replacing clips in timeline

I will be editing mainly rendered clips in my FCP sequences. I will need to replace shots in the sequence with re-rendered clips. I am wondering, is there a way to replace the clip in the timeline, but keep any transitions and heads/tails? (the heads and tails timing is preserved)

Kind of like how you would do a replace footage in After Effects (option/Alt drag onto clip)

I am aware that I can reconnect media, but reconnect media will replace ALL the instances of the shot in the project, not just in the sequence I am working in. (I do want to keep old versions of timelines as-is)

thanks, hope this makes sense.

that'd be the REPLACE EDIT

or F11

place your playhead on the same frame in the timeline and viewer,
check your target tracks are correct
and F11

if you're a dragger, drag to the BLUE window in the timeline.
if you;re a button pusher, it';s the blue button.

cheers,
nick

You could also do a paste attributes choosing only 'content'. Although I'm not sure what exactly you mean by re-rendered clips...

sorry for not being clear. no, replace won't work here.

Let me explain more clearly.

Lets say I have 3 clips, CLIP A, CLIP B and CLIP C on a timeline.

CLIP A has a transition to CLIP B

CLIP B has a transition to CLIP C

additionally, CLIP B has 5 frames of head and 10 frames of tail.

Now, CLIP B is a rendered CG shot that I want to replace the content of the clip, but preserve the head (5 frames) and tails (10 frames) and also not change the transitions. Is there a way to do this.

Now if you are familiar with After Effects, this is the same functionality as option (or Alt on a PC) draging a new clip from the project window to a clip on the timeline you want to replace. the heads/tails and all attributes are preserved.

I do commercial work on a smoke usually and this is something I do 100 times a day and is pretty straight forward on the smoke, I am hoping it is even easier on FCP, forgive me for the long explanation.

i dont understand why replace wont work.

i cant see anything in what you just described that would preclude a replace edit

so my 2 questions are:

what is it i'm *not* i seeing?

what *would* happen if you performed (or tried to perform) a replace edit?


nick

The replace edit will do this. It will not however "preserve" the handles, either of the original clip (though I doubt that's what you mean) or the durations of handles in the new clip. The duration of handles in the new clip will be determined by the media content of that clip. If all you have is five and 10 frames then that's what you'll get. If there are three minutes and 10 minutes of media available then that's how long the handles will be. There is not easy way around that, short of make a new subclip of the shot before you do the replace function.



All the best,

Tom

ok, you are right.
I tested the replace further, what I was getting at is not having to set any parameters on your new, incoming clip (IN or current time)

As you mentioned, I see now that as long as your current time in your incoming clip is the same as your current time on your clip to be replaced, the replace edit will work perfect. But this has to be set before you make the edit. no biggie.

thanks for the info!