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1 Preface 9 9 9 10 11 Part I Contents Final Cut Pro 5 Documentation and Resources Getting Started User Manual Onscreen Help Apple Websites An Introduction to Final Cut Pro Chapter 1 15 15 16 About the Postproduction Workflow The Industry Workflow The Postproduction Workflow Chapter 2 21 21 22 23 23 25 Video Formats and Timecode About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro Video Format Basics About Timecode Cha
4 52 Entering Timecode for Navigation Purposes Chapter 5 53 53 54 55 59 60 Browser Basics How You Use the Browser Learning About the Browser Working in the Browser Using Columns in the Browser Customizing the Browser Display Chapter 6 71 71 72 73 75 77 78 80 81 84 85 Viewer Basics How You Can Use the Viewer Opening a Clip in the Viewer Learning About the Viewer Tabs in the Viewer Transport (or Playback) Controls Playhead Controls Marking Controls Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus Playhead Sync Pop-Up Menu
Chapter 10 139 139 139 141 144 153 Part III Customizing the Interface Changing Browser and Timeline Text Size Moving and Resizing Final Cut Pro Windows Using Screen Layouts Ways to Customize Keyboard Shortcuts Working With Shortcut Buttons and Button Bars Setting Up Your Editing System Chapter 11 159 159 160 160 161 161 Overview of Setting Up The Setup Process Connecting Video and Audio Input and Output to Your Computer Connecting an External Video Monitor and Audio Speakers Choosing an Easy Setup to
Chapter 16 206 206 Establishing Device Control Synchronizing Equipment With a Blackburst Generator 209 209 211 211 212 213 216 220 221 221 222 External Video Monitoring Using an External Video Monitor While You Edit Connecting DV/FireWire Devices to an External Monitor Previewing Standard Definition Video on an External Monitor Previewing High Definition Video on an External Monitor Choosing Playback and Edit to Tape Output Settings Using Digital Cinema Desktop Preview Compensating for Video Latency by
272 273 276 276 277 278 278 278 279 279 280 283 Capturing an Entire Tape Using Capture Now Automatically Creating Subclips Using DV Start/Stop Detection Capturing Footage Without Device Control Capturing Footage That Doesn’t Have Timecode Using a Non-Controllable Device for Capture Recapturing Clips Recapturing Subclips Recapturing Merged Clips Capturing Footage With Timecode Breaks The Importance of Avoiding Timecode Breaks How to Avoid Capturing Clips With Timecode Breaks Using the Media Manager After Ca
Preface Final Cut Pro 5 Documentation and Resources You can use Final Cut Pro to create movies of any budget, style, and format. Final Cut Pro comes with both printed and onscreen documentation to help you learn how. This preface provides information on the documentation available for Final Cut Pro, as well as information about Final Cut Pro resources on the web.
 Volume 3—Audio Mixing and Effects: Provides instructions for mixing audio and enhancing your video using the elaborate effects capabilities of Final Cut Pro. Topics include adding transitions and filters, creating motion effects, compositing and layering, creating titles, and color correcting your footage. Also covers real-time playback and rendering.
Information About New Features For information about features that have been added or enhanced since the last version of Final Cut Pro, you can read the New Features section of the onscreen help. To access the New Features document: m In Final Cut Pro, choose Help > New Features. Apple Websites There are a variety of discussion boards, forums, and educational resources related to Final Cut Pro on the web.
Part I: An Introduction to Final Cut Pro Find out how Final Cut Pro fits into the moviemaking process and learn about fundamental concepts of digital video editing and the basic elements of a Final Cut Pro project.
1 About the Postproduction Workflow 1 No matter what your project, Final Cut Pro is the cornerstone of your postproduction workflow. This chapter covers the following: Â The Industry Workflow (p. 15) Â The Postproduction Workflow (p. 16) The Industry Workflow Before you start editing, it’s helpful to consider how postproduction fits into the overall moviemaking workflow. Even though no two movie projects follow exactly the same steps, there is a common workflow that almost every project adheres to.
Step 4: Postproduction Postproduction is where you organize and assemble your production footage, putting scenes in proper order, selecting the best takes, and eliminating unnecessary elements. Production sound is synchronized (with the picture), edited, sometimes rerecorded, and mixed. Music is composed and added. Footage is color-corrected and special effects are created. The final movie is output to tape, film, or some other high-quality media format.
I Here is an overview of the basic Final Cut Pro postproduction workflow. As you begin your project, remember that there are no hard and fast rules for editing. Different editors have different working styles and, given the same source material, no two editors will cut the same finished program. The workflow described here offers just one example of how you might approach a typical project.
Step 1: Planning Planning is where you choose your basic workflow, such as offline and online editing (for projects with a lot of media) or editing the uncompressed footage (for shorter projects with quick turnaround times), choose input and output formats, and plan for equipment requirements (such as hard disk space), timecode and sync requirements, special effects shots and color correction, audio mixing requirements, and so on.
I Step 3: Logging and capturing Logging is the process of identifying which shots on tape you want to capture to your hard disk for editing. While you log, you can add scene and shot descriptions, logging notes, and markers. Logging also helps you become familiar with your footage before you begin editing. Capturing means transferring source media from your video camcorder or deck to your computer’s hard disk, which creates media files.
Step 5: Mixing audio Once your movie is edited and the picture is “locked,” meaning the duration of the movie is fixed and you no longer intend to change any of the edits, you can begin working more extensively on your audio.
2 Video Formats and Timecode 2 Before you begin editing, you need to decide what video format you will capture, edit, and output. The format you choose determines your postproduction workflow. This chapter covers the following: Â About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing (p. 21) Â Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro (p. 22) Â Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro (p. 23) Â Video Format Basics (p. 23) Â About Timecode (p.
Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro Long before editing begins, the most basic decision you need to make is which format to shoot with. The format you choose affects the equipment needed for editorial work, as well as how the finished product will look. Final Cut Pro uses QuickTime technology, allowing you to use almost any digital video format available. This flexibility ensures that your Final Cut Pro editing system always works with the latest video formats.
I Offline and Online Editing Final Cut Pro allows you to edit low-resolution copies of your media until you are ready to finish at high quality. For example, you can edit your movie on a PowerBook using low-resolution footage and then reconnect your project clips to high-resolution media for finishing and output. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 5, “Offline and Online Editing.
Video Standards A number of video standards have emerged over the years. Standard definition (SD) video formats have been used for broadcast television from the 1950s to the present. These include NTSC, PAL, and SECAM, regional video standards, with each used in certain countries and regions of the world. Â NTSC (National Television Systems Committee): The television and video standard used in most of the Americas, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
I Frame Rate The frame rate of your video determines how quickly frames are recorded and played back. The higher the number of frames per second (fps), the less noticeably the image flickers on screen. There are several common frame rates in use: Â 24 fps: Film, certain high definition formats, and certain standard definition formats use this frame rate. This may also be 23.98 fps for compatibility with NTSC video. Â 25 fps: Standard definition PAL Â 29.97 fps: Standard definition NTSC Â 59.
About Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame Timecode With the exception of timecode used with NTSC video, all video formats use non-drop frame timecode, which simply counts at the frame rate of the video itself. For example, PAL video runs at 25 fps, and it uses 25 fps timecode. When working with NTSC video, you have the option to use drop frame timecode to compensate for the fact that NTSC video has a frame rate of 29.97 fps, while the timecode runs at 30 fps.
3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 3 The basic elements in Final Cut Pro are projects, clips, and sequences. Once you learn what these are and how you can use them, you can begin working in Final Cut Pro. This chapter covers the following: Â The Building Blocks of Projects (p. 27) Â Working With Projects (p. 32) Â About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files (p. 35) Â Filenaming Considerations (p.
What Are Clips? Once you have media files on your hard disk, you need a way of working with them in Final Cut Pro. A clip is the most fundamental object in Final Cut Pro. Clips represent your media, but they are not the media files themselves. A clip points to, or connects to, a video, audio, or graphics media file on your hard disk. (For more information on the relationship between media files and clips, see “About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files” on page 35.
I What Are Sequences? A sequence is a container for editing clips together in chronological order. The editing process involves deciding which video and audio clip items to put in your sequence, what order the clips should go in, and how long each clip should be. Sequences are created in the Browser. To edit clips into a sequence, you open a sequence from the Browser in to the Timeline.
What Are Projects? A project contains all of the clips and sequences you use while editing your movie. Once you create or open a project, it appears as a tab in the Browser. There’s no limit to the number of items, including clips and sequences, that can be stored in your project in the Browser. A project file acts as a sort of database for tracking the aspects of your edited movie.
I What Are Bins? A bin is a folder within a project that can contain clips and sequences, as well as other items used in your project, such as transitions and effects. You use bins to organize these elements, sort them, add comments, rename items, and so on. Bins help you to design a logical structure for your projects, making your clips easier to manage.
Working With Projects How you use and organize your projects depends on the scope of your movie as well as your particular organizational style. These factors also affect your decision to use one or more sequences in your project. Organizing Your Projects Typically, you create a new project file for each movie you work on, regardless of its duration. For example, if you’re working on a documentary about a bicycle manufacturing company, you would create a project for it.
I To create a new project: m Choose File > New Project. A new, untitled project appears in the Browser with an empty sequence. You can name the project when you save it. This is your new project. A new sequence is automatically created when you create a new project. To save a project: 1 Click the project’s tab in the Browser 2 Choose File > Save Project (or press Command-S). 3 If you haven’t named the project yet, a dialog appears. Enter a name and choose a location for the project, then click Save.
Opening and Closing Projects You can open and work on more than one project at a time. When you finish working and quit Final Cut Pro, a message appears for each open project, asking if you want to save your changes. The next time you open Final Cut Pro, all projects that were open at the end of your last session open automatically. You can have multiple projects open at the same time, each represented by its own tab in the Browser. To open a project: 1 Choose File > Open.
I To switch between several open projects: m In the Browser, click a project’s tab. To switch between projects, click a project’s tab. To close all open projects: m Close the Browser. Any project that has its own window (because you dragged the project’s tab out of the Browser) remains open. About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Clips are not to be confused with the media files you captured to your computer’s hard disk.
To see a clip’s Source property: 1 Select a clip in the Browser by clicking it. 2 Choose Edit > Item Properties > Format (or press Command-9). The Item Properties window appears. 3 Look at the directory path in the clip’s Source field. 4 If you can’t see the complete directory path, you can do one of the following: Â Drag the right edge of the column heading to the right to increase the column width.
I An offline clip has a red slash through its icon in the Browser. In the Timeline, an offline clip appears white (when you play back your sequence in the Canvas, offline clips display a “Media Offline” message). To view these clips properly in your project, you need to reconnect the clips to their corresponding media files at their new locations on disk. This reestablishes the connection between the clips and their media files.
Avoiding Special Characters The most conservative filenaming conventions provide the most cross-platform compatibility. This means that your filenames will work in different operating systems, such as Windows, Mac OS X and other Unix operating systems, and Mac OS 9. You also need to consider filenaming when you transfer files via the Internet, where you can never be certain what computer platform your files may be stored on, even if temporarily. Most special characters should be avoided.
I Restricting Length of Filenames Although current file systems such as HFS+ (used by Mac OS X) allow you to create filenames with a 255-character limit, you may want to limit your filename length if you intend to transfer your files to other operating systems. Earlier versions of the Mac OS only allow 31-character filenames, and if you want to include a file extension (such as .fcp, .mov, or .aif), you need to shorten your Mac OS 9-compatible filenames to 27 characters.
Part II: Learning About the Final Cut Pro Interface II Get familiar with the Browser, Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline, and learn how to customize the Final Cut Pro interface to meet your specific needs.
4 Overview of the Final Cut Pro Interface 4 The Final Cut Pro interface has four main windows and a Tool palette. This chapter includes: Â Basics of Working in the Final Cut Pro Interface (p. 43) Â Using Keyboard Shortcuts, Buttons, and Shortcut Menus (p. 45) Â Customizing the Interface (p. 48) Â Undoing and Redoing Changes (p. 51) Â Entering Timecode for Navigation Purposes (p.
You’ll see these windows when you open a sequence with clips already in it. These windows are covered in more detail in the chapters that follow. Viewer: Used to preview and prepare source clips for editing, as well as adjust filter and motion parameters to clips. Canvas: Allows you to view your edited sequence, as well as perform a variety of editing functions. Works in parallel with the Timeline. Browser: This is where you organize the media in your project.
II Using Keyboard Shortcuts, Buttons, and Shortcut Menus Final Cut Pro offers several methods for performing commands. You can choose commands from the menu bar at the top of the screen or from contextual shortcut menus, or you can use keyboard shortcuts to perform many commands. Most people work fastest using keyboard shortcuts; others prefer to use shortcut menus or the mouse to access commands in the menu bar. Experiment to find out which method best suits your editing style.
Using Button Bars You can create shortcut buttons and place them in the button bar along the top of the main windows in Final Cut Pro—the Browser, Viewer, Canvas, Timeline, and any Tool Bench windows. (The Tool Bench is a specialized window containing tabs for specific tasks, such as the Audio Mixer.) You can then click any of the shortcut buttons in the button bar to perform commands, instead of entering keyboard shortcuts or using menus.
II To view and use a shortcut menu: 1 Press the Control key and click an item (this is called Control-clicking), or Control-click an area in a window in Final Cut Pro. 2 In the shortcut menu that appears, choose the command you want, then release the mouse button. Note: If you have a multibutton mouse, clicking the right mouse button is the same as Control-clicking by default.
Customizing the Interface Final Cut Pro allows you to customize the interface in several ways. You can rearrange windows and move them to suit your needs and work style. You can also use various screen layouts provided by Final Cut Pro. You can also position the Dock in the Mac OS X interface so that it takes up less room or is hidden.
II Working With Tabs and Tabbed Windows The Viewer and Browser contain tabs that let you access different functions. The Browser also contains tabs for open projects. Tabs in the Timeline and Canvas represent open sequences. The Viewer contains tabs that specify functions within clips. The Canvas contains a tab for each open sequence. The Browser contains tabs for open projects and effects. Like the Canvas, the Timeline contains a tab for each open sequence. To make a tab active: m Click the tab.
To make a tab appear in its own window: m Drag the tab out of its parent window (Browser, Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline). The Effects tab is dragged out of the Browser and appears in its own window. To put a tab back in its original window: m Drag the tab to the title bar of its parent window. Drag the tab to the title bar of the original window to put it back. Moving Windows There are several ways you can move windows in Final Cut Pro.
II Using Different Screen Layouts Final Cut Pro comes with a set of predefined screen layouts. These layouts determine the size and location of the four main windows in Final Cut Pro (the Browser, Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline), along with the Tool palette and audio meters. Some screen layouts include additional windows, such as the Tool Bench. Choose a layout that maximizes your screen space in the best way for your source material, editing function, screen resolution, and monitor type.
To undo a change, do one of the following: m Press Command-Z. m Choose Edit > Undo. To redo a change, do one of the following: m Press Command-Shift-Z. m Choose Edit > Redo. Entering Timecode for Navigation Purposes Timecode is a signal recorded with your video that uniquely identifies each frame on tape. Timecode also allows you to navigate through your sequences to a specific point in time.
5 Browser Basics 5 The Browser is where you organize all of the clips in your project. This chapter covers the following: Â How You Use the Browser (p. 53) Â Learning About the Browser (p. 54) Â Working in the Browser (p. 55) Â Using Columns in the Browser (p. 59) Â Customizing the Browser Display (p. 60) Note: For information about organizing footage in the Browser, see Volume II, Chapter 1, “Organizing Footage in the Browser.
Learning About the Browser You can view items in the Browser in different ways. When the Browser displays items in list view, all items appear in a sorted list. You can also access effects through the Browser. Columns display clip properties Each tab represents a project or an open bin. Bins help you organize clips in your projects. Sequence You can also view items in the Browser in icon view, which lets you easily see items by type.
II Working in the Browser Before you can work in the Browser, it must be the currently selected, or active, window. Otherwise, any commands or keyboard shortcuts you use may perform the wrong operations. To make the Browser window active, do one of the following: m Click anywhere in the Browser. m Press Command-4. Creating Sequences Before you can begin editing clips into a sequence, you must create a sequence. To create a new sequence: 1 Click in the Browser to make it the active window.
To select a group of adjacent clips, do one of the following: m Select an item, press and hold down the Shift key, then click the last item. The first and last items are selected, along with all items in between. m Drag over multiple clips. Drag across multiple items to select them. To select multiple, nonadjacent clips: m Press and hold down the Command key while clicking multiple items. Select the first clip. Then press the Command key while selecting other clips.
II Navigating Within the Browser Using the Keyboard You can navigate to items in the Browser in various ways, depending on whether you are viewing items in list view or icon view (see “Customizing the Browser Display” on page 60). To navigate within the Browser, do one of the following: m Press the Up and Down Arrow keys to move up and down in a list of items in list view or move vertically between items in icon view. m Press the Right and Left Arrow keys to move horizontally between items in icon view.
To duplicate a master clip, creating a new master clip instead of an affiliate clip: 1 Select a clip in the Browser. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Modify > Duplicate as New Master Clip. Â Control-click the clip, then choose Duplicate as New Master Clip from the shortcut menu. To delete a clip, sequence, or bin from a project: m Select the item, then press Delete.
II Using Columns in the Browser In list view, the Browser’s scrollable columns provide information about your clips and their associated media files. Use the vertical scroll bar to navigate and view all of the clips and sequences in your project. Use the horizontal scroll bar to navigate and view all of the columns in list view. The Browser can display many columns of information at once.
Viewing Columns in Standard or Logging Formats There are two default column layouts included with Final Cut Pro: standard and logging. You can customize both layouts for particular projects. You can also create and save your own column layouts. Â Standard Columns: Choose this option to see most of a clip’s properties.
II Choosing Views in the Browser You can view items in the Browser in list view or icon view. List view provides detailed clip information in columns; clips within bins appear hierarchically, allowing you to reveal or hide the contents of a bin. List view (default) If you want to organize your clips visually, you can set the Browser to display your clips as icons. There are three icon view sizes—small, medium, and large. When you choose an icon view, items are rearranged in a grid.
Working With the Browser in List View When items are displayed as a list, the Browser displays information about the items in columns. You can customize these columns in several ways.
II To hide a column: m Control-click the column heading, then choose Hide Column from the shortcut menu. Note: You can’t hide the Name column; it’s always displayed. Control-click a column heading, then choose Hide Column. To display a hidden column: m Control-click the column heading to the right of where you want to display the column, then choose the column you want to display from the shortcut menu. Control-click a column heading, then choose the column you want to display.
To display thumbnails: m Control-click any column heading other than Name, then choose Show Thumbnail from the shortcut menu. Control-click a column heading, then choose Show Thumbnail. A thumbnail column appears with images for all video clips. Thumbnails appear as small images of your video clips. When thumbnails are displayed, the image shown is the first frame of the clip or the In point of the clip, if one is set.
II To hide thumbnails: m Control-click the Thumbnail column heading, then choose Hide Column from the shortcut menu. To scrub, or move, through a thumbnail: m Drag the thumbnail image in the direction you want to view. The thumbnail you’re scrubbing through is highlighted. Note: You can also scrub through clips that are displayed in large icon view (see “Scrubbing Through Clips in Icon View” on page 67).
2 Type a new name in the column’s Name field, then press Return. Enter the new column name. The Master Comment and Comment column headings are the only column headings you can change. Once you customize the name of a Comment column, it remains changed in that project file, even if you hide it. New projects you create use the default names. If you want to change several Comment headings at once, use the Project Properties window.
II Scrubbing Through Clips in Icon View In large icon view, you can scrub through video clips to see their content. You can also scrub through thumbnails of clips displayed in list view (see “Working With the Browser in List View” on page 62). However, you don’t have all of the options you have in large icon view. Note: You can’t scrub through clips in small icon view. To scrub through clips in large icon view: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select the Scrub Video tool in the Tool palette.
Automatically Arranging Clips in Icon View When you’re in icon view in the Browser, you can organize clip icons however you want. You can use the Arrange commands to automatically arrange your icons from left to right, either in alphabetical order or by duration, within the current width of the Browser or bin window. This is useful if the Browser or a bin window has overlapping icons or if you find yourself constantly scrolling to see icons.
II Setting the Poster Frame The poster frame is the picture that represents a clip in icon view in the Browser. When you look at clips in the Browser in large icon view or when you show the Thumbnail column in list view, the icon or thumbnail picture you see reflects either the In point for that clip (or the first frame of the clip if no In point has been set), or the poster frame you set for the clip in the Browser.
Saving and Using Custom Column Layouts You can create customized column layouts and save them for easy access at any time. For example, some editors prefer to have the Master Comment 1 column after the Name column, so they don’t have to scroll to that column all the time to review the assistant editor’s notes. The custom column layouts you save appear in the shortcut menu that appears when you Control-click any column heading in the Browser except the Name column.
6 Viewer Basics 6 The Viewer is used for viewing a clip’s media and preparing clips before editing them into a sequence. This chapter covers the following: Â How You Can Use the Viewer (p. 71) Â Opening a Clip in the Viewer (p. 72) Â Learning About the Viewer (p. 73) Â Tabs in the Viewer (p. 75) Â Transport (or Playback) Controls (p. 77) Â Playhead Controls (p. 78) Â Marking Controls (p. 80) Â Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus (p. 81) Â Playhead Sync Pop-Up Menu (p.
 Adjust generator clip controls Generators are special clips that can be generated by Final Cut Pro, so they don’t require source media. Final Cut Pro has generators that create color mattes, text of different types, gradients, color bars, and white noise. For more information, see Volume III, Chapter 21, “Using Built-in Generated Clips.”  Open a transition, such as a dissolve or a wipe, from an edited sequence for detailed editing For more information, see Volume II, Chapter 21, “Adding Transitions.
II To open a sequence clip in the Viewer from the Timeline or Canvas, do one of the following: m In the Timeline, double-click the clip. m In the Timeline or Canvas, move the playhead over the clip, then press Return or Enter. The clip on the lowest-numbered track with Auto Select enabled is opened in the Viewer. m In the Timeline, select the clip and press Return or Enter. m Drag the clip from the Timeline to the Viewer.
 In Point and Out point: In and Out points allow you to define a specific portion of a clip to include in a sequence. A clip In point marks the first frame of a clip to be edited into a sequence. A clip Out point specifies the last frame of the clip to be used. For more information, see Volume II, Chapter 7, “Setting Edit Points for Clips and Sequences.”  Playhead: The position of the playhead corresponds to the currently displayed frame. You can move the playhead to go to different parts of a clip.
II Tabs in the Viewer Each tab in the Viewer provides a specific set of editing functions: Video, Audio, Filters, Motion, and Controls. You can drag tabs out of the Viewer so they appear in a separate window. This is useful, for example, if you want to adjust filter or generator parameters while watching the results in the Video tab. Video Tab The video tab lets you view a clip’s video media, set In and Out points, and add markers and keyframes.
Filters Tab You use this tab to adjust parameters for any video or audio filters you’ve applied to a clip. You can also set keyframes to adjust filter parameters over time. For more information, see Volume III, Chapter 11, “Video Filters.” For audio filters, see Volume III, Chapter 9, “Using Audio Filters.
