[Craig Alan]

[Jeremy Garchow] “They didn’t create a ton development work for themselves”

You think that FC auto updating all FC libraries to be compatible with the new library structure took no time to develop? You think that the original version of FCP X could not have allowed storing media outside the project/event folders? You think different projects could not have been stored in different containers on the same drive? Very early on end users came up with workarounds that allowed both. It was a design decision. They were wrong and have corrected the mistake. Mavericks did not invent alias files, or library folders. It’s interesting to me that they have announced the EOL of Aperture and IPhoto way in advance and made it compatible with the next OS while they develop an alternative app. They have even released the name, PHOTOS, and that they plan to integrate the pro and consumer app as one. Never did that before. This is not what Apple has done historically. They are evolving as a company. All the tech companies are moving towards cloud and mobile device integration. It’s a mixed bag but they see it as do or die.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Libraries existed way before Mavericks. They did not have to wait for Mavericks to organize FC media this way.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

So they decided to create a ton of development work for themselves and lost a lot of customers to Adobe by introducing FCP X before they were able to use the library system that was just introduced? I’ll grant you that Thunderbolt was introduced with its future evolution mapped out. But if the current library system was part of FCP X’s design from the get go why did it take this much time to write the code? Granted they have deep pockets and can buy top talent to write their apps, but I think this theory is both cynical and illogical.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Since this a pro forum, let’s assume that Apple is sincere about FC being a professional App (that even non-pros can afford/use). Why then would they fall behind CC in features by re-writing its organization structure … twice? And I think this probably was made way more time consuming by coming up with almost seamless updates of previous versions of FCP X. (too bad they didn’t do that for FCP 7). That is the program took care of updating your libraries/projects/events, allowing them to open in the new version. For me, both updates have been near perfect in this regard. Didn’t miss a beat and downloading from the app store worked well too, even when I have reinstalled the app as a fresh install.

My guess is that in the long run they see media management as the biggest thing there is for any artistic eco system. They have bought into 4K being the next standard and although 4K may or may not become ubiquitous, file sizes are getting huge and storage is becoming huge and keeping track of it all will prove more important than any other feature. There is no more tape you can archive and reimport into your new NLE or new raid. You loose or can’t find or corrupt your data, you’re dead in the water.

My guess is they thought putting it on the root level of any drive made sense. It is a common feature of cloning apps to allow root level stuff to stay put even if all else was being rewritten. It’s easy to find root level stuff. But it was a simplistic idea to have all projects in the same container. It worked for email and iPhoto and iMovie and the code was already there so they used it. But it was not practical.

The idea that the same app can be used for pros and beginners I think (if they are sincere) can be revolutionary. Why not continue to evolve as an editor using an app you already know? The one mistake they have made in this respect is instead of educating the beginners with the vocabulary that are used by pros, they have this habit of renaming everything. Then again so does every other manufacturer of pro gear. It’s marketing. Wrong headed. The more you confuse people the more they might feel intimidated and not want to buy a piece of pro gear, even though it would prove much more satisfying in the long run.

Case in point: I doubt very much that your average non-pro camera user, uses more than a tenth of the menu items on a consumer level cam. All these presets for different scenes and letting them control one manual function while the cam handles the rest and so forth. It’s a confusing mess. Now pro cams are pretty menu deep too. But give a beginner a lens that has a ring that when twisted increases or decreases the amount of light that reaches the sensor and you can see the effect on the LCD screen and bingo the next thing you know they understand F-stop and aperture and exposure levels. I know this. I teach kids consumer level and prosumer level cams all day. I teach them how to use the menu stuff on the consumer cam and they leave it on auto 99% of the time and sometimes it works and mostly it don’t. I give them a prosumer cam and the feedback and result of using just that one ring is like night and day.

Professional equipment should be easy to use on the elementary level. How many people never learned to cook because the pans they sell to consumers have such crappy heat characteristics that you’d need to be a genius to get a decent meal out of them.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

you can. First set your storage location in a folder outside the library then consolidate the proxy files in the library.

or import to your normal out of library location and then import again setting in library for proxy.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

That’s true, but when I posted, there were no replies yet. And I thought your summary was informative and harder to follow without the correction. I’m here to learn not debate. I do see the value in each.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Larry talks pretty fast but will circle around and eventually wind his way back to the subject defined by the title of the lesson. So if I go in all ears, which most youngsters don’t, you learn a lot. If you are in mid-edit and just want help getting a function to ‘just do it’, he’s slow. That said, Larry’s non-video tutorials are very specific, accurate, comprehensive and fill in many gaps left by the FCP X help pdf.

And all that said, if I already know how to do something in X and I’m standing behind a in one ear out the other student, I can show them how to use a FCP X function in about 30 seconds, which would take at least 10 minutes to learn from an on-line tutorial, assuming they have the desire to read the thing, which mostly they don’t.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

You can always go back to your original post, clip on edit, and make the changes. No need for a post to correct a post.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

I like sparse images still because my needs are the opposite of many environments. Running a school lab means many people share the same computers but do not want the same media/libraries shared with others. With images I can control who sees what.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Craig Alan]

Yes. I went frame by frame on one transition in the video. There was one frame where it went all white. Then I tried that in Flash transition in FCP X. Same. It’s in the ‘lights’ group. Now I’m not saying that is all they did or that they used that every time. Or even that that they used it at all. But in normal speed playback it does give that pounding hypnotic intensity they created if using quick cuts. The sound track has to be kept apart from the visual or things will get out of sync. Once apart you can play with speed ramping and transitions and the like. I think they used a lot of contrasting color correction from one clip to another as well.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.