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Brad Muirhead

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  • Real Name: Brad Muirhead

scrolling

PostWed Dec 01, 2021 9:20 pm

Something that has been bothering me for a while now:

I don't know what it is called (maybe why I can't find mention of it in the manual) - the way the timeline automatically scrolls very quickly left or right when you move the playhead close to the edge of the timeline... I want to disable that if I can, or at least slow it down. I am fine using the mouse wheel for scrolling, zooming, track height etc and this ("hyper-scroll"?) function is very annoying at times - I never actually use it, only gets in the way.

Also - I can not seem to find the Locked / Free Playhead buttons the manual mentions...

version 17.4.2 Mac

thanks
B.
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TCP786

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  • Real Name: Cody Predum

Re: scrolling

PostThu Dec 02, 2021 1:04 am

Seems like at least as of mid-2020 lock/free playhead is only a feature of the cut page and not the edit page.

I know this isn't the solution to your actual question, but my workflow for navigating around the timeline is to use the "zoom around mouse pointer" feature (available in the View drop down menu). While it isn't by default, this can be mapped to a keyboard shortcut, so if I want to navigate somewhere not near the playhead, I enable it and zoom out with the mouse on the left side of the timeline and then zoom in with the mouse on the right side, for example. Then click at the top of the timeline if I need to move the playhead to that location. If I'm not near the playhead and want to get back to it without moving it, I disable this and just quickly zoom out and back in.

Also if you just want to move the playhead slightly past the edge of the visible part of the timeline, you can middle mouse click and drag the timeline the same way you can in the viewers and node trees, then click on the top of the timeline to move the playhead where you need it.
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Brad Muirhead

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Re: scrolling

PostThu Dec 02, 2021 11:04 pm

Thanks for the tip about the free/locked playhead and the suggestions. I will look into the "zoom around mouse pointer feature".

The way the thing I described is affecting my workflow is that I tend to use the preview playhead for basic navigation (sometimes the zoom out relocate zoom in in the main timeline too), but I use the playhead in the main timeline for zooming WAY in so I can scrub back & forth across a transition like a cross-fade or such frame-by-frame for detailed tweaking. In that situation, accidentally getting too close to the edge of the timeline zaps away, at a different speed depending on HOW close - meaning who knows how far, and then I have to zoom-out / relocate / zoom back in, because when it is zoomed far enough in it is very difficult to relocate, even using markers.

I am / was hoping to be able to separate the playhead in the main timeline from the preview playhead and limit the main playhead to the visible part of the timeline. Being able to toggle that, or have a temporary hold-down enabling key would be very useful to me.

Or is there another way of previewing frame-by-frame that I have not discovered yet?

thanks
B.
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Andy Mees

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Re: scrolling

PostFri Dec 03, 2021 10:19 am

Brad Muirhead wrote:Or is there another way of previewing frame-by-frame that I have not discovered yet?

I'm guessing possibly yes! :)
You can't separate the playhead in the Timleine Viewer window from the playhead in the Timeline window because they both represent the same thing... and if you zoom in so far in the Timeline window that dragging the playhead with your mouse (to scrub transitions etc) is causing you to trigger the timeline to scroll then you might want to consider some other less volatile scrubbing options:
1) use the standard NLE keyboard transport controls ie JKL. Specifically, press and hold 'K', and whilst holding K then tap and/or hold 'L' to scrub forward one frame at a time / play forward in slowmo ... similarly, holding K and tap/holding J will do the same but in reverse.
2) if you're more mouse oriented, instead of dragging the playhead you can click and drag on the Timeline Viewer's Jog Wheel UI element (its just to the left of the transport controls and looks like this : '< o >').
3) consider setting in and out points around the range you want to concentrate on...if you have a timeline range set then regardless of what you do that might get you 'lost' then just use Go to In (Shift I) to instantly refocus your timeline at that position... plus with a range set you can use the 'Play In to Out' command (Opt /) to playback just that range.
Let's have a return to the glory days, when press releases for new versions included text like "...with over 300 new features and improvements that professional editors and colorists have asked for."
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Brad Muirhead

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Re: scrolling

PostFri Dec 03, 2021 10:28 pm

alright - thanks for the tip. JKL is too slow / jerky. I didn't realize you could drag the jog wheel - has the same hazard of jumping out of frame as mouse-dragging the playhead though. I had not discovered "shift-I" yet - that will be useful and I will just have to be more careful with the mouse. I still say a hold-down toggle to separate the playheads would be a great feature (and yes - I realize the two represent the same thing :-)

thanks again
B.
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TCP786

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  • Real Name: Cody Predum

Re: scrolling

PostSat Dec 04, 2021 2:46 am

Oh, you can also use the up and down arrows to navigate by the ends of clips. That one is super useful too.
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Andy Mees

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Re: scrolling

PostSat Dec 04, 2021 11:11 am

Brad Muirhead wrote:...drag the jog wheel - has the same hazard of jumping out of frame as mouse-dragging the playhead though.

Yes and no, you noted in your original post that, "the timeline zaps away, at a different speed depending on HOW close - meaning who knows how far" ... the jog wheel method will obviously cause the timeline to scroll (page) when you reach the edge but it won't do it as wildly or variably as might happen when you're scrubbing manually... so it should get rid of the 'who knows how far' aspect of your workflow issue. As noted tho, just hit 'I' to mark an In point before you start scrubbing around and then if you ever get lost, regardless of your method, its easy to navigate back (Shift I).
Let's have a return to the glory days, when press releases for new versions included text like "...with over 300 new features and improvements that professional editors and colorists have asked for."

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