Training

Top Ten Feature Request results

February, 2002

Final Tally of the 2002 Top Ten FCP Feature Request Ballot
WRITE INS

The below chart is a list of write in votes. There were over 20 votes which were unranked so we had to discount them.
10 points were given for a ranking of One, 9 points for a ranking of two and so on.

The list is in order of ranking.

We leave the analysis up to you

 


 

WRITE INS
 Points Write In Request 
 10  Bi-directional trimming
 10  "Have the render engine work properly with progressive scan 30p images, so that ""no fields"" rendering with a progressive scan clip maintains all the vertical scan lines, and renders the whole frame, not just one phantom field"
 10  "Make match frame on the source side take you back to the actual source clip, like in Avid"
10   "i know Apple FCP team said they can't do it, but i'm going to ask for it anyway: Move tracks in Timeline as playhead plays in Canvas."
10   Find a way of using DROP SHADOW as an effect that can be copied to many selected clips at once.
10   Real-time out firewire
10   "REAL-TIME Slow & Fast Motion (speed change) with field blending!!! (and add this as the FIRSTparameter of the basic motion tab!! Include keyframing slo mo , just like all other FX's"
10   Three-line VITC decoding (for film keycode etc.) OMF Import (!) Bi-Directional Roll and Ripple
10   integrate FCP companion and have it update automatically/ Add real time rendering with DV output of preview.
10   Synchronize Time in Nested Sequences - as an option
10  "4 Channel audio output control for ""Edit to Tape"" layback to Digibeta or Beta SP"
10  "simplify the subclip process. make it like a ""subclip"" in media 100. Once the in and out points are fixed in the timeline - the canvis and viewer windows will automatically show just the area you are working in - and you have a choice of enlarging or decreaseing the area."
 10  "The ability to observe audio levels when capturing media. I find it disturbing that once you start to capture something, the audio metering system stops. Then ""Please"" take the time to make the meters wider. Those two toothpick slivers are really to small. How about tripling the size or giving the editor the option of increasing their size."
10  "CUT RENDER TIMES BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. Add on's, extra processor cards, whatever it takes to cut it down. Please. "
10   VST &/or RTAS Audio Plugin support
10   Make widescreen Matte RT
10  open plug-ins in effects mode. Have subclips point to media not create media. Mappable zoom in and out of timeline. 
10   "I'd like the ability to add multiple transitions simultaneously, and have a shortcut to do it. For instance, if I have chopped together a rough cut of an hour long program, and I have 200 cuts, I'd like to be able select all cuts, hold down option, and dbl-click a transition and have it automatically drop that transition between all 200 cuts."
10   A) It would sure be nice if I could use my postscript font library. B) One word: Applescrpt! Now how cool would that be?
10   The ability to preserve individual edits when cutting one sequence into another.
10   Offer a Windows version.
10   Do what AVID did and make improvements to the DV codec so that titles look nicer and recdering doesn't cause softening
10   "The ability to apply an effect to all edit points (Video & Audio, or specific channels) within a marked region (In-Out)simultaneously, instead of having to copy & paste effects multiple times."
10   "Bring back the ""Back-up your $300FCP disk investment feature!"""
10   "Media Management - Ability to redigitize an offline project to online by simply selected the finished sequence and hit ""Redigitize"" without using the Media Manager. (The same way Media 100 used to do this... very fast)"
 10  "Create a better media management system. Dare I say similar to the AVID? This is a constant issue w/ Final Cut Pro- Always having to choose EXACTLY where the media goes-- not just the drive. Layers and layers of folders within folders and Audio Reder, Video Render, Capture scratch, Waveform, Autosave--All gets jumbled and confused when working in a time crunch."
