The Timeline Index is one of the hidden jewels of Final Cut Pro X. Have you been using it to its full potential?
The Timeline Index is essentially a database window into your timeline. Since FCP X is in some ways a big database, all the items in your timeline: video clips, photos, audio, titles, transitions, generators, effects, markers – all have metadata associated with them and can therefore be identified, located, and manipulated by this metadata.
This week on MacBreak Studio, Steve Martin and Mark Spencer from Ripple Training discuss several different ways to take advantage of this great tool. Need to locate a transition in your project and replace it? How about locating and editing or replacing a title? Or a specific video clip? The Timeline Index makes it quick and easy to do so.
Markers are another interesting way to use the Timeline Index. You can use it as a working checklist. By setting “To Do” markers along your project (for example, during a client review), you can then quickly move from one marker to the next, fix the issue, and set the marker to Completed status directly in the Timeline index – no need to double-click each marker to open them up and edit them. You can also navigate and rename chapter markers quickly.
Finally, Steve demonstrates an interesting use of Roles, which are another type of metadata that can be manipulated in the Timeline Index. Since all clips are automatically assigned roles, one thing you can do in a keystroke is to disable all titles in your project to create a “textless master” – a copy of your project with no titles.
All in all, the Timeline Index is an incredibly powerful tool in Final Cut Pro X – make sure you take advantage of it.