[James Ewart]

Having clips separate in the timeline is tried and tested..my guess is that possibly Apple understood this and that’s why they gave us gaps. Keeping cutaways (B roll) on other tracks makes it easier to see where everything is.

In 7 I would, as default use four or five video tracks and (A roll or B roll) keep it all “checker boarded”…easier to actually “see” what’s there that way.

if I have all B roll on other “layers” then nothing below it is gone and I can tickle it forwards or backwards without having destroyed anything in the timeline underneath it.

Plus with this timeline I’ll be trying out more stuff on higher tracks but my go back to how it was…Auditions cannot replace this useful though it can be.

Plus pauses are powerful, and you need a gap for a pause.

For this timeline I had about 10 main bits of interview. first thing I did was drop them all in the timeline with Position tool and then figured out the basic structure of what goes where. Without so many gaps this process would be awfully claustrophobic for me. And then build if from there.

Thanks

best

James

[James Ewart]

Thanks ..and guess what I have done that…dragged it across to the cut point between the two connect clips and it adds the transition to not just the jojn but also the front or end of one of the clips. Is there another way?

[James Ewart]

Hi Bret,

Well Gaps are a bit like mountains… it’s “because they are there” I guess.

But seriously, Gaps really help me block things out…I know I’m going to need a little pause, a few cutaways with just some music and I find them a really useful way of blocking out my main stuff. Before I found Gaps I could not use FCPX at all. They really help with getting the pace right I find.

I really like Gaps!

[James Ewart]

Thanks…got it…and if I want a dip to color dissolve between two connected clips?

Christ I’m still struggling after all this time!

[James Ewart]

Thanks…bit o a Doh! moment by me.

I “thought” was trying that..didn’t work before. Pilot error. Incidentally if I select those four connected clip and cmd – G them into a storyline it does not seem possible to move the connectors…me being silly again?

[James Ewart]

I want to move the second connect clip (highlighted white) about ten frames backwards. How do do that and take everything ahead of it with it?

Thanks

[James Ewart]

I love no rendering delays and auditions but sometimes when I’m chugging away in the timeline I do crave tools like select all tracks forward without having to insert a gap and do a thing before I can do the thing I want to do.

Obviously it’s not going to be as natural as FCP 7 became over ten years but then I look across to Adobe and think “Is FCPX actually a better tool than Premiere now”?

Does the World need a different NLE?

What have Apple achieved by being so radical?

Where are the updates I thought were coming in September?

Somebody said to me that when the people at Apple got wind of the Mercury Playback Engine they had no choice but to pursue their own unique Imovie style interface. I don’t know if that’s true but there are a lot of patents flying around for sure.

[James Ewart]

I occasionally pause for thought and wonder whether reinventing the wheel isn’t a bit of a can of worms.

Will Adobe and Avid follow Apple or are we out on a limb here?

[James Ewart]

Thanks.

I confess I have yet to get to grips with using the timeline index.

best

James

[James Ewart]

Just happens that a the end of the timeline I have some cups..some are cutaways (B roll) some are things I like which have end up not on the Primary Storyline but which, through turn of events have become destined for Primary Storyline. And it’s much more accurate to paste insert to playhead.

Match frame and reinsert I guess is the way to go…it is a bit of a workaround though is it not? is Paste Insert something that would not work in this software do you think?

By the way…back to an old thread you kindly contributed to I think…

I had a situation today that massively called out for “select all tracks forward” because it was a connected clip that I wanted to nudge back in the timeline and I wanted it to take everything else with it by the same number of frames.

I worked round it by nudging it six frames back and then closing the gap and remembering how many frames so I could close up the gap in the primary storyline by the same number of frames.

It’s a tool I am not sure I can live without.

cheers

James