Preference Manager 1.0.5 released

Yes, it's been a while but here is a minor update to Preference Manager with a couple of new features:

* File locking - You can now lock preference files so that you (or Final Cut Pro or some rogue application on your system) can't modify them. This can help to prevent them becoming corrupted. You can still change user preferences but the settings will be reverted to the locked ones when you restart Final Cut Pro. This is useful if you know someone else is going to be using your machine and you don't want your settings messed about with.

* Restoring trashed prefs - If you trash your preferences and then change your mind, never fear - Preference Manager can now restore those preferences for as long as they remain in the Trash (if you click Empty Trash, they are gone). Just go to File > Restore Trashed Preferences.

You can download the new version here or use the updating facility within the software.

For those that don't know, Preference Manager is an application that allows you to trash, lock, backup and restore preference files for Final Cut Studio. Preference files contain user settings and other information but over time they can become corrupted, causing problems such as being unable to launch the application. Preference Manager can trash these (meaning the application will recreate them but you will lose your settings) or restore from a previously-working backup. It is completely free.

We are trying to make the best application we can so we appreciate any feedback you can give us. Also check out our resources section for more tools.

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Speed editing

There is a great article currently up on the COW about ways to speed up your Final Cut Pro editing. This inspired me to add a few of my own. Of course, they're specific to the kind of work I'm doing (currently TV) and the way I work but other people might find them useful.

Playing things back at a faster rate
I think the purists will hate this one. For TV shows, I often get pre-cut footage from the studio (from the on-set mixer) and it's my job to cut out the parts where they screwed up. I normally get a wide cam as well, as something to cut between for safety. I've found that I can cut it very quickly if I play it at a faster-than-normal rate and use keyboard shortcuts.

If you press L once, it will play at a faster rate (1.5x?) BUT, crucially, you can still understand every word that is said. Go to Tools > Keyboard Layouts > Multiclip and you can use the Cmd-Numpad 1 and Cmd-Numpad 2 (and so forth) buttons for cutting between cameras. Then I press Ctrl + V when someone screws up so that a cut point is generated, which I later come back and delete. So I can get a rough cut done in less than the time it would take to watch it normally. This works very well for the kind of shows I'm currently working on, but this method obviously won't work for every situation such as drama and music videos.

Use Multiclips whenever you can
If you have two cameras shooting in sync, there is no reason to not use Multiclips. I'm a big fan of them because you sync them once and once only. Then the hard work is over and when the Producer demands that you change a shot to the other angle, you can do it in a matter of seconds.

Use keyboard shortcuts instead of tools where possible
Keyboard shortcuts for certain functions can save time. But what really saves a lot of time is using a keyboard shortcut to replace a tool. Here are a few of them -

• Ctrl-V - Razor blade (cuts at the playhead)
• R, then V, then < or > - R selects the Roll tool, V selects the nearest cut point and < or > rolls the clip backwards or forwards.
• RR, then V, then < or > - RR selects the Ripple tool, V selects the nearest cut point and < or > ripples the clip backwards or forwards.
• S, then < or > - S selects the Slip tool and < or > slips the selected clip backwards or forwards.
• SS, then < or > - SS selects the Slide tool and < or > slips the selected clip backwards or forwards.
• [ and ] - Press V to select the nearest edit point and press [ or ] to trim it left or right.
• Type a number anywhere on the timeline (e.g. 5 or -10) - Moves the selected clips the specified number of frames

Keep your timeline rendered as much as possible
If you go on a break or something, press Alt + R to render your timeline. That way, the majority of the timeline should stay rendered, with only the parts you change requiring a re-render. When your client asks you for a preview copy, you can very quickly render out a reference movie, plug it into Compressor and then continue with your work. The next time you do it, it will be even quicker. And when (if) you come to put it on tape, it will speed up the rendering process there too.

Use Motion projects instead of rendered movies
If you use Motion for effects, it is far quicker to insert the actual project into your timeline than it is to render out a movie clip. And if you want to make a change just Alt + Tab to Motion, make your change, save, Alt + Tab back to FCP and there it is. No exporting necessary. This method depends on you having a decent graphics card.

Use Master Templates where possible
Taking it one step further, if, say you have a standard animated namestrap format for a show. You could take it into Motion, change the name then save it as a new copy but this takes time and you end up with hundreds of files. Instead, create the template version and then in Motion go to File > Save as Template. Create a new folder and name your new template. Now go back to Final Cut Pro and in the Generators pop-up or the Effects window, click on Master Templates and select your new template. Go to the Controls tab and you can enter any text you like. Much quicker.


One final note - there is a fine line between a fast editor and a sloppy one. There is very much an art and a science to editing and I believe that you can speed up the science but rushing the art will make it suffer. Producers like to give me a lot of footage. I like this a lot because it gives me more to work with but for some reason, the more footage they give me, the faster they expect the end product. The more footage I have, the more decisions I can potentially make and so it takes longer to decide on the "right way" to cut it (there is no right way but you know what I mean). This can't really be sped up.

