Ronny Courtens takes a look at the new update to Merge X - An application for Final Cut Pro X users that allows the merging of events without loss of logging data or duplication of media.
MergeX is a very handy app that comes from the need of a real-world, easy to implement collaborative workflow. It allows multiple editors or assistants to work on the same footage at the same time on multiple systems, logging metadata, keywords, ratings, roles, etc... and then merge their FCP X events without losing any metadata and without creating duplicate clips. It works with every type of asset: video, audio, or stills, synchronized, multicam, and compound clips.
The different events don't even need to have the same media. If new media has been added to any of the events, all he media from every co-editor will be combined into a single event. Another useful feature of MergeX is that it combines the clip notes from different events into a single Note field, separated by a vertical line: "Note from Event1 | Note from Event2".
There are lots of things to like in this application and with version 1.2, Perig Guinamant and his team have taken MergeX to the next level.
In FCP X (as in classic FCP), instances of clips on the timeline become independent from their parent clips in the Browser. E.g., when you change the name, keyword, role, clip note... of a clip in the Browser after having started your edit, the metadata of that clip on the timeline will not change. In some workflows, this can be a good thing. But quite a few people have been asking to at least have the option to make changes in the Browser ripple through the timeline.
Merge X 1.2 now gives us that option. In addition to collaborating on logging and tagging clips, you can use MergeX to modify the metadata of your clips in the Browser after having started your edit, and see all these changes reflect in the instances of these clips on your timeline.
I have tested this new feature and it works very well. But nothing beats a real-world demo, that's why we are happy that Perig Guinamant gave a sneak-peek of the new MergeX update during the FCP X Tour in Madrid. Here's everything explained in full detail:
MergeX 1.2 is a free update for all MergeX users and it also adds support for the latest FCPXML 1.8 introduced in Final Cut Pro X 10.4.1. Check out the official website for more info, or download MergeX for $49 on the Mac App Store.
Ronny Courtens
