FCPX Feature Wish List

Ok so we know there is a lot of functionality that is missing from FCPX but what are your wishes?

Please try to keep your wishes as bullet-points and short; rather than long winded whinges. Also please do you best to check the feature doesn't exist before posting. Reading the manual is a good start.

Here's part one of my list (in no particular order):


? Multi-cam functionality.

? Separately Adjustable Video Thumbnail and Audio Track heights (grab via pointer).

? Open Project (Timeline/Storyline) as a clip and edit into another with all clips editable rather than cut and paste.

? Clips MUST remember the last In/Out points set. Favourite Clip is not quick enough.

? The ability to favourite I/O on Projects not just clips.

? Audio level keyframes MUST have splines.

? The ability to drag or add music and sound FX from the Music and Sound window directly to the Viewer instead of dragging it to the project storyline first!

? Step through and play and search audio as per Soundtrack Pro.

? FCPX MUST indicate Through-edits and be able to remove them (via backspace or option-click menu) for instance after using the blade tool.

? Retime Video Quality Selector needs to be on the contextual menu (option+click or right click) for retiming on the clip as well as the modify menu.

? Optical Flow MUST work on all media not just ProRes.

? Optical Flow and all FX options MUST be accessible from the Inspector.

? Fix using cmd-b to blade more than one clip at a time! EG: If one track already has an edit the others do not then cut!

? I/O keyboard marking of In/Out MUST work on highlighted/selected B-Roll clips not always default to the Primary Storyline.

? I/O keyboard marking of In/Out MUST be able to work over all tracks to be able to cut out multiple tracks as sections.

? There MUST be a key combination plus dragging for all storyline moves such as Overwrite to Primary Storyline could be "option+drag". Not just duplication of clips.

? Colour Correction and all values MUST be able to be entered on the number pad and keyboard.

? Colour Correction MUST have Keyframes!!!

? Realtime and Auto Recording option of ALL Keyframes on the timeline and/or clips.

? Keyframable Motion/Acceleration Graphs for all Animation in the Inspector (splines in the viewer is not controllable enough and I do not want to have to go to Motion for basic control of moves like Premiere).

? Snap to Keyframes on other tracks if Snap is on so you can line up keyframes with B-Roll and/or Primary Storyline AV or visa versa.

? The ability to set tracks on the storyline (if desired) with output routing (eg: Multiple Audio outs, DVD/Blu-ray Angles or even Multiple Video Monitors!)

? DVD and Blu-ray Chapter and Compression markers.

? Undo History Tool.

? Manual Reconnect and Force Replace/Reconnect of Media (without restarting FCPX!) so you don't HAVE to use proxies and can change a clip in another app and have it auto-update on your storyline.

? Support for Multi-layered PSDs in a compound clip form with Compositing Blend Modes - not simply flatten them.

? Keyboard Shortcut for "Increase and Decrease Clip Height" on the Storyline NOT just the Viewer!

? Customisable UI - at least to the point of being able to drag the windows such as the inspector to the left side and the timeline/project to underneath the second monitor display.

? SELECTED paste for effects and keyframes.

? "Reset All" and "Selected Reset" of Effects on multiple clips via a pop-up similar to Remove attributes.



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Please feel free to point out any work-arounds or functions I missed and included here - I have only spent a short while reading the manual and I know there are some ridiculously convoluted ways of achieving some of the above.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A FRAKIN SCROLLING TIMELINE WHEN EVERY OTHER FRAKIN APPLICATION ON THE PLANET CAN DO IT!!!!!

All the best,

Tom

Lovin the BSG references Mr Wolsky...



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Not got anything much I can contribute yet as I've barely touched the app ... but I did note that the Speed/Retiming control seemed rather horribly limited as it only wanted to allow me to choose from a limited set of preset speeds (or to manually click and drag a retiming handle to manipulate speed directly in the timeline). It may be that I just didn't spot the correct way to do it but I'd certainly think I should be able to just directly enter a speed from the keyboard and have the clip adjust accordingly. Similarly, we only just got comprehensive speed controls in FCP7 ... are similar controls (toggling ripple) not available in FCP X?

I always post to feedback this was posted to them before I posted here.

[www.apple.com]

NOTE: Currently on the Feedback page Apple don't have FCPX as an option in the drop-downs or indeed the latest Mac OS 10.6.8 so be sure to fill the feedback to these in the text boxes.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Integrated GPS feature that can map camera directions to indicate possible points of convergence to sync up multiclips. Many iPhone/iPad location devices use such technology (compass).

And of course, the usual:

- robust media management and trimming functions (for offline/online workflows)
- good built in collaboration formats such as Omf/aaf import and export, EDL and XML import and export, batch list import and export, marker list import and export
- wider native support for formats such as h.264 and mpeg 2 variants without need for transcoding
- a script sync type of utility
- fully customizable window layouts (gasp)
- better tools for collaborative editing
- scriptable
- support for tape formats
- native export (same as source)
- After Effects style of adjustment layers without having to nest or make compound clips
- able to select, move, copy or delete unused media
- ability to export poster frames as still images for reference
- point tracking tool and a better masking tool
- i may have missed this, but the ability to turn off auto close gap mode.
- toggle easily between multiple open sequences.
- Fracking relink tools!!!
- proper support for image sequences like the online machines.



www.strypesinpost.com

Ben,

As regards 'SELECTED paste for effects and keyframes' for now we have Command-Option-C to copy the selected effect (and geometry setting).

