Am I the only person who experiences random keyframe placement in FCPX?

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Level 1

10 points

Am I the only person who experiences random keyframe placement in FCPX?

Sometimes, and really I mean a lot of times, adding a keyframe to a clip for whatever parameter (controlling opacity, or transform, or adjusting effects, any reason) does not get placed at the location where my playhead is. It might get places a few frames left or right of the playhead and sometimes it can get places seconds away. Sometimes it even gets placed way past the end of the clip, so when I try to find it using the "next" and "previous" keyframe navigation I'll the the playhead move way ahead of the clip's end point.

I thought I'd find lots of people with this problem here, but I can't find any in the forums.

It doesn't happen all the time, but when it begins to happen frequently, the only way to solve it is to trash preferences. then it behaves for a few sessions and back to doing it again! At first, I thought it was because I was using Snow Leopard, and Apple tech suggested upgrading the OS, but it still does it in Mountain Lion.

Anyone with the same problem?

iMac (27-inch Mid 2010), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 16gb RAM, ATI Radeon 5750

Posted on Feb 13, 2013 11:00 AM

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Answer 1

Feb 13, 2013 1:46 PM in response to igraphyx

I have seen it from time to time... But seldomly. Try taking notes of it when it happens. Then try to re-produce it.

If you can repro the issue... Report it to feedback (Final Cut Pro Menu) - IF you can repro it then apple most likely can as well. And then they are quite quick to fix it ;-)

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Answer 2

Jun 17, 2013 9:49 AM in response to igraphyx

I am also having issues with proper Keyframe placement.

Keyframe falls in between frames.. it can be moved but is never properly placed on a frame

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Answer 3

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Jun 17, 2013 11:06 AM in response to msteele617

Because video is frame-based (as opposed to audio) I can't think of how a keyframe can be anywhere except at the beginning pf a new frame – regardless of what's shown. Are you saying that the results of the keyframing are not what you expected or are you disturbed by the representation you se on the TL?

Russ

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Answer 4

igraphyx Author

Level 1

10 points

Jun 17, 2013 11:40 AM in response to msteele617

Hi msteele617, Looking at the screen shot you uploaded, you're actually still getting they keyframe placed on the frame you have selected even though it's not exactly on the spot where the play head line is. The play head line moves in finer increments for the purpose of audio clip editing. For video clips like the one in the example you have, the keyframe is still in the position of the frame (notice the frame grid that's highlighted on the top of the Timeline.

The problem that I'm experiencing and the reason why I opened this discussion, is the drastically random places a keyframe sometimes drops on both video and audio clips (as in sometimes upwards of seconds away from target). I'd like to know if anyone else has this problem.

"Studio Engineer" replied to my original post asking if I can reproduce it, but it is totally random. There are no steps for reproduction in my case. It might work, and then once it starts to misbehave, it normally stays that way until I do something drastic like restart the computer or trash preferences which wastes way too much time!.

I realy don't understand why no one else seems to be writing about this problem because I still experience it on another iMac that I work on at a different location. It can't be that FCPX doesn't like my DSLR media because I always optimize within the program to work in Pro Res 422.

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Answer 5

Jun 17, 2013 11:52 AM in response to igraphyx

In the Screen Shot I had moved the play head to act as a straight-edge, to show the keyframe offsetting... As you can see in the picture the keyframe is just a tad in front of the 2:04:09 mark. :09 representing the 9th frame. I initially keyframed at the 2:04:10 mark and the keyframe went backwards into the prior frame.

As you can see top right under the transformation parameter FCP X does not recognize as ontop of the keyframe though it is "within" the :09 frame.

Sorry for the confusion and hope this explanation can be utilized for a solution from Apple.

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Answer 6

igraphyx Author

Level 1

10 points

Jun 17, 2013 12:37 PM in response to msteele617

oh, yes i see what you mean now, then that's sort of similar to my problem too then. How often does it happen to you? If you were to add another keyframe would it be on target or off? And if it falls off the frame you were selecting, Is it always off my one frame or does it vary?

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Answer 7

Jun 17, 2013 12:47 PM in response to Russ H

Russ H wrote:

Because video is frame-based (as opposed to audio) I can't think of how a keyframe can be anywhere except at the beginning pf a new frame – regardless of what's shown.

Russ

Precisely, when I added the keyframe at the :10 frame it should have been placed at he beginning of that frame.

Easy enough, right?

Instead being placed a fraction after the :09 frame... I only extended the clip to show where the keyframe was being placed by FCP, my original clip started at 02:04:10, so I was attempting to place a keyframe at the beginning of the clip. However, FCP placed the keyframe in a portion of my clip that was not extended, nor the full length of that frame.

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Answer 8

Jun 17, 2013 1:31 PM in response to igraphyx

igraphyx wrote:

oh, yes i see what you mean now, then that's sort of similar to my problem too then. How often does it happen to you? If you were to add another keyframe would it be on target or off? And if it falls off the frame you were selecting, Is it always off my one frame or does it vary?

I am editing R3D footage that was shot at 100 Fps. My project is 23.98 fps, and I come across this keyframe issue about once a project.

In this next picture I have included the playhead, a Red Marker, and a Green Marker.

The playhead is my original keyframe placement issue. I attempted to place my keyframe at the 02:04:10 mark, however it was placed closer to the :09 frame. I placed another keyframe on that same clip (only a frame prior), same outcome.

The Red Marker is the same clip just at a different place in the footage and different duration. This time when I attempted to place the keyframe, it similarly placed the keyframe behind my original mark, but not nearly as close to the previous frame's start.

With the Green Marker I placed another transform keyframe at the location and successfully placed where I had my playhead. The only difference of this clip is that it is compound made of a black and a white generator.

Any ideas or suggestions please mention. I have already dumped my prefs but have not reinstalled FCPX.

EDIT:

Originally I was using ALT-Click in Video Animation to lay the keyframe or Add Keyframe under Transform. This was causing misplacement.

However I moved my playhead and adjusted the numbers via slider and the keyframe was correctly placed even when I attempted it on the same frame.

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Answer 9

Jun 18, 2013 9:49 AM in response to msteele617

Would love for this bug to catch Apple's Eye..

Very frustrating seeing as you have to add a "misplaced" keyframe first to be able to change sliders and add a "correct" placed keyframe on the playhead.

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Answer 10

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Jun 18, 2013 9:57 AM in response to msteele617

Posting here is not a good way to "catch Apple's eye".

Try FCP Feedback.

Russ

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Answer 11

Jul 16, 2013 6:11 AM in response to igraphyx

My keyframes worked fine and would place them where I wanted to... Now they seam to jump all over the place and not where my curser or playhead is. I would love to know how to fix this.

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Answer 12

EditTV

Level 1

0 points

Sep 12, 2014 3:51 PM in response to igraphyx

I am having the same problem Completely random placement of keyframes, often second ahead of where my playhead is.

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Answer 13

May 22, 2015 10:42 PM in response to igraphyx

I have the same problem. I think it's a bug pertaining to View > Clip Skimming.

When View > Clip Skimming is turned on and View > Skimming is turned off, the keyframe will occur wherever you last skimmed over the clip.

When Clip Skimming is turned off, the keyframe occurs at the playhead.

Using FCPX 10.2

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