Workflow-discussion: Lumiera Workflow Proposals (draft v3)
...fine-tuned a few small bits here and there in the
current chapter of the workflow document
===========================================================
Remark from Ichthyo(committer):
Converted from PDF to raw text with
pdftotext wouter250819v3.pdf WorkflowProposals.txt
Images extracted with:
pdfimages -png -j wouter250819v3.pdf wouter/wouter250819v3
Again adding the images separately to the Website-repository,
in order to save storage space in the main repository....
This commit is contained in:
Wouter Verwijlen
parent
4dba1c816d
commit
f6427474ad
1 changed files with 69 additions and 59 deletions
|
|
@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
|
|||
Lumiera Workflow Proposals
|
||||
==========================
|
||||
:Author: Wouter Verwijlen
|
||||
:Date: 29 June 2025
|
||||
:Date: 19 August 2025
|
||||
:TOC:
|
||||
|
||||
I would like to share a first version of a collection of workflow ideas for Lumiera. These ideas come
|
||||
|
|
@ -54,9 +54,12 @@ Examples of such personas could be:
|
|||
post-production of a film are handled by different people: assisant editors, colorists,
|
||||
audio engineers, etc.
|
||||
** The allround contracted editor who handles all aspects of post-production
|
||||
** The allround artistic filmmaker who also edits
|
||||
|
||||
◦ The freelance editor who does both commisioned work and passion projects
|
||||
** The allround artistic/indie filmmaker, who also edits
|
||||
** The allround social media creator who values the use of visual effects, motion graphics
|
||||
and sound effects.
|
||||
And a few subtypes:
|
||||
** The free-flowing editor who doesn't have a fixed idea of how the edit should be and
|
||||
instead wants to play and move things around, and who might not work in a linear
|
||||
fashion: they might do a bit of color correction to get a better sense of how a scene feels,
|
||||
|
|
@ -83,7 +86,9 @@ was, we should make an attempt to understand this reasoning. Some designs might
|
|||
come from technical limitations, and others might have had really clever thinking behind
|
||||
them. Let's see what we can learn from that.
|
||||
|
||||
* Ideally we should also include workflows for editors using XR headsets in combination with
|
||||
•
|
||||
|
||||
Ideally we should also include workflows for editors using XR headsets in combination with
|
||||
controllers or even hand tracking. While I do have a headset at work that I experiment with,
|
||||
we might want someone with actual XR design skills to be involved here.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -109,7 +114,7 @@ course.
|
|||
The current NLE landscape
|
||||
-------------------------
|
||||
A few decades ago there was this idea that only a single application could be called ``the best'', in
|
||||
other words: the one true NLE to rule them all. Some even went as far as calling it ``the NLE wars''.
|
||||
other words: the one true NLE to rule them all. Some even went as far as calling it »the NLE wars«.
|
||||
There was fierce competition between Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, and Adobe Premiere
|
||||
and each had its fans. Over the years this discussion faded away. Final Cut Pro was disregarded by
|
||||
many after the radical rewrite that was released as Final Cut Pro X. Avid Media Composer retained
|
||||
|
|
@ -217,7 +222,7 @@ later during their development. Final Cut Pro was from its core designed to be u
|
|||
It's fast, and in combination with the clip connections and magnetic timeline, it's the least
|
||||
destructive way to edit. Trimming and editing by mouse is less precise though, which is why
|
||||
even FCP offers many keyboard shortcuts for precise trimming by keyboard. Using a mouse
|
||||
feel slightly less tactile than using physical buttons and dials.
|
||||
feels slightly less tactile than using physical buttons and dials.
|
||||
+
|
||||
In this same category we can also mention touch screens (as they offer similar interactions
|
||||
as a mouse, with the addition of finger gestures). Editing on a smartphone or tablet, when
|
||||
|
|
@ -411,6 +416,8 @@ Currently I'm thinking of using this bar on two or three occasions:
|
|||
+
|
||||
-> See the next subchapter: »Adding clips to the timeline«.
|
||||
|
||||
Colors could be used (for example as an outline around the bar) to indicate which contextual mode
|
||||
is active.
|
||||
A limitation of such a bar is that it might overlap with content that a user wishes to interact with. If
|
||||
this is the case, then clicking on the grid with dots will let a user drag this bar out of the way. As an
|
||||
extra option I would like to suggest to use a modifier key (Ctrl?) which temporarily hides the
|
||||
|
|
@ -425,7 +432,8 @@ Adding clips to the timeline
|
|||
All NLE's offer multiple ways to get your material in the timeline, and those methods fall into the
|
||||
following categories:
|
||||
|
||||
* Drag and drop from either the project contents panel or directly from a file browser
|
||||
* Drag and drop from either the project contents panel, another timeline, or directly from a file
|
||||
browser
|
||||
* By creating a timeline out of selected clips in a bin
|
||||
* N point editing, of which the most commonly used is three point editing: you load a source
|
||||
clip (or timeline) into a (source) viewer/monitor, mark an in point, out point and use one of
|
||||
|
|
@ -449,21 +457,12 @@ selected duration in the source clip match the selected duration in the timeline
|
|||
* Avid features a Replace Edit option: a selected clip on the timeline can be replaced by the
|
||||
contents in the source browser with a single click or keystroke.
