RE: Copying/Pasting Keyframes can't be done in FCP... IS THIS TRUE????

After three hours of searching endlessly on the net I've come to the conclusion that Final Cut Pro does not allow me to copy a set of key frames so I can move the play head, then paste those keyframes to repeat an effect. (not a filter)

PLEASE, SOMEONE TELL ME THERE IS A WORK AROUND.

If I want the opacity to drop from 100 percent to 10 percent and back up again every 10 frames, I should be able to do that move once, then copy that move and paste it every ten frames.

If this can't be done, then in my opinion, the programmers have hit a MAJOR OVERSIGHT in this program that claims to have keyframe animation capabilities.

Anyone else share my (frustration) sentiments?

g-

no oversight, it is easily done. select the clip with the keyframes you want to copy, then hit command c, then select the clip you want to transfer the keyframes to etc, then "paste attributes", voila! you've done it!

good luck!

Kevin

just noticed this was answered below by someone else. read the responces, its amazing the help you can get!

good luck1

kevin

Sorry Kev. Didn't get it.

I have a clip with a Sepia filter.

On frame 10 the tint goes from 0 to 10 then back down over 5 frames.

I want to COPY these keyframes and paste them on frame 20 to REPEAT this same keframe effect.

NO WAY.

Pasting attributes pastes the filter but not the keyframes. And I don't want to ADD another filter, just want to ADD the keyframes to the same filter later in the clip.

This CAN'T BE DONE.

Open to work-arounds.

g-

Razor blade the clip into several clips at the correct repeat points - then paste attributes.

Will that work for you?

No good.

Here's the problem. Attributes do get pasted. But not the keyframes defining the animation of those attributes. What no one seems to understand is that Attributes can be pasted. But what we're trying to copy and paste are Keyframes.

Example.

I have a Sepia effect. (the attribute) I animate the tint over 10 frames. (those are the Keyframes) If I blade that. Copy and repeat, I can see on the timeline within the attribute the correct looking keyframes.

Then try to copy all the bladed parts and paste with the intent of just ADDING the keyframes. However, it will only paste the attributes (the Sepia effect) of the first clip. And it will NOT include the KEYFRAMES within the attribute. And it certainly won't take the keyframes from multiple clips.

In After Effects it's as easy as selecting the Keyframes, copying, moving the play head and pasting.

But no can do in FCP.

Well you've hit a bug I'm afraid. Under 4.1, paste attributes would copy keyframes with the filter. Kinda sucks that it is broken.

[www.lafcpug.org]

What I can't do is Copy and Paste Keyframes.

THIS SUCKS BEYOND ALL OTHERS.

Try to SHIFT a set of key frames onw second later. Can't do it.

Try to NUDGE TWO KEYFRAMES forward or backward 5 frames or whatever. Can't be done.

If this program boasts of having ANY animation capabilities and you can't select, move, or copy and paste keyframes, then I might as well try and animate with a hairdryer.

So frustrating.

g-

Well you CAN move a set of keyframes around within a clip. It's not obvious at all but it can be done. (I'm not at a workstation right now so let me try this from memory. Bare with me).

First, all the magic is done from the timeline. So turn on the "effects bar" that appears below the clip in the timeline. Then, using the contextual menu, show or hide the keyframes you are interested in. They will appear on the bar. Now you can shift the whole bar around if you click and drag in between the keyframes (I don't recall if you need to hold down a modifier key or not; maybe shift?).

Not perfect, but it's something.

For the paste attributes bug, the recommendation is to make a favorite effect and use that.

I tried what you said and once again I think we're having an issue with semantics.

There doesn't seem to be ANY way to select a key frame. (Other than clicking on and dragging)

Therefore, there doesn't seem to be any way to make multiple selections of key frames.

Even your idea of moving more than one key frame in the timeline is off base in theory.

I can select the top of the opacity bar and drag down which will bring down both Keyframes but that's up and down for volume. You can't move or shift them forward or backward on the timeline.

You figure this one out, I'm buying the beers. I've tried EVERYTHING. It just can't be done in this program.

g-

No one is saying you can get the kind of control you are looking for. You can not select more then once keyframe in the way you are expecting. I am saying there is a *crude* way to shift more then one keyframe at a time within a clip.

I'll be home tomorrow and can work out the exact procedure once I'm back in front of the software. Be nice and I'll share.

I'm pretty sure this is a bug - there was a lot of talk about it in the bug forum a while ago.

You might be forced to resort to the old fashioned method of writing down your numerical values, and navigating through the keyframe window of the filter by timecode, manually typing in the correct values at the correct times.

Not at all fun, but accurate and very low on mental resources.

The BUG they speak of has a workaround.

You can drag an effect into your favorites and by drag and dropping you can add the effect (attrbutes) WITH it's keyframes.

I just want to REPEAT a keyframe move on the SAME timeline within an effect. Just to be clear as to what I'm trying to accomplish.

I've been thinking so outside the box, I've even tried copying keyframes from other programs to see if they could be pasted onto my timeline.

Any other whacky ideas out there?

g-

(Sorry for the direct email responses...)

OK here we go...

