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FCPX or Not?
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[Rafael Amador] “In a classic video editing application makes no sense having layer if you have no way to pile the stuff. This is done by moving tracks as layers.”
Correct me if I’m wrong, but you can’t layer tracks as they are fixed. You can only move the contents of the track to another track. You can simply flip flop a1 with a10, or v1 with v5.
[Rafael Amador] “Your example is like a kind of Downstream Key. Good.”
Mmmm kinda but not really? Here’s a picture of it for you. Look on the right side of the timeline. That’s a visible title under the video. Downstream keys happen after everything else (hence down stream):
https://i1.creativecow.net/u/42171/0_mrlawrence.png
[Rafael Amador] “The picture shown is always the top, unless you apply some kind of filter, motion effect or compositing mode. Composting modes are also applied from the top to the bottom. Change the order, change the results.”
Yes, most of that is true, but FCPX it’s a bit different. A broadcast safe filter won’t work unless the clip is compounded due to the rendering order.
[Rafael Amador] “FCPX just order things sequentially. Time is a result.
In FCP time is absolute. You set timing and duration by mean of editing, not with old fashioned slugs. “The gaps (or old fashioned slugs, you call them) represent no difference than an empty space in FCP7. Except they have more purpose and you can easily set how long they are. They are trimmable, and allow clip connections. They are way more controllable than empty space on a timeline. Yes, they are required in the primary, but they make sense in X’s timeline and offer very simple control.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you can’t layer tracks as they are fixed. You can only move the contents of the track to another track. You can simply flip flop a1 with a10, or v1 with v5.”
FWIW this is actually something that you can do in Media Composer – option drag the track to move it up or down. Moderately handy – though I can’t rememeber the last time I actually wanted to do this!
Simon Ubsdell
Director/Editor/Writer
http://www.tokyo-uk.com -
[Simon Ubsdell] “Moderately handy – though I can’t rememeber the last time I actually wanted to do this!”
🙂
Thanks for the info. It wasn’t possible in FCP at all, but I have not used Avid since the 90s. Uncompressed SD. WooHoo!
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you can’t layer tracks as they are fixed. You can only move the contents of the track to another track. You can simply flip flop a1 with a10, or v1 with v5.”
I guess you are right technically, but you can use the “t” key to select everything on a single track, and the shift drag to another track, which is, in relation to media, effectively the same thing.
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[Chris Harlan] “I guess you are right technically, but you can use the “t” key to select everything on a single track, and the shift drag to another track, which is, in relation to media, effectively the same thing.”
Unless there’s something on your destination track. If the destination track is empty, then yes.
For instance, if you have an 8 channel deliverable and the specs change, you can’t simply switch two tracks without reshuffling the deck. I’m not saying it can’t be done, it can, but this is still keeping a1 as a1 which is what Rafael and I are discussing (tracks vs layers, and tracks AS layers, and rendering). You can’t make a1 become a5 without moving/copying/pasting a couple of times (like it sounds like you can in Avid).
In X, all this doesn’t matter as Roles can sort it out, layer order be damned. It does need a target system so the “Dialogue” Role for instance, can go to the corresponding Channel1 of the QT.
And as far as video, you don’t even have to have those in stacking order, either. “Nonsense!” the X-detractors say. “Sweet!” says the X-likers.
And around and around we go.
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[Shane Ross] ” It doesn’t do OMF so I cannot export audio to my audio mixer, it doesn’t have proper color correction, nor any way to export for outside color correction (Color, Resolve), it doesn’t allow me to export PROPER audio stems (ROLES tried to address this need…failed). It doesn’t allow monitoring on an external broadcast monitor.”
This is all going to change. How do Roles fail for you? I haven’t seen stems enabled like this ever without doing each track one by one.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Unless there’s something on your destination track. If the destination track is empty, then yes.
For instance, if you have an 8 channel deliverable and the specs change, you can’t simply switch two tracks without reshuffling the deck.”
Sure you can. You just add a track. And then delete the one you are moving from. But further, for deliverables, you don’t even need to do that. You just reassign the channel out. 2 becomes 5, 5 becomes 7, 3 becomes 9. All simple clicks.
[Jeremy Garchow] “In X, all this doesn’t matter as Roles can sort it out, layer order be damned. It does need a target system so the “Dialogue” Role for instance, can go to the corresponding Channel1 of the QT.
“I’m thinking that you don’t export a lot of audio stems. It really is far simpler in FCS than you seem to think it is.
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[Chris Harlan] “Sure you can. You just add a track. And then delete the one you are moving from.”
Yeah, you make a 9th track, copy a5 to a9, then copy a1 to a5, then copy a9 to a1, then delete a9. I know what to do.
[Chris Harlan] “I’m thinking that you don’t export a lot of audio stems. It really is far simpler in FCS than you seem to think it is.”
No, I get stems from my audio mixer. I send him OMF.
I do export embedded multichannel QTs, though.
[Chris Harlan] “You just reassign the channel out. 2 becomes 5, 5 becomes 7, 3 becomes 9. All simple clicks.”
So are roles. That’s my point.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “[Chris Harlan] “You just reassign the channel out. 2 becomes 5, 5 becomes 7, 3 becomes 9. All simple clicks.”
So are roles. That’s my point.
“Ah, sorry. I thought you were making the point the Roles was superior to tracks. I agree that Roles do almost as much as tracks do, without–of course–the visual organization.
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[Chris Harlan] “without–of course–the visual organization.”
And without having to totally reshuffle your timeline when changes come or specs change.
I really want to see a role sortable timeline. That would be the bees knees!
Jeremy
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