User Guide

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Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 also searches the following folders if they are present on your system
(they are typically created when installing third-party software):
 /Users/ username /Library/Plug-Ins/FxPlug/
 /Library/Plug-Ins/FxPlug/
If you install an FxPlug plug-in and it does not appear in the Effects tab, try the following:
 Choose Effects > Effect Availability > All Effects.
 Make sure the plug-in is installed in one of the folders that Final Cut Pro searches for
plug-ins when opening (see above for a list of installation locations).
 If you installed the plug-in while Final Cut Pro was open, quit Final Cut Pro and then
open it again.
Managing Video Filters
There are many FxPlug effects that are equivalent (or nearly equivalent) to existing
FXScript effects. Generally, the names and controls of equivalent FxPlug and FXScript
effects are identical or vary only subtly. To keep track of FxPlug and FXScript effects in
Final Cut Pro, you can select which effects are displayed in both the Effects tab and the
Effects menu by indicating that they are preferred effects. For example, there is a
Gaussian Blur FXScript filter included with Final Cut Pro and a Gaussian Blur FxPlug
filter included with Motion as part of Final Cut Studio. By enabling the preferred
property for only one of these filters, you can control which Gaussian Blur plug-in is
displayed in the Effects tab and the Effects menu.
Note: Preferred effects are not the same as favorite effects. Preferred effects simply
indicate which plug-ins you want to display in the Effects tab; favorite effects are saved
instances of effects with particular settings you use frequently.
The Effects tab displays three columns for identifying and keeping track of effects:
 Effect Class: Shows the kind of plug-in installed. When this property is empty, the effect
is an FXScript plug-in. If the effect is an FxPlug plug-in, the word “FxPlug” is displayed.
 Preferred: Shows if an effect is preferred or not. You can turn this property on and off
by clicking in the column next to the effect. You can also turn this property on or off
for multiple effects by selecting them, Control-clicking in the Preferred column next
to any of the selected effects, and then choosing Yes or No from the shortcut menu.
 Description: Shows a brief description of the effect (if it contains one). FxPlug plug-
ins contain descriptions but FXScript plug-ins do not.