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CutConvert

Frame rate converter for timecode

Re-express a SMPTE timecode at a different frame rate — as the same moment in real time (the conform case) or the same frame count (the reinterpret case) — across 23.976 to 60 fps, with correct drop-frame handling.

Conversion mode

Result at 29.97 fps drop-frame

01:00:00;00

Frames: 107,892Real time: 00:59:59.996

Same time vs. same frames — the distinction that prevents drift

Almost every frame-rate mistake in post comes from conflating two different questions. If a sound mixer needs to know where your 25 fps reference mark lands in their 29.97 session, you are asking about the same moment — hold real time constant and let the frame count change. If you reinterpret footage so the same frames play at a new rate, you are asking about the same count — hold frames constant and let every duration change (24 → 25 fps is the classic 4% PAL speed-up).

The converter does both, shows the resulting frame count and real elapsed time either way, and formats drop-frame output legally — skipped frame numbers are never emitted.

Where this shows up in real work

Conform notes moving between an offline cut and a finishing timeline at different rates; caption files timed at the wrong rate (if subtitles drift progressively later, the rate — not the start point — is wrong); comparing durations across NTSC and PAL masters; and translating frame counts from render logs, QC reports, or EDL events into timecode at the rate a spec sheet demands. For caption conversion specifically, the SRT to Avid TXT converter applies this same math to every cue in the file.

FAQ

What does converting a timecode between frame rates actually mean?

It depends which of two things you hold constant. "Same moment in time" answers: the event at 01:00:00:00 in my 25 fps timeline — what timecode is that same real moment at 29.97? "Same frame count" answers: frame 90,000 — what does that count read as at the new rate? The first is the conform/sync case; the second is the reinterpret/speed-change case.

Which mode do I want for a conform?

Same moment in time. When media is retimed or notes travel between a 25 fps offline and a 23.976 finish, the thing that must line up is the real-world moment, not the counter value.

Which mode matches "interpret footage" in an NLE?

Same frame count. Reinterpreting 24 fps footage as 25 keeps every frame but plays them at a new rate (the classic 4% PAL speed-up) — the frame count is unchanged while every duration shortens.

Why does 25 fps 01:00:00:00 become 01:00:00;00 at 29.97 drop-frame in time mode?

Because drop-frame timecode is designed to track the wall clock. One real hour is one hour of drop-frame timecode — that is the entire point of the drop-frame counting scheme.

Is any video converted or re-rendered here?

No — this is timecode math only. Converting actual footage between frame rates is a render operation in your NLE; this tool tells you where a moment or a count lands at the new rate.

What frame rates are supported?

23.976, 24, 25 (PAL), 29.97 drop-frame and non-drop, 30, 50, 59.94 drop-frame and non-drop, and 60 fps.

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