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Transitions above primary storyline

I've created a video to explain the problem:


http://youtu.be/xWlyLQtBAJ4


I've tried to find solutions online, but it seems like it's just the way FCPX works now. I just wanted to give one last try to be sure.


The problem is that when you add a secondary storyline or compound clip "above" the primary storyline and then add a transition to the beginning and end, the transition affects the primary storyline and not just the secondary storyline or compound clip.


The steps I use to get around this are way more work than the previous version of FCP, so I'm really hoping there's a better way or that Apple fixes this terrible workflow.


1. Make compound clip for content going above primary storyline

2. Double click to get inside compoound clip

3. Add transitions

4. Right click on transitions and turn off "Transition to/from black"


That's a lot of work for something so simple! Is there a better way?

Mac OS X (10.7)

Posted on Mar 5, 2013 1:21 PM

Reply
5 replies

Mar 5, 2013 2:41 PM in response to Mindbend

For Transitions over the storyline, most of them will need to transition into a slug rather than be "open ended" in order to work as you would expect it to. If you add a slug adjacent to a clip over the storyline and then add a transition, FCPX will automatically convert it to a secondary storyline.


You can create a slug in Motion by opening a New Generator project and saving it as "Slug" to a category of your choice. There is nothing further that needs to be done. You could elect to Export the Motion Project to create an actual "empty" video...


If you don't have Motion and don't have a slug, you can download one here:

http://sight-creations.com/free_stuff/slug4fcpx.zip (includes an install read-me if you're unsure.)

Jun 8, 2016 10:57 AM in response to fox_m

Since the video is no longer active, I can not see what the problem was - but find this general issue as well.


I have a completed secondary storyline without any need for slugs... but find that only the very basic set of wipes will work inside the secondary. I think to Tom's point, all the fancy pants transitions affect the entire video.

Jun 8, 2016 2:40 PM in response to Chizzer

That link is still active, you just have to wait about 10 seconds for the download to begin.


I "created" the slug generator because a Gap is literally "nothing". It is just a way to put space between clips in the timeline/storyline. A slug is transparent video and can be used to fill a transition's placeholder.


BTW, you can use FCPX to generate your own slugs, just use a Basic Title and delete the text (or replace it with a space character.) Then export. If you use ProRes 4444, the video will be transparent. If you use anything else, the video will be solid black. You could also use any generator with which you can set the opacity to 0.


Tom is probably right. There are many ways to create custom transitions and there are, no doubt, many that will affect all media from their "layer" and everything below, very much as Title effects do. In titles, the "Drop Zones" (technically, they're "placeholders") gather up everything that is below the title, including other connected clips into the placeholder media (items above the title's level in connected clips are not placed in the placeholder media.) It's one way the user can create their own "on the fly" effects in FCPX by gathering them under the effect of a title.


One sure way to get "secondaries" to "behave" with transitions it so group them into a Compound clip. Using compounds don't really add any extra "weight" to a project (all references and uses XML) and does not duplicate video clips. Compound clips can contain Luma blending modes (Stencil Luma or Silhouette Luma) that usually will cut holes through everything under an effect including media *under* the storyline. An example of this use is to "put video inside text" and black out everything else. If you put the Title and the Video to fill the text inside a compound clip, you can contain that consequence to just what's inside the compound, place the compound over the storyline and have your storyline video show will you have a different video fill the text of the title (not that I'd ever recommend that!)


There is a method to the way FCPX was put together which is not quite how a lot of us would have thought to do it. In the end, FCPX tends to be more flexible than we could have ever imagined. Just accept it and work faster 😉 What's that commercial? It's not how fast you mow, it's how well you mow fast? I'm sure there's an analogy in there somewhere...

Transitions above primary storyline

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