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How to optimize your FCPX experience
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[Tony West] “I don’t know if anyone has done a long credit roll but I’d like to know how that went for you.”
I’ve tried a number of times using both the built-in tools and plug-ins. Always a failure or a complete PITA. If I want properly formatted, movie-style, rolling credits, I build one long Photoshop document, create the roll in After Effects and render. Then I bring that media into FCP X. Works like a champ every time.
If the credits aren’t rolling (which is usually better IMHO) then I’ll do it with the normal titling tools. On the last film where I did this (cut on FCP7) I built all the static cards in Motion and exported still graphics. Motion gave me far better control over different groups of text within a single page, like music credit blocks.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Bill Davis] “Tried that.”
I was thinking more of in the Techniques forum, not either of the Debate forums. I assume the X Techniques forum is the same as the Avid, PPro, Resolve, etc., forums where questions are asked and answers are shared.
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On another note, how does everyone here feel about how FCP X handles “sizzle reel” edits? You know, the kind with a a bazillion edits in a couple of minutes. I tried that with my colorist demo, where clips aren’t that super short, and X still completely choked. Even though everything was ProRes, it simply couldn’t consistently play through the timeline and give me any sense of rhythm with that many shots in such a short timeframe. I had to bail and finish it in Premiere. This was before 10.2, but I haven’t revisited it.
Yesterday I was making revisions to a client company’s demo reel at their place. I didn’t do the original edit, but this had an extreme amount of shots – a number of sections with “fluttercuts” where clips were 2-4 frames long. In general, during the 2 1/2 minute piece, probably no single clip was longer than 1 sec. This was cut and revised in Premiere.
I would shudder to try that sort of edit in X, but maybe I’m wrong. Thoughts?
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
Good info Oliver, thanks
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[Oliver Peters] “I would shudder to try that sort of edit in X, but maybe I’m wrong. Thoughts?”
I’ve noticed this too..
Cant keep up with a flurry of 2-5 frame cuts- alot of frames are skipped. Same edit in MC plays back as expected.
This is with prores 422 raw footage that was optimized upon ingest.
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[Oliver Peters] “OK, I tested – all at 1/2 res (or best performance)”
Just to clarify – is FCPX “best performance” in fact 1/2 res? As I understand it, proxy is 1/2 res. Which suggests that best performance is something higher.
Not trying to make excuses for X. But 5k on my MacPro is mostly fine at best performance (occasional stutter on complex motion) and smooth as can be at proxy.
I don’t doubt Premiere handles various formats pretty well. But I often seem to see/hear about users defaulting to 1/2 res playback. Which seems like a bit of a cheat, compared to full res playback.
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[Oliver Peters] “I would shudder to try that sort of edit in X, but maybe I’m wrong.”
I’ve done a number of those kinds of pieces during the past year or so, all on X. No problems. This was on a MacBook Pro Retina, with external 27″ monitor (via HDMI), USB3 drives and a T-Tap driving a FS broadcast monitor.
I’ve also done several sales/sizzle reels with multiple sections of multi-layer compound clips. As in video with transitions inside an iPad, with a reflection, all inside a comp with a couple of other tablets/phones that fly around, inside another comp to move the group as a while over a looped background. Plus one or more layers of titles and/or keyable graphics. Don’t forget multiple layers of music, sfx and SOTs. Oh yeah, with a couple of short flutter cut montages. Footage was a combination of ProRes 422 and MXF (Avid DnXHD 145) files.
Needless to say, after two layers of comps, it was time to render. But those two comps contained 3 or 4 layers with motion, soft edges, gradients and various levels of opacity before having to render. Again, on the MacBook Pro. I would love to have had the MacPro trashcan for these pieces, but it came later.
I remain shocked at the different experiences people are having with X. I wish I understood the cause of such variability.
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“Just to clarify – is FCPX “best performance” in fact 1/2 res? As I understand it, proxy is 1/2 res. Which suggests that best performance is something higher. “
FCP X Proxy files are ProRes Proxy at 1/4 frame size (1/2 width and height). When I’m talking about resolution, I mean sharpness or pixel resolution. As I understand it “best performance” is a dynamic, adaptive method of dropping the display resolution to the viewer and any output. Adobe and Avid use fixed increments. In all cases, the frame size is still full frame size, whereas with FCP X Proxy, it’s actually new media that is created at the smaller size.
In the case of RED media, there’s also the debayer quality setting. I believe FCP X goes by the System Pref setting. If set to Auto, then I think 4K files in a 1080 timeline are 1/2 resolution debayered. Avid let’s you dial that in more precisely. I think Adobe also uses the System Pref setting, but I’m not completely sure.
Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
I cut my demo reel (with tons of quick 5 frame edits) on an old 2009 Mac Pro using FCP X. Only time I had any problems was when I initially was being stupid and hadn’t transferred the footage over to my work RAID and was editing from a USB 2 external drive. Once I noticed the stuttering problems and dragged the footage over to my RAID , it worked just fine. I actually think the magnetic timeline (which I am NOT a big fan of in general) is perfect for editing to quick beats. Of course this was with AVCHD footage from a FS700 and I have done a lot of upgrades to my 2009 Mac Pro (CPU upgrade from single Quad 2.66ghz to single Hex 3.46ghz and GPU upgrade from GT120(512MB) to GTX 980 Ti (6GB). This was using newest FCPX on Yosemite.
Gabe Strong
G-Force Productions
http://www.gforcevideo.com
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