II Controls Tab You use the Controls tab to change the parameters for generator clips, such as the font and text size in a Text generator, or the size of a Circle Shape generator. The Controls tab appears only when a generator is open in the Viewer. For additional information, see Volume III, Chapter 21, “Using Built-in Generated Clips.” Transport (or Playback) Controls Transport controls let you play clips in the Viewer. (The same controls also appear in the Log and Capture and Edit to Tape windows.
 Play Around Current Frame (\): Plays the selected clip “around” the current playhead position. When you click this button, the playback begins before the playhead position based on the value in the Preview Pre-roll field in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window. Playback continues through the original position of the playhead, and then continues for the amount of time in the Preview Post-roll field in User Preferences. When you stop playback, the playhead jumps back to its original position.
II To move the playhead to the next In or Out point, or Media End: m Press the Down arrow key. To move the playhead to the previous In or Out point, or Media Start: m Press the Up arrow key. To move the playhead to the beginning of your clip: m Press Home on your keyboard. To move the playhead to the end of your clip: m Press End on your keyboard. Jog Control To move forward or backward in your clip very precisely, use the jog control.
Marking Controls Marking controls let you set In and Out points, add markers and keyframes, and navigate to matching frames in master or affiliate clips (this is called performing a match frame). There are keyboard shortcuts for each control. Add Motion Keyframe Mark Clip Show Match Frame Add Marker Mark In Mark Out  Show Match Frame (F): When you click this button, Final Cut Pro searches the current sequence for the same frame shown in the Viewer.
II Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus The two pop-up menus near the top of the Viewer let you quickly select the magnification level and a viewing format to control the way media in the Viewer is displayed. Note: These menus also appear in the Canvas, and the options are the same. Zoom Pop-Up Menu Choose a magnification level from this pop-up menu. Your choice affects only the display size of the image; it doesn’t affect the scaling or frame size of the footage in the Viewer.
 Fit All: This is similar to the Fit to Window command, but this command takes into account clips whose borders extend beyond the current Viewer boundaries. Before After  Show as Sq. Pixels: Displays non-square pixel images as square pixels so they look correct on your computer screen. Standard definition (SD) video equipment displays video using non-square pixels, whereas computer monitors display video with square pixels.
II Important: Clips may not play back smoothly if you zoom in on them so far that part of the image is obscured, and you see scroll bars to the right and below the Viewer windows. Other windows blocking the Viewer will also affect playback. Choosing a screen layout or pressing Shift-Z are easy ways to remedy playback quality in this situation. View Pop-Up Menu You can choose various options from this pop-up menu for how you view your clips and sequences in the Viewer.
 RGB, Alpha, or Alpha+RGB: When you’re compositing, it can sometimes be handy to have a quick look at the alpha channel of your clip. The alpha channel defines areas of transparency, and can change if various filters are applied. Viewing your sequence with the Alpha or Alpha+RGB option selected shows you exactly which areas of your image have transparency. Additional controls are available for viewing the individual Red, Green, and Blue channels in the View menu.
II There are several playhead sync modes available: Â Sync Off: The Viewer and Canvas playheads move independently of one another. This is the default behavior. Â Open: As the playhead moves through your sequence, the clip that appears at the current position of the playhead is automatically opened in the Viewer. Playhead sync between the Viewer and Canvas is maintained so the same frame is always open in both windows.
Recent Clips Pop-Up Menu This pop-up menu shows recently used clips. A clip is not added to this list when first opened in the Viewer, but only when another clip replaces it. The last clip that was replaced in the Viewer appears at the top of the list. By default, the maximum number of clips that appear in this list is 10, but you can change this number. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 22, “Choosing Settings and Preferences.” The clip replaced most recently is at the top of the list.
7 Canvas Basics 7 The Canvas provides an environment for viewing your edited sequence, and works in tandem with the Timeline while you edit. This chapter covers the following: Â How You Use the Canvas (p. 87) Â Opening, Selecting, and Closing Sequences in the Canvas (p. 88) Â Learning About the Canvas (p. 89) Â Editing Controls in the Canvas (p. 90) Â Transport (or Playback) Controls (p. 92) Â Playhead Controls (p. 93) Â Marking Controls (p. 95) Â Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus (p.
Before you can work in the Canvas, it must be the currently selected, or active, window. Otherwise, any commands or keyboard shortcuts you use may perform the wrong operations. To display the Canvas, you must open a sequence from the Browser (see the next section, “Opening, Selecting, and Closing Sequences in the Canvas”). Note: Most of the commands you use in the Canvas also work in the Timeline. To make the Canvas window active, do one of the following: m Click the Canvas. m Press Command-2.
II Learning About the Canvas The following is a summary of the controls in the Canvas. Tab for the open sequence Name of the currently selected sequence and the project it’s in Current Timecode field Timecode Duration field Zoom pop-up menu View pop-up menu Image display area Playhead Sync pop-up menu Playhead Out point In point Scrubber bar Jog control Shuttle control Edit buttons Transport controls Sequence marking controls  Tabs: Each tab in the Canvas represents an open sequence.
 View pop-up menu: This allows you to control display options such as timecode and marker overlays, as well as the background color for transparent pixels.  Zoom pop-up menu: This lets you enlarge or shrink the image that appears in the Canvas.  Playhead Sync pop-up menu: This gives you options for locking the movement of the playheads in the Viewer and the Canvas together in different ways while scrubbing through clips.
II Edit Overlay The Edit Overlay appears only when you drag clips from the Browser or Viewer to the image area of the Canvas. The Edit Overlay appears translucently over the image currently in the Canvas. Drag a clip to the image display area of the Canvas. The Edit Overlay appears with its seven sections. There are seven sections in the Edit Overlay. If you simply drag your clip to the image display area to the left of the Edit Overlay, an overwrite edit is performed.
Transport (or Playback) Controls Transport controls let you play sequences in the Canvas, as well as move the playhead in the Timeline. These controls play clips and sequences at 100 percent (or 1x) speed. There are keyboard shortcuts for each control. Go to Previous Edit Go to Next Edit Play Around Current Frame Play In to Out Play  Play (Space bar): Plays your sequence from the current location of the playhead. Clicking it again stops playback.  Play In to Out (Shift-\): Moves the playhead to the c
II Playhead Controls The playhead lets you navigate through and locate different parts of a sequence quickly and easily. Inactive video Inactive video Playhead Shuttle control Scrubber bar Jog control Playhead and Scrubber Bar The playhead shows the location of the currently displayed frame within the current sequence. The scrubber bar runs along the entire width of the Canvas, below the video image. To scrub through a sequence, drag the playhead across the scrubber bar.
To move the playhead to the previous edit point, do one of the following: m Choose Mark > Previous > Edit. m Click the Go to Previous Edit button. m Press the Up Arrow key. m Press Option-E. Final Cut Pro looks for the previous edit, In point, or Out point. If overlays are enabled in the View menu, an L-shaped icon appears in the Canvas, indicating whether you are on an In or Out point.
II Marking Controls Marking controls let you set In and Out points, add markers and keyframes, and navigate to matching frames in master or affiliate clips (this is called performing a match frame). There are keyboard shortcuts for each control. Mark Clip Show Match Frame Mark In Mark Out Add Motion Keyframe Add Marker  Mark In (I): Click to set the In point at the current position of the playhead.  Mark Out (O): Click to set the Out point at the current position of the playhead.
Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus The two pop-up menus near the top of the Canvas let you quickly select the magnification level and a viewing format to control the way media in the Canvas is displayed. These menus are also present in the Viewer, and the options are the same. For details, see “Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus” on page 81.
8 Navigating and Using Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas 8 While the Viewer and Canvas serve different purposes, navigating and working with timecode are nearly the same in both windows. This chapter covers the following: Â Navigating in the Viewer and Canvas (p. 97) Â Working With Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas (p.
Playing Clips and Sequences You use the transport controls in the Viewer and Canvas to play forward, backward, between In and Out points, one frame at a time, or loop playback. You can also move around within clips and sequences by jogging, shuttling, and scrubbing, and by entering timecode numbers. To play a clip in the Viewer or a sequence in the Canvas: 1 Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active. 2 Do one of the following: Â Â Â Â Click the Play button. Press the Space bar.
II To play a clip or sequence between In and Out points: 1 Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active. 2 Do one of the following: Â Click the Play In to Out button. Â Press Shift-\ (backslash). Â Choose Mark > Play > In to Out. If you want to preview how the cut you’ve made at the Out point will play, you can play to the Out point. This is useful because it quickly shows you if you’ve left out a frame, or if you need to shave off more frames.
To play every frame of a clip: 1 Open a clip in the Viewer or make the Canvas or Timeline active. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Play > Every Frame. Â Press Option-\ (backslash) or Option-P. Scrubbing, or Moving, Through a Clip or Sequence The scrubber bar represents the entire duration of the clip that’s open in the Viewer and the entire duration of a sequence that’s open in the Canvas.
II Shuttling Through a Clip or Sequence While using the scrubber bar is a great way to quickly navigate to different parts of your clip or sequence, sometimes you want to play through your clip or sequence smoothly at varying speeds as you make decisions about where to place your edit points. The shuttle control gives you this kind of smooth control, playing back your video and audio at various speeds in either direction, much as the shuttle of a video deck does.
To begin forward playback at normal (1x) speed: m Press L. To begin reverse playback at normal (1x) speed: m Press J. To pause playback: m Press K. To double the current playback speed: m Press L or J again. You can play back up to eight times normal speed, switching from 1x to 2x to 4x to 8x normal speed (pressing either key a total of 4 times). Pressing the key for playback in the opposite direction halves the playback speed, slowing playback in that direction down until it reaches 1x playback.
II To move forward or backward using the jog control: m Drag the jog control to the left or to the right. The playhead moves with a one-to-one correspondence to the movement of your mouse. Moving your mouse slowly moves the playhead slowly, even frame by frame. Moving the mouse faster moves the playhead faster. If you stop dragging, the playhead stops instantly. To move precisely through a clip, drag the jog control.
To enable looped playback: m Choose View > Loop Playback (or press Control-L). If it’s already enabled, you’ll see a checkmark next to the command in the menu. To disable looped playback: m Choose View > Loop Playback (or press Control-L) again, so that the checkmark next to the menu item disappears Working With Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas Two fields display timecode in the Viewer and Canvas: Timecode Duration and Current Timecode.
II Navigating With Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas You can move the playhead around in a clip or sequence by entering a new timecode number in the Current Timecode field. Â To move to a particular frame in your clip or sequence, enter a complete (or absolute) timecode number. Â To move the playhead forward or backward a precise number of hours, minutes, seconds, and frames from the current position, you enter a relative number.
To move the playhead typing outside the Current Timecode field: 1 Do one of the following: Â Double-click a clip to open it in the Viewer. Â Make the Canvas active. 2 Type a new timecode value, then press Return. Even though the Current Timecode field isn’t selected, the timecode value you type appears in this field. The playhead moves to the location of the new timecode value, and the new timecode value is shown in the Current Timecode field.
II Viewing Timecode Overlays Timecode overlay display is overridden by the Show Overlays command in the View menu. If you turn on timecode overlays and then turn off Show Overlays (so there is no checkmark next to it in the View menu), this also turns off the timecode overlays. To view timecode overlays: 1 Make the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline active, depending on where you want to see the timecode overlays. Note: Overlays in the Viewer can be set independently from those in the Canvas.
 Video and audio timecode numbers: In the center of the Canvas and Viewer are lists of timecode numbers for every clip item that intersects the current position of the playhead. The column on the left shows video and the column on the right displays audio. Video and audio tracks start with the display of track 1.  Video timecode numbers are preceded by V and the number of the video track.  Audio timecode numbers are preceded by A and the number of the audio track.
9 Timeline Basics 9 The Timeline shows a graphical representation of your edited sequence, with all of that sequence’s clips laid out in chronological order. This chapter covers the following: Â How You Use the Timeline (p. 109) Â Opening and Closing Sequences in the Timeline (p. 111) Â Learning About the Timeline (p. 112) Â Changing Timeline Display Options (p. 122) Â Navigating in the Timeline (p. 131) Â Zooming and Scrolling in the Timeline (p.
This shows several items in the Timeline. In Point Playhead Out Point Sequence tab Current Timecode field This shows the same items as they appear in the Canvas. Sequence tab Current Timecode field Playhead In Point Out Point Since the playhead in the Timeline mirrors the playhead in the Canvas, you can use the navigation, marking, and editing controls in the Canvas to navigate in the Timeline, and vice versa.
II Opening and Closing Sequences in the Timeline In the Timeline and Canvas, tabs represent sequences. Opening a sequence opens the Timeline and the Canvas windows simultaneously (if they’re not open already). If the Timeline and Canvas are already open, a newly opened sequence appears in its own tab on top of any other sequence tabs. To open a sequence in the Timeline and Canvas, do one of the following: m Double-click a sequence in the Browser. m Select the sequence in the Browser, then press Return.
Learning About the Timeline You can view the content of your sequences in many different ways in the Timeline. Track height, clip opacity and audio level overlays, keyframes, and many other sequence properties can be displayed and edited in the Timeline. Each sequence has its own unique display settings; changing the zoom setting or audio controls in one sequence doesn’t affect another. Editing controls Each tab represents a sequence.
II Editing Controls The Timeline editing controls determine which tracks are selected and enabled for editing and playback. Destination control Lock Track control Auto Select control Source control Track Visibility control Locked tracks are cross-hatched. Â Source and Destination controls: These allow you to connect (or patch) clip items of the source clip in the Viewer to tracks in the Timeline.
 Auto Select control: Enabling the Auto Select controls of specific tracks in the Timeline limits which tracks are affected by various functions such as copying, pasting, deleting, the Match Frame command and so on. Note: You can think of In and Out points as limiting your edits in the horizontal (time) dimension and Auto Select as limiting your edits in the vertical dimension.
II Â Unused area: This is the area either above or below the outermost video and audio tracks in your sequence. Ordinarily, this area is blank, but if you drag clips directly into this gray area, new tracks are created to accommodate them. Â Vertical scroll bars and thumb tabs: If you have more tracks than can be displayed in the Timeline window at one time, the scroll bars let you scroll through your video and audio tracks separately.
 Playhead: The playhead displays the current frame location in a sequence. You can also use the playhead to navigate through your sequence in the Timeline. For more information, see “Navigating in the Timeline” on page 131.  Current Timecode field: Indicates the timecode position of the playhead. Typing a new timecode number moves the playhead (as in the Viewer and Canvas). Current Timecode field  Zoom control: Lets you zoom in and out of the contents of your sequence in the Timeline.
II Â Zoom slider: Like the Zoom control, the Zoom slider allows you to zoom in and out of a sequence in the Timeline. Dragging the thumb tabs on either side of the slider adjusts both thumb tabs and leaves the visible area of the Timeline centered. Drag the slider to scroll through your sequence. Pressing the Shift key and dragging one of the thumb tabs locks the opposite thumb tab and moves the visible area of the Timeline in the direction you’re dragging.
Audio Controls  Audio Controls button: Click to display the mute and solo buttons to the left of each audio track in the Timeline. By default, these controls are hidden. Solo control Mute control Audio Controls button  Mute and solo controls: Use to enable and disable audio playback on individual tracks for monitoring purposes. The track strips in the Audio Mixer have corresponding mute and solo buttons that work the same way.
II Other Miscellaneous Controls Snapping button Linked Selection button  Snapping button: Click to turn snapping on and off. This button appears in the Timeline button bar by default. When snapping is on, the playhead “snaps to” key areas in the Timeline, such as the boundaries of other clip items, sequence markers, and sequence In and Out points.
 Stereo pair indicators (within clip items): Two pairs of triangles indicate that two audio clip items are linked as a stereo pair. If you select an audio clip item that is part of a stereo pair, the other clip item in the pair is also selected. This is useful when you are working with stereo audio clips such as music or sound effects. For more information, see Volume II, Chapter 17, “Audio Editing Basics.” Speed change is shown as a percentage.
II Â Render status bar: This bar at the top of the Timeline indicates which parts of the sequence have been rendered at the current render quality. The top line is for video, the bottom for audio. Â Video render bar (upper region): Indicates the presence and render status of video effects items. Â Audio render bar (lower region): Indicates the presence and render status of audio effects items. The upper area indicates the render status of video items.
Sequence Clips in the Timeline Clip items in a sequence are often called sequence clips, with the item’s name at the beginning (and, if the clip item is long enough, at the end as well). You can choose whether video clip items in the Timeline display thumbnails, and whether audio clip items display audio waveforms. These options are available in the Timeline options tab of the Sequence Settings window (for more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 26, “Sequence Settings and Presets.
II Â Track layout pop-up menu: You can use this pop-up menu to change some Timeline display options, as well as save, choose, or restore custom track layouts. For more information, see “Timeline Display Options Available From the Track Layout Pop-Up Menu” on page 129. Track Layout pop-up menu Click here to view the Track Layout pop-up menu.
General Options These are basic display options you can change at any time. Several options, such as the default number of video and audio tracks, are only available in the Timeline Options tab of the User Preferences window, because these options only affect default settings for new sequences. Â Starting Timecode: This sets the starting timecode number in the Timeline for new sequences.
II Track Display  Show Keyframe Overlays: Select this option to display opacity overlays (thin black lines) over your video tracks, and audio level overlays (thin red lines) over any clips in the audio tracks of the Timeline. These lines indicate video transparency or audio levels. For more information, see Volume III, Chapter 13, “Adjusting Parameters for Keyframed Effects.” You can also use the Clip Overlays control in the Timeline to show or hide overlays.
 Show Through Edits: A through edit is an edit composed of two adjacent frames that have the same reel number and subsequent timecode numbers. For example, if you use the Razor Blade tool to cut a clip in half, that edit point is considered a through edit. Select this option to display through edit indicators—two red triangles—where they exist. This may help you discover unnecessary edit points in your sequence, which you can then delete.
II Clip Keyframes You can click the Clip Keyframes control to display the keyframe graph area— additional space below each video and audio track in which to view and edit keyframes for effects that are applied to your clips. Motion bar and motion keyframe indicated by a blue diamond A green bar indicates a filter has been applied to the clip. A blue bar indicates a clip’s motion settings have been altered.
 Keyframe editor: The keyframe editor shows you keyframe graph lines for motion or filter parameters. These graphs are identical to those found in the keyframe graph area of the Motion and Filters tabs in the Viewer. You can edit keyframes in the keyframe editor using the Selection and Pen tools. The keyframe editor can only display the keyframe graph line of one effect parameter at a time.  Speed indicators: Speed indicators show you the speed of clips in your sequence using tic marks.
II Timeline Display Options Available From the Track Layout Pop-Up Menu You can use the Track Layout pop-up menu in the Timeline to change some Timeline display options, including:  Track height  Video filmstrips  Audio waveforms  Through edits  Duplicate frames  Clip labels This pop-up menu also allows you to save, choose, or restore custom track layouts. This menu can hold up to 40 custom track layouts.
 Duplicate frames indicator: If you use a clip more than once within a single edited sequence, the duplicated frames are marked by a colored bar appearing at the bottom of the clip’s video item in the Timeline. Duplicate frames indicator Each separate instance of duplicated frames is color-coded differently. There are six different colors used to indicate separate sets of duplicated frames: red, green, blue, white, black, and purple.
II Control-click a clip with duplicate frames to see a shortcut menu with the following option: Â Dupe Frames: Choose this option to see a list of all clips that contain duplicates of the frames in the selected clip. Each item in this list contains the number of duplicated frames, the timecode value of the first duplicated frame, and the name of the clip that contains the duplicates.
Positioning the Playhead Using the Ruler Moving the playhead in the Timeline ruler works in the same way as moving the playhead in the scrubber bar in the Canvas or Viewer. To scrub through a sequence in the Timeline: m Drag the playhead in the Timeline ruler. Playhead To jump to a specific location in the Timeline: m Click the desired location in the Timeline ruler. (You can do this while your sequence is stopped or playing.
II Zooming and Scrolling in the Timeline Being able to navigate quickly to any point in your sequence is critical to efficient editing and storytelling, and the ability to jump to any point in the Timeline instantly is one of the main benefits of a nonlinear editing environment. There are lots of ways to navigate through the Timeline. Learning keyboard shortcuts can save you time.
To zoom in and out of the Timeline using the Zoom control: m Click or drag the Zoom control to view the Timeline at a different time scale while keeping either the playhead or the current area of the Timeline centered. Clicking to the right of the control zooms out to show more of your sequence; clicking to the left zooms in to show more detail. Drag the Zoom control to change the Timeline to a different time scale.
II Drag the Zoom In tool to expand the sequence. This shows the above sequence zoomed in, so you can see more details within the sequence.
To zoom in and out of the Timeline using menu commands or keyboard shortcuts: 1 With either the Canvas or the Timeline selected, move the playhead to the position in the Timeline where you want zooming to be centered, or select one or more clips in the Timeline that you want to center on as you zoom in or out. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose View > Zoom In, or press Option-= (equal sign).
II To fit the entire contents of the Timeline into the available window size: m Press Shift-Z. The zoom factor changes so that the entire sequence fits into the available window size. To fit a selected area of the Timeline into the available window size: 1 Using the Selection, Group Selection, or Range Selection tool, select one or more items in the Timeline. 2 Press Option-Shift-Z. The zoom factor of the Timeline changes so that the selected items fit into the available window size.
Scrolling Vertically Through Multiple Tracks The tracks in the Timeline are divided by default into two regions, one for audio and one for video tracks. A divider between the two regions can be dragged up or down to resize the regions, giving more space to either the video or audio tracks in your Timeline.
10 Customizing the Interface 10 Final Cut Pro lets you customize the way you work with windows, rearranging them and creating new layouts. You can also set up custom keyboard shortcuts and use shortcut buttons to work more efficiently. This chapter covers the following: Â Changing Browser and Timeline Text Size (p. 139) Â Moving and Resizing Final Cut Pro Windows (p. 139) Â Using Screen Layouts (p. 141) Â Ways to Customize Keyboard Shortcuts (p. 144) Â Working With Shortcut Buttons and Button Bars (p.
Note: You can also resize and move the Tool Bench window, a window used for specialized editing, including audio mixing and recording voiceovers. Default Two Up layout For example, you may want to increase the height of the Timeline while simultaneously shrinking the size of the Viewer and Canvas to work on a sophisticated multitrack sequence. You could also enlarge the Browser while shrinking the Timeline to perform multicolumn searches for clips in the Browser as you edit.
II To resize multiple windows at the same time: 1 Move the pointer over the border between the windows you want to resize. The pointer changes to the Resize Window pointer. Pointer between three or more windows Pointer between two windows 2 Drag the border in the desired direction to resize the appropriate windows. The windows on either side of the border are resized accordingly. Any border between two windows in Final Cut Pro can be dragged.
To choose a screen layout: m Choose Window > Arrange, then choose an option from the submenu. Â Audio Mixing: This places the Viewer, Canvas, and Tool Bench at the top. The Tool Bench window contains the Audio Mixer tab (you can also open the Audio Mixer by choosing Tools > Audio Mixer). The Browser and Timeline are on the bottom, with the Tool palette and audio meters to the right of the Timeline. Â Color Correction: This places the Viewer, Canvas, and Tool Bench at the top.
