In FCP, the term refers to collapsing an entire edit sequence down into a single “virtual clip”. Any number of audio and video layers can be included into a nest and then that nest can be loaded into the Viewer and edited into the timeline just like any other clip. Filters and motion effects can also be applied to any nest. One common use of nesting in FCP is to nest an edit and then apply a timecode generator to create a burn-in-timecode (or BITC) for client viewing.

nest this:

Since a nested sequence looks like any other clip, FCP colors a nest differently to differentiate it from other clips.

into this:

A nest can be achieved in several ways. The clips can be selected in the tlmeline then choose Sequence > Nest Item(s) (or option+C) and FCP will create a new sequence with the clips nested.

The FCP Nest Items dialog box

A sequence can also be loaded into the Viewer, IN and OUT points marked and the sequence can be edited into the target tracks as a nest. And finally you can copy and paste a sequence from the browser to the timeline to create a nest. FCP nesting is a very handy technique to use, especially when working with multiple sequences in a project. You can nest several sequences and then string them together in a timeline for viewing or output. When you double click a nested sequence it opens the full edit in a new tab and any changes made in the original timeline are reflected in the nest. It is important to note that FCP nests will not translate well in an EDL and OMF output so use them accordingly.

In Avid, nesting refers to the method of applying multiple effects to a clip. An unaffected clip sits on the timeline until an effect is applied. It is then differentiated from other clips by the effect icon.

Unlike FCP, where filters are added by dropping them directly on a clip in the timeline and then accessing them in the filters tab in the viewer, multiple Avid effects are added to a clip by parking the current time marker on a clip with an effect added and "stepping in" to an affected clip by using the Step In button. Keep stepping in to add more effects.

Avid Step In button Avid Step Out button

Once you step into an Avid effect you are presented with a regular timeline and depending on the effect you can edit new content into the effect timeline. An example would be if you step into a title you can edit video into the fill layer that will then fill the title with video instead of the color selected when the title was created.

Avid title "stepped in"

The closest thing Avid has to FCP's nesting is called “collapsing”. It is achieved by selecting IN to OUT points around an area that you want collapsed and clicking the collapse button.

Avid Collapse button

Collapsing only works on adjacent video layers as audio cannot be collapsed.

collapse this:

into this:

The most effective use is to collapse a large number of video layers. This collapses the layers into what Avid calls a Submaster effect.

Avid Submaster effect icon

This Submaster effect can then be loaded from the timeline into the Source monitor and edited into a sequence the same as any other clip. To change the Submaster, choose either of the Segment modes or and double click the Submaster effect. It will expand in the timeline for further editing where any material in the Source monitor can be patched into the Submaster timeline and new material edited into it. Stepping into an effect as well, as editing content into an uncollpased submaster, is a very in-depth feature of the Avid editing workflow and more than will be covered in this article.

Avid uncollapsed submaster

Avid's ability to load an edit sequence into the Source monitor (or Viewer as the ‘left’ monitor is called in FCP) and edit that into another sequence has always been a handy feature. This is made even more powerful by the 'toggle source / record' key that toggles the timeline between the Record monitor and the Source monitor. While FCP doesn't have the ability to look at the timeline detail of a sequence in the Viewer there is a little known ability to edit a sequence from the Viewer without nesting. This is achieved by holding the COMMAND (Apple) key and dragging the edit from the Viewer to the timeline. When doing this you will see an outline of the edit and all the tracks as you drop it into the sequence for either an overwrite edit or an insert edit.

Command dragging a sequence from the FCP Viewer into the timeline edits the sequence in without nesting.

If you COMMAND + drag the sequence from the Viewer to the Canvas to use the pop-up overlay, beware that FCP will only edit the tracks that you have patched in the timeline. If you have 4 video tracks in the sequence in the Viewer and only two tracks in the timeline then only those two layers will be edited in. This is different than COMMAND + dragging directly into the timeline as seen above as that will auto-create the tracks needed.

You can see this difference between having a sequence loaded in the viewer and a master clip loaded in that you are given patching icons in the timeline patch bay for each video and audio track you have.

The FCP patch panel with a multi-layer sequence loaded into the FCP viewer.

Both of these "nesting" terms in Avid and Final Cut Pro are very different. By nesting effects in the Avid way, there is the capability of creating a lot of complex effects. But this can be achieved in FCP as well with its ability to apply multiple effects to a single clip. FCP's nesting is very easy to implement and very useful if you are mindful of its limitations, especially when heading to an online session. Add FCP's nesting to its ability to edit a sequence directly from the viewer to the timeline and have the option not to nest the sequence (via COMMAND + dragging), and that adds up to the best of both worlds!