Questions from an AVID user answered

I was asked in a forum:
" I know j/k/l functions are in tact, but what about "fit-to-fill","replace edit", "extend edit" or "top" and "tail" ? It would be great to hear your thoughts on that stuff..."


I have talked about some of these before in this blog, but here is a dedicated answer:
"fit-to-fill": well since you ask about the extend edit after I guess this should be a fit-to-fill retime-tool. There is a tool for it, but only half implemented yet. Select the clip, hit CMD-R (or the retime-tool-button), now you can drag the top and tail and of the clip and it adjust the speed, so the ins and outs stay, but the duration changes. Problem...this is always in ripple mode, so you don´t close the gap, but push it; half implemented, because in POSITION MODE it should overwrite the following GAP/CLIP. 
Workaround in version "tendotzero" is to select clip OPT-CMD-UPARROW it so it is above the primary storyline and now retime the clip to fill to wherever you want it. Then OPT-CMD-DOWNARROW to put it back into the Primary storyline.


"replace edit": that one is very well done in FCPX. Drag a clip above the one to be replaced. You now have the options to replace (duration stays as it was in timeline), replace from start (new clips stays as In Out are set in the bin), replace from END or even replace as audition (so you have both and can watch how each one looks in the timeline)


"extend edit": SHIFT-X


"top" "tail": not sure what they are in AVID, but I guess they are "trim-start", "trim-end" and "trim-to
-selection" in FCPX. I put them to the keys 1, 2, 3 respectively and they are HUGE upgrades to FCP7.


Another "tool" that make editing faster in FCPX is (even if it is not polished yet) the magnetic timeline. I know 90% of seasoned editors hate it, but I can only understand this if someone didn´t really teach themselves in it (as you have to in every tool, also AVID) or only talk heresay. The magnetic timeline takes away a lot of problems that are existing in FCP7; I know they are not as bad in AVID and Premiere from the heresay I get, but I can only directly compare to FCP7 and Edius, the two most recent NLEs I used, and FCP7 was simply the worst in keeping sync. One is constantly asked to check down the timeline, lock tracks to be able to ripple, I was constantly cutting through clips that I didn´t want to touch etc. 
I know the so called pros say if you know what you do these steps are easy, but I prefer software that simply works without those additional steps. FCP7 was flexible, but it was clumsy.


two more features:
J- and L- cuts are a blast in FCPX with a simple doubleclick on the audio.


And finally: The magnetic timeline keeps sync all the time. With the clip-connection (which can also be a compound of dozens of clips or even a secondary storyline) I can move big parts of a timeline by simply taking the "masterclip" in the primary timeline. 
For example I am editing a documentary now that follows 3 people alongside the mainstory. So I drift off to one of them at a sunset-clip with her own interview (in a secondary storyline container) and added B-Roll that is also connected to the same sun-setclip. This sunset will now stay together with her story and her B-roll. No need to select many clips and beware which audio follows with it. All is connected to this sunset-cip. I can even replace the sunset with a clip from dinner, still everything stays where it was. I can now easily move her story with that clip. It is hard to understand, but the way everything stays in-sync is just easy and it works. It is truly more magic than magnetic when you take a junk of your story that is several minutes long and contains maybe 50 clips with one and simply drop it behind another chapter of your film.


I see many good things there that are nice improvements over FCP7. But I also see problems. As nice as the magnetic timeline is, it still has its bugs and is far from usable for everyone. I don´t blame anyone for waiting on it. But keep your eyes open to what happens there and what direction Apple and the 3rd party vendors go, before you sell yourself totally away from FCP.