I'll probably think of some more later so keep your eyes peeled. And if you've got any speed tips of your own, I'd love to hear them.

Update: Thought of another one. When I'm cutting montages, I like to go through the footage finding short clips I like and putting them up the other end of the timeline so that they are easily within reach. I used to mark the ins and outs, manually drag the clip to the timeline, then click on the Viewer to select it again. You can do this much quicker with keyboard shortcuts. Mark the ins and outs (I and O) then press F9 to insert edit the clip or F10 to overwrite edit it (note: Tiger and Leopard have F9 and F10 bound to Expose by default). Then press Cmd-1 to re-select the Viewer. I can go through footage very quickly with this method.

FCP Quick Tip: Viewing extra render information

As you probably know, the render bar above the Final Cut Pro timeline changes color to indicate whether a clip is unrendered, fully rendered or rendering on-the-fly. This color coding is useful but it all depends on remembering what each color refers to.

If you hover the mouse over the render bar for a few seconds it will tell you not only the status of video and audio but, if it is unrendered, exactly why FCP is unable to play it in real-time. Very useful.

Comparing footage with difference mattes

It's a common question - how much quality do you lose when converting from Format X to Format Y or when you are forced to recompress footage? You can compare data rates and squint at it all day but that's not really telling you much.

Here's an easy way to tell exactly what has been lost.

Final Cut Pro
1. Take your Final Cut Pro sequence and export to the second format (the one that you plan to convert to). Or, if your footage didn't originate in FCP, import both versions (before and after) and place them into a new sequence.

2. Place the "before" version onto the bottom track and the "after" above it.



3. Ctrl-click on the "after" version and select Composite Mode > Difference.



Shake
1. Import the "before" and "after" versions into Shake using FileIn nodes.



2. Click on the Layer tab and click on MultiLayer.

3. Connect the noodles from the FileIns to the MultiLayer.



4. In the Parameters tab, change the composite mode of the second clip (the one listed at the top) to Difference.



Both applications will produce an image similar to the one below. This image tells you what has been lost from one version to the other. The clearer this image is, the more data has been lost. If you can clearly make out the edges of objects from the original image, this data loss is probably unacceptable. I personally would consider the image below unacceptable but how much data loss you can accept depends, of course, on the final destination of the clip. For example, web users will be much more forgiving than cinema-goers.

iTunes App Store RSS feeds

As I mentioned earlier, it was a bit disappointing that Apple hasn't offered up RSS feeds for iTunes App Store applications. Well, the kind folks at Pinch Media have decided to fill that gap, offering up their own feeds. They've got four feeds listing New Applications, Recently Updated Applications, Top 100 Free Applications and Top 100 Paid Applications.

While I was on their site, I also spotted another article detailing how the percentage of free apps is falling. This doesn't really surprise me but it is a little disappointing. All of our apps so far (both web apps and desktop apps) have been free - I am running a business but I don't like charging people for something I don't feel is worth paying for. That's not because I feel the quality of DR's apps is poor, just that the functions they perform fall into a very narrow category (e.g. FCS Remover). I will undoubtedly create certain paid software applications in the future but these would be larger applications with more wide-ranging uses and not small utilities for a single purpose. It disappoints me to see people offering "flashlight" applications (basically just a white screen) for $0.99 when you could just open a blank Safari page for free to achieve the same effect. It really cheapens the store, as do the applications with loads of symbols in front of their name (e.g. "!!!!!!AAAAAAAAA++++++ Application" just to get their apps to the top of the alphabetical listing.

Unless your app is very popular (or very expensive) you will lose out because Apple won't even write you a check until you hit $250 (which is quite a high threshold compared to other revenue schemes such as Google AdSense), and if you're past the cutoff date for that particular month, you have to wait until next month to receive your check. The small apps are free money to Apple because Apple can earn interest on the money while the developer is trying to reach $250 and in some cases, they may never end up having to write that check. I know Google makes tens of millions every year from small sites that never reach the $100 threshold.

DR apps will come, I promise. Just not this month. Maybe late next month, when I should have fewer time pressures. Come the end of August, I should have some more time to work on things like this and work on improving our other apps like FCS Remover and Preference Manager, in addition to creating a few new ones that I have in my head. In the meantime, we still have the web apps.

Removing Easy Setups

A question caught my eye on Apple's support boards today. Someone had created an Easy Setup in Final Cut Pro, deleted it and yet it was still present in the Easy Setups menu.

Here's how to remove them properly:

1. Close Final Cut Pro.

2. Go to /Library/Application Support/Final Cut Pro System Support/Custom Settings and delete the preset in question.

3. Go to ~/Library/Preferences/Final Cut Pro User Data and delete the file called Final Cut Pro 6.0 Prefs (or whatever version you have).

Alternatively, a much easier method is to use our free Preference Manager application to do it for you, along with a whole host of other options.

