still having the problem of only being able to edit 1 transition into my timeline. almost seems like there is some default that i unknowingly set. just trying to do simply cross dissolves at every edit point and only allowed one. it seems i can put that one anywhere in the timeline, if that helps.

Gary,
What editing software and type of Mac are you using?

editing software....fcp3, g4 dual 1.25

Gary,
What exactly happens when you try to place successive transitions into the timeline? (Remember that you need a bit of footage overlap at the head and tail to make a transition work.)

Are you new to video editing and/or to Final Cut Pro?

very new, been to training but had 6 weeks before the system giot here after training, so it all slipped away. at some edit points get the "insufsient content for edit" message. after i count back the appropriate # of frames, it still wont take. no messeage, just does not take the transition.

no, not new to editing, i can make two Beta decks sing to the heavens. yes, 2week with FPC3.

Gary,
The "insufficient content for edit" is a familiar nastygram for many of us FCP editors. Also, the apparent no-reaction/no-effect is familiar.

Basically, I see 3 alternatives available to you.

1. You could do a roll edit to increase the footage available to the transition. I know you indicated that you've counted frames, but I think you'll discover that you'll need to add just a bit more.

2. You can change the default duration of the transition to make it a bit less demanding.

3. You can create a cross-dissolve transition (as well as other styles) manually by keyframing opacities and using bezier curves to smooth as required.

As you may already know, it's very helpful to magnify the timeline view and turn curve displays on for this work.

I've encountered this situation many times and have used all three of these methods depending on the situation. With your experience in the linear editing world I'm sure you will quickly master FCP and its various idiosyncracies.

very helpful, thank you

if you pull a clip into the timeline that has no 'leader' to it then there is nothing for the transition to grab and it can't be applied. that's why you should always shoot a few seconds before any important footage and a few seconds after. there are a couple of work arounds. you can create a 5 second still frame that matches the first frame of what you want and apply the transition to that frame to blend into the existing footage. you can also set the opacity for the clip such that you have something like a dissolve into that clip. if you overlap two clips and reduce the opacity of one while you increase the opacity of the second clip (starting from black) then you have a cross dissolve with no actual transition required. time consuming but effective for a few clips here and there. you can also recapture or go to the bin and re-grab longer handles if that's possible.

yeah, i did the clip overlay method, amazing. it used to take me many tens of thousands of $ worth of equipment to do that effect, without such detail controls. i might be buying in to this non-linear stuff. just hope i have hair left when its all over.

Start leaving longer handles on your clips when you batch capture. You can always trim in the time line if you have to. It is very slow to have to recapture longer clips. If you just can't make a dissolve or cross fade work use a dip to color.

whats the secreat? will not take any color, only black.

Drop the effecton the timeline. Double click on the effect in the timeline. In the left window (Viewer:Slug) click on the filter tab, click on the arrow next to video effect and a pallette, eye dropper etc. will appear. Use eye dropper to pull color in from clip or choose color using sliders. Render (apple key>R key) if necessary.

you are a stud, and i owe you a beer, with, im sure, many mnore to come. ta much!