Cutting with blade tool

In 10.1.1 cutting with the blade tool is extremely imprecise. It was not this way in 10.0.9. In that older version you could step your way to the frame where you wanted to cut and that frame would be the first of the "new clip". Not any more. Now it more often than not will cut one frame back. Sometimes it works accurately but you've REALLY gotta zoom in to the timeline to be precise. Otherwise FCPX just guesses and it usually guesses wrong.

This is important for me because I must take a single long clip comprised of several clips which were preedited and cut them into their components to key them out. 10.1.1 adds a ton of time to my duties.

Why did Apple break this?

Hi Joe,

I'm not aware of this issue, but I would like to do some testing to see if I can reproduce it.

- Are you using the Blade tool or the Blade command (CMD+B ) to cut up the clip?
- What is the format and the length of the original clip?



-Ronny

If I'm zoomed in enough, it is very precise. I find if I'm zoomed out too far, the mouse cursor is simply not that precise on anything.

I have just tested this and I have recorded the test. No issues here, not even when blading a 1 hour clip without any zooming in at all. I have tried it with ProRes422 and with native H.264 clips. Blading always occurs on the correct frame.

This is how I blade: skim with the mouse to the spot where you want to blade, use the arrows to put the playhead on the exact frame and press CMD+B. Always spot-on.

Here's the vid: vimeo.com/89789163


- Ronny

ronny courtens wrote: IThis is how I blade: drag the mouse to the spot where you want to blade, use the arrows to put the playhead on the exact frame and press CMD+B. Always spot-on.
- Ronny

Ditto. Never any problems when doing it this way.

It is an MP4 (optimized by Final Cut Pro X)and it's 6 minutes long. It seems command + B is more precise than the blade tool. The blade tool used to be precise. Park the playhead on the frame you want to cut and the Blade tool will make that frame the first of the new clip. It seems that Command B still does it that way but the Blade tool is not as accurate.

I will use command + B from now on.

I'm trying both, and as long as Snapping is on, both seem very accurate. Very odd issue.

Hi just had a nightmare with fcpx 10.1.1 same issue as the starter of this post, I blow up the clips to max drop my blade and cut only to find out if I scroll back or view I am off by 1 frame or 4 varies a bit.

I also notice if you try to go frame by frame you'll see different points depending on which tool you are on. blade showed me on ending and select showed another...


Sorry I have a compound clip I'm working with... maybe that's the issue but beyond that issue and the paste effects and all that this version sucks apple turned into a crap company.

I've also seen weird memory issues with max ram unable to watch prores files using a TB raid in real time even with all files rendered. Just a huge piece of junk...

Blading is absolutely accurate with CMD+B, you don't even have to zoom in on the clip. If it doesn't work for you you should see what YOU are doing wrong and not blame the application. If you have a gripe with Apple write them a letter instead of wasting our time with junk posts like this.

- Ronny

Ronny,

I don't want to use command b I use a pen tablet and I like to press the pen on the blade to cut.
Don't a be a jerk, if the app states you must use command b to cut then fine but if not then keep your negative comments about the way one uses the app up your butt.

dfphoto, we don't flame here. You never mentioned you are using a pen & tablet, and what Ronny said is technically true. I'd not look at the app, I'd look at that pen & tablet. It seems to be what is not accurate.

Ok Ben,

No sweat, using the pen is not the issue, because if you click on a track pad or a mouse fcpx also cuts
besides I'm on the blade itself but when I check the footage the cut is different.

I never asked Ron to answer if he thinks my issue and the original poster's was rubbish no need to waste time answering.

The original poster's question was clear and we gave him a clear answer. I am usually very kind with people, but when you use words like "crap" and "piece of junk" on a help forum you cannot expect me to take you seriously. Your offensive reply only has confirmed this.

- Ronny

Why on earth would you use something as cumbersome as a pen and tablet to edit video when keyboard shortcuts are so much faster to begin with? A pen and tablet are good for drawing, not general use as a replacement for a mouse. Talk about inefficient!

If you use the mouse (or tablet and pen), you have to go and click the drop-down menu you want, then select the tool, then drag your mouse all the way over to the timeline, then skim, then pray you cut at the exact frame you want. This really adds up in time quite quickly if you think about it.

Now, if you use Command+B, you can cut at least 50% faster without all of that hassle of switching tools. And you can switch between tools even faster with keyboard shortcuts as well.

You really should familiarize yourself with the shortcuts (and improve your workflow) before you come on here and get upset that you're not cutting at the frames you want to. Get rid of the tablet and learn the keyboard shortcuts and you'll be amazed at how much faster you can do things.

Fact of the matter is, the more time you spend on a keyboard, the faster and more efficiently you work.

Not that it matters, but I use a multi button scroll mouse with the scroll wheel mapped to L/R arrows and the thumb button to CMD-B. Fast, accurate. Added bonus is with clip skimming on, you can scroll beyond pix edit points to look at heads and tails. Kinda nice. Anyway, I still know guys who use the J/L keys to scrub to a frame to cut. Old habits die hard.

Using a keyboard exclusively is not practical, but the more you do on it, the faster you'll get by. Often menus and scrolling still need to be done on a mouse/trackpad. Personally, I've found the Magic Trakcpad to be amazingly fast to work with.

I will occasionally work with a pen & tablet in Motion, Modo, etc. But I'd never edit video with one.

Of course I use the keyboard as much as possible that's without saying but sometimes I put the playhead where I want it and click that's how I like to cut.

I appreciate the assistance from all involved including Ronald.... No hard feelings my good fellow.

Why on earth would you use something as cumbersome as a pen and tablet to edit video

uhm, well.. historically, the first NLEs used indeed pen&tablets..
I remember my first contact with this technique way back in the late 80ies (early 90ies?… obviously I don't remember that well :lol: ), QUANTEL had these huge, square tablets and the operators swished and swooshed across it with a pen with buttons on it to let the tapes roll .. and wasn't the first Avid with this odd, vertical Moviola-GUI also tablet controlled?

Being handicapped on one side, I used for a long time a ShuttlePro device, which its multi-buttons allowed to initiate actions with the push of a single click.

Meanwhile, as mentioned by others too , a Magic Trackpad is my preferred choice of weapon - but it needed a while to realize, you have to control FCPX BOTH HANDED to get its full potential - ... just meant as a recommendation, have a look here:

www.fcp.co/forum/4-final-cut-pro-x-fcpx/...for-fastest-workflow

Nope, just a mouse on a mouse pad.

If you want to see some super archaic GUI and workflow, watch Avid's original promo video. It explains the GUI and workflow, and makes me VERY happy to be on FCPX. Do you realize how much headache there was back them? Drives failed left and right, getting components to talk to each other was a major ordeal, you couldn't pay me enough to go back in time.