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Position Keyframes- How to change Bezier to Linear?
I have a still graphic behind the green-screen presenter throughout a project. When the presenter moves to the other side of the screen the BG swaps to the opposite side. So, I have the BG graphic keyframed to move side to side during the video. Somehow the path between two identical position keyframes became Bezier and while the BG was supposed to be still it floated out of view and back in to the same position from where it left. I can find no way to fix this in place. I had to delete all position keyframes from there to the end of the project and rebuild them in sequence. All is well now, but I sure would like to know how to take the path between two position keyframes and change its behavior.
NewsVideo.com
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14 Replies
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If you select the background with the keyframes, and hit the transform button in the lower left hand corner of the viewer or hit shift-t, you should see the animation curve in the viewer.
Right click on the ends to select linear or smooth for the keyframe interpretation.
Now here’s where it becomes troublesome. I find that even if I have linear selected, there is still some acceleration and deceleration as the clip approaches the keyframes.
If you want the movement to be completely linear without any acceleration, I have a strange workaround.
There’s the keyframe button in the upper left hand corner of the viewer. Jump to your first position keyframe, tap the right arrow button on your keyboard to travel a few frames away from the keyframe, hit the add keyframe button, then hit it again to delete the new keyframe. I do this 2 or 3 times.
Now jump to the next keyframe, and travel a few frames before the keyframe and do this again.
Do this create/delete keyframe dance around each of your desired keyframes. You only need to do this between your desired keyframes. For example you don’t need to do this before your first keyframe, or after your last keyframe. If I have more than 2 position keyframes, I do this a few frames before and a few frames after each
When you delete the extra keyframe the first time, you should see the position of the clip shift. I don’t understand this, but there seems to be some sort of ramping on your initial keyframes that get changed when you add the new keyframe right next to it. You don’t have control over this ramping, but this strange procedure will help you work aroud it by forcing it to change.
Good luck.
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Don’t live your life in a secondary storyline.Mark Morache
FCPX/FCP7/Xpri/Avid
Evening Magazine,Seattle, WA
https://fcpx.wordpress.com -
Very thoughtful reply. I appreciate it very much. I couldn’t find any point where I could right-click to change the interpolation since the Bezier movement was straight down the x-axis but now that I know where to look I can’t wait to try it.
I had once fixed a wandering interpolation by creating a new keyframe one frame later but I think that was somewhere else. Didn’t work this time and that’s where I thought you were headed in your explanation.. but you didn’t head that way. Interesting trick. Again, thank you very much.
NewsVideo.com
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Hey Don… I think you were part of the discussion we had on this last month. It was hearing about others adding keyframes that made me try it.
Then I noticed that when I deleted the added keyframe, that the position of the object changed.
Whooda thought?
Now, if you select the clip with the transition, and hit shift-t, you should see your clip in the viewer with a red line indicating the motion path, and white arrowheads indicating the keyframes on the path. It’s the white arrowheads you want to right-click.
If there are no position keyframes on the clip, there will be no line or arrow headsl
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Don’t live your life in a secondary storyline.Mark Morache
FCPX/FCP7/Xpri/Avid
Evening Magazine,Seattle, WA
https://fcpx.wordpress.com -
Well, strip my gears and call me shiftless! That add/delete a key frame a few frames later worked! I tried the right-clicking on the keyframes in the Viewer to no avail. They were already marked as Liner. Even changing them to Smooth and back didn’t work. Then I tried your cockamamie add/delete keyframe trick and BOOM! The errant way of the interpolation came back to a straight path. Thank you!
NewsVideo.com
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Excellent info, Mark …have you reported this bug to Apple yet? If not, please do.
https://bugreport.apple.com/
https://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.htmlCheers
Andy -
WOW, thank you Mark!!! That add/delete key frame trick saved my sanity. At least I still have most of my hair left, I was about to go completely crazy!
Seems like this should be fixed by now…
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I can’t believe this. I have been driving myself nuts trying to get a linear move without that goofball s-curve even though all keyframes were set to linear. I stumbled upon this thread and saw the on/off workaround on path points between keyframes and was utterly skeptical. But I just tried it on my latest bothersome move AND IT WORKED! I have no idea how you figured that out but I am crazy glad you did. Thanks!
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Great tip – was driving me crazy as well, company logo’s drifting around the video everywhere. Well worked out!
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Yes it is amazing how that works, and from what I’ve read elsewhere, no one seems to understand why or why it’s not generally known.(although I have a feeling the word’s getting out)
However, while that problem is solved it remains, apparently, impossible to at the same time affect an ease in/out as would be most preferable in such a move. One can still access handles at the keyframe but those are solely for directing a path and do nothing to slow down entree/exit from a given keyframe.
Are we doomed to a black and white situation: either we accept that goof-ball s-curve or we’re stuck with jarring starts and stops of a still’s motion?
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Mark,
Thanks so much! I could not figure out why I had the onscreen drift and this fixed it. I have version FCPX 10.0.8 and the keyframe drifting problem still exists apparently.John
John Funchess
Fusion Creative
iMac 27″ 3.2 GHz Core i5
24 GB Ram
Currently: 1TB Lacie Thunderbolt drive
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