What are the easiest shortcuts people use for easing in and out of transforming, or other key frame moves?

I'm looking to transfer over everything in my library to a new computer. The only issue is that I'm running version 10.3.4, and I'm not sure compatibility wise how it would work. I've already put hours into what I've got and would hate to have to restart the seven or so projects from scratch.

Edit: Would there be any way to transfer over the older version application and then update once it's on the new iMac? I picked up the latest one this weekend. Or is this something where I'll need to go in and manually copy over all the transition/text files I've installed, along with the video files.

I'm learning the creative apps on Mac to pare down to the native suite of applications. I had some struggles with Logic Pro but I understand what the workflow is supposed to be now. Coming from other NLEs, I'm struggling to understand Apple's design as some tasks just seem more convoluted to accomplish. Is the workflow less mouse/more shortcut based? Am I meant to cut in the browser and assemble in timeline?

Could someone who has used Final Cut and a few other NLEs explain the workflow philosphy/hierarchy of an edit?

I know I can do it in a few steps, but just wondering if there is a faster way.

In an easy example I have clips A, B, C, and D in a time line. I just want to swap B and D. In a simple example like this I will just drag D after A, then move B after C. But in a more real world example it would be like swapping clip G with clip Q.

I feel like the drag a swap method its hard to keep track where the clips originally were. one option is to I can cut clip G, paste it before Q, then cut clip Q, and paste it before clip F, if I remember where clip G used to be. Or just copy paste, delete, copy paste, delete.

Ideally I would be able to select both clips in the timeline and there would be a swap shortcut or right click menu that will just swap them.

Any fast efficient way to do this?

I imported mp4 files to my timeline and it automatically turns black but it has its audio.

HI Guys!

I wanted to buy a motionvfx plugin, I was wondering if for example at some point apple updates FinalCut and that new update is not compatible with my version of the motionvfx plugin, do I receive free updates "for life" or do I need to buy a new version of the plugin that I already bought?

https://youtu.be/LpkmR2Qkrt0

A truly comprehensive look at the Magnetic Mask.

Idk why it doesn't work with me it doesn't remove the background.... Should i download any fx for the app or what to do?

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out because I’m encountering issues creating a particle loop with an alpha channel in Final Cut Pro for use in streaming software like OBS. Here’s the process I’ve followed:

1. Particle Generation: I use Final Cut Pro’s particle generator to create the desired effect.

2. Export Settings: I export the clip using the ProRes 4444 codec, which should support alpha channels.

3. Re-import and Testing: After exporting, I re-import the clip into Final Cut Pro and place it above another image or clip to test the transparency.

Issue: The exported clip does not display transparency; the background remains opaque, indicating that the alpha channel isn’t functioning as expected.

Troubleshooting Attempts: • Blend Modes: I’ve experimented with various blend modes without success. • Export/Import Settings: I’ve reviewed the settings to ensure the alpha channel is included.

Despite these efforts, the transparency issue persists.

Request: Has anyone experienced similar challenges or can offer guidance on correctly exporting clips with alpha channels in Final Cut Pro? Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Has anyone else been having any issues with magnetic masks not rendering when sent to compressor.

I keep having an issue with it. When the project is done, if I play the video back where there is supposed to be a shot with the magnetic mask I get a red missing screen.

Am I missing a step somewhere?

When I go back to the project and check the time like the mask is there and works with not issues but it keeps doing this once I send it to compressor.

Hey, I am about to get an external ssd, which I plan to use for active fcp libraries and media files.

I am shooting 10 bit 4K c-log3 and mostly doing 1 or 2 personal projects at a time, no longer than 10-15 mins.

Will 1TB be sufficient as a work drive or should I go for 2tb?

Edit: some clarifications:

Video files from camera are in H.265 in mp4 format. Bitrate ranges from 85 to 340 mpbs depending on frame rate (30 vs 60 fps) and compression method used (IPB vs IPB light). Total duration of timeline will not exceed 10-15 minutes.

Editing is done on a MacBook Pro M1 Pro 16 gb 512 gb. Work drive will host 1 or at most 2 active projects simultaneously at a time.

I still need to do some reading on optimised, proxy and render files. Right now I have them all off as my Mac freaked out when fcp took all the available space on the internal drive. It works for now but I am mostly still testing stuff with short clips, minimum effects and transitions.

Hi I’m currently working on a FCP project and I need to export an aaf (only just found out I need X2Pro for it) and I don’t want to spend 180euro on an app I’ll only need this once.

Is there anyone I could send the xml to that could run it through X2Pro? I can pay for your services

Thank you!

Unfortunately I have no example to provide, but here is a description: Your video arrives at a freeze frame. Then blackness comes in from the edges and begins to take over the entire screen. At the center of the advancing blackness is a circle (the remaining area of the original freeze frame image) which continues to tighten until it finally stops on one small object. (So now at the end of the effect the entire screen is black except for one small remaining circle, of course forcing the audience to focus all their attention to whatever object is in that remaining little circle.)

It seems like this is an effect I've only seen in cartoons. Does this have a name?

Hi, I added my clip to the project, detached the audio from the video and started editing. I used the blade tool to cut both video and audio sections which I did not want. When I delete the video I do not want to use, all the audio to the right of it also deletes. It is not selected so why is it 'attached' to the video clip I delete? Am I missing something really obvious?

Thank you

Is anyone else wondering what happened to the “share current frame” option? Final Cut 11 and there’s no option anymore.. did they change the name?

One of my favorite editors told me he uses FCPX. I use PR and AE (for about 1.5 years), but i just downloaded the trial and want some second opinions on this.

Any input is appreciated!

