[Duncan Craig]

Thanks for the heads up Ben, of course you didn’t mention AJA did you!
I guess you mean the built in FCP uncompressed presets? I use the AJA IO presets so I don’t have this problem.

But the way are you getting problems and image softening when you add drop shadows to rendered movie files from Livetype or imported quicktime graphics? As soon as I switch on a motion shadow on a graphic item in the timeline, the graphics raises up by about half a line in the canvas and through my IO, the graphic hen look rough and aliased. This applies to DV and uncompressed files, all set to high quality. But only to text files rendered in Livetype, and 3D files I have received from a 3rd party. The inbuilt text generator and photoshop layers seem OK.

I’ve alerted APPLE to the problems I am getting. I don’t think the latest updates have had any effect whatsoever to my system. My only solution is still to set a sequence to ‘fastest’ motion filtering. But motion tab moves on large still image files continue to look rough.

[Duncan Craig]

I’ve tried quite a few, the best by far is RBrowser, it is still free too!

[Duncan Craig]

Once you’ve updated, There’s a new ‘Lat Breaking News’ pdf in the help menu here’s the 5.0.2 section for you, in case you are worried about upgrading yet!?

Sorry the formatting is a bit odd, the text is pasted from a PDF viewed in Safari.
Duncan

Late-Breaking News About Final Cut Pro 5.0.2
Final Cut Pro 5.0.2 is a maintenance release of Final Cut Pro 5 that resolves performance
and other issues.
Working with Multiclips
Improvements have been made in these areas: exporting EDLs, switching angles with
speed settings applied, media management, recapturing single angles, resynchronizing
multiclip angles in the Viewer, maintaining master-affiliate clip relationships when
switching angles, and inserting or deleting angles from multiclips whose angle
durations vary widely.

Inserting a Multiclip Angle into All Affiliated Multiclips

When you insert or overwrite an angle in a multiclip in Final Cut Pro 5.0, only the
current multiclip is affected. In Final Cut Pro 5.0.2, you now have the option to insert an
angle into all multiclips affiliated with the one you are currently inserting into. This
option makes it easy to insert a new multiclip angle into many multiclips at once. This
can be useful if you already have an edited multiclip sequence created by switching
and cutting, and you want to add a new angle to all of the multiclips in that sequence.

Note:

For more information about inserting and overwriting multiclip angles, see the

Final Cut Pro 5 User Manual

, Volume II, page 271.
For example, suppose you have a sequence that contains a multiclip that has three
angles (camera A, B, and C), and you have performed several real-time cuts between
the angles. Each time you cut to a new multiclip angle in the Timeline, a new affiliated
instance of the multiclip is created. The Insert New Angle Affiliates option allows you to
easily add a fourth angle (for example, from camera D) to all of the affiliated multiclips
in the Timeline at once.

To insert a new angle into all affiliated multiclips at the same time:

Double-click a multiclip in the Browser or Timeline to open it in the Viewer.

Drag a clip from the Browser to one of the multiclip angles displayed in the Viewer.

Continue to hold down the mouse button until the Insert New Angle, Insert New Angle
Affiliates, and Overwrite Angle overlays appear in the Viewer.

Move the pointer over the Insert New Angle Affiliates overlay, then release the
mouse button.
The dragged clip becomes a new angle in the multiclip, as well as in all affiliated
multiclips.

Working with Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack Pro

The following issues with using Final Cut Pro and Soundtrack Pro together have
been resolved.

Working with Background Movies in Soundtrack Pro

Background movies are now properly sent to Soundtrack Pro when exporting to a
Soundtrack Pro multitrack project from Final Cut Pro.

Sending Soundtrack Pro Projects from Final Cut Pro to Soundtrack Pro

You can now send Soundtrack Pro audio projects from the Final Cut Pro Timeline to
Soundtrack Pro multiple times. In Final Cut Pro 5.0.2, when you send an audio clip in
the Final Cut Pro Timeline to a Soundtrack Pro audio project, the resulting
Soundtrack Pro audio project clip in the Timeline audio tracks is no longer linked to its
corresponding video clip in the video track. If you need to link a video clip and a
Soundtrack Pro project clip in the Timeline, you can manually link them by selecting
them and choosing Modify > Link.

Choosing How Final Cut Pro Handles HDV Start/Stop Detection

When capturing HDV footage from a Sony HDV camcorder using Final Cut Pro 5.0.2,
you can choose how Final Cut Pro creates media files and clips when start and stop
indicators are detected. (Start/stop indicators occur on a tape in places where
recording was stopped and then started again.)

To choose how Final Cut Pro handles start/stop detection when capturing
HDV footage:

If you have not already done so, choose Final Cut Pro > Easy Setup, then select an HDV
Easy Setup from the

[Duncan Craig]

I thought I should reply, I posted the same problem here weeks ago. I’m having the same problems on three different system at three different companies, All with similar hardware and (of course) different preferences.

I’ve trashed the preference and crossed my fingers but they still randomly save anything from 15 minutes to a couple of hours apart. I tried setting FCP to save between 15 and 30 minutes in case a particular time caused the bug…

All was well on 4.5, All the systems were wiped clean before installing FCP studio too. All running latest drivers, OS.

