Automate FCP? PLEASE?!?
 

Basically, I want the Photoshop Action feature in Final Cut Pro, where I can record a set of tasks, then just press go and it will do it.

For example, I have to edit an hour long clip of a still camera shot recording several performances. I have to manually go in and between each performance, cut out the dead spots where nothing is going on, then put a marker right before the announcer says the name of the next performance.

This is where I want the automation to take place. I usually have to do this manually, but I would love it if I could press a button, then FCP would place a crossfade transition to each cut, then look at the markers, place a PSD of some logos on the timeline where each marker is, lower its opacity to 77, then add a text generation effect to each marker, then it would pause each time it put it so I could type in the team's name, then it would grab some livetype files and place them in order on the timeline where each marker is.

I have to do this about 20 times for each presentation, and there are about 7 or 8 presentations per event, and we have an event every weekend.

Please tell me there is some way I can streamline this process without having to do all of this manually. Please tell me there is a plugin out there that will do this!!

PLEASE!!!

Thank you.

This is about the nearest to what you want:

http://www.xmedit.com/

Graeme

I don't think Traffic will look at my markers and put what I need at each marker point.

Any other suggestions?

To give you a better idea of what I'm looking for, I need something that will go from this:

http://www.stinky.rednek.net/images/auto1.png

to this:

http://www.stinky.rednek.net/images/auto2.png

Thanks.

Traffic is definitely the ONLY tool that will come close to automatically doing all this. It's a very cool program and is worth it's price 10x over IF you have a need that it can help fulfill. I know the creator and the new version is going to be even better...his team is working on V2 (or 1.5) now.

Kevin

I am pretty desperate for a solution. Here's my idea.

Since the automation in Traffic is based on Apple's XML format, would it be possible to make an applescript to look at the XML format and change certain things about it? Such as, it would be able to see where markers are and tell it to insert something or whatever. I don't know...

If anyone is familiar with this, please enlighten me.

Thanks.

Have you tried Traffic yet? If I were you, I'd get the demo and try it. It is very powerful...it is like Automator for Final Cut Pro.

You may also email their tech support. Forrest, the creator of Traffic, is all about making the program solve exact challenges like these.

KW

Yes, I've tried traffic. It currently does not support markers, but I placed a post very much like this one on their forum expressing my needs. I just would rather not wait on their development team to come out with their next version before I can automate this process.