Day 27 #28daysofQuickTips 2018 – Audition Adjustment Layers as Effect Collections in Final Cut Pro X by Scott Simmons

This advanced QuickTip goes pretty deep into FCPX’s Audition feature

February 27, 2018

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Years ago before the release of Final Cut Pro X but after the first announcement many editors, myself included, were excited about this new Auditions feature that FCPX was going to contain. It looked to be some new thinking on ways to look at … audition … different takes or different shots in an edit. In reality the FCPX Auditions feature is probably underused as it’s a bit clunky to setup and execute.

But this reader QuickTip coming to us from Ryan Welborn is doing some deep diving into FCPX Auditions and takes it to a level I haven’t seen before. Nice tip Ryan, here it is:

Auditioning clips in FCPX is neat, but if you don’t do a lot of back and forth shot picking with a producer sitting behind you, you may not see the real (and MASSIVE) benefit to this functionality.

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Duplicate as Audition (option-y) an Adjustment Layer to “look iterate” when deciding on or tweaking LUTs/Color Correction and Effects.

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With the Audition open (y) you can duplicate the Adjustment Layer audition and apply different effects to as many instances of the Adjustment Layer audition you want. Just be sure and delete any effects you might have applied to an Adjustment Layer already in the Audition.

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Quickly Audition between them with (ctrl-option Left/Right)

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Then duplicate-move (option-drag) the Audition, as a sort of look suitcase, to carry your collection of LUTs/Color/Effects to be chosen from on the next edit. Finalize (kill others in Audition) using (option-shift-y)

There’s also a shortcut for Duplicate Audition as Original (shift-command y) which creates an unaltered version of you want to start fresh again.

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This method is useful for filtering out the ‘maybes’ of LUTs and Color Grading as well as compiling and picking repeated looks used throughout an edit.

Adjustment Layers don’t natively ship inside FCPX. (for some reason.) FCPX Adjustment Layers are simply a Motion Title Template saved without any text. Once placed in an FCPX timeline, any Effect added or adjustment done in inspector to the Adjustment Layer will affect all clips below it (i.e. a Blur added to an Adjustment Layer will Blur any clips, titles, or transitions below it).

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osmFCPX provides one in AddMotion (unwatermarked in trial version, too) available via FxFactory

Alex4D has one to download HERE as well as a breakdown of what they do.

If you have Motion and you’d like to build your own Ripple Training can show you how HERE.

Have your own editing and post-production related QuickTip for #28daysofQuickTips 2018 that you’d like to share? Know a killer Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, Avid Media Composer or DaVinci Resolve tip that no one else knows? Want to possibly win a prize? Then click over to the post announcing this year’s #28daysofQuickTips and find out how you can send in your own QuickTip.