Michael Hancock
Forum Replies Created
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Fun topic.
I also have a G13 but use it primarily to launch specific folders in finder, or to run macros for stuff I do a lot (like uploading to Vimeo). I haven’t mapped it to use with an NLE yet.
My mouse is the Logitech G700. It has a lot of buttons and I’ve mapped them all to make browsing the web better, like opening/closing tabs, tabbing between them, going back/forward on webpages.
For color I have the Avid Artist Color and Avid Transport, which I’ve mapped a handful of macros to. I’m working my way into doing more and more color work so eventually I’ll have every button on the transport mapped. That’s been a lot of fun and it’s amazing how much time you save when you start mapping macros of actions you do a lot of. I’m looking to add an X-Keys XK-24 or XK-80 to map even more macros to, for both editing and color work.
The touch panel on the new MacPro looks like it might have potential, depending on just how much you can customize it. If there’s already a keyboard shortcut I don’t see the value in mapping that to the touch panel. But if you could map menu items that can’t be mapped to a keyboard, or anything that requires a right click it could be amazing. I’d love to have a “Roles” button to hit, then it shows all the roles I’ve mapped so I can very quickly select multiple clips and assign a role with the touch of a button. Or have every custom export settings displayed so you can just touch the one you want without having to dive through menus – that would be fantastic. I doubt that level of customization will be available, but i really, really hope it is. And if it is – I hope they make an external keyboard with a touch bar. I’d pay good money for that. It could replace the G13 entirely, and be more functional.
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Michael Hancock
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[Steve Connor] “Is your master color a single file?”
Depends on the project, but usually no. Usually it’s an FCPX XML with 24 frame handles, so any last minute tweaks can be made, or transitions can be reapplied, without having to bake in the transitions or go back to color for a two frame trim.
My workflow is to import the FCPX XML, lift it to a secondary storyline, apply the role COLOR to all the clips, copy/paste that as a connected clip to my master edit and start reshuffling stuff to put all the graphics/overlays on top (plus time grouping graphics into secondary storylines). In a track based system I import an AAF (Avid) and edit it directly onto the video track above my main edit (and below my graphics).
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Michael Hancock
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You need to “Expand Audio/Video” on that clip then use your mouse to roll your audio back to create subframe audio edits. You can’t do it with the keyboard or the Add Edit option. Those are reserved for full frame edits only.
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Michael Hancock
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[John Rofrano] “Video has no notion of “tracks” in real life so introducing them was a “forced” approach that always seemed unnatural to me. I guess that’s why I love FCP X. (free from tracks at last) ;-)”
There are video tracks in real life. Look at a news broadcast – anytime you have video with graphic overlay, or picture-in-picture, or split screens, or any type of video composite, you’re merging multiple tracks of video together into one output, like you do when you have 16 channels of audio output to stereo.
Audio lanes are a good step to not caring about audio tracks. But for my day to day editing, I really miss video tracks. Example:
In a tracked NLE (mostly Avid), I preferred to keep all lower thirds to one track. If I use overlay elements (film grains, light leaks, textures, etc…) those go on another track. My edit was confined to V1 and V2, with additional tracks added if necessary for split screens/video composites. Then send the final video (minus graphics) to color, bring the master color file back in and it goes directly above the main edit.
Because my graphic elements are always on higher tracks it’s a simple Insert Track, overwrite edit and my master timeline is updated with the color file, overlays, graphics, etc… all in place, with the original edit still in the timeline as a reference.
In FCPX I have to make multiple secondary storylines to group my graphics, then connect my master color file and manually shift stuff around to restack graphics/overlays, etc… I’ve found it’s more work than it is with tracks, because of the lack of a fixed vertical organization.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
Trust me – I will, and I have! In fact, I think they kind of implemented a couple things I’ve been requesting. I couldn’t believe it!
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
Is this really completely gone? I noticed last night that my keyboard shortcuts for expand/collapse all audio weren’t functioning anymore but thought I had a corrupt keyboard setting. Trashed preferences, relaunched FCPX and they still didn’t work. I thought it was a glitch on my machine.
If they removed that functionality completely, what replaces it? Do we have to go to the timeline index and use the audio lanes and roles/subroles settings now?
And I’m really disappointed that there are only a handful of preset colors to choose from. Why not give us the system color picker to choose whatever color we want? And what happens when you have more than 12 roles (I think there are only 12 colors)?
Is it too early to be complaining about the new release? LOL.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[James Sullivan] “T’would be nice to have some video lanes while we’re at it….(The first person to suggest compound clips will be dismissed outright) I just want to have graphics and subtitles sit above everything out of the fracking way. I know that patching is frowned upon but having stuff land where I want it too, and not have to move it later keeps my type A in check and is faster in the long run, isn’t it? “
I agree, but in the meantime – use secondary storylines. It’s the closest you’ll get to having a dedicated graphics or subtitle “track”, but without the ease of editing directly into a tracks.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Oliver Peters] “when it’s disconnected from external devices of all kinds. “
Does this include external RAIDs, or just video I/O devices? Interesting that a laptop outperforms them all.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
You can have the AJA drivers and Blackmagic drivers installed on the same system and they don’t cause any issues? That would be nice, and a testament to how far computing has come! I remember when you couldn’t install more than one NLE on a computer without the risk of an epic meltdown. Is this how you’re system is set up?
I think we have a T-Tap around here somewhere. I’ll have to test it, since I can’t give up Blackmagic since I need Resolve, but the Blackmagic/FCPX combo is heartbreakingly bad. Especially for client attended sessions when every other edit you have to restart several times until it “grabs” and plays back without issues.
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Michael Hancock
Editor -
[Oliver Peters] “I am – and nope. Noticeably worse than Premiere Pro on the same machine.
“Sigh. I wish I knew who was dropping the ball here . Blackmagic writing bad drivers for FCPX? Or Apple providing bad hooks for them? At least I’d know who to harass about it.
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Michael Hancock
Editor