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macbook air and fcpx- the new portable edit suite
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[Chris Harlan]FWIW, I agree with you about the iPhone and maybe the iPad, but a little Macbook air for doing sellects in a coffee shop by the beach? I could take that now and then.
No disagreement there. But I think those who are touting iPad video editing would probably end up doing it a handful of times for the novelty of it, then never touch it again.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “As I have mentioned before, when it comes to interface, making things simple is a really hard task. In my opinion, we are watching the growth of the application instead of getting what is supposed to be “finished”.”
I agree. Simplicity doesn’t come easily at all. I think that’s at the root of the misunderstanding around the “pro apps must be complex” argument. An app doesn’t have to be difficult to be professional, but it does have to handle complex functionality — which makes it even harder to be simple.
What specifically do you mean by simplicity? An application can be easy to learn, easy to use, neither, or both. I think most pro apps are willing to be hard to learn, but strive to be easy to use and offer all the functionality that their user base expects.
FCPX will certainly grow and evolve, but I’m not sure how much fundamental interface change we’ll see. As Aindreas and Craig have noted, FCPX’s design is very consistent with other Apple applications. As David noted in the Digital Rebellion XML thread, the user interface actually reflects the internal data structure perfectly.
What would you like to see changed in the interface? To keep it on topic, would the changes you’d like to see make the application more suited to portability or a fixed system?
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
*edited for further clarity, sorry about that first pass*
[Walter Soyka] “What specifically do you mean by simplicity? An application can be easy to learn, easy to use, neither, or both. I think most pro apps are willing to be hard to learn, but strive to be easy to use and offer all the functionality that their user base expects.”
It’s hard to sum up as there are so many aspects, but I have read on this forum how X’s interface is “dumbed down” and therefore by that definition must be inferior. While I don’t think it’s ready for primetime, I do not think it is dumbed down, actually I think it’s more complex because it is “doing more for you” even though that control is limited at the moment. At it’s core, FCPX is managaing massive amounts of data, which is fine by me, as massive amounts of data is what is coming through the shop. After a while, FCP7 chokes with even decent amounts of data forcing us to break up things in separate projects which have zero relationship to each other according to the computer, and FCP itself. With this notion, having all events available at all times starts to make more sense.
[Walter Soyka] “FCPX’s design is very consistent with other Apple applications”
Call me crazy, but I like iTunes. Is it bad that I’m okay with FCPx being a little like iTunes? Mail sucks and I’d not use it (accept an iOS devices). I will admit that. FCPX I is more complex than both of those combined.
[Walter Soyka] ” the user interface actually reflects the internal data structurey perfectly.”
Perfectly is a pretty strong word. If the timeline is a database, it should be more “sortable” than it is now. Roles, I think, is the foundation of this. Tracks are a visual organizer which locks a user in to certain layer/stack order and also limits data processing. What if Roles could be sortable in the timeline with a click of a button so that the FCPX audio layers stack in the order you want in order to make visual sense? Or first sort by “this” parameter then by “that” parameter like any other database? All of a sudden, compound clips, secondary story lines, and other FCPX editing devices start to make more sense. With this notion, you could then sort at least the audio portion of the timeline if not video as well, visually, in any manner you want but keep the nature of the edit the same. This might begin to explain the seemingly FCPX oddities such as why dissolves go on story lines only, layer stacking ease in compound clips, the very nature of the primary storyline and what goes in it. This means no matter how the timeline is sorted vertically that it will play as intended without the ‘top layer’ being necessarily on top, however the timeline is sorted visually. Time (I think) would be the only constant of the visual timeline (or I guess it doesn’t have to be with the timeline index). Why else would there be a transfer mode that layers clips with alpha channel information “on top” when the alpha clip is actually underneath the clip you are trying to composite over? Down is now up. It might also explain why horizontal clip relationships are now user denied instead of track defined.
All of that is pretty damn complex, and also does not resemble any Apple app that I am aware of. It also attempts to explain a trackless timeline, and the parent/child relationship in the new XML. If all of this is what is ultimately intended by Apple there is probably really good reason that Apple did not unleash this level of complexity at once. Mostly, it protects them as they release functions little by little to make sure they are working, and perhaps wait for certain Operating System functions to complete. As a result, it allows users to learn the language step by step before total immersion.
[Walter Soyka] “What would you like to see changed in the interface? To keep it on topic, would the changes you’d like to see make the application more suited to portability or a fixed system?”
Yes, back on topic, but first. I’d like to see more control over Roles, but I think I explained that. I’d like the massive amount of pre added metadata that is viewable in fcpx to be searchable in the Browser. I’d like to be able to spawn another viewer if I want for gang functions. I want a little more talking from the event to the timeline (change data in event, it updates in timeline, and vice versa; add compound clips from timeline to event, add other projects as a compound clip). I want more freedom in where my scopes go. I want an Effects index added to the timeline index. I want user defined color coding. I want custom masks to be able to be drawn in the viewer. I want the range tool to be a bit more precise and smart. Basically, more control of what’s already there.
As far as portability, since FCPX has virtual ” one click” proxy creation, a 15″ (or whatever) Thunderbolt iPad sounds pretty good. Let’s not forget that Thunderbolt is a display protocol as well, if you need more space you can add a monitor even if it was mirrored. So, after creating proxies on a more capable machine, I could take my work with me, work on a convenient device for where ever I am, then simply send the necessary data (via FCPXML, Project, Event, whatever I need) via email so when I get back to the main machine a simple refresh brings it all back online. Thats a tall order and certainly not easy. At the same time, I also don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility.