[Duncan Craig]

Mines bad too…

Really old Dual 2GHz, latest OS, AJA Io latest drivers, 2.5GB RAM, Studio upgrade from 4.5.

The workaround for me is to force FCP to render the file, I set the item composite mode to screen or add for example and then the scaling looks really really good. I’ve got some large jpgs on the timeline now, scaled right down zooming around and the quality is great when I force it to render. I’m working in high precision uncompressed 10 bit.

Of course this only works if there’s nothing underneath it in the timeline, if there is you’ll see through the layer to whats below, and some transitions go crazy too. Also, you could add a non real time plugin to the item and turn the parameters down so it has no effect. Then render it.

Apple should add an option on a clip by clip basis as to how each item gets rendered.

[Duncan Craig]

Even though you can multiclip using inpoints, without genlock on the cameras you’ll get drift.

I’m editing a 110 minute concert I’ve just shot. 4 Sony Z1’s captured in DV and a locked off wide DV camera. The timecodes are of course different. I’m having to do it the way I always have, dropping the clips in the timeline and adjusting sync through the show chopping out or adding singles frames roughly every 20 minutes of rushes on the timeline.

I could use the multicam feature only using lots of 10 minute sections, but it is a fiddle.
I have tried to use it, and had so many crashes, lock up and head scratching I started again. I reinstalled the entire OS and FCP studio, but it’s still a flaky feature for me.

If, as said above, you could simply create a multiclip from a sequence which is timed and repaired it would be a lot more workable. It’s accepted that most FCP users work in DV, therefore a more flexible multicamera feature would be a godsend. Because most people don’t use cameras with Timecode in or Genlock in.

(I do most of my work UC10Bit from Digi, but jobs like this are shot on DV for budget reasons).

Cheers All, Duncan.

[Duncan Craig]

My first commercial shoot on my new Z1.

Recording in HDV and Downconverting to DV in camera and capturing over FW to a Dual2GHz, lots of RAM, and totally reliable system, where my timelines are in UC10bit outputting through IO to DIGI. Never any problems with any of my other DV FW cameras (PDs and VXs). Or footage from DIGI/SX/SP. All captured to a HugeDualMax 1.2TB RAID over UL4PCI card.

I shot as normal, rec run TC. I logged the tape in order of setups, so one setup may have had 3 or takes with the camera stopping after each take.

Roughly a third of the time, FCP reported TC breaks where I had stopped recording, I didn’t change the battery, turn off the camera, or review any shots during the shoot. On ‘jogging’ through the tape in the camera, I can’t see the TC holes, or Jumps.

But seeing as I have never had this before over FW with my suite, it must be the camera right?!

The only thing I am yet to try is setting the camera back to Regen (I set it to preset and left it there) before you start recording, but wouldn’t that mess up my code when it starts recording. I will need to check this out sometime.

Good Luck.

[Duncan Craig]

Well nice to know I’m not on my own.

Been having these problems laying back to SP and Digi since the start.
I had one of the first IO’s in the UK. And there’s always little quirks.

Luckily for me I only layback commercials to tape, so 1’40” is the most time I ever waste.

I’m not running the latest drivers, or OS. The last time I upgraded was about 9 months ago.
I worry to much about creating even more problems.

[Duncan Craig]

Is there any more info on exactly what else can be controlled in FCP5 Via the Mackie protocol?

Colour Correction, Adjusting the parameters of the motion tab (Size, position and rotation) and Ramping VariSpeeds would be good.

It would be good if while parked on a clip in the timeline, setting the interface into colour correction mode, then moving any fader automatiaclly drops a colour correction filter onto the current clip and switches FCP into colour correction mode. With a split view in the frame viewer. Just by touch a fader.

Oddly enough I’m going to order a Behringer DDX 3216 with AES option anyway, so another bit of Behringer kit would look great.

[Duncan Craig]

I’ve been having these problems for an age. Ever since 4.5

It’s little use trying to fix it, I’ve tried everything.

I’m working with a 5 hour documentary split into timelines of between 15 minutes to an hour.
Any timeline even empty new ones in this project are really sluggish. Rendering and all other functions are fine. I’ve delete preferences. Copied the project and used a new one. Reinstalled the OS. Repaired permissions. Tweaked the RAM setting. Switched off every option in the timelines, nothing works. I don’t have internet in the suite so I’m not on the very latest version, but it still the last but one of FCP and QT. The project has been going on for 18 months and I’m down to the last few days now so I’m loathed to update the machine or reinstall FCP, although it will probably help.
Waiting for Tiger and V5 now please, Oh and I need a new HD camera?!

Anyway, my solution has been to work differently…
Trimming and moving with the mouse is the real problem of course, so i am using numeric entry and the arrow keys directly on the timeline more and more. I had never simply clicked on a cut point and trimmed by just pressing the arrows before (and I’ve been using FCP heavily for since v2) I’ve always option clicked and used the trim tool, but it takes forever to open. To I’ve had to try to work this way on this big project which I really really hate. But I do love it when it works so well on other projects.

Good Luck,
Duncan.