How do I adjust keyframes for smoother movement in FCPX?

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Level 1

39 points

How do I adjust keyframes for smoother movement in FCPX?

I am having a lot of trouble adjusting keyframes in Final Cut Pro X. I have a video project that is 97% still images. All I want to do is simple pans and zooms across the picture. The keyframes in FCPX are giving me nightmares. I spent all day trying to figure this out. Please help!

First I tried to apply Ken Burns to my first still image. This effect has the image start slowly, then picks up speed, then slows back down to stop. That's not what I want. I want constant movement. How do I adjust the easing in and out? If not, then this is a beautiful but completely useless effect.

So next I try to manually keyframe. I select my first still image, click Transform, then option-click to put the first keyframe. I move the position, then do the second keyframe. Again, it wants to ease in and out. So I click on the "Video Animation Editor". In the Position area it shows a keyframe at the beginning and ending of this still image. But all I can do is drag these around. How do I see the path and adjust/remove the easing in/out?

I look up in the Viewer window. When Transform is on, there is a bounding box with blue dots, but where is the keyframe interpolation editor? How do I find it? How do I adjust any keyframes? In the upper right hand, I can delete a keyframe or move back and forth to the previous/next keyframe, but that's it?

This has been so frustrating, and I'm working on a paying project for a client. If you can supply any help I would GREATLY appreciate it!

Sincerely,

Paul

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.8), 4 GB RAM

Posted on Jul 31, 2013 8:25 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Luis Sequeira1

Level 9

64,502 points

Jul 31, 2013 8:56 AM in response to pixel-pablo

A very simple solution that is often overlooked is to keyframe the CROP function instead of position and scale.

Click the crop button and choose the middle option - called CROP. Keyframe to your heart's content.

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Answer 2

pixel-pablo Author

Level 1

39 points

Jul 31, 2013 9:17 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Thank you Luis. I am able to add and delete keyframes using various means, no problem, including in the CROP window. That's not my difficulty however. I am having trouble adjusting the already set keyframes. I remember in FCP7 that you had a window where you could see all the keyframes on a line or path. Then I could drag them around, I could make them constant speed or slow down/ start up. Here in FCPX, where are all those controls? It is so difficult to work with! The video animation editor seems like a place I could do that, but the ONLY box that allows me to do anything with adjusting keyframes is the Opacity.

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Answer 3

Russ H

Level 7

22,432 points

Jul 31, 2013 9:56 AM in response to pixel-pablo

Control click on a keyframe in the Viewer.

Russ

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Answer 4

pixel-pablo Author

Level 1

39 points

Jul 31, 2013 10:33 AM in response to Russ H

Thank you Russ, this certainly helps me out a little bit. It's not made very clear in other places I've seen that you have to click on the keyframe in the middle of the picture. Throughout most of yesterday I was clicking on the keyframe in the upper right corner and nothing was happening. But this all still feels kinda limited however especially compared with what I could do in FCP7. Is this all FCPX has to offer? Perhaps I don't understand how this works?

When I click on the keyframe, I get only two choices, linear or smooth. Yet, the still image still does this ease in and out thing. How can I adjust that? Aslo, how can I make constant movement? If I want it to go from picture to picture with constant movement, never starting and stopping, how do I make that happen?

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