10   Single frame capture
10   "Pop-up graphic window for keyboard shortcuts, similar to Key Caps. It must intelligently recognize what kind of keyboard you are working with and display it in the correct configuration. Better integration of devices such as the Contour Shuttle Pro, that doesn't depend on repeated left and right arrow key commands for shuttling. This sluggish response is the single drawback to such devices, compared to other editing interface hardware on the market. A capture system that is less sensitive to dropped frames, or has senistivity that can be seleted. There are times when one NEEDS to get the video into FCP, and does not care about sync, a dropped frame, a break in timecode...but also needs to be able to restore the same clip later from a batch list (instead of using ""capture now."") This has been FCP's achilles heel since day one, and still continues to haunt FCP. Start/Stop detection for PhotoJPEG captured footage."
10   Time line feature: Add a 'reconnect' command
10   Better timline magnification: The longer a project I do (3 hours sometimes) I lose acurate control with the scale slider (realy big or 1 frame)
10   ï TAB key for cycling Video track targeting ï Shift-TAB for cycling Source A1 & A2 through Audio track pairs ï Option-TAB for cycling Source A1 through existing tracks
10   "Group subclips by TC, Aux TC, Start time etc. anywhere within their new relative TC and be able to navigate through layers up and down within the timeline in order to make your selections quickly and correctly. If FCP really wants to compete with AVID MC in the music video department, which is where really creative editing is going on. It absolutely needs GROUPING. Otherwise it can't touch an AVID, and I'm a FCP supporter, but that's the truth I owe FCP my career that's absolutely growing. I see my commercials on TV non-stop where FCP is fine, but on the MTV music videos I cut I can't afford to not use an AVID (which I learned after). I'm not saying you can't do it in FCP, I'm saying time is money, and being able to see your choices quickly let's you make better choices."
10   Reveal Clip in Bin command that will reveal the source bin of a viewer clip or loaded sequence.
 10  Once a project is finish you are left with tons of unused media. I would like to be able to take the clips that I used in the timeline and dump them to a new tape and have the clips have new timecode on the new tape connected to the clips in the bin so that I can just have a archive tape with the clips used and add handles.A new bin with clipnames and new timecode would be created. Then I would like to be able to reload the timeline clips from the new tape by a batch capture. This would allow me to overcapture in the beginning archive and then clean off my harddrives work on something else and then go back to the first project without having the original source tapes. As we know we may not be able to keep the source tapes for long.
10   Be able to turn tracks on and off in the timeline without losing your renders. This is essential when compositing
10   A deeper made-for-FCP-motion tracking plug-in...
10   "When using a sequence to edit to another sequence, preserve the tracks and allow a switch function to ""see"" the source sequence in the timeline. Great for show assembly of separate segments that are layered."
10   "When using a sequence to edit to another sequence, preserve the tracks and allow a switch function to ""see"" the source sequence in the timeline. Great for show assembly of separate segments that are layered."
10   be able to save different timeline settings like avid dont unrender nested sequences when put into others show timcode rolling during digitzation now bigger number fields in log and capture much too small dont have to set timecode in on edit to tape: have it follow the mark in number : dont want to have to punch in timecodes twice cut and paste keyframes in effects save motion tabs in favorites(for resizes ecxt)
10   Improved blue and green screen filters(like primatte keyer in commotion pro 4)
 10  "Allow user to permanently over ride default scratch disk settings, that is, disallow apps automatic return to default scratch disk settings when that project is closed and re-opened."
10   "Allow render files to be named in a more conventional way than ""FCP0000000100212""...For example: FCP/Project name/Render1; FCP/Project
name/Render2;FCP/Project name/Render3...and so forth..."
10   Center Timeline view around play head quick key command for when you get lost. . .
10   "Ability to use other Macs on the LAN (Mac OS X may be required) as a cluster to perform rendering. Include a render-only client to run on the other nodes on the cluster. Don't require full copies of Final Cut or exact system configuration matches on the other nodes like After Effects does. Also: Predictive (background) rendering of unrendered areas that are away from the area currently being worked on. Also: Save progress in rendering the timeline after each clip or section is completed to prevent work from being lost in case the user decides to cancel or a crash occurs. Also: When performing a render all, if a render file or other dependency is missing, don't halt all rendering with a dialog box onscreen. After a 30 sec. timeout period, move on to render other parts of timeline that don't require that file. After all non-dependent areas have been rendered, proceed to rerender the missing files, offering the user the option to cancel and locate the missing file if he/she comes back during this time. Also: fix pulsing effect in text scrolling, growing, and animation effects. (Better sub-pixel rendering?) Also: if a captured clip does not belong to a project, but has work done to it (like adding in/out points, or markers, etc) don't allow closing without a warning that the marker data, etc. will be lost."
