What Apple Needs to Change in FCPX, Motion, and Compressor

I know some people were disenfranchised by Apple's remake of FCP, Motion, and Compressor, but after 6 months of use I find myself liking the apps more with every project. I think we have to cut Apple some slack, since these are complete rewrites of the software.

There is room for improvement across the board so I put together a blog post with the top features I'd like to see released in the next iterations of the software. I think I was realistic with my requests, since Apple doesn't seem likely to include features like Log and Capture anytime soon.

You can read the post on installationspace.com . Post your own improvements in the comments and maybe if we are loud enough the Pro Apps Design Team will take notice.

The only feedback Apple tracks is the feedback page linked in the File menu. There are lots of FCP X wish lists posted.

@installationspace
Some of the items on your blog are in fact possible in FCPX, just not perhaps in a real intuitive way. I agree that the more you use FCPX, the more one tends to like it and find it pretty acceptable. You should copy your list and paste it into the feedback section where it stands a better chance of being implemented.

Personally speaking I love the way I edit in FCPX. It's much more streamlined than working in FCP7.

The biggest thing that I could wish for isn't an add on to the program, but rather address the stability issues with the program. Constant hangups are an annoyance, and as such makes my workflow longer than it should be. For me the hangup seems to be more related to the memory dump issue that the program currently has.

While my system is an older one and isn't the fastest by today's standard, MacPro 2.66 Quad 1.1, 16GB RAM, Radeon HD 5770, it gets the job done. The only issue seems to be program hangups that are memory dump related. As I can close the program out, and reopen and work again,a nd all is good for a bit.

Besides some stability issues the only add on for me would be multicam and true external previewing, which should be coming in the next major update.

Stability has been addressed from the beginning with the 0.1 and 0.2 updates. It will continue, hopefully quickly.

We also need an honest XML format that will interface with other professional apps, along with OMF import/export.

Not to mention the vital need to get legacy FCP projects into FCP X, even if it's not 100%.

Thanks for the replies. I posted the requests on my blog to the feedback form on Apple's website as well so thanks for that recommendation.

I agree that stability is an issue. Motion 5 crashes on me sometimes just by moving a slider. The beach ball of death happens way too often in both apps. Opening up the project browser or different interface panes in both Apps could be smoother. But I know these issues will mostly be addressed over the course of updates and revisions.

I don't think it is such a big deal to open legacy projects in FCPX. The two apps are so incompatible with one another it will never be a 100% conversion so why bother if you have to go in and edit the 5 year old project again? I don't mind keeping FCP7 on my machine for now and even big production companies should be able to find a workaround for this as well.

The only request that I made which may be hard to implement from a usability point of view is the copy/paste markers. I think everything else I requested are either small tweaks or additions to the existing interface which are reasonable in my opinion. The biggest needs in my current workflow are hierarchical timecode in compound clips, support for prores lt, and custom dimensions for projects.

Compressor needs an interface overhaul, period. It performs extremely well on my machine compared to the prior version, especially when set up properly to use the multiple cores in my Core i7. I have noticed one bug so far but haven't been able to nail it down: QMaster doesn't shut down properly and remains on and suddenly brings my Mac to a screeching halt until I restart. I can see the QMaster processes going full steam in Terminal even after I shut down all ProApps. The way Compressor handles it's own windows has always been clunky and it would be good for Apple to take one window approach to the app.

Overall, I enjoy editing in FCPX. A change was long overdue in my opinion, but then again I have never really liked apps that were originally developed by Macromedia. I still have nightmares trying to learn Director as a freshman in college. FCPX is fun to work with as long as you can get your head around the magnetic timeline. Now that we have seen examples of studios using FCPX in long format productions, I think others who have held out with begin to take notice if they already haven't switched over to Avid or Premiere.

You'd be amazed how many of us who've got long time regular clients need to simply append or revise old projects on a very regular basis. Opening old 7 projects in X is a huge deal.

No idea why you'd copy/paste markers. Never could do it before. What's the purpose?

Clips have their own TC from the camera. Project Timelines start at whatever you tell them to start at. Compounds are SEPARATE, INDEPENDENT Timelines, and have their own TC. Just like nested Sequences in legacy versions. I'd never change that. Not ever sure how that would work.

I don't get the lollypop and stuff problems you have. What is your hardware specs?

Compressor will be revamped eventually. I hope not eliminated. But an updated window is much needed.

Choosing transcode codec on import I'd like to see.

