cross dissolves - sometimes they work and sometimes they don't

HKB

HKB

Well-known member
Sometimes I can drag them into the timeline and they center perfectly.... other times they lay on one side of a sequence and can't be centered between sequences. Sometimes the don't even work on the sequence.... just display the a small icon. What am I doing wrong? :shocked:
 
are you sure there is enough head or tail on both clips to accomodate the length of the dissolve?
 
Some are short.... but I have longer lengths that don't allow it when shorter ones have.
 
Whenever dissolves don't work for me it is because there is lacking head or tail to the adjacent clips. It helps to zoom in on the timeline to make sure you are placing centrally. It's easy for the transition to get dropped off to either side.
 
When you nest a clip into a sequence, a clip can lose it's handles. You will have to manually trim the clip if you want to get enough heads and tails to make proper transitions. If that fails for you, you can always keyframe the opacity of the two clips you are working with on top of each other. It's a very common technique
 
mmka1985 said:
If that fails for you, you can always keyframe the opacity of the two clips you are working with on top of each other. It's a very common technique
Click to expand...

This looks like an easy fix.... I'll try it. Thanks.... and to all that responded.
 
Wow.... it didn't work. Just shortens the first sequence were the the second sequence overlays. Did I do something wrong?
 
HKB said:
Wow.... it didn't work. Just shortens the first sequence were the the second sequence overlays. Did I do something wrong?
Click to expand...

I've stopped using the transition filter and started doing it manually for perfect control no matter the length by using the pen tool. Use the short cut "p" on the keyboard and you will see the pen cursor come up.
At that point to see the drag line on the clip, go to the left hand bottom corner and click on the the small "up and down line graph" to engage the control for the clip on the time line. Hit the "a" then drag your clip over the other clip , track above or below, to the desired dissolve length. Engage the pen too, "p" and plot your points on the clips line for fade in fade out. The control is amazing. You'll never use the transition efx again after being able to control the dissolve yourself. If this is confusing let me know and I'll do a little video for you or do screen shots.
 
sstanek said:
I've stopped using the transition filter and started doing it manually for perfect control no matter the length by using the pen tool. Use the short cut "p" on the keyboard and you will see the pen cursor come up.
At that point to see the drag line on the clip, go to the left hand bottom corner and click on the the small "up and down line graph" to engage the control for the clip on the time line. Hit the "a" then drag your clip over the other clip , track above or below, to the desired dissolve length. Engage the pen too, "p" and plot your points on the clips line for fade in fade out. The control is amazing. You'll never use the transition efx again after being able to control the dissolve yourself. If this is confusing let me know and I'll do a little video for you or do screen shots.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I tried it briefly without success.... hate to put you through this. If you could do the video that would be awesome.
 
Some are short.... but I have longer lengths that don't allow it when shorter ones have.
Click to expand...

I think you misunderstand 'head &tail' length. It has nothing to do with a clip's length.

Basically in order to to have a proper cross or any other dissolve between 2 clips, you should have at least 5-15 frames* on both:
-At the end of the incoming clip (one on the left)
-At the beginning of the outgoing clip (one on the right)

So say you have imported converted DSLR video clips and dragged them on the timeline. You cannot do any cross dissolves between anyof these two clips unless you trim some frames from the both clips as described above.

Note* Exact frame numbers you need depends on how long or short you want the dissolve.
 
Some clips might not have been trimed as you say.... can't remember.... I thought they had been. I'll have a look at that.
 
Okay... I finally got the cross dissolves to work by over lapping them. mmka1985 and sstanek thanks for pointing me in the right direction. To the others that offered suggestions.... thanks also.... you guys make this forum a joy to visit.
 
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sstanek said:
I've stopped using the transition filter and started doing it manually for perfect control no matter the length by using the pen tool.
Click to expand...

This sounds to me like you don't know the whole story with the cross dissolve transition..

Double clicking the transition will open an editor for the effect in the Viewer window (see here), which allows much finer control of the effect, including changing the duration of the effect, changing the point at which the dissolve happens:
Screenshot2011-04-03at111453.jpg
from left to right it goes Start on Edit, Center on Edit, End on Edit. You can also click and drag the effect along the timeline to change the point at which the edit, basically performing a roll edit using the transition. You'll notice as you do this that in your canvas window the display will change to fit two smaller frames inside, these represent the frames at which the transition will begin and when it will finish, allowing you incredibly precise and visual feedback.

Tip #1: You can right click the area where two clips meet and apply cross dissolve right from there. (It's a popular transition, I think Apple realised this...)
Tip #2: You can also copy and paste one transition onto multiple clips and it will apply it to every cut in the selected range (only where two selected clips meet, it will not put it on the in and out points of the selected range)
Tip #3: There are other transitions you could use other than cross dissolve... Be careful of using it as a transition for every edit in your piece!

Hope this helps.
 
It's called "Handles". It's how much media exists outside of the In/Out points you've created. If you didn't make In/Out points, you won't get to use transitions. If you're having trouble, double click each clip. Is there enough media before the In point, or after the Out point to accommodate the needs the transition has for more media? Transitions can magically create footage that doesn't physically exist.

A 2 second transition requires that it add 1 second to the end of the outgoing clip (one on the left), and 1 second of media to the start of the incoming clip (one on the right). In/Out points determine how much Handles you have, and if there's enough for a transition or not. Very simple concept to learn. Keyframing opacity means your clips are on two different tracks. This causes two issues. First, it's sloppy and time consuming editing. Second, it won't get the exact same effect as the Cross Dissolve plugins will.

From FCP's Help menu, go to Final Cut Pro Help, then to the User Manual. Do a search for "transitions", in the "Adding Transitions" section is a sub-section called "Having Handles at Edit Points". Very clearly explains all of this. Remember that a searchable user manual is your friend.
 
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