II Creating Custom Layouts Two custom layouts are presented at the top of the Arrange menu and cannot be renamed. To create a custom layout: 1 Choose Apple > System Preferences, click Displays, then set the desired resolution of your computer monitor. The resolution you choose will become the minimum resolution for that particular screen layout. 2 In Final Cut Pro, arrange any combination of the four main windows, custom Tool Bench windows with tool tabs, the Tool palette, and audio meters as you want them.
To use a saved layout, do one of the following: m Choose Window > Arrange, then choose a saved layout from the submenu. m The first five saved layouts in the Window Layouts folders can be selected using keyboard shortcuts. By default, they are Control-Shift-(6, 7, 8, 9, 0). To load a saved layout from your hard disk: 1 Choose Window > Arrange > Load Window Layout. 2 In the Open dialog, navigate to the location where the window layout is located, select it, then click Open.
II Learning About the Keyboard Layout Window The Keyboard Layout window allows you to view current keyboard shortcuts, set up custom keyboard shortcuts, and search for keyboard shortcuts by function or menu item. To open the Keyboard Layout window, do one of the following: m Choose Tools > Keyboard Layout > Customize. m Press Option-H. This specifies the currently selected keyboard layout and input type. Tabs let you choose the modifier key to use.
Command List Area By default, commands are listed by menu set (such as File and Edit) and command group function (such as Audio and Capture commands). You can also view commands alphabetically. You can use the controls in this area to choose how to display commands as well as how to search for them. Â Disclosure triangle: Click to display all commands and their corresponding keyboard shortcuts for a menu set or command group.
II To assign keyboard shortcuts to commands: 1 Choose Tools > Keyboard Layout > Customize. The Keyboard Layout window appears. 2 In the Keyboard Layout window, click the Lock button in the lower-left corner. 3 Click a tab to choose a modifier key or combination of modifier keys. The keyboard layout for commands that use that modifier key is shown. 4 If you want to create an entirely new layout, click Clear. When a message appears asking if you want to clear the keyboard layout, click Yes.
6 Click a command in the list to select it, then do one of the following: Â Press the key or key combination you want to assign as the shortcut. Â Drag the command from the list to the key on the keyboard layout that you want to assign it to. Note: The modifier key is already chosen by the tab selected at the top of the Keyboard Layout window. The keyboard shortcut you entered appears next to the command.
II To quickly reassign the keyboard shortcuts for a command: 1 Choose Tools > Keyboard Layout > Customize. The Keyboard Layout window appears. 2 In the keyboard area, drag the icon for a command from the current key to the new key. If you drag an icon to a key that already has a command assigned to it, the new command takes precedence and the previous command no longer has a keyboard shortcut assigned to it. You can also delete the keyboard shortcut for a command in the Keyboard Layout window.
Clearing and Restoring Keyboard Layouts At any time, you can clear the keyboard layout, removing most of the commands and their keyboard shortcuts. This is useful if you want to clear the keyboard layout you previously set up, so you can change the commands for another project. Note: If you don’t clear the existing layout, newly specified keyboard shortcuts are used in addition to those keyboard shortcuts already specified (either the default keyboard shortcuts or those you previously set up).
II Saving Commands and Keyboard Shortcuts as Text Files You can save commands and their keyboard shortcuts in a text document. These documents serve as keyboard layout guides, available onscreen, or printed for easy reference. You can open and reformat the text files in other programs, such as spreadsheet or word-processing applications, to make them easier to read.
To load a customized keyboard layout: 1 Copy the keyboard layout file to your computer. The default location where these files are stored is: [Home]/Library/Preferences/ Final Cut Pro User Data/Keyboard Layouts. 2 Choose Tools > Keyboard Layout > Load Keyboard Layout. 3 In the Choose a File dialog, navigate to the location where the keyboard layout is stored, then click Choose.
II Working With Shortcut Buttons and Button Bars Shortcut buttons can be created and placed at the top of the main windows in Final Cut Pro—the Browser, Viewer, Canvas, Timeline, and any Tool Bench windows. You can then click any of these shortcut buttons in this “button bar” to perform commands, instead of entering the key combination or using menus. Shortcut buttons added to the Browser Some windows, such as the Timeline and Tool Bench, include some buttons in their button bar by default.
To create a shortcut button in the button bar of a window: 1 Make sure the window you want to add the shortcut button to is displayed. If you’re adding a shortcut button to the Tool Bench window, make sure the tab of the feature you want is in front. 2 Choose Tools > Button List. The Button List window appears. This looks the same as the command list area of the Keyboard Layout window. ∏ Tip: You can also drag icons from the command list area or keyboard area of the Keyboard Layout window.
II To rearrange shortcut buttons in a button bar: m In the button bar, drag shortcut buttons where you want them to appear. To add a spacer to a button bar: m Control-click the button bar, then choose Add Spacer from the shortcut menu. Spacer added between buttons To move spacers in a button bar: m Drag the spacer where you want it to appear in the button bar. To remove a space in a button bar: m Drag the spacer out of the window.
Saving and Using Custom Shortcut Button Bars You can manually save the shortcut button bars that you set up in the Viewer, Canvas, Browser, and Timeline. This is useful if you are working with others on a project and want to use your shortcut button configuration. You can also load and use shortcut button bars that others have created. Important: Button bars that you set up in Tool Bench windows are saved with custom window layouts you create.
Part III: Setting Up Your Editing System III Design the editing system that’s right for you. Read this section to learn how to set up your system, specify initial settings, and connect video, audio, and storage devices.
11 Overview of Setting Up 11 Setting up your Final Cut Pro editing system involves both hardware installation and software configuration. Regardless of the formats and devices you plan to use, you can follow the same basic steps. This chapter covers the following: Â The Setup Process (p. 159) Â Connecting Video and Audio Input and Output to Your Computer (p. 160) Â Connecting an External Video Monitor and Audio Speakers (p. 160) Â Choosing an Easy Setup to Configure Final Cut Pro (p.
Connecting Video and Audio Input and Output to Your Computer If you are using DV video, this means connecting your DV camcorder to your computer via a FireWire cable. For other professional and non-DV formats, you need to install a third-party video interface to connect your video deck.
III Choosing an Easy Setup to Configure Final Cut Pro Easy Setups are software configurations that define capture, device control, and sequence settings, as well as external video and audio monitoring options. You choose an Easy Setup based on the equipment and format you’re using. Final Cut Pro comes with Easy Setups that work with the most popular editing configurations. To learn about choosing Easy Setups, see “Choosing an Easy Setup” on page 170.
12 Designing Your Editing System 12 In addition to your computer and software, a Final Cut Pro editing system can include external video and audio devices for input, output, and monitoring. This chapter covers the following: Â Components of a Final Cut Pro DV Editing System (p. 163) Â Video and Audio Input and Output Devices (p. 164) Â Video Interfaces (p. 165) Â Audio Interfaces (p. 166) Â Device Control Interfaces (p.
Video and Audio Input and Output Devices To capture and output media, you need to connect video decks, camcorders, and audio players to your computer. If your camcorder, VTR, or audio device doesn’t connect to your computer’s built-in ports (such as FireWire or USB), you may need to purchase and install a third-party video or audio interface. Video Device This is a VTR or camcorder you connect to your computer to capture and output media.
III Video Interfaces To connect video devices to your computer for capturing and outputting video, your computer needs a video interface. The video interface may be the built-in FireWire port (when using DV video), a third-party PCI video interface card, or a device such as an AJA Io, which is a self-contained video interface that connects to your computer via FireWire. H FireWire (for DV) If you are using DV video, you can capture and output DV video via your computer’s built-in FireWire port.
Audio Interfaces When capturing and outputting audio, your computer needs an audio interface. The audio interface may be part of the video interface, which may be the built-in FireWire port (when using DV video), a third-party video interface, or a separate audio interface (described below). If an audio interface is designed to work with Mac OS X Core Audio, it is compatible with Final Cut Pro. Most video capture interfaces also have audio inputs and outputs.
III H FireWire for Digital Audio Instead of using a PCI card, many manufacturers now offer audio interfaces that connect to your computer’s FireWire port. These are not DV devices, but merely use FireWire as a means of transferring digital audio data. FireWire interfaces are more convenient to switch between computers than PCI cards, and they can be used with both desktop and PowerBook computers.
Device Control Interfaces Device control is used to remotely control video and audio devices and to transfer timecode between a device and your computer. Device control cables allow the VTR and the computer to communicate with each other. The VTR can tell Final Cut Pro where a tape is currently positioned and Final Cut Pro can tell the VTR to cue the tape to a new position, pause, rewind, fast-forward and even record during output. Positional information is conveyed via timecode recorded on the tape.
13 Connecting DV Video Equipment and Specifying Initial Settings 13 Setting up Final Cut Pro to capture DV video is as simple as connecting your camcorder to your computer with a FireWire cable. This chapter covers the following: Â Connecting Your Camcorder (p. 169) Â Opening Final Cut Pro and Choosing Your Initial Settings (p. 170) Â What Is FireWire? (p. 175) Â What Is Device Control? (p.
To connect your DV camcorder or VTR to your computer: 1 Connect the 4-pin connector on one end of your FireWire cable to the 4-pin FireWire port on your camcorder. Important: Some DV decks may use a 6-pin FireWire connector instead of a 4-pin connector. Make sure you use a FireWire cable that matches the connector on your video device. 2 Connect the 6-pin connector on the other end of your FireWire cable to a FireWire 400 port on your computer.
III To choose an Easy Setup: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Easy Setup. If this is the first time you’ve opened Final Cut Pro, this window appears automatically after opening the application. 2 Choose an Easy Setup from the Setup For pop-up menu. To show all Easy Setups that are currently available, select Show All. Choose an Easy Setup from the Setup For pop-up menu. Select Show All to see a complete list of available Easy Setups. A summary of your selected Easy Setup appears below the popup menu.
Important: Final Cut Pro lets you specify up to 12 scratch disks at one time. Make sure you choose the proper scratch disks before you begin capturing media Final Cut Pro always uses the disk with the most space first. When that disk is full, Final Cut Pro uses the disk with the next most available space, and then the next one, and so on, until all disks are full. To specify one or more scratch disks and associated settings: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > System Settings, then click the Scratch Disks tab.
III 3 To capture video and audio to separate files, select the “Capture Audio and Video to Separate Files” option. When you capture video and audio to separate files, two media files are saved on your hard disk, but the clips appear in your project as merged clips. Capturing your video and audio as separate files allows you to divide the workload between two scratch disks, maximizing the performance of each scratch disk you’re using so that you can capture your video at the highest possible data rate.
To remove a scratch disk: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > System Settings, then click the Scratch Disks tab. 2 Click Clear next to the scratch disk you no longer want to use. When Scratch Disks Become Unavailable Scratch disks you’ve set might become unavailable. This can happen for a number of reasons. They might be turned off, disconnected, or temporarily unmounted. If the scratch disk folder you selected has been moved, deleted, or renamed, Final Cut Pro might not be able to find the scratch disk.
III What Is FireWire? FireWire (also called IEEE 1394a or i.LINK) is the consumer and professional standard for DV-format digital video. DV devices typically use FireWire 400 connectors. There are two kinds of FireWire 400 connectors: a 4-pin connector (typically used to connect to video equipment such as camcorders or decks) and a 6-pin connector (used to connect to computer equipment). However, some newer video equipment uses the 6-pin connector and some video cards use the 4-pin connector.
What Is Device Control? Device control enables communication between your VTR or camcorder and Final Cut Pro, allowing you to remotely control your video deck for capturing and output. A device control preset contains settings that define how Final Cut Pro communicates with a particular camcorder or VTR. For this reason, the correct preset needs to be chosen before Final Cut Pro can control your camera or VTR during video capture and output.
III To confirm the communication between your VTR and Final Cut Pro: 1 Choose File > Log and Capture. The Log and Capture window appears. 2 Press the Play button on your VTR. If the proper connections are made from the VTR to the computer, the VTR begins playing, and you see the following in the Log and Capture window: Â Video appears in the video preview area. Â The status message “VTR OK” appears below the video preview area.
 Tape Trouble: This indicates that your tape may be jamming. It’s important to immediately stop playback and remove your tape from the deck, if possible. If you can’t eject your tape, take your camcorder or deck to a qualified technician. For more information, see the documentation that came with your video equipment.  No Communication: This appears if you turned off device control or selected NonControllable Device in the device control preset for your camera or deck.
14 Determining Your Hard Disk Storage Options 14 To make the most of your Final Cut Pro editing system, you need to make appropriate choices about hard disk selection and maintenance. This chapter covers the following: Â Working With Scratch Disks and Hard Disk Drives (p. 179) Â Data Rates and Storage Devices (p. 180) Â Determining How Much Space You Need (p. 181) Â Choosing a Hard Disk (p. 183) Â Types of Hard Disk Drives (p.
Data Rates and Storage Devices The data rate of the video you capture depends on the format of the source video and the codec you use for capture. If you are capturing low data rate video, chances are you can use more inexpensive storage devices. If you need to capture extremely high data rate video, then you may need a faster hard disk. Here are some examples of data rates for common capture formats: Format Typical data rate OfflineRT (using Photo JPEG) Varies between 300-500 KB/sec.
III If your hard disk or its connection to your computer does not support the data rate of your video format, you need to consider three factors: Â Sustained transfer speed is a measurement of how fast data can be written to a disk in MB/sec. When you use a video interface that utilizes M-JPEG compression, the sustained transfer speed of your hard disk determines the maximum quality of the video you can capture.
Planning for Additional Media Files In addition to space for captured files and project files, you need extra space for render files, graphics, movie files created in other applications (such as animations), additional audio files, and so on. A loose rule of thumb to determine how much space you need is to multiply the amount of space needed for your finished program by five. Ultimately, the amount of extra space you reserve depends on how much additional media you create during editing.
III Example Calculation for Disk Space Requirements Suppose you want to create a music video that’s approximately four minutes long using DV video for capture, editing, and output. Consider a shooting ratio of 15:1, meaning you shot 15 times more footage than you will use in the final movie. Total duration of media captured to disk: Â 15 x 4 minutes = 60 minutes Data rate requirements for DV media: Â 3.6 MB/sec. video data rate x 60 seconds = 216 MB/min.
Depending on what kind of computer you are using, you may be able to use internal and external hard disks to store your media files. Each has benefits and drawbacks: Internal Disks  May be less expensive because they don’t have external cases or require their own power supplies.  Are inside your computer, causing less noise.  Are limited by the expansion capabilities of your computer and the heat buildup they cause.
III ATA Disk Drives There are two kinds of ATA disks: Â Parallel (Ultra) ATA disks: These are found in Power Mac G4 and older Power Mac G3 computers. Â Serial ATA disks: These come with Power Mac G5 computers. ATA disks do not offer as high a level of performance as LVD or Ultra160 SCSI disks. If you plan to use Ultra ATA disks, make sure that: Â The sustained transfer speed is 8 MB/sec. or faster. Â The average seek time is below 9 ms. Â The spindle speed is at least 5400 rpm, although 7200 rpm is better.
FireWire Disk Drives While not recommended for all systems, FireWire disk drives can be effectively used to capture and edit projects using low data rate video clips, such as those captured using the DV codec. However, most FireWire disk drives lack the performance of internal Ultra ATA disk drives, or of internal or external SCSI disk drives.
III Note: Active terminators have an indicator light that goes on when the SCSI chain is powered. SCSI card SCSI cable SCSI cable SCSI cable SCSI terminator Computer All devices on a SCSI chain run at the speed of the slowest device. To achieve a high level of performance, connect only Ultra2 or faster SCSI disk drives to your SCSI interface card. Otherwise, you may impede performance and get dropped frames during capture or playback.
When you create or purchase a disk array, there are two important considerations: Â Compatibility: Make sure the software you use to create the array is compatible with Final Cut Pro. For more information, go to the Final Cut Pro website at http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro. Â Ventilation: If you’re creating an array yourself with an off-the-shelf drive enclosure, make sure to allow for good ventilation. Disk arrays store information on several disks simultaneously.
III Storage Area Networks (SAN) A storage area network (SAN) consists of one or more disk arrays that are made available to multiple computer systems simultaneously. Software, such as Apple Xsan, allows an administrator to control SAN access privileges for each editing system. For example, a capturing edit station may have read/write access to the SAN, while an assistant editor station may only have read access to media files for a particular project.
15 Connecting Professional and Non-DV Equipment 15 You can design a Final Cut Pro editing system that uses more than just your computer’s built-in video, audio, and device control interfaces. This chapter covers the following: Â Why Use Third-Party Interfaces? (p. 191) Â Connecting Professional Video Devices (p. 194) Â Connecting Audio Devices (p. 204) Â Establishing Device Control (p. 206) Â Synchronizing Equipment With a Blackburst Generator (p.
Choosing a Video Interface Final Cut Pro allows you to use a wide variety of video interfaces for capture and output. The following section shows examples of the most common types of video interfaces available. FireWire DV You can use the built-in FireWire port on your computer to capture and output to almost any DV device, including DV, DVCAM, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, and DVCPRO HD. In this configuration, you only need your computer and a supported DV device.
III PCI Video Interface Card With Breakout Box Many PCI cards aren’t big enough to fit all of the necessary video and audio connectors. In these situations, a breakout box is connected to the PCI card via a multipin connector on a long cable, and the connectors are accessible on the breakout box instead of the back of the PCI card. A breakout box is also useful because it allows you to place the connectors somewhere more convenient than the back of your computer, such as an equipment rack or a desktop.
USB Video Interface USB video interfaces cannot support the high data rates required for professional video use, so they are not commonly used. USB video interfaces are usually used for converting analog video sources to a digital signal for capture. RCA connector USB Computer USB interface Analog or digital VTR Connecting Professional Video Devices Regardless of what format or video interface you use, the same basic steps apply when you connect a VTR or camcorder to your computer.
III 4 Make sure a capture preset that matches your video format or video interface has been selected. If you chose the correct Easy Setup, it’s already selected. You can check this in the Easy Setup window (choose Final Cut Pro > Easy Setup) or in the Capture Presets tab of the Audio/Video Settings window (choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings).
The following illustration shows a typical SD setup: Audio Serial USB USB-to-serial adapter Amplified speakers PCI card Breakout box Audio Video Video Computer Analog or digital VTR Standard definition monitor Reference video Reference video Blackburst generator The following are basic instructions for connecting a video device to a third-party video interface in your computer, as well as connecting remote device control.
III 6 To genlock your video interface with your camcorder or deck: a Connect one of the blackburst generator’s outputs (there should be several) to the Genlock or External Sync input on your deck (usually you use a cable with a BNC connector). b Connect another of the blackburst generator’s outputs to the Genlock or External Sync connector on your video interface. For more information, see “Synchronizing Equipment With a Blackburst Generator” on page 206. 7 Plug in and turn on your blackburst generator.
Connecting Professional Component Analog Video Devices The most prevalent component analog video format still in use today is Betacam SP. It is a standard definition video format, but because it is analog, your video interface must have analog-to-digital (A-D) converters to digitize the analog signal before encoding it and writing a digital media file to the computer hard disk.
III Connecting Non-DV Devices to a DV Converter You can use a DV converter to convert a device in a non-DV format, such as BetacamSP or Digital Betacam, to DV. This allows you to capture footage using the built-in FireWire port on your computer. However, unlike a complete DV/FireWire setup, this kind of deck still requires serial (RS-422 or RS-232) remote device control. This kind of setup is used mainly for low-resolution capture and offline editing.
The following illustration shows a typical non-DV–to–DV setup: Audio Serial USB USB-to-serial adapter Amplified speakers Audio Video FireWire Computer DV converter Video Analog or digital VTR Standard definition monitor To connect video and audio outputs from your VTR to your analog-to-DV or digital-to-DV converter: 1 With your DV converter turned off, connect the 6-pin connector on the FireWire cable to the FireWire port on your computer.
III Choosing an Audio Interface Final Cut Pro supports any audio interface that is compatible with Mac OS X Core Audio. The following section shows examples of the most common types of audio interfaces available for use with Final Cut Pro. Built-in Analog Audio You can capture and output audio using the built-in audio ports on your computer. The built-in audio interface on your computer usually uses a stereo miniplug connector.
PCI Audio Interface Card With Built-in Connectors Some PCI audio interface cards have audio connectors attached directly to the card. Because there is limited space to mount audio connectors to a PCI card, RCA connectors are typically used. RCA connector (2) Computer (PCI card with connectors) Audio or video device PCI Audio Interface Card With Breakout Box The majority of PCI audio interface cards have a breakout box with a large number of XLR or 1/4” connectors.
III USB Audio Interface There are a wide variety of USB audio interfaces available. Most support two or four audio channels at one time. USB audio interfaces vary in quality considerably, so take some time to research before you purchase. The connectors on USB interfaces vary; some interfaces have RCA connectors and others have both XLR and 1/4” tip-ring-sleeve connectors. Very inexpensive USB audio interfaces may only have a stereo miniplug.
Connecting Audio Devices If you have an audio interface separate from your video interface, or if you are capturing audio exclusively via a dedicated audio interface, read this section. In most cases, you simply need to install the audio interface, connect the breakout box (if included), and connect the audio outputs from your video or audio device to the audio interface or breakout box.
III 5 To genlock your audio deck to your audio or video interface: a Connect one of the blackburst generator’s outputs (there should be several) to the Genlock or External Sync input on your audio deck. b Connect another of the blackburst generator’s outputs to the Genlock or External Sync connector on your video or audio capture interface (depending on which one you are using to capture audio). For more information, see “Synchronizing Equipment With a Blackburst Generator” on page 206.
Establishing Device Control Device control is necessary for communication between Final Cut Pro and your VTR. Final Cut Pro sends and receives all timecode information via a device control connection. This is critical for logging, batch capturing, and frame-accurate output to tape. DV devices use FireWire for device control, but most professional non-DV decks use serial device control with the RS-422 protocol.
III A blackburst generator provides a common timing signal (or clock) to lock together the timing clocks of all devices in a system. This is sometimes referred to as external sync or house sync because every device in an entire facility can be timed to this common reference. Professional VTRs, camcorders, audio devices, and interfaces often have the ability to accept sync signals from an external device. These connectors are labeled genlock (short for generator lock), external sync, or reference input.
16 External Video Monitoring 16 It’s best to preview your video on an external video monitor to accurately see how your final program will look. This chapter covers the following: Â Using an External Video Monitor While You Edit (p. 209) Â Connecting DV/FireWire Devices to an External Monitor (p. 211) Â Previewing Standard Definition Video on an External Monitor (p. 211) Â Previewing High Definition Video on an External Monitor (p. 212) Â Choosing Playback and Edit to Tape Output Settings (p.
You need to match your computer’s output video format to your monitor’s input format. Some combinations are not possible without purchasing additional equipment. For example, if your video interface only has an SDI video output, and your video monitor only has an NTSC composite input, you cannot connect the two directly.
III Connecting DV/FireWire Devices to an External Monitor A FireWire DV setup is one of the most common Final Cut Pro configurations. A DV device (either a camcorder, VTR, or FireWire-to-analog converter box) converts DV signals to analog video and audio signals that are then sent to a video monitor (and to self-powered speakers for audio monitoring). If you have a home stereo system, you can also connect the audio output of the DV device to any available channels on the home stereo system.
