FCPX Missing Plug-in (Effect) difficult to track down - pt3

Oh the joy to open an old project on a new computer...

I ranted some time ago that FCPX dos not make it easy to find what's missing in the Timeline when the only thing that shows is a lame red rectangle with a yellow exclamation point.

Apple has one for missing Files - Well OK, this one works, and the remedy is to relink:

But then it has this one for Effects: 

And one this for Titles:

Great! But what is REALLY MISSING you ask? And there is no way to know until you click on the clip and look into the Inspector to see what can be identified there. Not much.

In this case I was missing an Adjustment Layer and the Apply Basic LUT from Coremelt. This makes troubleshooting difficult.

On the other hand, someone (Denver Riddle at CGC) has been paying attention:

Now this is useful! As it is telling you exactly what's missing!

Now I notice this "feature" is not coming from Apple, it's coming from the plug-in developer, but hey, it's proof that it's possible to flash something useful. Thank you!

BlackMagic Design Desktop Video continues to be a pain with FCPX...

I'm at version 10.8.4 of the Desktop Video app by Blackmagic Design, the "driver" app that allows your favorite NLE to output video to an external monitor, and it's still incredibly unstable with FCPX (now at version 10.3.2.) Like I turn A/V Output on in FCPX, and 30sec. later... CRASH!

What game are you guys playing Apple and BMD? I know that Apple allows to output video directly from Thunderbolt, yet I don't have that luxury, I use video cards. Aja does not have that instability.

I am now a year later, two major OS X upgrades, and two major FCPX upgrades from when I first posted this problem, and I'm on a different machine!

Why is it still unstable. Why?

Users have to go back to version 10.4.1 of the app (released June 10 2015!) to have some stability:

FCPX Crashing w/Desktop Video + Ultra studio Mini

Really? Well thank you for making it available, but one would thing that after three full versions releases you would have fixed this pesky Desktop Video problem, why do you not care BMD?

How to adjust gain to multiple clips at once in ProTools

Now there is a clip gain feature in ProTools, but do you know how to adjust the gain of several clips at once? Easy! Select all clips you want to adjust, then hold Control+Shift (on Mac) and use the mouse scroll button up or down.

And do you know that you can keyframe the clip gain as well? Use the mouse right click on the clip, Clip Gain/Show Clip Gain Line. Then use the usual Command+Click and Option+Click to add or delete keyframes, and tweak the gain line. This is in total independence to the track volume and its automation.

How to Relink files with ProTools 12

Things have changed a bit with the new version of ProTools, what hasn't change is how picky ProTools is when it comes to reconnecting files.

When you open a session and PT does not find the files (they have changed folder, they've been copied onto another drive, etc.) a window pops up asking if you want to relink files automatically. Usually it goes on for a few minutes and FAILS.

I find that the only way that works is to reconnect files manually. Now the thing is the default settings for manual relink is too stringent, and ProTools will find no links by itself. Sure you can go on one file at a time and reconnect manually each file, but that's a waste of time, and not doable when you have thousands of files in your session.

In order to reconnect multiple files in one go, I have to select find files by name, and only that in the relink settings. ProTools will alert you that it's not a good thing to do, well that's the only thing that works. Obviously I do not have duplicates, and all my files are inside a unique folder that I can point ProTools to.

What's your experience with files Relink in ProTools 12?

1 Reasons I don't like DropBox

DropBox hates you!

1. Missing Folder size - Why on earth is there no information about file or folder size? Zilch, nothing. Same thing when downloading, no info on the size of the thing you are downloading - Not helpful DropBox!

2. Folder content  - Why can't the number of items within a folder be displayed? Is it too hard to compute?

3. Cannot download folder over 1GB limit - What? DropBox, have you ever heard of zipping on the fly? Let users download entire folders please. OK this is fixed.

4. Cannot see what's inside your DropBox until you pay for it - DB you are telling that my DropBox is full, yet I cannot see what's in it. ??? How can users manage anything?

5. DropBox, loose the lame name, macOs has a Drop Box folder inside the Public folder of all Users. Very confusing.

6. Refer friends to get more space. Hmm, I don't think so. Why should I send my friends to you? So they can suffer like I do? Uh, uh, nope.

7. Recently Changed list of 15 files... Feels like DropBox was designed for people who exchange 15 files. I mean what's the point of paying for 1TB of stuff when it's difficult to track  more than 15 files?

8. 400% of 2GB used. OK, that's very useful thank you... Why use a % figure? Can't you instead say: there is 8GB in our DropBox, you have access to 2GB, pick you choice. But no.

9. Syncing to local FlakeBox, maybe that was fun at the beginning, now it's freaking annoying. Please forget the local syncing and deliver a proper file repository/delivery system DropBox.

10. Selective Syncing, could be great ... if it worked. Like if I could see the freaking 8GB files, out of which I could select 2GB worth of files and download/sync that. But no, no.

11. No drag and drop. Seriously? It's 2017 2018 2019 2020 DropBox.

12. The browser IU is retarded at this point, way under powered. Please make it better or close shop.

13. The DropBox app is too basic. Either make the app shine with functionality or loose the app, that'll make for some space on our hard drives, thanks.

14. MY DropBox is not the same as MY FRIEND DropBox. The files are uploaded by MY FRIEND on HIS/HER DropBox, they share THEIR DropBox with me, why do you want ME to pay for THEIR space? - And vice-versa. Because that's the only way, if you add the shared item to your DropBox, in essence you are duplicating the data, and it does take twice the space.

15. The whole duplication of files is antiquated, really, drop the sync feature (or rethink it) DropBox.

16. DropBox is freakishly, embarrassingly SLOW! Look at this download speed, 304Kbps??? ABYSMAL !!!

17. CrapBox uses sneaky inaccurate language to scare you out of making space in your cluttered box. For example it says "Delete" in the menu - SCARRY!! - But the language changes to "Remove" when you actually do remove the item from your box, it still exists on the person's box that shared the item with you.