As Soundtrack Pro used to have a newer UI than FCP, I hoped we would get that kind of effects pasting control.

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

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

Yes I came across that one Alex but its more a "currently selected copy" rather than say a generic copy and "Selected paste" of single or multiple copied FX.

Adding another couple of wishes:

? Precise paste application of copied FX and Keyframes from playhead; or I/O; or Marked I/O.

? Cmd or shift select and move and copy and delete multiple keyframes like After Effects.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

? The ability to shift by pixels with a keystroke in transform mode in the canvas. (used to be option arrow keys in FCP 7)

? The ability to set tracks for audio. I know setting clips by type is coming, but I can see situations where that won't be a great idea. The station needs me to deliver voice on 1 & 2, M&E mixes are very specific about where things must appear. We need track settings.

? Export to tape. Nice to think that tape is dead, but try telling that to all the HD channels who want HDCAM SRs of your program, or the regional stations who want Betas.

? ProRes LT available as a transcode option.

? The ability to change the frame size on export. One of the great things about this product is that ability cut H.264 right away - and obviously that's the market this is being squarely targeted at, but the actual controls for export are really skinny. It would be better to be able to make all the adjustments for your web-based version right on export, rather than then having to go to good old MPEG Streamclip again. And I'm not talking about upload to YouTube. Not everyone needs it for that.

? The ability to change the duration of a transition by typing the number in the duration field. Possibly somewhere that I haven't discovered yet, but the ability to make a favourite once you've changed the parameters of a transition.

? Freeze frames. I had to export a frame, wait 30 seconds (!) for it to do its thing, then locate it and re-import it into the event. Could we not have this just appear in the event browser please?
EDIT: There is a function called 'hold' which does a freeze frame in a much less annoying fashion.

? Massive massive please please include the ability to zoom in (in time) on the featured event in the event browser in list view. It's crazy difficult to work on a long clip with any kind of precision.

? Some way of NOT automatically applying an audio fade every time you add a transition, so you don't need to go in after every transition and recut your dialogue.

? Correction to a previous request - you can change the duration of the transition by hitting control d and typing in the central timecode box. It's just the duration field in the info panel that doesn't work.

Judging from Michael Wohl's prezzo at the LAFCPUG meeting, Apple ain't going to take our feedback, they wouldn't take his so why would they take ours? *sigh*

Well *if* they do (big *if*) please could they make the Command Editor easier to understand. They inherited a whole icon set from FCP 7. Use them so we can tell at a *glance* what we've got mapped on those keys.

More wishes:

? Sync and out of sync indicators and timecode overlays

? Timecode overlays in the viewer for all clips in the storyline under the playhead/skimming head

? Dynamic Trimming and use of JKL+I/O for trimming



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

* Out of sync indicators and TC overlays (Ben got there first, this is for emphasis)

* Lock video track in precision edit mode when making audio overlaps.

* automatic handles on audio to save having to drag them out after doing primary assembly

* ability to copy/paste audio fades from beginnings and end of clips.

* better way to grab the fade button on ends of audio clips - too precise a move for my stylus, keeps choosing edge of track instead.

* Yep, audio tracks and an interface to my USB active faders panel.

* window arrange presets.

* a confidence monitor feed (meaning YUV not this pesky RGB which I don't always believe). I'll settle for drivers to my MXO2.

* Marker navigation commands (now on an obscure key). OK, I'll retrain my muscle memory on this one.

* Keypress shortcut into precision edit mode. (That doesn't require me to select an edit using the cursor first)

* themes I might actually want to use in a pro context


Phil Ashby | Bright Filament, Bath UK | wefcpug.blogspot.com

? Hire Alexis Van Hurkman to write the Documentation.

Precision Editor in Secondary Storyline.

Paste Overwrite command.

Cut plus Replace with Gap as one command.

Single keystroke to target a given Thumbnail timing in Filmstrip mode in Event Browser.

Keystroke to toggle between List and Filmstrip mode in Event Browser.

Automatic Range Selection when match framing (Shift F) in List mode like it does in Filmstrip mode in Event Browser.

Preference setting to default to create Secondary Storyline rather than Connected Clip when adding a clip above the Primary Storyline.

A "row select" tool so one doesn't have to lasso or Command select clips to create a Secondary Storyline.

Ability to change timecode display of the Timeline so it can start at something other than 00:00:00:00

Ability to display user selected metadata when using Control Y with the Skimmer.

Duplicate Frames indicator.

Two Up display during keyboard trimming rather than just using the mouse.

Two Up display timecode of both clips plus change in the Viewer.

Tracking of Masks in Color Effect.

Transition Start or End at edit point rather than just in the middle.

Background Noise Removal that matches the features in SoundTrack Pro (make noise print, Threshold, tone control)

Audio Pop and Click analyses and Fixing.

Title Tool that allows the addition of text boxes or rows with different fonts without having to layer Text effects or go into Motion to edit the effect.

This request is for when you are expanding and collapsing clips to work on AV separately eg: creating a slip edit J or L cut

? show audio that extends beyond the clips video boundaries on the by a greyed out extension and/or an icon/colour at either end to indicate that the audio extends beyond the clip range.



For instant answers to more than one hundred common FCP questions, check out the LAFCPUG FAQ Wiki here : [www.lafcpug.org]

Display Source Clip Timecodes in the Timeline.
It should be optionally displayed in the Viewer or using the Control Y command that currently works in the Event Browser.

I propose that the Viewer/Canvas be called the Viewvas.