Need to convert incoming video files to DNxHD to use in Pro Tools? With the like of QuickTime 7 and MPEG Streamclip closed to us, we still need to be able to convert video files into Avid DNxHD. We undertook some research to see what cost-effective solutions are out there. In this article, we share 7 ways you can convert videos files to DNxHD.

Option 1 - FFmpeg

Our research has shown that a number of answers lie in a cross-platform free open-source command line application called FFmpeg. However, there is a snag. With any command-line app, you need to communicate with it using text based commands in Terminal, which isn’t the most user-friendly interface. Take a look at this example, if you were to type this into Terminal…

With this instruction, you could take an mp4 file on the Desktop called abc.mp4 and convert it to an avi file called convertedabc.avi, but you have to get all the formatting of the text exactly right and all the characters have to exactly correct or at best it won’t work and at worst you can do serious damage, so not the easiest way to communicate with an application.

There is detailed information in the FFmpeg documentation and if you are comfortable with command line tools then this is a powerful set of tools.

Youtuber ‘0612 TV w/ NERDfirst’ has produced a video showing how you can use FFmpeg. This video consists of three main parts - Installing FFMPEG, some fundamental notes about how it is used, as well as some filters and effects it supports.

But if the idea of using command line tools scares you then don’t worry there are 6 other solutions, including 2 that provide a graphical user interface front to the FFmpeg libraries.

Option 2 - ffWorks

ffWorks is the first of two solutions that use a graphical user interface (GUI) to FFmpeg. We tried several and in our opinion, and one the best for macOS is ffWorks 2, which is an update of ffWorks with a raft of improvements and fixes including the ability to create Droplets, support Multiple Watch folders, New Video & Audio Filters and much more. If you own ffWorks 1 then you can upgrade to ffWorks 2 for 12 Euros.

ffWorks 2 costs 20 Euros, which is a small price to pay for a video transcoding application, but be aware that it doesn’t come with FFmpeg included, you will also need to download a compiled version of the free FFmpeg code and install it into ffWorks.

But don’t worry we explain exactly how to do it in this tutorial.

You can download ffWorks from their download page and you have up to 10 launches to try it out before you will need to pay for it.

When you first launch ffWorks, you will get this screen below…

I chose to download a static version, which you can get from the ffmpeg download pages.

For the latest macOS static version first hover over the Apple logo and then download the latest version.

At the time of writing this was 4.1.3. I chose to go for the snapshot version on the left-hand side based on the instructions, but there is not a problem using the release version on the right-hand side if you prefer.

I also chose to use the .dmg version. Once downloaded, double click on the dmg file and you will get a window with a single file labeled ffmpeg like this…

Now go back to the ffWorks, click on the Install FFmpeg button and navigate to the ffmpeg file and select it.

Be aware that when the FFmpeg is updated you will need to reinstall it and you can do this from the FFmpeg tab of the ffWorks preferences window.

Once FFmpeg is in place, ffWorks will open with a blank window like this...

Either click on the Import Media button or drag a file on the window and ffWorks will open up the Stream Passthru Wizard window…

Click Ignore, because we are going to make changes. If this Passthru Wizard annoys you, it is possible to disable it popping up everytime from the ffWorks Preferences window.

You will now get an entry in the window for the selected video. It would appear that ffWorks remembers the settings you last used, but if you need to change them, then click on the Target drop-down menu and select DNxHD from the Common Presets list…

To check the settings, click on the Edit button in the Video (DNxHD section on the right hand side) and make any adjustments you need, you can resize the video, but the key one is the data rate and I would recommend a bitrate of 36000 as this will give you an Avid DNxHD36 video file.

Once you are happy click the Start button in the Target section of the window and away it will go. Once done, the default location for the converted file is the Movies folder in your macOS user account.

If you want to change the destination folder location, click on the Folder icon in the bottom right hand corner of the ffWorks window. Navigate to the location you want the converted files to go to and then click on the Save button. From now on ffWorks will put converted files in that location.

ffWorks can do a lot more as well as enable you to convert incoming video files to the Pro Tools friendly DNxHD 36 format.

Option 3 - MB Applets - Installation, Setup And Use

Community member Marco Bernardo has produced some clever Python scripts using the ffmpeg library that he has turned into what the macOS labels as Applications although Marco is at pains to point out that they are not applications in the strict sense of the word.

Marco has very kindly made 2 of his Applets available for free for the Production Expert community to download and use for free. All we would ask is that you do not share them directly with other people but point people back to this article as we will update them when necessary.

Download your chosen Applet, we are going to use the DNxHD version but the same process will work for the ProRes Applet.

Unzip it and place the Applet in a suitable location on your computer. As you can see above, I chose my Applications folder but it can be wherever you prefer. Double click on the icon to run it and the first time you will get this window pop up…

This is because Apple sees Marco’s applications as a risk and because they are not applications from a known developer, the macOS throws up this warning. Don’t worry, they are fine. Go into your System Preferences and open the Security and Privacy pane and you will see this…

There is no need to unlock the window, just click on the Open Anyway button. The macOS will then throw up this second warning…

Click the Open button and the Applet will open. Almost immediately the Applet icon in the macOS Dock will start bouncing asking for your attention.

When you click on it you will see the first message window from Marco’s Python script…

Click on the ‘Please Make Your Selection’. Don’t worry, there is only one option and that is DNxHD. Make sure it is highlighted and then click the OK button.

