Combining Interlaced Footage with Different Field Dominances
Field dominance determines the order in which fields are scanned on an interlaced
monitor (such as an NTSC, PAL, or interlaced HD monitor). If a format uses Upper (Odd)
field dominance, the first field scanned (called field 1) is made up of the odd lines in the
video frame. Lower (Even) field dominance scans the even lines first.
Note: A clip’s Field Dominance property can also be Not Set, which means that the
clip’s media file is likely interlaced but Final Cut Pro couldn’t determine which field
dominance to set when the clip was imported. You can also manually change the field
dominance of a clip in the Browser or the Item Properties window, but you should
usually do this only if the clip’s Field Dominance property is Not Set.
If the field dominance is set incorrectly for a clip, the fields of each frame are played in
reverse order, producing a rapid stutter in which the overall video motion is forward,
but the fields of each frame are played backward.
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Part IV
Real Time and Rendering