Previewing High Definition Video on an External Monitor You can preview high definition video directly on a high definition monitor, or you can use a special device to downconvert high definition video to standard definition for previewing video on an SD monitor. Many high definition VTRs have a built-in downconverter. Note: DVCPRO HD video, like DV video, can be monitored via FireWire.
III Choosing Playback and Edit to Tape Output Settings The settings in the A/V Devices tab of the Audio/Video Settings window determine which video interface you use to externally monitor your video. You can choose to view external video via FireWire (DV), a computer display (using Digital Cinema Desktop), or a third-party video interface. You can also specify a different output interface for editing to tape versus playback while editing.
Playback Output Area  Video pop-up menu: Choose an device to output video to.  None: This turns off external video output. If you play clips or sequences in Final Cut Pro, you can’t view them on your camcorder, deck, or NTSC or PAL monitor.  Digital Cinema Desktop Preview: Depending on the number of computer displays you have connected, there are several options. For details, see “Using Digital Cinema Desktop Preview” on page 216.
III Separate Output Options for Edit to Tape/Print to Video  Different Output for Edit to Tape/Print to Video: Selecting this checkbox allows you to redirect your program’s output to the specified video and audio interfaces whenever the Edit to Tape or Print to Video commands are used. For example, if you’re using a video interface, you may want to preview your video using its analog outputs during editing, but output your final movie to tape using the digital SDI output.
Using Digital Cinema Desktop Preview The Digital Cinema Desktop Preview feature allows you to preview your video using any available computer display connected to an AGP graphics card. (Displays connected to a PCI graphics card cannot be used by Digital Cinema Desktop.) If you have two computer displays, one can be used to view the Final Cut Pro interface and the Finder while the other can be used as a dedicated video monitor.
III There are several settings you can choose:  Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Main  Digital Cinema Desktop Preview  Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Full-Screen  Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Raw Note: The Main option is available on single-display systems, but the remaining options are available only if you have two or more displays connected to AGP graphics cards.
Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Raw This mode shows your video data with as little processing as possible—there is no scaling or pixel aspect ratio correction. For example, a 720p frame (1280 x 720) shown in raw mode on an 800 x 600 display only shows 800 x 600 pixels of the image. This can be useful for engineering evaluations of the image. Â Pro: More accurate assessments of video quality can be made. Â Con: Not useful for general viewing.
III Troubleshooting Digital Cinema Desktop Preview If you experience trouble when using Digital Cinema Desktop Preview, review the following: Â In Mac OS X System Preferences, the screen saver should be turned off (set the Start screen saver slider to Never in the Screen Saver tab of the Desktop & Screen Saver pane). Â Digital Cinema Desktop Preview only works with AGP graphics cards.
Compensating for Video Latency by Specifying a Frame Offset No matter what signal format you use for external monitoring, all digital video and audio interfaces (including FireWire) introduce inherent processing delays (known as latency) to signals sent out of the computer. External video and audio coming from the built-in FireWire port or third-party interface may be several frames later than the video on your computer display (in the Viewer or Canvas).
III About the Display Quality of External Video The display quality of your video depends on several factors: Â Whether you have effects applied to your clips. Â Whether your clip or sequence settings match the video output device. Â The video and frame rate options selected in the Real-Time Effects (RT) pop-up menu in the Timeline or in the Playback Control tab of the System Settings window.
m If you are using a FireWire DV camcorder to convert DV to analog video, make sure the camcorder is in VCR (or VTR) mode and that it is turned on. m If you are using a VTR to convert video from your video interface to a format for your video monitor, make sure you select the proper input connector on the VTR. For example, if your VTR has both SDI and component analog video inputs, and your video interface is connected to the VTR via an SDI connection, choose SDI input on the VTR.
Part IV: Logging, Capturing, and Importing Learn how to log clips, capture video and audio files to your hard disk, and import media into your Final Cut Pro project.
17 Overview of Logging and Capturing 17 You can log your tapes to create clips, or regions of your videotape that you want to use in your movie. Then you can capture your clips as media files on disk. This chapter covers the following: Â What Are Logging and Capturing? (p. 225) Â Ways to Log and Capture Footage in Final Cut Pro (p. 226) Â Learning About the Log and Capture Window (p. 229) Â Are You Ready to Log and Capture? (p.
Ways to Log and Capture Footage in Final Cut Pro In the early days of nonlinear editing systems, there was only one log and capture workflow: log first to create clips, then batch capture selected clips’ media. This workflow was necessary because hard disk capacity was limited, so editors had to be selective about what they captured. Although this is still a good workflow for some projects, it is no longer necessary to log your footage first and then batch capture.
IV Capture entire tapes, then create subclips and log in the Browser This method is increasingly popular because hard disk space is no longer prohibitively expensive. Instead of choosing selected footage to transfer to your hard disk, you capture entire tapes. Once on disk, you can break the footage into smaller subclips, add logging information in the Browser, and delete unnecessary media from your hard disk. Â Capturing: Capture entire tapes using the Capture Now button in the Log and Capture window.
Create clips directly in the Browser, then batch capture them You can create clips directly in the Browser using the New Offline Clip command in the File menu. You can enter pertinent logging information, and then batch capture the clips. This approach is useful if you are only creating a few clips, or if you have a handwritten list of clips that you logged somewhere else. Otherwise, creating and importing a batch list may be faster.
IV Learning About the Log and Capture Window The Log and Capture window provides controls for controlling a VTR or camcorder, previewing video from tape, setting In and Out points, logging, and capturing clips. To open the Log and Capture window: m Choose File > Log and Capture (or press Command-8). Logging, Clip Settings, and Capture Settings tabs Preview area Log and capture buttons There are several areas in the Log and Capture window.
Preview Area This section of the Log and Capture window lets you view video from tape while you log and capture it. If your camcorder or deck is not on or there is no tape inserted, you’ll see color bars or black. The following controls appear if your camcorder or deck is on and properly connected, and device control is enabled.
IV Transport Controls If you have device control, use these to control your camcorder or deck. These controls are similar to controls in the Viewer and Canvas, except that they control playback of a videotape instead of a media file. For more information, see “Navigating in the Viewer and Canvas” on page 97.
Marking Controls Use these to set In and Out points for a clip on tape. Clip In Point Timecode field Clip Out Point Timecode field Go to In Point Go to Out Point Mark In       Mark Out Mark In (I): This sets the In point for a clip on tape. Clip In Point Timecode field: Shows the timecode value of the currently set In point. Go to In Point: This causes the connected VTR to cue to the currently set In point. Mark Out (O): This sets the Out point for a clip on tape.
IV Â Clip Settings: Use this tab to choose which video and audio tracks you capture from tape. You can choose to capture video only, audio only, or both video and audio, and you can specify which audio channels you capture. You can also adjust video levels for each clip using the waveform monitor and vectorscope; audio levels can be monitored using the audio meters. You can also monitor the incoming audio signal by selecting the Preview option.
 Capture Settings: Use this tab to select a scratch disk for capture, a capture preset (video and audio rate, compression settings, and frame size) and a device control preset to remotely control your video or audio device. For more information, see “Changing Capture Settings” on page 255. Log and Capture Buttons As you log and capture, use the following log and capture buttons.  Log Clip: Logs a single clip with the current log information and clip settings.
IV Are You Ready to Log and Capture? Before you log and capture your footage, go through the following list to make sure you are ready for either process: Â Have you created a project in which to log and capture? You need a project to log clips to, as well as to edit in. When you open Final Cut Pro for the first time, an untitled project is created by default, which you can rename to make your own. You can also create a new project by choosing File > New Project.
18 Logging Clips 18 For many editors, logging is the first phase of editing, when they identify which shots to capture from tape. The logging information you enter at this stage serves as a guide throughout the project. This chapter covers the following: Â The Importance of Logging (p. 237) Â Benefits of Logging (p. 238) Â Preparing to Log (p. 239) Â Monitoring Video and Audio While Logging (p. 242) Â Entering Logging Information and Logging Clips (p.
Each clip that you log is stored in your project, and all of the descriptive information in the clip can be changed in the Browser or using the Item Properties window. For more information about changing clip properties, see Volume II, Chapter 5, “Working With Projects, Clips, and Sequences.” Important: When you log in Final Cut Pro, you add descriptive information to clips, not to media files. This means that all of your logging information is stored in your project file, not the media files on disk.
IV Preparing to Log During the logging stage, you find out just how organized you really were during the production phase. No matter how careful you were, a few things may not have been labeled properly, or some information may be missing. Take time before you begin postproduction to get your tapes as organized as possible. Remember that the list below is really a production checklist. However, any inconsistencies during production should be straightened out before you start logging and capturing.
Choosing Reel Names Older editing systems accepted three-digit reel numbers, starting at 000 and ending at 999. For maximum compatibility, this is a good naming convention to start with. Unless you have over a thousand tapes in your project, this reel naming convention should be sufficient. You can use the digits of your reel name to mean different things. For example, the first digit can be used to represent a particular location, with space for 100 tapes per location.
IV Choosing Names and Log Information for Clips Before you start logging clips, think about the filenaming scheme you want to use for your project. It’s easier to edit when you have an organized naming system, especially if there are several people working on a project at one time. This will help you avoid duplicate clip names. Important: Captured media files are named after the clips that are used to capture them. You should avoid certain characters in your filenames.
Monitoring Video and Audio While Logging Once you have connected your VTR or camcorder to your computer, you can view your video in the Preview area of the Log and Capture window, or you can connect your video device to an external video monitor to view footage while logging. Note: The size of the video preview area in the Log and Capture window is based on the current height of the Canvas window. To change the size of the video preview area in the Log and Capture window: 1 Close the Log and Capture window.
IV Entering Logging Information and Logging Clips Before you begin to log, make sure that your camcorder or deck is connected to your computer and that you’ve chosen the correct Easy Setup and specified a scratch disk. For more information, see “Are You Ready to Log and Capture?” on page 235. Overview of Logging Steps If you like, you can follow these general steps to log your clips. If you need more detailed information, see the sections that follow.
Inserting a Tape in the VTR You need to make sure there is a proper connection between the VTR and camcorder and Final Cut Pro. The device status message in the Log and Capture window should read “VTR OK.” For more information, see “Understanding Device Control Status Messages” on page 177. When you insert a new tape in the VTR connected to your computer, Final Cut Pro alerts you that a new tape has been placed in the deck.
IV Setting a Logging Bin to Store Logged Clips When you log clips, you need to specify a logging bin where the clips are stored in your project. By default, the project itself is considered to be the logging bin, but you can create a new bin or assign any bin in your project as the logging bin. Logging Bin Controls in the Logging Tab Use the Logging Bin controls to choose where logged clips are stored when you use the Log Clip or Capture Clip buttons.
To set an existing bin in the Browser as the current logging bin: m In the Browser, select the bin you want to use as your logging bin and do one of the following: Â Choose File > Set Logging Bin. Â Control-click the bin, then choose Set Logging Bin from the shortcut menu. The slate icon appears next to the current logging bin. As you log your clips, you may want to check to see how many you have or view their names.
IV To enter a reel name: m In the Reel field, enter the number or name of the tape, then press Enter. Â Control-click the field to choose from a list of recent reel names. Â Option-click the Slate button to clear the contents. Â Click the Slate button to increment the letter or number at the end of the name. For example, if the current reel name is 500, clicking the Slate button increments the reel name to 501.
2 To set the In point for the clip, do one of the following: Â Click the Mark In button. Â Press I. 3 Find the last frame of the clip you want to log, by doing one of the following: Â Use the transport controls. Â Enter a timecode value in the Current Timecode field. 4 To set the Out point for the clip, do one of the following: Â Click the Mark Out button. Â Press O. When you set an In or Out point, you may be off by a few frames. You can adjust the clip In and Out points using timecode.
IV Entering a Clip Name and Other Logging Information The following clip properties can be entered in the Logging tab of the Log and Capture window, as well as adjusted later in the Browser: Name, Description, Scene, Shot/Take, Angle, Log Note, and Good. Specifying the Clip Name The clip name in the Name field is generated automatically from the Description, Scene, Shot/Take, and Angle fields. However, only the fields whose checkboxes are selected contribute to the clip name.
2 Enter a brief description of the clip in the Description field (click the Slate button to increment this field by 1). Note: After you log a clip, the last number in the Description field is automatically incremented. 3 Enter a scene number in this field (click the Slate button to increment this field by 1). 4 Enter numbers for the shot and take in the Shot/Take field (click the slate button to automatically increment the field by 1).
IV Confirming Your Logging Information Before you log a clip, you can choose to have Final Cut Pro confirm the clip name, Log Note, and Good property before the clip is logged. To have Final Cut Pro verify that the name and logging information is correct: m Select the Prompt checkbox next to the Name field. Note: If the Prompt checkbox is unselected, Final Cut Pro logs the clip without asking you to confirm, when you click the Log Clip button. For more information, see “Logging a Clip” on page 256.
 Set Marker Out: Click this to set a marker Out point, or enter a timecode number in this timecode field.  Update: To update a marker in the list, click to select it, make your changes, then click Update. The marker in the list then displays the new information.  Marker list: Displays all markers and associated information for the current clip. Setting Markers in a Logged Clip You can set as many markers as you like. Markers appear in a list and can be edited and deleted.
IV Selecting Which Tracks to Capture For each clip you log, you need to specify which video and audio tracks are captured to the clip’s media file. For example, a typical DV videotape has one video track and two audio tracks. You can choose to capture video only, audio only, or both video and audio. You can also choose how many audio tracks to capture, and how they are grouped together (mono or stereo).
To select which audio tracks are captured: m See “Multichannel Audio Channel Selection” on page 288. If you change your mind about the audio grouping after you capture, you can make channel grouping adjustments by choosing Modify > Clip Settings, or by relinking clip items in the Timeline. For example, two adjacent mono channels can be regrouped as a stereo pair. For more information, see “Dual Mono Versus Stereo Audio” on page 290 and Volume II, Chapter 14, “Linking and Editing Video and Audio in Sync.
IV Â Batch Capture dialog: If you are batch capturing clips, deselect the “Use Logged Clip Settings” checkbox. In this case, individual clip settings will be overridden by the current video and audio track selection in the Clip Settings tab of the Log and Capture window. Make sure this option is not selected. Changing Capture Settings If you’ve already specified a scratch disk and selected an Easy Setup for the setup you’re using, you don’t need to change the capture settings.
Setting Video and Audio Levels for Analog Video If you are capturing from an analog source, you can adjust analog video and audio levels for each clip in the Clip Settings tab of the Log and Capture window. If you are capturing digital video, these settings usually do not apply. For example, if you are capturing DV video via FireWire, all the video level adjustments are disabled. However, some third-party video interfaces have specific level sliders enabled.
IV Logging Media Efficiently If you’re logging a lot of material, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the various keyboard shortcuts you can use. Here’s an example of a logging workflow. Â Use the J, K, and L keys to quickly play through your tape. Press J to play the tape at various speeds in reverse, press K to stop playback, and press L to play the tape at a variety of speeds going forward. For more information, see “Shuttling Through a Clip or Sequence” on page 101.
Logging Tapes With Duplicate Timecode Numbers If you have to log tapes that have duplicate timecode numbers, make sure that you account for any timecode breaks by assigning separate reel numbers for each section of tape where the timecode reset to 00:00:00:00. For example, suppose you have a DV tape with footage from 00:00:00:00 to 00:30:00:00, followed by a timecode break.
IV Â During production, pay attention to the position of your tape. Camcorders attempt to create continuous timecode by quickly reading the last timecode number written on tape. The process of generating new timecode based on the last stored timecode number is referred to as jam syncing timecode. However, if the camcorder doesn’t see a timecode or video signal on the tape (for example, at the beginning of a blank tape), the timecode counter is reset to zero.
19 Capturing Your Footage to Disk 19 Capturing is the process of transferring footage from your original tapes to media files on the computer hard disk. You can then edit the media files, leaving your footage untouched. This chapter covers the following: Â Before You Capture (p. 261) Â Batch Capturing Clips (p. 262) Â Capturing Clips as You Log (Capture Clip) (p. 270) Â Capturing Entire Tapes (Capture Now) (p. 271) Â Capturing Footage Without Device Control (p. 276) Â Recapturing Clips (p.
Different Ways to Capture Footage Final Cut Pro gives you several options for capturing your footage to disk: Â Capture multiple clips at once (batch capture): Once you’ve logged your clips or imported a batch list, you can capture multiple clips in the Browser at once using the Capture Batch button in the Log and Capture window. For more information, see the next section, “Batch Capturing Clips.
IV Before You Batch Capture Batch capturing is an automated process, so make sure your settings and preferences are correct before you start. Keep in mind the following: Â Timecode breaks: Make sure that you account for any timecode breaks when you log your tapes. If you’re capturing from DV tapes, you should have separate reel numbers for each section of tape where timecode reset was to 00:00:00:00 as a result of a timecode break.
Learning About the Batch Capture Dialog The Batch Capture dialog provides settings and options when you are batch capturing multiple clips at one time. To open the Batch Capture dialog: 1 Select one or more clips in the Browser. 2 Do one of the following: Â If the Log and Capture window is open, click the Capture Batch button in the lowerright corner. Â Choose File > Batch Capture. Â Control-click any of the selected items in the Browser, then choose Batch Capture from the shortcut menu. Â Press Control-C.
IV Â Capture pop-up menu: Lets you capture offline clips, online clips, or both. The items that appear in this pop-up menu differ depending on whether you open the Batch Capture dialog by clicking the Capture Batch button in the Log and Capture window or by using the shortcut menu from within the Browser. Â When you click the Capture Batch button in the Log and Capture window, you are limited to capturing clips inside the current logging bin.
 Add Handles: Select this checkbox to capture additional frames beyond the head (In point) and tail (Out point) of each clip captured, then enter a duration in the handle timecode field. Handles are useful if you’ve logged your clips starting at precisely the first and last frames that you think you want to use, but you want to capture a little bit more media just in case you need additional frames for performing dissolves and other transitions.
IV 3 In the Batch Capture dialog, choose your settings, then click OK. For detailed information, see “Learning About the Batch Capture Dialog” on page 264. a b c d Choose which clips you want to capture. If you want, select the Use Logged Clip Settings checkbox. If you want, select the Add Handles checkbox and enter a duration. If the Use Logged Clip Settings checkbox is unselected, choose a capture preset from the Capture Preset pop-up menu.
7 Insert the selected reel into your camcorder or VTR. You’ll need to make sure that your equipment is properly connected and turned on. For more information, see “Connecting Your Camcorder” on page 169 or “Connecting Professional Video Devices” on page 194. 8 Final Cut Pro captures all of the clips on that reel and then prompts you to select another, until all the clips in the batch have been captured.
IV About the Additional Items Found Dialog When you start batch capturing, Final Cut Pro checks all currently opened projects to see if there are any other clips outside of your current selection that reference the same media files. This includes clips in other open projects, and clips in the same project that refer to the same media files but are not in your current selection. If additional clips are found, the Additional Items Found dialog appears.
Capturing Clips as You Log (Capture Clip) For more precise control over the capturing process, some editors prefer to capture each clip as soon as they’ve logged it. You can use the Capture Clip button in the Log and Capture window to capture the currently logged clip.
IV Capturing Entire Tapes (Capture Now) If you have lots of hard disk space, it’s often easiest to capture all your footage to your scratch disk and log it afterwards. You can then delete the media you don’t need from the hard disk. Capture Now is also useful for capturing portions of tapes. Once you’ve captured your tape, you’ll need to break your media files and clips into smaller pieces. For details, see “Automatically Creating Subclips Using DV Start/Stop Detection” on page 273.
Capturing an Entire Tape Using Capture Now Make sure that your camcorder or deck is connected to your computer and that you’ve chosen the correct Easy Setup and specified a scratch disk. For more information, see “Are You Ready to Log and Capture?” on page 235. You do not need to set In and Out points when you use Capture Now.
IV About Automatic Filenaming During Capture Now Unless you enter text in the Description field, Final Cut Pro automatically names media files (and captured clips) using the following convention: Untitled, Untitled1, Untitled2, and so on. If you’re capturing a clip using the Capture Now command and the currently specified name is already taken by a clip in the current Scratch Disk folder, the letter or number at the end of the name is incremented.
To break a long DV clip into subclips based on starts and stops: 1 Capture a long clip from a DV tape containing several starts and stops. Note: If you’re capturing the contents of an entire DV tape, make sure that the “On timecode break” pop-up menu in the General tab of the User Preferences window is set to Make New Clip, to ensure that no timecode breaks are captured. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 22, “Choosing Settings and Preferences.
IV If you want to give any of the markers a more descriptive name, simply click the marker in the Browser, then click the marker’s name to select it. You can now change the name. 6 Drag in the Browser to select all the markers. 7 Choose Modify > Make Subclip. Note: If you gave your markers new names, your subclips will use them. All of the material between the markers you selected should now appear as subclips. The subclips appear in addition to the original clip with the markers.
Capturing Footage Without Device Control If you have a video source without device control (and therefore without timecode), you must capture video manually. Capturing Footage That Doesn’t Have Timecode If you capture a media file without timecode, it’s impossible to guarantee accurate recapture of the exact same clip with the same In and Out points.
IV Using a Non-Controllable Device for Capture When a device-controllable camcorder or deck is not available or device control is not enabled, the Log and Capture window no longer has transport controls, and only the Capture Now button is available. If you aren’t using device control, the Log and Capture window is simplified. The steps for capturing without device control are the same steps for capturing using Capture Now.
Recapturing Clips When you recapture a clip, you capture its media file, even if it already has a media file associated with it. There may be several reasons why you’d want to recapture clips: Â You accidentally deleted a clip’s media file. Â You captured a clip with the wrong capture preset. Â You captured clips at a low resolution for rough, offline editing, and now want to recapture the clips at full resolution for your final sequence. Recapturing is essentially the same as capturing.
IV Capturing Footage With Timecode Breaks The Final Cut Pro timecode break–detection features let you easily and cleanly capture entire source tapes without inadvertently introducing timecode errors. The Importance of Avoiding Timecode Breaks As you log your footage, it’s important to avoid timecode breaks in your clips. A timecode break is any jump in the continuous flow of timecode numbers.
How to Avoid Capturing Clips With Timecode Breaks The “On timecode break” pop-up menu in the General tab of the User Preferences window gives you several ways to avoid capturing clips with timecode breaks. It’s important to set this option to suit the way you intend to capture your clips. You have several options: Â Make New Clip: This is the default option.
IV Using the Make New Clip Option When you choose Make New Clip from the “On timecode break” pop-up menu in the User Preferences window, ordered and reset timecode breaks and timecode gaps are handled in different ways. The pre-roll and post-roll values in the current device control preset also affect how the In and Out points of the resulting clips are determined.
Reset Timecode Breaks Reset timecode breaks are handled differently. Since a reset timecode break results in the timecode at the point of the break being reset to 00:00:00:00, the reel name is incremented along with the clip name. This makes later media management much easier. The reel number identifies which part of a tape particular group of clips came from.
