TimeCode Generator Question

Hi Everyone..thank you so much in advance for your help. I have a problem that came up. A few months ago, I took my 1.5 hour film, nested everything into one sequence, and then applied a timecode generator and everything worked well and perfect.

Now, I went to do that again and when I applied the timecode generator...it does this weird thing where the timecode lags/jumps off the screen whenever there is black in between 2 shots. I dont use slugs to fill in gaps but I just dont remember it being a problem before and I cant remember how I did it in the past.

Please, if anyone knows how to add the generator to the nested clip and to make sure that it doesn't go off screen during black cuts...please let me know. hanks so much!!!

Don't nest. Export a self contained QT file, reimport, then add the TC generator. Nesting is so messy. And yes, if there is no footage in a spot, then the TC Generator doesn't have anything to apply it to...so it goes black.

Thus export and reimport.


www.shanerosseditor.com

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Are you just trying to create a TC burn? You can do that with Compressor. I seem to remember having troubles with 24p timecode, though, so you might have to fiddle.

But in terms of sheer simplicity, Shane's got it: Just bring in your Quicktime and TCG that.

Here's what I've been doing to add a burn in. I apply a blank FCP text to top layer. The add the TC generator to the text. As long as the text is long enough to cover the whole sequence and as long as you edit the very first frame of the text to the front of your sequence, it should match.

I've been doing this for a few years now and I find it a lot easier than nesting. This is more of an avid style of adding burn in.

But using compressor to add burn in is also not a bad idea as long as you have an 8 core and multiple instances setup.

CHL

Chi-Ho Lee
Film & Television Editor
Apple Certified Final Cut Pro Instructor

there's a TC Generator generator on my free FCP plugs page that you can try ... essentially the same as Chi-Ho Lee's method but wrapped up in a relatively simple plugin.

Quote

http://web.me.com/andymees/Free_and_Easy/main/Entries/2005/9/5_Andy?s_Timecode_Generator.html

Andy, the link doesn't appear to work.

sorry Dave, the apostrophe in the link throws every html parser known to man into a headspin apparently ... try cut and pasting the link above now

Export a reference QT movie from FCP, then run this program to create a timecode track based off your QT movie, then save a reference movie from QTsync and encode that into whatever you want.

QT sync does timecodes instantly.

[www.qtsync.com]



www.strypesinpost.com

I like Chi-Ho's method, but really, this is a Feature Request-- t'ain't nobody's bizniss what goes into the nest. If I want gaps, and I need a burn-in applied to the container, the gaps should be observed as part of the program. Period.

All part of growing up nests.

My first Nest FR dealt with having the Playhead appear at the same point inside and outside the nest when stepping in and out.
Someone else should add this one.

- Loren
Today's FCP keytip:

Fit Timeline Selection to Window with Shift-Option-Z !

Final Cut Studio 2 KeyGuide? Power Pack.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Just out of curiosity, in what circumstances does a person need to nest timelines? I've never used the feature.

Jeff Harrell Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just out of curiosity, in what circumstances does
> a person need to nest timelines? I've never used
> the feature.

Nesting can be very helpful to apply a filter to an entire timeline- say a widescreen matte. I've used it like that. In this situation, I did it right before delivery, after everything was locked.

Granted, I once did get a weird glitch with audio for 1 and only 1 clip jumping a couple seconds... which made it on to the DVD for duplication... (DOH!). But this is easier than applying the same filter to every clip.

I say there is never a time to do it. Want to apply a filter to the whole thing? Export a self contained QT file and then reimport. Nests are messy...if you make changes to the original sequence it MIGHT reflect it in the nest, or not. Filters tend to render slower as the filter you apply applied to all the clips underneath, and if some are unrendered and are ones that require long render times, then you are stuck.

Nests do not show up on EDLs and do not media manage footage properly. Just like Collapse in Avid, they are something that needs to be undone when you online or media manage.

IMHO, nesting sucks and is useless.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
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> I say there is never a time to do it.

I dislike nests in general as well, but here's one scenario where I always do it: I sometimes adapt a general-market spot for Asian markets, four different languages, all with their own graphics elements and added audio. We receive the audio tracks separate, but given that we have to be able to turn different language voice-overs on and off at will, I nest the original audio tracks minus the English voice-over, and then lay the other languages on top.

A re-export isn't as good in this case, because I may still need to make minute adjustments to the master track.

What Shane and Jeff Harrell are getting at is probably the issue that some editors edit a scene in a separate Sequence, nest it into an assembly sequence, then start editing that nest by razoring it, duplicating it, shortening it. Big, big no-no -- bloodbaths always ensue.


www.derekmok.com

>Just out of curiosity, in what circumstances does a person need to nest timelines?

Certain effects/filters require it. Eg. When a composite mode is applied on two clips, eg. screen, and you want to cross dissolve that to the next shot, sometimes edges appear and nesting solves that.

This is a good case, though. That nesting throws the timecode generator off. Usually I add slugs where there's a visual black. This allows you to use the find gaps function in FCP.

>I nest the original audio tracks minus the English voice-over, and then lay the other languages
>on top.

Interesting. I usually export an aiff of music and effects, and a separate one for dialogue whenever I'm going to tape.



www.strypesinpost.com

>Just out of curiosity, in what circumstances does a person need to nest timelines?

i have done it on my long form docs, when im applying a global de-interlace.
i want all the motion effects to be de-interlaced, too, not just the shots.


for TC, and widescreen mask, i use the overlay approach.
here's a tip for that:

load your overlay (blank text, slug, whatever) into the viewer
remove in/outs from your timeline (option x)
hold OPTION and drag the duration from the canvas into the duration field in the viewer.
the overlay is now exactly the same duration as your timeline.
cool.


nick