10   "As a power user I'd really like to see all of the features listed above eventually implemented into a future version of Final Cut Pro. And hopefully much, much sooner than later. That would be my first ranking."
10   media management should use TC and Reel# information instead of file name. Like the Avid does. It's way to easy in FCP to change filenames and totally bone your project. Also Bins should be seperate files.
 10  Give it the Aqua interface!
 10  The option to cut a sequence into another and preserve the individual edits.
10  1. Apple making sure that FCP is Frame accurate in and out through all the qualified capture boards. 2. The ablitity to monitor outputs for remote (machine room) decks using the edit to tape window
10   Integrate DV Date/Time into the browser.
10   "I would like to have the ability to have more than one time line for markers. This would allow one to have a hierarchy of markers. Or, one could have the option of coloring markers differently. However, the first option would be preferable."
10   "Make PCP more compatible with Avid editors so you could use PCP to log tapes (including DV and MiniDV) and then generate a logging EDL that could be easily read by AVid systems, similar to what MediaLog does."
10   "Better support for effects for DV and DVC-Pro (Chroma Key, and other effects)...have had problems with colors shifting after the render...Better yet...get rid of the rendering process all together"
10   when you change audio levels on a master clip -FCP should remember that new setting when you match frame back. subclips like avid would be nice so you dont run out of media if you pul a clip too short
10   Automatic Correction for dropped frames
10   24 FRAME EDL INPORT FUCTION SO THAT WE CAN OFFLINE IN FCP AND THEN FINISH IN FCP USING 29.97 TO 23.98
10   "Timecode Viewer Window. A seperate window with customizable timecode views..ala Avid, A ""Find Bin"" feature, so i can find where a clip came from quickly, a ""reverse"" matchframe to find where a clip is being used in the Sequence. A ""Dupe Detection"" feature, so i will know where a shot has been used more than once. Expand the ability to enlarge frame views in the Browser to make them larger than currently possible. Sizeable Audio meters.. make them larger."
10   A keyframeable line for ramping speed on clips
10   "a single key makes "" back 5 seconds and play "" (customizable: - 3"" / 10"" etc with option or wathever...)"
10   Be able to work with different video clip formats without rendering (like After Effects) so it doesn't matter what frame size or codec a clip is.
10   Make browser contain more information for identifying clips.
10   "Add a ""grid"" option to the viewer and canvas window for precise element placement."
10   add handles option to batch export. spline based garbage mattes for color corrector. 16bit export option and iff support. yuv option for 3rd party plugins. archive to tape feature like Discreet products.
10   Have a preference to set the frame delay for the video playing back on the desktop so that it could be in sync with the video playing on your NSTC monitor.
10   turn off synch lock for a specific trk or trks
10   Beep after digitizing complete reel.
10   "'asymetric trimming' (think that's what it's called) like on the AVID, where you can roll edit points in both directions at the same time on different tracks."
10   DESTRUCTIVE compositing. Example - render layer 2 over layer 1. Add an element on layer 3 such as an alpha channel graphic. Real time playback or rendering of layer 3 would utilize the precomposited file beneath. Not re-render the whole stack. Could be a simple check box in preferences. This would really shine when creating huge comps or when adding a simple element to a huge comp that has already been rendered. This should not require nesting.
10  add batch rendering like in After Effects
10   "Make the blade tool a keyboard command, as well as some of the other ""tools"" in the tool palette (ie the selection tool) to get rid of some of the clicking."
10   Apple bought NOTHING REAL software-Shake and Tremor We want it NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10   Multi-Channel Audio Digitizing (8 Channel AES/EBU 44.1 & 48k) Interface.
