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Dissolve transition problem with transparency
Hey everyone, first-time poster here, but I’ve been referencing these forums for years (Thanks for all the great information, everyone!)
This problem seems like it would have an obvious solution, but I can’t seem to find the right search query to answer it. When creating a dissolve transition between two clips, one of which has been repositioned so that there is a transparent area, whatever is beneath the transition shows through the transparent area of the repositioned clip when the transition occurs. In this particular case I have a photo with a horizontal pan applied to it, but I also often run into this problem with video clips.
Is there any way to made a dissolve transition that has a built-in matte? In the past I’ve gotten around this problem by applying all of the transformations that I need first, then once I’m finished adding a matte beneath the layer and turning the clip and the matte into a compound clip, then applying the transition to the compound clip. It seems like there should be a more straightforward way of doing this though.
Here’s an illustration of my current problem:
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10 Replies
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Next the Transition and white matte together into a compound clip and see how that effects it.
Noah
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If clip 2 is full screen, you can also achieve what Noah suggests by putting clip 2 above clip 1 but below the text and simply dissolving clip 2 in.
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https://BretFX.com Plugins & Templates for FCP X Editors & Motion Graphics Artists -
[Noah Kadner] “Next the Transition and white matte together into a compound clip and see how that effects it.”
Yeah, that’s more or less what I’ve been doing, it’s just kind of annoying to doit this way because if I need to adjust the alignment on anything I either have to break the compound clip apart, or just eyeball it as I flip back and forth between the main timeline and the compound clip editor.
[Bret Williams] “If clip 2 is full screen, you can also achieve what Noah suggests by putting clip 2 above clip 1 but below the text and simply dissolving clip 2 in.”
Now that’s an obvious solution! That would definitely make things easier. I only wish though that there was a way to do this while keeping everything on the primary storyline—any time i’m forced to move my primary clips above the primary storyline, I feel like I’m reverting to track based editing and there must be either something wrong with what I’m doing or an oversight in Final Cut that breaks the usual editing paradigm.
Since I run into this issue fairly often, I’m thinking about just making a new transition type in Motion that adds custom color background mattes to the in and out clips. I’ve tinkered with Motion a bit, and this doesn’t seem like it would be too hard to do.
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The problem you describe has nothing to do with tracks or not. It’s just compositing 101. You can’t do everything with one layer. The white layer would go below the primary. Would you feel better if I made the assertion that the reason transitions placed on a single clip in a secondary in X grab the background (like a push) so that it can act like it IS on the primary? There problem solved. You’re not holding it wrong after all. ?
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https://BretFX.com Plugins & Templates for FCP X Editors & Motion Graphics Artists -
[Bret Williams] “[…] You’re not holding it wrong after all. ?”
Thanks for that explanation, it makes me feel more comfortable 😛
I ended up taking your suggestion and lifting clip 2 from the storyline along with it’s transitions—this experience finally made it clear to me what the “Lift from Storyline” shortcut is meant for! Super quick solution.
Just for fun, I also made a new transition with a color matte in Motion. It works well, but now that I grok the purpose of lifting clips from the storyline, it makes more sense to just do that.
Thanks for all the help!
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Glad it helped! Now get back to us when your timeline looks like this –
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https://BretFX.com Plugins & Templates for FCP X Editors & Motion Graphics Artists -
[Bret Williams] “Glad it helped! Now get back to us when your timeline looks like this – “
Ha! If I double the tracks in my tallest section, I think I still wouldn’t match that. ?
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Notice how many are compounds. And I’m afraid there are compounds inside those compounds as well.
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https://BretFX.com Plugins & Templates for FCP X Editors & Motion Graphics Artists -
I use compound clips a lot, I just wish it was possible to edit them in place within the main timeline. It can be annoying in some situations having to pop in and out of the compound clip to see what’s going on in the main timeline.
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They should take a clue from their own app Motion, eh? Avid has done it for 20 years as well. You can either step in or open it up in the timeline.
I do however wish you could open a group in Motion in it’s own window/tab like After Effects can do with Pre-Comps. Sometimes it’s just too much to look at and you don’t need the contextual surroundings. It also increases performance when you’re just dealing with the the one group/pre-comp.
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https://BretFX.com Plugins & Templates for FCP X Editors & Motion Graphics Artists
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