Published parameters

If a parameter is published it can be be changed in FCP - but only for a single instance of the template.
Is there a way to "publish for batch change"

- Andreas

No, not directly. Thoughts...

Maybe put the motion template in a compound clip? Changing it there should change it everywhere? I haven’t tried this and, of course, it would be useless for text unless it was the same text everywhere.

Or...

Alter the master template while FCPX is closed. I’ve found that many things auto update when you do this but, again, not text properties.

Best I can think of.

Ian.

You may make a change (or a hundred), then click "Save Effects Preset" in FCP's Inspector.
Give it a name. Then you can use this wherever you want.

Thanks,

But that won't work.
Changing the master wouldn't allow to have different settings for different projects. But fortunately that doesn't work

Saving presets only work for effects and don't allow to 'batch set' for example generator values.

Andreas Kiel wrote: Saving presets only work for effects and don't allow to 'batch set' for example generator values.

For a generator, I think there are two approaches:
1) Edit a copy in Motion, and save with selected values for parameters
2) Without resorting to Motion:
Add generator to a timeline, adjust parameters, make it a compound clip. You could have specific events to group those reusable entitities. Once dragged to a new timeline, you can break it apart, do any other adjustments and it won't affect your compound. Think of that event as a repository of your own customized generators.

For example, suppose you want to have quick access to a generator producing a green square. Drag the Shapes generator to a timeline, change the shape to a square, change the color to green, remove the outline - i.e., a batch of changes. Make it a compound, and call it Green Square. Choose a nice place to keep it. That compound can then be used and reused (and broken apart) without having to go and change the parameters of the Shapes generator.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

lichinho wrote: For a generator, I think there are two approaches:
1) Edit a copy in Motion, and save with selected values for parameters

That wouldn't make sense
Think about.

lichinho wrote: 2) Without resorting to Motion:
Add generator to a timeline, adjust parameters, make it a compound clip. You could have specific events to group those reusable entitities. Once dragged to a new timeline, you can break it apart, do any other adjustments and it won't affect your compound. Think of that event as a repository of your own customized generators.

For example, suppose you want to have quick access to a generator producing a green square. Drag the Shapes generator to a timeline, change the shape to a square, change the color to green, remove the outline - i.e., a batch of changes. Make it a compound, and call it Green Square. Choose a nice place to keep it. That compound can then be used and reused (and broken apart) without having to go and change the parameters of the Shapes generator.

Also this wouldn't work.
Take a generator producing a rectangle, use it 10 or 50 or whatever times with different sizes (maybe colors).
Now change outline size only.

I probably missed your point entirely.
It seems to me now that you want to make changes to several instances of a generator that you have already placed in one (or more) timelines. Is that it?

Of course, what I suggested wouldn't work.

AFAICT, the only way that a change made in one place will be replicated automatically somewhere else is to use a compound clip. THAT would work, because that is how compound clips work.

Here is a quick example:

1) A compound clip of the shapes generator, producing a green square, is added to a timeline multiple times.
2) Double-click any of the compound clips in the timeline, and make changes to the generator (here, add a large red outline, but could make any other changes)
3) ALL of them in the timeline (and in the browser!) change - is this the sort of batch change you had in mind?

Of course, there is always the possibility that I'm still missing your point.

Andreas Kiel wrote: …Take a generator producing a rectangle, use it 10 or 50 or whatever times with different sizes (maybe colors).
Now change outline size only.

… it looks like, that Published Parameters are no 'Attributes', at last none copy/cmd-shift-v paste-able ones…… 



Enhancement request?

@ Luis
See the example I gave - it won't work.

@ Karsten
Obviously it needs a enhancement request for that.

Being able to paste attributes from published parameters would be very useful! In the meantime the compound clip approach would work but there is a more interesting technique as I mentioned at the top of the thread.

FCPX loads templates when it loads a timeline containing them. I've just tested how we might use this (in fact I used it unwittingly some months ago on a client project and it was VERY useful as colours and shapes changed as a brand identity was signed off).

My test this morning:
Make a simple title in Motion with a shape under a title layer.
Set the fill and border colours plus font, size etc.
Don't publish any parameters.

Publish the template and open FCPX.
Apply the template several times across a timeline
Change each title to a unique text string

Switch back to Motion and change colour of fill and border plus change the border width. (Changing the font will have no effect as we have modified the text in FCPX and it's now stored as part of the project).

Save the template in Motion.

Switch back to FCPX and notice the templates have not updated.
Quit and restart FCPX and they are read in again and all update.

To change the font select all of the titles together and change in the inspector.

Obviously this approach is not going to be useful in all situations and being able to copy and paste published parameters would be a more elegant solution. Also, Apple may change the behaviour behind this 'feature' as it's undocumented. Also beware if you store the template in the Library. I haven't tested this but it would probably mean that you have to alter the version stored in the library by digging for it in the Finder; and then the version in your Motion Templates folder would be different...

A useful trick while we wait for Apple. I will put in my request for the improvement to 'Paste Attributes' now.

Ian.

Ian,

There's no need to do it the way you described for the example you used.
Additionally if you do it your way only those values will be changed which are 'default' and even in many/most cases that won't work.

ALL parameters related to 'Font' are batch-changeable.
The problem though is the Font itself - changing it for a bunch of instances could/will screw up other values.