Compressor 4: Create Chapter Markers

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Larry

[ To see how Compressor 4 works, check out this step-by-step video training. ]

One of the sorely missed features in Final Cut Pro X is the ability to create chapter markers. Chapter markers are not just for DVDs, they can also be built into a QuickTime movie that’s posted to the web. In fact, all my online training uses chapter markers. (Here’s an article that describes how to view chapter markers in both QuickTime X and QuickTime 7.)

However, while we can create chapter markers in Final Cut Pro 7, we can’t in FCP X. However, we can in Compressor — both Compressor 3 and Compressor 4. Here’s how.

EXPORTING FROM FINAL CUT PRO X

When your project is complete and ready to output, open the Project Library and select your Project. Exporting is always done from the Project Library, never the Timeline.

With the Project selected, choose Share > Send to Compressor. (This is faster than first exporting your movie as a self-contained QuickTime movie, and, depending upon the video format you are editing, has the potential to yield higher quality images.) If you have already created a master QuickTime file, simply import it into Compressor.

If Compressor is already running, your Project loads almost instantly.

CREATING CHAPTER MARKERS MANUALLY

Select your Project by clicking it in the Task window. This displays the movie in the Preview window.

NOTE: See that small marker to the left of playhead (it’s circled in red)? That indicates the location of the poster frame for this movie. You can set this manually, see below.

Click the Marker icon to reveal a popup menu. From this menu you can jump to, set, or clear the poster frame for the movie, as well as set chapter markers. Chapter markers are always set at the position of the playhead.

You can set chapter markers manually by positioning the playhead, then either use this menu or type M.

CREATING CHAPTER MARKERS AUTOMATICALLY

However, you can also import a marker list to set markers automatically.

A marker list is a plain-text document. The easiest way to create one is using Text Edit. Go to the Format menu and make sure the menu choice says Make Rich Text. That’s the indicator that you are creating a plain text document. (Yes, it is a bit counter-intuitive.)

You can give your document a name and add comments at the top. Any line that doesn’t start with a number is ignored.

Then, enter a timecode value that corresponds to the Timecode of your exported movie. Press Tab and add a marker title.

Once you have markers set, compress the file as normal and the markers will be included in the compressed file. These embedded markers will be visible in both Quicktime during playback or in your MPEG-2 video for use by your DVD authoring software.

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37 Responses to Compressor 4: Create Chapter Markers

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jac colon says:

March 19, 2012 at 6:51 am

Is there any way to copy the time code values from FCPX in order to paste them into the text file.
Typing each time code value is rather clunky and time consuming.
thank you
jac
Dan S. says:

March 19, 2012 at 8:07 am

Thanks Larry, you are always a huge help! See you at LAFCPUG.
-Dan
Allen says:

March 19, 2012 at 8:19 am

When creating chapter markers for use in DVD Studio Pro, as long as I have to create them manually, I’m not seeing what the advantage is to creating them in Compressor rather than just creating them in DVD SP.
Larry Jordan says:

March 19, 2012 at 9:07 am

Jac:

Not that I know of.

Larry
Larry Jordan says:

March 19, 2012 at 9:12 am

Allen:

Placing chapter markers in Compressor – BEFORE compression – is frame accurate.

Placing chapter markers in DVD SP – AFTER MPEG-2 compression – is only accurate plus/minus 15 frames due to how MPEG is compressed.

If accuracy isn’t important, using DVD SP is fine.

Larry
Allen says:

March 19, 2012 at 9:54 am

Thanks Larry. I had noticed the inaccuracy of creating chapter markers in DVD SP, but hadn’t put 2 and 2 together. Duh!

Thanks for clearing that up.

– Allen
John says:

March 19, 2012 at 10:46 am

Hi Larry-

What’s the significance of exporting from the project library. I’ve exported from both the timeline and the library, but hadn’t noticed a difference.

Thanks for all the great articles!

-John
Larry Jordan says:

March 19, 2012 at 10:52 am

Ah… good point, John.

In the initial release of FCP X, it would only allow you to export from the Project Library. In a subsequent release, Apple nows allows exporting from either the Project Library or Timeline.

I just got in the habit of always using the Project Library. Thanks for pointing out the change.

Larry
Jon Cameron says:

May 25, 2012 at 5:56 am

although this is not actually killing me I may die of natural causes while trying to figure out someway of getting the chapter markers or their time code out of FCPX and into compressor. There is an app at github which requires some knowledge of running scripts, that I don’t have and therefore can’t muddle my way through. There is a $99 app at promedia tools that a) I don’t know if it will work, b) does all kinds of wonderful things that I won’t ever use.

Its not fair. (Wahh). I like FCPX it is easy to use in most respects for what I do, it just doesn’t do the chapter marker thing, I will stick with everyone else in not saying nasty things about apple (because the older and the wiser evidently figured that this won’t do anything), but surely surely someone has figured this out.

HELP
jac colon says:

May 25, 2012 at 6:33 am

github actually has a free app called rockwood / fcpx-Marker-Converter which does produce a file containing the markers in FCPX which can be imported into compressor using the manual method mentioned above.
It does not require a knowledge of running scripts. I have used it and it works well.
You can download it from:
https://github.com/rockwood/fcpx-Marker-Converter

It works well but is still much more clumsy than FCP7 because you have to export the movie to xml and then import it into rockwood / fcpx-Marker-Converter, then import the file it creates into compressor. It is better than hand typing all of the time codes into a file or manually entering the chapter markers into compressor. Especially if you have a lot of chapter markers. If if is just a few, then I would just enter them manually.
jac