A few tips and tricks

[Bret Williams]

[David Mathis] “Assigning roles in the Events Browse or in the Project:

One potential big time saver is to assign Roles to clips in the Event Browser prior to editing. This will ensure any Roles you choose to assign will apply to every instance of the clip edited into the Project (timeline). This same method can be used on multiple clips. It is important to know that a Role will be assigned to the entire clip not to part of clip as is possible wth keywords, favorites or rejects. You have to do this on the Event level, as Roles cannot be assigned on the keyword level. One nice benefit is that any changes made on the Event Browser level will not be made to instances of the clips already in the timeline. Clips in the timeline can be assigned a new Role as necessary without modifying other instances of the clips in the timeline or ones assigned on the Event Browser level. This can easily be verified.”

Dang I WISH assigning roles would ripple down to all instances. So much easier to apply roles in the browser than in a project. And let’s face it. We will eventually forget to apply the correct role to a clip. Why does X apply the role of “Video” to graphics? And why can’t it figure out that a wav file is music, unless of course it should be VO? 🙂 Does seem like a quick analyzing of the waveform could decide it’s music vs. VO (dialog).

BTW I have no problem applying roles to keyword collections. I highlight everything in my b roll keyword collection and give a role of B-roll. Same goes with graphics or SOT, etc. I certainly don’t try to do it at the event level with nothing is categorized.

[David Mathis] “Placing clips in the timeline using the Skimmer tool:

With the skimmer activated you can edit clips into the timeline as normal or as a backtimed edit. Really useful if you need to place a clip further down the timeline without having to change to the position tool. Only downside is you cannot assign in or out points in the timeline. Looks like another feature request!”

You can’t have it all. If you are back timing to the skimmer, then that IS your out point. Point 3 of a 3 point edit. The other two points are in the source clip. If you somehow wanted to also involve the range tool you’d have 3 points. In/Out and skimmer. You can certainly back time in an edit with the range tool, but it’s going to ignore the skimmer.

[David Mathis] “Range tool and spatial conform:

You have several photos, graphics, or video clips next to each other which have a different frame size (resolution) then that of the Project, only you want to choose a different setting then the default of fit. Use the range tool, make your selection, switch back to the selection tool and choose your new preference.”

Why are you using the range tool instead of just using the arrow tool to marquee select the clips? The range tool might work but if you’re trying to change the spatial to a bunch of clips, just marquee select, shift select, or cmd select them and change in the inspector.

[David Mathis]

I assume by keyword collections you are referring to smart collections. The reason I choose range over selection is so I don’t accidentally select clips above or below what I want to select, just a personal choice.

I do with you agree with the generic video role being assigned to graphics. Same goes for still images. Nothing wrong doing it manually just not very darn efficient. Looks like Final Cut is not always intelligent when assigning audio roles, something I always double check. How can foot steps sound like someone talking? I guess one too many beers or other sauced up beverage of choice at the bar can result in that scenario.

One other thing that bothers me is no choice in assigning a transition to video or audio only without expanding the two. Then using a transition out Motion for audio only is not great either. You choose to add a video transition of another kind and it changes the duration of the audio transition as well.

For all the great things that Final Cut does well there are those things that kind of piss me off. Still with all of its shortcomings I still like the software.

[David Mathis]

I was also thinking it would be nice to assign roles based off finder tags.

[Robin S. kurz]

Something that I find extremely helpful (if not in fact essential) in that context and something I think most people don’t even know exists (or simply don’t use it), is the fact that you can group the content of your event BY ROLES. With that you can very quickly see what is assigned what i.e. quickly see if something has landed in the wrong category for a quick re-assignment.

And I’m actually hella glad that the assignments don’t ripple recursively in EITHER direction, since that would completely mess me up in the way I use roles for various types of media in different projects.

– RK

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[David Mathis]

[Robin S. Kurz] “Something that I find extremely helpful (if not in fact essential) in that context and something I think most people don’t even know exists (or simply don’t use it), is the fact that you can group the content of your event BY ROLES. With that you can very quickly see what is assigned what i.e. quickly see if something has landed in the wrong category for a quick re-assignment.”

Something that I have glanced over and thanks for the tip!

[Robin S. Kurz] “And I’m actually hella glad that the assignments don’t ripple recursively in EITHER direction, since that would completely mess me up in the way I use roles for various types of media in different projects.
“

I find it best to assign roles before editing, one of which you stated earlier. You are of one of the top contributors here!