The Popcorn Island Final Cut 2 After Effects Script is a simple way to move sequences in Final Cut into Compositions in After Effects. Not only does it allow you to work faster, it also saves storage space. The normal work flow of rendering out from Final Cut and opening in After Effects causes one to create temporary files to pass back and forth between the programs. The Final Cut 2 After Effects script will allow you to bypass that and simply use the footage that has already been imported into Final Cut.
NEWS: Gerard over at strypesinpost.com has put up a tutorial on using this script to move over project to windows! check it out
Links:
- Tutorial: Final Cut 2 After Effects Tutorial
- Download:
Features 1.1.2
- Auto-Truncate Long Filenames
- Marker Import
- Cross Dissolve Transitions (v1.05)
- Basic Editing Translation
- Segmented Clips
- Basic Keyframes
- Time Remapping
- Nested Sequences
- Multiple Frame Rates and Aspect Ratios
- Audio Channels
- Name Length Error Checking
- Support for PAL25 and 60
Version Info
- Version 1.12 Update
- Re-Work of the Cross dissolve importer
- Dialog for Auto Truncate all Long filenames Option
- Fix to All Transition detection
- Fix for center aligned Cross Dissolve
- Stopped work on Legacy Support (older then Cs4)
- Version 1.09 Update
- Center Point bug Fix, footage of different sizes using center point effects now import properly
- setValueAtTime bug Fix, Rounding errors in speed changes addressed.
- NOTE: I could use any community help debugging
this problem, though I now have a fix in place, I cannot be sure of the 1:1 frame matching between FCP and After Effects when using speed changes,
if anyone can run tests it would be extremely helpful. thx!
- NOTE: I could use any community help debugging
- Version 1.07 Update
- Markers are now imported into a marker layer in after effects. Name is used for flash events, comment for comment (thanks @Guillaume)
- Version 1.06 Update
- Updated Frame Rate bug for 50fps (and other unknowns) thanks @daniel
- CS3 Version 1.05 Update
- There is an issue with scripts compiled for CS4 using Extendscript toolkit CS4 that causes problems in CS3, the script will fail instantly. So I have had to split this project into 2 scripts. You will now see a script built for CS4 and one for CS3, these have been been confirmed working. Thanks to Kevin Brock for going back and forth with us on a couple scripts as we don’t have a good CS3 work flow here. We hope this helps everyone out! Thanks!
- Version 1.05
- FIX: Rounding Error on 23.976 footage causing Single Frame difference from original.
- UPDATE: Top Level Folder will now follow XML Filename, and not “FCP_Import”.
brilliant, thanks!
I don’t know how you could offer this for free but the fact that you do makes me so glad! I owe you bigtime!!! THANK YOU!!
Awesome script. Thank you! I got it to work in Leopard and it was great! It doesn’t seem to work in Lion, however. Any plans to update it for Lion soon?
You guys are saving me time so oftenly. YOU ARE THE BEST! Thank for your true generosity. Guys like you make this world a better place !!
Lion, please! :)
Wow, forget it. Works! Thank you!
Awesome script but be careful!!!
When I imported the XML file into a big project I had been working on, it deleted the “Solids” folder in my project also deleting every single solid in all my comps. Lost a lot of work until i realized what happened.
With the recent update of Final Cut X, will this script be compatible, or will there be a script written specific to the XML export option in FCPX? I’ve used it for over a year now with FCP7 and it is one of my bread and butter tricks, particularly for green screen work.
Thank you!
eli
Actually I haven’t gotten to updating to FCX, I am also not sure if I am interested for my workflow. I will however look into what it would take to implement the new XML from FCX, I actually didnt even know it exported XML. I worry with just a huge chance in how it works the XML has changed also. We shall see. For now this plugin is on its way out. New Plugin coming soon and likely will come with this site goin away also.
FCP 7 is still my workhorse, but I tried it out using FCX and it didn’t work properly. Oh well.
I’ll be really sad to see the site go. Thanks for all.
[...] is also a great free script called “fcp to ae” from Popcorn Island for movingFCP projects to After [...]
[...] Download the script over here: popcornisland.com/2009/03/final-cut-2-after-effects/ [...]
Hey Guys!
i am having a hard time figuring out how to get cs5 to even have the option in the scripts dropdown of importing the xml files from final cut. I just installed the fcp2ae app and cant find the program in AE. is there maybe a way to pair the two or what do i need to do to see the program into AE?
Thanks!
Is it possible to bring the sequence back into final cut?
Thanks!
