HD

900 Part XI Project Management and Settings
The flexibility and power of media management in Final Cut Express HD stems from one
simple fact: A clip and its media file are treated independently. In Final Cut Express HD, a
more accurate description of media management would be clip and media management.
What makes the separation of clips and media files so powerful? Here are a few examples:
 Reconnecting clips to new media files: You can create new media files for your project
at any time, and reconnect the clips in your project to the new media files.
 Direct access to your media files: You can directly access your QuickTime media files in
the Finder at any time. You can also easily create clips by dragging media files
directly into your project via the Browser. In fact, you can even edit by dragging
media files from the Finder directly into the Timeline or Canvas.
 Trading projects without media files: A Final Cut Express HD project file contains clips
and sequences, but not media files. Because a project file is so small, you can email
or post your project file online. Anyone who has the corresponding media files can
open the project file and reconnect the clips to the local media files.
Making a movie is a tremendous logistical undertaking. It’s the execution of the details
that ultimately determines the quality of the finished product. What does it matter how
good the lead actress’s performance was in the third take of scene two if you can’t find
it among a thousand other shots?
Reasons to Manage your Media
Computers are very effective for sorting and organizing information, much more so
than scraps of paper and handwritten notes. This isn’t to say you should dispense
with these basic tools—most editors still use them prolifically. However, mastering
management of your media, clips, and notes in Final Cut Express HD is critical for an
efficient editing workflow.
 Browser: A virtual media database for sorting, categorizing, and commenting on clips.
 Find command: Allows you to quickly search a sequence or project for any clip based
on any criterion.
 Recapturing and reconnecting: You can recapture or reconnect clips to new media files
at any time you want. The connection between clips and media files is easy to change,
making Final Cut Express HD one of the most flexible media editing systems available.
 Finder (in Mac OS X): You can sort, view, and archive media files directly in the Finder
(or QuickTime Player) because Final Cut Express HD works directly with QuickTime
media files.