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FCPX Suggestions
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I find it interesting that even the strongest proponents of FCPX seem to still miss features they had in a track-based systems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_FB3bHgmGg
Asking for a region for non-connected clips is essentially just that. What always bugs me about connected clips is that they have different attributes than clips on a storyline and are rather limited until you place them into a secondary storyline. Again, this seems like another situation where by going to a trackless paradigm, we gave up some important functions.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
I think Roles are potentially much more flexible and useful than tracks (for me) but I don’t think has done much to take the new paradigm much further in that area since the release.
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Awesome list Oliver, and great thread. Here are some things I’d like to see added, which I believe Apple could do given the framework they’ve built (some may be duplicates from your list and other lists already posted):
1. Custom columns in the Event Browser (additional comments, framing, location, whatever you want to call your column…). You can add custom stuff in the inspector but it doesn’t show up as a column in the Event Browser. I’d like to either see custom info in the inspector show up as a column option, or just add the ability to add custom columns.
2. Add info to columns on multiple clips directly in the Event browser (example – add Wide to the Framing column for all selected clips). Right now you can only do this in the inspector. Allow duplicating a column to another column (see Avid for an example of how it could be done).
3. Zoom into the waveforms in the Event Browser in list view, or add waveforms to event viewer and allow zooming there. See Premiere Pro for how this could work.
4. Realtime JKL trimming. How is this not already there?
5. Select trim sides with just keyboard shortcuts for connected clips and secondary storylines.
6. Select video and audio for trimming when audio is expanded.
7. Enlarge only audio clips in timeline, or only video clips in the timeline. The default views are okay, but sometimes I want huge waveforms with very, very small video frames.
8. Allow “clip height” in the timeline to be mapped to the keyboard.
9. Scrolling timeline.
10. Default export name matches the project/clip you have selected to export. And batch exports.
11. Export regular Quicktime that obeys the activated/deactivated roles in the inspector, rather than having to do a multitrack export. If a role is turned off in the inspector, don’t export it. Or make it an option to ignore role activation or honor role activation.
12. Allow mixing of Optimized/Proxy/High Quality media in the same project. Not an all or nothing approach. And alpha channels in proxy mode are a must.
13. Remember last opened project when you open a library, or give us the option to not have a project open when you open a library. FCPX seems to randomly pick projects now.
14. Default to start on the “Select Library” function without having to close all libraries prior to quitting FCPX.
15. Allow option to only show libraries in the location(s) you choose. So if you move a library to a new folder it doesn’t go an find it and continue to display it.
16. Add ability to select connected clip/secondary storyline with the keyboard. The playhead has a ball on it – the selection should honor whatever that ball is over, and you should be able to move it up and down with the keyboard.
17. Disable “select clip under the mouse”, or make it a user option. I’d prefer to have it select the clip under the playhead/ball rather than the mouse.
18. More window panes so you can open multiple events at once. Make them dockable and floatable (see Premiere Pro).
19. “Select media relatives” by selecting a project. See Avid’s “Select media relatives” on how it could work.
20. Color coding clips/roles. These need to be reflected in the timeline.
21. Markers on raw footage need to carry over when the clip becomes part of a sync clip.
22. Match frame to shot goes to the clip it was pulled from (if a favorite, goes to the favorite). Match frame again and it goes to the original clip. Same with sync clips. Match frame to the sync, matchframe the sync it goes to the original clip. This will require Apple to add a way to match frame the video or audio though. See Avid for how this could work.
23. Allow marking in/out on secondary storylines without having to drag the range selector. If I have the secondary storyline selected and choose to mark the clip, then set a new in point/out point (I do this a lot when editing music), it defaults to the primary storyline. I’m forced to use the range selector and the mouse or to add cut points. I find both inefficient.
24. Independent timecode window. I want to be able to show current time, elapsed time, In/Out, time remaining, drop frame/non-drop at different frame rates, etc…all in one dockable window.
25. Be able to cut/lift just the audio from a clip in the timeline (removing an Uh, Um, etc…) without having to detach audio. Hopefully there’s already a way to do this and I just haven’t figured it out.
26. Break apart clips/detach audio shows sync indicators.
27. Fix the waveforms – they disappear far to often.
28. Give us the option to see full, regular waveforms (Premiere has this as an option and it’s great).
29. Give option for “focus remain on timeline after edit”, rather than always putting the focus back on the event browser.
