My Feature Request for future Versions

1. show in and out markers of clips in the event viewer & viewer (they are already in the application but only shown for the beginning/end of a clip)
2. give an option to "use proxy/optimized media" on project/event base and not only as an overall rule
3. add sync indicators for audio after you break apart a clip and move the audio
4. allow hiding of the event browser
5. make the windows fully customizable to give the user to change the window layout for his needs
6. add a full featured audio mixer
7. add show timecode/ timecode reader (plugin) based on clips timecode and not only the timeline's timecode
8. add a scrubber bar for the event viewer & viewer
9. allow skimming in the event viewer & vierwer
10. custom colors for roles
11. add a scrolling timeline
12. clips from the timeline can be open in the event viewer for better comparing timeline clip comparison

I agee with most of what you said. Your number 7 is really urgent for me, together with having a timecode overlay somewhere (HUD).

I will add (first things on top of my head):
- having Smart Render, like FCP 7 had. If you are only doing a cut-cut edit on a small edit in one uniform format, let FCP X copy media for output, resulting in much faster exporting times.

- If you click VIEW - EXPAND VIDEO/AUDIO - for ALL: let it be for everything in the timeline, INCLUDING clips you add to the timeline after selecting that command.

my old feature request list from 4 years ago . lets see what we got so far

1. show in and out markers of clips in the event viewer & viewer (they are already in the application but only shown for the beginning/end of a clip) YES
2. give an option to "use proxy/optimised media" on project/event base and not only as an overall rule NO
3. add sync indicators for audio after you break apart a clip and move the audio NO
4. allow hiding of the event browser, without closing the event viewer NO
5. make the windows fully customisable to give the user the option change the window layout for his needs NO
6. add a full featured audio mixer NO
7. add show timecode/ timecode reader (plugin) based on clips timecode and not only the timeline's timecode YES
8. add a scrubber bar for the event viewer & viewer NO
9. allow skimming in the event viewer & viewer NO
10. custom colours for roles YES
11. add a scrolling timeline NO
12. clips from the timeline can be open in the event viewer for better comparing timeline clip comparison YES

still a lot of work needs to be done :whistle:

Bender, thanks for this list! In the spirit of discourse I offer this feedback:

2. I personally like the universal function. Less confusing. But I'm sure you have reasons for this request and agree with your "option" for this request.
3. Only if there is an option to turn this indicator off. Don't want to muck up my timeline with things I may already know (that they are out-of-sync if I purposely moved them out-of-sync).
4. Not sure why you want the Viewer open if the Browser is closed. It would be blank wouldn't it. Or are you keeping one clip in there or a history of clips? I personally like using one-viewer a LOT. But we all have different needs.
5. Closer.
6. A step closer with Lanes. Maybe soon?
8/9. I'm assuming these would then be synced with the Browser and Timeline? Or an option to be.
11. But with an option to turn it off

Thanks again for sharing this!

@ archill

about 2: somtimes you have the files for a project only as proxy, while for another project you have the original/optimized files at hand. having an option to select projects quality of clips (proxy/original/optimized) just makes the hassle go away to switch around. and yes, a indicator should be shown, e.g. blue -> original; green -> optimized; red -> proxy

about 3/11: always with an option to turn things off and have it behave like the current fcpx versions.

about 4/5: i like to work with a true two up system. in fcp7 i simply moved the browser down to the timeline or onto a 2nd display. in fcpx i simply can't do this and i need to work with a smaller event viewer/viewer.

about 8/9: of course. it would be pretty much like it was in fcp7. a very handy thing to have, since you don't have to zoom the timeline in and out to get to the edit you want to go.

We all have different wish-lists, and what seems important to some might seem completely irrelevant to others. The last thing we need to have is tons of options that you need to switch on or off depending on how every individual would like the NLE to behave. They started doing this with the old Final Cut, and that was also the end of it because it made the UI bloated and the application unstable. I don't think they are going to make that mistake again.

I honestly think they have done a pretty decent job so far. They have gradually added functionality that would be relevant to a majority of the user base without sacrificing speed and stability, which are IMO the most important "features" of an NLE. I hope they will continue following that path, and that some of the things you mention will make it in future releases. But I truly hope we will never see another FCP7 again.

- Ronny

Ditto, Ronny.

I have only 1 major request...
Show or warn with bells, whistles, sirens, flashing screen, 2000 px high letters, that when I hit SHARE, I am in proxy mode....

I export out for an hour, only to find I was in proxy mode... A simple dialogue..
"YOU DO KNOW YOU ARE SHARING/EXPORTING A PROXY MEDIA PROJECT....CONTINUE OR CANCEL"

What I'd like to see most is:

1. Renaming or assigning a Role to a clip in the browser ripples that change through to the same clip already used in the timeline. I am curious to hear from editors who have specific reasons NOT to implement this (as I may be missing possible problems it would cause).

2. Some kind of option to mark in and out points with I and O (during playback) in a stand-alone audio track i.e. not on the primary storyline. Editing audio in FCPX is still my biggest gripe. It's really cumbersome. However, with the absence of tracks I am also not sure how this could be implemented. But the guys at Apple are smart, they'll surely come up with something (if enough people want it).

