Andy Neil
Forum Replies Created
-
I sent it in as a feature request. If enough people clamor for it…
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
-
[Jeff Griffiths] “How do you create tags on media before you import in FCPX?”
You can’t. It’s wishful thinking on my part. You can assign a Tag (OSX feature) to any file in the finder. I was suggesting that FCPX be allowed to read that Tag metadata and assign a corresponding Role to it so it wouldn’t need to be organized after import.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
[Jeremy Garchow] “Now if we could just assign Roles in the import window!”
Or at least translate Tags in the OS to Roles on import so that you can assign roles when organizing your footage.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
Personally, if you don’t want to upgrade your whole computer, I’d make a partition to your drive and create a Mavericks / FCPX 10.1 bootable set up, separate from your Mountain Lion / 10.0.9 set up. This is how I’m set up currently. The key is to make sure NOT to update your FCPX projects and events when you install FCPX on the partition. Then you can create a Final Cut Libraries folder on your media drive and have a separate working 10.1 program.
Any workaround you do trying to get 10.1 into 10.0.9 will be incomplete, and a pain in the ass likely. This is the most complete and pain-free way I can think of.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
[Ian Brown] “Is it a viable technique or are there any pitfalls I have overlooked?”
If you were editing in NTSC, perhaps, but the PAL frame rates are integers instead of fractions so the pulldowns are easy to perform.
I can’t think of any problems off-hand unless you created 25p graphics in which case I’d recreate them in 50p.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
[Shane Ross] “One thing I do in my “antiquated” track layout, is SOLO tracks so I can make sure a music edit is just right, or a sound effect. Easy to click one or two boxes to solo only those tracks.
Since FCX is trackless…how can I accomplish this?”
By using Roles. Your SFX can be assigned the SFX role, and your music assigned the Music Role. This can even be accomplished automatically when you import if you use iTunes to store those elements. Otherwise, they can be assigned at any time while editing.
Then you open up the Timeline Index (CMD+2) and OPT click the role that you want to isolate. Or click roles on and off so they no longer play. You can even further highlight the selected role by minimizing other roles so their clip appearance is different from the isolated. It’s really only a click or two.
[Shane Ross] “Funny that you need a third party app for this very simple task….”
It’s not a 3rd party app just to be clear. Someone just used the Motion/FCP interface to create a transition effect that does nothing to the video track. By default. transitions applied to clips with video will automatically crossfade the imbedded audio as well.
But you’re right, there should just be a crossfade transition. Especially now that they allow the edit point for adjacent expanded audio to be selected and rolled (new with 10.1)
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
Some of this is probably not going to be to your liking, because a lot of what you’re asking is predicated on the workflow of making X work like Premiere. To quickly do the kind of work you do, you may need to adjust your workflow to take advantage of X’s strengths. But understanding how FCPX works will help.
1) There is no audio crossfade transition for FCPX. Not in the way you’re talking about. You can do manual crossfades where you overlap two audio tracks and then adjust their respective fade handles, but nothing like a quick audio dissolve. That said, someone once made a transition in Motion that was applied between two video tracks but only affected the audio. Something like that is your best option. FCPX has typically good audio options, but fast crossfade transitions are not one of them.
2) No mixer like you’re used to in Premiere. There is no per track adjustments because there are no tracks in FCPX (aside from the primary storyline). However, it’s pretty easy to lasso a number of clips and adjust their audio levels at once. This can be done in the inspector (in the audio tab) or else by using the shortcut CTRL +/-. Also, FCPX has a feature called Roles. This allows you to assign audio under different headings like: music, dialogue, sfx. You can isolate a role in the Timeline Index (CMD+2) and apply effects or adjust volume globally to all those clips.
3) Again, no tracks in FCPX means no per track adjustments. However, using roles (as mentioned above) you can isolate or solo specific types of audio. This will allow you to enable or disable an entire group of clips at a time. Mostly I just quickly lasso clips in the section I’m working and hit V to turn them off; it’s pretty easy that way. But for you I’d recommend using Roles as it sounds like you do a lot of isolating of audio.
4) Connected clips are a fundamental feature of FCPX’s magnetic timeline. They are designed to go along with the clip they are connected to, if you move it. You can suspend the connection by holding down the tilde (or gravé) key when moving clips around. You can also put all your VO for example, in a secondary storyline so that those audio clips are only connected to the primary at a single point instead of each VO clip being connected to a different video clip in the primary. It helps keep clips together that you want to remain in sequence.
Hope this helps.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
1) You don’t need a compound or separate connected clips. Just put the song into a secondary storyline. It acts similar to the primary storyline allowing you to continue to make edits to the music (audio) without opening a separate timeline (as in the case with compound clips). There is only one connection point for the secondary storyline.
Also, as others have stated, holding the tilde (or grave key) will suspend connections to allow you to swap clips in the primary without moving connected clips.
2) Skimmer takes some time to get used to. What I tend to do (aside from turning it on an off) is get in the habit of moving the mouse out of the timeline to the middle bar section when switching to JKL editing. I just do it unconsciously these days so I don’t accidentally edit to the skimmer.
3) The list view clip view can be made longer by increasing the size of the event browser. This is much better with a 2 monitor set up, but I do what I can to get that strip as large as I can because I hate the the icon view too. A lot of times I just use JKL in the event browser if I have a longer clip as it seems a little easier. CMD+1 activates the event browser.
4) As others have said, it’s just visually hiding the edit, the fade still works. I would suggest that if this is something you do a lot, map the Expand All and Collapse All Clips shortcuts to your keyboard shortcuts. It’ll help you out (at least the Collapse All).
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com
-
If you’re talking about the Replace edit, then X doesn’t do it the same way. In fact, in legacy, you don’t even need to mark any INs and OUTs. A standard replace edit uses the clip boundaries and the source/timeline playheads.
In X, you do a Replace from Start or End to get the replaced clip in the timeline at the length of the original, then grab the Trim tool (T) and slip the clip to the proper point. It’s an imperfect solution.
Andy
https://www.timesavertutorials.com