|
||||
|
||||
All of these options make sense, but in general I find it easier to remember two options (insert and
|
||||
All of these options make sense, but in general I rarely remember more than two options (insert and
|
||||
overwrite) and easily forget any surplus options that NLE's offer. We should also try to limit the
|
||||
amount of keyboard shortcuts that a user needs to memorize, so two options seems like a proper
|
||||
number. In that case, I would suggest one key/function for an Insert operation.
|
||||
|
||||
The second key/function will be a more generic ``Add Clip'' action, which might display a pop-up in
|
||||
which we can select which method to use. TAB will cycle between Overwrite, Place on Top,
|
||||
Append and Replace, followed by Enter to confirm. It will remember the last used option. Double
|
||||
tapping the keyboard shortcut for this action will skip the pop-up.
|
||||
|
||||
Having to repeatedly view a pop-up menu (or double tapping a key) might feel cumbersome, so an
|
||||
alternative could be to let the ``Add Clip'' action insert a clip by default and show all different
|
||||
options via the contextual bar. You can then change the behaviour after the fact, until you commit
|
||||
by doing something else. In this case, adding a clip will enter and exit another contextual mode.
|
||||
|
||||
amount of keyboard shortcuts that a user needs to memorize, so I would like to propose a single
|
||||
``Add Clip'' action. This will insert a clip and will show the different options via the contextual bar.
|
||||
You can then change the desired method after the fact, until you commit by doing something else.
|
||||
In this case, adding a clip will enter and exit another contextual mode.
|
||||
One last thing I would like to address is the destruction that an insert operation can cause. Usually
|
||||
this can be prevented by proper track management, but you can wonder why you would ever want
|
||||
an insert action to cause the following:
|
||||
|
|
@ -552,8 +551,9 @@ Premiere you can choose how large the steps are, Resolve only supports single se
|
|||
|
||||
Combining mouse and keyboard:
|
||||
|
||||
* Adobe Premiere has a "move playhead to cursor" feature that can be bound to a key.
|
||||
Very useful!
|
||||
* Adobe Premiere and several DAWs (Ardour, Reaper) have a "move playhead to cursor"
|
||||
feature that can be bound to a key. Very useful! Resolve has added this in version 20.1 as
|
||||
well.
|
||||
|
||||
Using other devices:
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -633,6 +633,7 @@ increase. This will also work vertically. The playhead will move along as well.
|
|||
.Autoscroll widget
|
||||
image::{imgg}/wouter/07-2-autoscroll.png[width="100%", alt="A widget for auto-scrolling"]
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
Zoom widget:: moving the mouse left or right from the center will zoom horizontally, up and
|
||||
down will zoom vertically.
|
||||
+
|
||||
|
|
@ -710,15 +711,22 @@ good reason to go in this direction.
|
|||
image::{imgg}/wouter/08-selection.png[width="100%", alt="selecting clips"]
|
||||
|
||||
For selecting, we can introduce an ``add to selection'' key which adds the highlighted clip to the
|
||||
current selection (apart from the convention of using Ctrl+mouse click). Selected clips can have a
|
||||
differently colored box, yellow, for example.
|
||||
|
||||
current selection (apart from the convention of using Ctrl+mouse click). We could also think of
|
||||
adding box-select by keyboard, by using a system with grid coordinates.
|
||||
One thing to note is that we do still need extra keyboard shortcuts to move the playhead frame by
|
||||
frame, indepently from the clip selection. See the navigation subchapter for more details.
|
||||
Selection will be one of the previously mentioned _contextual modes._ The user can always return to
|
||||
their previous selection until they make a new one, by pressing the corresponding keyboard shortcut
|
||||
(S).
|
||||
|
||||
Most NLE's have functions for selecting many clips at once, called ‘select forward’ and ‘select
|
||||
backward’. In Adobe Premiere these are tools: click and you select all clips to either the left or right
|
||||
of the mouse cursor, and using Shift will toggle between selecting all clips on a single track or on
|
||||
all tracks (it doesn’t respect track activation status though, which it should). Other NLE's (Resolve,
|
||||
Avid, Lightworks) only have keyboard shortcuts for these functions, which do only affect activated
|
||||
tracks. This is a bit faster: in Premiere you need to switch to the Select Forward/Backward Tool,
|
||||
make your selection, then switch back to your previous tool. With a keyboard shortcut you only
|
||||
have to press a single key (if your track selection is correct).
