Malibu BurnTimecode and clip data
burned into the picture.
Malibu Burn burns clip metadata into the Final Cut Pro viewer and into your exports: source timecode, clip and file names, reel, scene and shot, markers, roles and more. The Host app decides what is shown and where; an effect on an adjustment layer draws it.
Illustration of the workflow, not a screenshot.
Four steps
From your library to the data burned into the viewer.
Add a library, pick a timeline
Drag your Final Cut Pro library (the .fcpbundle) into the Host window, use the plus button, or click Detect from Final Cut Pro while the library is open. Then click the timeline in the sidebar; it shows burning in.
Choose what to show
Pick a preset, or build your own with Add element…. Changes reach Final Cut Pro within a moment; there is nothing to export or save.
Place and style
Choose an Anchor and set X and Y, or drag the element in the Position Preview. Text size, color and background are set per element in the Editor.
Add the effect
In Final Cut Pro, connect an adjustment layer above your timeline and stretch it over the full length. In the Effects browser, drop the MalibuBurn effect from Studio Malibu onto it.
What's inside
What the current version (0.3.64, beta) does.
23 field types
Source TC, Project TC, Clip Name, Source File, Reel, Scene / Shot, Speed / Retime, Notes, Angle, Resolution, Source Frame, Resize / Transform, Position / Rotation, Stabilization, Role Text, Custom Text, four marker fields (Marker (Note or Name), Marker Name, Marker Note, Marker Name + Note), Stacked Video Clips and two blocks for stacked layers. An element with no value draws nothing.
Nine anchors
Choose an Anchor in a 3×3 grid, then set X and Y: the distance from that edge of the visible picture, or from the centre. Dragging in the Position Preview snaps to the frame's edges, the centre and other elements.
Style and Bulk Style
Text size 12 to 72, color, opacity, alignment and a background per element. Bulk Style applies a text, background or anchor draft to every element with Apply to all.
Role Text
Shows a Label, the clip's name or the role's name while a clip with a picked role is active. Roles come from your libraries, grouped as Video, Audio and Caption roles.
Stacked layers
Show stacked layers adds one line per layer to Source TC, Source Frame, Reel, Scene / Shot and Source File. Stack order and Layer tag are set per preset.
Source Frame
Counted from the first frame of the media file, starting at 0. The speed of a retimed clip is taken into account for Source TC and Source Frame.
Presets
The presets that come with the app, such as Netflix QC Layout, Conform and Colorist, can be edited in place but not renamed or deleted. The plus button duplicates one as your own. Export and import as JSON; every change is saved automatically.
Visible picture
Set Visible picture to Full Frame, 2.39:1, 2.35:1, 1.85:1, 4:3 or Custom. X and Y are fractions of that area. Keep inside visible picture is off by default.
Library detection
With Final Cut Pro running and the library open, one click on Detect from Final Cut Pro adds it. The first time, macOS asks whether the Host may control Final Cut Pro.
Validate
Compares the clip list Malibu Burn resolved for a timeline with an FCPXML you exported, and answers PASS or FAIL. It checks the clip list, not the picture.
Plugin updates
If the plugin came from the installer and is older than the Host, a banner offers Update Plugin…. macOS asks for your password once. Restart Final Cut Pro afterwards.
Good to know
What you need, where the limits are, and what to watch for.
Requirements
- macOS 14 or later and Final Cut Pro
- Two parts: the Host app decides what is shown and where, the MalibuBurn effect inside Final Cut Pro draws it
- The plugin with the effect is installed by the MalibuBurn installer; the effect sits in the category Studio Malibu
- The first launch asks for your email address, which is required. Click Start Trial; the address identifies your free trial
- The Host has to be running with a timeline selected, otherwise the viewer shows a status line
Limits
- Live updates are not instant: Final Cut Pro can hold an edit back before it writes it to disk. The refresh button in the status bar scans again
- Fields that show a single value come from the primary clip of the storyline. Clips stacked above appear through the options for stacked layers; Role Text also reacts to roles of connected clips
- The Position Preview is approximate, Final Cut Pro does the real text layout. The blocks for stacked layers show placeholder data there
- Resize / Transform, Position / Rotation, Stabilization and Speed / Retime draw nothing at default values. They only display the clip's values
- A timeline frame rate that Malibu Burn does not support gets nothing burned in; the viewer names the rate
- Source Frame is blank when the clip's source frame rate cannot be resolved, for example offline media, and on a gap in the primary storyline
Worth knowing
- Removing an element has no confirmation and no undo. Bulk Style overwrites every element at once, so duplicate the preset first to keep the old state. Delete preset acts immediately
- If the timecode that is burned in does not fit your timeline, type the start timecode into Project start TC (optional) in the sidebar: HH:MM:SS:FF, or HH:MM:SS;FF for drop frame
- The role selection of a preset belongs to the project it was made for. Check the picked roles after importing a preset
- Removing a library only removes it from Malibu Burn; the file is not touched. Dropping anything that is not a .fcpbundle is ignored without a message
- If the license is expired or blocked, the viewer shows only the message and none of the metadata. If the app has been offline too long to verify the license, it asks you to connect to the internet
Download Malibu Burn
Beta. The installer provides the plugin with the MalibuBurn effect for Final Cut Pro. The Host checks for its own updates; Check for Updates… in the app menu checks on demand.