10   Make TimeLine scroll during playback so that playhead remains visible on desktop at all time.
 10  "Allow assignment of a given track (or tracks) to any of four channels, with provision for a second pass if QuickTime continues to only allow two channels of output. (Many editors are asked to provide ""Split-Track Masters, ie. dialogue on channel one, sound effects on two, etc. There is no way to make FCP edit to only audio channels 3 and 4 of, say, a digiBeta machine so a 4 track split is possible."
 "Add button in lower left of timeline to toggle audio waveform (next to keyframes, overlays, track height buttons). Am I alone on this one?"
 OMF IMPORT PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9  "Add ""Create Change Notes"" facility. This software tracks all the data in all the versions of a project and, upon command, compares one version against another version of the same project in order to create a document that specifies all the changes. This document is vital to sound and music editors who are working on the biggest feature because it enables them to ""conform"" their sound tracks from one version to another. There can be 10 or more versions on a big feature each of which has to be ""Temp Mixed"" in order to have syncronous acceptable sound for preview audiences. The continual changing of the picture during the postproduction process is SOP on mid-level and high-end theatrical features, Cable movies and MOWs and now even some episodic television. Once FCP has the facility to make change notes, FCP WILL replace the high end Avids. If FCP had change note capability 1 1/2 to 2 years ago, it would have at least 50% of Avid's market share as of January 31, 2002. Avid's format of change notes is not bad. But it's not fluid and facile for the folks that have to use it -- the sound and music editors (and other postproduction facilities such as CGI special visual effects houses, audio mixing facilities, et al. I'm sure the FCP folk can comprehensively and anticipatorially design a change note format and facility that much better and far easier to use. Of course, FCP's change note facility must include exportability in certain selected formats, printability directly from FCP and compatibility with certain other NLE systems. And since Pro Tools has become the de facto professional audio NLE standard, it would be very cool for FCP to collaborate with Pro Tools so that the change notes from FCP could be applied to a Pro Tools session and automatically perform all the required changes that would bring one version of a picture to another version -- which work is now done manually. The sound editors would then have only to review the updated Pro Tools session to ""fix"" or ""smooth"" any edits that needed it."
9  "Preserve alpa channels in the output of renderred clips, not just on import."
 9  "When I work, I keep the timeline, viewer, canvas and browser open all of the time. I need a keystroke to SELECT these, (especially the timeline) NOT toggle them open and closed. Please change the current Keystroke of Command 1, Command 2 and command 3, etc to SELECT these windows, NOT toggle them open and shut."
9d   "Ability to create mattes with bezier curves, with shape, edge feathering, and positon keyframable. Add apple scrip compatability to the program."
 Allow option to edit a sequence into a sequence WITHOUT nesting.
 9  Customizable Buttons like Avid
 9  Add cross index feature to show each place a clip or sequence is used.
 ability to lock single clips in the timeline
 "Support for new Quicktime codecs for high-end video like DVCPro or DVCam. Of course, we'd need the codecs themselves! DVCPro Pal isn't cutting it."
 9  I would like to see decent slow motion at 30-50% speeds. Currently crummy.
 "Do something so that when you try to add a dissolve where there isn't sufficient media, it tells you the problem, rather than (as it does now) putting in a useless one-frame (not one second, one frame) transition."
8  "I'm cheating with multiple requests... Option to change the color(s) of the timeline indicators for opacity, levels etc - to something that shows up. Additional audio peak indicator like the superwhite video indicator, lines in the timeline with colored waveform. But not sure how this would indicate if mix of tracks is overpeak, not individual track....I assume when you say realtime audio mix you'd mean something like ProTools, which records a fader position - in FCP terms an automatic creation of keyframes when the virtual fader is shifted. well that's what I'd like anyway. More hotkeys assignable for custom arrangements (don't like running thru a menu, and even with 2 screens I have several favored sizes and positions of timeline for compositing). And finally - full output of DV stream through firewire for DVCAM duping, including a tc track if that's feasible. (Camera to deck will do it). phila@brightfilament.com"
 "Export Sequence to After Effects project w/cuts,dissolves, etc intact. This should be a feature of FCP rather than a 3rd party thing. FCP's compositing has a long way to go before it can compete w/AE, so give up and add this feature."
