warning: do not open your media files in another program

[Michael Hancock]

[Craig Seeman] “It’s a 1.0 app. Of course they will add features. “

This isn’t a missing feature Craig. It’s a big problem. Can’t open your media in another app for fear of changing metadata that results in offline media? That’s poor design and/or programming.

I don’t care what constraints the programmers are under, this should have been taken into consideration before any code was written, and code should have been written to account for the fact that editors do not operate in a vacuum. Maybe that was a manager’s fault for not requiring that media be accessible in other programs without breaking a link in FCPX, maybe it’s the coder’s fault for shoddy code and they didn’t bother to fix it during beta testing – either way, it’s completely unacceptable, even for a 1.0 app. It smacks of engineers designing the program with zero input from working editors.

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Michael Hancock
Editor

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Tony Silanskas] “Seems to happen every time with After Effects”

That’s the XMP metadata used by Adobe that changes it. You can turn it off in preferences.

[John Pale]

Yeah…other folks set me straight already on how to save s still….

The larger point was that there may be danger in opening the media files you are using in FCPX in other programs, such as AE, FCP 7, Premiere, etc…

There are lots of reasons why one might do that….

[John Pale]

Thanks for saying it better than I did Michael.

I think there really is a baseline to what is acceptable for an editing application being marketed to professionals, or even semi professionals.

If my linkage gets hopelessly messed up in other NLE’s, worst case scenario, I can still recapture or re-import and precisely re-edit…but in FCPX, you cannot see your source timecode from the edited clips in the timeline. Of course, there is no EDL or XML either…so your edit only exists in your own memory. Luckily, in this case, it was only half a dozen clips. I could easily envision a much worse scenario.

[Craig Seeman]

It’s a missing feature because they are developing a relational database which, in its current form, can’t yet handle the metadata from other programs. A new approach to programing NLE likely makes certain things more difficult to program than other NLEs. Just as FCPX can’t import FCP7 sequences. In its current form it simply can’t handle the information in any useful way so they lock it out. You can’t tell programmers what is/isn’t difficult for them regardless what your “expectations” are. Problems that are difficult for them take longer than problems that are easier regardless of what you think the “should” do.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[Craig Seeman] “It’s a missing feature because they are developing a relational database which, in its current form, can’t yet handle the metadata from other programs.”

This “feature” took a very long time to become a preference in FCP7. You can now “always connect to externally modified files”. Hopefully this returns in FCPx or they at least make an easier way to do this.

[John Pale]

Craig,

Do you consider providing the editor the most basic info…the timecode of the edits he is making…. a feature??
I consider it an essential foundational element. Even primitive NLE’S of the 1990’s did that.

How low do you want to set the bar? I’m all for giving it a fair shake, but come on?

[Craig Seeman]

[John Pale] “Do you consider providing the editor the most basic info…the timecode of the edits he is making…. a feature??”

Yes, given the way FCPX handles things. It’s not at all time based the way other NLEs are. It’s relationship based so I don’t doubt timecode would be an entirely different beast that might still be a work in progress. Certainly timecode is important but that doesn’t make it easy for the programers to implement in the current context.

When I import a clip with timecode I see it so I can use timecode notes to log the clip. Once it’s in the timeline the timecode is less critical for me. It would help to see the source timecode if I need it to find other clips in a project though.

[John Pale]

Good to know. My testing seems to concur.

Always happens with Adobe (thanks to XMP apparently)
intermittent with other apps including FCP 7.

[Jeremy Garchow]

[John Pale] “Always happens with Adobe (thanks to XMP apparently)”

I noticed all my render files would get knocked loose after using AutoDuck Pro Import AE from an FCP7 timeline. Wes Plate directed me to the XMP pref.