Scrolling Text in FCP Flickers

L

ljmorelli

Member
Can anyone suggest a good way to scroll text in FCP, so it doesn't flicker on an NTSC monitor. Looks ok on the computer monitor. Do I have to use LiveType?
 
the text flickers because of the nature of ntsc video. because each frame is divided into two fields and the position of your scrolling text changes slightly for each field, you get that nasty flicker.

there is a formula for scrolling speed that will eliminate that flicker, but i've always just played with the speed until it goes away. also helps to use bold text.
 
First, don't use pure white. NTSC actually needs a slight blur between harsh contrast lines. In the color picker, use the crayon box, and select the shade of white just above the pure white that is the default. The color is called Mercury.

Second, if it still flickers, through a Deinterlace filter on it.

Third, if it still flickers after those two steps, the bewillia's suggestion will finally help, change the speed. Not too, too slow, not too, too fast.

I get really nice scrolls out of FCP. You just have to do it right.
 
Thank you. Why doesn't this happen on "real TV shows?"
Did they find that happy medium between color and speed?
Text also kind of breaks up, too. Hard to expalin
 
TV shows have dedicated text generators, and know much better how to use NLE text generators. They have their magic formulas...
 
Oh yes, always, always use block fonts. Nothing too thin, nothing with fancy, swirling, thin lines.
 
Good, I had been using a think Gil Sans, then switched to Helvitca, which was a bit better. I'm going for a certain look, where block letters won't look as good. Guess I'll have to sacrifice. Not to beat a dead horse, but can you tell me the ones you've has success with? Thanks again.
 
Nothing much worked. I only had success by adding the Silk Stocking Filter. The effect is actually growing on me. Flicker is almost gone, which is good. But, now that there's a filter on the scrolling text, the text clip is no longer transparant. I can't see the video underneath it. Now what? Any ideas? Thanks.
 
Oh, I totally forgot, I haven't used it in so long. Instead of the Silk Stocking filter, use FCP's Gaussian Blur filter. You only want to apply enough to kill the flicker, but not enough to look like there's an actual blur.
 
BenB said it. I would take another step as well. Duplicate your text layer on another track above it. Add gaussian blur to the bottom text layer (just enough to do the trick) and keep your top text layer filter-free. Then you can change the opacity of the bottom layer so it doesn't look to bloomie.

I'd still recommend playing with the speed (by changing the duration of the clip if you're FCP's scrolling text generator). And make sure your helvetica is at least bold. If you absolutely don't want it to be bold, you could make the bottom text layer bold and the top one normal.

Hope that helps.
 
Good suggestions, will try them, however, that still doesn't address that the this text clip, once a filter is added, isn't transparant. I can no longer see the video below it. Once filter is removed, then I can see video. Am I S.O.L?
 
Only certain filtes will do that, not all. If you're using a filter that does, then try changing the Composite Mode of the Text Clip to Screen or Overlay or something.
 
Glaussian actually adds flicker, strange. Silk stocking working best for me. Duplicating the layer didn't really buy me anything, with Glaussian or Silk Stocking. I am now using a bold type, however. The scroll is pretty slow, I'm locked into the duration of the video clip, so, it can't be too slow. Good suggestions all around, will keep them in my back pocket.
 
Good call on composit mode. I never really knew about it, still don't really know it's purpose. Overlay didn't work, Screen worked like a charm. Thanks, now I'm able to at least get rid of lots of flicker with the silk stocking filter. Glaussin acually added flicker!
 
hey ljmorelli,

I currently have the same problems as you do, I'm trying to create a scrolling text for credits in FCP, actually I tried to do it in livetype, but I couldn't manage to get the whole thing in livetype and I coulnd't find any useful advise how to handle livetype, so I'm back in FCP trying to get the credits-sequence,
now my text flickers... :Drogar-Thinking(DBG

I can't believe it is just a matter of speed, and as you can't request a certain speed (can you?), it would just be a matter of shortening and lengthening of the text-clips in the timeline - is that really the solution???
 
If you speed up a text roll, it takes less time to crawl across the screen. Thus, shorten the clip legnth, and you speed up the text.

Since your working with a set number of frames per minute, speed in something moving becomes a HUGE factor. Just like in 24fps you won't get as smooth as 60fps of something moving across the screen. 24fps tends to get choppy much faster.

Same principle, compounded by the way NTSC handles color, hard chroma lines, and interlacing. And always judge it on a real monitor, not your computer screen!

Personally, I've never really had a major problem with text of any sort in FCP. But I do understand a lot of folks do.

You can always just do it in Photoshop and then keyframe the JPG file to move up the screen in FCP.
 
thank you very much for your advice,
now I actually do have another problem with my scrolling text (and I do realize that it is a dumb question to ask, however, I'm sure there's an easy solution to this problem so that's why I dare to ask ;)...);

I wanted to have a right-centered column with names of roles and a left-centered column with names of actors/actresses, I created two seperate scrolling text and put them parallel in the timeline - that worked out fine...
so it looked like:

role 1 name of actor 1
role 2 name of actress 1
role 3 name of actress 2

etc...


then I wanted to do the same with the crew, but there are -of course- sometimes more than one person in one funtion, so it's:


production manager name of crewmember 1
name of crewmember 2

unit manager name of crewmember 3


etc.

so here's where the problem begins, if I create two separate scrolling texts, of course, the lines do not fit together although I leave the same number of lines empty,
as soon as I put more names on one side, the speed and the lines change....
what can I do about that?
in other words, how do I get one-left-centered column and one-right-centered column in one, or how do I make them suit each other?...

thanks again, and in advance, for your reply!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top