Is it possible to lock clips in the timeline?

Not by the traditional way of locking tracks. But by using connected clips and compund clips you can keep things aligned.

Russ

no. remember. fcpx isn't a professional editing program (even if some pros use it). there may be work arounds but in order to do that correctly (ie the way you are used to doing it) you need FCP 7 or another professional program.

If you don't like the way this application works you probably shouldn't use it. It definiately does not work the way you used to work, just as moving to working with an NLE was not at all like working with tape. Most users relish the speed and power of the magnetic timeline.

You, can, however, turn "snapping" off. This allows you to move your playhead where you wish, without "hitching" or stopping at edit points / transitions / or markers. (It releases some of the "magnetic" pull, if you will.)

Rove your mouse over the last blue icon, on the right.

Finally the "position tool" ("P") lets you push things around on the timeline as you wish--even breaking "connections," if you want to do that.

And, yes... compounding clips is a great way to "lock" things into place, as a bunch of clips will share a single connection point.

Admittedly, FCPX is a new paradigm. But, after learning it all summer, I've come to enjoy its flexibility and speed. Give 'er some time.

digibud: We could argue all day about "who" is a "pro," or "what" makes one tool more "professional" than the next. (I won't change your mind, and you won't change mine. And I'm supposedly a "professional" who's worked 20-plus years in broadcasting.)

But, I will say this: Recently, I toured through an Internet company in Silicon Valley. I paused next to an unkempt 20-something kid editing a sophomoric ("gross-out") video for a YouTube channel. He was cutting on FCPX. And, I was sure, in his lifetime, he has probably never seen a single frame of video through "Avid" or "Premiere" (not to mention the clunky CMX I used on years ago.)

I chuckled. But, my host (the kid's boss) sensed my haughty disdain and said, "Go ahead and laugh. That 'kid' gets several hundred thousand views every week. Last year he made about $200,000 dollars in subscription fees and advertising revenue." (which, I was told, was only a "cut" of what the Internet company made off those same videos.)

I suddenly realized that "kid" is every bit a "professional."

It made me think how Apple has realized there is a whole new generation who will edit video for new platforms--for media delivery systems that don't even exist yet. It made me think how "professional" is a relative term. Are "professionals" those few tens of thousands of people who edit feature films, television shows, commercials, news programs and corporate videos, using expensive post-production gear and software? Sure. But could "professional" ALSO be those millions of people all over the world who will make a living (as a "profession") delivering content to HUNDREDS of millions of viewers / consumers? So... Perhaps Apple realized this when they developed a low-cost, user-friendly, versatile application called "Final Cut Pro X." But, I could be wrong.

The second half of this Apple tutorial really demonstrates how you can 'lock' all or part of a track in FCP X.

Not the same as FCP7 - but in some ways better.

Andy