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Fix Fractional Frame Rates (NTSC) in Motion Templates

In the past year, I have come to the realization that NTSC (fractional frame rates) are obsolete. The FCC is pulling the plug completely on them effective July 13, 2021 and the only stations left that are allowed to use it are “low power broadcasting stations”. In other words — you ain’t watching anything that’s NTSC.

If you read my “rant” about fractional frame rates, maybe you’ll agree!

So, why the hell are you still using fractional frame rates for your projects? Because your camera shoots 29.97, 23.98 or 59.94? Guess what. If you stop using it, camera makers will stop making cameras that shoot this obsolete mess.

Fractional frame rates only complicate your video. The math is ridiculous and all that extra processing power slows everything down (and part of the time, just screws up your video timing.)

You can use whole frame rates in FCPX and have the app conform 29.97 to 30 (or 23.98 to 24 or 59.94 to 60).

In case you didn’t notice, you don’t have any of these issues with PAL, which has always been whole frame rate.

Watching videos from Ripple Training (and others!), I can see they still use 29.97 for Motion Templates. You can use the simple step below to fix that “issue”.

Open your Motion Template file in BBEdit. Motion template files have extensions of .moef (Effect), .motn (Generator), .moti (Title), or .motr (Transition).

Search for “ntsc”.

Find:
   <NTSC>1</NTSC> 
change the '1' to "0"
   <NTSC>0</NTSC> 
Save.

That’s all need to fix fractional frame rates in Motion Templates. If you have Motion, you can confirm the project has been changed by opening the document and check the Project Settings.

Using BBEdit is a safe editor to use. It will not change the core type of document. Another editor is TextWrangler if you already have it (it still works but was abandoned a couple years ago in favor of BBEdit.) You could use TextEdit, but make absolutely sure that you are not using Rich Text editing. Text only!

PS – I have done this procedure many times and it works.

Keep up to date with Sight-Creations on Twitter and Facebook.

A good place to see all of my effects as well as several tutorials and other demonstrations in use is on my YouTube channel.