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Range-based keywording: unique to FCP X?
A friend recently asked me if Avid Media Composer 6 has range-based keywording. I’m not certain, but I said I didn’t think so. He’s primarily interested in using the feature as a more efficient way to catalog footage for use in trailers.
Is range-based keywording (defined here as the ability to assign metadata not simply to a clip but to a range of frames within a clip) a feature that is unique to FCP X at this point? Do any other NLEs or third-party tools offer this functionality?
Please advise, thanks.
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101 Replies
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Not sure about Avid or others, but FCP7 has a form of it in the extended markers. Screen grab here:
It’s not as easy, or as fluid as FCPX, but the idea of it is somewhat similar. In my opinion, the method in which FCPX not only allows you to do this sort of organizing, but the way in which it is presented and the way that the information can be manipulated by the user is rather unique. Some will say that iMovie does this, and I would say it does some version of it, but they are different in how they accomplish the same methodology. iMovie is the concept, FCPX takes it a step further.
Jeremy
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Yes, range-based keywording is unique to FCP X. However, it’s effectively the same as a subclip. Media Composer 6 does have a very advanced Find function, as well as the optional (+$500) PhraseFind for phonetic searches.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
No, FCP7 has had ‘range based markers’ since 7.01 I think. FCPX’s implementation is better, but same concept.
Avid’s easiest comparison would simply be making subclips. You can rename the subclips and they will always remember their link back to the master clip, so it serves the same purpose.
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[Daniel Frome] “Avid’s easiest comparison would simply be making subclips. You can rename the subclips and they will always remember their link back to the master clip, so it serves the same purpose.
“Making subclips makes more media to take up space though right?
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[tony west] “Making subclips makes more media to take up space though right?”
Nope, a subclip is a virtual clip, created exactly for this case of breaking up larger media without actually duplicating.
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[Daniel Frome] “Nope, a subclip is a virtual clip, created exactly for this case of breaking up larger media without actually duplicating.
“I was thinking in the media manager where it say “modified media”
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[Jeremy Garchow] ” Some will say that iMovie does this, and I would say it does some version of it, but they are different in how they accomplish the same methodology. iMovie is the concept, FCPX takes it a step further.”
Being probably the “some” referred to here, I would say that keywording does not strictly speaking exist in iMovie but the concept of favoriting ranges was well established.
The point I was making to which you are referring here is that it’s not a major step at all to go from range based favorites to some kind of keyword tagging of them that you can then search. The difficult and innovative bit was the sticky range based selections – the easy bit (well, what do I know, I’m guessing here) was to add on a bit of extra database sifting – as in assigning a searchable tag to those favorite ranges.
I really don’t think we should be getting that excited about some simple database functions here in the second decade of the 21st century. The part that iMovie had already achieved, now that was cool. (And let’s not forget that iMovie has long been doing its own ultra clever hidden database management with its grouping and sorting of automatically detected shot types. Now that’s very cool indeed.)
Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com -
[tony west] “I was thinking in the media manager where it say “modified media””
There is no media manager as such as Avid, and there is no ‘modified media’ option either. Perhaps you’re thinking of another NLE?
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Daniel,
Creating subclips in Avid isn’t really serving the same purpose if you can’t attach metadata to those subclips and then have that metadata searchable. I’ve never used FCPX but it’s my understanding that a single clip can contain virtually unlimited metadata/keywords. The advantage to this is that one subclip could serve many functions. So, instead of having to sift through every subclip, visually, for the shot you’re looking for you could simply do a search for, for example, any clip that had the keyword “scope” attached to it. Does this make sense?
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This makes perfect sense, but since subclips are also searchable, and can contain lots of unique metadata, I still think it serves the same purpose.
I won’t get into which way is “better” because that is subjective, but if you’re looking for a way to break up a long clip into segments and attach metadata, this is a very workable solution.
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