On 23 November 2016, I noted with regret that I could not find a way of importing a folder of jpgs to the new Photos and Audio Sidebar in FCPX 10.3. Before 10.3 I could do this using a Published Smart Folder from Lightroom.
I now realise, having looked up the various import procedures for 10.3, that it is possible to import folders and individual files from the Published Smart Folder by dragging from the standard Apple Finder to an event or directly to the timeline.
The two convenient ways to do this are (quoting from the Apple manual):
- Select a file, Command-click to select multiple files, or select a folder of files, then drag the file or files from the Finder to the event.
- Select a file, Command-click to select multiple files, then drag the file or files to a project in the timeline.
This method is not so convenient as in 10.2 because it adds an extra step.
And, just in case you are wondering, the latest update (10.3.2) which I installed this morning still does not restore the functionality in this respect of 10.2 although files of audio folders can now be added to the photos and audio sidebar.
The latest update to Final Cut Pro X (version 7.0.7) arrived just as I was starting a major editing job. The contrast with the initially released version is striking. There has been a gradual improvement with each update but this one set the record. I edited two finished videos, each of approximately 80 minutes, without a single crash. The video was full HD (HD-FX from my Sony HDR-XR550) plus a large number of 4000 x 4000 pixel stills. The various exports (Apple use the awful term 'share' for most export purposes) worked flawlessly.
I also used the latest version of Motion 5 (5.0.6) and, with FCPX, the excellent free Pan and Zoom and Manifesto from Noise Industries. Pan and Zoom provides the controls for moving around a still photograph that are absent from the 'Ken Burns' function in FCPX. Manifesto is excellent for rolling credits.
I still think Apple did itself harm by releasing FCPX in a state that showed potential but which lacked key features and was unstable is use. The damage is being repaired and the latest version, I can say without a shadow of doubt, is excellent. With the available add-ons it is even more so.
The Noise Industries Website is at:
http://www.noiseindustries.com/fxfactory/