Previous editor of a project tried editing in FCPX initially but switched to Premiere because the footage from one specific camera (Canon C100) was flickering once imported. The files were originally MTS files but were converted to MP4s to try to solve the issue (unsuccessful).

I've now taken the reins as editor and refuse to use Premiere. The footage plays perfectly fine outside of FCP. Only once it's imported, it starts rythmicly flickering pixelated, curropted, data-mosh-like. I'm not talking about the common light flickers people get and I should mention I'm using the converted MP4s and not the MTS files.

What I think the issue is, is that it was all shot at 50 fps (don't ask why, I was not cinematographer), once imported, FCP reads this as 25i.

Simply, is there a way to fix this flickering? Maybe by converting the files to 24p, if that's possible??

1. Any effect apply to title will apply to underneath timeline.

2. Sticky OSC in duo display mode. Drag a OSC point on a second display while there're multiple control points will stick the point to your cursor. (an old bug, still not fix by Apple.)

3. missing plugin with Magnet Mask while sending to Compressor.

4. missing audio tracks with compound clips while sending to Compressor. (occasionally)

5. Typing in Scale (All) and hit return. The number will reset in the first time.

My footage is only 3 min but the timeline on my export is 29 min with just a black screen after my footage hoe don't get the export or timeline to end at end of footage

Does anyone know why I keep getting these black pixel spots over my videos? It usually happens when I have a lut and then add something after like a color wheels or a halation effect

https://preview.redd.it/qaa28dln0p3e1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=35a717412d1134688b6f49d1aecf42be96f55c8d

https://preview.redd.it/nwk0b6yi0p3e1.png?width=3840&format=png&auto=webp&s=2aae0519bb46669b8aa45b75816430f8834a4dbc

Ok, finally did a ridiculously detailed analysis of magnetic mask and AE's roto brush. Have video here (I know, mods think every imaginable youtube vid is SPAM, but I think you'll agree this is pretty informative).

https://youtu.be/8qFbJ3_iL0s

I looked at several clips that feature their own masking challenges. None of them are "easy" solves. I tried each with a one click solve. I know, people mask a bit at a time, but I wanted to set baseline so one click solve is best way to do that, then get idea which one requires most work afterwards. Also I think one click solve is best initial approach because when manually editing masks it is near impossible to keep edges stable in visually logical way, whereas touchup where needed after one click solve gives better chance of good edges throughout.

By the way, if you set Roto Brush feather to around 10, contrast to around 25, then it is similar to Magnetic Mask with 0 feather. To get as much a baseline comparison as possible, this is how I did the Roto Brush analyses.

Ultimately, while I think Magnetic Mask is fine for small screens, I just find its edge instability to be too much. I even wrote a rudimentary python script to compare 1) for a given mask how much frame to frame pixel variation does the mask exhibit (this sort of tells us something about edge stability/noise especially when no fast motion), 2) compared to a reference mask (that is a mask considered ideally accurate), how much does each algorithm differ (this is a ton of work so I only made one reference mask for several seconds, but still informative).

With the clips I looked at (from my personal projects, representative of the type of stuff I do), I find Magnetic Mask has 10-35% more edge instability/noise, and at least looking at one clip it deviates from a reference mask on average by 30 %. Depending on your project types, you may have different findings.

Above said, Magnetic Mask is great in various ways, just was hoping for better edges...

Here are my overall takeaways:

Magnetic Mask Strengths:

- Speed of operation

- Very good ability tracking fast moving subject, even when subject blurry

- Decent ability to separate subject from background even under tricky situations

- Some ability to separate foliage in front of subject

- Excellent ability handling multiple masks in same clip

- Excellent ability maintaining overall structural integrity of subject

- Excellent ability to mask hair even while subject in motion, as well as in wind

Magnetic Mask Weaknesses:

- Not the best thought out user interface

- Lack of control parameters

- Soft edges even with 0 feather

- Degree of automatic edge refinement varies vastly throughout clip resulting fairly often in extreme edge noise/instability

Roto Brush Strengths:

- Control of mask parameters for fine tuning such as edge contrast, feathering and several other useful parameters

- Ability to manually apply edge refinement tool and adjust tool parameters

- Decent ability handling fast moving subjects

- Very good ability to maintain relatively stable edges

Roto Brush Weaknesses:

- Long execution time, especially when applying edge refinement (in 2024 Adobe needs to up their GPU game and get certain computations offloaded to GPU)

- For subject with moving hair, moving orientation of head, ton of manual edge refinement needed

- Mask frequently loses contour of fast moving subject

- Mask sometimes loses structural integrity with holes appearing in interior of mask

- Lacks Magnetic Mask's convenient ability to handle multiple subjects in single clip/layer

Anyway, for first release I think Apple has done ok job. Just that I see where they are headed. Their fanaticism with small devices and AI is pretty clear. I think they realize for small devices it works well, and likely their AI approach doesn't lend itself to parameter control. This is a common result in AI approaches that try to train on massive data sets. You can get very good results, but such linear algebra computational approaches (which is what AI primarily is here) lack enough precision to handle - in this case - things like edges. Apple is clearly going for fast matrix and vector operations done in the neural engine (or with Intel that might be done on GPU, not sure), where mask computation is largely a next token type of calculation, as opposed to the Adobe approach which seems to be hybrid AI approach as well as basic image processing (edge detection has long been something that image processing algorithms do well, so no surprise that despite Roto Brush losing edges completely at times, when it does have the edges, it keeps them pretty clean).

I suspect people in film production an VFX will prefer Roto Brush (well, or some other tool), despite its annoying way of dealing with propagation, repropagation.

Would be nice if Apple came down from its small device cloud and thought about those clients that don't just want the fastest possible masking.

regards,

Brian