Phillip's technical objections aren't very sensible (I
do write code). But I do see the argument he's making. You're not quite setting in/out points in FCP X the way you are in FCP 7. You're
selecting a clip range, on which you can then perform various actions. This is the language the documentation uses, it's how things are visually presented, and it's compatible with the 'primary' way in which such ranges are specified -- by dragging. Hell, it's right there in the menus. The menu items for which the 'I' and 'O' keys are shortcuts are
not 'Mark In' and 'Mark Out', as in FCP 7. They're 'Set Selection Start' and 'Set Selection End'.
People keep asking why FCP X doesn't preserve in and out points, but the app doesn't acknowledge such a concept in the first place. And if you ask instead why FCP X doesn't preserve
selections, well, that's standard behavior --
most apps don't preserve selections when you open/close a document or navigate away from a view and back.
Perhaps there would be less confusion on this point had Apple not kept the 'I' and 'O' keyboard shortcuts. They could have used 'S' and 'E' or something (for 'start' and 'end').
Mind you, the fact that apps don't normally preserve selections doesn't mean Apple couldn't make an exception for FCP X -- it wouldn't really interfere with anything fundamental. But it does explain why Apple didn't think this was necessary. Perhaps if enough people harass them on this subject they'll add it anyway.
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