You will be offered a macOS navigation window…

Navigate to where the source file file you want converting to Avid DNxHD is located. Select it and click on the Choose button.

Next the Applet will ask you where you want the target converted video file to be placed.

You will find the completed converted file with the file name appended with “_DNxHD36” and again you have a Pro Tools friendly video file ready to import into your Pro Tools session.

Thank you Marco for your work and for making these freely available to the Pro Tools Expert community. Enjoy…

Option 4 Shutter Encoder

As we explained in our article Getting Ready For macOS Catalina - Rooting Out All Your 32 Bit Applications even though Pro Tools is a 64-bit application, there were still a number of 32-bit components including software that handles import, export, and playback of certain file types, such as QuickTime MOV files.

If you are working on macOS Catalina with Pro Tools there are some limitations for video. One option, which is supported by Pro Tools on macOS Catalina is MXF OP-Atom. To convert your incoming video files to Avid DNxHD then you can use the free Shutter Encoder.

This free application can convert QuickTime movies (up to 1080p) into MXF OP-Atom video and audio that you can then import into Pro Tools. Here are some guidelines from Avid on how to use Shutter Encoder to do this…

1. Browse to the target QuickTime file that you’d like to play.

2. Choose DNxHD as the Editing Codec in the Choose Function section.

3. Set “Generate OP-Atom format files” in the Advanced Features section.

4. Click the “Start function” button

5. Import the resulting audio and video MXF files into Pro Tools. The audio will need to be imported into Pro tools separately from the video.

In this exclusive free video tutorial, Mike shows how to use the free macOS application Shutter Encoder to convert QuickTime .mov Avid DNxHD media into MXF formatted media suitable for Pro Tools 2019.12 and above on computers running macOS Catalina.

Option 5 - Video Convertor For Pro Tools In Soundflow

If you use Soudflow then from version 3 onwards there is a great free app, available in the Soundflow App Store, which enables you to create DNxHD video files for Pro Tools. Christian from Soundflow covers this is our video walkthrough for Soundflow 3. Go to 15’52” to jump straight in.

What Is SoundFlow

SoundFlow has been created by sound designer and composer Christian Scheuer. 8 years ago he got so fed up with “clicking on small buttons all day”, that he started making an app to create extra shortcuts for Pro Tools.

SoundFlow 3 enabled regular users to be able to build their own automated macros and workflows in DAWs like Pro Tools as well as iZotope RX, Soundminer, in fact, any macOS application. This version also added deep integration with the Stream Deck, which is a 15 button hardware device with LCD screens behind every button, enabling users to be able to design their own dynamic ‘Decks’ inside SoundFlow that react to what you are doing, as well as providing access to all of SoundFlow’s integrations. You can read much more about SoundFlow in our comprehensive article.

Over the next 9 months, the team continued to develop SoundFlow releasing no less than 7 point updates culminating in the release of SoundFlow 4, which includes iOS and Android apps that enable users to be able to design their own cross-platform touch surfaces that interact with their SoundFlow macros, giving remote controlling any DAW or other app that SoundFlow integrates with.

The other highlight is that third-party apps are now available in the SoundFlow Store with third-party developers (including famous mix engineer Andrew Scheps) bringing premium content to the SoundFlow Platform. These paid-for apps are available as add-ons from the SoundFlow Store.

You can learn all about Soundflow 4 in our article SoundFlow 4 Is Released - We Have An Exclusive Demo Video For You

Option 6 - DaVinci Resolve 17

The free version of DaVinci Resolve 17 can be used to convert including video files to Avid DNxHD for Pro Tools.

YouTuber Eytan Krief has produced a video using Resolve 16 to show how easy it is to use the free version of DaVinci Resolve to convert videos into Avid DNxHD for use in Pro Tools.

1. Select the video clip in the timeline, go to the Deliver tab.

2. In the Format dropdown menu choose QuickTime.

3. In the Coder dropdown menu choose DNxHD

4. In the Type dropdown menu choose 1080p 36 8-bit

5. Then Add to Render Queue.

He also shows how you can use this free software to batch convert videos.

Option 7 - AudioSpot DNxER Pro (Was The Free ER Media ToolKit)

Until the end of 2020, there was a free option from AudioSpot called the ER Media Toolkit. However they found that the free version was costing them thousands each year; to keep it up-to-date/ fix bugs/ develop new features, maintain the servers, support users daily, and much much more. So at the end of 2020, they pulled the plug on the free ER Media Toolkit.

Now there are two options. You can buy the full ER Media ToolKit Pro bundle, which handles ProRes and DNxHD conversion for $49.99 or buy just the DNxHD part called DNxER Pro for $24.90.

Either way, these AudioSport tools are similar to ffWorks, described earlier in that they are graphic User Interface apps that use the free FFmpeg libraries to do the actual conversions.

We have heard some good things about the AudioSport ER Toolkit but we are yet to try it ourselves.

YouTuber Sagi Gal has produced a 27-minute video on using the ER Media Toolkit to convert ProRes, DNxHD and H264 files. Be advised that it looks like English isn’t Sagi’s first language so the delivery can be laboured at times. AudioSpot say of the video…

“Once you get the basics it should be fairly easy to learn the rest from the included User Guide. This video was made using old version of the tool but it includes the same principles as the up-to-date version.”

There you have it. 7 ways to be able to convert incoming videos in Avid DNxHD ready to use in Pro Tools. Do tell in the comments which one you prefer and why.