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Level 1

9 points

Final cut pro x is the worst and most horrifying software for a new user....most non - user friendly...

Working on it is just like making a castle of cards......Your entire effort just goes in thinking how to keep your clips in place,how to group ,compound and then again uncompound , make a secondary timeline then again break apart......you never know what will shift, what will get replaced , what will fall off a layer ........it seems like a video game where all bricks have to be maintained in the air one over the other without a base.......you have to keep wasting your brain power in just thinking how your clips would be unscrewed till the end of the project .....it is so ridiculous for a general film editor .........as of getting used to it....you can be made to get used to anything but ......there is no logic in kicking your brain to prove its intelligence of being able to think about the management of its clips all the time while working because there is always a possibiltiy of your data not found in the place you left it or in the shape you designed it..........specially extremely mind screwing for people who have to work with large data and not everybody has to make a documentary.......how can they even think of making a software with a thought that people will directly drag everything from the browser and bam here is your film........it is the worst software for people who go into tricky editing experimenting with layers and mix match of several effects in one window.....seeing everything available without changing timelines.........

the basic timeline of fcpx is so childish,so basic.....user friendly is something that works on human logic not something that teaches you to think in a different way.....else for people who work on several softwares their entire life would just go learning softwares.......

conclusion.....

good for people who just know , once dragged is done and once compounded is forgotton

Nightmare for people who start their work after dragging and can't compound or keep making secondary timelines till the end to painstakingly protect their delicate and intricate timelines..........everything just keeps sticking here and there.....software or a chameleon tongue.....😠

Final Cut Pro X, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Feb 8, 2013 9:47 AM

58 replies

Mudh Mark Author

Level 1

9 points

Feb 13, 2013 8:29 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Yes just two problems....

1) We have already bought it with with Apple mac pros etc....and it is not always possible to use that application in and out before you buy it.....

2) non updation of previous versions with newer video formats and lack of latest features and third party compatibility issues ultimately force everybody to opt for whatever they have made....it is although sad that editors should decide what should be there in a software infact corporates decide how we should think about editing....

Anyway....I know you give a lot of time in answering to people and explaining them things ....just do one obligation.....and I request you , Tom, Luis....and all others to just write a simple small write up about how to think about this software....see by changing the interface ,needs and concept of editing don't change....It would be very kind if you write a brief note about how to keep in control of this big data when things are just falling off and fallin apart all the time,and approach we should have to work on this interface ...may be a small help by you may fix this major gap that is causing this painful regret....its a request...may be small hinderances might just get removed and we understand the logic and concept....

Although some intelligent people in response to this reply will again ask me to choose another software without reading why everybody has to stick to fcpx..but I want to learn it.....so need help.

Feb 13, 2013 8:24 AM in response to Mudh Mark

What is your problem man. Find another software that suits you

Feb 13, 2013 8:41 AM in response to Mudh Mark

is this what you are looking for http://www.fcpbook.com/Home.html

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

151,058 points

Feb 13, 2013 8:46 AM in response to Mudh Mark

I'm not sure from your last paragraph exactly what you want. FCP is a new way of approaching editing. If it doesn't suit you there are other, more traditional options. These are what you seem to be comfortable with. These all use a paradigm that's based on the traditional Avid interface, which in turn is based on recreating a computer display of a linear editing EDL with a linear editing monitoring and playback arrangement. Everything in the EDL is completely separate, and everything is treated that way unless you give it explicit instructions. These applications have multiple tools for linking items and moving groups of items. FCP is based on a natural linked relationship between items and maintaing that relationship. Everything is always together, always linked to something, unless you want to move it apart, basically the opposite of traditional NLEs. People who come to this software without pre-conceived ideas of how to edit with computers have no trouble at all adapting to it, learning it, building programs, and working with it quickly and effectively.

There has always been a trial version of the software, which anyone could download and use, fully functionally, for one month.

Mudh Mark Author

Level 1

9 points

Feb 13, 2013 8:49 AM in response to Richard Soul

Thanks Richard but not really because I have already completed more than half of my tough project on fcpx but .....I think I still need to understand why did they think an empty space can serve the purpose of a layered work.....and definately people like me who are not understanding the concept are just waiting for those couple of suggestion about the approach by which I would be able to stop this accidental shifting ,replacing and placing of clips.....how to keep your work in control......? secondary timelines are the only option to avoid extreme limitation of the primary storyline , what are the alternatives to those limitation.....snap snap cannot always be the work flow....

Yes getting it Tom.

Feb 13, 2013 2:02 PM in response to Mudh Mark

look - you need to get to know the app you are using like the back of your hand.

