New Boris XML tool for FCP to AE

[Jeff Handy]

Not only is it cheaper, it actually seems to do more translation – including third-party plug-in info. That’s the promise, anyway. I’ll be curious to know the reality.

HandyGeek

[Alex Elkins]

The claim that they can translate certain FCP effects is very impressive. For some people that could be a deal-breaker. However for many of us I’d have thought that as we own After Effects we probably bought it as part of an Adobe Suite – I have ‘Production Premium’ for example, which comes with Premiere.
Premiere can open FCP XMLs including markers, transitions and audio pan/levels. After Effects can then import that Premiere sequence with all of the source media, the same as the Boris plugin.

I can’t see much use for it if you already have Premiere, unless your work relies heavily on FCP effects. In which case, why would you need to be taking the entire sequence into After Effects? To add yet more effects to all of the embossed, keyed, posterized shots we all have in our FCP timelines?!

Maybe I’m just being contrary, but those were my immediate thoughts. Anyone agree? Strongly disagree?

All the best,
Alex Elkins

Salad Daze Films – Freshly Tossed

[Jeff Handy]

Not everyone uses or even owns Premiere. Final Cut and AE is a pretty popular combo. If I need a quick key, I might use Boris in FCP since the clip is in my sequence. But then if the client wants more than a simple composite with that keyed footage, the ability to export the timeline with the plug-in parameters which would then translate into AE seems pretty liberating to me. It’s all about flexibility across toolsets. If you are happy within the bounds of your one integrated toolset suite, stick with that. If Adobe had a Final Cut Server competitor, I might be compelled to make that jump myself.

HandyGeek

[Walter Biscardi]

[Alex Elkins] “Maybe I’m just being contrary, but those were my immediate thoughts. Anyone agree? Strongly disagree? “

I have Premiere but have never used it that way, nor would I. That’s just me as I avoid all Adobe products except the ones I absolutely have to use, like AE and Photoshop.

I know Boris and know that they make great tools for Final Cut Pro and After Effects so I’m downloading this since they have a 14 day trial period. I prefer the one step directly from FCP to AE without introducing Premiere into the mix.

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[Alex Elkins]

[Jeff Handy] “Not everyone uses or even owns Premiere. Final Cut and AE is a pretty popular combo.”

Hi Jeff. I use a combination of FCP and After Effects regularly myself. My point about Premiere was that a lot of people I know who have bought After Effects purchased it as part of one of the Adobe packages, not as a standalone app (in order to get Photoshop and After Effects together – cheaper than buying both separately and you get all of the other apps too, including Premiere).

Thus many of us have the ability already to import an FCP timeline into After Effects, albeit with an additional step compared to what Boris are now offering. I can’t think of many situations where I would be adding effects in FCP if I later intended to do compositing in After Effects anyway.

[Jeff Handy] “If I need a quick key, I might use Boris in FCP since the clip is in my sequence. But then if the client wants more than a simple composite with that keyed footage, the ability to export the timeline with the plug-in parameters which would then translate into AE seems pretty liberating to me.”

That’s a good point. I’m sure there are other good examples of how this plugin could be used in preference to other methods. Personally for the work I tend to do this it’s an unnecessary luxury when I can essentially do the same thing if I just add that extra side-step to Premiere. For other users this could be an excellent addition to their toolset.

All the best,
Alex Elkins

Salad Daze Films – Freshly Tossed

[Rob Womack]

There’s a free script from Popcorn Island (https://www.popcornisland.com/after-effects/final-cut-2-after-effects/) that I use that moves sequences from FCP to AE. It doesn’t touch the plug-ins, but I don’t mess with the plugins in FCP too much, because of the limited manipulation of keyframes. I find FCP too awkward for much other than color correction, so the PI_FCP2AE script is perfect for me and it’s free. I highly recommend it.

Robert Womack
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http://www.CurrentMarketing.com
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