Export Multicam to Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere | Voters

Export Multicam to Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere

Andrew Mason

Convert sequences into multicam clips when doing a Timeline Export to Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere

November 10, 2020

Gabe Michalski

Merged in a post:

Export Multicam to Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere

Jordan Schenck

Convert sequences into multicam clips when doing a Timeline Export to Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere

April 12, 2024

Kaleel Zibe

Most of my interviews are multi-cam: 2 or 3 angles. I Do basic multi-cam assembly in Final Cut (although I'll eventually be moving to Resolve) and then export for Descript to transcribe and do cuts. I need to be able to bring this edited multi-cam file back into Final Cut and grade and do final edits there. As it stands, there's no good way to round trip this back into Final Cut and keep multi-cam. It just exports the xml as a standard sequence and the ability to use the Descript edits in a multi-cam project are lost. You just get the angles stacked in layers in the sequence, which is no use. This means I have to use Descript as my final output, which is not desirable for a professional workflow. I need a proper multi-cam workflow where I can send Descript proxy versions of each angle, edit in Descript and then go back into to Final Cut (or Resolve) to finish. At the moment, the only way to (partially) do it is to export large, broadcast quality clips to Descript and use those angles to finalise in Descript once edited there. Even this doesn't work fully though, as the max file size Descript can handle is 100GB. That's too much of a limit for a long interview.

Aaron Van Domelen

Kaleel Zibe: if you scroll down you will see a method for Resolve below. Works a treat.

Kaleel Zibe

Aaron Van Domelen: thanks, Aaron. I’ll take a look

Aaron Van Domelen

Kaleel Zibe: If you need a hand feel free to reach out, email is below too.

Kaleel Zibe

Aaron Van Domelen: Thanks, Aaron

Kaleel Zibe

Aaron Van Domelen: Hi Aaron, at last I've had a chance to get up to speed with Resolve. Your solution works completely! I was able to edit a multicam interview from Resolve in Descript and bring the Premier Pro xml back into Resolve and it kept the edits in the new timeline. Most important of all, I was still able to edit colour nodes and multicam angles independently and all timelines, including the new Descript edited one, adjusted accordingly. Sorted! Thanks, Aaron :)

Aaron Van Domelen

Kaleel Zibe: Great to hear! Even with Resolve adding transcription I will likely continue to use Descript since I can collaborate so much more easily.

Ser

Our number one issue using Descript right now: we prefer it for editing the structure of multicam videos, but we still have some VFX and color correction we prefer to finish in Premiere so the timeline export with proper multi-cam would be a lifelifesaver saver!

Aaron Van Domelen

Ser: there is a method I outline below. You can retain your Multicam workflow and still use DeScript.

Kaleel Zibe

Aaron Van Domelen: Ah that's interesting. I didn't realise they were adding that. I'll keep an eye out to see if it's as good as using the Descript round-trip

Andrew Mason

marked this post as

open

Daniel Latimer

This is what's holding me back from using descript on almost every project, other than just a transcription tool at the end. This would be the best feature you could add. Please also consider Resolve when making this feature!

Aaron Van Domelen

Daniel Latimer: look below, it works today with multicams back to Resolve.

also to DaVinci Resolve, please. otherwise won't be able to use Descript for work

Dan King

I'm also finding myself doing lots of workarounds to get multicam working. DeScript, this is huge for pros. we're rarely working with single, finished videos and need to be able to use Descript as a more nimble tool. Right now it's a one-way app.

Aaron Van Domelen

Dan King: this currently works. See below

Frank Elvin Trinkle

AND to DaVinci Resolve....PLEASE!

Aaron Van Domelen

Frank Elvin Trinkle: this currently works. See below.

Joel Rendall

Really need proper support for FPC multicam exports, since if we want to do any simple colour correction etc., we lose quality re-encoding the video (whether the colour corrects are done before or after editing in Descript).

Aaron Van Domelen

Hey Everyone,

I've found recently in Resolve an even easier workflow. Since Resolve can link xml directly to a timeline (as long as the names match the source file) you can skip a bunch of steps overall. I don't know if this is new, or maybe an unintended benefit of better multi timeline tools. But here is the workflow:

Collapse your raw interview into a timeline, this can be a multicam clip or a timeline sequence
Export that timeline as an .mp4 with the timeline name
Export Premiere XML from Descript without source media, just the xml.
Import into resolve, checking most boxes as disable, no need to match sizing etc.
This is the crucial step. After you accept the xml import settings, Resolve will ask you where the media is. Drill down to the folder where your timeline or MC exists (not the master folder, just the timeline folder, if you select the raw media the link won't work).
After you press ok, the cuts you made in your composition should appear but be linked to the multicam clip or timeline sequence instead of the clip media.
Just decompose the timeline if you want the direct clips in full res, or keep the multicam clip as your clip and edit away. No need to roundtrip with multicam and extra renders inside Descript at all (when using Resolve). And it has the added benefit that you can string out your multiple interview clips together if you need, trim the top and tail if there is excess you don't care to upload. Resolve also makes it easy to burn in timecode and file names too, incase you have to link back manually. And because you are sending descript a rendered file you have a moment to apply any LUTs or rough audio adjustments as needed before shipping to Descript so collaborators aren't struggling to hear audio or view log video.

Alex Bee

Aaron Van Domelen: what version of resolve did you achieve this with? Im not seeing any choice to point it to media (step 5)

Aaron Van Domelen

Alex Bee: version 16+, when you export the xml exclude the media from DeScript (uncheck the boxes) then when you import the xml it should ask you where the media is located to relink it.

Alex Bee

Aaron Van Domelen: thanks for your speedy reply! Hmmm I’m in resolve 17, not seeing any sort of dialogue box pop up to select timeline or MC sequence like you were able to. I exported XML from Descript excluding media. On import, unchecking the three boxes leads resolve to relink to random media in the project. If I tick the “automatically import source clips” box, resolve asks me where the source media is but in a finder dialogue box (ie it wants a path directory to a file on a hard drive, I’m not able to point it to a timeline or MC clip inside the project)

Aaron Van Domelen

Alex Bee: when you uncheck the boxes in the import dialog it should pop up with a window asking which folder the media is placed in your project. Does your project have folders or bins? I haven’t experienced Resolve automatically linking to random clips without asking me. This has worked for me in version 16,17,18 so far. Are you exporting Premiere XML or FCPX xml?

Alex Bee

Aaron Van Domelen: yeah it’s very strange. If I delete the specific media it randomly links to from the project and reimport, it just links to other random media. This is a premiere XML but I did try a FCPX XML as well, no luck. My resolve project doesn’t have any folders or bins. I could try hiding the media inside folders, good idea

Aaron Van Domelen

Alex Bee: I found fcpX xml didn’t work for me, so use Premiere XML. Put your Multicam Timelines inside their own folder and separate out the media into different bins , my guess is that without bins Resolve is just guessing.

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