Dynamic Trimming ?

You can play the outgoing or the incoming shot outside the edit point in the precision editor in realtime and cut to it to ripple or roll in realtime even if you don't have a two-up display.

Tom Wolsky wrote: You can play the outgoing or the incoming shot outside the edit point in the precision editor in realtime and cut to it to ripple or roll in realtime even if you don't have a two-up display.

Hi Tom,
It's possible that I'm missing something because I never use the precision editor, but how do you continue to play the outgoing shot so you can judge a new out point? Can you post a demo? As far as I can tell, it will immediately cut to the incoming shot past the edit point when you play it in the precision editor, just like normal (even if you select one or both sides of the edit). Is there a special play command in the precision editor that will play it past the edit point?

I've put a little demo at www.fcpxbook.com/DynamicTrim.mov

I point to the track I want to play and I can rock and roll with with JKL. To play the edit I point to the central bar. I can select either a ripple or a roll edit and play either the edit or either track and execute the edit, backwards or forwards, with an extend edit. The default is Shift-X, but you can change it to something simpler.

It's not dynamic trimming in the sense that K will execute the edit. It does not have a two-up display, which AFAIK is not patented, as legacy FCP had a two-up display in the trim editor. I would like to see much more work done on the precision editor, and first to add it to secondaries, which shouldn't be that big a deal.

I made a "FCPX Dynamic Trimming... sorta" video. Perhaps this will help cover some of the elements of our discussion.

Yeah a BIG sorta. What you're showing is NOT dynamic trimming as the edit point is NOT moving as you play.
Yes you can move it with a click but with AVID as soon as you start playing you ARE trimming.

Precision Editor does need a whole lot of TLC you're right.
It would be great if when you entered the mode it would automatically show you video and audio tracks so you could quickly choose which you wanted to trim.
Also it would be good if we got to see our outgoing and incoming frames updating LIVE like we do in AVID.

Precision Editor is not really dynamic and as you say inconsistent. I hardly use it.
The closest we get near dynamic trimming is by "playing around" something (pre-roll can be set in Prefs) and then make your trim. For me that is very close to dynamic trimming. Only difference I have to press a button to "play-around" every time. Just leave my little finger on that button and select trim and trim with other hand. Not a deal breaker at all.

The good news about FCPX is the timeline: when I have a completed program and have to trim something in the middle after a 10th revision, I can just do that without worrying about any other track or sync-point.

Looped playback Cmd-L works with play around.

Yup but not dynamic. You simply can't move the edit point just by hitting play forwards or backwards. It requires another key press.

You mean you edit simply by playing? When does the edit come? When you think it?

Seanus wrote: Yup but not dynamic. You simply can't move the edit point just by hitting play forwards or backwards. It requires another key press.

Oh I see your point now. I was concentrating on making and edit while watching the unused portion a a clip while your point was that after and edit point is selected you can move it with JKL.

It seems to me as someone who has only used an avid many moons ago, that because of the editing "modes" so to speak, it makes more sense to have the same keystrokes perform differently. I think generally apple is trying to be non modal, with the precision editor being the great exception.

I personally think it would be pretty cool if if in precision editor when an edit point was selected there would be a persistent 2 up display and the edit point could be moved with JKL.

T.

2-up would definitely help with the precision editor, but overall I think it just needs to be more keyboard focused. For example, a command key to jump into the precision editor for whatever the nearest edit point is. And I think being in the Precision editor should put you into a persistent loop mode on playback.

You can already assign a key in the command editor to toggle precision editor on off. playback loop as an option would be nice. really needed is a way to expand audio in the precision editor.
2-up display should also pop up when trimming with the keyboard when trimming in the timeline, just as it does when using the mouse!

Humm. Regarding my comments amount modes. If you think about it, the behavior of "clicking" is radically different in the precision editor compared to the "normal" timeline. It moves the edit point. With that in mind once an edit point is selected moving it with JKL might be completely appropriate and in line with the FCPX is doing elsewhere.

tpayton wrote: ... With that in mind once an edit point is selected moving it with JKL might be completely appropriate and in line with the FCPX is doing elsewhere.

... What about comma and period?
In 'normal' editing, don't you nudge the ... 'editing point' with it, don't you?
(if you define 'end-of-selection' as 'edit-point' ... which it is i most cases, isn't it?)