temporarily switching off effect across multiple clips

I have a multi cam edit to which I've applied a skin smoother plug-in, but only to certain clips and at different values for those clips.

Rendering the effect is slowing me down while I change the basic editing.

I'd like to temporarily turn of the effect by quickly selecting all the clips that have it and unchecking the effect box, however selecting the clips takes an age as there are a lot of edits.

Is there a way to save a 'selection set' of the clips that have the effect applied, so I can select them all at once? Or is there a way to tell FCPX to only select the clips with the filter applied?

Simple answer: No

Select the clips which have the fx applied and switch if off.

- Andreas

Use the timeline index to search for the clips with the effect. Select them in the index and they'll be selected in the timeline and in the inspector.

I assume I'd have to first tag the clips with the particular effect? I've tried searching for the effect in the timeline index, but no clips are found.

Post removed.

- Ronny

Andreas is correct, there is no way to disable a particular effect on multiple clips. We have been asking for a Remove Attributes feature for awhile, if you want you can use the Feedback form to request for this feature as well.

Tom made a valid observation about using the Timeline Index. Although the filters do not appear in the Timeline Index you could use the Role Editor to create a Video Subrole and call that Subrole "Skin Effect". Then you will have to assign this Subrole to every clip that has this effect applied to it. May be some work, but once this is done you can disable all those clips at once in the Timeline Index, and enable them at once as well.

A tip for working with effects that require long renders and that don't play back in real time: apply such filters AFTER your editing is done or nearly done, this will save you tons of time.

- Ronny

Thanks - I did apply the filters at the end, but now of course the client want a few clips changed.

Beside the role you can add some entry for each filter in the notes.
You can use the search filter in the timeline index once needed.

- Andreas

Just figured out a workaround. I added the filter to ALL the clips, then adjusted the effect of the filter to zero on the clips I don't want it on. Now I can select all clips and have a global on/off switch that doesn't effect the individual clips settings.

Thanks for all the help. The knowledge and response rate on this forum never ceases to amaze me.

Why add it to the ones you don't want the filter on? If you Select All in the timeline, any and all filters wills show up in the Inspector, and you can disable them easily all at once. No need to add them to the clips they don't need to be on.

UPDATE: Yep, filters on multiple clips show up, even if not on all clips. Filters only used on a single clip won't show up. In testing, when Select All is done in a timeline, only filters used THREE OR MORE TIMES show up in the Inspector. That's odd...

Because I thought if only some of the clips had the effect, and I select all, I then get a half filled checkbox for the effect. I was worried that if I then click the box to switch off the effect, then later switch it on again, it would apply the effect to all he clips, not just the original ones.

Thinking about it my entire problem doesn't make much sense!