IV Using the Media Manager After Capturing After you capture, there are several ways you can use the Media Manager to process your media files: Â Capture media files at a lower resolution and edit your project using the lowresolution files. Once you are finished editing, you can then use the Media Manager to duplicate your edited sequence, deleting any unused media in the process, and recapture only the media you need for the final sequence at full-resolution.
20 Capturing Audio 20 Final Cut Pro allows you to capture multiple audio channels at the same time, as well as capture audio-only media files. This chapter covers the following: Â About Capturing Audio (p. 285) Â Capturing Audio-Only Media Files (p. 287) Â Capturing Multiple Audio Channels (p. 287) Â Adjusting Analog Audio Levels for Capture (p. 292) Â Capturing Audio From an Audio Deck Using Device Control (p. 294) Â Capturing From an Audio Device Without Device Control (p.
Preparing for Audio Capture When capturing from an audio deck or multichannel audio device (such as a digital audio workstation, or DAW), you need to make sure that:  Your audio device and computer audio interface are properly connected  Your computer’s audio interface accepts the output format of the audio device  There are enough audio input channels on your audio interface to capture all the audio channels from your audio device Most Macintosh computers have built-in stereo mini inputs, and some model
IV Capturing Audio-Only Media Files If you want to capture only audio from a video or audio device, you can disable video capture in the Clip Settings tab of the Log and Capture window. To set Final Cut Pro to capture only audio: 1 Choose File > Log and Capture (or press Command-8). 2 Click the Clip Settings tab. 3 Deselect the video checkbox, and select the audio checkbox. For information on setting up a capture preset for capturing audio by itself, see Volume IV, Chapter 24, “Capture Settings and Presets.
Multichannel Audio Channel Selection The audio area of the Clip Settings tab allows you to select which audio channels you want to capture, and whether each channel is grouped in a stereo pair or treated as an independent mono channel. Each audio input control corresponds to an input on the audio device or interface determined by your current capture preset.
IV Â Preview: Select this option to listen to the incoming signal on the audio output selected in the Sound pane of System Preferences. Each audio channel you enable for capture is routed to a corresponding output on your audio interface, while disabled channels are not heard. If your audio interface has less audio outputs than the number of channels you are capturing, the audio is downmixed to two channels (mono channels are panned to the center and stereo pairs are previewed in stereo).
5 Select which channels from your audio interface you want to capture. Important: When you select channels in the Clip Settings tab, you are selecting input channels on the audio interface, not on the video or audio deck itself. For easy and consistent audio capturing, you should connect the audio outputs on your deck to the input channels with the same numbers.
IV How Multichannel Audio Clips Appear in the Viewer Multichannel audio clips appear in the Viewer with a separate tab for each mono or stereo grouping of clip items. The example below shows an 8-channel audio clip open in the Viewer. Several of the clip items are mono, and some are grouped as stereo pairs. How Multichannel Audio Files Are Stored on Disk Final Cut Pro stores multichannel audio media as QuickTime media files.
About Capturing Multiple Audio Channels From DV Devices DV video devices can record up to four tracks of audio, depending on the sample rate and bit depth chosen on the camcorder. However, Final Cut Pro can only capture two audio channels via the FireWire port of a device at a time. You need to choose or create a capture preset that captures the DV audio channels you want. For more information about creating or modifying a capture preset, see Volume IV, Chapter 24, “Capture Settings and Presets.
IV To adjust the audio gain levels before capturing analog audio: 1 In the Log and Capture window, click the Clip Settings tab. 2 Do one of the following: Â Cue your tape to the reference tone recorded at the beginning of the tape, if you’re recording from a premixed tape that includes a reference tone. Â Cue your tape to the clip with the loudest audio signal of all the clips you want to capture on that tape. 3 Play back your tape.
About Audio Peaks When you capture audio, clipping occurs if any part of the audio signal goes over 0 dBFS. Because 0 dBFS is the maximum digital level possible, all levels that would have been above 0 dBFS are set to the maximum audio level, causing clipping. Due to the nature of digital audio recording, such clipped audio typically results in a crackly, brittle-sounding clip that is unsuitable for use. All occurrences of clipped audio appear as 0 dBFS peaks.
IV To capture audio from an audio-only device using device control: 1 Choose File > Log and Capture (or press Command-8), then click the Capture Settings tab. 2 Choose the appropriate device control preset from the Device Control pop-up menu. This will usually be one of the serial RS-422 or RS-232 device control protocols. See the documentation that came with your audio device for information on which one to use. Choose the appropriate device control preset.
Capturing From an Audio Device Without Device Control If your audio device does not support device control, you can manually press play on the audio device and click the Capture Now button in the Log and Capture window. However, without device control connected, Final Cut Pro cannot receive timecode. If you capture a media file without timecode, you will not be able to accurately recapture your footage again later.
IV When capturing audio from an audio-only player such as a DAT player, it is important to precisely synchronize the sample clock of the digital audio player with the clock of your audio interface. USB-to-serial adapter USB Serial Device controllable DAT deck PCI card Breakout box Audio Computer Reference video Reference video Blackburst generator Using a common timing signal for both your audio device and capture interface is especially important when you capture long segments of audio.
21 Working With Batch Lists 21 There are alternatives to logging your tapes using Final Cut Pro. You can watch your tapes and take notes in another application, and then import this list to batch capture your clips. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is a Batch List? (p. 299) Â Creating a Batch List (p. 300) Â Importing a Batch List (p.
How Batch Lists Can Be Used in Your Workflow You can use batch lists in several ways: Â Producers and directors can create a list of clips for you to edit with and save you the tedium of reviewing every single take. Â An editor or assistant editor can log the In and Out points of every shot and make a note about whether the director liked each one. Â You can log material on one Final Cut Pro workstation for import and capture on another workstation.
IV Creating and Logging Window Dubs If you receive dubs (copies) of your footage on a tape format that doesn’t support remote deck control from Final Cut Pro, you need to have the timecode “burned-in” to the video image so you can read the timecode numbers manually. These are known as window dubs, window burns, or timecode burn-ins. Although the burned-in timecode numbers can be visually distracting, they provide the critical link between the timecode on the original tapes and your log notes.
Using a File Exported From Final Cut Pro as a Template for a Batch List One way to guarantee a correctly formatted batch list is to export a batch list from Final Cut Pro and use it as a guide, or template, to create your own batch list for another project. Export a list that contains the Browser columns you want, then open the list in a text editor or spreadsheet program. The main structure of the list is then set up for use as a template.
IV Importing a Batch List You can import a batch list into Final Cut Pro and use it to capture clips to edit or to create a sequence originally done on another editing system. The frame rate of the batch list is determined by the currently selected sequence preset in the Audio/Video Settings window. Note: A batch list must be a text file. In some cases, you may need to add the .txt file extension to your filename to ensure that Final Cut Pro can import your file.
Troubleshooting Batch List Importing If you’re having a problem importing a batch capture list, check the format of the text file. Final Cut Pro does not support importing RTF (Rich Text Format) text files. If you have an RTF file you need to import, open it in a text editing application such as TextEdit and save it as a plain text document first.
22 Importing Media Files Into Your Project 22 Final Cut Pro can import almost any media file that QuickTime recognizes, allowing you to integrate different formats within a single project. This chapter covers the following: Â What File Formats Can Be Imported? (p. 305) Â Importing Media Files (p. 306) Â About Importing Video Files (p. 310) Â About Importing Audio Files (p. 313) Â Importing Numbered Image Sequences (p.
 Graphics and still images: BMP, FlashPix, GIF, JPEG/JFIF, MacPaint (PNTG), Photoshop (layered), PICS, PICT, PNG, QuickTime Image File, SGI, TARGA (TGA), and TIFF. For more information, see Volume III, Chapter 17, “Working With Still Images and Photographs.”  Numbered image sequences: Numbered image sequences allow you to store a movie’s frames as individual graphics files. Compositing applications, such as Shake, and film transfer equipment often use this format.
IV To import a file or folder: 1 In the Browser, select a project or bin where you want to store your imported clips. Â To import files or folders into the main, or root, level of a project, click that project’s tab. Â To import files into a bin within a project, double-click the bin. The bin opens in a separate window. For more information, see Volume II, Chapter 1, “Organizing Footage in the Browser.” To import files at the main level, click a project’s tab.
 Choose File > Import, then choose File or Folder from the submenu. (To import a file, you can also press Command-I.) Select one or more files or folders in the dialog, then click Choose. Select the file (or folder) you want to import, then click Choose.  Control-click in the Browser or a bin’s window, then choose Import File or Import Folder from the shortcut menu. Select a file or folder in the dialog, then click Choose.
IV Â You can also drag the files or folders from your desktop to the Timeline of a sequence. Clips you drag directly to the Timeline are independent (they have no master clips in the Browser). Important: Dragging media files directly to a sequence in the Timeline creates independent clips, which have no master clips in the Browser. This can make media management more difficult later.
Tips When Importing When you import media files, keep the following in mind: Â If you want to import media files from removable storage media, such as a CD, do not import the files directly. Instead, copy the files to the folder on your scratch disk where your other project media is stored. Clips that refer to removable media become offline when you eject the disc.
IV Before you export a movie file for use in your Final Cut Pro sequence, do the following: 1 Check the following sequence settings: Â Â Â Â Â Frame rate (editing timebase) Image dimensions Pixel aspect ratio Video codec and quality settings Audio sample rate and bit depth For details on how to do this, see Volume IV, Chapter 26, “Sequence Settings and Presets.” 2 Set your QuickTime export settings to match the settings of the sequence you want to edit your exported media file into.
Importing From a Sony VDU Final Cut Pro allows you to import media stored on a Sony Video Disk Unit. These hard disk-based devices are typically connected to a camcorder during production, so a copy of your footage can be recorded directly to disk. When shooting is finished, you can efficiently import your media from the VDU instead of your original tapes. For more information about using this device, see Working With High Definition and Broadcast Formats.
IV About Importing Audio Files Final Cut Pro allows you to import audio files from other music and sound editing applications, as well as audio from audio CDs. When you import audio files into Final Cut Pro, you need to make sure that their settings match your sequence settings. If your audio clips’ settings don’t match the sequence settings, you can still edit with them, but Final Cut Pro does real-time conversion which reduces overall playback performance.
Mixing Sample Rates and Using Real-Time Sample Rate Conversion Ideally, the sample rate and bit depth of your audio files should match that of your sequence settings. When you play a sequence in Final Cut Pro, any audio files with sample rates that don’t match your sequence sample rate are converted in real time. This is known as sample rate conversion, and it requires additional processing power. Clip items that require real-time sample rate conversion appear with a green render bar within the clip item.
IV To convert a CD audio file so it matches your sequence settings: 1 Select a sequence, then choose Sequence > Settings. 2 Check the sample rate of the sequence in the Audio Settings area of the General tab, then click OK. For DV sequences, the sample rate is usually 48 kHz. 3 Select an audio clip in the Browser that you want to convert to a new sample rate. 4 Choose File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion. 5 Choose AIFF from the Format pop-up menu. 6 Click Options.
Importing Still Images and Graphics You can import most graphic formats supported by QuickTime into your project. The most common ways to create or acquire still images to use in a Final Cut Pro sequence include:  Capturing with a digital camera  Scanning from a book or photograph  Downloading from the web Note: Be aware of copyright issues and don’t use images that you don’t have permission to use.
IV Converting a Numbered Image Sequence Into a QuickTime Movie You can use QuickTime Pro to convert a numbered image sequence into a QuickTime movie. This is useful if you want to convert all your images into a single clip. You can then import the movie into Final Cut Pro and use it the way you use any other clip. To convert a numbered image sequence into a QuickTime movie: 1 Open QuickTime Player. 2 Choose File > Open Image Sequence.
6 Choose a location and enter a name for the file. If you wish, enter a name for the file. Choose a place to save the file. Choose a save option. 7 Choose an option for how you want to save the movie, then click Save. Â Save normally: If you choose this option, QuickTime Player creates a reference movie that points to the original folder of image files. No data is actually duplicated, so the reference movie itself is very small, takes very little hard disk space, and is quick to create.
IV 4 Import all the image files associated with the numbered image sequence you want to use in your project. For more information, see “Importing Media Files” on page 306. 5 Do one of the following: Â Choose File > New > Sequence. Â Control-click in the Browser, then choose New Sequence from the shortcut menu. 6 Double-click the new sequence to open it in the Timeline. 7 Select the newly imported bin with all the image clips in it, open it, and press Command-A to select all these clips.
Making Movies From Still Images You can use one of the methods above to create your own animations as visual elements in your movie. You can even make a whole movie this way, although it takes patience to create 24 or more frames for every second of your finished movie.
23 Using Color Bars for Video Calibration 23 When using analog devices, make sure they are calibrated for accurate brightness and color so there’s no distortion when you capture and color correct your video. This chapter covers the following: Â Using Color Bars (p. 321) Â Calibrating Brightness and Color on Analog Equipment (p. 322) Â How Digital Video Levels Are Measured in Final Cut Pro (p. 323) Â Measuring Analog Video During Output (p. 325) Â Using the Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope (p.
NTSC and PAL each have specific color bar standards, and even within NTSC and PAL there are several standards. When you evaluate color bars on a video scope, it is important to know which color bars standard you are measuring, or you may make improper adjustments. “SMPTE bars” is a commonly used standard. When Should You Use Color Bars? Analog devices always need to be calibrated and adjusted, even if only by minute degrees.
IV How Digital Video Levels Are Measured in Final Cut Pro Using a hardware waveform monitor and vectorscope to calibrate analog input or output is largely the same as using the software-based scopes in Final Cut Pro. When you use the waveform monitor, black is always represented on the digital scale as 0 percent, and white is represented as 100 percent. Percentages are used because the units vary depending on the bit depth of the digital video being measured.
If possible, you should aim to use a Y´CBCR codec throughout the entire postproduction process. For more information about managing luma and chroma levels, see Volume III, Chapter 20, “Color Correcting Clips.” For more information about video processing, see Volume III, Chapter 24, “Rendering.” How Analog Video Levels Are Measured Analog video equipment measures signals using IRE units, a video-specific unit of voltage.
IV Measuring Analog Video During Output If you output to analog tape using the built-in FireWire interface of your computer with a consumer DV device, keep in mind that not all DV devices use the same analog black level. While the digital video signal output from FireWire always has a digital black value of 0 percent, some DV devices output analog black around 0 IRE, and others around 7.5 IRE, depending on the model.
The Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope can examine Y´CBCR (also known as YUV) color values if the codec you’re using supports Y´CBCR processing. In this case, super-white and oversaturated colors will be represented. Y´CBCR values will be used to analyze the signal whenever possible (for example, when using FireWire with the Apple DV codec). When using third-party video interfaces, however, the ability of Final Cut Pro to use Y´CBCR values varies depending on the video codec being used.
IV 4 To display the ideal targets for color bars, Control-click in the Waveform Monitor or the Vectorscope and choose Targets from the shortcut menu. Choose Targets from the shortcut menu. 5 Adjust video brightness and contrast using the Waveform Monitor for reference. Different third-party video interfaces have different controls for adjusting the video signal being captured.
6 Adjust the clip’s target settings using the Vectorscope for reference. The Vectorscope is on the right and displays the color values of the different areas of the video frame as a point graph. Each point on the circular graph represents one of the color bars. The goal is to line up these points with their respective targets. a Adjust the Hue slider to rotate the points around the center of the graph. b Adjust the Saturation slider to move the points closer to or farther from the center of the graph.
IV To adjust color on source tapes using flesh tones: 1 Cue your tape to a section that has a well-lit facial closeup. 2 Check to see if there’s a spike on the Vectorscope near the Flesh Tone line. 3 Adjust this spike so that it falls approximately along the Flesh Tone line. While doing so, be sure to check the image quality of your clip on a broadcast monitor to make sure that your adjustment is accurate.
Outputting Accurate DV Black Levels Using FireWire When outputting DV video using FireWire, Final Cut Pro outputs video with black at the industry standard digital value of 16 (as specified by the ITU-R BT.601-4 engineering specification for video). Consequently, video recorded to DV tape using either FireWire or the CCIR 601 SDI digital output of a professional video card has correct digital black and white levels.
IV This involves using two pieces of external video hardware: Â Processing amplifier (or proc amp): A proc amp provides hardware control of luma, or video gain (brightness), chroma gain (saturation), hue, pedestal (also referred to as setup, which is the black level), and Y/C delay. By connecting a proc amp between your analog VTR and your video interface, you can precisely control the incoming Y´CBCR video signal. Note: Some VTRs have a built-in proc amp.
Calibrating Your Broadcast Monitor Monitors are calibrated using SMPTE standard color bars. Brightness and contrast are adjusted by eye, using the color bars onscreen. Adjusting chroma and phase involves using the “blue only” button found on professional video monitors. This calibration should be done to all monitors in use, whether they’re in the field or in the editing room. To calibrate your monitor: 1 Connect a color bars or test pattern generator to the monitor you’re using.
IV 7 Now, turn the contrast all the way up so that this bar becomes bright, and then turn it back down. The point where this bar is barely visible is the correct contrast setting for your monitor. (The example shown below is exaggerated to demonstrate.) When monitor brightness and contrast is properly adjusted, this strip should barely be visible above black. When adjusting the contrast, also watch the white square in the lower left.
Notice how all of the differently colored bars turn into alternating light and dark ones. Â If your monitor is correctly calibrated, all the gray bars will be evenly gray and all the black bars evenly black. Â If the two outer gray bars don’t match, adjust the chroma control of the monitor until they do. Then adjust the phase control to even out the inner bars. When the phase (similar to hue) of the monitor is correctly adjusted, you should see alternating bars of gray and black, as shown.
AlienUM Title V2.
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1 Part I Contents Organizing Footage and Preparing to Edit Chapter 1 15 15 16 17 18 21 23 23 24 27 28 28 28 31 32 Organizing Footage in the Browser Using Bins to Organize Your Clips Creating New Bins Opening Bins in the Browser Opening Bins in a Separate Window or Tab Moving Items Between Bins Using Labels to Organize Your Clips About Label Names and Colors Assigning Labels and Setting Label Names to Help Manage Your Media Sorting Items in the Browser Using Column Headings Searching for Clips in the B
54 55 56 56 57 57 60 62 64 64 66 67 69 69 Part II 4 Differences Between Sequence and Clip Markers Types of Markers Working With Markers Viewing Markers in the Viewer or Canvas Viewing Markers in the Browser Adding Markers in Clips and Sequences Deleting Markers in Clips and Sequences Navigating With Markers Renaming Markers, Adding Comments, and Changing the Kind of Marker Moving a Marker Aligning Items in the Timeline by Their Markers Extending a Marker’s Duration Editing Markers Into Sequences Exportin
96 96 96 98 98 99 99 Undoing and Redoing Actions Overview of Ways to Add Clips to a Sequence Methods for Adding Clips to Sequences Determining What Parts of Clips You Want in Your Sequence Preparing a Sequence Order in the Browser Sorting to Create a Sequence Order Visually Storyboarding in the Browser Chapter 7 101 101 102 103 105 106 107 107 108 109 114 115 116 118 119 120 Setting Edit Points for Clips and Sequences About In and Out Points Learning About the Out Point Inclusive Rule Things to Keep in
6 Chapter 9 141 141 142 143 146 Drag-to-Timeline Editing Overview of the Drag-to-Timeline Editing Process Dragging Clips to the Timeline Doing Simple Insert and Overwrite Edits in the Timeline Automatically Adding Tracks to Your Sequence While Dragging Chapter 10 149 149 149 150 152 153 154 155 157 158 160 166 169 169 171 172 174 Three-Point Editing Understanding Three-Point Editing Overview of the Three-Point Editing Process Different Ways to Do Three-Point Editing About Edit Types in the Edit Overla
198 200 202 202 203 205 206 206 207 209 212 Moving Clips Numerically Performing Shuffle Edits Copying and Pasting Clips in the Timeline Copying Clips by Option-Dragging Copying, Cutting, and Pasting Clips in the Timeline Example: Copying and Pasting Audio and Video Clip Items to Different Tracks in the Timeline Deleting Clips From a Sequence Deleting With a Lift Edit (Leaving a Gap) Deleting With a Ripple Edit (Leaving No Gap) Finding and Closing Gaps Color-Coding Clips in the Timeline Chapter 13 213 213
8 Chapter 16 247 247 249 250 251 253 257 266 267 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 273 274 275 279 281 284 286 286 287 288 288 288 Working With Multiclips About Multiclips Multiclip Workflow Creating Multiclips and Multiclip Sequences Preparing Clips to Be Used as Multiclip Angles Creating Individual Multiclips Creating Multiclip Sequences Identifying and Naming Multiclips in the Browser Working With Multiclip Angles in the Viewer Viewing Multiclip Angles in the Viewer Identifying Active Video and Audio Angles
304 304 306 307 307 308 309 311 311 313 313 316 Part III Editing Audio in the Timeline Timeline Audio Display Options Zooming In and Out of Waveforms in the Timeline Naming Audio Tracks Moving Audio Items From One Track to Another at the Same Frame Using Audio Transitions to Smooth Audible Changes Creating or Separating Stereo Pairs Working With Audio at the Subframe Level Subframe Synchronization of Audio and Video Examples of Ways to Easily Edit Audio Example: Replacing Unwanted Audio With Room Tone Exa
10 355 358 Precision Editing Using Timecode Understanding Alert Messages When Trimming Chapter 20 361 361 363 364 368 369 369 369 372 372 373 Trimming Clips Using the Trim Edit Window Learning About the Trim Edit Window Opening and Closing the Trim Edit Window Controls in the Trim Edit Window Using the Trim Edit Window Playing Incoming and Outgoing Clips in the Trim Edit Window Dynamic Trimming Trimming an Edit in the Trim Edit Window Reviewing and Playing Back Your Edits in the Trim Edit Window Slippi
Chapter 22 397 397 405 406 410 Refining Transitions Using the Transition Editor Using the Transition Editor Applying a Modified Transition Directly to a Sequence in the Timeline Trimming Transitions and the Surrounding Clips Previewing and Rendering Transitions Chapter 23 413 413 414 414 418 423 Sequence to Sequence Editing Methods for Editing Clips From One Sequence to Another Opening More Than One Sequence at a Time Copying Clips From One Sequence to Another Nesting Sequences Editing the Content of O
Part I: Organizing Footage and Preparing to Edit I Organizing your footage before you edit makes editing go more smoothly. Read this section to learn how to organize and label clips, create subclips, and add markers to clips and sequences.
1 Organizing Footage in the Browser 1 After capturing media to your scratch disks, you can import clips into a project in the Browser and then organize them to save time during editing. You can also search for clips in various ways. This chapter covers the following: Â Using Bins to Organize Your Clips (p. 15) Â Using Labels to Organize Your Clips (p. 23) Â Sorting Items in the Browser Using Column Headings (p. 27) Â Searching for Clips in the Browser and Finder (p.
Bins are unique to project files. Although they behave similarly to folders on your hard disk, bins are not actually connected to folders on your hard disk in any way. Changes you make to the contents of a bin, such as deleting, moving, and renaming clips or renaming the bin itself, have no effect on the original files or folders on disk where the media files are stored. If you delete a clip from a bin, its associated media file is not deleted from your scratch disk.