Basically you need to turn on the "Filters Bar" or "Motion Bar" in the timeline. Then, using the pointer tool you can shift all the keyframes that are shown on that bar. Just move you pointer to the bar and click and drag. Make sure you click on a space where there is no keyframe, or of course you'll only move that one keyframe.

Now, when you right-click on the bar, you can toggle which kinds of keyframes are displayed. Only the keyframes that you have displayed will be shifted. And no, this doesn't let you copy and paste keyframes like you want. And yes, all the keyframes of that kind are shifted.

If you really want to talk about wacky ideas, I'd start looking at Final Cut Pro's XML format. All the keyframe data is written there in plain text. Strictly speaking you should be able to use any text editor to copy and paste keyframes wherever you like. It's just a matter of exporting the section you want, tinkering directly with the data, and then reimporting it.

What a workaround. Yes you can move a set of keyframes in the timeline.

And UBELIEVABLY I was able to figure out a way to (essentially) COPY and PASTE them on the timeline.

I can COPY a set of KEYFRAMES (for a filter effect) and move them and place them on the same track later or earlier in timeline to repeat the keyframe effect!!!

Thanks Dude! A little unorthadox, but it worked!!!!

Geno

Glad to help.

So walk us through this. How are you able to copy the keyframes within the same effect?

DESIRED EFFECT -

1) I want to PULSATE an animation using multiple filters. SEPIA, G. BLUR, B. CONTRAST.

2) I create several KEYFRAMES (animating tint, blur amount, contrast amount, etc.) on all 3 filters over 7 frames. AWESOME! This is the effect I want. But now I want to repeat this effect every 30 frames so my pulsating, glowing, contrasting animation is happening appx. every second on the same clip.

3) At the bottom of the TIMELINE WINDOW, the second icon in from the left is the "TOGGLE CLIP KEYFRAMES" which activated shows the both the Filter Keyframes (upper line) and the Motion Keyframes (Lower Line) in the timeline directly underneath the clip.

4) You'll note that using the Pointer Tool, you and click and drag on that line to shift the keyframes in one direction or the other. (Thank you Mike R., this is the basis for how this works) You also have the ability using the Context Sensitive Menus (R-click PC/Control-click Mac) to choose WHICH keyframes you wish to move. Or you can select ALL from ALL FILTER EFECTS.

5) Let's suppose your Keyframes are on frames 5-12 in the first second of the clip. But the clip itself is 10 seconds long. Take your BLADE TOOL and blade the clip at 30 frames. Now move your Pointer Tool to the right of the blade and click and drag to the right on the FILTER KEYFRAMES LINE. You will pull the keyframes from frames 5-12 into this section and you can let them go wherever you want.

6) Because you've only bladed the clip, and pulled the keyframes into this next section, you essentially COPIED and PASTED the keyframes. Now you can repeat blading and dragging till you've established these new Keyframes wherever you like on the clip.

7) I was hoping I would be able to TRIM THROUGH EDIT to eliminate the blade cuts, but unfortunately it eliminates the Keyframes as well. I suppose if you're picky about all the blade cuts, you can create a nested layer and replace. I haven't tried this, but what I needed to accomplish has been accomplished.

Thanks, Mike, for the tips. Hope this helps anyone else who struggled for a solution to this VERY CRUCIAL aspect of FCP that has been seemingly overlooked by the design team. Maybe in the next rev? We can only hope.

Cheers,

Geno Andrews

Good workaround Geno - I just tried it and it works here. Its not ideal by a long shot though - I'm sure it didn't used to be this way!

Well no. Seems to me if the bug was fixed we won't have to do this.

I'm going to start another thread on this topic but this time using XML to solve Geno's problem. It'll be cool.

Thanks again Mike for getting me on the right foot for this.

I was able to animate a 3 minute piece like this in less than 2 minutes. Any other way would have taken 30!

Keep me posted on any new develoopments for copying and pasting keyframes.

g-

PS I could have sworn I was able to copy and paste keyframes in Version 1.5 but I tried it and of course it didn't do it there either.

Jude,

As far as I can tell, there has never been a way to copy and paste keyframes in FCP. Even back to version 1.5

Everyone talks about PASTING ATTRIBUTES. But that just pastes the effect. Then they say that you can paste the keyframes AND the effect. But that doesnt help either. It just means that you've doubled the density of the effect.

Just clarifying.

g-=

This isn't right. If you copy a clip that has a filter applied and the filter is keyframed, when you paste attributes the filter will be copied with its keyframes, and you'll have the option to scale attributes to time or not.

I take it back. It's supposed to work this way, but it seems to have been broken. The whole paste attributes has gotten a bit hosed in 4.5.

Your point is a little out of left field for me. Which part of this string are you referring to?

Our goal essentially is to Copy and Paste (or Duplicate is more to the point) Keyframes (of a filter or multiple filters) on the same clip to achieve a kind of "step repeat" action of the animated effect.

If you have a better way of achieving this, let me know. If not, then can you specify what isn't right?

g-

You type faster than I do.

I tried this for the Motion keyframes and it doesnt seem to work. Any solutions?

Geno-solid detective work. I'm impressed.

Jeff,

This string was awile ago. I'll give it a test and if I come up with anything I'll let you know.

g-



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