FCPX USers some user thoughts please.

Noel Evans

Noel Evans

Mod V3 New and Improved
Staff member
If you're a regular user of FCPX can you answer a few questions on user experience please.

- First, the trial is sometimes crashing with my GTX570. Anyone else have this issue? (FWIW Im getting excellent render speeds.)
- Hows the compatibility with the Blackmagic decklink extreme? I updated my blackmagic software, in the blackmagic preference pane I set the default video standard for FCPX. It then appeared in FCPX so I selected it but, still no output. Common issue? Something that should fire up on full version? It works normally on Premiere CS6 and FCP7.

- I do a lot of greenscreen work that is processed here. Compared to CS6 the keying in FCPX is lightyears ahead in speed to get a solid usable key - that surprised me. There is one thing I noticed. On the preview pane subject seems a tad softer than say FCP7 using keylight or CS6 using ultrakey - again I cant preview from timeline to my monitors at the moment to really accurately compare. Anyone else share this experience?

- Lastly, in FCP7 I can set the editor to AE. Then select any clip in the timeline and click open in editor - boom, Im on AE doing an animation. What's your round trip to AE if your a user of both?

The back story - Im a FCP7 / AE / Resolve and apple color user at present. Ive looked deeply into AUtodesk smoke, Premiere CS6 and now FCPX. I dont really want to move away from AE for compositing. I like it in there and the smoke learning curve... probably not that bad, Im just really time poor at the moment. Premiere 6? Not sure I get all the hoopla. It does have tight integration with AE - thats nice. It has a - looks like a - well its like using FCP7 to be honest. Thats not bad in the sense that I can go straight into it easily and the render times are blisteringly fast.

If I can get positive responses to the above questions regarding FCPX however I think its where Ill land. Im happy to forgo all the its not pro talk - how do I say it? Right, it actually just makes life easier. Isnt that the aim? I can also see that only my high end jobs will go to resolve if its FCPX. The colour tools are not wheels which I used to, but they are intuitive and give some really pleasant results that will serve 50% of what I do. The net result is a saving in time. That's exactly what I need.

Also if anyone can offer any quick tips that'd be great - similar to the old t, t, t, command in FCP7, that kind of shortcut thats a little more obscure but very handy would be great.
 
- I don't see that GPU listed as approved GPUs on Apple's FCP site.
- There are two places in FCP to "turn on" broadcast monitoring. Preferences and in the Window menu, "A/V Output". Verify both. AJA and Blackmagic stuff have been working pretty well with FCP X. I know the 10.0.6 update introduced some issues, but bug fixes on both sides should be out very soon.
- I've always gotten great quality from the FCP X built-in keyer. Occasionally I have gotten the subject being keyed to become very soft. I also have the Phyx Keyer suite, which I'm not thrilled with the GUI, but works really well when I have a problem image that FCP X is making way too soft.
- A bit different at this point in FCP X. In 10.0.6 there is an Open With command. I'll PM you something. But if you export it as a ProRes clip, there's an option to open the exported file with another app automatically. Not the same thing as having an external editor like we did in 7 and in Aperture.
- Nope, I'm still not seeing how the color "board" is supposed to be intuitive. Makes no logical sense to me. But, that's what we have Resolve LITE for, right? Or at least Nattress Levels and other third party add-ons that work way better than the "board".
- Get some basic training properly, it will go a long way to getting you up and running. macProVideo and Ripple Training are both really good sources.
 
I discovered something about the new "color board" in X while teaching a greenscreen lesson in class last night. It suddenly made sense, and I found it to be genius. The students picked it up immediately.

I think the shadows/midtones/highlights/global adjusters speak for themselves, so I won't go over that. What was initially confusing is how to place each indicator. I had an "ah HA!" moment;

An example; Under the color tab (not saturation or exposure), you have 4 widgets in the color board. Each of the 4 widgets is global, shadows, mids, highs. The horizontal line cutting the color board in half is "unity" - unmolested adjustment. Raising the widget above the line ADDS the color. You can move this widget anywhere in the color board and it will add that color. The placement of the shadows/mid/highs can be anywhere on the board. So if I pull the shadows widget over to the purple area, the shadows will turn purple. Same with the other widgets. Dragging a widget BELOW the horizontal divide line in the color box will REMOVE the color. And its the same deal. I can place the widgets anywhere on the board to remove (or add) the color I want.

I find it to be much more intuitive after I got over the radical change in thinking. And the students picked it up immediately.

Those software designers at apple are just genius. Genius. And I'm NOT an apple fan boy!

Dillon
 
BenB said:
-
- There are two places in FCP to "turn on" broadcast monitoring. Preferences and in the Window menu, "A/V Output". Verify both. AJA and Blackmagic stuff have been working pretty well with FCP X. I know the 10.0.6 update introduced some issues, but bug fixes on both sides should be out very soon.
Click to expand...

