With FCPX magnetic timeline,the non-linear is linear again!

[David Lawrence]

@Reed Black,

Where does your fade begin on the timeline? Mine ripples back 50% the fade length. That is *not* what I want. I want 10-seconds of black and then fade up from black to my clip. In FCP 7, this is the default behavior. And I can easily choose transition alignment – begin on edit, center on edit, end on edit – from a context menu drop-down item. I use this stuff all the time. Please explain how to do this in FCPX.

Same with the magnetic timeline. If it’s simple to turn off, how do you do this?

Thanks!

[Reed Black]

Okay, I see what you mean now. Just do this then…

1. Add your transition 1st. BEFORE you add the black space.
2. THEN add 10 seconds of black by selecting the clip and pressing + (whatever seconds you decide.) And the clip should fade up from the START point of the transition like in FCP7.

Hope this helps.

Yeah, there’s a ton of cool new features but some really dumb ones and that’s one of them. I also, didn’t like that to add a transition to a 2nd track you have to press cmd G (storyline – what is storyline btw and what is its function?) before adding the transition. Also, when you do add the transition, it defaults to the CENTER of the dissolve not at the top. Annoying. Sigh… apple, sheesh, I really do like what they did with a lot of the features but some things just simply are completely unnecessary. Changing the names of things, adding 2 or 3 steps where before it was 1 step, etc. I’m still pulling for this program to be what it needs to be but as stated before… Apple needs to speak up, like now.

[Reed Black]

To turn off magnetic timeline simply press “p”. The function is located under the same menu as “select (A)” tool.

[David Lawrence]

[Reed Black] “1. Add your transition 1st. BEFORE you add the black space.”

yes, but this is the simplest possible example. On a complex timeline it may not be possible. The bottom line is that the behavior is unpredictable and completely unintuitive.

Another example: click the head of the clip and use the context menu to select “add transition” instead of command-T. Result? Fades at the head and tail of the clip!

Re: Positioning tool – Yes, you can press P and place clips anywhere, but it’s not changing the ripple-only nature of the timeline. It’s placing transparent slugs where ever a gap appears. These slugs are objects on the timeline and have to be managed. I honestly don’t see how this makes my work any easier.

These aren’t minor quirks. To me, they’re huge usability gaffes and there are a ton of them throughout the program. It’s really sloppy, amateurish design. Coming from a world class UI leader like Apple, it’s baffling how X got out the door. It feels like they never did any basic usability testing with actual users!

This is why so many of us are saying X is unusable for our work.

[Hans Dampf]

I may be wrong, but isn’t the “splice in” mode in AVID almost the same like the “magnetic timeline” in FCPX?

[Reed Black]

@ DAVID – “This is why so many of us are saying X is unusable for our work.”

I hear you but I do believe this will change in time. When I sat down to use it, I approached it this way;

Does it still retain the basic functionality that I’m used to actually work?
Does it still use JKL? Yes.
Does it still use I-in & O-out? Yes.
Is there still a match source function? Yes. Is it mappable? Yes.
And is there still a blade tool? Yes.

These are my basic foundational editorial tools to actually create and manipulate content. Everything else is a plus and I can always build on top of these functions. This how I approach all NLE’s and software in general. As mentioned earlier there is some funkiness about it that will be worked out in time. In the interim, I’ll use FCP7 for my pro-work and FCPX to practice, learn, and get familiar with this new approach to editing.

Side note: I watched LAFCPUG video’s last night with Larry Jordan. Dated JUNE 15 (before the release). And he said something that made me feel a lot better about all this. And that APPLE wouldn’t have sent out over 20 top level people for the release of FCPX at a PROFESSIONAL event such as PRO-MEET (I think that’s the name) if they didn’t care about it or us the pros. He also was very, very clear that having been invited to cupertino – that Apple listens. They don’t answer but they listen. He clearly warned that this is NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME. He stated this several times, and he said Apple knows this. I’ve read his recent write up and yes he agrees there are some very, very good things and some very very bad things but like him, I still have faith that Apple will straighten FCPX out. And all will be well again. I BELIEVE!

[Craig Seeman]

I was an Avid editor for 10 years although I’ve gone 10 years without really using it since but there are actually a number of things that are more Avid like than FCP7 was.

The Skimmer plays more than 1 frame of audio which was something that Avid did (and FCP7 did not) although I remember Avid allowing you to change the duration in preferences and it was done with the playhead.

I vaguely remember something like that black slug inserted also being Avid like. (again I’m remember back to about 2001 so things may have changed).

Yes the magnetic time line vs using the Position command (which inserts black slug when you move something) reminds me of Avid’s edit modes a bit.

There’s a few other things that seem more Avid like as well.

[Craig Seeman]

I also believe (hallelujah?).

Apple is talking to people. They are listening. The FAQ just posted is the start of a response. I don’t doubt their crew at the SuperMeet was there not only to observe the response but to get informal feedback.

As someone who works with developers, I have to keep telling people that development is an ONGOING thing. It may not even be linear. While something goes out the door there’s already work in progress for fixes, improvements, new features.

No company spends the time and resources to come out with something like FCPX to abandon a market segment. They hit the widest target first. The narrower (higher end professional market) isn’t necessarily taking a back set, those features may be taking longer to develop. The APIs to open features to third party support has to be very thorough or changes will break that support down the road.

[Eddie Mcfly]

you can add the clip with the talent in the primary storyline, and drag to connect the background video underneath it. when you drag, it is possible to connect video clips below the primary, and audio clips above