FCP-X Ken Burns Button…

[Craig Seeman]

[Robert Houllahan] “FCP literally has a button titled “Ken Burns” “

You should try the Martin Scorsese button when you get the chance.

[Robert Houllahan] “Went to the Apple store while waiting for my Girlfriend to go buy some clothes.”

Girlfriend buying cloths in an Apple store…now that’s what I call “fanboy/girlism” (yes I get what you meant. just poking fun).

[Robert Houllahan] “it just did an “Auto Ken Burns” on the selected clip.

I almost puked on the 17″ macbook Pro I was looking at..”

Hmm, motion control cameras never made me that sick.

[Timothy Auld]

It’s bad enough that people call this “the Ken Burns effect” as if filmmakers had not been doing it for decades before Mr. Burns was even an a gleam in his father’s eyes, but if there really is a button labelled Ken Burns effect in FCP X it goes more than a little bit further down the road toward confirming my worst fears.

bigpine

[Aindreas Gallagher]

erm, I usually froth at the mouth on any given topic, but I think I’m ok with this? If I was hard pressed editor chappie zooming in and out of civil war photos while the narrator drones on, I might be ok with the provision of this option? its pretty much akin to applying a motion behaviour… sort of, although I might like the ability to collapse it from its script to generated position scale keyframes to tweak or something. Or I could just build my own transforms as one usually does.

that said, spontaneously vomiting en masse on apple hardware in store as a flashmob, before running out screaming “FCP is dead!!” might be a nice way of sending a message to cupertino.

http://www.ogallchoir.net
promo producer/editor.grading/motion graphics

[Craig Seeman]

The “Ken Burns” button is actually one of the effects that’s poorly done in FCPX IMHO. If the idea is to emulate a motion control camera, it does a horrible job. I don’t think it can do half the stuff Ken Burns does. If you’re old enough to have used a good motion control camera, you know that you can create some very complex moves with multiple key frames and fine control over ease in and ease out over each.

I don’t mind that they call the button “Ken Burns” but if they’re going to do that, make it worthy of the stuff Ken Burns and other Motion Control Camera experts can do.

Make the Ken Burns button as sophisticated as a good motion control camera and make it worthy of the name which I wouldn’t mind under those circumstances.

I’m so happy they don’t have a Philip Glass button in the audio tools. It would probably just be an arpeggiator.

[Chris Harlan]

[Craig Seeman] “I’m so happy they don’t have a Philip Glass button in the audio tools. It would probably just be an arpeggiator.
“

ROTFL

[Aindreas Gallagher]

yes, he said, scrabbling for google… I.. do like me a good arpeggiator I do.

You posted on music stuff before way back – you really do rather know that stuff don’t you?

[Craig Seeman] ”
Make the Ken Burns button as sophisticated as a good motion control camera and make it worthy of the name which I wouldn’t mind under those circumstances.
“

indeed, although well this is weird where we find ourselves placed on the argument…
connected clips say – much of the metaphor of the timeline drives me nuts as a restrictive conceptual shortcut… but well, then look at me saying ken burns could be ok. It’s because the ken burns is peripheral to my concerns or something. I think its broadly ok.
It’s control – this whole thing comes back to control doesn’t it? it threads through the entirety of this dispute I rather think, he said, shifting his arse on the FCPX debate left side stool…

http://www.ogallchoir.net
promo producer/editor.grading/motion graphics

[Chris Harlan]

You just ain’t using it right. Ken Burns–or rather a relevant chunk of a cloned Ken Burn’s Cerebral Cortex–is actually built into every Mac with T-bolt. You need to make sure the keyboard mic is on, that you are standing directly in front of the computer’s camera, and then talk to him, adding clear, broad gestures as you speak. “Ken, a little to the left, hesitate without a full stop, and now, IN!”

You will be amazed at how well it works. Thing is, it takes about 20 min. for the speech/motion recognition to kick in. So, just go to the store, pick an iMac and keep talking to it. Call it “Ken” numerous times. It really likes that. Be very fluid and BIG with your gestures. Imagine the most gregarious symphony conductor, and then, take it up a notch. I think, after twenty minutes of doing this at the Apple Store, you will be shocked by the response you receive.

[Chris Walsh]

I love this! Another tip I missed because I just didn’t read the manual.

Chris, I’m going to try tomorrow, after I finish my all-night edit. I’ll go directly to the Apple store in my edit attire, dirty raincoat and house slippers. Will let you all know how it goes, or more likely, my bail bondsman posting on my behalf.

Chris Walsh

http://www.musicfog.com
Silver Spring, MD
Final Cut & AVID MC5
Former Windows User and edit* lover

[Joseph W. bourke]

Has anyone tried the Alfred Hitchcock button yet?

Joe Bourke
Owner/Creative Director
Bourke Media
http://www.bourkemedia.com

[Chris Harlan]

Great! Let us know just before you go so that we can get a camera down there. I think it will make a superb tutorial.