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Drop Zones Freezing in FCPX with multiple 3rd party plugins

I am running FCPX 10.0.6 and just noticed something. When using my Crumplepop Effects Generator plugin 'Split Screen' the applied clips in my split screens either freeze the length of the effect or only play intermittently.


Same thing is now happening in the drop zones of my MotionVFX templates. Even if I go back to an older project that was previously working fine, it now has issues. In one instance a template with 4 drops zones - the first plays fine but now the remaining 3 the dropped in clips are frozen.


I figured maybe a recent FCPX update caused this. Any ideas?

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.3), 12 cores, 8TB, 64GB RAM, Pro RAID,

Posted on Nov 4, 2012 6:21 AM

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8 replies

Nov 5, 2012 12:33 AM in response to batesokc

Before 0.6, FCPX only "played" drop zone media for the length of the effect as it was created. A 5 second effect would only play drop zone media for 5 seconds. If you stretched out the effect (title, generator) longer, several things could happen:


1) the effect had no "special" markers

FCPX would time stretch the drop zone media. For the 5 second effect mentioned above

FCPX would only use 5 seconds of the clip no matter how long you stretched out the effect. If you stretch out the effect to 10 seconds, the media plays at 50% speed. Shrinking to 2.5 seconds increased the speed to 200%.


2) the effect had a "build in" marker

FCPX would play the media for the correct timing up to the end of the build in marker THEN it would time stretch, up to a build out marker, if one was present, or the end of the effect/template.


3) the effect had a build out marker (only)

FCPX would not play the media until the original length of the effect and its drop zone was left, then it would play the media as an "outro". If any time was set *before* the build out marker -- it would be time stretched from the beginning up to the build out marker.


4) the effect had a project loop marker

FCPX would play the original length of the effect/drop zone at the correct speed, over and over until the effect "ran out". If a build in marker was also used, the media would loop between the end of the build in and the project end loop marker. Anything created past a loop marker was ignored.


A lot of effects were built with these rules in mind (and so were many of mine). To get around the limitations, it was necessary to "cut" the drop zone media to exactly match the length of the effect template. Bringing a clip into the storyline (usually as a connected clip) made it easy to cut the clip into starting and ending frames, then duplicating the effect repeatedly until the actual playing length you needed was exhausted.


10.0.6 has change this behavior somewhat. I haven't tested out all the variants above (but based on your question, I'd say the marker behaviors are the same), but a "regular" drop zone in an effect (no markers at all) will now play dropped media at normal speed even if you stretch out the effect -- until the clip ends (or the effect does), then FCPX will simply freeze frame the rest of the length. If you have Motion, you could try going in and deleting the markers (and Save As a different copy in case something goes wrong and the effect doesn't work right afterwards -- there could be other reasons for the markers being present.)

Nov 5, 2012 1:28 PM in response to fox_m

Thanks for the info.


Here is the reply I received from CrumplePop:

Sorry for the trouble with SplitScreen X! In Final Cut Pro 10.0.6 there is a brand new workflow for adding content to Drop Zones. This means there are a few new things to learn to use SplitScreen X in 10.0.6. Also there are a few bugs to watch out for. We have a new tutorial about using SplitScreen in 10.0.6 on our website here: http://www.crumplepop.com/final-cut-pro-tutorials/


Just incase you want to see written out steps I have included some below.



Adding Content to SplitScreen X from the Event Library:


- Add the SplitScreen X generator you wish to use to the timeline.


- Move the playhead to the location you will want your clip to start on the timeline, usually this is the first frame of the SplitScreen X Generator.


- Once your playhead is set, click the image well for the Drop zone you wish to place your clip in.


- Then in the event browser move the cursor to the "in point" of the clip you want to place in SplitScreen X and click. After you have selected the frame you wish to be your inpoint, hit the "Apply clip" at the bottom of the viewer.



Adding Content to SplitScreen X from the Timeline.


- Add the SplitScreen X generator you wish to use to the timeline.



- Select the clips you wish to place into SplitScreen X and time them out on the timeline.


- Highlight the first clip you wish to add into SplitScreen X and then right click and select "create compound clip." repeat this with the other clips that will be placed in SplitScreen X.

- Move the playhead to the location you want your compound clip to start in SplitScreen X on the timeline, usually this is the first frame of the SplitScreen X Generator.

- Once your playhead is set, click the image well for the Drop zone you wish to place your clip in.


- Then move the cursor to the first frame of the Compound Clip on the timeline and click. Repeat this process for all of the drop zones and clips then click "Apply Clip"


- Once the Compound Clips are all placed into SplitScreen X you can disable them by highlighting and pressing the "v" key.


- *Note* If you open up a Compound Clip that you placed in SplitScreen X you can make color correction changes or drag on effects and your changes will appear in the SplitScreen X Generator in real time!


SplitScreen X in 10.0.6 Known Issues:

- If you try to add a clip from the timeline before making it a Compound Clip it will not be timed properly in your SplitScreen X generator.


- Sometimes changes made to Compound Clips don't display properly in the first few frames of your SplitScreen X Generator. However, there is an easy fix. Try moving the starting point of the SplitScreen X Generator over just one frame, this should correct the issue. "


"

Nov 5, 2012 1:30 PM in response to batesokc

I received a email back from MotionVFX:


"Did they play correctly in the previous version? Have you tried trashing FCPX's preferences? Also, please make sure to use longer videos, otherwise they might end and therefore vanish or hold (depending on the Drop Zone settings). Additionally, please try making a Compound Clip with your footage and using it as source for Drop Zone 2, it might help as well.

Hopefully this helps."


They don't seem to be aware of the new issue, so I replied with more details.

Nov 6, 2012 3:57 AM in response to batesokc

Here are the two responses I recently got from MotionVFX:

The problem is that Apple changed the way media files play inside Drop Zones. In older versions of FCPX the media started exactly when the Drop Zone layer started, in 10.0.6 they start at the beginning of the template. This leads to two solutions:
1) use longer clips for the Drop Zones and trim them accordingly to what you want to see when they show up on the screen,
2) use Compound Clips as sources for the Drop Zones - this way you'll be able to put a Gap at the beginning so that your footage starts exactly when you want it to.

We'll be contacting Apple about this, right now we have no idea if this is a bug or they intended to do it this way."


and...


"Just figured out a third option (the easy way ;):

1) place the template on your timeline,
2) move the timeline head to the place in which you want your clip to start,
3) select the Drop Zone you want to fill,
4) pick the desired video from the Event Browser while selecting only the part you want to use.

This way the Drop Zone's content will start playing at exactly the same moment as where your play head was when you dropped in your footage.

Hope this helps."

Aug 26, 2015 9:48 AM in response to batesokc

I am having this same issue. I'm using Version 10.1.4. Only difference is that rather than a third-party generator, I'm using one of the themes that came with FCPX; "Stacked." It is freezing on one frame of a compound clip I made to fill a given Media Well/Drop Zone. This problem seems to occur randomly and with some clips and not others. I can't seem to isolate a variable causing the problem, other than FCPX itself. I tried the suggestions you marked as helpful above, and none of them worked.


Any other solutions out there?


Thank you in advance.

Drop Zones Freezing in FCPX with multiple 3rd party plugins

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