UPDATE! Free FCP X Photo Album Effect

UPDATE (26-09-2011):
Due to a bug in FCPX 10.0.1 the Page Curl Effect doesn't translate well anymore. The result of this is that the Protection Page just pops off the screen. To fix this problem I replaced the Protection page with Page Curl with a pre-rendered animation of the Protection Page and I have added a Checkbox for switching the protection page on or off as a bonus.
Because the pre-rendered part has an alpha channel as well, the effect has increased in size and takes a little longer to load in FCPX.
Sorry for this, I will revert the effect back to what it was as soon as Apple fixes the bug.
To download the updated effect use the download link below

I have created an effect that simulates a Photo Album.
Here is a preview of the effect in use:



You can download the effect here:
Photo Album.zip
Unzip and drag the folder to:
User/Movies/Motion Templates/Effects

You can download an overview on how to adjust the parameters of the effect here:
Photo Album Overview.jpg

I hope you like it.




HOW TO SET UP A PHOTO ALBUM.
____________________________________


STEP 1: The Cover Page.

If you start the build of an album you would first use the Cover page. Here you have 2 options:

1) - Cover Page+Single Photo Page
This is a page with a protection sheet and 1 picture. The page has a dark grey paper background.
After choosing this option continue with:
STEP 2.

2) - Cover Page+Photo Page for Multiple Photo's
This is a page with a protection sheet and because this one has a transparent background, you can use this to put the next photo underneath this one.
After choosing this option continue with:
STEP 1a.
____________________________________


STEP 1a: More than one photo on the page:

Put the clip for the next PHOTO on that same page directly underneath the first clip and make sure it starts and ends at the same time as the first clip.
For this clip (PHOTO) you have two options:

3) - Subsequent for multiple photos
It has no cover page and no transparent overlayed protection page (these are already present in the first clip) and a transparent background.
If you use this option the clip will be the second (OR third, OR fourth if you stack more clips, but NOT the last as it has no paper background).
After choosing this option continue with:
STEP 1a, option 3)
or
STEP 1a, option 4).

4) - Last in Stack for multiple photos.
This option also doesn't show the cover page and protection page, but it DOES have a grey paper background. So this option is always used on the clip that will be on the the bottom of the stack, so it can be the second AND last, third AND last, fourth AND last, etc. (all clips with the same length, stacked right on top of each other).
After choosing this option continue with:
STEP 2.
____________________________________


STEP 2: The next page in the album:

Again two options:

5) - Single photo page
This page has no cover but does have the protection page and does have a paper background).
After choosing this option you are finished if it is the last page in your album, ELSE continue with:
STEP 2 option 5)
or
STEP 2 option 6).

6) - Top in stack for multiple photos
This page has no cover, does have the protection page but does NOT have a paper background (background is transparent).
If you chose this option you can put the clip for the next PHOTO on that same page directly underneath the this clip and make sure it starts and ends at the same time as this clip.
After choosing this option continue with:
STEP 1a, option 3)
or
STEP 1a, option 4).


You can repeat this process for as many pages you want to create.
____________________________________


Timing

For the timing of the PAGES (a single clip can be a page, or a stack can be a page) make sure that you move every NEXT page (clip or stack) TWO seconds to the left in the timeline and UNDERNEATH the PREVIOUS page (clip or stack). By doing this the animation will be as follows:

0 - 1 sec - just the cover page is shown
1 - 2 sec - the cover page is turned over
2 - 3 sec - the protection sheet is turned over
3 - 4 sec - the picture(s) is/are shown (longer if you extend the clip's length.
Last 1 sec - the photo page is turned over revealing the next photo page starting at the 2-3 sec point.


For the rest of the controls you'd best try them out. They are quite self explanatory.

Kind regards,

Robbert-Jan van der Does
lighting cameraman/steadicam operator/editor

WISIWYG (What I See Is What You Get)

I added step-by-step setup instructions for the Photo Album Effect to the post above.

Great work Robert-Jan! Looks like a great effect, but I can't seem to figure out which folder I have to put it in? Thought the generator folder, but it doesn't appear.

Cheers Niels

Its an effect that is applied to each picture in the photo album, when adding it to the effects folder, categorise it by creating a category folder such as 'Reminiscing' or 'Wedding' or 'R-JvdD Effects' for when he creates more clever effects.

