Turnover

Final Cut Pro turnover workflows available as a standalone macOS app and a native SpliceKit plugin.

Both editions share the same FCPXML planning core. The standalone app does not require SpliceKit; the plugin edition requires SpliceKit.

Choose An Edition

• Turnover Standalone: drag/drop FCPXML or a Final Cut Pro project into a compact native macOS app. VFX Shot List thumbnails are extracted from a reference movie.
• Turnover for SpliceKit: run tools from inside Final Cut Pro. VFX Shot List can drive and capture the Final Cut Pro viewer.

Download both editions from the same Turnover release page. Their version numbers are intentionally synchronized.

Current Status

Turnover is usable for the current tested workflows, but it is still a work in progress. Some FCPXML edge cases are known to need more refinement, especially complex retime/speed-ramp combinations, nested sync clips, titles connected across multiple clips, markers, transforms, metadata preservation in unusual timelines, and newly observed multicam shapes.

If a timeline fails or imports with missing/shifted elements, keep the original project/XML and report the smallest reproducible case so the generic rules can be improved.

Conform Prep preflight: work on a duplicate timeline. Conform Prep now performs a conservative video-only reconstruction that removes understood audio structures automatically, similar in result to detaching/deleting audio before flattening. Experimental mc-clip flattening is available for observed active-angle multicam cases, but it still needs more real-project validation. For highest-confidence conform checks, compare the generated output after Final Cut Pro import and relink. Keep the original timeline unchanged.

Documentation

• Turnover Tools Guide: detailed workflow descriptions and usage notes.
• Data Burn-In Guide: standalone and SpliceKit Burn-In workflows, presets, source layers, export modes, and developer notes.
• Conform Prep Guide: detailed explanation of sync-clip flattening, retime math, speed ramps, titles, markers, transforms, metadata, and known limits.
• VFX Row Resolver Contract: implementation note for keeping VFX tools aligned.
• Visible Timeline Resolver Future Plan: parity-first plan for sharing visible marker logic safely.
• Standalone Guide: standalone installation, input methods, Shot List reference-movie workflow, cache, and limitations.
• Release Notes v1.4.2: Conform Prep video-only roundtrip hardening, standalone app size reduction, Data Burn-In connected-layer fixes, and VFX Shot List multi-sequence fix.
• Release Notes v1.4.1: Conform Prep video-only and experimental mc-clip reliability plus Data Burn-In connected-layer and analysis bug fixes.
• Release Notes v1.4.0: Data Burn-In Customizer, transparent overlay export, Marker Export, and SpliceKit Burn-In integration.
• Release Notes v1.3.2: Conform Prep reliability and preflight policy update.
• Release Notes v1.3.0: standalone application and synchronized dual-edition release.
• Release Notes v1.2.2: current Conform Prep title-anchor and spatial-conform regression fix.
• Release Notes v1.2.1: update checker, portable Shot List runtime, and thumbnail layout improvements.
• Release Notes v1.2.0: previous workflow improvements and known limitations.

Tools

• Conform Prep: flatten and prepare timelines for online conform.
• Data Burn-In: build customizable burn-ins, export transparent overlays, or export H.264/HEVC burned-in review movies.
• VFX Auto Naming: number VFX NAMING titles.
• VFX Reset Naming: reset numbered VFX titles back to placeholders.
• VFX Auto Marker: create standard, to-do, or chapter markers from VFX titles.
• VFX Shot List: capture thumbnails and build an Excel shot list.
• VFX Pull EDL: build a source pull EDL with per-side handle frames.
• VFX Timeline: place returned VFX renders back into the timeline.
• Marker Export: export Final Cut Pro markers as EDL, CSV, or TXT.

SpliceKit Plugin Requirements

• SpliceKit installed and working with Final Cut Pro.
• macOS 13 or later.
• Xcode Command Line Tools are required only when building from source. The GitHub release bundle includes a prebuilt native plugin.
• Node.js. The installer detects common Homebrew, nvm, Volta, asdf, MacPorts, and shell paths automatically. If Node.js is missing and Homebrew is available, the installer can install it for you.
• Screen Recording permission for the patched Final Cut Pro process if you use VFX Shot List thumbnails.

The release plugin also bundles Turnover.app for Data Burn-In headless export, so Burn-In Transparent and Burn-In Customize use the matching app/parser version that shipped with the plugin. Node.js is still used by other SpliceKit planner/export tools.

Install Node.js

Turnover uses Node.js for the FCPXML planners and Excel generation helpers.

Recommended install with Homebrew:

brew install node

If Homebrew is not installed, install it first from brew.sh, then run the command above.

Alternative install from the official Node.js package:

1. Download the macOS installer from nodejs.org.
2. Install the current LTS version.
3. Restart Final Cut Pro after installing Node.js.

The Turnover installer searches common Node.js locations automatically, including Homebrew, nvm, Volta, asdf, MacPorts, and shell startup paths.

If Node.js is installed in a custom location, run the installer with:

TURNOVER_NODE_PATH=/path/to/node ./plugins/com.turnover.tools/Build\ And\ Install\ Turnover\ Tools\ Plugin.command

Install The SpliceKit Plugin

1. Install SpliceKit from the official SpliceKit releases page and confirm its menu appears in Final Cut Pro.
2. Download and extract the latest Turnover release.
3. Double-click:

Install Turnover.command

4. Let the installer configure Turnover's Node.js dependencies automatically.
5. Restart Final Cut Pro and open the Turnover menu.

The installer opens Terminal, installs the bundled native plugin, the matching Turnover.app used by Burn-In headless export, its private spreadsheet runtime, and the VFX Naming Motion title template. The plugin is copied to:

~/Library/Application Support/SpliceKit/plugins/com.turnover.tools

The release bundle includes a prebuilt plugin, so Xcode is not required. macOS may ask for confirmation because the installer was downloaded from the internet.

Advanced terminal install from this repository root:

./plugins/com.turnover.tools/Build\ And\ Install\ Turnover\ Tools\ Plugin.command

After restart, use the Turnover menu in Final Cut Pro. Open Turnover opens the plugin panel, and the workflow commands are listed directly under the same menu.

VFX Shot List Capture

VFX Shot List captures the largest visible Final Cut Pro viewer window. For the most reliable thumbnails, open the fullscreen preview window before running the tool.

Screen Recording Preflight

Grant Screen Recording permission before the first capture:

1. In Final Cut Pro, choose Turnover > Open Turnover.
2. Click Request Screen Recording.
3. Approve Final Cut Pro/SpliceKit in macOS System Settings when prompted.
4. Quit and reopen Final Cut Pro.
5. Open the Turnover panel again and confirm Screen Recording: OK before running VFX Shot List.

Turnover may display the macOS permission request when VFX Shot List is run for the first time, but granting permission after capture has already started can interrupt that run. Request permission in advance and restart Final Cut Pro instead.

The output is written to a desktop folder named:

VFX Shot List - <Project Name>

It contains the Excel file and a Thumbnails folder. Temporary capture folders are cleaned after the workbook is created.

VFX Pull EDL Handles

The handle value is applied to both sides of each source range.

Example: entering 8 adds 8 frames at the head and 8 frames at the tail.

Repository Layout

• plugins/com.turnover.tools/: native SpliceKit plugin, manifest, and installer.
• lua/: Lua workflow controllers copied into the plugin at install time.
• lua/scripts/: Node.js planners and Excel generation helpers.
• motion-templates/: bundled Final Cut Pro Motion title template used by the naming workflows.
• docs/: implementation notes and conform-prep model documentation.

Build output such as TurnoverToolsPlugin.dylib is ignored by Git and should be regenerated locally with the install command.