30. Conform offspeed clips in the event browser. If I have 60p footage I want played at 24p I’d like to be able to batch conform it in the event browser so I can view it at the 24p playback speed, prior to cutting it into the sequence. Premiere does a great job of this and could be used an example.
31. Support CDL information.
32. Roles based audio mixing.
33. Improve trimming, including a 4-up display when trimming with the keyboard.
34. Customizable workspaces (this one seems popular).
35. Real background transcoding/rendering. And give us more transcode options.
36. Fix the lag when projects become large/complex, or have a lot of generators.
37. Add the ability to merge external metadata onto imported clips (see Avid’s ALE and merge options for how this could work).
38. Develop a true project sharing workflow (see Avid as an example).
39. Project consolidation with trimmed media and with a transcode option (perhaps transcoding only specific codecs/cameras/roles/etc…)
40. Refresh timeline/project, where I can apply a role to a clip at any point in a project and have it update in my sequence with the new role after manually invoke a project/timeline refresh. See Avid and it’s Refresh Sequence options with source settings/motion adapters, etc… Roles are super powerful, and this would make them even more so, and would make inheriting projects from disorganized editors/producers a lot faster and easier to fix.
41. Ignore gaps clips when selecting multiple clips in the timeline. Ironically enough this was a huge issue with Avid and the finally made it an option to select/not select filler. I’d like to see the same option in FCPX.
I’m sure there’s more if I really thought about it, but I think most or all of these are possible to implement without having to fundamentally change how FCPX operates. It’s just adding more user options/power to what’s already there.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
Seeing two clips in a storyline when using two viewers. Currently there’s only an additional Event Viewer. Two storyline Viewers would help to compare clips when color grading for example.
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[Oliver Peters] “Will all due respect, that’s NOT importing an image sequence.”
Excellent, A chance to learn something. Tell me more.
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
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[Oliver Peters] “I find it interesting that even the strongest proponents of FCPX seem to still miss features they had in a track-based systems.”
But would anyone give up THIS – for that?
(From the Cow Archives, no less.)https://library.creativecow.net/articles/payton_t/FCPX_Editing-During-Playback/video-tutorial
Magnetic re-editing WHILE in playback. Kinda awesome.
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
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[Bill Davis] “Tell me more.”
Unless I misinterpreted your post, what you described was importing a lot of numbered still images, which were then dropped onto the timeline with a duration of 1 frame/image. This means that any effect you add to the “shot” would require it to be a compound clip first. That’s so you can deal with all of these images as a single entity. IOW, FCP X does not understand that frame 0001 through frame 9999 within the folder in total constitute a single media file.
When you normally import an image sequence in Compressor, QuickTime 7, Avid or Adobe, you locate the first numbered still in the string of frames (usually all within a folder) and the software knows (based on your settings) that this is the start of a string of numbers that make up a single, complete media file. So when the image sequence is imported, it only appears as a single media file with a frame rate that you set on import or via interpretation settings.
60 frames imported at 29.97fps = 1 media clip that’s 2 sec long.
Does that make sense? Forgive me if I’m saying something that you already know.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Bill Davis] “But would anyone give up THIS – for that?”
Sure. I could care less about the magnetic timeline. It’s a nice gimmick that saves a few keystrokes and causes other pain. I simply don’t find it that useful. And yes, I’ve actually done live editing during playback and it comes with a number of issues, like the fact that you aren’t necessarily where you think you are on the timeline after you’ve made the edit.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Oliver Peters] “Does that make sense? Forgive me if I’m saying something that you already know.”
Oh it makes total sense.
And yes, I now realize I left out the G-Key “compounding” step I always finish with – which is part of the workflow since the goal of any animation sequence would be a single clip to bring into subsequent storylines as needed.
Once again. It’s what Editor A is conditioned to expect, verses what Editor B can do in a another program.
Unless there’s something else I don’t get. It seems that both processes get you to the same place? Or am I still missing something?
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
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Ah. Now some of your comparative explorations of X make more sense to me. And I think that’s fine. Not everyone will resonate with something like a magnetic timeline.
You clearly understand X. But don’t really “feel” it like those of us who have adapted fully and deeply miss magnetism when we have to cut without it.
I have to confess that I too worked with it with interest – but without much passion for it – until I had a huge audio editing project and in the middle of it, realized that magnetism BY ITSELF was an actual edit function that could save me HUGE amounts of work.
Different strokes and all.
Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.
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