Big FCP 6 Nesting FIX. Yay!

[Chris Poisson]

Neil,

YES! That’s EXACTLY my experience all these years with PS layered files EXACTLY! The layer names are preserved until you copy an paste somewhere else in your project, then they are called the name of the sequence. My workaround has always been to use a poster frame on tracks big enough to see it, but it can be very frustrating, especially in a comp where you have a lot of layers and have to minimize them, and lose the poster frame.

I suppose you could drag each of them into the Browser and restore their names or give them new ones, but what a waste of time and pain in the ass. Totally retarded.

I just got 6 installed yesterday, and this issue is on my list to check and see if it is resolved.

[Chris Poisson]

Ah, Walter, perhaps the right way after all. I will try that too. Doh! Seems perfectly logical it would keep the name then. Thanks!

God, I HATE it when the answer is so freakin’ simple, after years of cursing the damn thing!

[Chris Poisson]

I made a new FCP 6 project, D1 for argument’s sake. Brought in a couple of PSD files as sequences. Layer names are intact. Opening up the layers in the viewer and placing in another sequence, layer names are replaced by PS file name. Copying and pasting into an existing sequence, layer names are retained. So yes, Neil, it’s fixed. As Tom says pasting into an empty sequence renames the sequence, still does that.

Dragging layers to the browser doesn’t seem to help anything, nor does renaming the layer on the timeline with the item properties logging info, seems to re-name the psd sequence.

For me, copy and paste each layer in 6 seems to work, so that’s what I’m gonna do.

I still have FCP 4.5 on the other Mac, I will try this later and see what happens.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Chris Poisson] “Opening up the layers in the viewer and placing in another sequence, layer names are replaced by PS file name. Copying and pasting into an existing sequence, layer names are retained.”

That’s not what happened here in my test with FCP 6 nor has that ever happened here. Opening the layer individually in the Viewer and then editing them down into a sequence, the layers always retained their original name.

I’ve only had the names change when nesting multiple photoshop layers in a new sequence. I’ve never seen a Photoshop layer change names when simply editing down from the Viewer to a Sequence.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Broadcast and independent productions.

All Things Apple Podcast! https://cowcast.creativecow.net/all_things_apple/index.html

Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi

[Bret Williams]

If you double click it into the viewer and change any in and out points it will change them in your layered ps sequence. Definitely not the proper way to do things. May work in your case because you’re using the seq as a source, but it might also be a layered animation that you just want to grab a layer from and edit into another area.

Plus, copy and paste is quicker and less steps.

[Neil Sadwelkar]

[walter biscardi] “And actually why the copy and paste at all? I keep my Photoshop Sequence open at all times, double click the layer I need into the Viewer, then edit that into my main sequence.”

Just checked. That doesn’t work in 5.1.4

Took a 4 layer PShop document. Opened it. It shows up as a timeline with 4 layers names intact.

I doubleclick a layer, (as you’d suggested) it opens in the Viewer. Viewer heading shows layer name.
I edit that into a seq called ‘test’. I get a clip called the layer name. Cool so far. And just as you’ve mentioned.

I open another layer in the viewer (by double-clicking it in the PShop sequence timeline as before and as you’d suggested). I mark in and out ad edit that into the earlier seq called ‘test’.

Now this clip takes the name of the PShop file. And further the seq name changes from ‘test’ to the PShop file name.

That is how I’m seeing it in 5.1.4. From other posts this seems to be fixed in FCP 6 but it was broken in 5.1.4.

Neil

FCP Editor, Mumbai, India.
Completely PAL.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Neil Sadwelkar] “open another layer in the viewer (by double-clicking it in the PShop sequence timeline as before and as you’d suggested). I mark in and out ad edit that into the earlier seq called ‘test’.

Now this clip takes the name of the PShop file. And further the seq name changes from ‘test’ to the PShop file name.

That is how I’m seeing it in 5.1.4. From other posts this seems to be fixed in FCP 6 but it was broken in 5.1.4.”

Really don’t know what to tell you. I have never seen that behavior here in any version of FCP.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Broadcast and independent productions.

All Things Apple Podcast! https://cowcast.creativecow.net/all_things_apple/index.html

Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi

[Neil Sadwelkar]

I think Chris, Tom and me are agreed that PhotoShop layered files when opened in FCP 5.1.4…

1. Show up as a seq with different video tracks for layers with layer names intact
2. Change layer names to Photoshop filename if ‘Photoshop sequence’ layer clips dragged to browser.
3. Change sequence name to Photoshop filename if ‘Photoshop sequence’ layer clips double-click opened in Viewer and then edited into that new sequence.
4. Change sequence name to Photoshop filename if copied ‘Photoshop sequence’ layer clips are copied and pasted into that new sequence.

This last #4 behaviour has been fixed in FCP 6. The other two #2 #3 are still not fixed.

I’m waiting for my copy of FCS2 to check.

Neil

FCP Editor, Mumbai, India.
Completely PAL.