Level 1

8 points

HELP! Add Bulk Titles To Final Cut Pro X?

Hey All, I am wondering if there is a way to bulk add titles to a video besides the manual way?

I want to create a video in Final Cut Pro X where I have text on the screen with a video playing in the background kinda like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arq_mES9wDA

Is there any way to BULK add the text I want to go across the screen (I know I'll still need to line it up with the voice)?

Its a slow process to create each individual TITLE box then paste in the text one snippet at a time.

Any advice is much appreciated! :)

Posted on Mar 15, 2020 9:26 AM

Top-ranking reply

fox_m

Level 6

13,250 points

Posted on Mar 17, 2020 11:41 AM

Try this:

http://fcpxtemplates.com/ngtopics/sc_captionClip.zip

Install as an Effect. You can apply it to clips, compound clips, generators or titles. In your case, use a title and remove the default text, then apply Caption Clip.

Stretch the title out for as long as you need.

Copy your text in a text editor. Each piece of text needs to be a separate line. If you need a pause between lines, double or triple space the text.

Paste the text in the Text field in the Parameters list of Caption Clip.

Play.

You can delay the start with Start Time (it is % of length of clip) and trim the ending with End Time (also at % of length of clip).

If you alter the font and/or font size, you will likely need to adjust the Line offset. Set up the first line, use some object to mark the position of the text. Go to the last line (by positioning the playhead) and adjust Line Offset so that the last line sits on the same mark as the first line.

There's a Rotation parameter if you like.

Even though Start Time and End time can be keyframed: don't!

You can add more than one of these to a single clip and use the Start Time / End Time of each to set up the timing for each.

PS - if you look right under the Text entry parameter, you'll see 3 dots. You can grab those and resize the text entry "window" in the Effect.

Text is displayed in even amounts of time for each line. There are no adjustments other than breaking up the texts to separate effects and using Start/End Time for each. The video you showed appears to be set up that way anyway.

If you use this as one effect for your entire video, make a compound clip of the entire timeline and add Caption Clip to that. It should run in a similar manner.

Hope this helps.

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25 replies

liberty194 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 19, 2020 7:22 PM in response to fox_m

Thanks! Makes sense. I absolutely appreciate your help. Its nice knowing there are still good people on the planet!

I'll give your way a go as I wait for Spherico's reply as well as Luis's! :)

You all have been such a great help!

liberty194 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 16, 2020 5:07 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

I know that. :) I was just wondering if there was a faster way. I have like 100 titles per video to do and copying and pasting one by one is slow.

liberty194 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 19, 2020 9:49 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

I'll create a new project. I'll create a title as I would want it to be in the video.

I'll export the XML 'as is'.

Then share it with you via DropBox, correct?

Mar 19, 2020 9:51 AM in response to liberty194

Yes.

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,780 points

Mar 19, 2020 10:45 AM in response to liberty194

That’s the missing effect icon. Check the video inspector to see what is applied.

liberty194 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 19, 2020 11:09 AM in response to spherico

Hi Spherico, can you expand upon this option? I believe I downloaded your X Title Import Lite Edition. Where would I open as 'Untimed text'?

liberty194 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 19, 2020 1:22 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Here is the file.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fxuxizu6p2f58u6/titletemplate.fcpxml?dl=0

Thanks!

Mar 17, 2020 9:44 AM in response to liberty194

My script takes only two arguments:

1) the filename of a file with one title per line - so, this in your example would be a text file with 100 lines

2) the filename where to save the resulting xml

To create this I just used a simple project with just one title.

I exported xml from this project, and then separated it in three parts:

the "head" - the part before the title occurs

the "title"

the "tail" - the part after the title

The script then outputs:

the head;

one entry similar to "title" for each line of the file

the tail

This yields an xml file that can be imported back, resulting a project with - say - 100 titles, all with the appropriate text from the file.

I am willing to share the script, but to make it useful to you I'd need a version of that small one title project, all set up the way you want it (the right font, size, color, alignment).

Otherwise, you'd still have to edit all the 100 titles (granted, not very hard if you use paste attributes, but still).

So if you can share the xml for that one-title project, I can adapt my script and I will share it.

fox_m

Level 6

13,250 points

Mar 19, 2020 11:43 AM in response to liberty194

The effect needs to be installed in:

Macintosh HD/Users/[your Home folder]/Movies/Motion Templates/Effects/[category folder - e.g.: "Text Effects"]/Caption Clip (the whole folder).

(For complete instructions→ Installation Instructions)

However, download this update first (it corrects a problem with Line Spacing).

http://fcpxtemplates.com/ngtopics/sc_captionClip2.zip

and throw out the first version.

This is what the parameter list looks like:

You can paste your Text in the Text parameter "well" (the three dots under the text well can be used to resize that "window").

On my machine, rendering takes awhile the more lines you add (especially considering this is *just text*!!) so you may want to break your text entries down to 30-60 second "fragments".

If you change the font, or its size, you will need reset the line spacing. To do that, turn on Show Guide, go to the last line of the text in the project and adjust the Line Spacing so that the bottom edge (baseline) of the text just sits on the guide, then turn it back off again. Keeping the Line Spacing aligned will keep the text from "creeping up" (or down) vertically over time.

liberty194 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 19, 2020 12:04 PM in response to fox_m

Thanks for the fast replies!

1) I placed the full folder in:

Motion Templates/Effects/Caption Clip

Is that okay or do I need to create a subfolder under Effects like this:

Motion Templates/Effects/Text Effects/Caption Clip

2) Parameters makes sense but its not showing on my screen.

3) I can see Caption Clip under EFFECTs but I am still seeing the RED WARNING.

I did quit Final Cut Pro X and restart a couple times but still see RED WARNING.

Do I need to restart my computer do you think?

I have FCPX Version 10.4.6.

Any thoughts on that?

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HELP! Add Bulk Titles To Final Cut Pro X?