 "1.) If editing Sequences into another I would like to have an ""unnesting"" funktion. I would like to decide if I change first generation-sequence or just the second generation sequence rather then changing both."
 "Have a render queue where you can put sequences to render. This would allow me to have it render at night while I'm sleeping or away doing errands. It would also be cool to send rendering out to another machine clustered to the machine I am working on. This could be done using external firewire drives that both machines are hooked to. The server puts out a render request and the client machine renders it, letting the server know when it is finished."
 dupe detection in sequence ala avid.
 Have a better control over Canon camcorders
 8  "When a clip is used in the timeline, I would like a sign in the browser that it's been used. (like Premiere's cute film reel icon) I would like a option to select a clip in the timeline and a command that tells me where I can find the clip in the browser (& vice versa)."
 Less obtrusive and more responsive effects palette.
 "Ripple and Roll Trimming using JKL keys (multiple taps increase speed), either forward or backward, so that audio and video play SIMULTANEOUSLY. Hitting ""pause,"" or the K key stops the trim, hitting J or L resumes it. Just like an Avid. "
 Media Management - Option to remove unused render files while keeping current render files. Like Avid only better!
 Support ProTools LE audio plug-ins.
 "improve trim mode interface- make it more ""Avid"" like to play trims; play timeline at high speed - 2x, 3x, 4x, etc; be able to take a video clip and audio clip and sync into a new Video/Audio combine clip."
 "customizable menu of current timecodes of clips in timeline at the top of viewer and canvas window-like the avid i.e. master, v1, a2, duration, etc."
 garbage matte with 16 points or more
 Improve Desktop Customization
 "Hook up any external control audio mixerboard with (aut) faders, pans etc, like Radical SAC-2, Steinberg Houston, Mackie HUI, Motormix etc via USB (or MIDI) or FireWire AND the same for External Joysticks for better Color correction"
 Auto Markers based on audio beat
 "ability to name the tracks in the timeline. Rather than A1 and A2, - name it ""dialogue"" and ""fx"". Same with video tracks."
 "Import still image sequences, with frame blending and ""loop x times"" option."
 6  "TBC-like controls to adjust levels of clips (i.e., video gain, set-up, chroma and hue)"
6  "Have the ability to split audio monitoring from video monitoring, so that when using an analogue video monitor through fireire, the audio can still be monitored from the Mac speakers."
6  Import OMF audio only...Project Preferences not System Preferences A DV software CODEC as good as the DV hardware CODEC
6  Integrate some sort of import/export protocol for sending clips to combustion or bringing in animation clips from Lightwave or Maya etc.
 Support Waves audio plug-ins
 "Make auto-numbering of markers start at 01 instead of 1, to preserve proper sequence"
 6  Make a scratch disk selection for the easy setup configuration
 Timeline scrolls during playback
 5  scroll feature in titler window
 "Optimize speed when switching between large, complex timelines, ie, reduce time waiting to gain control of timeline after ""Preparing Video for Display"" dialog appears."
 Live Midi Recording of 16 channels with video playback and Cubase VST filter support
 Allow multiple keystroke shortcut commands (like macros in Appleworks) to perform multiple adjustments with one keystroke.
 output alpha channel
 keyboard toggle for going through composite modes
 identify specific render files
 "I love the audio peak detect in FCP 3, I cut to the beat in pop videos, but make it more versatile..i.e allow me to specify the value of a peak in audio that will attract a marker and allow me to specify a skip ratio...mark one beat skip the next etc"
 Spell Checker for titler
 4  Find bin
 4  "option to enable Snapping with a modifier key, instead of as a mode/toggle"
 "option to use a transition track like premiere between the two main video tracks, to make it easier for those of use converting to premiere"
3  "Make some kind of a re-sizable floating Timecode viewer. When you are using a 17"" @1600x1200 the TC displays are miniscule. I would like to be able to see the Timeline TC without visually hunting for it. Have the option to make the numbers NIG and RED. Like Logic Audio. That rocks!"