|
||||
|
||||
Arranging clips
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
|
@ -821,11 +829,10 @@ on clip connections (this is discussed in the subchapter ``Tracks vs Trackless''
|
|||
Let's first examine trim side selection by mouse. This is generally as simple as clicking near the
|
||||
edge of a clip, or on the edge between two clips to select both sides for a roll edit.
|
||||
|
||||
Adding additional trim sides often works by using modifier like Ctrl + left click (Premiere, Resolve,
|
||||
Adding additional trim sides often works by using a modifier like Ctrl + left click (Premiere, Resolve,
|
||||
Lightworks, Avid). FCP does not allow the selection of multiple trim sides and therefore does not
|
||||
support _asymmetric trimming._ Such trims are still possible, but need to be performed in two steps
|
||||
rather than one.
|
||||
|
||||
support _asymmetric trimming._ Such trims are still possible, but need to be performed in
|
||||
multiple steps rather than one.
|
||||
Keyboard selection of trim sides happens in general by providing shortcuts for selecting the left (A)
|
||||
side, the right (B) side, or both, of a cut (Avid, Premiere, Resolve and FCP, although the latter does
|
||||
not have a shortcut for selecting both sides as it uses a dedicated Trim tool for roll edits). This
|
||||
|
|
@ -834,13 +841,10 @@ very powerful method: instead of A/B/both, it has four shortcuts:
|
|||
|
||||
* Trim last out
|
||||
* Trim in
|
||||
|
||||
These two apply to all cuts on enabled tracks to the left of the playhead.
|
||||
|
||||
* Trim out
|
||||
* Trim next in
|
||||
|
||||
These two apply to all cuts on enabled tracks to the right of the playhead.
|
||||
These apply to all clips (or gaps) on enabled tracks underneath the playhead.
|
||||
These commands can be combined: when pressing multiple keys, new trim sides are added to the
|
||||
selection. This allows for quickly selecting many trim sides on many tracks.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -850,28 +854,30 @@ image::{imgg}/wouter/10-trim-side.png["select trim side"]
|
|||
Another feature that was already mentioned in a previous chapter, is FCP's precision editor, which
|
||||
can be triggered by double clicking a cut or by keyboard shortcut. This shows how much footage
|
||||
from each clip is available for trimming and allows ripple trimming as well as roll edits to be
|
||||
performed by mouse or keyboard.
|
||||
|
||||
performed by mouse or keyboard. DaVinci Resolve added a similar thing called Trim Editor, but
|
||||
positions it at the bottom of the Timeline Viewer.
|
||||
|
||||
Performing the trim
|
||||
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
||||
Usually we see three ways to perform a trim:
|
||||
Usually we see four ways to perform a trim:
|
||||
|
||||
1. Frame by frame. This can be done by mouse by clicking and dragging the edges of a clip, or
|
||||
by keyboard by using shortcuts for ``left one frame'', ``right one frame'', ``left 10/many frames'',
|
||||
``right 10/many frames''. Instead of using keyboard shortcuts, dedicated hardware can be used
|
||||
to joggle left or right to perform trimming.
|
||||
2. By specifying an exact amount of frames. Pretty much every NLE supports using the plus
|
||||
and minus keys on the keypad to enter exact frame numbers. Lightworks does an excellent
|
||||
job at this: when not entering any amount (so just plus/minus + enter) it will repeat the last
|
||||
and minus keys on the keypad to enter exact frame numbers. Lightworks and Avid do an excellent
|
||||
job at this: when not entering any amount (so just plus/minus + enter) they will repeat the last
|
||||
entered amount of frames.
|
||||
3. Dynamic trimming. This means starting playback of the timeline around the position of the
|
||||
cut, and pressing a key to mark a point in realtime where the cut should be placed. Avid and
|
||||
Lightworks have dynamic trimming support within their trim modes. Resolve has a separate
|
||||
switch for this that needs to be toggled, and Premiere has a separate mode for dynamic
|
||||
trimming, simply called ``Trim Mode''. FCP does not seem to support dynamic trimming at
|
||||
the time of writing.
|
||||
3. Dynamic trimming. This means moving the cut (or slipping or sliding a clip) by using the
|
||||
JKL-playback controls. Avid and Lightworks have dynamic trimming support within their
|
||||
trim modes. Resolve has a separate switch for this that needs to be toggled, and Premiere has
|
||||
|
||||
a separate mode for dynamic trimming, simply called ‘Trim Mode’. FCP does not seem to
|
||||
support dynamic trimming at the time of writing - although some people disagree and say
|
||||
that the ‘Extend Edit’ function, when used in the Precision Editor, achieves a similar result.