Excellent, went to window menu and enable - works perfectly.

BenB said:
- I've always gotten great quality from the FCP X built-in keyer. Occasionally I have gotten the subject being keyed to become very soft. I also have the Phyx Keyer suite, which I'm not thrilled with the GUI, but works really well when I have a problem image that FCP X is making way too soft.
Click to expand...

On second review, its only looking softish on playback - and its not that soft. On export its back to crisp and clear.

BenB said:
- A bit different at this point in FCP X. In 10.0.6 there is an Open With command. I'll PM you something. But if you export it as a ProRes clip, there's an option to open the exported file with another app automatically. Not the same thing as having an external editor like we did in 7 and in Aperture.
Click to expand...

Yeah slightly more painful, but not terrible. I also take a lot of files directly to AE before edit and do what I need so, a very small issue.

BenB said:
- Nope, I'm still not seeing how the color "board" is supposed to be intuitive. Makes no logical sense to me. But, that's what we have Resolve LITE for, right? Or at least Nattress Levels and other third party add-ons that work way better than the "board".
Click to expand...

dillont said:
The placement of the shadows/mid/highs can be anywhere on the board. So if I pull the shadows widget over to the purple area, the shadows will turn purple. Same with the other widgets. Dragging a widget BELOW the horizontal divide line in the color box will REMOVE the color. And its the same deal. I can place the widgets anywhere on the board to remove (or add) the color I want.
Click to expand...

Yes, dillon I found this out with a quick test of how it effected things. As I said in my previous post this will keep about 50% of grading in one app for me. My higher end stuff needs to be more accurate.

Ben, thanks for the PM and all the info, greatly appreciated.
 
Ok so one other thing I find a touch confusing - theres no save. I can deal with the odd crash knowing Im saving regularly. Once the change is made is the project just instantly updated?
 
Noel Evans said:
Ok so one other thing I find a touch confusing - theres no save. I can deal with the odd crash knowing Im saving regularly. Once the change is made is the project just instantly updated?
Click to expand...
Every action you do is saved. It's never failed me and I went FCPX since it released. If you are going to make an alternate version of a sequence, just make a duplicate of the project.
I just felt that from the start, the editing IQ of FCPX was the future. I opened FCP7 the other day and it was the last time I ever will. I just can't see editing that way anymore. FCPX got off to a slow start, but this last update gets me where I need to be. But, Apple won't stop there. As it is, I love FCPX. Every update from this point forward will just be the finishing touches on an already incredible NLE. FCPX as I know it has a 10 year roadmap already planned out.
 
The color board is counter intuitive, because when you pull a puck down into the negative of a color, well, that makes no sense. There is no such thing as a negative to a color, you can't simply remove a color. The science of color shows that when you remove one color, its complimentary color must increase. So if I pull my mids puck into the "negative red", why doesn't it show what color I'm actually adding at the same time? The lower half of that color board should be complimentary colors, not "negative" colors. Makes no sense.

It's not very sensitive, which is very limiting. In Color and Resolve I can make such fine, sensitive adjustments, but in FCP X's "boards" it is nothing near as sensitive and that excludes it from higher end color work.

There is not one thing "intuitive" about the color board. I'm an Apple certified trainer, I have taught more FCP X classes since its release than I can remember, and never has the color board made logical or intuitive sense to anyone I've taught or worked with. The "board" is a piece of crap design, period. It is the one and only thing about FCP X that I truly flat out hate. It has no place in a professional application.

So when a students "removes" green from a shot, then asks "why is it turning purple now"? What do you tell that student? The only thing you can tell them is what a complimentary color is, show and explain the color wheel (which is based on color science), and tell them to memorize complimentary colors in order to use the color board in a professional manner. It sucks huge time next to the traditional color wheels that are based on the science of color. Look at the mesurments it uses for color, degrees of a circle! But on a rectangle! What moron came up with such garbage?
 
BenB said:
In Color and Resolve I can make such fine, sensitive adjustments, but in FCP X's "boards" it is nothing near as sensitive and that excludes it from higher end color work.
Click to expand...

Agree completely.

BenB said:
So when a students "removes" green from a shot, then asks "why is it turning purple now"? What do you tell that student? The only thing you can tell them is what a complimentary color is, show and explain the color wheel (which is based on color science), and tell them to memorize complimentary colors in order to use the color board in a professional manner. It sucks huge time next to the traditional color wheels that are based on the science of color. Look at the mesurments it uses for color, degrees of a circle! But on a rectangle! What moron came up with such garbage?
Click to expand...

Can see what you're saying there. I guess having been at this awhile those things come to me without thought but, yes for students it must be confusing.
 
I understand your frustration. I find the words "negative color" confusing as well. When I used the words "remove color", the students understood it intuitively.

