Andrew Kimery
Forum Replies Created
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[Scott Witthaus] “Perhaps, but I wonder how many editors are making their Premiere interface feel like X! But a nicer look for sure.”
Probably a minority. I think most users, regardless of the program, go with the default because it’s what they learned on and they’d rather adapt to that then take the time to experiment with different layout options (even if that would be faster in the long run).
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[Jeremy Garchow] “It seems that rendering the timeline, and then using the previews in the resulting export stops the crashing. If I don’t do it that way, it will crash on export.
“Possibly a codec or file/media type issue? Does it crash whether your export directly from PPro or from Media Encoder?
One of my projects developed an export glitch that would surface if I export via Media Encoder but not if I exported from PPro?
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Here’s my dead project storage from all the crashes and recovery projects. This is from one project file.”
I don’t think Oliver is questioning that it’s happening, but questioning why it’s happening.
Once in a blue moon I’ll get a crashy project (it might crash 2 or 3 times in a day) but I can typically find the cause (bad render, bad piece of media, transfer it all to a new project., etc.,) and the crashing goes away. I’ve been using PPro a lot since 2013/2014 on a variety of Macs (some owned and maintained by me, some owned and maintained by the various companies I’ve worked for), and generally speaking it’s been stable and reliable in my experience.
Obviously our lack of problems doesn’t help to solve your problem though…
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[Jeremy Garchow] “Pr has a weirdly empty default kb shortcut set. More often than not, going to search for a shortcut ends up empty, like replace edits of any sort which are unassigned by default in Pr.”
I know, it’s just weird. And the FCP 7 keyboard layout is also oddly incomplete as well.
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[Oliver Peters] “And how many keys can you remember? ☺”
Currently w/my PPro layout I’m up to about 40 programmed keys on my G13 and 6 on my mouse. Like touch typing, after a few weeks it all becomes muscle memory. A key part of it is keeping like-with-like. For example, Play Forward and Go to Next Edit share the same key (the later just gets a modifier). On the flip side I do have some ‘random’ combos such as Add Marker and Audio Gain on the same key and that’s a bit harder to remember at first because those functions aren’t associated with one another.
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[Oliver Peters] “I’m not sure about the pros and cons of the design, but it has always struck me that FCP7 (and now X), as well as Premiere Pro, have way too many keyboard mapping options”
Too many options? Bite your tongue, Oliver! 😉
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My general pet peeve is layouts based on phonetics (ex. B is for Blade, D is for Distort, P is for Pen). Yes, it’s a bit easier to learn, but it’s typically slow and awkward from a usability standpoint because you hand(s) is constantly sliding all over the place. Is the Distort tool really so popular that it deserves a top level shortcut by default? While some are better than others, I usually find default layouts to be very inefficient (PPro’s is probably the worst out of the Big Three, IMO).
I ditched the keyboard as a primary UI tool a couple of years ago and replaced it with a Logitech G13 and a 6 button mouse (I only use the KB for text entry and some rarely used commands). I mapped my most used commands to both of these devices based on priority and by trying to keep similar commands grouped together. For example, on my G13 Mark In, Go To In and Clear In are all on the same key (located right above my middle finger, similar to “I” on a keyboard if your hands are on the home row) and the specific function depends on what modifier is being used. I mapped the modifiers (Shift, Command, Option) to keys that are easily pressed by my thumb which leaves my fingers free to hit any other key on the G13. It’s basically like keeping your left hand on home row but having access to 88 commands (22 keys plus shift/command/option for each key). Using the it with Avid isn’t quite as flexible because Avid only supports Shift as a customizable modifier, but it’s still better than a regular KB, IMO.
It took a while to get it mapped how I liked it, but it really forced me to evaluate what commands I used and how often. Many times when using a keyboard I would leave most of the commands as default because it was just easier even though it wasn’t very efficient. Switching to the G13 is easily one of the best things I’ve done in terms of speed and comfort while editing. It’s not quite as life changing as using a control panel for grading instead of a KB/M, but it’s close.
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[Bill Davis] “The Splitty McSplittyface Tool would be even better…”
That literally would’ve made me laugh out loud if I wasn’t reading this on my phone in a public bathroom.
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FCP X also has film leader, filmstrips, clapboards, sprocket holes, analog clocks/watches, keys for 18th century locks and magnifying glasses fit for a minimalist Sherlock Holmes. It’s almost like these icons are close to being universally understood and it’s more trouble than it’s worth to ditch and have to teach people a new visual vocabulary.
Yay pragmatism!
My partying linguistic gift “Farmok and Jalad at Tanagra”
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[Jeremy Garchow] “There was a reason I couldn’t use multicam. I need to revisit it as it’s the first thing I tried to do, and then had to resort to an obscene amount of work to get two angles synced and ready to use.”
If you do have a movement to revisit that wound I’m interested in hearing what specific trouble you ran into too.
My experience is more akin to Oliver’s and Simon’s. I’ve been using PPro as my main NLE for about 3 years now and my experience has been much more positive than negative. Not that this changes what you’ve gone through, but I can’t see PPro gaining all the traction it has in the last couple of years if your experience was the common experience.