I To create a bin by dragging a folder from your hard disk: 1 In the Finder, select the folder you want to be a bin. 2 Drag the folder from the Finder to the Browser. As soon as you release the folder over the Browser, a bin with the same name as the folder is created in your project. Note: Dragging folders and files from the Finder to the Browser creates bin and clip objects in your project file. However, unlike clips, which refer to media files on disk, bins do not refer to actual folders on disk.
Opening Bins in a Separate Window or Tab To preserve space on the screen or to avoid scrolling in the Browser, it’s useful to open a bin in its own window or tab. To open a bin in its own window: m Double-click the bin. The bin appears in its own window. The icon for this bin in the Browser indicates the bin is open in its own window.
I To close a bin that’s open in its own window, do one of the following: m Control-click the bin’s tab, then choose Close Tab from the shortcut menu. m Make sure the bin is the active window, then press Control-W. m Click the close button of the bin window. For easy access to a bin, you can create a tab for it in the Browser. To open a bin as a new tab in the Browser: m Press and hold the Option key while double-clicking a bin in the Browser.
To turn a bin in its own window into a tab in the Browser: 1 Double-click a bin to open it in its own window. 2 Drag the bin’s tab from the bin window to the top of any column heading in the Browser. Drag the bin’s tab above any column heading in the Browser. The bin now has its own tab in the Browser.
I To close a bin’s tab, do one of the following: m Control-click the tab, then choose Close Tab from the shortcut menu. m Make sure the bin is the active (frontmost) tab, then press Control-W. m Drag the bin’s tab out of the Browser, then click the close button to close the bin’s window. Moving Items Between Bins As you work on your project, you often reorganize clips and move them into different bins.
m If the bin in which you want to move items has its own window, drag items to that bin’s window. You can also move items into separate bin windows. To move an item to the top level of a project: m Drag the item to the Name column heading. Note: If you move items between projects, the items are copied, not moved. There is no relationship between items in different projects.
I Using Labels to Organize Your Clips In Final Cut Pro, you can assign labels to clips, bins, and sequences. You can use labels to:  Categorize and sort your clips  Visually identify clips, bins, and sequences in the Browser, and clips within sequences  Mark a group of clips that you located with the Find command  Do any other task requiring you to organize your clips into identifiable groups About Label Names and Colors The Label property has several labels, each with an associated color and name.
Assigning Labels and Setting Label Names to Help Manage Your Media Each item in Final Cut Pro has two label properties: Label and Label 2. Both label properties can be customized in different ways: Â Label: This can be one of several names and associated colors as assigned in the Labels tab of the User Preferences window. This property affects the color of its clip, sequence, or bin. Â Label 2: This can be any text you type in the Label 2 Browser column or Item Properties window.
I To assign a label to multiple clips at once: 1 Select the clips you want to label in the Browser. For information about selecting clips, see Volume I, Chapter 5, “Browser Basics.” 2 Do one of the following: Â Control-click one of the selected clips, choose Label from the shortcut menu, then choose a label from the submenu. Â Control-click in the Label column of one of the selected clips, then choose a label from the shortcut menu. Then Control-click in the Label column and choose a label.
Changing Names of Labels If you need label names that are different from the defaults, you can change them in the User Preferences window. For example, some projects may not have any interview footage, so you could change the default “Interview” label to a more appropriate category, such as “Special Effects,” “Needs Color Correction,” or “Temporary Footage.” Keep in mind that labels usually represent fairly broad categories, since there are only five to choose from.
I Sorting Items in the Browser Using Column Headings Clicking column headings in the Browser allows you to sort items by any property displayed in list view, such as Name, Reel, Label, Timecode, and so on. By default, items are sorted by Name. In addition to the primary sorting property, secondary, tertiary, and further sorting refinements can be made by Shift-clicking a column heading.
5 To switch between descending and ascending sort order in the secondary columns, click the arrow. If you inadvertently select the wrong secondary column or too many secondary columns, you can clear all secondary sort columns by choosing a new primary sort column, and then selecting any secondary sort columns. 6 To sort by tertiary columns, you can Shift-click another column heading. You can continue to refine your sort by Shift-clicking additional column headings.
I To open the Find window: m Make sure the Browser is the active window, then do one of the following: Â Choose Edit > Find. Â Press Command-F. Search scope Click here to specify more search options. Search criteria Additional search criteria after clicking the More button Options for Defining the Scope of a Search When you are searching for clips, you may sometimes want to search within a single bin, while other times you may need to search every open project.
 Results: Choose how you want the search results to be shown.  Replace Find Results: Choose this to clear and replace any previous find results with new find results.  Add to Find Results: Choose this to append the results of the current search to the contents of the Find Results window. This allows you to do several searches and accrue the results in a single window. Options for Defining the Criteria of a Search  More: Click this to refine your search by adding more criteria.
I Searching for Items in the Browser You can search in all open projects or restrict your search to a single project, or tab, in the Browser. You can search for one item at a time, or multiple items at once. To search for a single item in the Browser: 1 Make the Browser active, then choose Edit > Find (or Press Command-F). 2 Select your search options, then enter your search criteria. For more information, see “About Search Options” on page 28. Then click here. Specify your search criteria.
Searching for Unused Clips in Your Project You can search for unused clips in your project. To search for unused clips: 1 Do one of the following: Â Open your project. Â Make sure your project is the frontmost tab in the Browser. 2 Choose Edit > Find (or Press Command-F). 3 Choose your project from the Search pop-up menu. 4 Choose Unused Media from the For pop-up menu and deselect the “in selected sequences” checkbox to the right of the menu. 5 Click Find All.
I The Find Results window works in much the same way as the Browser, and you can do many of the same operations: Â Delete found items from a project. Â Move or copy found items to another location in the Browser. Â Sort and display found items. Â Edit found items into a sequence. Â Perform additional searches and combine the results. Â Modify information in Browser columns for found clips.
To see where found items are in the Browser: m Select the desired items in the Find Results window, then click Show in Browser. Select items you want to see in the Browser. Then click here. To delete found items: m Select the desired items in the Find Results window, then click Remove from Project. Note: As with deleting any clips in the Browser, the media on your scratch disk is not deleted. Only the clips in the project file are removed.
2 Creating Subclips 2 Lengthy media files can be unwieldy for editing. If you capture an entire tape as a single media file, you can break the clip into shorter subclips. You can also break the media file into smaller media files. This chapter covers the following: Â Learning About Subclips (p. 35) Â Techniques for Breaking Large Clips Into Subclips (p. 39) Â Creating Independent Media Files From Subclips After Capturing (p.
Subclips allow you to work more easily with lengthy media by breaking up a single clip into many smaller pieces. For example, you can open a 20-minute clip comprising 15 different shots in the Viewer and divide it into 15 subclips, one for each shot. Final Cut Pro places new subclips in the same Browser bin as the original clip they came from, automatically appending the word “Subclip” to the name and numbering each successive subclip you create from a particular clip.
I To create a subclip: 1 Open a clip in the Viewer. 2 Set In and Out points. 3 Do one of the following: Â Choose Modify > Make Subclip. Â Press Command-U. A new subclip appears in the Browser below the master clip, defined by the In and Out points you set. Sometimes, you may be looking for a particular frame in a subclip, and realize that although those frames existed in the original clip, they were left out when you created the subclip.
Removing Subclip Limits A subclip, just like a clip, refers to a media file on your scratch disk. The difference between a clip and a subclip is that a subclip imposes artificial limits (called subclip limits) to make the subclip appear shorter in Final Cut Pro than the actual media file. A subclip refers to only a portion of a media file, while a clip refers to the whole media file.
I Techniques for Breaking Large Clips Into Subclips There are a few ways you can create subclips in Final Cut Pro: Â Create markers in a clip, and then turn them into subclips. Â Create subclips manually, one at a time, by setting In and Out points in the original clip and choosing Modify > Make Subclip. With some kinds of video footage (mainly DV), you can also create subclips from the start/stop data that is created by the camcorder and embedded in the video data.
∏ Tip: If you are having a hard time dragging the markers out of the clip, try dragging the markers to the Name column heading in the Browser. When you see the Name column highlight with a rectangle, release the mouse button. All of the material between the markers you selected should now appear as subclips. Subclips, identified by special subclip icons, are created. If you dragged the markers out of the clip, the markers in the clip are removed.
I The duration of a subclip can also be defined by a marker with extended duration. For more information about creating markers with duration, see “Extending a Marker’s Duration” on page 67. Subclips defined by marker boundaries Subclips defined by markers with extended duration Original clip Original clip Marker with duration of 0:00 Marker with extended duration Creating Subclips Manually If you have long clips, you can also break them into subclips manually to help you manage your footage.
Creating Independent Media Files From Subclips After Capturing When you capture each source tape as a whole media file and then break it into smaller subclips, you will inevitably discover a number of subclips that you don’t need for your project. If you are trying to save disk space, you can delete portions of media files that you know you don’t need. This process affects your media files, so it is considered to be media management.
I 8 Click OK. Because this is a destructive process (meaning some of your media will likely be deleted), Final Cut Pro checks to see if any other clips in your project also refer to the same media file. If so, Final Cut Pro tells you how many other clips besides the subclips you have currently selected may be affected by deleting media. In this case, any subclips you didn’t select originally will become offline unless you include them in your media management.
3 Merging Clips From Dual System Video and Audio 3 In Final Cut Pro, you can create merged clips that refer to independent video and audio media files simultaneously, making it easy to work with them together, in sync. This chapter covers the following: Â Working With Dual System Video and Audio (p. 45) Â Using Synchronization Points to Create Merged Clips (p. 46) Â Duration of Merged Clips (p. 48) Â Creating Merged Clips From the Timeline (p. 50) Â Changing the Sync of Merged Clips (p.
In Final Cut Pro, you can create merged clips so you can work with video and audio from a dual system production together, in sync. Most clips refer to a single media file on disk, and each clip item refers to a track within that single media file. In a merged clip, each clip item can refer to a different media file on disk. For example, a merged clip simultaneously refers to a video track in a QuickTime media file and audio tracks in one or more separate audio files.
I If you have a complicated combination of syncing In and Out points, and your video and audio clips don’t have matching, synchronized timecode, you can add auxiliary timecode to each clip so that the clips’ sync points all fall on the same timecode number. You can then use the auxiliary timecode track (Aux TC 1 or 2) to merge your clips.
To create a merged clip from two or more clips in the Browser: 1 In the Browser, select all the synchronized clips you want to merge. 2 Choose Modify > Merge Clips. 3 In the New Merged Clip dialog that appears, select a method with which to synchronize the clips: In points, Out points, Timecode, Aux Timecode 1, or Aux Timecode 2. 4 Click OK. A new merged clip appears in the Browser. Merged clips are named after the video clip.
I Â If you synchronized all of the original clips using Out points, the end of the resulting merged clip corresponds to the Out point you used, and all clips line up at that point. The beginning of this merged clip corresponds to the beginning of the clip with the earliest timecode value.
Creating Merged Clips From the Timeline You can also create merged clips by dragging a group of linked clip items from the Timeline to the Browser. This can be useful if you want to synchronize a group of audio and video clips visually, changing their sync relationship and duration using the various editing tools available in the Timeline. Viewing each clip item’s timecode in the Canvas timecode overlays can also be helpful for synchronizing items.
I 4 Drag the linked clip items from the Timeline to the Browser. The new merged clip appears in the Browser. A new merged clip appears in the Browser, named after the topmost video or audio item in the Timeline. Note: If you do not link the clip items you want to merge before you drag them into the Browser, each item is individually placed in the Browser.
4 Using Markers 4 Markers are reference points you can place within clips or sequences to identify specific frames. You can use them for a variety of purposes, and export them with your finished movie. This chapter covers the following: Â Learning About Markers (p. 53) Â Working With Markers (p. 56) Learning About Markers Markers are visible points on clips and sequences that can be used for commenting, synchronizing, editing, adding DVD chapter and compression markers, and even making subclips.
You can also include markers in QuickTime movies you export. You can: Â Export chapter markers for use with QuickTime and DVD-authoring applications. Â Export compression markers for use with video compression applications. Â Export scoring markers for use with supported music and audio applications. Differences Between Sequence and Clip Markers You can add markers to both clips and sequences. There are differences between clip markers and sequence markers that could affect your work.
I Markers in clips and sequences are visually different. Â Clip markers appear on individual clips in the Viewer and Timeline and are colored pink. You can add these markers in the Viewer or in the Timeline. Â Sequence markers appear both in the Timeline ruler and in the Canvas scrubber bar and are colored green. You can add these markers in the Canvas or in the Timeline.
 Scoring marker: These markers are used for marking important visual cues to sync music to. They are visible when you open an exported QuickTime movie in Soundtrack. A scoring marker is distinguished by the text appearing in the Comment field of its Edit Marker window.  Audio peak marker: Any audio samples over 0 dBFS are marked when you choose Mark > Audio Peaks > Add. These markers show where in your clip the audio is digitally clipping, indicating you should reduce the level at that point.
I Viewing Markers in the Browser When you add a marker to a clip that you’ve opened from the Browser, that marker is displayed in the Browser in list view. To view a clip’s markers in the Browser: m Click the disclosure triangle next to a clip containing markers. Markers within a clip Clip markers are displayed hierarchically within the clip. You can change the name of a marker in the Browser, and you can also create subclips from markers.
Quickly Adding Markers If you want to quickly add markers to clips or sequences, and you don’t care about the names, you can follow these instructions. By default, Note markers are created and each is automatically named by Final Cut Pro. If you prefer to add all of the information for a marker when you create the marker, see “Adding Markers Along With Detailed Information About Them” on page 59. To quickly add a marker to a clip in the Viewer: 1 Open the clip in the Viewer. 2 Play the clip or sequence.
I Note: You can only add markers to sequence clips in the Timeline if the clip is selected and the playhead intersects the clip. If the playhead doesn’t intersect the selected sequence clip, or if no sequence clip is selected, any markers you add are added to the sequence (appearing in the Timeline ruler). To quickly add a marker to a sequence: 1 In the Timeline, position the playhead where you want to place the marker in the sequence. Make sure no clips are selected.
4 In the Edit Marker window, do any of the following, then click OK. Â In the Name field, rename the marker. Â In the Comment field, add any information you want to include with the marker. Â Click a button to specify the kind of marker this is. The appropriate code is automatically added to the Comment field. Enter the desired name here. Add any comments in this field. If you want, click a button to choose the kind of marker.
I To delete specific markers in a clip in the Viewer or Timeline: 1 Move the playhead to the marker you want to delete. ∏ Tip: You can easily navigate to the previous or next marker by choosing Mark > Previous > Marker or Mark > Next > Marker. 2 Do one of the following: Â Â Â Â In the Viewer or Canvas, Option-click the Add Marker button. Choose Mark > Markers > Delete. Press Command-` (the accent key). Press M or ` (the accent key) to open the Edit Marker window, then click Delete.
To keep a marker but remove chapter, compression, or scoring annotations: 1 In the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline, move the playhead to the marker whose annotations you want to remove. 2 Press M or ` (the accent key) to open the Edit Marker window. 3 In the Comment field, delete the appropriate marker annotation text, then click OK. Â To remove a chapter marker, delete the text . Â To remove a compression marker, delete the text . Â To remove a scoring marker, delete the text .
I To move the playhead to a clip or sequence marker in the Timeline, do one of the following: m Drag the playhead to a sequence marker in the ruler. If snapping is turned on, the playhead snaps to the position of a nearby marker. m Control-click the Timeline ruler, then choose a marker from the list of sequence and clip markers in the shortcut menu. Choose a marker. To move to the next marker (to the right), do one of the following: m Choose Mark > Next > Marker. m Press Shift-M. m Press Shift–Down Arrow.
Renaming Markers, Adding Comments, and Changing the Kind of Marker After you add a marker, you can rename it, add information in the comment field, or change the kind of marker. To rename a marker, add comments to a marker, or change the kind of marker: 1 Stop playback if playback is in progress. 2 Move the playhead to the marker (see “Navigating With Markers” on page 62). 3 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Markers > Edit.
I To move a marker in a clip forward by repositioning the playhead: 1 In the Viewer or Timeline, move the playhead to the location where you want to move the marker. You can only move a marker forward, not backward. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Markers > Reposition. Â Press Shift-` (the accent key). Final Cut Pro moves the marker that is immediately to the left of the playhead’s current position.
To move a marker in a sequence by entering a new timecode value: 1 In the Timeline or Canvas, move the playhead to the marker. 2 Do one of the following: Â Press M. Â Click the Add Marker button. Â Choose Mark > Markers > Edit. 3 In the Edit Marker dialog, enter a new start time in the Start field, then click OK. Aligning Items in the Timeline by Their Markers You can move a clip item in the Timeline by dragging one of its markers.
I 4 Drag the video clip item by its marker until it snaps to the sequence marker. 5 Drag the audio clip item by its marker until it snaps to the sequence marker. 6 The video and audio clip item markers are now aligned with the sequence marker. The video and audio clip item markers are aligned with the sequence marker. Extending a Marker’s Duration When you create a marker in Final Cut Pro, it is simply a marker that ‘s associated with a particular frame; it doesn’t have a duration.
To extend a marker’s duration by entering a timecode value: 1 Move the playhead to the marker. 2 Do one of the following: Â Â Â Â Press M. Click the Add Marker button. Choose Mark > Markers > Edit. Press Option-Command-M to edit the marker to the left. 3 In the Edit Marker dialog, enter a duration value. Enter the desired marker duration here. An extended duration marker appears in the scrubber bar. To shorten a marker that has a duration: 1 Position the playhead within the duration of the marker.
I Editing Markers Into Sequences You can edit markers into your sequence as if they were clips. However, a marker edited directly from the Browser into a sequence becomes an independent clip, with no affiliation to the clip from which it came. In most cases, you should avoid this, because it can make media management more difficult later. For more control over markers that you want to use for editing, you should use the Make Subclips command to turn markers inside of a clip into new subclips.
Part II: Rough Editing II Learn the basics of adding, arranging, and synchronizing clips in a sequence to create a rough edit of your movie. If you are working with multicamera footage, you can learn how to edit it in real time.
5 Working With Projects, Clips, and Sequences 5 A project file contains everything you need to make your completed movie: clips, bins to organize clips, and sequences to arrange your clips into a finished movie. This chapter covers the following: Â Working With Projects (p. 74) Â Learning About the Different Types of Clips (p. 77) Â Viewing and Changing the Properties of a Clip (p. 80) Â Creating and Working With Sequences (p.
Working With Projects Before you can even capture media, import clips into your project, and edit the clips into one or more sequences, you need a project in which to do all of this. Note: Creating, opening, and closing projects is described in Volume I, Chapter 3, “Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences.” Working With Multiple Projects in the Browser You can have multiple projects open in Final Cut Pro at the same time. Each project opens in a separate tab in the Browser.
II Viewing and Changing the Properties of a Project Each project has a set of properties, including global timecode display options and custom Master Comment column names. You can change these properties at any time. To view or change the properties of a project: 1 Click the project’s tab in the Browser, then choose Edit > Project Properties. 2 Choose or enter your options, then click OK. Choose a time display option. You can change the Comment column headings shown in the Browser.
Backing Up and Restoring Projects Regularly backing up your project file is an important part of the editing process. If your media files are lost, they can easily be recaptured, but losing a project file could mean re-creating hundreds of edit decisions made over weeks or months. You should back up your projects on a regular schedule, regardless of what phase of the project you are in. You can back up hourly, daily, or even weekly, depending on the scope and pace of your project.
II To revert to the previously saved version of a project: 1 Click a project’s tab in the Browser or Timeline to make it active. 2 Choose File > Revert Project. 3 In the dialog that appears, click OK. Automatically Saving Projects With Autosave While you’re working, you may find it necessary to go back to an earlier version of a project you edited: perhaps you tried an alternate cut that didn’t work, or maybe you’re experiencing problems with your computer.
Types of Clips The following terms describe the various clips you work with in Final Cut Pro: Â Video clip: A clip containing a video item. This kind of clip may also contain audio items. Â Audio clip: A clip containing only audio items. Â Sequence clip: A clip that has been edited into a sequence. Clips in a sequence are made of individual video and audio clip items, which may or may not be linked together while you edit.
II Â Merged clip: A clip that refers to more than one media file at once. A merged clip can refer to one video file and up to 24 separate audio files. You need to merge a video clip with audio clips if you record picture and sound to separate devices during production. For more information, see Chapter 3, “Merging Clips From Dual System Video and Audio,” on page 45. Â Multiclip: Multiple clips synced together, in parallel, within a single clip.
A clip is considered offline when: Â The clip’s Source property is incorrect (when there is no media file at the file path in the Source property). This happens when a media file is modified, moved, or deleted, the modification date of the media file is changed, or the scratch disk becomes unavailable. Â The clip’s Source property is empty. You can intentionally make clips offline by choosing Modify > Make Offline, or you can create a new offline clip by choosing File > New > Offline Clip.
II For more information, see “Viewing and Changing Clip Properties in the Item Properties Window” on page 82. To change a clip’s property in a Browser column, do one of the following: m Select a clip, click a column, then enter the new information in the text field. Enter the desired information. If a text field doesn’t appear when you click or Control-click a column, the property cannot be changed directly in the Browser.
To change the properties of multiple clips in a Browser column: 1 Select the desired clips. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 5, “Browser Basics.” 2 Control-click the column of one of the selected clips, then choose a new setting or option from the shortcut menu.
II 3 In the Item Properties window, click a tab to see and modify a clip’s properties. For detailed information about item properties, see Volume IV, Chapter 3, “Elements of a Final Cut Pro Project.” Finding a Clip’s Media File With the exception of internally generated clips (such as slugs or color bars), all clips have a media file path in their Source property.
Changing the Properties of Affiliate Clips Because master clips and their affiliate clips share certain properties, you need only change the property of one of the master or affiliate clips to change that property in all of them. For instance, if you want to change a clip’s name, it doesn’t matter whether you change the name in the master clip or any of its affiliate clips. Since they all share the same name property, all the clips will have the new name.
II For more information about clip properties, see Volume IV, Chapter 3, “Elements of a Final Cut Pro Project.” Creating and Working With Sequences A sequence is a container for editing clips together in chronological order. A sequence contains one or more video and audio tracks, which are empty when first created. Creating and Deleting Sequences Before you can edit content together in Final Cut Pro, you need to create a sequence to edit it into.
To determine the default number of tracks for new sequences: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences, then click the Timeline Options tab. 2 Under “Default Number of Tracks,” enter the default number of video and audio tracks you want created. To delete a sequence from the current project: 1 Select the sequence you want to delete in the Browser. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Edit > Clear. Â Press the Delete key. Note: Deleting a sequence from your project does not affect the media files on disk.
II To close a sequence in the Timeline and Canvas, do one of the following: m With the sequence tab active in the Timeline or the Canvas, choose File > Close Tab. m Control-click a tab in the Timeline or Canvas, then choose Close Tab from the shortcut menu. m Press Control-W. When you close the tab of a sequence in the Timeline, its tab in the Canvas automatically closes, and vice versa. Note: If you close the Canvas by pressing Command-W, the Timeline also closes.
