Fit to fill bug?

I'm wondering if I'm doing something odd, or if this is some kind of bug.
I have a 17" MBP 2.4 Ghz Core 2 Duo, everything completely updated (FCS and Leopard).

I set in and out points on a clip in the viewer, set in and out points in the timeline. I drag the clip over to the canvas, and drop it on "Fit to Fill". Here's what happens- The clip, properly fitted to fill, is overlaid properly between the in and out. Perfect. That's what should happen. But it is also doing an insert edit starting at the out point in the timeline of the same clip from the viewer (same in and out). I can simply hit undo, and the second clip goes away.
This doesn't always happen, but happens quite a bit. Can anyone replicate this?
Thanks!
James

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www.JamesNWeber.com - Socially Aware Media

and introducing-
www.FCPTutorials.com - One source for all Final Cut Tutorials

Update- it's also happening occasionally on overwrite edits- so not just fit to fill. Could be happening on others as well.

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www.JamesNWeber.com - Socially Aware Media

and introducing-
www.FCPTutorials.com - One source for all Final Cut Tutorials

I've seen this happen sometimes, but it's non replicable. Here, dual G5, FCP 6.03, colorful FCP editing keyboard (i've gotten used to this after a 3 month editing stint a few years ago)



www.strypesinpost.com

Sure it's not just a display glitch? Does the second clip go away if you just zoom in and out?

Otherwise, a preference corruption is the only explanation I can think of. If the second clip is a real clip and not a "phantom clip", then I suppose your computer is doing two operations when it should be doing one.

Does this happen if you use F9 and F10? Perhaps FCP is somehow allowing you to drop a clip in between the Canvas edit options?


www.derekmok.com

Just tried zooming in and out- no changes. So it's not a phantom clip.

James, are you saying that the operation is essentially happening twice - once the way you intended, then immediately repeating itself? I've had this happen doing overwrite edits on FCP 3 on a Powerbook, but not at all with FCP 5.1.4 and a Mac Pro. It was random and unrepeatable (but very annoying), and always reminded me of keybounce, where a key executes twice when you only pressed it once. Come to think of it, it may have also happened by dragging the clip to a Canvas button, but I hardly ever do it that way any more, I use the F keys.

It always made me think it was a very low level problem, with the keyboard or the OS, but it didn't ever happen with anything but FCP.

I'm curious how many others have ever seen this. Unfortunately, I have no solution.

Scott

Scott brings up a good point. However, in this case it wouldn't be the key sticking -- because James is getting one proper Fit to Fill operation, then an extra unintended Insert. Shortcut keys wouldn't do that. So if we got sticky keys, I think it's the mouse -- maybe you have your double-click speed set too low, or the mouse button is sticking, so when you release the button, one release is registered in Fit to Fill but the other is registered to Insert/Overwrite (because we tend to move our mouse off once the drop is complete)?

Worth exploring. At least try the F9 and F10 keys. If those definitively don't cause the problem, then you can at least know that it's likely a mouse issue. Have you tried swapping out mice? A new mouse? Are you using an Apple mouse? Try getting a bare-bones Apple mouse (not Mighty Mouse) and see if the problem's still there.


www.derekmok.com

It might be interesting to know if that second inserted clip is identical to the intended one - is it formatted as fit-to-fill also, i.e., same length, same speed adjustment? My sense of it is that it was doing the same thing twice, "like" a key bounce, but not necessarily even using keys. So that might answer whether it is performing the same operation twice when you only wanted it once, or in fact is a matter of accidentally performing another operation separately.

Scott

I'm actually (I know I know) using a trackpad. Not sure if it happens with a mouse.
I've been paying attention, and it hasn't happened today with the F keys, but since it's sporadic, it could still happen.

The second inserted clip is NOT identical. In the case of fit to fill, the first has a speed change. The second is always an insert edit, at least in my experience.

I don't quite buy the double click theory- When you release the mouse over the fit to fill button in the canvas, the drop zones all disappear. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there should only be one release action. I wouldn't need to double click the clip to take it to the canvas.

Also, the Insert edit drop zone is 3 above the fit to fill. I would have to be pretty consistently jerking the mouse a significant and exact distance.
Thanks all for your help, everybody!

OK, it's not an exact copy (including speed effects) of the original clip, but it is the same clip, right? And does it respect the same In/out points of the original clip? I don't know what this tells us, but I have my doubts about the sticky mouse theory also. It's also interesting that FCP sees it as two distinct actions as well, since it lets you undo the second instance. Same thing when it happened to me.

I guess you remain the guinea pig for seeing how this develops over time and what patterns emerge, unless someone else chimes in with similar experiences.

Scott

Sweet! Just give me a maze to run through, and I'll be a very happy guinea pig!

It is the same clip, indeed. Same in/out, same source clip.
And it hasn't happened in several hours. Gotta love it :-)

Maybe it's one of those things that won't ever happen again if you talk about it

Scott- your idea that it wouldn't happen again if I talked about it proved to be false...

Correction- it is not the same in and out points, necessarily.

I hadn't set any in or out points in the viewer, but had set both in the timeline. I did an overwrite edit by dragging to the overlay in the canvas, and it did the correct 3 point edit, and then inserted the entire clip right after it. So the second inserted clip uses the in and out points from the viewer, which aren't necessarily the same as what gets edited in correctly as the first clip.

Not sure if that helps- I'm kind of using this post to document how it happens.

I have no idea if that helps! But it's good information and documenting the details of occurrence is the only prayer we have of figuring it out. But I wonder if you and I are going to be the only ones who care....

Scott