Hi, all --

Here's something I've been wondering about, but haven't come up with a solution that works.

On the Avid NLE [there, I said it :], a great tool is to be able to add an Effect to part of an empty track (i.e., "filler". Since there's no footage there per se, it affects the footage on the tracks below it instead. This is an extremely useful technique, as it allows for treating multiple clips in a entire section of the timeline en masse (and without having to nest all or part of a sequence, and the issues that can entail).

I've tried doing this on a higher track using Slug, but this doesn't work of course, since the Slug is opaque, not transparent (the way Filler is).

Does anyone have a method for employing a similar technique in FCP? (Or am I just going about this the wrong way?)

Many thanks!
Ron D.

This functionality is not available in FCP. Nor does it render layers. Everything is always rendered top down from the original source files.

Thanks, Tom, for the prompt and helpful reply.

In lieu of that, any ideas on workarounds (again, aside from the standard nesting) ...?

Ron D.

Now that I know of I'm afraid. Nesting you're only option, though that can be more of a hinderance than a help in cases like this.

Precisely.

But long as we're at it, anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Well it is a long way around, but you could create a reference movie of your timeline, then reimport that. Put it on the layer above your current stack. Now you can put your FX on that. It will act sort of like Avid filler. If you need to make a change to an underlying clip, disable the visability of just that reference movie. Then after the change re-export the movie. If you use the same name and location the new movie should replace the old on the upper layer. Then re-enable the clip and re-render.

-Vance

Hi, Vance!

Well, that is a long way around, but an interesting workaround, since it keeps everything in the same timeline. Will have to experiment with that.

Too bad FCP doesn't do "filler" the same way, as this is a massively useful technique.

OK, meanwhile, any other takers?

You could use the auto select buttons to choose which lines get effects applied, or just select all the clips you want the effect applied to at once and apply.

Personally I would use nesting, but some people don't like it. Not sure why, really.

Thanks, Jude, for the post. Not the approach I was hoping for, but will try it out & see if maybe I missed something.

Any other thoughts, anyone?