[Flip8600]

Try this:
– apply RED fresh to a new 16×9 clip
– enter RED and enable Preview with Square Pixels from the Preview menu
– import graphics and create your effect
– apply back to FCP and check the result

There have been times where I’ve seen a distorted image in the FCP canvas but get correct output to NTSC monitor. Check that as well.

Also, historically there have been a correlation between the settings in the FCP Canvas window and how the image gets passed to RED. For instance: if you change the FCP canvas to not Show as Sq. Pixels from the zoom drop down menu RED may get the wrong aspect ratio.

Let me know if this works or if you see something different.

Thanks.

[Flip8600]

Yes, I work in Quality Assurance at Boris.

Thanks,
Dave

[Flip8600]

A quick way to see what’s been animated in an effect is to toggle the Smart View button in the timeline. Try this:

– open a library effect
– select a track in the timeline and twirl down the disclosure triangle so you can see Transformations, and open that as well
– toggle the button in the timeline that say “Toggle Smart View”, it should be the farthest right in the bottom row of buttons.

The Smart View shows you all of the parameters that have been changed or animated and hides the rest, similar to pressing the “u” key in After Effects. This is global to the timeline so once it’s toggled you and look at any track or filter and see only altered/animated parameters.

[Flip8600]

Tracing really depends on the media. Complex shapes will most likely need some cleaning done to them but this true of almost every tracing tool I’ve used.

Here are the defaults:

Tolerance = 1.00
Threshold = 50.00
Pre-Blur Amount = 5.00

You can always delete the BorisRED4.0.ini file in the Windows directory to restore RED to it’s true factory defaults. This will reset all preferences so you may want to backup the file so you can go restore your settigns if need be.

[Flip8600]

Try this:

1. Load the image into the timeline and hide everything else so it’s just the image over alpha

2. Open the Vector Trace Palette from the Window menu and change the Trace Channel to Alpha

3. Select the Vector Trace Tool from the Tool window

4. Hold CTRL + Shift and drag a rectangular marquee around the image you’re tracing and you should have a decent trace. Depending on its complexity you may have to then clean up some of the points but that should get you going.

Good luck.

[Flip8600]

Are you seeing a composite in the Canvas window when you apply BCC Chroma Key? The Viewer window shouldn’t be showing you a composite because it is only meant to show you the clip you load into it. To see the composite on an NTSC monitor before you render you can click in the Canvas window to make it active.

[Flip8600]

A lot of options have moved in Red 4. You can change the default interpolation by going to the Window menu, then Show Keyframe Palette.

[Flip8600]

Check the Preview with Square Pixels option in the Preview menu, that might be the culprit.

Sorry, preview to monitor is only available from the keyframer because when you use Graffiti as plugin FCP still has control of the I/O and won’t pass it to a plugin.

Hope that helps.

[Flip8600]

Go to the fonts tab of the Style Palette and click the Add Category button in the style palette. Give the category a name (I just use Fonts) and then Red will build library from the fonts installed on your system.

[Flip8600]

I’m not sure if you’ve tried but place the FCP play head over the transition in the timeline before you click the options button. This is a known workflow issue for transitions in FCP.