IE: If something has a red tint to the image (like they forgot to white balance), they know they can drag the 'puck' below the dividing line and reduce/remove the color cast.

Agreed that fine tune color correction is not possible with this route. I'm pretty positive a pro solution is forthcoming from a 3rd party.

BenB said:
The color board is counter intuitive, because when you pull a puck down into the negative of a color, well, that makes no sense. There is no such thing as a negative to a color, you can't simply remove a color. The science of color shows that when you remove one color, its complimentary color must increase. So if I pull my mids puck into the "negative red", why doesn't it show what color I'm actually adding at the same time? The lower half of that color board should be complimentary colors, not "negative" colors. Makes no sense.

It's not very sensitive, which is very limiting. In Color and Resolve I can make such fine, sensitive adjustments, but in FCP X's "boards" it is nothing near as sensitive and that excludes it from higher end color work.

There is not one thing "intuitive" about the color board. I'm an Apple certified trainer, I have taught more FCP X classes since its release than I can remember, and never has the color board made logical or intuitive sense to anyone I've taught or worked with. The "board" is a piece of crap design, period. It is the one and only thing about FCP X that I truly flat out hate. It has no place in a professional application.

So when a students "removes" green from a shot, then asks "why is it turning purple now"? What do you tell that student? The only thing you can tell them is what a complimentary color is, show and explain the color wheel (which is based on color science), and tell them to memorize complimentary colors in order to use the color board in a professional manner. It sucks huge time next to the traditional color wheels that are based on the science of color. Look at the mesurments it uses for color, degrees of a circle! But on a rectangle! What moron came up with such garbage?
Click to expand...
 
Very rarely has the color board not been enough for me. I actually like it quite a bit and find myself getting things the way I want way faster then I could before. I agree with many of the comments above regarding the whole idea, but once I got the hang of it I can really move fast with it.
 
"...but once I got the hang of it I can really move fast with it."

Exactly, it is not intuitive and takes a lot of getting used to. Even then it is far from a professional color grading tool.
 
BenB said:
The color board is counter intuitive, because when you pull a puck down into the negative of a color, well, that makes no sense.

The "board" is a piece of crap design, period. It is the one and only thing about FCP X that I truly flat out hate. It has no place in a professional application.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%.

The color board is my biggest complaint about FCP X.

I use FCP X now for my work, but Apple has to rework this and bring back the 3-way CC.

This is one of the worst implemented "features" of X.
 
Guys.... In the color board say you need to remove a red tint in mid tones. Drag the middle puck to red and go into the minus. Then when you drag that puck left or right you adjust the hue of that minus red. It's pretty easy. Just play with it for a day and you will get used to it.
 
I just started using FCPX literally three days ago, and one of the things I actually did like was the color board.

It took me all of five minutes to figure out how it worked, and I agree that it's actually counter-intuitive to color theory, but for technical use it's super obvious and very easy to use.

It's no Resolve, but it would do for simple adjustments, or at least I think so.
 
dustylense said:
Guys.... In the color board say you need to remove a red tint in mid tones. Drag the middle puck to red and go into the minus. Then when you drag that puck left or right you adjust the hue of that minus red. It's pretty easy. Just play with it for a day and you will get used to it.
Click to expand...

Actually it is not quite that simple. That "minus red" introduces a new color into the image. Can you tell me what color is that, from memory? Very few folks can. I teach a lot, and every class at least one student says "When I pull down to remove a color, it seems like some other random color starts to show up." How do you explain that?

I have said from day one, the one single only thing I do not like about FCP X at all is the color board. It's even measured in the degrees of a circle. How does that relate to a rectangle? Where is 74 degrees on a rectangle?

It is a nice rectangle for hobbiests, but not for professionals.
 
Well I can see and hear both sides clearly.

Caveat 1 - Id only use Color board for basic / quick turnaround CG's.

I just used FCPX on a 5 minute news job that I produce fortnightly and used the Color board. In addition I intend to use it regularly for this kind of thing. I shoot these on a C300 in canon log. Its rare I get in a situation where I'd want to actually "reduce a color cast" and generally add to them with a slight overall desat and add contrast. In these cases the color reduction component plays an insignificant role so, the board seems fine.

In the case of what Ben is talking about, from fiddling. I'd say yes, why didnt they just use a three way? It's whats known out there.

Back to the case of reduction - I find from my experience for me anyway these relate to colors of something in frame thats for whatever reason looking a little funky. In these cases Id def. have to take it over to something like resolve where I can track and mask the object or be able to select that particular color and make the changes I need. As opposed to across the whole frame say in the case of a funky white balance.

OK another subject for those in the know if you dont mind COMPRESSOR

Are there any large improvements in the new version in speed compared to the most recent version that shipped with FCS?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top