My Top Ten Wish List for FCP in 2010

Ex Prod, Doolin Films
written by Michael Scully on December 30, 2009

Can we also have the Dynamic Guide yellow lines that exist in the Motion canvas to assure you of your centered object, in the viewer of Final Cut? I understand how to exactly place a thing with the entry fields in the motion tab, but a graphical cross hair while holding down would be great. Thanks to all Apple folks for a great program.

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written by Michael Scully on December 30, 2009

And, thank you, Peter.

watch folder
written by Scott Simmons on December 30, 2009

Ahh the watch folder, I would like this one too, in fact I dreamed of such a thing once:

http://www.scottsimmons.tv/blog/2007/05/10/software-from-the-future-watch-folder/

split tracks
written by Scott Simmons on December 30, 2009

As for Proper Split Track Output .. you can do that. In Sequence Settings add new outputs (stereo or mono) and then route them in the timeline patch bay via a right click over the padlocks or toggle light. Or do you mean something different than that? That's how I do it.

Split Track
written by Peter Wiggins on December 31, 2009

I will have to have another go at it, but I had trouble assigning a pair to more than one pair output. Anyway it is far too complicated for something that should be simple!

Peter

Chapter Markers
written by Paul on December 31, 2009

Can we get chapter markers to export in Batch mode?

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written by Scott Simmons on December 31, 2009

IT is way more complex and buried than it needs to be that's for sure but i've had decent success.

Tutorial
written by Peter Wiggins on December 31, 2009

Sound like good tutorial fodder to me smilies/grin.gif

Split tracks
written by Dan on December 31, 2009

Multi-channel outputs have been possible for a really long time. Open the settings for your sequence and choose the Audio Outputs tab. Under the drop-down for Outputs set the number you want. For a digi layoff choose 4. I usually set them to dual mono and set the down-mix at 0. Hit OK. Go back to your timeline and right click on each audio track and assign the output channel. Works flawlessly every time.

You can also save the audio output as a preset so that you don't have to do this over and over. You will only need to assign your tracks to an output channel for each new sequence.

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written by Tom Coster on December 31, 2009

PPM that would be pretty amazing, things I would perhaps add to the list:

I would really like to be able to scan though fonts instead of having to go though them 1 by 1.

A search function in the browser would be useful to find effects and clips quickly.

3D???
written by Mark Raudonis on January 02, 2010

I'd vote for the ability to handle "Stereoscopic" or 3D editing. I know there are some interesting workarounds and external methods for editing 3D (Cineform) , but there will come a time (soon) where working in 3D is the rule, not the exception. I'd like to see FCP handle this workflow as well as the competition.

Mark Raudonis

punchtime
written by Tony Vazques on January 04, 2010

My rank 1#: Punching someones moron face at Apple HQ

the fuck i'd pay for updating to a shitty and buggy FC7 Version!

Proper Split Track Output
written by Martin Baker on January 04, 2010

As you say, the problem remains that you can only assign a track to a single output which doesn't make it easy to do playouts that need different mixes. It would definitely be good to see this restriction lifted.

From memory, on TOTP I needed to playout inserts with full mix (inc vo) on 1&2 and M&E on 3&4 (no vo). The way I worked around it was by nesting the final sequence for playout that then allows you to duplicate the submix clip on another track.

So I'd have my final sequence 1 with something like this:
A1: sync: to A1/A2 stereo output
A2: sync: to A1/A2 stereo output
A3: fx: to A1/A2 stereo output
A4: fx: to A1/A2 stereo output
A5: music L: to A1/A2 stereo output
A6: music R: to A1/A2 stereo output
A7: music L: to A1/A2 stereo output
A8: music R: to A1/A2 stereo output
A9: vo: to A3/A4 stereo output

In this sequence 1, I'd dip the levels on the music clips as I edited but NOT dip levels for vo (doable because I had a monitoring mixer in the suite). Then I'd nest this entire sequence into a new one (sequence 2), which would be set up like this:

A1: M&E L: to A1/A2 stereo output
A2: M&E R: to A1/A2 stereo output
A3: vo: to A1/A2 stereo output
A4: vo: to A1/A2 stereo output
A5: M&E L: to A3/A4 stereo output
A6: M&E R: to A3/A4 stereo output

the clip on A5/A6 tracks was the A1/A2 clip duplicated. Then on the A1/A2 tracks I'd go through and dip the M&E for the vo. This left the A5/A6 clip at full level.

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written by Philip Hodgetts on January 12, 2010

At least half of those feature requests can only be implemented in Cocoa code. Most of FCP is still Carbon code and can't implement, for example, QuickLook, without jumping through coding hoops (leading to less stability.)

