Need HELP: change settings on multiple clips at once?

I have made a 20 minute piece full of subtitles, using the Boris effect Title 3D according to the client's specifications-- EXCEPT that somehow, in the controls setting of the Boris video generator, I have made all the drop shadows 70% opaque. I want to change this setting on ALL the clips to 100%.

Seems simple I know, but I've tried everything, asked friends, and searched the net for two days. So how can I change this setting on all the subtitle tracks simultaneously, without having to go back into the controls for Every Single Clip and manually change the shadow opacity...

I have tried nesting and it doesn't seem to work... FCP 5.1.2, macbook pro, 2 gig ram, lacie external 600 GB raid 0 drive.

-benji

Traffic : [www.xmedit.com]

Or I'm pretty sure you have to do it manually. In a 20 minute show, how many have you got?

If you're using Boris Title 3D, I think you're out of luck. I don't think there's any way to change those parameters without going into each card, selecting all the text and doing it by hand.

Maybe you could try cheating by duping the subtitle cards, making them black using some kind of image-control filter (eg. Color Corrector, Brightness and Contrast), then putting that underneath your pre-existing subtitles to increase the blackness of the pre-existing shadows.


www.derekmok.com

Really? I couldn't believe there was no way to do this... Is it because I used a Boris effect? If it were just a filter, I could apply it to multiple clips simultaneously... It seems like you should be able to do this.

I thought about some sort of mask, but it would be clunky, and part of the reason I was told to use the the Boris controls was because that text would be cleaner than other effects- so another masked effect would kind of defeat that idea...

> Is it because I used a Boris effect?

Yes and no. If you had used Title 3D, but used the (more limited) Drop Shadow option in the Motion tab, then you would've been able to apply the new drop-shadow setting to all the clips with two or three operations.


www.derekmok.com

well there's nothing stopping you from adding MORE drop shadow via the motion tab.
(or is there??? works for me in a quick test)
once you get something that works for you,
copy that generator clip, select all the others, and OPTION V to paste attributes: drop shadow
(or control or right click and chose Paste Attributes from the contextual menu)


cheers,
nick

That's pretty clever, the paste attributes does work, although i was hoping to avoid using the motions tab since the client said specifically that the boris effect was "better quality" and wouldn't cause any noticeabel artifacts. I tested out the "fake adding" of shadow using the motion drop shadow ontop of a 70% opaque boris shadow-- and magnifying the image to 400% in the viewer--- I cannot tell the difference. i'm guessing it's one of two issues: (1) that it is the text that is "better quality" in boris, and the drop shadow is the same as in motion, or (2) that what the client meant was perhaps the motion effect tends to degrade quicker in some compression or later compositing rounds?

i don't know, but since i can't see a difference, i'm going with the quick fix. worst case, i can't remove attributes by batch and then go back and manually change all the boris controls that will still be there at 70%. THANK YOU for the suggestions, it was a BIG help.