Fuction question: Lock clip at time X and Z

[Tom Wolsky]

Potentially disastrous. It would frustrate a number of edit functions, anything that rippled the sequence. The only way to lock clips or a group of clips is to put them on separate tracks and lock the tracks. Or nest the items and put the nest on a separate track that you lock.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” DVD

[David Roth weiss]

Erik,

Forgive me if this is too basic, but, do you completely understand the differences in, and how to use insert edits vs overwrite edits, as well as the two different delete functions (ripple vs. no ripple)? The reason I ask is that, if an editor completely understands those concepts of those functions and their uses, there really is no reason that one should have issues with anything going out of sync or rippling to unwanted places.

DRW

[Bret Williams]

I was thinking EXACTLY the same thing! Erik, sounds like you just need a few basic principles in use here. Drop down your audio first (which it sounds like you already do) and toss in the bits you know will go where you want. Then anytime you add a clip, make sure you use an overwrite edit so as not to knock anything out of sync. If you need to edit the audio, use insert and ripple delete edits to ensure that the video and audio stay in sync. If you have to move things around by hand to make space, etc., use the TTT tool to move stuff on all tracks at once. DO NOT lock any tracks to ensure things to stay in sync. If you lock tracks, everything thing above is out the window.

[Erik Lindahl]

I know all about inserting and overwriting. I guess I’m trying to figure out a system that isn’t really possible (or practical) to create. The problem arises if I for instance:

1. Place a 100s long song in my edit
2. Have a sync-point at say 0s, 50s and 100s into the song (to make this simple)
3. Start to place a bunch of images between point 0s and 50s
4. After adding say clips to 30s into the edit I find a great clip to place at 10s into the edit

[Erik Lindahl]

Actually placing clips at “sync points” in a separate videolayer that’s locked with a locked audiolayer might do exactly what I’m looking for

[Tom Wolsky]

4. Something’s got to give. The only way is to cut it onto another track until you can find how much space you need and cut that much out of somewhere between 30 and 50 to make room for it. There would be no way to do what you want on a single track.

Use In and Out points to measure durations. Use replace to replace clips. Roll edits to make shots the right length for replacing.

All the best,

Tom

Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop” Class on Demand “Complete Training for FCP5” DVD

[Bret Williams]

An interesting note here. Kind of a feature request. When I worked avid they had something called sync locks. Turn them on for all tracks you want to stay in sync. They don’t lock the tracks in position, just in sync. So if you did an insert edit that would ripple one of the tracks, it would ripple all the sync locked tracks.

FCP works very similar, but in reverse. In a sense, all tracks in FCP are sync locked by default until you lock one in place. But you also can’t edit to that track when it’s locked either, so the purpose is slightly different. And if I do an insert edit on FCP, it only ripples all the clips AFTER the insert point. If the audio track happens to be one long song that starts BEFORE the insert point, it doesn’t get moved.

With sync locks on in Avid, it definitely one ups FCP in this regard. Avid literally splits all the clips right at the insert point, and ripples them down. Yes there would then be a gap in the long music track mentioned above. However, everything would be perfectly in sync. As it stands now, when I perform a similar edit in FCP I have to be aware that I’m moving clips that are edited to audio, and split them my self at the sync point so that they all do truly ripple and stay in sync.

So, in this regard Avid doesn’t do what Erik is asking either, but it does provide a few more options. With less freakin icons in the timeline too!