.

We use the FxPlug4 API as our "renderer". Essentially, BRAW Toolbox is just a Filter in Apple Motion, and an Effect in Final Cut Pro, but instead of "processing" the source clip, we replace the clip contents with the processed BRAW clip.

We use Blackmagic's official BRAW SDK - so you get all the same colour science and processing speed as DaVinci Resolve.

As far as we know, BRAW Toolbox is the first application on the Mac App Store to include an FxPlug4 effect.

Blackmagic would never go down this route as it's... a bit of a crazy workaround. I'm sure EVENTUALLY Apple will give Blackmagic access to the decode API, and BRAW Toolbox will no longer be needed. My GUESS as to why this still hasn't happened is that the Final Cut Pro team need to build out a proper "RAW Color Inspector" so that all different camera manufactures can easily expose/control various RAW parameters. Currently the R3D RAW controls feel like a bit of a work-around/bolt-on, and you can't keyframe them, etc. As always with Apple, things take WAY longer than you'd think - just look at Dupe Detection. Maybe this year, maybe 3-5 years from now - who knows.

Hope this helps! Any questions let me know.
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roger.magnusson

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostWed Jan 25, 2023 12:09 am

Thank you, a clever workaround for sure.
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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostWed Jan 25, 2023 6:31 pm

I did some spare test and seems to work fine and faster :-)


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Iain Bason

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostWed Jan 25, 2023 10:52 pm

Looks very cool. I think I'll skip the beta, but will probably buy it on the app store. Well done!
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostWed Jan 25, 2023 11:35 pm

Iain Bason wrote:Looks very cool. I think I'll skip the beta, but will probably buy it on the app store. Well done!


The version currently on TestFlight is the version that will be released on Monday morning if you want to take it for a test run for free.
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Uli Plank

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostFri Jan 27, 2023 7:03 am

And Rippletraining will have a live event on Monday (free):
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostFri Jan 27, 2023 8:04 pm

Chris Hocking wrote:Currently the R3D RAW controls...you can't keyframe them
Is that even possible?

I've only used Resolve and Premiere Pro (both on Windows) with RAW media, and keyframing the RAW controls hasn't been available for the few RAW formats I've used.
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostFri Jan 27, 2023 8:25 pm

There’s no technical reason it can’t happen. BRAW Toolbox allows it. You’re just manipulating the RAW Metadata on a frame by frame basis.
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Uli Plank

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostThu Feb 02, 2023 2:04 am

And this is very impressive, you got keyframing now for BRAW parameters which even DR can't do!
Not that you need it all the time, but if you have a continuous shoot going from interior to exterior, it can be very welcome.
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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BennoZ

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostFri Feb 03, 2023 8:51 am

Wow, looks great to me! I'll buy it and let you know my experience.
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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostMon Feb 06, 2023 10:03 pm

Hi Chris: I purchased both Gyroflow and BRAW Toolbox but am having difficulty when I import files into FCP after running them through Toolbox. I'm always see the error message "Failed to Process BRAW File. Failed to get the Process BRAW Clip from the BRAW SDK'. I've deleted and reloaded the Toolbox twice to no avail. Can you help with this issue please?
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostMon Feb 06, 2023 10:14 pm

Sorry to hear you’re having issues!

I can definitely help solve this for you.

The best way to get support it to file an GitHub issue with all your systems specs and log files, or shoot me an email.

Details here: https://brawtoolbox.io/support/
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antoniojr

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostThu Feb 16, 2023 10:22 pm

Hello! Thank you for this plugin.

Is that discount for beta testers still available? I'm not sure but I've read that somewhere. I had it installed when we saw it on the Facebook group. Does anybody know about this?

Thanks!
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostThu Feb 16, 2023 10:53 pm

Unfortunately the 50% discount was for the first week only (and pre-sales), sorry!
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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostThu Feb 16, 2023 11:01 pm

Oh, How did I miss that after all? :x
Thanks
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Akpe Ododoru

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostSat Feb 18, 2023 2:15 pm

Whats the point is shooting RAW if you're not going to get the best out of it by grading it in Davinci? Simply create proxy files for edit in FCP or Premiere then export out XML so you grade the RAW files in Davinci. Its really not that hard unless you make it hard for yourself.
And if you claim theres no time to export Proxy files because client need the final edit that same day, then just shoot Prores then. There is nothing you want to get out of BRAW (in FCP) that you can't get out of Prores file.
All the films i have shot so far, the editors still create and edit proxy files despite owning powerful systems that are capable of editing RAW files.
Akpe Ododoru
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostSat Feb 18, 2023 10:04 pm

Color Finale Transcoder allows you to convert BRAW files into ProRes quickly and easily, all via a very slick Workflow Extension directly in Final Cut Pro. It's a great application. There's also the incredible EditReady which is also fantastic at just converting BRAW to ProRes with lots of power and controls. Again, it's great. And of course, DaVinci Resolve is free and even has the Blackmagic Proxy Generator app to easily convert BRAW to proxies.

However, the downside to having to transcode footage is that it takes extra time, and it takes extra storage.

As long-time Final Cut Pro users, we got frustrated when clients would hand over SSDs with 2-4TB's worth of BRAW footage, that we'd need to convert to ProRes to start editing with it in Final Cut Pro.

Whilst we love and use DaVinci Resolve - Final Cut Pro is our editing tool of choice for many reasons, so we wanted a solution to allow us to access BRAW files natively.

For whatever reason, Apple doesn't have BRAW support high on the priority list, nor do they want to help Blackmagic impliment BRAW support in Final Cut Pro - so we took matters into our own hands.

Now we can just import BRAW files directly into Final Cut Pro, with full RAW controls, and access to all the camera metadata. You can then send a FCPXML to Resolve for colour grading.

You can even get a colourist to do a first pass of the colour for "dailies" in Resolve, by tweaking the sidecar metadata and supplying the editor with new sidecar files.

BRAW Toolbox can also do things that even DaVinci Resolve can't do - for example, you can even keyframe the ISO, Exposure, Color Temp, Tint and Custom Gamma Controls.

BRAW Toolbox seems to be used by two groups of people - editors like us, who get supplied BRAW files from clients (where they have no control over the shooting format), and Blackmagic Camera owners, who prefer to cut in FCPX rather than DaVinci Resolve or Premiere, and want the smaller file sizes and RAW controls that BRAW offers.

We do actually own and use Blackmagic cameras for lower budget jobs and internal shoots - but like you suggest, we've just always shot ProRes, and it's never been an issue. However, since creating BRAW Toolbox, we've been shooting BRAW, just so that we can "eat our own dog food" and it's worked great, and our editor has really appreciated having full RAW controls.
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Chris Hocking

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostWed May 31, 2023 3:43 am

For those that haven't been following along, BRAW Toolbox v1.1.2 adds support for Panasonic LUMIX S5II and S5IIX Blackmagic RAW clips. Enjoy!

https://brawtoolbox.io
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Uli Plank

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Re: [BRAW Toolbox] Native BRAW Support in Final Cut Pro

PostWed May 31, 2023 4:17 am

I have tested Chris' solution for an article in "Digital Production" and it works great. Here's the article:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/h9et123fu0f77 ... x.pdf?dl=0
(Use DeepL for translation)

Disclaimer: I got the license for free.
No, an iGPU is not enough, and you can't use HEVC 10 bit 4:2:2 in the free version.

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