3  renderig farm support
3  Allow playhead to remain fixed and timeline scroll option when playing video.
 3  Smart Rendering
 3  "# 8 Loop Playback should work in the timeline between set mark in and mark out points or even better loop playback should loop only the selected regions in the timeline. In its current form its abosolutely rediculous how it loops the sequence and nothing else...yeah im gonna sit there an watch a 30min sequence loop over an over.hmmmm *** (#9) i think it means when i select say 2 regions in the Timeline an hit this ""Zoom to Select"" then the 2 regions that are selected zoom in or out to fit the total current viewable width of the timeline? if this is what u mean by this then i rank this highly. I have another suggestiong not mentioned but really i rank this very very highly, and it may be similar to ""Option to assign scratch disks by project, not application-wide"" Ok, i have your attention. When u launch FCP it should NOT load any Project. The user should select the project as the first thing to do. Usually FCP does not open the correct session that was last used so i feel this way is shit. Next When the user creates a new project and names it and saves it to a location, FCP should create a folder of the same name of the project, the project just created should be saved into this folder, also additional folders should be created within this project's folder. These other folders should be folders with files that pertain to this particular project in order for it to load. These include, capture scratch folder (as per this project) a video render files folder and audio render files folder. This will make it much easier for users to loacate files on a per project basis and also make transportation of projects onto other systems easier. I cant stress this point enuff !!!"
 "Include Composite Mode settings in ""paste attributes"" command"
 "Currently to move the current time idicator, or playhead, you must position the mouse and click on the top of the timeline only. This should be changed so that anywhere in the timeline you click will move the playhead. Like in Media 100."
 "Under the SUB CLIP Feature Requests there is one options that says
""Preserve marker comments on conversion to subclips"", i would like to slightly alter this and ask for an Option to either preserve or not these comments upon conversion (maybe a standard preference option so you are not asked this Everytime you create subclips)"
 Find Bin Command like Avid
 Markers made on a Sequence should be viewable in it's bin like they are with master clips (have the little side arrow to quickly see all markers and their descriptions and click on them to go there - like the avid)
 Add a reverse track selection function in timeline tracks (avid-like feature) - where you can drag around the selected traks and reverse the selection - instead of clicking and un-clicking track selection symbols or the keyboard
 "I'd rank this higher, but it won't stand a chance... How about a checkbox to tell the computer that if you are playing your sequence, not to continue playing after the cursor is moved in the timeline. "
 "Kind of obvious this - realtime playback out to DV, if your machine is fast enough (..or when!!)"
 "EXPORT > ARCHIVE : Doing so in a completed project will create a new sequence stringing all used clips assigning new timecode and then inserting a new blank DV tape will back it up, then a simple back up of a clone of the FCP Project (with new timecode) can call up any archived project with a quick insert and capture of the tape at minimal time and effort, a lot like what the Quantel Henry does."
 Add overlapping trimming capability like Avid does by pushing the video while you pull the audio.
 keyboard shortcuts for EVERYTHING
 "When export to DV tapes, we can define the copy protection. A disk optimising tool, when we need to start a new project. "
 Show hard drive limits and usage while digitizing video.
 Get rid of crappy audio VU meters in favor of Odl fashioned PPM needle meters
 Eject Button In Log & Capture Window
 "Printable storyboard view in browser with larger, scrubable thubnails (just like scrubbing numeric values in AE) !!! "
 1  "Be able to cut/copy and paste rendered material into the timeline (same or new) without losing the render. Also, allow for layer specific cutting (using range tool) from the timeline!!!"
 "Better ""telecine-film-style"" colour correction with reference."
 "show how many times, if any, a clip has been used in sequence."
 Be able to write timecode for doing dubs with SMPTE
 Timeline feature: Center on playhead hot key
 Explicit error message indicating why frames are dropped (currently there's a list of options)

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