FCP Transitions - Quick Question!

[VanMac]

Hello.

I'm having a little trouble with transitions using FCP.

Here is the basics:
- I add clip 'A' to my sequence.
- I add clip 'B' to my sequence.
- I trim the first 5 seconds off clip 'B'.
- I line up clip 'B' to end of clip 'A'

At this point, everything is fine.

When I insert a transition between these two clips (Cross Dissolve), the portion of the TRIMMED 5 seconds on clip 'B' is visible in the Cross Disolve transition. It is freaking me out. I've removed and added this transition every which way, but same thing.

Any help as to why I'm experiencing this would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jordieshapiro]

I don't know if I fully understand the situation, but just know FCP hiccups once in a while. And veteran editors, don't blink. They acknowledge somethings weird and jump on a work around.

Consider this a good learning experience. Delete the effected clip and bring it back in. Look for other ways to trick the system. Half the time, in the process of playing with it you realize that there was human error and solve it easily

 

[VanMac]

Ya, I've been deleting clip, bring it in, delete transition, insert transition. Same thing all the time.

Turns out that it was the fact that the transition was 'ending' on the cut, and then using timeline that was trimmed from the clip in the cross dissolve. I dont really think it should do that, but at least I know what it is doing. I trimmed a little more time off clip 'B', and all is good.

Thanks for responding.

 

[spinnerlys]

I don't know, if I understood correctly, but any dissolve needs to take some material from after the cut.

Example:

Clip A and B with a normal Cut (I)
AAAAAAAAAAAIBBBBBBBB

Clip A dissolves into B (or vice versa) - I resembles where the two clips meet each other (the center of the dissolve)

AAAAAAAAAABAAABBAIBAABBBABBBBBBBB

So it should be normal to see material from after the cut (what you trimmed away).

 

[Gymnut]

See if this will work: Try and make your edits(setting an in/out) in the viewer on Clip B and then insert into your timeline. Spinnersly is correct that a transition like a cross dissolve will take x-amount of frames from either clip.

 

[TaKashMoney]

I hate to say it, but this sounds like completely normal behavior for a cross dissolve. Cross dissolves can sometimes seem to act a little strangely because they need to actually borrow frames from after the first clip, and before the second clip in order to transition smoothly. While unfortunate, this is just what cross dissolves do.

To remedy this, you can trim an additional few seconds off of the beginning of clip B. This way the cross dissolve will use the frames you want, instead of the ones you didnt want.

Another possible solution is simply to shrink the time of the cross dissolve. This will require less frames from both the end of A and beginning of B.

How do you prevent this from happening at all? Give yourself some lead in and lead out time whenever you are filming a scene. In other words, make sure you film a few seconds before the shot and continue rolling for a few seconds after the shot. This way you give yourself some extra frames in case you decide you want to throw in a cross dissolve when editing.

Hope this helps,

T

 

[cpcarrot]

As already said, a cross dissolve takes footage from the tail of your first clip (after your out point) and from the beginning of your second clip (before your in point). If you specifically don’t want anything after your out point or before your in point you need to trim both by half the length of your dissolve (so if you have a 1 second dissolve you trim half a second off the end of your first clip and half a second from the beginning of your second clip).

 

[VanMac]

Hey T.

Thanks for the input. I had already ended up doing what you suggested, and trimmed a few more seconds of clip 'B', and all is good. I would have thought it would only use frames that are in the timeline, but now that I know what it is doing, it works out.

I only have so much leeway in the leadtime that exists, as this was footage shot in the 1960s I'm making a home movie based on some old reel footage that I had telecined.

Good advice though for future shoots...ie: making sure to have buffer for the in and out points of the clip.

I hate to say it, but this sounds like completely normal behavior for a cross dissolve. Cross dissolves can sometimes seem to act a little strangely because they need to actually borrow frames from after the first clip, and before the second clip in order to transition smoothly. While unfortunate, this is just what cross dissolves do.

To remedy this, you can trim an additional few seconds off of the beginning of clip B. This way the cross dissolve will use the frames you want, instead of the ones you didnt want.

Another possible solution is simply to shrink the time of the cross dissolve. This will require less frames from both the end of A and beginning of B.

How do you prevent this from happening at all? Give yourself some lead in and lead out time whenever you are filming a scene. In other words, make sure you film a few seconds before the shot and continue rolling for a few seconds after the shot. This way you give yourself some extra frames in case you decide you want to throw in a cross dissolve when editing.

Hope this helps,

T