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Two beefs with FCP!
Hey gang….
I’ve got two beefs that I have got to voice.
Number one is, why isn’t there a way to be able to preview certain audio channels? I mean in the Viewer window it would be nice to have check boxes for the audio channels you have available so that you could listen to the channels you want. I know… why do you want to do that? Well, I have footage that has three channels of audio – two for the talents and one for camera mic for nat sound. The problem is that the nat sound mic tends to be much louder than my talent mics. For the most part, that’s always the case. So…. why wouldn’t it make sense to add check boxes to be able to select the audio you wish to preview. Right now, if I want to preview it, I have to drag it to the timeline so that I only have my talent mics.
And number two… when dealing with 16×9 footage on a 4×3 timeline, why is it that the only way to view it is letterboxed? Why can’t there be a way to see a center punch of the video (you know, crop off the sides)? Everybody out there has letterbox plugins for this also but nobody has come up with a way to do the opposite. Graeme Nattress has a wonderful letterbox plugin that you can move the video inside the letterbox vertically for proper placement. Great job, Graeme. Why can’t the opposite be programmed? I mean, why can’t there be a plugin that does the center punch and has adjustments for the video horizontally. So far… I have asked this and everybody is always asking, why do you want to do this? Well, you know the way of the future is HD and its 16×9, so doesn’t it make sense to shoot your SD footage in 16×9 now so that when you need footage for HD that all your footage have the same aspect ratio. Yeah, why do you want to upconvert to HD? Well, you have to look to what you can afford today and prepare for tommorrow. Ok… now, doesn’t that qualify the need for some way to use SD footage in HD and sometimes 16×9 footage in a 4×3 timeline?
What do you think?
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions -
10 Replies
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1 – AudioMixer
2 – Motion tab, anamorphic checkbox.All the best
Uwe -
2 – Motion tab, anamorphic checkbox.
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So…un-check anamorphic and then change the aspect ratio to 33? (Or is it -33 maybe?) I think that’s what you’re saying and yes, I think that would do the trick.
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Ok…. that just gives me a letterboxed image again. I’m looking for the full screen center punch, not a letterboxed image. I want it to look like a standard 4×3 image. I know that I can do it using the distort tab under the motion tab, but that takes time which none of us really have.
BTW… where is the anamorphic checkbox under the Motion tab. Mine doesn’t have that option. I have it in the Browser window but not under the Motion tab.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions -
Unclick the anamorphic checkbox after digitizing, edit in a 4:3 sequence, switch viewing monitor to 16:9.
I do it almost every day. No big deal.Regards
Uwe -
Forgot one:
If you already edited in a 16:9 sequence you can switch sequence to 4:3.
Then select all video and do a “ctrl”-click – remove attributes – distort.Greetings
Uwe -
Ok… but you’re missing what I’m saying. I guess I didn’t make myself clear. I’m editing on a 4×3 timeline and my footage is 16×9 AND I don’t want the letterbox look. Most of the footage is 4×3 but some of it is 16×9. I already know you can use the disort feature to make it fill the screen properly along with the aspect ratio box. But do you have time to contantly change these parameters for each and every 16×9 clip.
It very easy to use 16×9 on a 4×3 timeline but the reverse is very difficult. I’m just asking for something to help me save time. I know what I need and if I could program, I’d make my own plugin.
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions -
you are going to have to scale up the clip, and then save that effect as a favorite motion. Then you need to select all the clips you want to do apply the effect to and drag the favorite effect to the new clips. Or you can add the effect one at a time as you edit them into the timeline.
Sorry man, but them’s the brakes.
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G5 Dual 2Ghz <> 4GB RAM <> FCP 4.5 <> Kona 2ATTO 42XS <> Huge Systems 1.25 TB 4105 Fibre
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2. probably misunderstanding despite the detailed thread, but what about scaling the canvas to acheive that ? would that work …. probably not enough control over the zoom value, but maybe woth a shot.
cheers
Andy -
Thanks, Jeremy… I always amazes me how we can forget the easiest things in FCP. Boy, I feel stupid!
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Wayne Carey
Schazam Productions -
FCP can already do the 2 things you want, without the use of 3rd party plugins. If you don’t know how to change the volume of the audio in your viewer, or scale & center video using the motion tab, that’s not a problem with FCP, that’s your problem of not knowing how to use it.
Arnie
https://www.arniepix.com
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