Cross dissolve problem in FCP X 10.0.8

Question

Level 1

7 points

Cross dissolve problem in FCP X 10.0.8

I had this problem sopradically in earlier versions of FCP X but with my current project I can't make any headway whatsoever. Below is a diagram of two shots which I am trying to add a cross disdolve to.

The first photo is 7.00 secs and the second 8.12 secs. The Japanese error msg says that there is insufficient media length outside the clip edge to make a transition. And it asks whether I want to make a ripple trim to the media in order to make the transition. It says that if I decide to do so then the overall project duration will be shortened. However, even if I decide to do the later it will not let me make the cross dessolve.

What am I doing wrong? Or is this a FCP X shortcoming? If so, is there a way around it please?

Hopefully my English translation of the Japanese makes sense.

Thanking you,

Mitaka27

Tokyo

Final Cut Pro 7, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Apr 24, 2013 2:56 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 24, 2013 3:05 AM in response to Mitaka27

You are obviously using the entire clip in your timeline which is why you are getting the message.

However, you should be able to do an overlap (ripple trim) transition.

I don't know why you can't.

Could you try trimming the ends of a couple of clips, put them into the timeline and add a transition.

Does that work?

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Answer 2

Apr 24, 2013 3:22 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

I forgot to mention.

If you have not tried it already you could trash the preferences.

Many weird things happen as a result of corrupt preferences which can create a vast range of different symptoms, so whenever FCP X stops working properly in any way, trashing the preferences should be the first thing you do using this free app.

http://www.digitalrebellion.com/prefman/

Shut down FCP X, open PreferenceManager and in the window that appears:-

1. Ensure that only FCP X is selected.

2. Click Trash

The job is done instantly and you can re-open FCP X.

There is absolutely no danger in trashing preferences and you can do it as often as you like.

The preferences are kept separately from FCP X and if there aren't any when FCP X opens it automatically creates new ones . . . instantly.

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Answer 3

Mitaka27 Author

Level 1

7 points

Apr 24, 2013 4:03 AM in response to Ian R. Brown

Thank you. I tried the trashing of preferences and it worked on the couple of clips I applied it to. The transition where it would work before was really jumpy and that seems to have settled down. There are a couple of other irregularities but I will have to work on it tomorrow and see how I go. It would help if I was using this program each day or week instead of just once or twice a year. I was also wondering whether there Is any way of locking down the timeline in FCP X as was available on FCP 7? Because my media clips (stills) keep moving around all the time. It is a real pain when you have to go back and readjust the stills on the timeline all the time.

Yes, a real novice.

Thanking you,

Mitaka27

Tokyo

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Answer 4

Mitaka27 Author

Level 1

7 points

Apr 24, 2013 9:51 PM in response to Mitaka27

Thankfully some of the cross dissolves are being applied. However, I am still getting the error message on the others. In those cases I can copy and paste the dissolve into the timeline and use ripple trim but whatever the dissolves are not showing smoothly but rather abruptly. Like a flash. I have tried increasing the dissolve from 1 sec to 2 secs but without too much luck. There is still some distinction between where the dissolve is applied and where it isn't but I'm wondering whether there is something that I can do? Can anybody please suggest what I should do please?

Thanking you in advance,

Mitaka27

Tokyo

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Answer 5

Mitaka27 Author

Level 1

7 points

Apr 25, 2013 5:19 AM in response to Mitaka27

In sheer desperation this evening I tried importing some stills into an earlier version of FCP X (10.0.3) which I have installed on my desktop and the cross dissolves work perfectly. The only problem is that it says I can't open my current project created on a MacBook Pro because it is a later version. Is there some way to import a later version of a project into an earlier version of FCP X so that I don't loose what I have already created. It would appear that 10.0.8 doesn't like stills and cross dissolves for some reason and I am running out of time. I'm getting rather desperate at this stage.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanking you,

Mitaka27

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Answer 6

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Apr 25, 2013 6:01 AM in response to Mitaka27

One problem is here

You have two adjacent secondary storylines, rather than a continuous storyline. There will also be problems trying to go from a storyline to a separate connected clip as there is a little farther in the timeline.

It would be better in this type of work if you made a single secondary storyline of all your connected clips and any gaps between them into a single secondary storyline before you apply your transitions.

FCP has never been backwards compatible with earlier versions.

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Answer 7

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Apr 25, 2013 6:12 AM in response to Mitaka27

I've not heard about any way to roll back projects once they've been updated unless a previous version has been saved with a back up utility like Time Machine, Carbon Copy Cloner, SuperDuper!, etc.

If that's not a possibility, a couple of thoughts: Can you manually make a dissolve by using the Precision Editor and either using keyframes or the fade handles? Would any other transition (like Fade to Color) work as a substitute?

You asked about media not staying in place. There is no way to lock tracks (since there are no tracks). But between the use connected clips and compound clips, it's usually possible to keep clips from wandering.

Good luck.

Russ

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Answer 8

Mitaka27 Author

Level 1

7 points

Apr 25, 2013 12:26 PM in response to Russ H

Thank you both for your feedback. This is extremely frustrating and I don't want to proceed in 10.0.8 when what I am doing in both versions is exactly the same but the outcome or the attempt to do the same is producing different outcomes and not a desirable one in one the version where I have completed the most work. Tom I am not sure what you mean by " two adjacent secondary storylines". I thought that I only had one with stills at this point (video clips later) and one audio. I want to add another audio later as we'll. The apparent gaps in the image which I inacluded in my post only appeared after adding cross dissolves. The same goes for the black surrounding band. Yes Russ, other transitions do work okay for some reason.

Do you think that it would be worth uninstalling and reinstalling 10.0.8 to see if it would resolve the issue. I am not using all of the still media so I can't fathom why the error message: insufficient media length outside the clip edge.

Thanking you

Mitaka27

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Answer 9

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,809 points

Apr 25, 2013 12:33 PM in response to Mitaka27

Look closely at where the pointer is in the image I posted. You will see a slight overlap where two secondary storylines are abutted, and the transition appears to be only on the left side. You will also notice below it a separate stem connecting it to the primary storyline. A secondary storyline will only have a single stem connecting it regardless of its length. Notice the next transition is entirely within the secondary storyline. Notice also the transiton at the end of the storyline going into the connected clip MOTHER05.

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Answer 10

Mitaka27 Author

Level 1

7 points

Apr 25, 2013 12:43 PM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thank you. That gives me something to work on. I will redo and see how I go. I think I now understand where the problem may lie.

Many thanks

Mitaka27

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Answer 11

Mitaka27 Author

Level 1

7 points

Apr 25, 2013 11:27 PM in response to Mitaka27

Well with your help I have finally managed to work things out I believe. FCP X is occassionally adding flash elements between the clips but if I expand the timeline I can pinpoint them and rectify. However, I have - hopefully, one last question! What does the following mean and how should I be correcting it please?