Professional workflows typically require you, the seasoned editor, to facilitate an interface between your timeline, different apps and different folks. Perhaps you have to create a visible abstract of your edit by exporting nonetheless frames at numerous factors alongside it. Perhaps you have to export a listing of particular timecodes the place VFX work remains to be wanted right into a database. Or perhaps you’re simply making an attempt to export a YouTube appropriate chapter listing, otherwise you need to export a bunch of various frames to check out as potential thumbnails. If you’re a Final Cut Pro consumer, a brand new app and workflow extension known as Marker Data can do all this and rather more, without spending a dime. Metadata has been a power of FCP for years, and now there’s an entire new solution to share extra of that knowledge.
Getting began
Head to the Marker Data page at The Acharya for an entire heap of information and a obtain hyperlink.
After obtain and set up, you’ll have an utility known as Marker Data in your Applications folder, and a workflow extension that’s accessible in Final Cut Pro. But earlier than leaping into that, check out the app, which is able to provide to put in a Final Cut Pro Share Extension, and you must do this now. Also, for those who haven’t already been prompted to present Files and Folders and Full Disk Access permissions, look beneath General, click on the blue textual content on the backside of the window, and grant entry.
While you’re right here, take just a few moments to poke across the settings, then save these settings right into a configuration. You can select a profile from the menu right here, together with a number of spreadsheet codecs, MIDI, YouTube Chapters, and both Notion or Airtable databases. Note that if you wish to add direct to those databases, you’ll must arrange a Database Profile within the Databases tab, however since I don’t use these, I haven’t examined this performance myself. Here’s a developer-provided video demonstrating an export from FCP, through Marker Data, to a Notion database:
Within every profile, you’ll be able to select to allow subframes, disabled clips, and even skip picture era completely for those who don’t want it. If you do plan on exporting photos out of your timeline, head to the Image tab and arrange your most popular dimension and format. Note that right here, you’ll be able to select to make use of Markers, or Captions, or each as a supply of knowledge, and this opens up some intriguing workflow prospects.
The choice to make use of captions slightly than (or along with) markers means you should utilize captions as an prolonged data supply, or as an optionally available one. Maybe you’d want to make use of markers on your personal notes, and use captions for collaborative functions — no drawback in any respect. When it’s time for remaining export, captions will clearly be essential for accessibility, however throughout manufacturing, they can be utilized merely as one other solution to retailer data. As captions can embrace a number of traces of content material, they supply a handy, seen place to go away in depth messages or notes for different collaborators. And much like markers, they’ll keep related to any sort of clip, irrespective of the place they transfer in a timeline.
Sending a timeline to Marker Data
If you solely need to export spreadsheet knowledge, merely drag a venture to the extension’s window. The venture’s XML will probably be despatched straight to the total app, then processed. Bear in thoughts, nevertheless, that this workflow solely exports the metadata saved in a timeline, such because the marker positions and names. If you additionally need to export nonetheless photos (and optionally analyze the colours used) at these marker positions, you must as a substitute use the share vacation spot you put in throughout app setup earlier. There are, in actual fact, two locations put in, one which makes use of ProRes and one other which makes use of H.264, and for the reason that film file is just not retained after export, both one ought to work for many functions. Here’s the output from one in every of my latest timelines:
Sharing to one in every of these locations exports a film alongside the XML. The Marker Data app reads each, then generates the spreadsheet and a picture at every marker or caption location, utilizing the settings you selected earlier. There’s fairly a bit of knowledge included, too.
A flood of helpful data
As effectively because the title and timecode place of the marker and/or caption, you’ll discover the kind of marker, its standing, and any notes on the marker. There’s additionally the title of the venture, the occasion it’s in, and a ton of information concerning the clip the marker is hooked up to. Reel, scene or take data on the clip is included, as is its length, out and in timecode, and any roles utilized to it.
As any exported photos are extracted from a full timeline export, shade corrections you will have utilized are mirrored within the output. If you would like, you can even select to burn in labels, writing a few of your metadata straight into the photographs — probably a helpful solution to partly defend them, or simply to make sure that metadata can’t be separated from these photos. Note that for those who select to export GIFs, you’ll be creating brief animations at every marker, probably a greater illustration of a specific second than a nonetheless picture.
All up, you’ll discover a ton of flexibility right here, and I can see a number of methods I’ll be utilizing this going ahead. For anybody delivering to YouTube, Marker Data offers a straightforward solution to create chapter timecodes from chapter markers in your timeline — no must kind this out by hand. You might additionally shortly export a collection of potential photos to be used in YouTube thumbnails, or just please a consumer who’s requested you to export a ton of nonetheless photos from one in every of your timelines.
But in a higher-end workflow, it is a good software to combine with a wider pool of collaborators. Timeline-driven spreadsheet exports have been potential for a while, and there are good instruments like Producer’s Best Friend that stay helpful. However, for those who’ve been in search of a solution to export a to-do listing to speak progress to your producers, or to let a consumer know precisely which photographs you’re engaged on, or ask an assistant to find alternative photographs, or making an attempt to clear rights, it is a unbelievable answer.
Conclusion
Marker Data is a outstanding discover, and a invaluable free app for anybody doing professional work with Final Cut Pro. Metadata has lengthy been a key power of this app, and now it’s a lot simpler to faucet into it. You can now retailer essential, related textual content, direct on a the timeline, and export it in a number of methods. If you’re an editor who’d want to spend extra time in an NLE and fewer time in Excel, this one’s for you — and for anybody you’re employed with. Recommended.
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