Pancake timeline – sort of

[Bill Davis]

[Oliver Peters] “First – I would be careful about assuming features and functions that appeal to your own preferences are somehow superior to other methods. There are many editors who use the timeline as a “scratch pad” and that works quite effectively for them. FCPX does not make it easy to do this, while other NLEs do. Whether that’s “good” or “bad” is merely a matter of personal workflow and preference.

Second – the client shouldn’t really care how you get the results as long as you can get there quickly by whatever means suits your style.”

Oliver,

I’ve simply come to see the entire browser as a scratch pad. Once where I can call up tagged groupings of pre-trimmed, useful clips. And if I use my range tags properly, I can have as many of them as I like, with as many different layouts of clips as I want to keep track of.

It’s just as much a ‘scratch pad’ but it’s a digital one with more search and recall capabilities than I ever had inside a flat timeline.

Just a different perspective, I suppose. And yes, to each their own.

AMEN to part two of this.

How you train your brain as to expectations and process is your own damn business.

And I support that fully.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.

[Bill Davis]

[Neil Goodman] “i am guilty of sticking clips at the end of the timeline – even in FCPX. sometimes Ill put a clip in, decide it doesnt go there and then throw it to the rear to put somewhere else later because its quicker FOR ME to just grab it from there, then go back to the library or favorites.”

I don’t criticize ANYONE else’s work flow. What works for you, works for you.

And I’ve done the same. But I came to realize that the PRIMARY reason I was doing things that way was because I’d long ago conditioned myself to THINK that way.

It’s like driving to the local store. You take a path, it works, there’s no real reason to look for another route. Until one day you do – and discover a back way that’s faster and easier. And suddenly, a change is called for. Doesn’t mean you’ll NEVER take the old route again. But now you KNOW the neighborhood better, you’d be nuts to settle for one old solution, after you’ve found one that works better for where YOUR house is positioned relative to the store.

That’s all.

Creator of XinTwo – https://www.xintwo.com
The shortest path to FCP X mastery.

[David Esp]

In FCPX just now I tried pancaking from Secondary to Primary storyline…
Do-able for a single storyline …though it is limited and highly clunky.
Advice/opinions welcome.

Previously I have found the pancaking style useful for “Sculpting” projects e.g. a long-duration real-life “fly on wall” production requiring multiple review/log passes to identify any structure/elements. I have not found this comfortable/productive to perform in the Browser. I have previously used this method in Adobe Premiere (stacked timelines) and, prior to that, Sony Vegas (two instances of same app).

So how to squish FCPX into doing its best approximation to this?…

BTW: Shame that [Alt-Cmd-UpArrow] doesn’t work for a dragged-range on a Sec Storyline. A work-around is possible (as below) and I wonder if it could be made a “macro” e.g. in CommandPost (which I have never used).

Also, in passing, I was surprised/frustrated that [Cmd-b] doesn’t cut both ends of a dragged-range…

Pancake Kludge Procedure:

Preparation
* In Browser: Select Media (e.g. plain clips, Synch clips or Multicam clips)
* Right-click and Create seqProject
* Optionally play-through and add (initial) markers for items of interest
* Lift All to become a Secondary Storyline (or Connected Clip, if there is only one clip)
** Select-All (on Pri Storyline)
** [Alt-Cmd-UpArrow] = Lift to become Connected Clip(s) or (if >1 clip) Sec Storyline
*** …connected to the Gap-clip left in the Pri Storyline, of same duration as the lifted clip(s)

Editing
* In Sec Storyline / Connected Clip, select (whole or range) of the clip
** To select such a range, only method available is Range-select tool
*** The [I/O] shortcuts only apply to the Primary Storyline
* Lift it out – to become a (plain) Connected Clip (to the Pri Storyline)
** If a whole Sec Storyline Clip is selected then…
*** [Q]
**** Leaves a Gap-clip in its place
** If a sub-range of a clip is selected then…
*** Optionally add a Marker (for “safety”) at start of range
*** Sadly cannot: [Alt-Cmd-UpArrow]
**** Doesn’t work…
*** [Edit > Copy]
*** Ensure playhead is positioned at Range-Start
**** (as the paste will be aligned to playhead)
**** (But needn’t however be too accurate if only going to delete gap-clips later on)
*** [Edit > Paste as Connected Clip]
* Drop it down – into the Primary Storyline
** Select this (new) Connected Clip
** [Alt-Cmd-DownArrow]
*** …or [Shift-Drag], which permits only the vertical direction

Result:
* The selected element from the Secondary Storyline is now at the same timecode-position but in the Primary Storyline.
* …leaving a corresponding Gap-clip where that element originated (in the Secondary storyline)
** Such gap-leaving can serve as a useful device to help avoid duplicate use of such elements.

Further:
* Snapshot-Duplicate the seqProject
** Treat the Snapshot as archive/backup/pancake version, continue working on the original (that it was taken from)
* Delete the Secondary Storyline
* Open Timeline Index
** Select [Clips]
** Search:[gap]
** Select-all
** [Delete-key]