If it works as flawless as you described it.
Setting up working rule-parameters in mail or automator, took Apple some years to develop. There were always glitches in the first stages of these apps and features. The more specific the process you want to create, the more possible problems.
Rudimentary Presets were also missing completely.

Good point, I also would like to see thit in an external app.
As you described in 1.-3. would make total sense.

Keep up the good work. I really like your Topics!
Also your FCP X posts have helped me a lot in editing
as i originally came to film from photography. Also the industrial design background i had, has had some weird benefits in setting up concepts.

cheers from munich

Professional editors and motion graphics designers could set up many rules that define transitions, bad footage and scale & crop rules. These parameters would help writers and producers work away without worrying about how to trim, ripple and roll. More as a brief for an experienced editor:

1. Check out an interview, mark some favourites, some dependencies (show clip 23 some time before clip 4)
2. Pick some B-roll favourites, including which B-roll goes with which point
3. Pick some faces and objects to highlight (by scaling up, vignetting, colour and focus)

The writer/producer could then press the magic button and see a rough edit. They could then go back to stages 1, 2 and 3 until they are happier with the result.

They can then pass the edit on to us.

Some of the patents could be translated into features for making the process of editing with 2-3 people easier and possible without sending files around.

The automatic stuff sounds a lot like it could be incorporated into something for the noob-user. Would make sense in iMovie…
wouldn’t wanna see it in FCP X though

Then, consider that FCP X is faster and easier to use than iMovie.

Of course, as you say, this would need to be at the command of the editor — as are the color and sound correction.

The audition capability of FCP X would be quite useful in examining the “automatic” vs the manual assembly of the edits.

It would be an interesting exercise if you could start with a story board and the technology could produce a “suggested” first cut based on the metadata and analysis of the clips.

I suspect that the job of assigning metadata (keywords, smart collections, favorites, rejects, etc.) would be key… and often performed by an assistant editor. Again, this is simple, fast and elegant in FCP X.

I look at technology like this as minimizing the drudgery and allowing the editor to focus his expertise on the important bits.

It would be interesting to see what Intelligent Assistance could do with this technology within FCP X.