Well in FCP7 markers were available in the timeline and on tracks, in FCPX you can only place markers on clips. I work on a lot of music videos and usually lay down a marker parade to the main beat of the song. In FCPX, I developed a workflow where I sync all the takes we record to the main track and then break them apart, placing the audio as the main storyline. Then I playback the song and lay down a marker parade to the beat. This marker parade is super useful for keeping cuts, transitions, and keyframes in sync at all times. The problem lies in when I group connected clips as a compound clip, I no longer have access to the markers inside the connected clip. So I'd like to duplicate the markers inside the compound clip so everything stays in sync or place markers on the exterior of the compound clip so when I am inside the clip I can make cuts and keyframes on the markers.

Sure, its ok to have the original timecode from clips direct from the camera in a multi cam workflow, but in times when I've compounded a group of clips I'd at least like to have the option to reference the timecode of the primary storyline while inside the compound clip. It makes no sense when a compound clip in point is at 00:04:30:21 in the primary storyline and then you start editing inside the clip and the start is 00:00:00:00. I agree though, in cases where you've synced timecode between cameras and then synchronized clips in FCPX this would not be as useful because everything should just be in sync.

I use a Macbook Pro 15" 2.2 Quad Core i7 with 8GB RAM, 1024MB AMD Radeon HD 6750M for editing. This should be a decent setup, although not top notch for sure. I cannot pinpoint a specific instance because it is sporadic, but even the Macbreak guys have acknowledged the lollypop appears on their machines. Usually if I sit and wait a few seconds it goes away or results in a crash and I always send in a report. Sometimes it happens just by adjusting a parameter in an effect or when I apply an effect. FCPX has crash don me when opening the Project Browser.

I do music videos, lots have been done in FCP X. What training have you done for it?

Put the master audio track (the story core) into the Primary storyline. Put your manual beat markers on it. Works just the same. I never use Compounds in a music video. Never found a need to.

Yeah, MPB and iMac, onboard lower end graphics card. Think this; minimum specs = minimum performance. And your media is on an external FW800 drive I assume, and what format?

If you actually read my last post you would see that's exactly what I do: put the master audio track as the primary storyline and then place markers on it. Sometimes we record 24 or more useable tracks for music videos and I'd like to combine certain roles in compound clips, work inside the compound clip, but still retain the data from the main storyline. It's not that difficult to fathom instances when displaying the main storyline's timecode or other metadata like markers would be useful. For now I'll just duplicate the sync track and combine that into the compound clip, problem solved. Another point, if I can place a marker in the playhead bar in Motion, I should be able to do the same in FCPX but as it stands right now markers can only be placed on clips. If there was hierarchal timecode, combined with playhead markers in FCPX it would provide a method for syncing edits across compound clips. All my suggestions were intended to make the apps more intuitive for everyone to use and to unify the user experience, not really to apply them to one workflow or another.

For smaller projects, I put all current project media on the internal HD, 7200rpm 500GB. I never work off an external unless it is eSATA or Thunderbolt. FW800 is useless for HD. When SSDs get down to about $1/GB I'll upgrade the internal to faster storage. Usually I optimize everything captured by our cameras to the closest compression of ProRes available. So if I shoot with a Canon 7D I should be able to import as ProRes LT, because the compression rate is similar.

1GB GPU is not the minimum requirements, it is 4X the minimum GPU requirements and I have 4X the amount of minimum RAM. Apple claims FCPX utilizes both OpenCL and OpenGL graphics, so 1.5GB of onboard graphics RAM should be more than enough to process the effects I throw at clips. There are obvious inefficiencies in the code. A lot of people are experiencing performance issues that I'm sure Apple will work out. Where do YOU get your training? I've been teaching Pro Apps at colleges and privately for several years and have worked on several productions from music videos, documentaries, films, and live events.

I always record boombox to all cams when I record music videos. Then in FCP X I first sync by audio. Never any need for Compounds. Just wondering what your workflow is.

Fact remains, iMacs and laptops are still not the "best" for FCP X and especially Motion use. They CAN be used, but not to the optimum potential of the app.

As for my credentials, do you really want to call me out to list them? Really? Let's not go there.

I only questioned your workflow in FCP X and all the projects I've done with, music videos don't require Compounds after the initial audio sync of clips. Simple question.

@Installationspace when you say you work off your internal HD, have you pulled your optical drive and have an internal 7200rpm drive and a SSD. I will tell you that is the best decision I have ever made for my MacBook Pro.

As for externals I agree FW800 is really showing its age, it bums me out apple removed the expresscard slot from anything but the 17" MacBook Pro. Don't get me wrong I love my 17" (2.3GHz i7 Quadcore) but I miss my 15" size.

Also where do you get your training. I've been an Apple Certified Pro for years, heck I even got Master Certified in Final Cut Studio 3, and I have my FCPX and Motion 5 Certifications, The way I usually learn is from the PeachPit books along with usually buying a tutorial or two from the Ripple Guys. The only reason I ask is mainly just to see if there is some other method of training I haven't looked into yet. I will say, the PeachPit books are sometimes really hard to get through with the tutorial media but I do like the ripple training videos, both Steve and Mark have a great sense of humor while teaching.

