Michael Hancock
Forum Replies Created
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[Alex Gollner] “The ProApps team like stories.
They like each feature request to come with a story showing how it would change your day to day life. “I often have these kind of tasks. I have to do this in Final Cut. It would save me a great deal of time if the task went this way.””
If this is really how they prioritize and prefer to get feedback they should make that clear on their feedback page. And for complex workflows/requests, it can be hard to tell your story (the problem) and your proposed solution when they limit you to 800 characters (which is the limit I hit on their feedback page when submitting requests).
Maybe I’ll submit a request asking for a higher character limit on the feedback page. 🙂
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Jeremy Garchow] “Maybe. But what happens if you are in video lane mode when you open the compound clip, and the layer order is wrong? “
Video lanes wouldn’t be in effect inside the composite/compound clip. It would have to have special status. If you broke it completely apart then the clips event roles would dictate where they end up, but inside the collapsed clip Video Lanes wouldn’t be able to exist.
[Jeremy Garchow] ” I think there could be video lanes, but perhaps they aren’t Role dependent, just spatially dependent. “
So……..tracks. ☺
[Jeremy Garchow] “What I would like to see is simple kb shortcuts to move a clip up or down in stacking order (move to top, or move to bottom, or move up/down) so that it would make adjusting the stack a little more precise and quick and still fit within the magnetic timeline paradi …. format.”
YES! +1 to this!
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Jeremy Garchow] “Because you would then have to come up with a system for compositing, like nodes or some sort of layer order descriptor that wouldn’t necessarily follow the lanes (and would have to reorder when not in lane mode).”
You could do it with compound clips, or Apple could implement a “composite clip” that would act like a container where you can stack clips and control the layer order, but only the container receives the video role. Ideally you would be able to collapse the composite down so it looks like one clip in the timeline, but double clicking it (or some other command) expands it open in the timeline so you can make changes to it in context, then collapse it back down to keep your timeline tidy.
If you’re familiar with Collapse Tracks in Avid – like that, but with a video role assigned to the collapsed submaster.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
LOL. I saw that – I don’t want the software to actually make edit choices for me! Just group my clips, throw them in a sequence and I’ll take over from there. Basically – anything that removes or reduces the tedious parts of editing and gives me more time with the creative parts.
I should keep trying your method of dropping everything into a sequence and paring it down from there, instead of logging first then cutting.
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Michael Hancock
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[Bill Davis] “Innovate 80 and fix 20 for the people who want to come into my program of choice and try to re-make it in the image of THEIR preferences. Fix 80 then innovate 20 is NOT GOOD ENOUGH anymore IMO. We need MORE wild eyed advocates for innovate 80 and fix 20. It’s how the bar gets moved now. And THATS what I want. “
Isn’t this how we ended up with the big 3D text update? Tons of resources poured into something nobody seemed to be asking for? Or maybe there was a massive clamoring for 3D text and I wasn’t aware of it. But the reaction online didn’t seem overwhelmingly positive. Personally – I’ve used 3D text once. I’d rather they look at my list or Oliver’s list and implement even one thing – I’d use that implementation at least once a day!
[Bill Davis] “We need MORE wild eyed advocates for innovate 80 and fix 20. It’s how the bar gets moved now. And THATS what I want. “
Who are these wild eyed advocates? Are they hidden away inside Apple, operating in a vacuum? Are they users? If it’s the users, who they pick to listen to and how do they find them? I can’t remember ever seeing you post about what you would change about FCPX. You seem perfectly content with the software as it is, and fight against anybody that suggests otherwise and lists needed improvements, especially if those improvements include adding a feature found in another NLE. If you’re perfectly happy with how it is now, and see no way to push the software forward, then what do you care if others want to integrate features they used in other software? You might love them and they might make you 20% more efficient!
I try to make my feature request lists based on what I think could realistically be done in the software. Otherwise I’d put “automatically pick the most emotional shot from every take and edit my story for me while I make coffee”. Wouldn’t that be awesome? Of course! But it’s not realistic. But asymmetrical trimming? That should be totally possible.
If you want an idea that might be a little more innovative than my original list, here’s an idea I’ve been kicking around – use metadata to automatically create string outs, audition clips, and first edits. You can have someone on set logging takes, scene numbers, etc…with a spreadsheet like Shot Notes X. Import your footage and marry that metadata to your clips. Now you have all of your scene numbers and takes in FCPX as metadata. Why not have the software automatically create audition clips on a per scene/take basis? Or Scene/Framing/Take, if you want to group all of Scene 1 Wide takes together?
Then the software strings those audition clips out based on scene number, so your rough cut is done automatically. Of course you’ll change it, but at least it’s all in a sequence laid out per your script, with all takes grouped together so you can instantly cycle through them all, in a matter of seconds. It’s just grouping based on metadata – it should be possible, and could shave hours or days off assembly time, and would make audition clips actually useful.
And while we’re using metadata for grouping, how about creating “selects” clips from keywords or metadata you’ve added? Here’s how I could see it working. Every keyword has a “selects” clip automatically created. It’s like a compound+audition clip of every shot with that keyword on it. You can scrub the selects clip in your event browser to find the shot you want, then edit the selects clip into your sequence, but when you “activate” it on your timeline a temporary string out of every clip with that keyword pops up over your timeline, so you can see your edit in place with all of the available keyword shots above it in a string out, so you can quickly shuttle through them without having to leave your timeline. Whenever you select a clip in that string out (or a range of a clip) you can hit play and it will play around your edit so you can see it in place. No more going back to the browser and finding the shots you want, or making string outs and cutting/pasting from sequence to sequence, or flipping to icon view and scrubbing an event. Everything is available in your sequence, able to be reviewed in context, and swapped out instantly, based on the metadata you added before you started the edit. It’s a combination of your presorting style and Simon’s “everything in a sequence” (sort of). When you finish your edit you collapse or commit all the selects clips so you can send your edit out for color/sound.