|
||||
4. All of the big NLE's have keyboard shortcuts that will trim either the start or the end of a
|
||||
clip to the position of the playhead, in ripple and non-ripple flavors.
|
||||
|
||||
Previewing the cut
|
||||
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
||||
|
|
@ -887,8 +893,7 @@ be closed with the Escape key, as can Avid's trim mode.
|
|||
|
||||
Analysis and proposal
|
||||
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
||||
My proposal is to leverage the same system as the clip selection system to highlight a clip, and then
|
||||
have three commands:
|
||||
My proposal is to use the clip selection system to highlight a clip, and then have three commands:
|
||||
|
||||
* Select the clip's in point as trim side
|
||||
* Select the clip's out point as trim side
|
||||
|
|
@ -899,8 +904,8 @@ two shortcuts are pressed once, they select the trim side for ripple trims. When
|
|||
will switch to non-ripple trims (and back again with another press). There should be a clear visual
|
||||
difference between these two (perhaps through the color of the brackets, as in Avid).
|
||||
|
||||
Note that this approach closely resembles Lightworks, and is different from Avid, FCP, Premiere
|
||||
and Resolve. Those apps take the cut closest to the playhead as the basis for choosing a trim side.
|
||||
Note that this approach resembles Lightworks, and is different from Avid, FCP, Premiere and
|
||||
Resolve. Those apps take a cut (closest to the playhead) as the basis for choosing a trim side.
|
||||
Lightworks takes the underlying clip as its basis. Since we already have a mechanism for navigating
|
||||
clips, we should probably not add another mechanism just for navigating cuts.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -924,12 +929,12 @@ we should consider that we need the following keyboard shortcuts:
|
|||
These same keys can't double for nudging clips, the way it does in many apps, without using modes.
|
||||
Therefore my proposal is indeed to introduce a Trim mode. As said, it should be designed as a
|
||||
contextual mode that we fluidly enter and exit and that is visually easy to distinguish from the
|
||||
regular mode, which we can call the Position mode. Trim mode can be accentuated by marking the
|
||||
part of the timeline we'll be previewing. As in Avid, in trim mode playback could always preview
|
||||
the selected cut, so we won't need a special Preview (sometimes called ``Play around'') shortcut. Trim
|
||||
mode will be exited automatically whenever the user clicks in an empty spot of the timeline or
|
||||
presses the trim mode key (T). This key can also be used to return to the last-used trim
|
||||
configuration.
|
||||
regular mode, which we can call the Navigation mode. Trim mode can be accentuated by marking
|
||||
the part of the timeline we'll be previewing. As in Avid, in trim mode playback could always
|
||||
preview the selected cut, so we won't need a special Preview (sometimes called ``Play around'')
|
||||
shortcut, (editing transitions should also engage the trim mode, in that case). Trim mode will be
|
||||
exited automatically whenever the user clicks in an empty spot of the timeline or presses the trim
|
||||
mode key (T). This key can also be used to return to the last-used trim configuration.
|
||||
|
||||
.Mockup of the trim mode. The striped area marks the pre- and post-roll that will be previewed.
|
||||
image::{imgg}/wouter/11-trim-mode.png[width="100%", alt="using trim mode"]
|
||||
|
|
@ -941,24 +946,29 @@ Tool-based NLE's offer a Blade or Cut tool that will cut clips wherever a user c
|
|||
offer a dedicated keyboard shortcut for creating a cut at the playhead as well.
|
||||
|
||||
Merging two timeline clips with so-called ``through edits'' is often possible by selecting the cut for a
|
||||
roll edit and pressing the delete key. A through edit is a cut made within a clip, where the start of the
|
||||
second clip in the timeline matches the next frame from the source clip that corresponds to the first
|
||||
timeline clip.
|
||||
|
||||
roll edit and pressing the delete key. A through edit occurs when two successive segments of the
|
||||
same source clip are placed directly next to each other in the timeline (so as a result, it looks as if
|
||||
there wasn't a cut at all).
|
||||
A Blade tool, a shortcut for Add Cut and the ability to remove through edits with backspace seem
|
||||
all worth implementing.
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
Removing clips
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
In general, we find the following options:
|
||||
In general, we find the following options to remove clip from a timeline:
|
||||
|
||||
* Select a clip, then: backspace or delete key, or (ripple) cut command.
|
||||
* In and out points, then lift or extract.
|
||||
* Lightworks lets you remove a clip by dragging it outside of the timeline window.
|
||||
|
||||
•
|
||||
|
||||
Trimming a clip so it will end up with a duration of 0 frames.
|
||||
|
||||
These operations are so common that I would not change them.
|
||||
|
||||
Dropping another clip on top. This is something that we could consider changing, especially
|
||||
when the clips that will be removed are offscreen.
|
||||
|
||||
Organising the timeline: sections
|
||||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
Loading…
Reference in a new issue