FCPX 10.2.1

For me it happens with video when I keyframe scale/position. On three machines. Not always. Nasty stuff.

@redifer

Thanks for posting the video. It makes things very clear. I can replicate what is happening exactly. It is user error. I'll give you a hint. Skimming overrides play head. I'm pretty sure that's in the docs.

You have clip skimming on. The last thing that happens before you create the key frame in the inspector is your mouse passes over exactly the point in the clip that the key frame is ultimately created. I can see the clip skimmer appear briefly at that point.

If you want the key frame to be at the play head just turn skimming and clip skimming off before you set your key frames. Personally I don't find skimming in the timeline all that useful and tend to keep it off unless I specifically want to use it for something.

Hi Joe,

Could it be that the keyframe is applied at the current position of the skimmer? I tried to replicate your steps and it happens when you start with an unselected audio clip. I had the playhead parked somewhere in the timeline. Then I clicked to select the audioclip and immediately I set a volume keyframe in the inspector. This keyframe is added to the timeline at the position where I clicked to select the audioclip.
However, when I first select the audioclip and then park the playhead at the position where I want to add a keyframe, it will work as expected.
Can you try if this works for you?

Robbert-Jan

I have done some testing and I cannot reproduce this.



If anyone has any specific problems with keyframing you can submit a bug report with your exact specifications for hardware and media so they can try to reproduce what you see. If they cannot reproduce what you see they cannot fix it.

- Ronny

Ronny - in his video you can see the clip skimmer appear just before he creates the key frame. The key frame is created at that position. From my testing FCP creates video key frames at the beginning of each frame or halfway between the beginning of two frames. The keyframe snaps to whichever of those points is closest to the left of the play head. The position of the skimmer overrides the play head position. For an audio only clip FCP will create keyframes on each subframe.

You probably already know this!

Hi Ronny,

I could replicate what Joe Redifer showed in his video.
Skimming on.
No clips selected.
Park playhead in timeline.
Move skimmer to the right or left and click clip to select it.
Move mouse immediately to inspector and set keyframe.
Keyframe is added at last skimmer position in selected clip.

I agree with Nick that this is not a bug.

Hi Nick and Robbert-Jan,

Thank you for doing theses tests. I had come to the same conclusion but it's always good to have confirmation.

- Ronny

OK I'll concede that it's not a bug. It's bad design. Unfortunately if I turn off skimming I can also no longer skim clips in the Canvas whatever the hell they call it in FCPX. I have two choices, skim to find the relative position I want to mark in or out or expand the view to "Filmstrips" which takes up way too much space and makes any organization I have a complete disarray. I don't like switching back and forth constantly. If the skimmer is not viable, it should not override. If it is visible, it SHOULD override.

Like I said, bad design. I'm sure you guys will disagree since Apple can do no wrong.

There are still other bugs with keyframes that I previously mentioned, though.

Hey everyone,
thanks for all your tests. Unfortunately there is still a bug. You all have missed the thing with the "keyframes between the keyframes" mentioned above. Even if you are right and some of the weird behavior is skimmer-related (which for me I can surely deny as I don't use it) it still does not explain at all why a picture would randomly change size/position between two keyframes of the same value. No third keyframe there but FCPX acts as if there was one.

BTW this is not at all new. It's been around for a while AND it's been discussed on this forum before without proper solutions.

Edit: Just noticed that tje skimmer-explanation also does not work for my specific problem with the keyframes appearing left of the beginning of the clip. Again: for me what happens randomly is that I want to set a keyframe on the first frame of the clip in the timeline. The keyframe might appear further left, though - which means in the invisible part of the clip. I then have to extend the beginning till I see the keyframe, adjust that and shorten the beginning again. This means it appears in an area that cannot even be reached with skimming in the project. Thoughts?

Even with skimming on I can't replicate the issue 100% of the time. I agree that it is skimmer related but it must be at least half-bug because it doesn't happen each time. I have purposely dragged the skimmer a few seconds away, let it sit and then marked the keyframe and it parks on the playhead. So half bug, half bad design.

I dont bother trying to be specific anymore with adding keyframes because of this.
Now I add as many keyframes as I think I'll need, then from the timeline I
'show video animation' and then move the keyframes into position and then set any other settings as needed. The occasional keyframe will still get added beyond a trim point (gets added in an invisible area of a trimmed clip), but when that happens I do a 'undo' and dont bother trying to work with that keyframe... Just undo and try adding again and see where it goes.
I do seem to have this happen less by programming 'add keyframe' into my trackpad and add a keyframe this way rather than the keyframe buttons in the inspector.

.. I forgot to mention..

I am not sure how good this would work, still need to try it some more, but creating and saving a keyframe filter (now that we can save effects) may be a way to go..
Save a keyframe filter with 4 keyframes for example, maybe spaced at 1 second each (or whatever), add that filter to a clip, then edit the filter.
Make a few of these of various durations and number of keyframes and this may take care of the problem for most clips.. maybe..

To change the subject completely...Features requests and bug lists...

Would it help if we all listed in separate lists, feature requests, genuine bugs and basicc annoyances with the UI?

I have been watching the Resolve 10 video tutorial from Ripple Training, and I have just noticed what is a huge plus for resolve and well a missing feature in FXP X..

With FCP X, it is all or nothing, that is the timeline is either proxy or Full Rez Pro Res.. It is not a clip by clip system, where as in Resolve 10, it is not.. I cannot afford to buy the Resolve 11 video yet, waiting for 12 to be released...

This would be a great feature request, be able to select as a function of the clip enable/disable, the type of clip it is, proxy or full resolution.

You can get Resolve for free, you know.

I worked with Resole 11 at NAB for a while, and found the UI super clunky, very awkward, you have to move windows, resize panes, open/close tons of stuff just to get from one place to another. I didn't think it was well thought out. I'd hate to waste so much time during an edit. It isn't fluid.