Guidance requested for creating graphic animations in videos, is FCPX capable?

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Level 1

104 points

Guidance requested for creating graphic animations in videos, is FCPX capable?

Hello helpful community! A two part question.

I am just getting started on video production and have some specific needs in mind. I am hoping you can let me know if FCPX can do what I am hoping, if there is an obvious solution I am missing, or what approach some of you use.

I will be doing some interview style videos, and will have multiple camera angles I need to work with. So if I understand things correctly from working with iMovie, I will have a main video timeline, and then 'cut' in and out to secondary timelines for the other angles. But I do need to have a logo sitting in the corner as well. Are there still enough timelines to cut in and out of the different camera angles while having a timeline showing the stationary graphic? iMovie did not as you could only have your primary, and one other timeline cutting in and out, but I'm hoping FCPX has the ability to overlay more than just 2 at a time? Or maybe I am going about that need the wrong way?

The second part is related, I want there to be animation to the logo/text as it comes in (like a brief intro). Not throughout the whole video or anything tremendously complex, but to animate shapes and text sliding in such as the speaker's name graphic, the show name, etc. And I'm hoping to create my own custom animations, not the familiar "text motions" that are found in iMovie. I feel like the examples I found online all look like they were very template animations and I'm hoping for much more creative opportunity in that area, If that made sense. 🙂 In its most basic example I suppose, the design and animation capabilities/techniques you can do in Keynote for graphics/text being able to be put in timed motion, fades, slides, etc.

Is FCPX the right program to incorporate more complex forms of text animations as well? Or is that the work of another piece of software?

I hope this made sense. Any help is appreciated, thank you!

Mark

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Sep 19, 2016 11:40 PM

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Answer 1

Tom Wolsky

Level 10

152,816 points

Sep 20, 2016 8:36 AM in response to melange

TYou can have an unlimited number of video layers.

YEs you can make custom animations. For more complex motion graphics you should use Motion.

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Answer 2

Sep 20, 2016 8:36 AM in response to melange

melange wrote:

....will have a main video timeline, and then 'cut' in and out to secondary timelines for the other angles. …

Nope! Please not ...

Don't think in 'tracks', when using FCPX.

For such a scenario, simply use the Multicam feature.

btw: it's fun to switch cam-angles like in a TVtruck, 'live', "aaand #2" ...

melange wrote:

.... to animate shapes and text sliding in such as the speaker's name graphic, the show name, etc. And I'm hoping to create my own custom animations, ...

You can create animations with FCPX' tools, it comes with.

More fun, more eyecandy, but demanding to learn lots of stuff: Motion5

You once create your animation there, share it to FCPX, and use it as any other template, FCPX has to offer.

Nothing you learn within a day, but no rocket-science either.

plus, there's a huge scene of developers (like me …) offering tons of free plugins, have a look at

fcpxfree.com

or, my homebase

http://www.fcp.co/forum/9-free-fcpx-plugins-and-templates

BUT MOST IMPORTANT:

get familiar with FCPX, do NOT try to copy habitual workflows to it.

Apple offers a 30d free trial.

Don't start with a serious project, take time to 'play', my first projects were named "trashbin001, trashbin002, …" 😉

Read the manual, buy a book (from Tom, for example), watch the free tuts from mabreak studio at YT (check, if it's no obsolete one!), purchase a course from rippletraining.com

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Answer 3

Sep 20, 2016 1:23 AM in response to melange

By all means follow Tom and Karsten's advice.

Experiment with trial version and follow good tutorials. Macbreak studio is great and I watch every week but it is more for giving smart tips, not to teach the application. You cannot go wrong with the courses of rippletraining (the same guys that do Macbreak Studio) but I would like to suggest izzyvideo's beginners course. It is very well done and it is free.

And be careful not to follow just any video tut you may find in youtube. Many are for very old versions and not very good, or just give crappy advice.

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Answer 4

melange Author

Level 1

104 points

Sep 20, 2016 8:31 AM in response to Tom Wolsky

Thank you Tom, knowing simply unlimited video layers is great (way more than I'll need for this first venture) but for future capabilities.

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Answer 5

melange Author

Level 1

104 points

Sep 20, 2016 8:35 AM in response to Karsten Schlüter

Thanks for the guidance Karsten. I've got the trial now, and will look into the tutorials (which is typically my main learning approach and then play til my heart's content). And you were spot on, I am thinking about it in terms of "tracks" as that is my background with audio recording! So I will make the mind-shift and start to learn more about the proper workflow and mindset when editing and producing video 🙂

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Answer 6

EcoGreg

Level 3

894 points

Sep 20, 2016 12:10 PM in response to melange

Hi Melange

Welcome to FCPX it is a really wonderful app.

All the advice you have gotten is great.

As Karsten says, use Multicam for your various angles. What he didn't tell you is how easy it is to create a MC and that FCPX almost always does an excellent job in syncing up the various angles. One tip is to always record audio on all recording devices for syncing. FCPX will allow you to choose which audio to use in a MC clip. Cutting between angles is a simple tab on keys while the video is playing or advance and switch angles.

As to Titles, FCPX has many ready to go Titles that may indeed include every thing you need. You can apply a Title to a Project and in the Timeline you can extend the Title for however long you want. Titles appear on the top of the Timeline. If you want it to be for the entire length of the Project, just grab the end and extend to the end of Timeline. Easy Peasy!

Various Titles come with various built in and customizable parameters that can change the entire function and look of a Title. Check out the Title "Custom". When just viewed from the Title Browser, it is plain Jane, put it in the Timeline and open up the Inspector and you find out it has endless possibilities. All Titles and Effects have parameters you can change in the inspector.

If for some reason you can't find the exact Title you want, then see if it is available from 3rd party or many free plug-ins are available. Karsten is busy making many and lots of others. The fop.co website has lots of free ones.

If you want the greatest control, you can buy Motion. All Titles and Effects are made in Motion. If you find an Effect you want to add some feature to, you just right click on the icon in the Effects browser and click on "Open Copy In Motion" There you can alter any Effect and "Publish" back to FCPX just by saving. Warning: Motion has a much steeper learning curve than FCPX.

Once you get familiar with FCPX, you will see it opens up so many features for creating home movies to Hollywood blockbusters. By the way, all of your iMovie projects will open in FCPX and will give you greater power to create, but with similar ease of use. No simple auto creation of movie trailers though.😟

Happy Editing!

Hope this helps, Greg

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Answer 7

melange Author

Level 1

104 points

Sep 20, 2016 12:29 PM in response to EcoGreg

Thank you Greg for the great tips and encouragement as well! Motion sounds up my alley with my background in art and design, but I will check out the custom title in FCPX first to see if maybe that does have what I need. I'm going to be animating various moving elements in on graphic, so I'll see what it has to offer before getting motion. But it is sounding like FCPX will be an exciting learning adventure into video!

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