Philip

better slomo
written by Ricardo Guerreiro on January 12, 2010

Hi, I'm happy to have found your site as you seem to have your own ideas (many people with whom I debate are such Apple fans that they cannot step back for a minute and admit there are completly silly things that are easy to solve and Apple does nothing about it). So regarding slomo in FCP, I also would like it to have a better control and specially when dealing with over-cranked footage, to be able to load (for example) a 50fps shot to a 25fps timeline and "see" all the original frames at half the speed. Motion is able to do this so why would not the editing app of the suite? I have had this discussion in Creative Cow but folks there seem to think it is acceptable to workaround it by launching other apps (Motion or Cinema Tools). I mean, I don't write code but would this be a great deal to incorporate to FCP? If you can, could you please check my post there and let me know what you think? Thanks:

http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1069626#1069626

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written by Michael Heldman on January 15, 2010

1. ditto on keyframing. Copy and paste parameters at the very least.

2. better matting tools (a la Animatte) IN THE APP. I know I can roundtrip to Motion and I do it all the time, but it's such a common editing task that it should be in the app itself.

3. better GUI. The grey type on grey background is killing my eyes. A little more contrast would help tremendously. This seems to have improved somewhat in FCP7, but more could be done. How about the ability to color and name tracks, following the model of STP?

4. As for title safe marks, there's always Andy's Guides.

More feature request
written by David Chai on January 24, 2010

1. Scaling engine that looks good with different scaling algorithms to choose from
2. Ability to change text parameters in all title generators at once, like in DVD STUDIO PRO.
3. Audio plugins interface like in Soundtrack pro, and improved audio mixing engine quality.
4. Color correction mode in FCP so you don't have to go to Color.
5. Audio edit mode in FCP, so you don't need sountrack.
6. Motion Graphics mode so you don't need Motion.
7. 64bit, Grand Central, Open CL goodness.
8. True render in background that does not bring your machine to a halt.
9. Better kerning control in text generators.
10. Ability to edit movies as they are being captured.

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written by mike burton on January 25, 2010

I have been asking for an audio keyframe selection tool forever! How many times have you adjusted audio keyframes in a timeline, made a change and had to move those keyframes one by one to the new destination point? One time is too many and this should be a no brainer. I wish FCP belonged to a company that actually cared about what their users want.

64-bit
written by Floris on February 19, 2010

The main thing I would like to see is a 64-bit update like the ones for Aperture and Logic Studio. A new, more modern looking interface (goodbye brushed metal look) would also be a welcome change. Something like Aperture / Logic Pro would be fine. And also for all studio applications. I don't like it that every Final Cut Studio applications looks and operates differently.

wish list for future update of FCP
written by BjÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¶rn on March 25, 2010

These are the features I would like to see in a future update of Final Cut Pro

Avid style audio scrub
I would like to be able to choose audio scrubbing with pitch shift instead of skipping effect in Final Cut Pro. Today, scrubbing through a clip faster than normal speed creates a skipping effect that is useless if you are searching for something in the dialogue. Despite the funny helium effect, pitch shift is superior to skipped audio when you want to find a piece of dialogue fast.

Time code during capture
I would like to see the time code running while capture. Basically I don't understand why capture can't be done without opening up an extra window covering the log and capture window.

Type file name, description, markers etc during capture
Other video editing programs allows you to name clips and add descriptions, markers and logging information while capturing. I would like to see this feature in Final Cut Pro too.

Scratch disc path displayed in the logging tab in the Log and Capture window
I would like to see the Scratch disc path in the logging tab in the Log and Capture window. Today, you have to go to the Capture Settings tab, press the Scratch Disc... button to access it. I think the destination of your captured files is too important to be hidden like that.

Toggle visibility without losing render files
I don't understand why I have to risk losing the render files if I toggle the visibility for a video track on and off.

Range Check should not change the luminosity.
Toggling Range Check on and of should not change the luminosity of the video.

In and Out points priority over selected clip segments in timeline.
It often annoys me trying to perform a ripple delete between the In and Out points in a long sequence and something else is selected (brown) out of view. First it seems as if nothing happened. Then I do it again and then it will work. Later on I will discover that when I thought that nothing happened I actually deleted something out of view. I would like to be able to have the In and Out points take priority over any selected segments in the timeline.

Possibility to name audio tracks
Working on sequences with a lot of audio tracks I sometimes feel it would be nice to be able to give the tracks names.

Match Frame for audio tracks
Pretty often the audio doesn't necessarily belong to the video at a certain point in time. I would like to be able to Match Frame also the audio without having to first delete the video.