Are you on the Facebook private trainers group?

@BenB No I am not, I did not know there was such as group. I would love to join.

sending short credential list privately...

My workflow is the currently same, we use in camera audio to sync the clips in FCPX. Sometimes my current director likes to work with 24+ tracks. My preferred method is actually to sync timecode on set when possible but budgets don't always allow for cameras that have SMPTE Timecode In/Out.

I would like to compound clips when editing music videos simply to organize footage, apply effects to multiple clips, and use them for what they were designed for. When working with 32 tracks in FCPX, the interface begins to break down. I think these are some valid points, hierarchical timecode and more versatility with markers would help out a lot.

I edit on Mac Pros too when working at various studios, but in my experience there is a bottleneck in the Mac Pro that doesn't really make it as attractive for a personal machine as a Macbook Pro or even an iMac lately. A 2.2GHZ Quad Core i7 with combined 1.5GB VRAM should handle these apps fine. Compressor renders at lightning speed. I can render in REAL TIME 60fps when programming custom effects in various IDEs so why can't FCPX and Motion perform without crashing or beach balling? It's in the compiled code that makes up FCPX and Motion, not my machine or workflow. Tons of people have reported both apps crash on a regular basis. I have no ego when choosing a computer, but I do have a lot of experience with all models of Apple computers in the past ten years and know the strengths and weaknesses in all of them. Even the Macbreak guys assert an iMac is a great editing machine. And it's true, Apple has beefed up the video capabilities in all their computers across the board. As long as you have a dedicated OpenCL video card, you should be able to use any of these apps with ease. FCPX and Motion 5 are complete rewrites, so of course they will be full of bugs and inefficiencies, it just comes with the territory of adopting a new app.

BenB,

This is laughable. My students would definitely recommend me. BenB, you seem to be the authority on the matter! I'm sure you are knowledgeable and probably have much to teach, but jeez man, this is a message board, lighten up!


Mikey,

I agree! Why doesn't the ExpressCard exist on my Macbook Pro 15"? LaCie is releasing an eSATA to Thunderbolt converter box sometime this year! At least my eSATA drives won't go to waste in the near future. I would remove the optical drive, but it voids the warranty CES has shown 2012 will be a good year for Thunderbolt with a lot more peripherals coming out, including external video cards.

Not sure why my opinion is laughable. But if you say so...

Best of luck, you know best for your workflow.

Mikey, I think I remember us studying for the FCP HD cert exam at the South Coast Apple Store! Crazy long time ago. But yes, the Ripple guys are the best. With X, I'm looking into getting recertified... what's the going rate these days? I seem to remember the test being a few hundred bucks.

@installationspace I agree that an imac is a fantastic editing machine and for some reason mine runs circles around the 12-core mac pro I have at the office, but I suspect that's more due to the graphics card and internal SSD than anything else. I feel like FCPX and Motion 5 rely on that card far more than other apps.

In reply to your marker situation, at first I was bummed you couldn't place them on the timeline, but then realized that placing them on a clip was so much better because if I moved that clip, now all my markers wouldn't disappear! If you really are stuck, you could aways put a gap clip and mark that on the primary, and then edit off that... the audio would stay connected to the gap clip. But honestly, I think that's unnecessary.

-Matt c

@installationspace removing the optical drive does not void the warranty. It only remove the warranty on that part. It's the same if you install non apple branded ram. Does it void your warranty no, it just means the ram is not covered by apple (well with ram most give you lifetime warranties on their own).

It is best to have the optical drive replaced by an apple authorized tech or service center. I know the in store geniuses send people to 3rd party techs when machines are out of warranty. Simply due to cheaper repair costs.

I have the owc 6G SSD as my boot drive then a 500GB 7200rpm drive in the optical bay with their optical drive tray. If you are comfortable. The install should take no more than 20 minutes. Also at MacSales.com if you buy their upgrade kit you can save I think it was 15$ on an enclosure for your optical drive.

If you do Eventually do it report back and let me know what your speed improvements are. When I use a non SSD machine like my Mac pro I get frustrated at how long it takes for things like photoshop to open up. But once thing are open I find the performance to be about the same.

Matt,

We did study together back when we were both in college. The certification exams cost $150. If you are still in the orange county area. All4DVD offers certified training courses and the exams. I am really good friends with Adrien (the same Adrien who wrote the DVD Studio Pro certification book from Peach Pit) the owner. Typically he will want you take a FCP course but tell him you know it and you want to just take the exam.