I have used a laptop as part of my editing toolset ever since the first AJA io came out. AJA already has a Thunderbolt capable device, therefore, a Thunderbolt iPad with “for real” 709 video out, and Thunderbolt storage? Hell yeah.
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[Jeremy Garchow] “This means no matter how the timeline is sorted vertically that it will play as intended without the ‘top layer’ being necessarily on top, however the timeline is sorted visually. Time (I think) would be the only constant of the visual timeline (or I guess it doesn’t have to be with the timeline index). Why else would there be a transfer mode that layers clips with alpha channel information “on top” when the alpha clip is actually underneath the clip you are trying to composite over? Down is now up. It might also explain why horizontal clip relationships are now user denied instead of track defined.”
This sounds completely unusable to me. Maybe something like this makes sense in a nodal compositing system but I don’t see any value in a time-based system. What would the benefit be? How would editors be able to share projects and have any idea what they’re looking at?
[Jeremy Garchow] “All of that is pretty damn complex, and also does not resemble any Apple app that I am aware of. It also attempts to explain a trackless timeline, and the parent/child relationship in the new XML. If all of this is what is ultimately intended by Apple there is probably really good reason that Apple did not unleash this level of complexity at once.”
I agree that it’s complex. I think that’s one of the main reasons it’s difficult to use. But I’m not so sure there’s a grand yet-to-be-revealed plan. A simpler explanation is that it’s just bad design. Remember, Apple doesn’t always hit home runs (Ping, MobileMe, hockey-puck shaped mouse, etc.) Keep in mind the team that brought us this UI is now apparently having heated debates on whether persistent in/out points are a good idea.
I mean seriously — they’re debating the value of persistent in/out points in a professional NLE… and we’re supposed to believe they’ve got a well-thought out plan for this thing? Seems like quite a stretch to me. I’d love to be proven wrong.
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David Lawrence
art~media~design~research
propaganda.com
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Hmm..as much as I observe. Your issues with FCPX are purely personal fetishes/preferrences. It is irrelevant to “how an editing suite should function in today’s world” idea, rather its all just nitpicking.
Quobetah
New=Better -
actually i am fascinated by technology and how we can use it in creative ways…it’s not a fetish just curiousity. do me a favor and save this message. in 2 years time mail me back with an apology if what i’ve observed doesn’t come to pass. i don’t know why people get so upset with me when i mention that things are changing…check out gary adcocks blog and you’ll see that i’m not that far off! no go do something constructive with your time….
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[David Lawrence] “This sounds completely unusable to me.”
Ok, maybe it was one step too far. Let’s let time be a constant on the timeline and maybe the index can be sorted out of chronological order (to be able to select clips of all of the same parameter easily, for one example).
You don’t see any use for a role based vertically sortable timeline? Meaning for any given primary storyline clips and everything connected to it, if you want your audio to always stack as dialogue, then effects, then music? I can think of some really practical reasons, especially when there’s no tracks.
Also, if you sort layers vertically for organization that don’t necessarily correspond to composite order, the clues are in the timeline. Compound clips, secondary storylines and primary storyline already have visual indicators of what they are. I would think anyone who understood FCPX could look at the timeline and get it.
[David Lawrence] “How would editors be able to share projects and have any idea what they’re looking at?”
You could sort it back to “normal”. It’s a sort, non destructive.
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Agreed Walter, it seems alot more likely all these solutions will coexist rather than one destroying all others.
That means lovely new toys for us lot to play with !
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[Jeremy Garchow] “It’s hard to sum up as there are so many aspects, but I have read on this forum how X’s interface is “dumbed down” and therefore by that definition must be inferior. While I don’t think it’s ready for primetime, I do not think it is dumbed down, actually I think it’s more complex because it is “doing more for you” even though that control is limited at the moment.”
I don’t think “dumbed down” is synonymous with “easier to use,” though I think it is practically synonymous with “easy to learn.”
The limited control you mentioned is the problem — is FCPX sacrificing ease of use for ease of learning?
[Jeremy Garchow] “Call me crazy, but I like iTunes. Is it bad that I’m okay with FCPx being a little like iTunes?”
Agreed! I like that Apple uses concepts and interfaces like smart collections consistently across all their apps. I think that smart collections are pretty easy to use, and since they’re consistent across the platform, they’re easier to learn. If you learn them in iTunes, you know them in Mail, Aperture, and FCPX.
[Jeremy Garchow] “All of that is pretty damn complex, and also does not resemble any Apple app that I am aware of. It also attempts to explain a trackless timeline, and the parent/child relationship in the new XML. If all of this is what is ultimately intended by Apple there is probably really good reason that Apple did not unleash this level of complexity at once. Mostly, it protects them as they release functions little by little to make sure they are working, and perhaps wait for certain Operating System functions to complete. As a result, it allows users to learn the language step by step before total immersion.”
You’ve outlined some very cool ideas that could be possible with FCPX, but are they really likely?
Aperture has added features, but the core function and interface of the application is largely unchanged since its initial release. Same with Motion, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
All of these apps represent Apple’s interpretation or re-interpretation of what an app in their category should be. I think Apple already has a very good idea of what they want FCPX to be, and if history is any guide, the feel and structure of the app is already pretty much in place.
As for your feature suggestions, I hope you submit them [link]! Apple would do very well to listen to your ideas.
Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events -
[Gerald Baria] “personal fetishes”
mmokay.
http://www.ogallchoir.net
promo producer/editor.grading/motion graphics
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