Turning off the magnetic timeline?

Is this the idea?

- make a long gap in the main (default) storyline

- drag clips above it

- if you want to use transitions or other edits between these clips, make them into little storylines of their own

the 'mini-storylines' seem quite powerful ways of grouping pieces of the whole.

for music video work, why not put the audio track to which the video needs to be added into the main (default) storyline, then drag your clips above it, leaving them at exactly where they need to be? This way the audio file itself is the timeline.

Chris

ctzsnooze, those are workarounds that could solve some problems, but still doesn't change the fact that clips are shifted left or right (and out of sync with other "storylines") when transitions are added, due to the magnetic timeline.

Apple, give me a simple button to turn off the magnetic timeline! I'm sick of it already!

The clips dont shift when you apply transitions in a secondary storyline from its original sync - connect point ... you do something wrong .

If you dont want to use magnetic timeline, just press P and use the Position tool only , not A tool.

it seems that the new fcpx reverses the controls on us. in the previous version selecting a clip and hitting delete would leave a gap, but shift delete would close it up, well its the other way round in fcpx.

a

Transitions shifting clips is a separate issue that I wasn't aware of yet! :-(

So I tried to get an applied transition to shift clips within a storyline, and noticed something strange.

Let's say I drag the Lens Flare transition to the gap between two clips on any storyline (the main storyline, or any secondary storyline).

If I drag this transition horizontally across, passing over the middle of the the rightmost clip on the way to the gap, then there is no shifting of either clip, no matter where I drop the transition. BUT if I drag the transition kind of in the space above the top of the clips, then drop it downwards into the gap from above, the rightmost clip shifts leftwards.

This must be a bug. If if I was careful in how I dragged the transition, I could eventually apply the transition with no shifting.

Chris

Thanks!

The shifting problem goes away when 'Available Media' (rather than 'Full Overlap') is selected in Prefs > Editing > Apply transitions using....

I wonder why they made the default to be 'Full Overlap'. I suppose it means that the transition can always be applied, although the total duration will be reduced. Good for home movies, bad for people trying to stick with a timeline!

None the less, that problem is solved - thanks again,

Chris.

Thanks for the tip. I'm not editing on the layer above the storyboard and all is well except for one thing...I can't put transitions on video on the top layer. I get the white stop sign circle symbol. Any idea on how to put transitions on above layers and do we even still have the 99 layers like in FCP 7?

STOP THE MADDNESS!!! The magnet ***** but...it doesn't always snap together. The answer has already been given in like the third post. It's simple. If you want a gap, hit shift-delete. If you want it to snap, hit delete. JUST HIT SHIFT!!! For the record, I don't like pro x either. I do like getting motion for 50$. But really I just thought of something...the hours of my life that have been sacrificed to the rendering demons. Oh rendering demons. What has happened is that the program has been moved to the prosumer market and all the advanced functions are hidden. Like keyframes. They said a "more intuitive" keyframe process. What?!? How? How is not seeing or editing key markers individually more intuitive? Then I realized you can make them appear in your storyline. Good luck guys and remember: it's SHIFT-DELETE.

Ha ha Avid, that's a good one. Yup, 15 year professional editor here...same deal as all you guys. FCP X is squirly as ****. But, there are workarounds.

Hit P to move your clips without the annoying magnetic monster throwing all your stuff out of sync

Hit Shift+ Delete to delete clips without the magnetic monster throwing all your stuff out of sync.

Someone should slap the developer of this program. They really should have talked to an editor before they designed this. How can you have a default of magnetic timeline where it throws all your music out of sync. It seems insane to me.

Hi, it's been a few months since you posted your question. I'm just curious how you feel about the magnetic timeline now.

For me, I wasn't a fan at first...and still I have some issues with it. But, I have edited on the latest versions of avid mc, and adobe pp and I'm sold on FCPx.

It's one of those things that, your almost better off being a new editor....as in, no experience with tracks. Saying that, it's not the case for many of us. I just had to forget about tracks.

I heard someone say that at first the magnetic timeline is like driving on a ten lane highway in the rain with no lanes....but after understanding why fcpx had taken this route, and realizing the amazing potential of it....it's like surfing or sking....freedom.

I love it!!!

I say learn this new amazing paradigm. It's really something special.

I will always edit on avid or pp or fcp7 if thats the system I'm assigned to edit on....but if I have the choice, it's FCPx all the way. It's truly awesome.

Dale

hi,

just to jump in again.

The magnetic timeline both inspires me and frustrates me. In one job last week I found it made make changes in the middle of the piece so easy, everything slid back, stayed in sync, what a dream. What was at least a 10 click operation in FCP7 became a one click job. But then another tweak caused immense frustration, where everything was moving when it shouldnt. I havent quite got to the bottom of when this does and doesnt happen, but I'm thinking I would like to be able to change where linked clips are linked, without chnaging their position. I may have missed this feature, so I'll keep looking. The other thing that I find helps a lot is to create compound clips of sections I know I'm happy with and throw them about. I have had some issues with playback of some compound clips. When the edit has been locked down more, I unpackage them, simplyfy the edit by moving stuff down onto the main storyline, and go from there.

right now to find out why it keeops crashing when I want to browse the projects.

adam

Adam

You asked whether you could change the link point for a connected clip without moving the clip.

YES, you can: Cmd-Opt-click to set the new link point. By default the link point for a connected clip is at the start of the clip, but it can be anywhere in the clip.

WORST software.....everything they are claiming is their plus point....be it trackless interface or magnetism are just false hoax incentives ....nobody ever needed them....

1) for whom did they make it ?

2) and what was so inadequate with the previous interface ?

I don't know.

The best workaround I have found is to place a color matte on the storyline track. I just use black. Then just place your video clips on top of the color matte and you should have no problem with the infuriating magnetic timeline feature.

Let me be straight with you: if you find the magnetic timeline infuriating to work with, you should be using another application. This one does not suit your way of working and you will always be fighting it. Apply a transition, it will create a storyline, which is magnetic. You will fight it all the time. Even using the position tool will be a struggle. It's not designed for you.