Automatic Dissolve. How? Vegas does it.
 

So I have 3 clips (lets call them A, B, C) and they all dissolve into each other. When I remove clip B, A & C will come together, but they don't automatically dissolve into each other. Why? I end up having to remove the dissolves from A & C and make a new one. This is a time intensive especially when I'm fixing like 10 clips, and I have to zoom in on each one.

Is there a faster/better way of getting A & C to like each other better so I don't have to do the tedious work ?

Andy

FCP is very much a professional NLE. It would never automatically put a dissolve between two clips. You must make a conscious decision to add that transition for yourself.

Cheers
Andy

Thanks Andy,
You're answer was exactly what my friend said. I just don't want to believe this is the only way for it to be done.

It would seem logical thought that since clip A and clip C already have dissolves attached that you wouldn't have to go through a bunch of steps that could easily be prevented. I'm going through the manual now trying to pick up some tips (the studios is over 2000 pages, wow!).

As it is, Apple MESSED UP when they decided that linked audio linked to video MUST have a dissolve on it as well when I add the video dissolve. WHY? Leave the function of my NLE alone! Or give me a choice to undo what you've changed!

I'm not sure when they added this "feature": I jumped from FCP3 straight to FCP6.

I'm all about OPTIONS but make it an option!

I guess what MY rant is about is FCP seems to trying to make things easier for the casual user but is messing up PRO workflow in the process.

Okay, that's just FUD. Vegas handles transitions very elegantly, so going to FCP can be frustrating. Personally, I've found that transitions are a lot more work in FCP. In Vegas, transitions are a very fluid part of the editing process, in FCP, I only add them as a finishing step, because of issues similar to the one Andy has encountered.

I can't remember which program I used to use that did this but I really liked to be able to drag a clip over another on the same track and get an automatic dissolve, audio and video. Could have been the Media 100 or the Video Cube, can't remember now. The FCP way is cumbersome but it does make me check each transition.

I am curious about the complaint that linked audio "must have" have a dissolve as well. Never happens to me (FCP 1.5 to 6), I always have to add the audio dissolve separately if I want it after adding a video dissolve.

Thats exactly the path that i'm going down. Make all transition at the end after I'm happy with my In's & Outs. Let me follow this up with a question:

In one click, Can you add dissolves to to an entire group of selected clips?

Shaun I'm also confused by your post. In the heat of your rant, maybe you didn't describe the problem correctly?

As far as I know:
- adding a video transition only adds it to the video - even if the audio is linked
COMMAND + T

- vice versa, adding an audio transition only adds it to the audio - even if the video is linked
OPTION + COMMAND + T

Here's a tutorial
Adding multiple dissolves in Final Cut Pro

Thanks. It works, kind of. Most of the time when I do this cool trick it crashes FCP and I have to relaunch.

>>FCP is very much a professional NLE. It would never automatically put a dissolve between two clips.
>Okay, that's just FUD.


No not FUD Michael, at least I don't think so. I respect your opinion mate, it is certainly every bit a s valid as mine, but FUD is shorthand for Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt and thats just not the case in the statement I made. No Fear, No Unceranty, and certainly No Doubt. Of course, I absolutely cannot speak for everyone nor would I intend to, but in all my experience as a professional broadcast editor, I have never yet met one who would ever want their NLE to automatically add a transition without a specific instruction to do so. Just doesn't happen in my neck of the woods anyway.
But I too am all for options, and I truly wish that Apple would add far deeper user level of options for a user to tailor how their own install of FCP would work. Options aren't for everybody ... those that don't want or need them could just ignore them.
Best
Andy

Sorry Andy (Mees), didn't mean to come off so harsh. I apologize if I did. There's nothing wrong with the way FCP handles transitions. Just wish it had more elegant options for handling the transitions when clips are being moved around and deleted on the timeline.