-
FCPX and time code
Just curious, can FCPX manipulate time code the same way FCP Legacy can – can you change a clip’s code, the drop frame vs non-drop flag, and enter values for AUX time code for clips that will permanently change the clip’s metadata?
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
40 Replies
-
Nope. You can only change the timecode of the timeline.
-
Herb,
The entire X construct is that on import everything gets located and sequestered. So nothing EVER affects the underlying data. Every single editing operation, color correction, tag or change from that point on is essentially handled by applying new metadata on top of the old.
So while you can never change the timecode of an asset like a core footage clip – you can easily simply calculate whatever expression of timecode that you need to work with and have X display that one for you rather than the original.
When you create a project – it goes into the Project Library. If you then select it there, you can click on the “wrench Icon” in the Info tab and enter a starting offset timecode that will attach to the project and become that particular projects default. You can also enable or disable drop frame numbering in the same menu.
Since it’s project based, you can make as many duplicates of the project as you like and set up as many timecode variations as you like.
Again, it’s all just metadata layered on top of the original metadata.
So essentially, X lets you set the timecode parameters of each “expression” of your project as you like.
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
-
[Bill Davis] “When you create a project – it goes into the Project Library. If you then select it there, you can click on the “wrench Icon” in the Info tab and enter a starting offset timecode that will attach to the project and become that particular projects default. You can also enable or disable drop frame numbering in the same menu.”
I’m not interested in setting project timecode, I’m interested in changing the source timecode of individual clips.
[Bill Davis] “So while you can never change the timecode of an asset like a core footage clip – you can easily simply calculate whatever expression of timecode that you need to work with and have X display that one for you rather than the original.”
The specific application would be to sync up a set of clips and then create timecode for them that would keep them in sync – I do this all the time in FCP and it comes in very handy. So your saying there is some way to create this off-set timecode for each individual clip, and this new code will stay with the clip as long as it’s within FCPX?
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
—————————
nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
No there isn’t (to my knowledge), and I’ve sent Apple Feedback a couple of times about this. I advise you to do the same, so they know I’m not the only one asking for better timecode support 😉
What about having
– LTC on an audiotrack supported?
– Having a Timecode Viewer /HUD like we had in the Viewer/Canvas (I use this all the time to check if everything still is in sync!)?
– Being able to cut and copy timecode… The Dashboard now only allows you to manually put in timecode, but not copy it .So going to exactly the same timecode in FCP X now on different source clips is a pain right now if you have to do it a lot, and fast.
– Having a Timecode Reader/Generator Filter?Let’s hope the 10.0.6 update brings a lot of goodies… We are dependent on some of these features, and as long as FCP X doesn’t have them, we can only use it to cut quick trailers and promos, but not for many of our bigger work.
-
I still use FCP 7 or QtChange to do these things. I also avoid Import from Camera and use FCP 7 Log & Transfer to transcode camera files, like P2, C300, etc. I have far, far better naming control in Log & Transfer, precisely because it alters the media names.
Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
You can change the timecode display from drop to non-drop for a clip in the inspector, under the settings view. You can also change other important clip attributes there like scan and alpha handling.
It would be nice to see a handle there for changing time code value (from first frame or current frame) or adding an additional tc track. Currently, we are using QT Edit from digital rebellion to do this instead of going back into 7.
It would be nice to have source time code overlays in the viewer like we had with 7. Maybe someone can do that with a plugin. I recall that you can do this on the timeline now with the playhead, but I don’t remember exactly how at the moment.
Another important tc feature that I miss from 7 and would like to see put back is rp188 insertion into out bound sdi. (Timecode going out the sdi card so it can be viewed on a pani display or the like as a burn in overlay.)
This was probably easier to accomplish with 7 because it was using QT and the cards just interfaced with QT to read the tc and then inserted it into the sdi signal. Now the card would have to be provided this info from the application or core av or wherever video comes from now.
From a production standpoint, TC is really important obviously. I would love for the tc display to be resizable/detachable/floating again.
Also, I see a number of editors who have a disconnect from the event library browser while skimming/playing/setting i/o, to the time code display, and then to the viewer. When you are setting ins and outs, on a source, your eyes are split to 3 screen areas, where you used to just have one area: the viewer. So I’d love for the second viewer to be back and some kind of better method for setting ins and outs to be included in a future release. I’m not saying make it just like 7, because the playhead slider wasn’t the best navigation tool on a long clip either. But it’s pretty clear the problem is deciding where you are supposed to look – the thumbnails where you are setting your i/o markers, the viewer (where you should be looking at the video, or the tc window – where you may need to focus for entry.
I’m dying to see if they’ve corrected this stuff in the next version. It seems to be all fixable maybe except the sdi tc which needs aja and bmd. When you put some of the above tc display issues together with the inability to retain an in and out selection in the event library when you click off to another area, you can get frustrated pretty quickly.
Keith Koby
Sr. Director Post-Production Engineering
iNDEMAND NETWORKS
Howard TV!/Movies On Demand/iNDEMAND Pay-Per-View/iNDEMAND 3D -
[Keith Koby] “It would be nice to have source time code overlays in the viewer like we had with 7. Maybe someone can do that with a plugin. I recall that you can do this on the timeline now with the playhead, but I don’t remember exactly how at the moment.”
Great reply Keith and fingers crossed these basic, unglamorous, TC failings will be addressed in the next or subsequent update. It’s these sort of things that really stop FCPX being taken up by many professional editors.
As to how you get a temporary glimpse of the source timecode:
Richard Taylor gives a really clear explanation.
-
I wonder if this kind of thing would be best executed with a HUD display, like in Motion or the Keyword overlay?
-
[Keith Koby] “When you put some of the above tc display issues together with the inability to retain an in and out selection in the event library when you click off to another area, you can get frustrated pretty quickly.”
Huh?
That’s EXACTLY what a range select then favorite or otherwise tag it operation does. It creates a persistent in and out selection in the event library.
This is the entire central core construction of the Event Browser in a nutshell – and you’re saying that it doesn’t do it?
Wow.
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
-
[Bill Davis] “That’s EXACTLY what a range select then favorite or otherwise tag it operation does. It creates a persistent in and out selection in the event library.”
Uh oh …
Here we go again.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up