Photoshop in FCP6

I am using FCP6 on a G5 with OSX 10.4.11.

I searched the forum and didn't find an answer for my question.

FCP6 seems to be handling Photoshop files (made with new or older versions of PS) differently from FCP5 and earlier.

I am cutting TV commercials, which use product pictures and logos made in Photoshop.

I want to put a PSD on my main timeline, double-click it to get it into the Viewer window, and then add+tweak filters like Gaussian Blur, or add time based motion/size changes.

Instead, when I click the PSD item in the timeline, FCP brings forward a timeline that represents the PSD file, and only from there can I click the item, open it in the Viewer, and make adjustments.

This seems awkward. This workflow still works for Motion and LiveType files (which I don't need so much, because I can filter those puppies to my heart's content within their native programs).

I ended up putting PSD images into Motion to tweak them.

Question -- is there a workaround or some other way to use PSD images in FCP6?

> Instead, when I click the PSD item in the timeline, FCP brings forward a timeline that represents
> the PSD file

That's how layered PSD files are supposed to behave in FCP. To open a multi-layered PSD into the Viewer, drag and drop it into the Viewer window, or single-click and then press Return.

If you're not intending to do different things to different PSD layers in FCP, then you should probably save a single-layer TIFF of the PSD file before importing it.


www.derekmok.com

derekmok Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> That's how layered PSD files are supposed to
> behave in FCP. To open a multi-layered PSD into
> the Viewer, drag and drop it into the Viewer
> window, or single-click and then press Return.

I love your ability to keep your answers short.

Generally I want to work on only one layer in the Viewer - and this may be mid-edit, not at the time of importing the image.

When I do as you say above, I also get that Timeline for the PSD file -- and when I want to apply a filter or move/size the image in the Viewer, I first have to click the layer in the PSD file's timeline (not my main editing timeline) and add the effects by dragging there.

If I'm on my main timeline, and I click the PSD layer to edit a filter, I see no filters in the viewer -- but must, instead, click on the separate PSD timeline to see those filters. PSD layers USED to behave a bit more like clips.

In earlier versions of FCP, you used to be able to work on a separate layer in the timeline as if it was a clip, once the layer was dragged to your main editing timeline. Seriously, I swear. I'm not crazy - ok, I could still be crazy, but I think I'm correct.javascript:editor_tools_handle_smiley()
>
> If you're not intending to do different things to
> different PSD layers in FCP, then you should
> probably save a single-layer TIFF of the PSD file
> before importing it.

I need to manipulate multi-layered PSD files, such as company logos with separate, moving pieces. I'd hate to have to make a new TIFF or PNG for each layer of an intricate PSD file. One more conversion step to accommodate FCP's new way of "working." ;-0

My current workaround is to animate in Motion, despite its sometimes clumsy back and forth.

I was just wondering if there was a slick way to handle this easily in FCP.

It's just kind of a pain, when it used to work differently/better.

Try OPTION DOUBLE CLICKING the PSD in the timeline?

That will force the layered file to open in the viewer as a single piece instead of opening the PSD timeline separately. You can FILTER to your hearts content. I didn't have time to read the whole post. So forgive me for my shortness.

Photoshop is my thing. I'm still dealing with my own FCP issues.

If this isn't what you're looking for, forgive my butting in.

Geno

Aha.

I tried it just now - Option-double-click does do what I wanted to do.

I think this must be different in FCP6...?

Thanks, Geno!

PSDs behave exactly the same in 6 as they did in previous versions here on my rig. Select the psd in the timeline and hit return, like Derek suggested, works fine to load into the viewer. Double click will open a timeline, unless the psd was made on a PC, or was not in 8 bit.

Never tried hitting RETURN when a layered PSD was dragged into the timeline. It's always been OPTION DOUBLE CLICK to open in viewer where as DOUBLE CLICKING always opened the LAYERED FILE for animating in its own timeline.

Quick question I have on this subject is how to make the PSD file LONGER. I can open it in it's own viewing timeline and then PULL the tail but it still opens to only about a minute or so. How can I tell FCP to make the PHOTOSHOP DOC as long as my timeline? Like the FILL TO TOTAL TIMELINE command?

For now it's copy paste copy paste copy paste - and if you want to change the opacity later you have to select each section and do it to each piece one at a time. Gotta be a better way.

g-

> I can open it in it's own viewing timeline and then PULL the tail but it still opens to only about a
> minute or so

Double-click to open the layered PSD in timeline format. Use the Edit Selection tool (G) to highlight all the end points of all the layers, then key in a number to extend them (eg. 30000 to extend them by three minutes). Now you'll be able to make the PSD file longer by that amount.

> and if you want to change the opacity later you have to select each section and do it to each
> piece one at a time.

Nope. Change the opacity of one. Select that and press APPLE-C (Copy). Now select the rest and press OPTION-V (Paste Attributes), choose Opacity.

Thing is, though, I'd find it awfully rare that you'd need a layered PSD file to cover the entire timeline. Are you sure you need all the individual layers available for the entire duration?


www.derekmok.com

Quote
Derek
? then you should probably save a single-layer TIFF of the PSD file before importing it.

Not really true - that's often a bad way, as you may need two copies of the file and updating would need some additional work/steps.

So here how to save PS files for FCP:
If you want to animate PS layers in FCP save as multi-layer PSD.
If you want to use as graphics save the file as multi-layer TIFF. This will keep the same internal info as the multi-layer PSD file but will show up as a flattend graphic file ind FCP. But "click, opt-return" will allow to edit the file in PSD again with all the original layer features including editable text.

I have no idea why only a few people know about this feature (it's there since PS 5 or 6) - maybe Jude or Michael or somebody else can put it to the FAQs under "How to work with PhotoShop files."

Regards
Andreas


P.S.
I have just put the screen capture I did last year (to answer a question) on how layered TIFFs do work on my website again: "LayeredTiff.mov" ~2 mb

Andreas, is the only reason to save files as multi-layered tiffs so that in FCP they appear as a flattened gfx? I think that's brilliant actually.

Andy

Andy,

Yes it is.
I use it quite often for subtitles as you can script PS to generate tons of high quality subtitles and than use XML to insert them into the timeline.
That does have quit a lot of advantages.

Andreas