Below is a YouTube link to one of my top feature requests. I have actually requested this multiple times but it still has not been added.

TIMELINE MOVE CLIPS ABOVE OR BELOW KEYBOARD SHORTCUT

If this is a feature you would also like added please send Apple a feature request with a link to the video.
As we know Apple adds features based on how many people ask for them.

Thank you!
Shawn

Shawnfcp wrote: Below is a YouTube link to one of my top feature requests. I have actually requested this multiple times but it still has not been added.
…

no surprise, because it mimics 'tracks' - which FCPX doesn't have. By concept.

LANES are meant for compositing - and then the top-to-bottom order of 'layers' is essential.

AND in the comp-modes you'd find the underrated, lil' known 'BEHIND' mode… in case, a 'top' lane should appear behind a clip it is stacked to…

Hi Karsten,
Thanks for the reply. What I am requesting actually has NOTHING to do with tracks and EVERYTHING to do with compositing. As you mentioned layer order is very important in video compositing and graphics so that is the exact reason I am asking for the feature. I am fully aware of the "behind" in the compositing dropdown in FCPX, however it is not a replacement for being able to move layers to the order you need them in complex composites, such as those I do. Perhaps I should have mentioned this in the video. However, anyone doing complex work in FCPX would understand the need for it.

I end up with at times 10 layers or more layers of composited items in FCPX and this would greatly increase the ease and efficiency of working in FCPX.

I have been an editor/graphics designer for almost 20 years. I work 8 or more hours a day 5 days a week in FCPX generally on multiple projects a day, so I am very familiar with how FCPX works (as well as many other editing/Compositing software.) So when I do make a feature request it is often for a good reason.

Thanks,
Shawn

bendermac wrote: 5. make the windows fully customizable to give the user to change the window layout for his needs

10.3 allowed that to an extend. Ever since I purchased the 5k iMac for UHD editing (three months with 10.2), I thought I'd needed a second monitor / AV-out. My custom workspaces allow me to see 100% UHD for qualifying footage (custom workspace "Organize" forced to ctrl shift 1) and for CC (custom workspace "Color & Effects" forced to cmd shift 2). I'd like to have the inspector even narrower, that's my only minor complain. But wait: in thumbnail view, my setting "all" reverts to "30 seconds" (or so) all the time. I hate this.

bendermac wrote: 8. add a scrubber bar for the event viewer & viewer

I don't scrub. I JKL or skim. Always hated scrubbing, also in legacy FCP.

bendermac wrote: 9. allow skimming in the event viewer & vierwer

Nice idea. I can imagine how you could indeed hide the browser and still have access to the footage clips with up, down, JKL and continous playback.

bendermac wrote: 11. add a scrolling timeline

Actually saw this once. Worked at some time through FCP Hacks. No skimming then of course or else you'd need to puke over the keyboard, but at times very nice for JKL:
vimeo.com/196231096

EDIT: Just checked:

FCPX Hacks does NOT work with Final Cut Pro 10.3.3 (or above).

It’s compatible with macOS 10.10.5 (or above), and works with any language and keyboard layout.

The Touch Bar feature requires macOS Sierra 10.12.1 build 16B2657 (or above).

MsJustine wrote: I have only 1 major request...
Show or warn with bells, whistles, sirens, flashing screen, 2000 px high letters, that when I hit SHARE, I am in proxy mode....

I export out for an hour, only to find I was in proxy mode... A simple dialogue..
"YOU DO KNOW YOU ARE SHARING/EXPORTING A PROXY MEDIA PROJECT....CONTINUE OR CANCEL"

I hate to say this, but Resolves Proxy or Intermediate workflow is easier and (therefore) better than FCP X's. You create proxies with a right-click on selected or all clips in the browser. The default setting reads USE OPTIMIZED MEDIA FOR PREVIEW IF AVAILABLE, but the final render always refers to the original media.

At least you have to admit that FCP X's proxy is better than Premiere's. Which is like winning the Smarter-Than-Donald-Trump-Contest ...

Suzero wrote: 2. Some kind of option to mark in and out points with I and O (during playback) in a stand-alone audio track i.e. not on the primary storyline.

Over years I despaired because I wasn't able to select a connected clip with the keyboard. Couldn't find the shortcut. Then FCPXguru told me it was cmd up or down. The information made me very happy because I am a shortcut guy. Maybe there already is a way to do that, and just both of us don't know about it. What I found out, however: if clip-skimming is enabled and your mouse-pointer happens to be on a connected clip, i + o will select the range there. Worthless, because you still need the mouse? Yes and no. I don't have to click-drag, which in my eyes is an improvement. Just need two fingers to shove the mouse. That's also why I find scrubbing annoying and prefer skimming.

I'd LOVE a keyboard shortcut to move connected clips up or down in stacks. That would be SO helpful. I'm all on board for that one.

ronny courtens wrote: ....The last thing we need to have is tons of options that you need to switch on or off depending on how every individual would like the NLE to behave...I honestly think they have done a pretty decent job so far....speed and stability....are IMO the most important "features" of an NLE....

