QT import and export in Catalina

[mrdrummerj]

When will QT import/export work in Catalina? We already know about the QT workarounds, but when will this core function work again without jumping through hoops? It's also surprising that AAC import is still not supported.

[daeron80]

I was told it can't be supported. Hopefully, that was wrong. But for now, I'm stuck on Mojave at work. Thankful to be using PT on Windows at home.

[diane_son]

Hi !

QT (video .mov) works with 2020.3 with Constant Frame Rate but not Variable Frame Rate.
Do you only work with VFR videos ?
QT import works pretty ok where I am, DNxHD36 or 115 or ProRes422 CFR .mov


You can find all file supports here : https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...e-Type-Support

Export doesn't work for sure, hope it will soon!

[mrdrummerj]

To clarify: although picture can be imported, the AUDIO from picture cannot be imported while working in Catalina.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by mrdrummerj

To clarify: although picture can be imported, the AUDIO from picture cannot be imported while working in Catalina.

That's a serious setback. We do this all the time (none of us has yet upgraded to Catalina, however).

What's the process for getting the audio from a QT video into ProTools? Do you have to export it in the QT app?

[originalscottyg]

The free Shutter Encoder app makes it pretty easy. Drop the movies in, select WAV from the Functions menu and hit start. You can make a Watch folder to drop movies into to automatically output WAV files.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by originalscottyg

The free Shutter Encoder app makes it pretty easy. Drop the movies in, select WAV from the Functions menu and hit start. You can make a Watch folder to drop movies into to automatically output WAV files.

Good to know.

There's functionality in QT which allows you to drag the audio out, and that can be imported, but it's these little extraneous steps -- outside of PT -- that bug me. Not blaming Avid, as QT has seen several new limitations in Catalina, and QT10 in general, but why is Apple making it tougher to deal with audio as their OS is "updated?"

[GoButtonGuy]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

Good to know.

There's functionality in QT which allows you to drag the audio out, and that can be imported, but it's these little extraneous steps -- outside of PT -- that bug me. Not blaming Avid, as QT has seen several new limitations in Catalina, and QT10 in general, but why is Apple making it tougher to deal with audio as their OS is "updated?"

Apple has saying for a couple years now everything must go to 64 bit. Catalina has been available to rank and file devs for 14 months and Apple announced in 2018 that Mojave would be the end of life for 32 bit apps and extensions. This isn't a surprise but a long planned technology change. It's the remaining 32 bit components that for whatever reason Avid chose/needed to keep that are causing the issue. My guess would be a ground up build of the import/export modules in question is why the timeframe is what it is. I'm sure it's not trivial.

Pro Tools is a very elaborate, complex code base but the change has been planned for quite sometime. Being a year or so out isn't something new for Pro Tools. It's been that way for 25 years or so. Big Sur is changing quite a bit more but it looks like the Core Audio API and Metal API are largely the same. It would surprise me if Pro Tools ran at production quality on Big Sur this time next year even on Intel.

[Eric Lambert]

True, it's a more complex issue. And Avid has had the time to work up a remedy. What I meant by Apple making it more difficult for audio was the fact that there's no Pro version of QT10. Extracting/adding audio files to QT movies is a daily occurrence for us, and thankfully QT7-Pro still operates on machines prior to Catalina and extracting/adding audio is a breeze. But that changes in Catalina as Apple continues to lock out the pro-sumer with limiting step like that. In my opinion, Avid should have a fix for this by now, but it's an issue for us end-users due to the effort of one company and the lack of effort of the other. I'm hoping Big Sur is actually a step forward for productivity of this kind, but wouldn't be surprised if the opposite is true.

Using workarounds isn't new for PT users.

[mrdrummerj]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

True, it's a more complex issue. And Avid has had the time to work up a remedy. What I meant by Apple making it more difficult for audio was the fact that there's no Pro version of QT10. Extracting/adding audio files to QT movies is a daily occurrence for us, and thankfully QT7-Pro still operates on machines prior to Catalina and extracting/adding audio is a breeze. But that changes in Catalina as Apple continues to lock out the pro-sumer with limiting step like that. In my opinion, Avid should have a fix for this by now, but it's an issue for us end-users due to the effort of one company and the lack of effort of the other. I'm hoping Big Sur is actually a step forward for productivity of this kind, but wouldn't be surprised if the opposite is true.

Using workarounds isn't new for PT users.

Yes - the best workaround for constant video import/export is keeping an old machine alive. Not a good solution for a professional product, but here we are. Meanwhile, it would be nice if PT could at least handle importing AAC and m4a audio. It's hard to understand why those audio files are still not supported.