The missing Source Window

[Shane Ross]

You aren’t alone. The missing VIEWER is yet another HUGE chunk of missing stuff that makes FCX not a viable option or me as well. Yet another example of a fundamental flaw in design, and how the engineers have NO CLUE about the tools that editors need and use. Sorry, that small scrubber window doesn’t cut it…even if I can finely tune my in point. I need a larger window in order to see what I am doing…I need a side-by-side comparison on many occasions.

Shane

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[Ben Scott]

try

• turning off skimmer
• display clips as a list
• use command 1 or 2 to toggle whats on the viewer

only thing I see as a problem for matching is ganging is missing which is essential for reconforming edits

for eyelines Its awkward that you cant turn off mark in and out when in events browser and the skimmer is off thats why jkl is probably better in that situation.

[Rafael Amador]

For me that’s enough to reject FCPX.
A source and a program window is the minimum to consider a system as pro.
Even the times of the U-Matic LB we had two monitors.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Ken Pugh]

I spent many years editing on Media 100 with its single media window, so I was very used to this style of editing, switching between source and record in the same window, so I know it can be done. Despite this, when I switched to FCP it was a huge liberation having both source and record windows active at the same time, I could never go back.

I wonder what’s the logic behind one screen? Is it so the software can work more effectively on single screen systems, like the iMac range? To make room for all the metadata? Useful as it is, I’d rather edit from pictures than metadata….

Ken.

[Andrew Richards]

[Ken Pugh] “I wonder what’s the logic behind one screen? Is it so the software can work more effectively on single screen systems, like the iMac range? To make room for all the metadata? Useful as it is, I’d rather edit from pictures than metadata….”

Probably a screen real estate thing. However, with two displays there is plenty of room, and the Trim tool shows a fleeting glimpse. I think they ought to have a persistent second viewer as an option for users who have the pixels available and need to see side by side images (though I have defended the lone viewer in the past, I’ve come around on this issue). Surely there must be some sort of second viewer in the cards with the upcoming multicam feature. Dare we hope for two birds with one stone?

Best,
Andy

[Walter Soyka]

[Andrew Richards] “Probably a screen real estate thing.”

And yet many complain about gratuitous chrome. Also, when FCP v1 was released, most screens were 1024×768. Even the smallest MacBook Air today has 33% more screen real estate than that.

My guess is that the loss of the source monitor was driven by the design decision to try to simplify or streamline the NLE’s interface by making it more contextual: since you can only shuttle or interact with one viewer at a time, you should only show one viewer at a time. The two-up then appears in context only for editorial operations that explicitly require it.

Apple isn’t alone here. Smoke used to work this way, too, and many Smoke editors still use the single viewer. It is worth noting that Autodesk added a source/record view some time ago. Hopefully Apple will, too.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Olof Ekbergh]

Media100 also finally added a second viewer, after years of requests.

I think a second viewer is great, but not all the time. It would be nice to be able to have one like M100 does now, open it when you need it. It would also be nice if it had the capability of keeping multiple screen shots, possible from a popup window for CC etc.

Olof Ekbergh

[Bill Hall]

I still can’t help but by into the “it was designed for a touch interface” conspiracy theory. If that is the case screen real estate concerns make sense. You just don’t have much working room on an iPad and I imagine they are looking to make a seamless port.

This in no way makes it a good idea.

[Walter Soyka]

[Bill Hall] “I still can’t help but by into the “it was designed for a touch interface” conspiracy theory. If that is the case screen real estate concerns make sense. You just don’t have much working room on an iPad and I imagine they are looking to make a seamless port. “

I agree — the interface does feel very touchable, and that would certainly explain the usage of space in the UI design. You have to leave room for much larger targets in a touch system than you do in a mouse-based system. Resolution matters more in terms of physical space (since the size of your fingertip is fixed) than it does in pixels (where the tip of the cursor is always 1px).

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[David Roth weiss]

[Andrew Richards] “I think they ought to have a persistent second viewer as an option for users who have the pixels available and need to see side by side images (though I have defended the lone viewer in the past, I’ve come around on this issue).”

I think you must have missed a dose of the Kool Aid. 🙂

Next, you’ll be wanting tracked audio.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor/Colorist
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles
https://www.drwfilms.com

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