Now that we’re in the digital age, people are switching from using tapes such as Mini DVs to a digital format like an SD card. Personally, I made the switch when I bought a Canon 60D.

At first, I struggled in finding a way to capture my video. When I chose the option “Log and Capture…” it said that it could not find a device. After looking for an answer, I decided that I would just drag and drop my content from the SD card to my desktop. While that is one way you can do it, there is a much better way.

First, connect your SD card or whatever you recorded your video to, to your computer. Then, open up Final Cut. Once that’s open, click on File and choose “Log and Transfer…” or press shift+command+8.

Once you do that, a window will pop up. Clips recorded by your camera will be listed on the left. Every time you paused your camera, it created a new clip. First, select a clip you would like to transfer. Then, on the right, use the tools to select an in and out-point.

Below that, you’ll find an area you can enter the reel, clip name, scene, etc. This is very similar to what you would find when logging and capturing.

Once your happy with your naming and selection, press the “Add Clip to Queue” button. This will send it over to the queue and transfer the file to your computer.

Tip: make sure to name the project so your files are stored in the project’s directory instead of an untitled folder.

Do those steps over and over for each clip until all of them are transferred. When you have all of them finished, press the eject button at the top left of the window.

Sometimes your source does not show up in the transfer window. If this happens, first troubleshoot the problem. So far I cannot find the answer to my issue, so I resort to the following.

First, make sure you have the “MPEG Streamclip” application. If you do not own it, you can download it here. Once that’s open, drag a clip from your SD card over to the MPEG Streamclip window. There you can choose the in and out-point. Once your happy with your selection, go to File and choose “Export to QuickTime…” or press command+E. A new window will pop up allowing you to adjust compression settings. Personally, I have the quality all the way up to 100%. Then I set the frame size to 1920×1080. Don’t forget to choose your compression type. Mine is “Apple XDCAM HD 1080p24 (35Mb/s VBR)”. After adjusting all the settings, press “Make Movie”. It will ask you to title the clip and choose the destination. After pressing save, the file will display a preview and export. This process is longer, but it gets the job done.

Tip: I made my own preset. Do this by adjusting all your export settings first. Then, press the Presets button and choose “New…”. There you can name it whatever you wish. Mine is named “Canon 60D”.

Tip 2: If you have a lot of clips, MPEG Streamclip allows you to make a batch list. In the menu, press List, followed by “Batch List” or press command+B. In the new window, press the “Add Files…” button. Select all the files you would like to save. Choose the export settings, destination folder, and press “To Batch”. If you created a preset, click on the “Presets…” button and select the one you’d like to use. When all of your clips are selected, press Go.

Hopefully that quick tutorial has taught you how to bring your files over. If you have any questions, please leave a comment or visit the contact page.