I come from PPRO & AMC (Never bothered with FCP7 as I hated it) and I can tell you that I am smiling all the way to the bank when using it... Difference between me and most my colleagues is that I TOOK the time to embrace and learn it, whereas THEY raped FCPx by treating it as a normal NLE... WHICH IT IS NOT.... It IS a new bread and a darn great one...

It has its quirks as it IS still an infant BUT Apple IS working on it and LISTENING (I know that because I have provided 100+ Feedbacks and seen BUGs squashed).... Those quirks are NOT related to what you write about but to other areas of the app that you have not scratched.

Remember it you treat FCPx as you would another NLE... FCPx will be your fierce enemy. If you treat it as it was invented... It will become your BEST friend !!!

Feb 13, 2013 2:14 PM in response to Mudh Mark

Mudh,

the first NLEs tought YOU (and me) how to think about tracks, editing, trimming etc...

If the concept of FCPx had been out back then... Then today, you would be calling the edit concept of the old NLEs stupid and dumb....

I come from the old NLEs... At first I was fighting FCPx thinking this and that was dumb and stupid... But then I said to myself "Give it a shot".... I did and today I know that back then I was the one being a relic.... FCPx today makes utterly sense to me and editing in PPRO (Which I mastered perfectly back then) today seems clumsy and stupid ;-))) Go Figure.

Folks need to STOP treating FCPx as the "Relic NLEs" or USE the Relic NLEs.

You dont enter a Fighter Jet with 60,000 Horse Powers expecting it to behave like a Rabbit-Car when turning the curve...

Mudh Mark Author

Level 1

9 points

Feb 13, 2013 10:03 PM in response to Studio Engineer

Ok let me give you one example.....with what different angle should I look at this most basic thing..........COPY (comm x) PASTE(option v,if I don't want to paste in primary storyline).....I just want to cut a clip and paste it in another layer........I CAN'T ASSIGN THE PLACE....???.....when I paste it ,it snaps to the top of the toppest layer somewhere and you have to locate it and drag it to wherever you want it.......how should I understand and make it workable with a different concept,how to look at this cut paste now...

May be you are right....I'm trying with all the might to understand this because I also want to give it a try before quiting but the basic problem I'm facing is the approach with which I have to see....

Placing clips without shifting others

layering without worrying about grouping it

resizing without resizing others

I mean if I can't solo a clip to we viewed and have to make all others overlaying invisible....I mean how to think about it.....I can't lock positions I can't deactivate a layer in one line....I know that again is previous thinking but please tell me.how should the basic concept of 'putting clips together in layers' be seen from a different angle...you might also have realized most of the people who are not happy are the ones who edit on fast music....several of them and that is common......I have read all the comments but not getting a direct answer ....if someone can just give an example as to after having all bits in a timeline....and now mix matching 200 clips that two in several layers such that I want a clip in the secondary storyline down and get inserted in a compounded clip and one in the third layer storyline to be in the first how do you think this can be done without uncompounding ,snapping ,resizing shifting ? may be I'm missing something......one thing which is a facility is to be able to open a compound clip,work and come back to main project,I'm still not comfortable with the assigned position of a clip horrizontally and layer of clips vertically in secondary storylines ,everything just keeps shifting.....ok I understand things can open in different sub softwares but what for those who just want to work here......60,000 horse power should also be able to move at 5kms/hr when in the parking 🙂

Feb 13, 2013 10:13 PM in response to Mudh Mark

Mudh Mark wrote:

...I just want to cut a clip and paste it in another layer.....

what do you want to happen to content of layer#1 when you apply content to a layer#2?

(short, single sentence answer, please)

Mudh Mark Author

Level 1

9 points

Feb 13, 2013 10:58 PM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Just want it to disappear from layer one (not shifting other clips or their postion) and stick in layer two at a desirable postion at once.

Feb 13, 2013 11:10 PM in response to Mudh Mark

Mudh Mark wrote:

Just want it to disappear from layer one (not shifting other clips or their postion) and stick in layer two at a desirable postion at once.

in my words:

replace content #1 by content #2

or, tech-term, insert.

why on a 2nd layer?

(I like your short answers, keep it short 🙂 )

Mudh Mark Author

Level 1

9 points

Feb 14, 2013 12:19 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

1st and foremost...browser is dead for me now,that work is over.so your basic feature of insert overlay etc are dead at the moment for me...forget them.

Its a song edited like a montage.

hundreds of bits where the hero looks stylish even for a second have been dragged in the timeline for comparative analysis and best shots would be used and others would be left.

So first layer (or many such layers) are finalized shots and second layer is the final edited layer,I need to view them parallely and simultaneously....(and song is the primary storyline)

.just cut paste and drag now

I need to simultaneaously see all the thumbnails and drag the best.it can be from any layer and any bit which I like after mix match.