Sequences are independent of each other, so changes you make to the copied sequence do not affect the original sequence or its rendered files. Note: When you duplicate a sequence, all clips in the new sequence are affiliated with the same master clips as the clips in the original version of the sequence. Copying a Sequence Into Another Project If you have more than one project file open in the Browser, you can copy a sequence from one project and paste it into another project.
II To create master clips for a sequence pasted into a project: 1 Select the sequence in the Browser. 2 Choose Tools > Create Master Clips. A bin is created called “Master Clips for Sequence Name”, named after the sequence. Master clips are created for any independent clips in the sequence, and the independent clips become affiliate clips of the new master clips. If master clips already exist for all clips in the sequence, no bin or master clips are created.
When Rendering Is Required Rendering slows down the creative editing process, so people try to avoid it at all costs. If you’ve ever seen a red bar appear in the Timeline as soon as you add a clip to a sequence, it’s probably because the clip settings and the sequence settings don’t match. Final Cut Pro assumes your sequence settings match your intended output format, such as NTSC DV tape or a 320 x 240 Sorenson movie for the web.
II Note: The one setting that may not be changed is the sequence frame rate (referred to as the editing timebase). You can change a sequence’s frame rate (editing timebase) only if the sequence is empty. Once a sequence contains one or more clips, you can’t change its editing timebase. Removing all the clips from the sequence allows you to change the sequence’s editing timebase. Changing sequence settings is discussed in Volume IV, Chapter 26, “Sequence Settings and Presets.
6 The Fundamentals of Adding Clips to a Sequence 6 Once your clips are captured and organized to your satisfaction in the Browser, you can begin moving your content into a sequence. This chapter covers the following: Â Creating a Rough Edit (p. 93) Â Overview of Ways to Add Clips to a Sequence (p. 96) Â Preparing a Sequence Order in the Browser (p. 98) Creating a Rough Edit During the rough editing phase of your project, the overarching structure of your movie begins to take shape.
Step 3: Make rough adjustments to clips in the Timeline In the process of assembling the rough edit, you typically find you want to change the duration of some clips, trim the heads or tails of some clips, or divide clips into smaller pieces and reposition them. How Clips Appear in the Timeline Before you begin editing and arranging clips in a sequence in the Timeline, it’s a good idea to look at how clips are represented when they’re first edited into a sequence.
II Since the audio and video items of each edited clip are linked, selecting the video clip item also selects the audio clip items, and edits you make to one are automatically made to the others. For example, if you move a video clip item from track V1 to track V2, the audio clip items move from tracks A1 and A2 to tracks A3 and A4. Video clip item on V1 Audio clip items on A1 and A2 When you move a video clip item to a new track... ...the audio clip items move as well because they are linked.
Undoing and Redoing Actions As you begin to edit in Final Cut Pro, rest easy with the knowledge that you can undo actions you take in your projects, sequences, and clips, including editing clips into sequences. The Undo command is helpful if you make a change you don’t like, or make a mistake and want to revert to an earlier version. You can also redo actions that you have undone. By default, you can undo 10 of your previous actions before quitting Final Cut Pro.
II Drag-to-Timeline Editing The faster, less precise way of editing content into a sequence is to drag a source clip from the Browser or the Viewer directly to tracks in the Timeline. This simple method is discussed more in Chapter 9, “Drag-to-Timeline Editing,” on page 141. Drag a source clip from the Viewer... ...to a track in the Timeline. Three-Point Editing In three-point editing, you set In and Out points in both a source clip and a sequence to determine the duration and placement of an edit.
However, if you set In and Out points in a sequence and an In point in your source clip, the Out point of the source clip is determined by the duration between the sequence In and Out points. In this case, the sequence In and Out points limit how much of the source clip is placed in the sequence. (1 and 2) Sequence In and Out points (3) Clip In point (4) Clip Out point (inferred) For more details about three-point editing, see Chapter 10, “Three-Point Editing,” on page 149.
II Sorting to Create a Sequence Order The ability to sort by column information in the Browser (in list view) can help you quickly organize clips into the order in which you want them to appear in your sequence. For example, if you entered scene and shot numbers when you logged your shots, you can sort by these two columns, and then select all of these shots to edit into your sequence in the correct order.
Goes into your sequence like this: 1 2 3 4 5 To create a storyboard in the Browser: 1 Control-click in the Browser, then choose View as Large Icons from the shortcut menu. 2 Drag the clips into the order in which you want them to appear, keeping the rows of clips relatively straight, so that Final Cut Pro can properly determine their order. ∏ Tip: To ensure clips are placed in the Timeline in the proper order, place each subsequent clip several pixels lower and to the right of the previous clip.
7 Setting Edit Points for Clips and Sequences 7 To specify where a clip should be placed in your sequence, and to select a section of a clip for editing, copying, pasting, or any other operation, you set In and Out points. This chapter covers the following: Â About In and Out Points (p. 101) Â Setting Clip In and Out Points in the Viewer (p. 105) Â Setting Sequence In and Out Points in the Canvas or Timeline (p. 108) Â Navigating to In and Out Points (p. 118) Â Moving In and Out Points (p.
Learning About the Out Point Inclusive Rule Before you begin to set In and Out points, it’s important to understand the “Out point inclusive” rule that Final Cut Pro follows, so you can avoid an unexpected extra frame at your Out point. Out point inclusive means that when you set an Out point at the position of the playhead, the frame that the playhead is on is included in your edit. This rule means that whenever you set In and Out points, the minimum duration set is always one frame long.
II Things to Keep in Mind When Setting an Out Point When you want to mark the duration of a clip in a sequence, you need to remember to set the Out point one frame earlier than you might expect, or you may also include the first frame of the next clip. This often happens when you have snapping turned on and you snap to clip start and end points to set In and Out points. The Out point includes the first frame of the adjacent clip.
To avoid accidentally selecting the first frame of the next clip, do one of the following: m Press the Back Arrow key once before setting the Out point, so that you set it on the last frame of the clip you want to select. When you do this, the last frame of that clip is included with the Out point. The Out point ends at the last frame of the clip. m Make the Canvas active, then choose View > Show Overlays.
II Setting Clip In and Out Points in the Viewer When you set In and Out points for a clip in the Viewer, only the frames from the In point to the Out point will be edited into your sequence. If you haven’t explicitly set an In or Out point, Final Cut Pro uses the Media Start and the Media End points, respectively. To set an In or Out point for a clip in the Viewer: 1 Double-click the clip to open it in the Viewer. 2 Move the playhead to the location in the clip where you want to place the In or Out point.
To set an In or Out point while playing a clip: 1 Position the playhead at the beginning of the clip. 2 Press the Space bar or click the Play button to start playing a clip in the Viewer. 3 Do one of the following: Â Press I once to set an In point or press O once to set an Out point. Â Press and hold the I or O key. The In or Out point is set at the location of the playhead when you release the key. Â Click the Mark In or Mark Out button once. Â Click and hold the Mark In or Mark Out button.
II Setting In and Out Points to Include a Whole Clip If you decide that you want to set In and Out points at the very beginning and end of your clip (the default), it’s easy to do. To set In and Out points at the clip Media Start and Media End (the beginning and end of the clip): 1 Open a clip in the Viewer. 2 Do one of the following:  Click the Mark Clip button. Mark Clip button  Choose Mark > Mark Clip.  Press X.
To view your clip from the position of the playhead to the clip’s Out point: 1 Position the playhead where you want to start viewing your clip. 2 Choose Mark > Play > To Out (or press Shift-P). To get a quick sense of what material is around a specific point in your clip, you can use the Play Around Current Frame option. This plays a section of your clip from before the current frame (based on a pre-roll setting) through the amount of time specified by the post-roll setting.
II Options for Setting Sequence In and Out Points You have several options when setting sequence In and Out points. Each choice has certain ramifications, so make sure you understand the outcome when setting your In and Out points. Â Setting no In or Out points: When no edit points are set, the playhead position is considered the In point. The clip is placed at the playhead position in the Timeline.
When No Sequence In or Out Points Are Set If you don’t set any In or Out points in the Canvas or Timeline, Final Cut Pro uses the playhead as an In point to determine the outcome of your edit. The position of the playhead determines the In point if you haven’t set any edit points in the Canvas or Timeline. The new clip starts where the playhead was prior to the edit. 110 Part II Rough Editing After the edit, the playhead moves to the end of the clip.
II When You Set One Sequence In or Out Point If you set only one In or Out point, that point determines where the clip being edited into your sequence will start or end: Â If you set a sequence In point, the In point of the source clip is placed at the sequence In point, and the clip extends from the In point to the right for the duration of the source clip. In point The new clip begins at the In point that you set.
 If you set a sequence Out point, the Out point of the source clip is placed at the sequence Out point, and the clip is “backtimed” for the duration of the source clip, extending from the Out point to the left. Out point The new clip ends at the Out point that you set.
II When You Set Both Sequence In and Out Points Setting both sequence In and Out points limits the duration of your edit to the duration between these two points. How the source clip lines up within this duration depends on which clip In and Out points have been set in the Viewer: Â If you set an In point for the source clip, the clip’s In point lines up with the In point in your sequence, and the clip extends to the right for the duration defined by the sequence In and Out points.
Setting Sequence In and Out Points You can set sequence In and Out points in the Canvas or Timeline. The In and Out points in the Canvas are the same as the ones in the Timeline—they refer to the same timecode values and affect the same part of your sequence. If you set In and Out points in the Timeline, they also appear in the Canvas, and vice versa.
II Setting In and Out Points to Match a Clip or Gap When you want to replace one clip with another using exactly the same location and duration in the Timeline, you can set both In and Out points simultaneously. This also comes in handy if you want to quickly set In and Out points to fit the boundaries of a gap in your sequence. To set In and Out points at the beginning and end of a clip or gap in the Timeline: 1 Place the Timeline playhead over a clip (or gap) in your sequence.
3 Do one of the following to set In and Out points:  Press X.  Click the Mark Clip button in the Canvas. Mark Clip button in the Canvas  Choose Mark > Mark Clip. In and Out points are set at the boundaries of the clip or gap. In and Out points are set at the clip’s boundaries. .
II To set In and Out points based on the current selection in the Timeline: 1 Select clip items in the Timeline. You can select part of a clip, several clips, or parts of several clips using the Selection, Group Selection, or Range Selection tools. For more information on how to use these tools, see Chapter 11, “Finding and Selecting Content in the Timeline,” on page 175. If you want to set only video or only audio In and Out points, select only video or audio items in the Timeline.
Navigating to In and Out Points Often, you’ll want to position the playhead at the beginning or end of a specific clip, marker, or edit point in your sequence, in preparation for the next edit. Final Cut Pro makes it easy to jump quickly between all of the edit points in your sequence. To move the playhead to the next edit point in your sequence, do one of the following: m In the Canvas, click the Go to Next Edit button. m Press the Down Arrow key. m Choose Mark > Next > Edit (or press Shift-E).
II Moving In and Out Points You can always change clip In and Out points by simply setting new ones. Here are a few other options for changing In and Out points. To change the location of the In or Out point, do one of the following: m Drag In or Out point markers to the left or right. m To change the Out point, enter a new timecode number in the Timecode Duration field. Final Cut Pro calculates the new location of the Out point by adding the duration you entered to the timecode value of the In point.
To slip both the In and Out points together, do one of the following: m Hold down the Shift key, then drag the In or Out point left or right in the scrubber bar. Note: The cursor must be directly over the In or Out point, or the slip edit won’t work and you will simply move the playhead. Hold down the Shift key, then drag the In point or Out point to a new location. m Select the Slip tool in the Tool palette, then drag a sequence clip in the Timeline to the left or right.
II To clear an Out point, do one of the following: m Press Option-O. m Option-click the Mark Out button. m Control-click in the scrubber bar, then choose Clear Out from the shortcut menu. m In the Viewer or Canvas, drag an Out point vertically off the scrubber bar, either up or down. To clear both In and Out points at the same time, do one of the following: m Press Option-X. m Option-click the Mark Clip button. m Control-click in the scrubber bar, then choose Clear In and Out from the shortcut menu.
8 Working With Tracks in the Timeline 8 In the Timeline, you view your clips horizontally (in chronological order) and also vertically (stacked in multiple tracks). You can add, delete, and lock tracks, and you can customize how tracks are displayed. This chapter covers the following: Â Adding and Deleting Tracks (p. 123) Â Specifying Destination Tracks in the Timeline (p. 127) Â Locking Tracks to Prevent Edits or Changes (p. 132) Â Disabling Tracks to Hide Content During Playback (p.
Adding Tracks You can add tracks to a sequence at any time. You can add tracks one at a time, or you can add multiple video and audio tracks at once. To quickly add a track to a sequence, do one of the following: m Drag a clip to the unused area above the top video track or below the bottom audio track. Final Cut Pro adds new tracks to accommodate any audio or video this new clip contains. Drag a clip to the unused area above the top video track.
II To add multiple tracks to a sequence: 1 Choose Sequence > Insert Tracks. 2 In the Insert Tracks dialog, select your options, then click OK. Enter the number of tracks to add. Select the types of tracks you want to add. Specify where you want to add the tracks. Â Track type: Select the appropriate checkbox to add audio and/or video tracks. Â Number of tracks: Enter the desired number of tracks for either video or audio. A sequence can have a total of 99 video tracks and 99 audio tracks.
Deleting Tracks You can delete tracks from a sequence at any time. You can delete tracks one at a time, or you can delete multiple video and audio tracks at once. If you delete tracks that contain linked clip items, only the items on the deleted track are deleted; the linked items remain. For example, if you delete a video track, video clip items on that track are deleted, but the linked audio clip items remain in their tracks. Note: If you delete the wrong track, you can use the Undo command to restore it.
II Specifying Destination Tracks in the Timeline When you edit a source clip into a sequence, you need to specify the sequence tracks where your source clip items are placed. You use the Source and Destination controls in the Timeline to specify which sequence tracks receive clip items from the source clip. Source and Destination controls are most often used when you perform three-point edits, but they can also affect some aspects of drag-to-Timeline editing.
Setting Destination Tracks To control which sequence track a source clip item is placed in, you connect the Source control to the corresponding Destination control. There are several different ways to do this. Important: While editing, make sure that Source controls are connected to the Destination controls for the correct tracks. If you don’t, individual video or audio items in your source clip will end up in the wrong tracks in the Timeline. V1, A1, and A2 are selected as destination tracks.
II Changing Source and Destination Control Connections You can change source and destination track assignments in the Timeline in several ways. To change Source and Destination control connections, do one of the following: m Click a Destination control. The first Source control above that track moves to that track. m Option-click a Destination control. The first Source control beneath that track moves to that track. m Drag one Source control on top of another to switch their connections.
Disconnected Source controls remain disconnected even when you open a new clip in the Viewer. This is true even if the clip has a different number of video and audio clip items than the previously opened clip. To disconnect Source and Destination controls in the Timeline, do one of the following: m Click the Source or Destination control to break the track assignment.
II Resetting Destination Tracks to the Default State You can reset Source or Destination controls to their default state at any time. All available Source controls are reconnected to the accompanying Destination controls. For example, the a1 Source control is reconnected to the A1 Destination control, the a2 Source control is reconnected to the A2 Destination control, and so on.
Locking Tracks to Prevent Edits or Changes If you want to set one or more tracks as temporarily “off limits” to edits or changes, you can lock them using the Lock Track control in each track’s header. While a locked track can be specified as a destination track, no media will be edited into a locked track. Locked tracks appear cross-hatched in the Timeline. To lock a single track: m Click the Lock Track control to the left of the track.
II When Working With Clips on Locked Tracks Clip items on locked tracks cannot be moved, edited, deleted, or modified in any way. However, they can still be selected, along with any linked items in other tracks. The Editing tab of the User Preferences window has an option called “Pen tools can edit locked item overlays” (to view this window, choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences).
To disable a track: m Click the Track Visibility control of the track you want to disable. Note: If your sequence has clip items that have been rendered, a dialog appears saying that the render files will be deleted. If you don’t need the render files, click Continue. For more information about rendering, see Volume III, Chapter 24, “Rendering.” The disabled track is dimmed and will not appear (or be heard) when the sequence is played back. Click the Track Visibility control to disable a track.
II Resizing Timeline Tracks You can change the size of tracks in the Timeline, either by dragging a track’s boundary in the Timeline patch panel, or by using the Track Height control. Resizing Tracks by Dragging You can resize individual tracks directly in the Timeline. To resize a single track in the Timeline: m If it’s a video track: Drag the upper boundary of the track in the Timeline patch panel. m If it’s an audio track: Drag the lower boundary of the track in the Timeline patch panel.
Resizing All Tracks Using the Track Height Control When you use the Track Height control to resize tracks, you resize all tracks together. By default, the Track Height control sets all tracks in the Timeline to the same size. To resize all tracks using the Track Height control, do one of the following: m Click the icon in the Track Height control that corresponds to the track size you want to use. The selected track height is highlighted blue.
II Saving Track Layouts Once you’ve created a custom track layout for your sequence, you can save it for future use. Saved custom track layouts appear in the Track Layout pop-up menu, and can be applied to any sequence that’s open in the Timeline. Up to 40 custom track layouts can appear in the menu at once. To save a custom track layout: 1 Arrange the track heights of your sequence as you want them.
To create a static region for video and audio tracks: 1 Drag the upper thumb tab in the vertical scroll bar up to create a static area for as many video tracks as you want to keep in the middle. 2 Drag the lower thumb tab in the vertical scroll bar down to create a static area for as many audio tracks as you want to keep in the middle. Drag the upper thumb tab up to include video tracks in the static area. Slider Static area Drag the lower thumb tab down to include audio tracks in the static area.
II To eliminate tracks from the static region, do one of the following: m To eliminate video tracks from the static region: Drag the upper thumb tab of the static region down so that it overlaps the lower one, then release the mouse button. m To eliminate audio tracks from the static region: Drag the lower thumb tab of the static region up so that it overlaps the upper one, then release the mouse button. To eliminate audio tracks, drag this thumb tab up.
9 Drag-to-Timeline Editing 9 Drag-to-Timeline editing is a quick, intuitive way to move clips from the Browser or Viewer into your sequence. This chapter covers the following: Â Overview of the Drag-to-Timeline Editing Process (p. 141) Â Dragging Clips to the Timeline (p. 142) Â Doing Simple Insert and Overwrite Edits in the Timeline (p. 143) Â Automatically Adding Tracks to Your Sequence While Dragging (p.
In drag-to-Timeline editing, only two steps are involved: Step 1: Set clip In and Out points in the Viewer Here you specify which part of a clip you want to place in your sequence. You do this by opening the clip in the Viewer and setting the In and Out points (where the clip should start and end when placed in a sequence). If you want to place a whole clip or group of clips in the Timeline, you can skip this step.
II To edit multiple clips into a sequence at the same time: 1 Select the group of clips you want to edit into your sequence by dragging a box around them in the Browser. Drag to select the clips you want to edit into your sequence. For more information, see “Preparing a Sequence Order in the Browser” on page 98. 2 Drag the group of clips directly into your sequence in the Timeline. The clips appear in your sequence according to how they’re organized in the Browser.
To drag a clip from the Video tab in the Viewer, click anywhere in the video picture in the Viewer and drag. To drag a clip from the Audio tab in the Viewer, click the drag hand and then drag. Drag hand Note: To drag a multiclip from the Viewer to the Canvas or Timeline, you need to hold down the Option key while you drag in the Viewer. As you drag your clip into the Timeline, a two-up display appears in the Canvas to show you the sequence In and Out points for the edit you’re performing.
II To do an insert edit: m Drag the clip to the upper third of a track in the Timeline. Drag a clip to the upper third of a track to do an insert edit. To do an overwrite edit: m Drag the clip to the lower two-thirds of a track in the Timeline. Drag a clip to the lower two-thirds of a track to do an overwrite edit. Note: If you drag a sequence clip to another location within the sequence, an overwrite edit is performed by default.
Automatically Adding Tracks to Your Sequence While Dragging You can drag a source clip to the unused space above or below the current tracks to create a new track for that clip. If you drag your clip above the tracks already in the Timeline, you’ll create a new video track. If you drag your clips below the tracks in the Timeline, you’ll create a new audio track.
II For example, suppose you have a clip that contains a video clip item and two audio clip items. If you drag that clip to a video track in the Timeline, the video clip item is placed in the video track, even if the Source and Destination controls for the video track are disconnected. Each audio clip item is placed in the corresponding Timeline audio tracks, but only if the Source and Destination controls of those audio tracks are connected. Video Source and Destination controls are disconnected.
10 Three-Point Editing 10 When you’re adding content to a sequence with three-point editing, you only need to set three edit points to tell Final Cut Pro what content should go where in the Timeline. This chapter covers the following: Â Understanding Three-Point Editing (p. 149) Â About Edit Types in the Edit Overlay (p. 152) Â Performing the Different Types of Edits (p. 153) Â Three-Point Editing Examples (p.
Basic three-point editing follows several main steps: Step 1: Set clip In and Out points in the Viewer Specify which part of a source clip you want to place in your sequence. You do this by opening it in the Viewer and setting the In and Out points (where the clip should start and end). If you only set an In point, the Out point will be determined by the sequence In and Out points or the Media End time of the clip.
II Dragging to the Edit Overlay in the Canvas When you drag a clip from the Browser or Viewer to the image area of the Canvas, the Edit Overlay appears. The overlay appears translucently over the image, with seven sections corresponding to seven types of edits you can perform. Drag to a section to perform the corresponding edit. Note: If you don’t drag directly to one of the overlay choices, the default edit is Overwrite, meaning the clip overwrites anything located at its destination in the Timeline.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts With a clip open in the Viewer, you can also use keyboard shortcuts to perform each of the seven types of edits. All of the keyboard shortcuts use the function keys along the top of the keyboard. (If you forget a keyboard shortcut, position your pointer over one of the edit buttons and pause for a moment. A tooltip appears with that button’s function, as well as its keyboard shortcut.
II Â Overwrite: When you edit a clip into your sequence using an overwrite edit, any portions of clips that are already in the destination tracks are replaced by the source clip. Â Overwrite with transition: This is the same as an overwrite edit, except that the default transition is used at the In point of the edit to transition between the previous clip and your source clip.
Performing an Insert Edit An insert edit places the source clip into your sequence so that all items after the insertion point in your sequence are moved forward (or rippled) in the Timeline, to make room for the clip being added. No clips are removed from your sequence. You can perform an insert edit with one or more clips.
II After the edit, all clips on all unlocked tracks (including nondestination tracks) are moved forward in time, from the playhead position to the right, to make room for the clip or clips being inserted. Before an insert edit After an insert edit New clip is inserted. Performing an Insert With Transition Edit The insert with transition edit is a quick way to do an insert edit that includes the default transition between your new source clip and the clip before it in your edited sequence.
∏ Tip: You can also perform an insert with transition edit with multiple clips. If there are no other clips in your sequence at the In point, the first clip will make a default transition from black. Each successive clip will then use the default transition into the next one until all the clips you selected are laid out in a row.