There’s tons of automation I’d like to see added using the metadata FCPX has access to, which would be incredibly useful with Watch/Live folders, where it automatically imports files dropped into folders you’re watching, then applies workflows you define (add roles, add color tagging, if the folder has a log/shot notes file it automatically applies it to the imported clips and creates audition clips based on scene/take/framing/whatever, create sync clips based on timecode, etc…). Basically, stream line and automate as much of the boring stuff you have to do before you actually edit. None of that is available in other NLEs, and FCPX’s extensive metadata means it might be possible to do.
Back to the original question – if feature requests based on real work experience are too bland or backwards thinking, what exactly do you want Apple to do to move the software forward? What exactly is the next big innovation you’re looking for?
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
+1 Oliver!
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
If these features were in the next version of FCPX it would improve my editorial life immensely. In no particular order:
1. Video lanes, like the audio lanes, so I can keep graphics/color/VFX/etc… organized easier.
2. Better keyboard navigation (like the ability to select a secondary storyline to edit into without needing the mouse).
3. Avid style project sharing.
4. Smart merging events between projects (including picking what you do/don’t want to keep from each event during merge – like MergeX, but without having to roundtrip to another app).
5. Video I/O that actually works, without the serious lag issues.
6. Ability to add infinite custom columns in list view. And the ability to add info to multiple clips directly in the event, not just in the inspector (select clips, right click column, add info, and it’s added to all clips).
7. Open multiple events at once, as either tabbed windows or floating ones.
8. “Watch/Live folders” that you can assign to keyboards/events. Example – I assign a “Music” folder as a watch folder/live folder for the Audio Event, Keyword Music. Every time I add a file to that folder the asset is added to my FCPX library and the Music keyword is applied.
9. Ability to assign roles to keywords or events. This would be great in conjunction with Watch/Live folders and would make role assignment nearly automatic.
10. Improved trimming. Asymmetrical trimming, more/better keyboard use. Basically, Avid and Premiere style trimming.
11. Scrolling timeline.
12. Export name matches project name by default, not most recently used name for that project’s export.
13. Proper batch exporting.
14. Real background transcoding/rendering/ingest, like Avid has. Or Premiere.
15. Ability to mix proxy with non-proxy footage.
16. Remember last project that was open when opening a library.
17. Option to have Roles you’ve turned off in the timeline index be turned off on export – this fixes the “can’t export roles direct to Vimeo” issue.
18. Ability to zoom into waveforms in list view.
19. JKL trimming with 4-up updates.
20. Add option to turn off “select clip under mouse”, and instead select clip under playhead.
21. Fully customizable interface. If I want the inspector to the left of the event browser, let me move it there.
22. Color code clips in events, have ability to show these colors in projects.
23. Better timecode options, like Avid. I want to see 29.97 drop frame timecode when I’m in a 23.976 project, and a list of source timecode, sequence timecode, absolute, remaining, etc… all at the same time.
24. Break apart clips show sync indicators.
25. Built in ability to import custom LUTs on a per project basis.
26. Add option to ripple role changes made in an event to an open project, overriding whatever roles in that project have already been applied. Like Avid’s Refresh/Update Sequence feature.
27. Option to leave files in place, even though the folder structure looks like a camera card.
28. Conform frame rates in the event (for example, play 60fps footage as 23.976 for 2.5x slomo, without having to cut footage into a project first).
29. Tabbed project windows.
30. Ability to scrub a project in the event and edit directly from it to another project, either as a compound clip or as individual clips.I have a lot more, but these would be a huge boost to the efficiency of the app.
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Michael Hancock
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Bill –
Have you tried Simon’s method?
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Tony West] “You must not have scrolled back to read my post if you are asking : ) That’s OK”
I know which NLE you use. ☺ My comment was more to illustrate how Avid and Premiere seem more adept at the stringout method because of FCPXs handling of sequences.
[Tony West] “Now for me, that’s not more efficient than what I explained above in this thread but if it is for you, then keep doing it.”
It’s less than ideal – I’d prefer to have a tabbed sequence, pancake, or better yet be able to scrub a sequence in the event browser and edit clips directly from it (without having to make a sequence a compound clip and lose all reference to the individual edits). I’ll send Apple another feature request.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
Which NLE are you using? In Avid, you load your original stringout into your source monitor and your cutdown into your record. When you need to find a shot you’ve cut out you just toggle your timeline view to the source monitor and everything is there.
In Premiere you pancake so everything is always visible to you, all the time. Or tab the sequences.
In FCPX you load the original stringout, toggle to it, find the clip you want and copy it, the toggle back and paste it. Ironically, FCPX is least friendly to this method. So maybe it’s because of this the browser seems to be the best option? If FCPX allowed you to skim a sequence in the event browser and see the edits in that sequence in a toggled timeline (like Avid) it wouldn’t be such a hassle. Or if they had tabbed sequences like FCP7 or Premiere so you could just click directly one sequence to another, it would be easier.
And remember, you can add markers like Andrew does to subdivide sections so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for, or to even add notes that are searchable.
Have you tried Simon’s method? I’ve never worked like he does but I’m trying it on two projects right now, and my early feelings are that I like it a lot. I typically use favorites, keywords, smart collections and detailed notes when I edit (in FCPX), and so far I haven’t felt like I’m missing anything by using string outs. It’s surprised me.
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Michael Hancock
Editor