Am I misunderstanding nesting?

[Bret Williams]

I found they screwed it all up in 5, and screwed it up more in 6.

Here’s the crap they were pulling…
It used to be so simple. If you dragged a sequence/nest from a bin into a timeline, it referenced the original nest. If you coped that nest in any way, it lost it’s connection. This including making copies of the sequence for versioning.

Then at some point they made it where when you option dragged a nest to copy it, it kept it’s link to the original, and when you copy pasted a nest, it lost the connection. Well, that was cool because it was quick and once you knew the rules it was very effective.

Then with 6, they took that away and went back to any type of copying losing connection whether it be option drag or copy paste.

They’re pulling the same garbage with the current snapping system. I refuse to try to figure out the new methodd because they’ll go back to the old way in version 7 probably. Just after I’ve got it programmed into my brain.

They also took away the deselect all button. For 5 years it was cmd+d. It hit that button before I did just about anything. Then they made it the simpler shift+cmd+A. Uhhhh…. what? Photoshop is cmd+d. If it’s good enough for photoshop it’s good enough for FCP. They didn’t even replace cmd+d with anything. I map it back on every system I use.

[Dylan Reeve]

I am usually marking In/Out and hitting F9. Not always marking though, as at times I want the entire sequence anyway.

I believe (although I’ll have to check) that I’m seeing the same result with nests I have created by selecting clips and choosing Sequence->Create Nest (or whatever that is). Where edits to the sequence are not consistent between the double-clicked sequence in the Timeline and the one I open from the Browser.

[Dylan Reeve]

Using FCP 6.0.2

[Jeff Coleman]

Dylan seems right about his expectations.
About 18 months ago I used this feature extensively for a super wide screen multi-monitor project using FCP 5.1. Each screen was a separate monitor sequence, but the entire composite display was a sequence made up of the four monitor sequences each in their respective position. Every time I changed one of the monitor sequences the change was reflected in the composite. I couldn’t do that in Avid and thought this was a great feature of FCP.
Today I’m using 5.1.4 on a G5 and I just tried it and it works the same. If I mark and In and a Out or if I overwrite the entire sequence, all the changes are reflected in the composite sequence.
If it’s not like that in FCP 6.xx, then is it a bug or a feature removal?

[Bob Flood]

Dylan

I find nesting in FCP to be a joke. No matter what combination of keystrokes i try i can never CONSISTENTLY get a sequence to effectively nest in another sequence such that the sequence in the browser matches the sequence i have nested. I have tried copying, dragging, inserting, on a train, on a plane, etc.

I also hate how if i Ripple a shot in the pre sequence, it ripples the destination sequence as well, unless i lock the dest sequence.

so I dont use it.

what I do is I export a native resolution self-contained quicktime movie, and use that as my pre sequence. When I revise the export, It relinks to the clip I have nested.

yeah its a little more time, but its a lot less headache.

Sometimes if I revise my pre sequence, and need to re export, i have to export to the folder above where the export lives, then replace it in the Finder. Sometimes!

just put a sequence together, export it native ie File>Export>Quicktime Movie , save it to a folder in your capture scratch folder on your media drive, and cut it in.

it’ll save you a Ton of frustration

hope this helps

“I like video because its so fast!”

Bob Flood
Greer & Associates, Inc.

[Tom Wolsky]

What version of FCP are you using?

Don’t use any keystroke. You’re probably applying a modifier and changing the behavior.

In current versions of FCP nesting works exactly as it should. I does what it’s supposed to do in a predictable fashion. The only instances in which there have been issues are related to render files in nested sequences. Perhaps it’s not working as you would like but it works as designed and as laid out in the manual.

All the best,

Tom

Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP6,” “Basic Training for FCS2” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 3.5 HD Editing Workshop”

[Bob Flood]

Tom

here is the deal. If i select a group of clips in a sequence and create a nest from those it works pretty well. I always have to double click my “nest result” to open my nest. I have to lock my tracks so when i need to extend the last shot of the nest for handle, it doesnt ripple my main timeline.

BUT

If i try and get the nest into the browser it gets all screwy

Honestly, It has been so long since I have tried doing any nesting other than the way i described my workflow, I cannot remember the circumstances where i found it inconsistent.

Now that being said, what i thought or waht it seemed nesting was supposed to do was give you a “submaster clip” that you could copy, and duplicate, and no matter how many copies you had, they all pointed to the same subtimeline. I dont think it works that way, so i do exports and imports to get that functionality.

FCP 5.1.4, dual intel, kona LHe

“I like video because its so fast!”

Bob Flood
Greer & Associates, Inc.

[Tom Wolsky]

When you make the nest in the timeline using the Sequence menu or Opt-C it automatically creates a nest in the browser. You shouldn’t have to move it into the browser. If you do you’re making another copy.

The recursive behavior is deliberate. There are ways around this like setting I/O points in the nest. Then when the sequence is nested anything outside the marked I/O will not ripple the parent sequence. This has been the application behavior since very early versions.

What you describe is the way nesting works. The only instance in which it doesn’t is if you use a copy and paste function. The copy and paste produces a separate sequence, not related to the original nest, nor does it appear in the browser. This was a design choice. Not one I like, but there it is. If you reuse a sequence from the browser and repeatedly nest it multiple times they will all be the same sequence and behave the same way and have the same content.

All the best,

Tom

Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP6,” “Basic Training for FCS2” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 3.5 HD Editing Workshop”

[Bob Flood]

Tom

wow thanx!

ok ok i think i am trackin ya here

However:
“If you reuse a sequence from the browser and repeatedly nest it multiple times they will all be the same sequence and behave the same way and have the same content.”

How do i do this? do i load it into the viewer and press f10? do i double click it into the viewer or drag it into the viewer?

or do i drag it straight from the browser to the timeline i want to have it in?

(i think this is where i was not getting consistent or confusing results, and again it may have been me.)

thanx again

“I like video because its so fast!”

Bob Flood
Greer & Associates, Inc.

[Tom Wolsky]

Double clicking it will simply open it. Personally I find the easiest way with sequences is just to drag the sucker into the timeline.

All the best,

Tom

Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP6,” “Basic Training for FCS2” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 3.5 HD Editing Workshop”