How to control Fade in and Fade out of a Title

I'm trying to create a Title that fades in and out with FCP-X version 0.9. I select a title type from titles. Place that over my video. Open up video animation editor and click on Composting Opacity. Go to inspector window and open FACE window. Set the opacity to zero and click on add key frame. Move to where I want the title to be at 100% opacity and add another key frame moving the slider to 100%. Move to where I want the title to start to fade and add another key frame then another key frame where I want the title at zero opacity again and add a final key frame. When I play back the title sequence I can see the slider moving from zero to 100% and back at the key frame points but the actual title remains at zero throughout the viewing. Also there is no physical key frame diamonds anywhere on the time line even thought they seem to be set in the inspector. Any ideas about what I should do to create fade in and face out points on my titles would be greatly appreciated.

Way too many steps in the wrong place. You could just add cross dissolves at the beginning and end of the title. You don't need video animation editor. If you really want to do it with keyframes use the video inspector. At the bottom click a keyframe for opacity. Set the level to zero. Move forward change the value to 100. The keyframe is added for you. Go forward, add another keyframe to hold it. Go forward and change the value to 0. The last keyframe will be added for you.

Thanks, Tom. My problem was I was setting key frames using the Text tab in the inspector. As you pointed out I should have been using the Video tab to set key frames. I can now see the key frame diamonds in the compositing opacity bar in video animation and slide the diamonds around to set the timing. Mystery solved. thanks again.

I find it easier to control the fades using the "Show Animation" -> "Compositing: Opacity" than using keyframes for titles.

*not my screenshot

I find it easiest to select the title and press Cmd-T.

So the options, in order of degree of difficulty!

1. Keyframes
2. Compositing: Opacity
3. Cmd-T (only works if default transition is cross-dissolve)

Lots of ways to skin the cat, some would say

I've never liked the results fading with the Compositing slider and keyframes works. The speed of the fade never quite worked for me.

I use a Fade to Color transition (in the Transitions>Disolves) and then I adjust the Midpoint and Hold sliders. Give it a try.

Jonathan