Organising clips in the timeline (beginner's blunder alert)

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Level 1

8 points

Organising clips in the timeline (beginner's blunder alert)

Hi!

I'm assembling my first video: a 45-minute epic to go with my band's new concept album!). It involves a lot of short library clips often comped together and changing with the music.

Due to complete ineptitude, I've managed to stop using the primary storyline half-way through and my clips are all arranged in the connected lanes above.

It seems to work fine, but I'm just wondering if I can lock those tracks together and maybe with the audio, so they don't get out of line. Or if I can move the clips down without them all getting out of time.

As a supplemental question, I find the magnetic timeline utterly infuriating. Is there a way to turn it off?

I do my best to find answers online before I take up people's time here, but this time I've drawn a bit of a blank...

Thanks in advance for any help,

PETE

Mac mini, macOS 11.2

Posted on Apr 12, 2021 6:32 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

65,474 points

Apr 12, 2021 6:57 AM in response to pete237

Don't try to fight against the application.

FCP is very different from Premiere and other video NLE programs.

Learn how to use it properly. Otherwise you are only going to get frustration.

And if after learning how to use it you feel it is not your thing, there are other options you can use.

I strongly recommend that you invest some time in looking at the free course at izzyvideo. It is very professionally done, Izzy is an excellent teacher.

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Answer 2

Apr 12, 2021 6:51 AM in response to pete237

First, I suggest you make a snapshot of your project.

This way, if you start making changes and things get out of whack, you can just go back to the saved snapshot.

It may be very easy to put things in the primary, or not, depending on what you have right now.

For music videos, it is common to put the audio in the primary storyline, and connect the video clips to it.

Perhaps if you can post a screenshot of what you have now we can give more ideas.

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Answer 3

pete237 Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 12, 2021 7:07 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hi Luis,

Thanks for the reply! That make perfect sense to park the audio in the primary lane. That hadn't occurred to me as a thing I could do! I certainly will from now on and then hang the video off it (priceless workflow advice for a beginner).

I've started watching Izzy's three-hour course. It's excellent, as is some of the other content out there from people like Motion Array. I'm actually coming from a music DAW background (Ableton), but have already decided FCP is absolutely for me! It's an incredible piece of kit.

I'll no doubt pull the trigger on buying it when the trial is up, although I wish it were a bit cheaper (as someone who'll never use it professionally!). I heard some murmurs about a subscription model).

Anyway, thank-you for that insight. Have a good day,

PETE

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Organising clips in the timeline (beginner's blunder alert)

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