I agree with this. Most of my requests are beneath-the-covers items. In no particular priority order:

(1) Improve thumbnail caching performance, and/or SQL database calls on large libraries. Current performance is very good but shooting ratios are skyrocketing and thumbnail rendering on large libraries can be quite slow even on a 4-drive Thunderbolt 2 disk array. Examining the I/O characteristics with dtrace tools bitesize.d and iosnoop shows the FCPX process is doing a large number of small I/Os when scrolling down in the Event Browser to build thumbnails. Some of the I/O is to the media files and some to Info.plist files. This needs improving else it caps the library size due to I/O constraints.

(2) AVCHD: either disallow "in place" import of bare files, properly rewrap them on import (like EditReady does) or document the performance problems caused by the current behavior. FCPX allows in-place import of bare AVCHD files but this causes major I/O performance problems. This is a frequent area of confusion.

(3) Better support external proxy workflow. Currently there is no approved procedure for moving proxies out of a library, nor is there a good procedure for creating external proxies. In the 4k era, proxies are frequently needed yet we also need to maintain a "lean library" for portability. While there is a convoluted procedure to create external proxies, it is delicate and does not reliably allow relink.

(4) Revamped plugin management -- standardize installation, deinstallation, updating and version checking. The active plugin ecosystem is great but installing, deinstalling and updating these can be a pain. Outside of FXFactory, there is no consistency or commonality -- it's about like apps were on Windows 3.0. As plugins become ever more important, it would help if this was standardized.

(5) Improve plugin threading model to prevent compute-intensive plugins from dominating the UI. A fundamental principle of UI design is background tasks or computation should not interfere with the main UI thread. A familiar past example was on 16-bit Windows, OS/2 and (I think) macOS before X, the UI input queue was synchronous -- if an app hung or went into a high-CPU loop without explicitly yielding, it owned the input queue and you lost control of the mouse and keyboard.

With Windows 95, NT, OS/2 Warp 2.x and OS X, they adopted an asynchronous input queue so a hung or CPU-intensive app would not lock out user input: blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20130604-00/?p=4173

Unfortunately it appears the plugin threading model used by FCPX has elements similar to a synchronous input queue. A CPU-intensive plugin such as Neat Video can lock out the input for significant periods. Normally -- on most plugins and situations -- this isn't a problem but with some it is. I don't know why Apple designed it this way but there are definitely possible improvements.

(6) Import with leave files in place from folder tree. It is apparently possible to determine programmatically whether a camera folder tree resides on a camera card (in which case import in place should be disallowed) or it's on a hard drive (in which case it should be allowed). This can be even done from terminal. If upon further study it's not possible to reliably determine this, there should be an adequately warned override which allows in place import from a folder tree. Lacking this is inducing people to copy bare video files outside the tree to obtain in place import, which is poor practice since it isolates the video and metadata files.

(7) This one is a UI item: Improved or configurable browser search field. Currently only searches for filename and notes are possible in the search field. This forces users to keep the Filter HUD up for things like keyword searches. That's OK but if more metadata could be searched from the browser search field that would improve its usefulness. Finder supports this via query syntax, so it should be possible for FCPX: support.apple.com/kb/PH25589?locale=en_US

I think you hit every point I had, also. I'd add that after watching the WWDC keynote just now, integrate the motion tracking and other technologies fripon the new ARkit into Motion, if not also into FCPX itself. And flexible Siri complex parameter searches in the Browser & Timeline. I can tell Siri what I need to locate way faster than mouse clicks & typing.

Hi Forum,

Some are really useful and a must feature list!

Here're some of my additions:

1. Movable markers (as in FCP 7)
2. Replace edit at Playhead (a much needed feature request to avoid time consuming workaround)
3. Bladed cut points in COLOUR for visibility (through edit points)
4. Find & Replace/delete bladed cut points (in long projects they're easily overlooked)
5. Please make iMac 27 5K target monitor enabled

Many Thanks for the contributions,

Soran.

jumping into my mind ...
6. Include a favourite functions to select transitions, effects, titles instead of having to remember where my fav's are located/stored and avoid any workaround with the finder.
7. Fixed the bug with the optical flow that exists since years
8. Think about a combination to make use of iMovie trailers. Not all FCPX users are Pro users and use it as a better iMovie App
9. Show markers everywhere as well collapsing a MC clip
10. Provide a big update to Motion offer language support for own templates !

Agree with a lot of what’s already been said but would also love a re-linking option that puts the control in the hands of the user.

Thank you Schnurr for highlighting:

'8. Think about a combination to make use of iMovie trailers. Not all FCPX users are Pro users and use it as a better iMovie App'

I would go one step further, I think FCPX should have improved Movie trailers motion templates within the FCPX (perhaps iFCPX Movie trailers plug-in?) rather than importing such projects from restricted editing platform iMOVIE

And also I'd like to add one more feature request:

3D functionality for emojis in Title effects which was reserved only for symbols as in 'Ripple Bullets' and some other plug-ins. I wish 3D text engine improved for any vector images imported from AI or CorelDraw in FCPX

Any thoughts ?

Much appreciated,

Soran