A fast and simple way to find out if a clip is interlaced or not
I wish there were a fast and simple way to find out whether a certain clip is interlaced or not, and if so, what the field dominance is. Sometimes I receive files that where captured by someone else, shot by yet a third person. And no one knows what camera was used, how it was captured or if it is interlaced or progressive.

wish list for future update of DVD Studio Pro
written by BjÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¶rn on March 25, 2010

And these are the features I would like to see in a future update of DVD Studio Pro:

Volume adjustment within DVD Studio Pro and Compressor
Often when working with several tracks, making compilations of short films from different directors for example, you may notice at a late stage that the audio levels differs from track to track. Instead of having to cure this in Final Cut Pro or Soundtrack Pro it would be convenient to be able to adjust the audio volume within DVD Studio Pro. And I wish it was possible in Compressor too. (Then VU meters would be necessary too of course).

Move several subtitles at once
I would like to be able to move several subtitles across the timeline at once. Today, even though it is possible to select various instances of subtitles in the time line only one will move if you attempt to drag them left, right, up or down.

More subtitle flexibility
It would also be nice to be able to select both the video stream, the audio streams and the subtitle streams, copy them and paste them at the end of another track, starting on let's say 00:10:45:00, keeping everything in sync.

No need for Title Exchange Pro
I would like to be able to export subtitles made in DVD Studio Pro. I also wish that you could do everything you can do with Title Exchange Pro right within DVD Studio Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Fast forward in Simulator
A fast forward button in Simulator would be convenient. Often what I want to check is at the end of a track. Yes, there is the Track Skip Forward but what if I want to see the last 10 seconds before the track ends, and I don't want a chapter marker at that point?

Simulator Out via Firewire
I do a lot of conversion between PAL and NTSC with many different codecs involved. Once in a while it happens that the fields of an interlaced video play back in the wrong order. Today you have to burn a dvd and play it back on a hardware dvd-player connected to a TV or a PAL or NTSC monitor to be sure fields are playing back correctly. Video out via Firewire from Simulator would be a great time saver.

Warn before build
On large projects a build will sometimes fail due to clip conflicts within a track. If this happens on let's say VTS 32 there is a lot of unnecessary waiting before the error message occur. Why not show a warning directly in the Track Editor in case there are improperly trimmed video streams for example?

Bluray
Since it is possible to authorize HD dvds with DVD Studio Pro I think it would be logical to also be able to burn Bluray discs.

Minimum requirements
Please make it possible again to install DVD Studio Pro also with less than 128 VRAM. (This appears to be the only change in DVD Studio Pro besides the absence of the PDF manual since the release of Final Cut Studio 2 five years ago.)

re: wish list for future update of FCP
written by Fred on April 15, 2010

written by BjÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¶rn on March 24, 2010
"Match Frame for audio tracks
Pretty often the audio doesn't necessarily belong to the video at a certain point in time. I would like to be able to Match Frame also the audio without having to first delete the video."

Highlight the audio track by clicking on it, hit "F" and you have the match frame for the audio.

"Scratch disc path displayed in the logging tab in the Log and Capture window
I would like to see the Scratch disc path in the logging tab in the Log and Capture window. Today, you have to go to the Capture Settings tab, press the Scratch Disc... button to access it. I think the destination of your captured files is too important to be hidden like that. "

I'd just hit shift-Q to bring up the system settings and check the scratch disk.

"A fast and simple way to find out if a clip is interlaced or not
I wish there were a fast and simple way to find out whether a certain clip is interlaced or not, and if so, what the field dominance is. Sometimes I receive files that where captured by someone else, shot by yet a third person. And no one knows what camera was used, how it was captured or if it is interlaced or progressive."

I'm not sure if I understand this correctly, but if you scroll to the right in the browser (standard columns) you can see what field dominance the clip has?

Otherwise I agree with most of your points.

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written by Roger Yeaxlee on April 18, 2010

Great article Peter, I still get very frustrated using the capture and layoff features in FCP. My old Avids running on PowerMac 9600s could keep the timecode updated and allow /clip labelling/comments/notes during capture. Why pop up another window, use the one already there!#@*!
And PPMs... that would just be brilliant. The only true way to monitor audio in my opinion. Saving up to buy the mini Pico ones from Murraypro.
Re that spit audio output - I also use the nested tracks method mentioned by Martin Baker. I duplicate my master sequence, then remove the V/O track. The main sequence nest to make a stereo full mix on 1&2 of output master sequence, and the duplicate nests to make the stereo M&E on 3&4. Set your audio output setting to 4 track mono, map track 1 to 1, 2 to 2 etc and job's done.
Would also like to simply and easily do a pan & scan in motion controls (not Motion) where size & position ramp together with one simple selection.