Using a video slug vs. changing video clips's opacity to zero

I've been editing with FCP since 2001 for broadcast (and other purposes) and this is the first time I've ever read that "it's standard to remove the video portion of the clip and replace it with a video slug." I simply place the stills or b-roll clips on the track above the video and am done with it. Or you can overwrite the video with the stills or b-roll on the same track. Either way works.

-DH

I generally adda slug between the still image and the video image below if the image does not fill the frame, but there are many ways to skin a cat in fcp.

Michael is absolutely correct; if the image you want to use doesn't cover the entire frame, the video or image on the track below will show in the uncovered areas. You can use a slug, color matte, animation or any other background you want on a track between the two.

-DH

in terms of end result, 0% opaque video is invisible, so you will see thru it. if nothing is underneath, you will see black. using transparent video, slug or nothing looks identical.

best practice is when using audio only, lose its video track completely. no need to carry it along.

because in terms of render speed, this makes a difference: FCP will of course need to render your video material invisible if it is there.

for your conversion to digital cinema this makes no difference, though, because they will do that with your final master, not within FCP.

I've never put slug on top of footage, or dropped the opacity to zero. If you don't want the picture, then remove it, or cut picture you want over it...and by that, I mean OVERWRITE edit. Don't leave the original picture on V1 and cut what you want on V2...that's messy. When I see timelines like that I know that they were cut by people who never learned how to edit properly. I've had timelines where there were 9-10 layers of video...just keep putting video on top of video...stair stepping...leaving the original or other options underneath. Just plain messy!

Keep video to 1-2 tracks...maybe more for text. But if you have a shot replacing another...cut it in and replace the original. Get rid of it. There are many reasons to do this, that you might not use, but are still good reasons. When you export an EDL to track the amount of footage...say stock footage, used in the cut. Or when you media manage to only have the footage used in a cut..if you have lots of video layers that you aren't using...then that will get copied too and take up more space than you need.

This is good:

This is also good:

This is BAD:

hi shane,

you are completely right. at least 99,9%.

there are cases when staircasing is necessary, though, despite of a single video layer only being visible. example: if you hardcut clips that use motion blur (from the clip's motion menu). if you put all clips in one single video track, the first frame of each clip will have no motion blur (because there are no previous frames to blur into this frame). so, after every cut, motion blur will sort of fade in (ie build up). to avoid this (ie motion blur being present from the very first frame of a clip), you want to overlap the clip underneath the previous one for a couple of frames (sometimes up to one second, depending on your motion blur settings) - to give material for a motion blur to happen. so, this overlap is necessary although the clip is not visible at that point.

just for the record. ;-)

couldn't disagree with you more. For me it's important to be able to try out ideas and adjust them as quickly as possible. I can edit a cutaway on a higher video track and slide it back and forth, turn it on and off, etc When the dust settles I clean up my tracks but while I'm working, no way.

Fine...edit like that...that's fine. But when you are done...collapse the layers.