Ideas for added functionality from an After Effects fanboy

I know...I am an After Effects fanboy...but if FCP is going to claim that they have compositing features, there should be some functionality added to make things easier & more productive like:

* This may have been mentioned (by ME probably), but in the Browser, have a column that shows when a clip has been used in a sequence and how many times (like After Effects).

* After Effects CS4 just implemented an internal "Quicksearch" function that users like myself have been requesting for years. It ls capable of finding elements & effects on individual layers no matter how deeply they are buried in nested sequences (precomps). I would also like to see this implemented in FCP.

* Ability to play thumbnails in the browser (in Thumbnail view) using JKL keys

When life gives you dilemmas...make dilemmanade.

Following on from searching for effects, I'd suggest:

Search and replace for FCP elements:

- Search for each 'Color Corrector 3-way' with settings named 'Alex' First Idea' and replace with settings named 'Alex Having Wised Up'

- Search for each use of 'Gill Sans Light' in a parameter and replace with 'Twentieth Century'

- Search for each use of 'Slap' audio clip - display them one after the other, so I can choose to replace with 'Punch' audio clip

- Search for each 'Variable Speed time parameter Easy Ease from 100% speed down to 0% in 18 frames' and replace with 'Variable Speed time parameter Easy Ease from 100% speed down to 0% in 7 frames'

- Search in the sequence for each video clip with Master Comment 1 starting with 'Cafe' followed in the sequence within 1 second and 15 frames with a clip whose name includes 'Martin' and apply 'Color Corrector 3-Way' with settings named 'Day for Night'


This will pave the day for when each of these variables will be a node in a network that can be edited directly:

- You'll be able to modify node named 'Secondary Typeface' connected to various effects settings nodes so that it's value changes from 'Gill Sans Light' to 'Twentieth Century'

- You'll be able to define a node as a series of keyframe values you'd like to apply in various places: The value of 'Pause for thought' keyframe series to be [Current Frame: 100%, Current Frame + 18: 0%, Easy Ease 16%]

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Alexandre Gollner,
Editor, Zone 2-North West, London

alex4d on twitter, facebook, .wordpress.com + .com

Adjustment layers, like in AE/Photoshop... So you don't have to pre-comp (erm... nest). And you can apply universal effects more easily (shift fields, broadcast safe, etc...), or transitions across shots with multiple layers.



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