Man, was really excited to use this, and it just din’t work for me at all,when the footage comes into AE it is pretty much all out of order. Not what I have edited in my FCP sequence. The length of the entire sequence seems to be off by a couple of seconds as well. Am I the only one that is having issues?
[...] related news Popcorn Island released the latest version of their Final Cut 2 After Effects script for After Effects. Now this is a script and not nearly as simple to use as Automatic Duck plugins. However, it does [...]
Is there a way to bring the footage back into FCP for further work?
No Dennis, you are not alone. For simple seqs with one video track this script works well, but I’m finding for anything with multiple video tracks, color mattes or text in it, then the sequence is at least a little garbled and out of time.
A real shame, because for the simple stuff I tested the script with, it was a great workflow that allowed my to grade, clip-by-clip in AE. But real world application seems still to have a few glitches.
Great idead though, and great tool when used with the scope of its limitations.
ATTENTION !!! ATTENTION !!! ATTENTION !!!
BE VERY CAREFUL !!!
THE POST 07 by “grier” is 100% right !!!
It deleted all of the SOLIDS / The SOLIDS FOLDER in our CS5.5 Project.
Try it out !
create a new comp,
create a solid,
then import — > look at the “solids folder”
Additional Info:
if you rename the “Solids” – Folder before you run the script … i.e. “Solids_2″ … it works :)
maybe it´s a language problem !? … the CS3 version worked perfect multilingual …
a short info / statement would be cool
thanx
best wishes …
This is a bug for sure. Won’t be fixed in this version as said before this is depreciated and Workflow Toolbox will be taking over.
^^ ahhh ok thanx for the info … keep up the good work … ^^
best wishes
I’d like to start by saying thanks for offering such a great script for free!! But I have a one question, is this script design to just handle small files? I just finished ruffing my indy-film in Final Cut and want to online it in AE but when I try opening the XML file from your script AE crashes ? (your script works great from a single peace of HD footage) But my scene’s are linked to 3 to 12 gigs of PS2 footage at a time, and totals around 400gigs of footage, I thought the XML would just create link references not import the source footage. Am I missing something here? I’m Running FCP version 5.0.4 and AE CS3 (8.0) on a quad G5 OS 10.4.11..any help would be awesome, thanks
AE crashes importing big XML files
please please put the tutorial video on youtube or make a better embed. I accidentally clicked it and it stopped it sucks to have to re-watch the entire thing to get back to where I was.
Thanks
J
THANKS!!
[...] Workflow – An after effects solution [...]
Hi there,
I can get the script in, export and then import XML, edit and affect the source footage in After Effects with Twixtor, Magic Bullet etc.
However, it doesn’t change anything in Final Cut, should this happen real time as I make changes in After Effects? Should I be saving out again as an XML as this doesn’t work due to it having an After Effects extension?
In short, how does the script change Final Cut to do what I do in After Effects?
Also using Lion, is this the same problem as other Lion users are having? Or am I missing something?
Thanks in advance.
[...] set of tricks. Many thanks to Jordan Kim who showed me this wonderful After Effects script called Popcorn Island that I can use as an alternative to Boris Transfer or Automatic Duck. Here is a video on how I have [...]
Thank you so much!!! Saved my life at work, works perfectly :)
[...] to each other. I downloaded a script for After Effects that better reads XML files the link here:http://www.popcornisland.com/2009/03/final-cut-2-after-effects/This script literally brought ALL my clips from Final Cut and laid them in out as if I was looking [...]
[...] http://www.popcornisland.com/2009/03/final-cut-2-after-effects/ [...]
great!!!! Thank you!!!!
[...] by Popcorn Island [...]
Hello, I follow exaclty your instructions, and i got this message:Unable to execute script at line 186.
After Effects error. Unable to call “addCOmp” because of
parameter 5. Value 25252 out of ragne greater-than0 to 10800. So i don’t know what to do……you have any suggestions, what i have to do to make it work…..?
thank you
i love using your script!
I would like to make a donation to support it
is there a paypal address or anything…?
thanks!
Fantastic. Finally I have a simple workflow to online in AE.
Really much appreciated, Thank you :0)
Love the plugin guys. But I’m trying to open an XML file from FCP 7.0.3 in AE. I’ve tried both CS4 as well as AE 5.5. My sequence did not move the masking or scaling correctly. I also used a 3rd party transition (doorway) across the whole piece (which AE also has as a plugin) and this did not come over at all. Did I do something wrong?? If you guys know what I can do to fix this you will officially be the coolest group I have worked with in a long time.
Thanks for your help.