10.1.5 PRE-RELEASE DISCUSSION

BenB wrote: if we get stability, performance, bug fixes, and that's it, I'd be VERY happy.

Same here. I can't think of any features I need at the moment. Some would be nice, sure, but I'd really like to see this performance sluggishness fixed. Then keyframing fixed. Then being able to ramp/bezier ANY keyframe.

I'll be pretty disappointed if waveform (re)drawing isn't something that continues during playback; I find it irritating that I can keyframe audio levels during playback, but not see the audio I'm trying to work on without pausing for a few seconds.

Otherwise, my big hope for this release hasn't changed since whichever release it was that brought multicam workflows: I want Roles to be expanded to incorporate adjustment layers, audio sub-mixes, and so on. Let me tag a bunch of clip roles as 'Dialogue A' or 'Dialogue B', slap different EQ on those roles, then bundle the Dialogue roles together and slap an adaptive limiter on the lot. A similar approach would be tremendously useful for video effects too.

Conceptually this seems entirely straightforward, and the Roles feature has always felt incomplete. I suspect it's taking them a lot of work to get the UI right, and I'm hoping that work is now complete.

There are plenty of other changes I'd like to see (Motion round-tripping, anyone?), but if I had one vote I'd cast it for Roles-as-submixes.

Waveform redrawing is a problem with every NLE I know (and I know most of them). The only major NLE that seems to have partially solved this issue in its latest update -after 25 years- is Avid. But it's still there.

So I wouldn't count on this being changed any day soon. Live redrawing either requires a tremendous caching capacity to store every possible waveform representation in every possible height or width. Or it would require enormous resources from your CPU and your FCP X Cache drive to deliver realtime graphic updating, no matter what you do to the audio while playing the timeline. Any of these would bog down most systems today. That's why at this time redrawing is done when playback is paused.

OTOH I agree that Roles will be significant in how audio will be visualized and processed in the near future. This requires a lot of work at the UI level, but I think we may expect to see the first implementations of this before the end of this year.

- Ronny

Oh, I get that there's a heap of processing involved in drawing waveforms, and I don't expect them to be recalculated whilst playing. But the amount of data involved - relative to available system RAM and drive bandwidth - must now be pretty low, surely?

On the other hand, I'm willing to believe that it's another think like continuously-scrolling tracks: you think you want it, but when you actually use it you realise that the right compromise was picked all along, and turn it off.

The faster the drives will become where we can store our Cache folder, and the faster bus the speeds we will get to access RAM, the faster redrawing will take place. As to the scrolling timeline: I couldn't agree more. It's very possible today, even iMovie has it, but it draws more resources away from what really matters. So at this time it's something I would only like to have if I can turn it off immediately

- Ronny

Stability is the main thing for me but I'll be disappointed if we don't at least get:

Remove Attributes
A better way of working with Secondary Storylines

Wishlist:

Motion roundtripping of some sort

Motion templates stored in library (I know this can be problematic due to licensing)

Audio mixer - via roles perhaps. Something where I can adjust/keyframe master audio for vocals, music and sfx separately rather than detaching audio, sub clipping and then adjusting in that.

Set marker duration and show marker text in viewer

Remove attributes.

Drag and drop attributes from clip to others on the timeline.

Ability to assign a keyword to footage on import

Z space (bit left field)

Looking forward to this release... Hope they bring a basic feature that is missing in FCP X...

Which is... Timecode overlay ! I work a lot with journalists, and they need to have a look at the source
timecode all the time on the viewer screen. I could do that with FCP7, but with FCPX, there's only this little
TC bar in the middle of the main screen. Not possible to bring the source timecode it in the Viewer...

You can switch the Skimmer Info on (CTRL+Y), which will show you the source time code on the clip while you skim it in the browser. Not as handy as TC overlay in the Viewer, I agree. Keep sending feedback to get this as a feature. The more people want it, the faster we will get it.

- Ronny

"Ability to assign a keyword to footage on import"

We actually have a way to do that now. Highlight a keyword, or group of keyword collections in the Libraries pane first, then launch the Import Window, and all imported clips get that (those) keywords.

Ah. Thanks Ben, you're a star.

One other thing I think would be useful is the ability to make folders live so that everything you drop in them at the folder level (or export from motion/photoshop/etc) automatically show up in your FCP library. Often I'm exporting motion graphics or layered PSDs and it would be great to have that as an option.

This must be your lucky day, Robert, because that's possible as well.

Import a folder with media in an FCP X Library.
Then add files to the folder in Finder.
Import the folder again in the FCP X Library.
FCP X will import only the files that have been added to the folder since the last import. No duplicates will be created.

- Ronny

That's a good workaround and handy to know, Ronny. Thanks!

I find it easiest to just drag the folder / files directly from the finder window to the event window as well.

But I second that live folders would be wonderful. Not many apps do that though. Probably some reason I can't think of at the moment.

Well, Post Magazine RSS feed delivered a FCPX 10.2 update news for today. Now the page is gone. But the feed is still available in feedly .

LAS VEGAS — In conjunction with the NAB show in Las Vegas, Apple is releasing Version 10.2 of its Final Cut Pro editing application. While the company is not formally exhibiting on the NAB show floor, Apple did give Post a look at the upgrade prior to its public release on Monday.

Let's start refreshing that Mac App Store!

You always have to import new media into the Library, either using the Import window or by dragging. This is the only way FCP X can establish the links between the imported media and the Event database. That's why live folders are not an option.

- Ronny

@Matias: someone at Post Magazine will be in trouble

- Ronny

Of course. But there's no reason it couldn't be implemented. It'd be akin to a watch folder in render or compression apps. For every project I usually have a Motion Renders folder and an AE renders folder and a keyword collection of the same name. Checking for new media in a particular folder would be pretty simple.

Not on the top of my list, but nifty.

I agree, good feature request.

- Ronny

Check resolve 12.....