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FCP X Strikes Again
Each fall I’ve been doing a set of weekly retail spots built on a set of “donut” spots with a retail insert in the middle. Each year I have to change some of the on-camera talent in the front and back of the donuts to create a revised set for the new year. This means going back to the camera masters of the original shoot.
The first version was originally cut in X and then revised last year in X, but under 10.0.8 or 10.0.6. Back then, I had consolidated the Event/Project. I returned to that session to make the new revs. First attempt to load my back-up FCPXML didn’t go well. It failed to link to a lot of the files, even though they were there and were the same. Simply refused. Next, I went back to the Events/Projects and did the E&P update. Then add the alternate, unused camera files.
Generally that went OK, except it didn’t like a lot of the previously-used filters. Many of the clips showed no affect of the color correction or the filters that were applied, regardless of whether they were enabled or disabled. So I removed all effects and reset color correction and started over with the correction. Once I rebuilt them, everything looked fine inside FCP X. I go to export a master file and I get an error message, saying some effects and titles were missing – even though those had all been removed AFAIK.
The export went fine, but several of the new clips (though not all) exported with no color correction applied, in spite of the fact that it was there in X and also rendered just fine. Repeated attempts at various workaround failed. Finally I changed the export setting to ProRes from ProResHQ and all went through fine.
I have yet to see a clean result whenever X crosses over one of these major updates in the application. Really makes you question whether you are totally hosed down the road whenever you need to return to old sessions. I’ve never had such issues with either Media Composer or FCP “Legacy” or even Premiere Pro.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
50 Replies
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Bingo! Exactly the fear I have. I just opened an AE file from 2008 and updated a simple animation and added it to the video in Final Cut in under 30 minutes. These were old files. But no issues.
FCP X still scares me when I look at my 75 terabyte hard drives with all that legacy work that still comes back. And the same thing would happen if we switched to FCP X. The legacy projects could come back to haunt us.
Rich Rubasch
Tilt Media Inc.
Video Production, Post, Studio Sound Stage
Founder/President/Editor/Designer/Animator
https://www.tiltmedia.com -
Sounds like you have been bitten by the Past Attributes bug in 10.1.2 possibly?
Ron Priest
Videographer
Louisville, KY -
[Ron Priest] “Sounds like you have been bitten by the Past Attributes bug in 10.1.2 possibly?”
What bug are you referring to? Yes, I did use the Paste Attributes function to copy and paste new color corrections, which probably affected the export. The odd part is that only the newly added camera clips were affected, not any that were carried over in the update. I used Paste Attributes on those, too.
Regardless, that doesn’t explain why the initial set of plug-ins and color corrections appeared to be inactive. That was before doing anything with Paste Attributes.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
Yep, you’ve been bitten!
FCPX 10.1.2 has a NASTY Pasting Attributes Bug, and it’s easy to replicate. If you haven’t heard about it, seen it and or reported it to Apple please be aware of it and report it, it could really bite you without you realizing it.
Although it’s not limited to copying and pasting attributes in multicam edits via the angle editor, that’s where I first replicated the bug, while making color changes to a clip in the angle editor. If I copy the color attribute and past it to other selected clips in the same angle, it appears that the clips have accepted the CC attributes when playing it from the angle editor or even when viewing the multicam in a new project timeline. But unless you first tweak the attribute settings in the clips you pasted them to, they don’t come across in the export. In an attempt to troubleshoot it, I’ve tried it first without rendering the project before export and again with rendering the project before export and it doesn’t make any difference.
Here is the proven workaround. After you select the clips and paste your CC attributes, but before you unselect the clips, toggle off and on the color effects switch. This will insure the corrections will flow through during the export/share process.
Also, be aware that this in not just a color attribute bug, it will occur after pasting any effects attributes so you will need to toggle off and on the subject effect in the same fashion.
Ron Priest
Videographer
Louisville, KY -
[Rich Rubasch] “FCP X still scares me when I look at my 75 terabyte hard drives with all that legacy work that still comes back”
So far I’ve had several issues with upgrades across versions. This has includes audio issues and the current ones here.
I’ve also had problems with XML files being moved between applications. Other problems have included audio distortion due to sample rate problems. Another weird one was frame-boundary and key framing problems with a project that was all photos. At various times, I have had issues with improper renders that were only seen on the export.
A real frustrating part is that this issue, the render problem and the audio distortion issue listen above, involved situations where everything appeared fine within the application and only manifested themselves on export. These would only be caught if you completely QC’ed the files start-to-finish.
In other words, it’s hard to completely trust the export. That becomes a real bummer, when your editing has really been rocking in X and then you find that there’s almost no way to get a clean version of it out of X.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Ron Priest] “Here is the proven workaround. After you select the clips and paste your CC attributes, but before you unselect the clips, toggle off and on the color effects switch. This will insure the corrections will flow through during the export/share process.”
This sounds similar, but not quite. I did all that and still had one clip that exported without color correction. On the last attempt, I switched from HQ to standard ProRes and that worked. Who knows, if I try it again tomorrow, it might mess up again.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
Ouch! Shouldn’t happen. Apple is better than that.
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[Oliver Peters] “I have yet to see a clean result whenever X crosses over one of these major updates in the application. Really makes you question whether you are totally hosed down the road whenever you need to return to old sessions.”
[Rich Rubasch] “The legacy projects could come back to haunt us.”
Apple have pretty clearly demonstrated their philosophy with regards to the past, and done so repeatedly.
Franz.
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[Franz Bieberkopf] “Apple have pretty clearly demonstrated their philosophy with regards to the past, and done so repeatedly.”
Is this the price of progress?
Walter Soyka
Designer & Mad Scientist at Keen Live [link]
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
@keenlive | RenderBreak [blog] | Profile [LinkedIn] -
[Franz Bieberkopf] “their philosophy with regards to the past, and done so repeatedly.”
there’s some weird variation on ignoring / doomed to repeat their mistakes in there.
https://vimeo.com/user1590967/videos http://www.ogallchoir.net promo producer/editor.grading/motion graphics
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