So, it goes in

Movies
Motion Templates
Effects
Category name of your choice - e.g. 'R-JvdD Effects'
Photo Album

Its an effect that is applied to each picture in the photo album, when adding it to the effects folder, categorise it by creating a category folder such as 'Reminiscing' or 'Wedding' or 'R-JvdD Effects' for when he creates more clever effects.

So, it goes in

Movies
--Motion Templates
----Effects

---

Category name of your choice - e.g. 'R-JvdD Effects'

---

Photo Album

Hi Niels,

I'm sorry, but I've forgotten to add this info to my post.

Thanks Alex for helping out.

robbert-jan

Thanks Alex and Robbert-Jan. Robbert are you from the Netherlands as well by the way?

Yes, I am

Got another question, which you guys probably know how to answer. So this effect goes into the Custom effect folder in FCPX after changing the name of the folder. But the Alex4D effects (great effects as well Alex, thanks for that!) doesn't go into the custom folder in FCPX, but in a Alex4D folder (same as the name as the imported folder. How come?

Thought so by the name

The type of motion template is in this case an "Effect". Motion Templates ("Generators", "Titles", "Effects", "Dissolves") live in your Movies folder. Each type has its own folder with that same name inside the Motion Templates folder, inside that Movies folder.
You can arrange new templates by making a new folder inside for instance the "Effects" folder.
So lets say you make a new folder with the name "Free FX".
You can then place all the free FX templates you download inside that folder to keep things organized.
Does this answer your question?

P.S.
Alex Gollner has a very clear overview of where to store the effects, on his blog alex4d.wordpress.com/
As well as loads of very useful stuff

It does, thank you!

Thanks for your great work !!! Although I dont like Dutch people that much after Brazilian Soccer team being eliminated by your national team in the last world cup ...he he ..just kidding ...

Such a great template ...thanks for the tips as well

Hi. I cannot get the protection page to work. Instead of peeling nicely as in your example video, it just disappears to reveal the photo.

I am using the upgraded FCPX 10.0.1 and upgraded Motion 5.0.1.

My photos are all in compound clips (1080i).

Hi Alex,

I also noticed this and have sent a bug report to Apple about this.
To check if this is a bug I tried to make a new simple motion 5 effect for FCPX with just a page curl applied to the clip.
When I select a clip in the FCPX timeline and then skim my mouse cursor over the newly created effect in the effect browser I can see a preview of the page curl in the viewer, but as soon as I apply the effect to the clip by dropping it on the clip or double clicking the effect: Nothing happens.
So to me it seems that the page curl effect doesn't translate from Motion 5.0.1 to FCPX 10.0.1 anymore.
Maybe there are others who can verify this behaviour?
Meanwhile lets hope that it will be fixed in the next update. Until then I do not know what to do to help you out.
Thanks for posting.

Regards,
Robbert-Jan van der Does

The only thing I can do (tomorrow when I'm behind my MacPro) to help you out is to add a checkbox to the effect that will disable or enable the protection page.
It isn't an elegant solution because I think the protection page adds to the reality of the effect but until Apple has fixed the bug it prevents the protection page from showing up and behaving the way it does now.
Would that be an idea?

regards
Robbert-Jan

Thanks for getting back to me so quick! Does sound like a bug to me but will also play around and see if I can find something. An option to disable the protection page could be very useful in some cases so if u have time I think that would be good!
Many thanks.

Alex

[strike]Hello,

There is an updated version of the effect now (see the top of this topic for details).
Just re-download the effect, unzip and overwrite the old Photo Album folder with the new one.

robbert-jan[/strike]

See next post

UPDATED Version for Free Photo Album (26-09-2011):
Due to a bug in FCPX 10.0.1 the Page Curl Effect doesn't translate well anymore. The result of this is that the Protection Page just pops off the screen. To fix this problem I replaced the Protection page with Page Curl with a pre-rendered animation of the Protection Page and I have added a Checkbox for switching the protection page on or off as a bonus.
Because the pre-rendered part has an alpha channel as well, the effect has increased in size and takes a little longer to load in FCPX.
Sorry for this, I will revert the effect back to what it was as soon as Apple fixes the bug.
To download the updated effect use the download link in the top of this topic

Amazing effect - really love it. One question though... I'm having some issues while getting the grey background for the picture pages. Is there a particular setting in the effects control that controls placement on the grey background on the picture pages? It's off centre and so when I have a video layer underneath before the page peels it shows those pictures...

Any help would be awesome.