Feb 14, 2013 12:47 AM in response to Mudh Mark

Mudh Mark wrote:

Ok let me give you one example.....with what different angle should I look at this most basic thing..........COPY (comm x) PASTE(option v,if I don't want to paste in primary storyline).....I just want to cut a clip and paste it in another layer........I CAN'T ASSIGN THE PLACE....???.....when I paste it ,it snaps to the top of the toppest layer somewhere and you have to locate it and drag it to wherever you want it.......how should I understand and make it workable with a different concept

1) Select the clip in the main story line which you wish to copy

2) Hit Command + C

3) Place your playhead on the location where your wish to paste

4) Hit alt+v (Paste as Connected Clip)

Result = Copied clip will be pasted as a connected clip exactly where you placed the playhead...

with snapping enabled (or disabled to place elsewhere)

1) option+drag the clip to be copied to new location above

Fast way for pasting one clip above the other @ exact position (FCPx 10.0.7)

1) Alt+Click clip to be copied

2) Hit Arrow Up

3) Hit Command + C

4) Hit Alt + V

Result = Places duplicate (as connected clip) at exact same postion as original

Mudh Mark wrote:

I mean if I can't solo a clip to we viewed and have to make all others overlaying invisible....I mean how to think about it.....I can't lock positions I can't deactivate a layer in one line....

All you need to do is to assign roles to the clips etc... I.e. - If you want to work the old NLE way.... Assign each layer/track to its own role... Then in the Timeline index, click the Roles Tab... From there you will be able to disable layers/tracks with the click of a button. I do that all the time when color grading. I'll have about 10 adjustment layers going... 1 for exposure, 1 for saturation, 1 for color, etc etc etc... then assign them a role... With the click of one button I can disable all grading for i.e. the saturation... And this is merely scratching the surface.

Judgin by what you do... I would strongly recommend to get down and dirty with Compound clips. You have to imagine each compound clip as its own project. Most parts of a movie is scene based and if so you could create your connected clips inside of the that scene(Compound clip) just select the clips you wish to add to the "scene" (Compound clip) and hit alt+g and give the compound a name. Then all you need doing is double click the comound to edit its contents. After editing use the navigation arrows (or short keys) to move back and forth between your scene (compound clip) and main timline....

I personallly HATE secondary storylines and always stack my connected clips in the main timeline THEN group them together into a compound clip.

Hope this helps....

Mudh Mark Author

Level 1

9 points

Feb 14, 2013 1:57 AM in response to Studio Engineer

Thank you so much ,....very helpful.....but....

1) this is a good pattern for edits where once in a compound clip you know you don't need anything from out side -

if from 20 flower clips in browser,I just need say 15 small bits but to be able to get a comparative analysis of the best, I extract 30 bits (by I and O dragging) into the timeline from the browser in one layer and then when editing will decide which 15 to be dragged in the final layer,I need to see all those clips in one layer and final sequence in another simultaneously,so staying in one window is essential.....but since these two layers would be overlapping mostly,I will always need to make the upper invisible....which cannot be done at once....Now..

Although in compound clips also -

- either you can get it from the browser which I don't need because I have already dragged required random shots into the timeline and finding best ones in and seeing them together is not possible in browser.....

- a different timeline which is like a clip bank for you...but for that you will have to keep switching between timelines

so in this situation how to work that I just cut a clip in one layer and paste it on the other...... it will never stick to the desired postion ....

1) I don't want it to stick on primary layer because ,that is my song

2) nor or second because that is my clip bank

so it will rest on the top of the second layer,and if bank layers are more...you are finished,draggin draggin

and please don't say.....why didn't you shoot with clapper boards and work with just finalized shots,you not always do that 🙂.how to do mix match work moving and exchanging clips with speed between layers.

Also Karsten asked me why do you need second layer....I have effects with overlaying layers and both are visible sometimes with opacity settings sometimes.by making a secondary storyline that overlapping with opacity disappears.

Feb 14, 2013 2:26 AM in response to Mudh Mark

I think this was mentioned earlier.

This thread is getting rather chaotic and rambling because you launched it with numerous questions/grumbles.

The best way to use this forum is to start new threads with each containing just one question, preferably with a title giving a clue to that query.

This way readers can see immediately what the thread is about and more people will therefore come to your aid quickly.

So if you have several problems, just post each one separately and I am sure you will find a lot more useful help forthcoming . . . having said that, I must admit to occasionally drifting off the subject or even bundling a couple of questions together. 😉

Final cut pro x is the worst and most horrifying software for a new user....most non - user friendly...