4. Empty Trash and start up FCP again.

The downside to this is that you lose your user preferences and must set them again.

Browser corruption bug still not fixed

I can't believe Apple still hasn't fixed this. This bug has been in Final Cut Pro for as long as I can remember (since at least version 5) and is so simple to replicate that you'd think they'd have fixed it by now. I've been experiencing it for a long time but for some reason it really annoyed me today.

1. In the Browser, modify the height of the window so that the bottom element in the list is at the very bottom of the window but not so much that the scroll bar appears.



2. Use your mouse's scroll wheel to scroll downwards.



It's really annoying when it happens accidentally, especially if a client is looking over your shoulder. I fix it by making the window a bit smaller to force the scroll bar to appear.

This is by no means the worst bug of Final Cut Pro but it really shouldn't have been here for so long. It's ridiculously simple to fix because it's so easily replicable.

What to do if you lose your Pro App serial number

Apple have a new AppleCare doc on their site asking a question that comes up quite often - what do you do if you lose your Final Cut Studio (or other Pro App) serial number?

You need to fax or email them proof of purchase giving details of the product purchased, the price paid, when it was purchased and the name and address of the reseller. I am emphasizing reseller here because the purchase must have been made from either Apple or an authorized reseller in order to qualify. If you bought it from eBay or from a friend, you're out of luck, unless they happen to be authorized.

This actually raises one more question - legal purchasers of Final Cut Studio are allowed to transfer their license to one other person as long as they remove all traces of FCS from their system, but most people sell their software and don't bother to fill in the transfer form. The article doesn't state whether the recipient of the transferred license would be eligible for this scheme, although I would imagine the answer is yes. Apple used to provide a way of offering feedback on AppleCare docs but unfortunately they no longer do this.

Hopefully we'll have another doc up soon answer another common question - what do you do if your disc gets lost, stolen or damaged?

[via LAFCPUG]

Third party Mac Pro Blu-ray drives

MCE Technologies has announced the availability of an internal 6x Blu-ray drive for the Mac Pro that seamlessly fits into one of the existing bays inside the machine.



The drive alone is $499 but there is also a version bundled with Roxio Toast 9 for $599. An external version is available for $749. It requires OS X 10.5.2 or higher but no device drivers are needed.

Currently the only Mac applications capable of burning Blu-ray movies are Roxio Toast 9 and Adobe Encore CS3, however there are quite a few more available for Windows if you have a Boot Camp partition available.

[via TUAW]

Leopard 10.5.4 update

Yesterday Apple released OS X 10.5.4. I'm going to post the full list of changes as it's quite short. I get the impression that this is not the full list of actual changes because Apple asked developers to test more than just these areas in pre-release versions of this patch, unless those additions were taken out for some reason.

General

* Includes recent Apple security updates.
* Resolves an issue with saving and reopening Adobe Creative Suite 3 files on a remote server.
* Includes additional RAW image support for several cameras.
* Addresses an issue that may result in a partially installed X11 application.
* Improves L2TP VPN client reliability.

AirPort

* Addresses AirPort reliability issues with 5GHz networks.
* Addresses AirPort issues that may result in slower performance in Logic Studio or MainStage.

iCal

* Improves overall iCal reliability for meeting requests, cancellation notices, delegation, and syncing with iPhone.
* Resolves an issue that prevents deleting an iCal event without notifying the creator.
* Addresses an issue in which events in all calendars affect availability. A checkbox now enables information-only calendars to be transparent from free/busy lookups.
* Resolves a UI issue preventing delegated calendars from showing up as a separate window.
* Addresses an issue with copying and pasting attendees from one event to another.
* Resolves an issue in which iCal may not delete events after a specified time interval, even when set to do so in iCal preferences.
* Addresses an issue in which To Dos cannot be marked private.

Safari

* Addresses a potential performance issue when loading secure web pages.
* Resolves issues that may be encountered when accessing secure web pages with client certificates that reside on a smart card.

Spaces and Expose

* Addresses an issue in which switching from a space with a Finder window keeps the Finder as the active application instead of the application residing in the destination space.
* Fixes an issue in which dragging an application from the list of application assignments in Spaces System Preferences does not assign the application to the desired space.
* Resolves an Expose issue that may result in only a subset of windows being shown.

Delta installer (88 MB)
Combo installer (561 MB)

The combo updater is recommended for safety. Usual warnings apply - clone your system before installing, don't update in the middle of a project and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Tiger users today received the Security Update 2008-004 patch which was included in the above update for Leopard.

PPC
Intel

This update marks a milestone for me. I always wait until at least version x.x.4 of an operating system before upgrading to it for professional use. This gives Apple time to iron out bugs and improve stability and gives third party developers time to make their software compatible with the new OS. So I will now be thinking about upgrading. It's complicated, however, by the fact that I am still on a G5 PowerMac and have a fair amount of PPC software that cost an arm and a leg to buy, so what I will probably end up doing is buying an Intel Mac Pro and gradually upgrading my software packages one at a time.