Simon… re your “Adjustable Frame” effect

[Simon Ubsdell]

[Eli Hollander] “Simon, I was playing around with your “Adjustable Frame” effect… is there a way to ease-in/ease-out when key framing, say, a change of size? Or, can that be added? (I notice there is no ease, or smooth, option in the transform when doing a scale change).”

Hi Eli

I could be wrong, but it looks as though the options are limited for this, chiefly because within FCPX, as you say, there is no way to control keyframe easing for Transforms (other than the spatial smoothing they have implemented). You are stuck with the default linear interpolation when you animate inside FCPX.

It’s equally hard to get you this by publishing from Motion, although Motion itself is capable of great sophistication in keyframing. If you had a specific length in mind for an move/size animation then it would be possible to give you this control in full but obviously it would be fairly limiting. The only other workaround I can think might work is to give you the option to make your composition in two or more parts with a section for the move in, a section for the hold and a section for the move out. Again this isn’t really practical.

If you would like to explore something custom-made then I’m happy to look at it for you, but I don’t think I can make a universal template.

I a very much hoping that this very simple and basic issue of Transform keyframing behaviours is fixed very soon so it can all be done within FCPX.

Simon Ubsdell
Director/Editor/Writer
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Eli Hollander]

Simon, thanks for your response and offer to be helpful (as you have certainly been in the past).

I think I can handle this “smooth”ing key-frame lack in some other way… (export clips and deal with them outside FCP X). I agree that it would be very nice to have that capability with most, if not all, animation keyframes, and I have made a suggestion to Apple’s “suggestion box”.

Thanks again,
Eli

[Simon Ubsdell]

Following on from Alex Gollner’s very useful tip about how to cheat animation into FCPX from Motion, I’ve made a new version of the Adjustable Frame effect which might be of use to you.

2739_adjustableframeanimation.zip

There are still limitations – the main one is that you can only have one animation per effect, so you couldn’t have the frame animate on and off only one or the other. (Use the Animation Start/End controls to determine where the animation begins and ends.)

But the keyframe smoothing does give a much nice result. Note that I have made a slider control for the amount of easing but it probably wants to stay at 100%.

Simon Ubsdell
Director/Editor/Writer
http://www.tokyo-uk.com