NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2004

[Kevin Lawson]

Yes u can make a pasword for your startup, if your on osx.

Go into 'system pref.'
Then click on 'login.'
Chosee 'login window.'
De-select 'automatically log in.'

This will require a password to login every time you restart. You can also set-up a password for your screen saver and then set a hot-corner to start the screen saver. If you always remember to activate it when you walk away from the machine it will lock-out the machine until you enter the password again.

Go into 'system pref.'
Then click on 'scrensaver.'
Chosee 'activation.'
Select 'use my user account password.'

Hope this helps!

[Jeff Donald]

There's more flexibility than that. You can set your son up with his own account and limit access to just the programs you want him to be able to use.

Apple Menu>System Preferences>Accounts

If the padlock in the lower left corner is locked, click on it and enter your admin password at the prompt. Once unlocked click on the plus sign above the padlock to add a new account. Enter all the information requested for your son (name, password for him to use, hints for password if he forgets etc.). Once entered, click on limitations and select just the applications you want him to use.

Once his account is setup, you can change login options to list of users and un-check automatically log in. If the time involved in logging in an out seems too long you can setup "Fast User switching" in the login options. If you need additional help use the help menu (search logout) or post back.

[Joe Lloyd]

Ok so I shot a music video the other day and sat down to edit it last night. Everything in my rough edit lined up fine. Then I started getting rid of some clips and changind etc. etc. I go to play with my newly tuned sequence and it was so far out of sync now. As I was yelling at my monitor and mac, and steve jobs I realized I had been hitting the delete key to get rid of clips instead of backspace. Moral of the story you ask? Dumb mistake.... but I figured it's a nice change to post this instead of constantly complaining that there's a bug in the system.


Honestly its my only mistake, everything else was a glitch with FCP ;)

[Jeff Donald]

Do a horizontal wipe (hard or soft edge) and only do it half way. There are numerous other ways, involving key frames, mattes etc. but the simple wipe should suffice.

[Jeff Donald]

Thanks for the information Joe.

[Jane Regan]

Hi Guys -

Thanks for the advice but I am still having a problem!

I decided not to change computers after all of that and have been working on the G4 with an ext hard drive. All has been fine.

But today I turned on the G4 and opened the program forgetting that the ext was not turned on. Of course FCP reported "clips offline." So I closed, not "saving changes," shut down, etc. The connect ext, turned on, opened the movie and... voila... a bunch of clips THINK they are offline. they play fine, but in the timeline are all RED and scarey looking.

Advice? This is driving me nuts.

[Kirsten Scully]

Hi,
I am putting together a pilot for a documentary. 3 cameras were used to film a simulated train crash : one inside the train, one outside and one in the hospital. I would like to put a stop-watch running continually in the corner of the screen as the images jump from one scene to the other. Is there anything in FCP 4 that will do this for me or anything in Mac software that I can import? or do I physically have to shoot a stop-watch? I´m using a Dual G5.
Thanks for any suggestions concerning this urgent matter!
Kirsten

[Jeff Donald]

Shoot a stop watch. There are no effects like that in FCP.

[Jeff Donald]

Have rendered the effects again? You can try and link the clips with the media manager.

[John Locke]

Kirsten,

I recently searched for the same thing but couldn't find anything.

Graeme Nattress started working on an FCP plug to do that...but I'm not sure if he's finished it or not.

[Graeme Nattress]

I didn't even get to the stopwatch part - just got the countdown infrastructure done. I'm busy on two video programming (non FCP) projects at the moment - perhaps I'll have time again after NAB. I've just put out a new Standards Converter update, so I've been really busy!

But I've not forgotten about the idea.....

Even still, for a real stopwatch, I'd video one, then matte it in....

Graeme

hey guys,
this is my last stupid mac question before i buy one... i promise :)

i was all set on a 12 inch g4 powerbook - shown here http://www.smalldog.com/product/12650753

but then i just came across this powerbook from the same dealer but in a different category and im not sure if it is what i want (which is a new g4 powerbook good for editing w/ as big a processor as i can get for the $) here is the link - http://www.smalldog.com/product/12651822

if somebody wouldnt mind telling me the difference it would helpp a great deal as i dont wanna throw $1500 at something that isnt perfect for me. thanks!

[Joe Gioielli]

I'm runninf FCP 3 on a new g4, have a seperate HD for media. Everything was fine. Then an audio problem happened. I can see the audio in the time line, but I can't hear it. I can play a CD, so the sudio problem is just in FCP.

So I poked around the settings and the problem went away.

Then I heard that you can set your perfs back to the defaults by doing this:

1) Go to: Users/[your user name]/Library/Preferences
2) Drag, "com.apple.FinalCutPro.plist" to the trash
3) Scroll down to the Final Cut Pro folder
4) Drag, "Final Cut Pro Preferences" to the trash
5) Drag, "Final Cut Pro POA Cache" to the trash

So I do this, and the audio problem returns. So I just take the old files out of the trash, replace the new files, the problem is still there.

I can see the audio, it's there, but I can't play it.

Help!

[Jeff Donald]

Did you empty the trash and restart or log out and then back in? Does the audio play in QuickTime? How are you monitoring your audio?

[Jeff Donald]

The one is the current version, introduced in September 2003. Your original choice is the first 12 inch PowerBook and had slower CPU (1 GHz vs. 867 MHz), mini-VGA video connector (vs. mini DVI), and slower USB (not USB 2.0). The newer version came with 256 MB or ram as standard and has a higher max ram and a better video card. Other than the above, they are identical in outward appearance. Since the difference is only $150 i'd go with the newer (higher performance) model.