Why in the world is the default Drop Shadow offset value 10?

[Steve Connor]

I think in my top 100 things to change about FCP this would struggle to make number 100!

The value has to be something, 99 times out of 100 you have to change it anyway.

[Russell Lasson]

I agree. It just got to me. But it still made the list.

-Russ

[David Roth weiss]

[Russell Lasson] “Why in the world is the default Drop Shadow offset value 10?”

That’s simple… When looking at a comp from space an offset of 10 works perfectly evey time.

[Russell Lasson]

Is that where Apple’s programmers write the software?

hmmm…..

It’s all coming clear to me now.

-Russ

[Walter Biscardi]

[Russell Lasson] “Why in the world is the default Drop Shadow offset value 10?

It’s a stupid value. I never want a value of 10. I want of value of 1.8ish. FCP guys, 10 is a dumb number. In fact your whole scale is dumb if I need to type in 1.8 to get a basic drop shadow.

This is going on my “Please Change” list.”

Probably because you want to know it’s actually turned on. It’s very obvious that it’s turned on and this is important if you really didn’t mean to turn it on and clicked it by accident.

I don’t see any reason to change this.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Food Network’s “Good Eats”
HD Editorial for “Assignment Earth”

Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi

[Russell Lasson]

I liked David’s answer better 🙂

If it ends up getting changed in FCP version 12.1, then you can curse me the rest of your days Walter.

Until then, I’ll just have to deal with it. Heaven knows I spend a lot more time complaining about something like this than I do actually changing the number from 10 to 1.6.

-Russ

PS What I’d really like is to have a text file that I open and change my preferences. Not only for this, but a lot of other things like interface colors/brightness, default columns that show, etc.

[Chris Borjis]

I’d like them to just fix all the “features” that are still broken, then we can talk about drop shadow presets I never use.

🙂

[Kevin Monahan]

How many filters and transitions also have poor default settings? Many too many. Ah well, what are ya gonna do?

Kevin Monahan
Take My FCP Master’s Workshop!
fcpworld.com
Pres. SF Cutters