Time Remapping Question

[Andrea Stewart]

If you toggle clip keyframes (lower left corner of timeline) you can see the little click marks for speed on each layer.

Use the time remap tool (SSS) to click within the layer. It will create a keyframe. As you drag left or right you will see how it affects the speed to either side of it.

Make 4 keyframes for the beginning, end and the section in the middle where you want it to speed up.
Then put the remap cursor on the keyframes in the middle and slide until the speed in the middle is where you want it. Your speed to the left will change, but that’s okay. Now go to the keyframe on the left and slide until its at 100% between keyframe A &B. Do the same for C&D.

This maynot be the most efficient way but it works. If you want to smooth. That’s trickier because it ill adjust on both sides of the keyframe. You’ll need to do that in the motion window until you get something you’re happy with.

Andrea Stewart
Producer/Editor/Director – Owner
Germane Creative LLC

[Steve Eisen]

What you are describing is constant speed. If you want everything 100% then 130% then 100% again, just make a cut between the section where you want it 130%.

Try Time Remapping in Motion. There’s more control.

Steve Eisen
Eisen Video Productions
Director-At-Large
Chicago Final Cut Pro Users Group

[Dustin Parsons]

Yeah, I was going for something more smooth, it’s always awkward when the speed just jumps from normal to something else.

Also, a problem I have with your method is when I’m adjusting the speed of the keyframe in the middle (B) there’s no way to make it have the same speed on both sides. If I speed up from A to B it slows the speed between B and C, as if there’s no way to keep a consistent speed between A and C.

[Dustin Parsons]

Constant speeds but with keyframe smoothing so it’s not an abrupt jump between them.

I’ll check out Motion, but it seems a little much to have to go to another program to do something as simple as this… or at least something that SHOULD be as simple as this. There has to be a way to do this easily within FCP.

[Tony Van mellaert]

I’m also having problems with this in FCP. I’m used to the Timewarp effect in avid which is very straightforward and allows very accurate speed changes. Don’t get me wrong I really love FCP but the variable speed effect drives me crazy. I cannot even see in the motion tab at which speed a part of the clip is playing. I’ve been looking for a plugin but I cannot find anything that’s easy and fast. Twixtor is no doubt very high quality but I don’t like the slow rendering and high pricing.
Any tips or help are appreciated.

[Dustin Parsons]

What I found myself doing is laying down the entire shot I want to time remap in a new timeline and playing around with it until I got it where I wanted it. Then cut off any excess unwanted footage from each end and plug it back into my original sequence. Also, I never use keyframe smoothing, most of my changes weren’t drastic enough to warrant the headache that comes with smoothing.

I know this is probably not the best way to do it. But it’s what worked for me.

[Stephen Fenn]

I too cannot believe what a drama it is trying to get this to work. I have not yet met someone able to show me a hassle free way of doing this. I wonder if there are any third-party type plugins available.

[Ted Wiggin]

I agree. this has been driving me nuts all day. I see it done so often in skateboarding videos there must be a way to do it easily somehow. if only final cut had an option to allow the time remapping feature to change the overall duration of the clip

i’m told that the corresponding feature in Adobe Premier is better suited for this kind of thing. I havent had a chance to try it yet though

[Ted Wiggin]

premier does it real nicely with video but there doesnt seem to be any way to have it change the audio speed as well

i made a MaxMSP patch that can do both in real time but it doesnt render out nicely. this really shouldnt be so hard

[Craig Swanson]

yes time remap sucks in fcp. I also come from an avid backround and will soon explore motion to see if there is an easier way…although it’s an extra step of course to something that should be so simple.

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