II Performing an Overwrite Edit Since this is the most commonly used edit type, it occupies the biggest overlay area in the Canvas. If you drag a clip into any part of the Canvas to the left of the Edit Overlay, an overwrite edit is performed. With this type of edit, the source clip overwrites any clip items starting at the sequence In point for the duration of the source clip. No clip items are rippled forward, so the duration of your sequence remains the same.
The clip overwrites all items on the destination tracks from the playhead position through the duration of your edit. No items are moved. Before an overwrite edit After an overwrite edit New clip overwrites existing clips. Performing an Overwrite With Transition Edit The overwrite with transition edit is a quick way to do an overwrite edit that includes a transition between your new source clip and the clip before it in your edited sequence.
II ∏ Tip: You can also perform an overwrite with transition edit with multiple clips. Each clip will use the default transition into the next one until all the clips you selected are laid out in a row. To perform an overwrite with transition edit: m Specify the necessary edit points and destination tracks, then do one of the following: Â Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Overwrite with Transition section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Click the Overwrite with Transition button in the Canvas.
Performing a Replace Edit A replace edit is a specialized form of overwrite edit. A replace edit places the frame at the current Viewer playhead position at the Canvas/Timeline playhead location in your sequence.
II Â A replace edit places the source clip into your sequence so that the frame at the position of the playhead in the Viewer is located at the Canvas/Timeline playhead position. Therefore, it’s important that you have enough media in your source clip to the left and right of the playhead in the Viewer to accommodate the space you’ll be filling in the Timeline. If you don’t, you’ll see an “Insufficient content for edit” message.
4 Do one of the following: Â Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Replace section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Click the Replace button in the Canvas. Â Press F11. Replace button Replace section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas Important: Make sure that the clip in the Viewer contains enough media on either side of the playhead to fill the duration of the clip you want to replace in the Timeline. If it’s not, you’ll see an “Insufficient content for edit” message.
II To use a replace edit to resync a video clip to an audio clip in another track: 1 In the Timeline, choose Mark > Clear In and Out (or press Option-X) to delete any sequence In and Out points. 2 In the Timeline, find the audio cue you want to sync your video clip to, and position the playhead there. 3 Make sure that the Source and Destination controls in the Timeline are set to the tracks containing your video clip, and not your audio clip. The video track should be the only destination track set.
4 Without moving the Timeline playhead, press the F key to perform a match frame operation. This opens the master clip that the video clip in your sequence came from in the Viewer, placing the playhead in the Viewer over the same frame that was under the playhead in the Timeline. For more information on match frame editing, see “Matching Frames Between Sequence and Master Clips” on page 430.
II Important: Make sure that the clip in the Viewer contains enough media on either side of the playhead to fill the duration of the clip you want to replace in the Timeline. If it’s not, you’ll see an “Insufficient content for edit” message. If you set In and Out points in a sequence, a replace edit can overwrite more than one clip at a time. A replace edit still works the same way: the Timeline and Viewer playheads are used as the matching points for the edit.
5 Do one of the following: Â Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Replace section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Click the Replace button in the Canvas. Â Press F11. The selected area in the sequence is replaced by the source clip. Final Cut Pro automatically calculates the clip duration. Before a replace edit After a replace edit New clip replaces the selected area of the sequence. Superimposing Clips In some cases, you may want to place one clip directly above another clip in a different track.
II If you perform several superimpose edits in the same location, each new source clip is edited into the video track directly above the current destination track, and all other previously superimposed video clips are moved up one track to make room. If your superimposed clip contains audio, the source audio is placed on new audio tracks immediately below any occupied audio destination tracks already in your sequence.
The clip in the Viewer is placed in the track above the destination track, starting at the beginning of the clip that intersects the Timeline playhead, or at the sequence In point. If there is no track above the destination track, one is created.
II Three-Point Editing Examples There are a few key things to keep in mind when you are doing three-point editing: Edit points set Results  Clip In and Out points  Sequence In point The In point of the source clip is placed at the sequence In point, and the duration of the edit is determined by the clip In and Out points.
3 In the Canvas or Timeline, move the playhead to the location in your sequence where you want the clip to start (the sequence In point). Move the playhead to the location in the sequence where you want the clip to start. 4 Now, if you do an overwrite edit, you’ll see that the duration of your clip, defined by the In and Out points in the Viewer, has been edited into the sequence. The new clip starts where the playhead was.
II Example: Editing a Clip Into a Gap in Your Sequence You can also do the reverse of the previous editing example. Suppose you have a gap in your edited sequence and you want to fill it with a new clip. You know where you want the source clip to start, and you don’t particularly care where it ends. You can specify an In point in the Viewer, and specify In and Out points in the Timeline to coincide with the gap: 1 Double-click a clip to open it in the Viewer. (This is your source clip.
5 If you do an overwrite edit, you’ll see that your clip, defined by the In and Out points in your sequence, has been edited into the sequence. The new clip fills the gap. Example: Backtiming a Clip Into Your Sequence Instead of editing a clip into your sequence using clip In and Out points in the Viewer and a sequence In point in the Canvas or Timeline, you can edit clips using only an Out point in the Canvas or Timeline. This is called backtiming a clip.
II 3 In the Timeline, move the playhead to the point in your edited sequence where you want your clip to end, and set an Out point. Set an edit point at the location where you want the clip to end. 4 If you do an overwrite edit, you’ll see that your clip has been edited into the sequence so that the Out point of your clip lines up with the Out point you specified in the Timeline.
Example: Editing a Clip With No Specified In or Out Points Into Your Sequence If you don’t specify In or Out points for a clip in the Viewer prior to editing, Final Cut Pro edits in the entire clip, either to the position of the playhead or to an edit point specified in the Canvas or Timeline: 1 Double-click a clip to open it in the Viewer, but don’t set In or Out points. No In or Out points are set.
11 Finding and Selecting Content in the Timeline 11 When you want to arrange, copy, delete, or otherwise manipulate items in a sequence, the first thing you need to do is select them. This chapter covers the following: Â Understanding What’s Currently Selected (p. 175) Â Direct Methods for Selecting Content in a Sequence (p. 177) Â Finding and Selecting Based on Search Criteria (p. 188) Â Selecting a Vertical Range Between In and Out Points (p.
Identifying Selections in the Timeline When you click a clip in the Timeline, it’s highlighted to indicate it’s selected. The selected clip is highlighted. Even if there are no clips highlighted, Final Cut Pro usually considers something in the Timeline to be selected. This occurs in two situations: Â If no clips are highlighted and there are no In or Out points set, clips under the current position of the playhead are considered selected for many commands.
II How Selections Are Prioritized in the Timeline With the exception of editing clips into a sequence, operations in the Timeline are prioritized in the following way: Â If clips are selected, any operations you perform affect those clips. Â If no clips are selected, content between In and Out points on tracks with Auto Select enabled is considered selected. Â If no In and Out points are set, the clips under the playhead on tracks with Auto Select enabled are considered selected for many commands.
The following cannot be selected in the Timeline: Â Filter and motion bars and their keyframes: You can double-click a bar directly in the Timeline to view filter or motion details in the Viewer. Even though you can’t select the keyframes, you can move them by dragging them. Â Tracks: Tracks themselves can’t be selected, although the contents of tracks can be selected using the track selection tools. An Introduction to the Selection Tools Several tools in the Tool palette can be used to select items.
II These are the selection tools, in order of appearance:  Selection: Selects individual items, such as a clip, transition, edit point, or keyframe, or multiple items if they’re linked. The functions of this tool can be modified in a variety of ways using keyboard shortcuts. This is the default tool. Selection  Edit Selection: Selects an edit point between clips. You can select edits on as many tracks as you want, but you can only select one edit per track.
 Select Track Forward: Selects all the items in a track after the selection point you click. Selected items are ready for any group operation, such as moving or deleting. Items linked to selected items in this track are selected also.  Select Track Backward: Selects all the contents of the track before the selection point.  Select Track: Selects the entire contents of a single track, as well as any items linked to those items.
II Selecting an Individual Clip This is the simplest kind of selection you can make in the Timeline. To select an individual clip: 1 Do one of the following: Â Click the Selection tool in the Tool palette. Â Press A. 2 In the Timeline, click anywhere in a clip. If the Canvas is set to display overlays, a cyan blue border appears around the video image to indicate that the clip beneath the playhead is selected.
2 Drag a box around all of the desired clips to select them. Any clip you touch will be included, even if you don’t drag across the entire clip. Drag to select the desired clips. Selecting Multiple Clips The Shift and Command keys allow you to select multiple clip items in the Timeline, either contiguous or noncontiguous. To select multiple noncontiguous clip items: m Hold down the Command key while selecting the desired clip items using either the Selection tool or the Group Selection tool.
II To select multiple contiguous clip items with the Selection tool: m Select a clip item, then hold down the Shift key and select another clip item farther down on the Timeline. All of the clip items between the two are selected. Â If you select two clip items on the same track, only the items on that track (and items linked to items on that track) are selected. Â If you select a clip item on one track and another clip item on a different track, all clip items between those two tracks are selected as well.
Selecting a Range of Timeline Content When you want to copy, cut, or move an area of content that is not specified by clip boundaries, you can either select the area with the Range Selection tool, or use In and Out points to make a vertical selection across tracks. For more information about using In and Out points to select a range of content, see “Using Auto Select to Specify Tracks for Selections” on page 191.
II Selecting All Clip Items on a Track Sometimes you may find that you want to select all of the clip items on a track in order to drag them to close a gap or to create space to accommodate new clip items in your sequence. After selecting a track’s contents, you can perform different operations on all the track’s items at once, such as moving, copying, or deleting them. The track selection tools provide many additional ways of selecting some or all of the content of one or more tracks in your sequence.
To select all clip items after a specified item on a single track: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select the Select Track Forward tool in the Tool palette. Â Press the T key once, so the Select Track Forward tool is selected in the Tool palette. 2 Click a clip item in the Timeline. The item you click and all items after it are selected. To select all clip items before a specified item on a single track: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select the Select Track Backward tool in the Tool palette.
II 2 Click the first clip item on any track that you want to include in the selection. All clip items in all tracks from the point you click onward (either forward or backward) are selected, as well as any items linked to those items. You can select entire clip items only; you can’t select a portion of a clip item. If you click here, all clip items on all tracks to the right are selected. If you click here, all clip items on all tracks to the left are selected.
Selecting or Deselecting All Clips in a Sequence To move or delete all clip items, you can select them all at once. To make sure no clip items are selected anywhere in the Timeline, you can deselect all of them. To select every clip item in the Timeline: 1 Click in the Timeline to make it active (or press Command-3). 2 Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A). To deselect every clip item in the Timeline: 1 Click in the Timeline to make it active (or press Command-3).
II 4 Enter the text or timecode number you want to search for. Enter the desired text here. Choose additional search options. 5 Choose the type of item to search for from the Search pop-up menu. Â Names/Markers: Search for the text in clip names, marker names, and marker comments. Â Timecode: Search for any source or auxiliary timecode in a clip. 6 Choose which tracks to search from the Where pop-up menu. Â All Tracks: Search all tracks in the sequence.
Selecting a Vertical Range Between In and Out Points When you want to copy, move, or cut a selection of content that ranges vertically across multiple tracks, a quick method is to select it by setting In and Out points. To select clip items between sequence In and Out points: 1 Set In and Out points in either the Canvas or the Timeline. 2 In the Timeline, enable the Auto Select controls for tracks that contain clip items you want to select.
II Using Auto Select to Specify Tracks for Selections Auto Select controls determine which tracks are affected by an operation. When sequence In and Out points are defined, operations such as the Copy and Lift commands are limited to the regions of Auto Select–enabled tracks between the Timeline In and Out points. You can intentionally disable Auto Select controls for tracks that you don’t want to operate on.
If you press the Delete key, only the items on track V1 are deleted. After deleting; only the selected region is deleted. To enable or disable Auto Select on a track: m Click the Auto Select control for the track.
II To enable Auto Select on one track while simultaneously disabling Auto Select on all other tracks: m Option-click the Auto Select control on the track you want single out for Auto Select. (If Auto Select is off for all tracks, you need to Option-click the control twice.) If you Option-click the Auto Select control on a video track, Auto Select is disabled on all other video tracks in the sequence.
12 Arranging Clips in the Timeline 12 After initial content has been added to the Timeline, the next part of the rough editing phase is assembling clips into the order in which you want them to appear. This chapter covers the following: Â Snapping to Points in the Timeline (p. 195) Â Moving Items Within the Timeline (p. 196) Â Copying and Pasting Clips in the Timeline (p. 202) Â Deleting Clips From a Sequence (p. 206) Â Finding and Closing Gaps (p. 209) Â Color-Coding Clips in the Timeline (p.
Several elements trigger snapping in the Timeline:  Clip boundaries  The playhead  Markers  Keyframes  In and Out points When you drag the playhead or a selected clip item in the Timeline, it “snaps” to these elements when it encounters them. A small pair of arrows appears above or below the edit, marker, or keyframe to indicate that the playhead has snapped to this item.
II Moving by Dragging When dragging a clip to a new location, you can do either an overwrite or insert edit, depending on your use of a keyboard modifier. To move a clip to a new position by dragging (and do an overwrite edit): 1 In the Timeline, drag the clip to the desired location. (The pointer looks like a down arrow.) 2 Release the mouse button. The arrow pointing down indicates that an overwrite edit will be performed.
To move a clip to another track while keeping its horizontal position in a sequence the same: 1 In the Timeline, select the clip you want to move. 2 Press the Shift key while dragging it vertically to the new track. The clip will be at the same timecode location, but on another track. Moving Clips Numerically When you want to move clip items precisely, you can move them by entering positive or negative timecode values.
II 3 Press Return. The clip moves to the new location if there aren’t any other clip items in the way. If there are, you’ll see a “Clip Collision” message indicating which track had a clip that interfered with your edit. Clip Collision message For more information about editing numerically using timecode, see Chapter 18, “Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Edits,” on page 321 and Chapter 20, “Trimming Clips Using the Trim Edit Window,” on page 361.
Performing Shuffle Edits A shuffle edit (sometimes referred to as a swap edit) allows you to move a clip item to a different position in a track without leaving a gap. When you perform a shuffle edit, you insert a clip item from one position in your sequence to another, and all clip items before or after the clip insertion point are rippled so that the gap left by the moved clip is filled.
II 3 While continuing to hold down the mouse button, press the Option key. The pointer turns into the Shuffle Edit pointer. The direction of the small arrow in the Shuffle Edit pointer indicates which direction clip items will be rippled around the insertion point of the moved item. Â If the small arrow points right, all clip items to the right of the insertion point are rippled to the right, filling the gap where the moved clip item was previously located.
Copying and Pasting Clips in the Timeline You can use the Copy, Cut, and Paste commands (or their keyboard equivalents) to arrange clips in a sequence. You can also copy clips by Option-dragging. Copying Clips by Option-Dragging Copying by Option-dragging provides a fast, visual way to duplicate a clip in a new location. There is no need to position the playhead. To copy a clip into another location in the Timeline by dragging: 1 In the Timeline, select a clip item.
II Copying, Cutting, and Pasting Clips in the Timeline When you copy and paste clip items from tracks in the Timeline, Final Cut Pro pastes those clip items into the same tracks they were copied from unless you specify different tracks with Auto Select controls. If no Auto Select controls are selected between the time you copy and paste the clip items, the items are placed on the same tracks from which they were copied.
To copy (or cut) and paste clip items from one Timeline track to another: 1 Select one or more clip items in the Timeline. 2 Do one of the following, depending on what you want: Â Copy the clip items by pressing Command-C. Â Cut the clip items by pressing Command-X. 3 Option-click the Auto Select control for the track you want to paste clip items into. (If no Auto Select Controls are enabled, Option-click twice.) 4 Position the playhead where you want the paste to occur.
II Example: Copying and Pasting Audio and Video Clip Items to Different Tracks in the Timeline To copy and paste clip items from tracks V3, A5, and A6 to tracks V2, A2, and A3, you would do the following: 1 Select the clip items on V3, A5, and A6. 2 Copy the clip items by pressing Command-C. 3 Position the playhead where you want to paste the items. 4 Option-click the track V2 Auto Select control. The video clip item will now be pasted into track V2.
Deleting Clips From a Sequence As you edit, you can delete items from your sequence at any time, provided that the track you want to remove them from is not locked. There are two ways to delete items from a sequence: Â Lift edit: Leaves a gap in the sequence. Â Ripple edit: Closes the gap from the deletion by moving all subsequent clips to the left. Important: Removing clips from a sequence does not delete the original master clips from the Browser, nor does it delete source media files from your hard disk.
II 3 Do one of the following: Â Choose Sequence > Lift. Â Choose Edit > Cut (or press Command-X) to cut the material, if you want to paste it somewhere else. Â Press Delete. Selected clip items After a lift edit, a gap is left in the sequence. Deleting With a Ripple Edit (Leaving No Gap) Deleting with a ripple edit (also called a ripple delete) removes selected items from the sequence and closes the resulting gap by moving all subsequent items on unlocked tracks to the left.
To delete a clip item and close the gap left behind: 1 Select the item or range of items you want to remove. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Sequence > Ripple Delete. Â Control-click the selected clip item or items, then choose Ripple Delete from the shortcut menu. Â Press Shift-Delete. Â Press Shift-X to cut the material, if you want to paste it somewhere else. Selected clip items After the ripple delete, the clip items are removed, with no gap remaining.
II Finding and Closing Gaps As you edit, cut, paste, and move items around in Final Cut Pro, empty spaces (called gaps) may be left between clips in your sequence. Sometimes they are extremely small (one or two frames), which makes them difficult to see in the Timeline. When a sequence with gaps plays back in the Canvas, however, even tiny gaps are apparent as flashes of black, so you don’t want to unintentionally leave them in the sequence.
To close a gap, do one of the following: m Position the playhead anywhere within the gap, then choose Sequence > Close Gap (or press Control-G). m Control-click anywhere within a gap, then choose Close Gap from the shortcut menu. m Select the gap by clicking it, then press Delete. All clips to the right of the gap move left to close the gap. Because this command shifts all clips to the right of the gap to the left, the command is not available if a clip on another track overlaps this gap.
II To determine the duration of a track gap in the Timeline: 1 Option-click the Auto Select control for the track with the gap. 2 Position the playhead in the gap. 3 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Mark Clip. Â Click the Mark Clip button in the Canvas. Â Press X. In and Out points set based on track gap on V1. Auto Select control enabled The track gap’s duration appears in the Timecode Duration field in the Canvas.
Color-Coding Clips in the Timeline If you use labels to identify and sort your clips in the Browser, the clips’ names will be highlighted in the color that matches each label. Using keyboard shortcuts, you can change the labels of clips directly in the Timeline. Important: Changes made to the label of any clip are also applied to all affiliated clips in the Browser and in other sequences.
13 Cutting Clips and Adjusting Durations 13 Once you’ve assembled clips in your sequence, you can easily cut them and adjust their durations. This chapter covers the following: Â Performing Basic Cut Edits (p. 213) Â Changing the Duration of Clips in the Timeline (p. 217) Â Opening Sequence Clips in the Viewer to Change Durations (p. 218) Performing Basic Cut Edits The most basic edit is a straight cut, like the ones performed with a razor blade on a piece of film.
 Razor Blade: Adds an edit point to a sequence clip by cutting a single clip item, along with any clip items linked to it in the Timeline, into two pieces. This edit point is added at the frame of the clip item in the Timeline that you click.
II Â Razor Blade All: Cuts all clip items on all tracks at the point where you click in the Timeline. Before After The Razor Blade All tool lets you cut clips across all tracks.
Using the Add Edit Command to Cut Clips The Add Edit command in the Sequence menu (Control-V) is similar to the Razor Blade All tool, cutting all clip items in the Timeline at the current position of the playhead. However, only clip items on tracks with Auto Select enabled are cut. It can be very handy to use the keyboard shortcut for the Add Edit command during playback of your sequence, so that you can make cuts as the playhead moves along the Timeline.
II Changing the Duration of Clips in the Timeline Clips are represented in the Timeline as horizontal bars within tracks. The length of the bar represents the clip item’s duration. The beginning and end of the bar represent the clip’s In and Out points. You can drag the beginning or end of the clip to change the clip’s duration, right in the Timeline.
Opening Sequence Clips in the Viewer to Change Durations You can open a sequence clip in the Viewer to adjust its duration. Any changes you make to that clip in the Viewer modify the clip in the edited sequence. How these changes occur also depends on the editing tool that’s selected. To open a sequence clip in the Viewer from the Timeline for further editing, do one of the following: m Double-click the sequence clip in the Timeline. m Select the sequence clip, then choose View > Clip (or press Return).
14 Linking and Editing Video and Audio in Sync 14 Final Cut Pro allows you to adjust the synchronization relationship between video and audio items in a clip. Linked clip items can be temporarily or permanently unlinked, resynchronized, and relinked. This chapter covers the following: Â Linked Sync Relationships Between Video and Audio Clips (p. 219) Â Linking and Unlinking Video and Audio Clip Items in the Timeline (p. 224) Â Selecting Individual Clip Items While They Are Linked (p.
When video and audio clip items are linked in the Timeline: Â The names of the linked clip items are underlined to indicate that they’re linked. The underlined clip name indicates the link between audio and video items. Â As long as linked selection is on in the Timeline (the Linked Selection button in the upper-right corner is green), clicking one clip item selects it and all the items linked to it. Click the Linked Selection button to turn linked selection on and off.
II Even when clip items are unlinked, Final Cut Pro keeps track of the relationship between clip items that come from the same media file. This means that you can move those items out of sync at any time, without worrying that you won’t be able to resynchronize them later if you change your mind. Since merged clips contain clip items that do not come from the same media file, out-of-sync indicators are not shown when you unlink and move merged clip items.
This also works with multiple instances of clips from the same media file on disk. For example, suppose you have three items in your sequence, all from different parts of the same media file. If you move the audio item to the left, so that it overlaps the first video item, out-ofsync indicators appear. The same happens if you move the audio item to the right.
II Understanding Sync Relationships Between Multiple Linked Audio Items Up to 24 audio items can be linked to a single video item in the Timeline. As a result, some complex sync relationships may result if you slip more than one of a clip’s audio items (for information on slip edits, see “Slipping Clips in the Timeline” on page 325). These are easily managed using the same out-of-sync indicators described earlier.
If you then move a second pair of audio items out of sync by a different amount, each audio item that is out of sync from the anchor item has an out-of-sync indicator noting its individual offset from the anchor item—in this example, the video item. The anchor item displays a mixed-sync indicator with no duration. This tells you that multiple linked items are out of sync by varying amounts.
II To link unrelated clip items in the Timeline: 1 Arrange audio and video clip items in their respective tracks so that they line up the way you want them to. Video and audio clip items are not linked together. 2 Select up to one video clip item and up to 24 audio items on different tracks in the Timeline. Select video and audio clip item that you want to link.
3 Choose Modify > Link (or press Command-L). Note: When you open linked items in the Viewer, each linked mono audio clip item or stereo pair of clip items appears in an Audio tab in the Viewer. Names of linked clip items are underlined in the Timeline. ∏ Tip: Dragging linked clip items from the Timeline into the Browser creates a single merged clip containing those items. This makes managing your media and keeping it in sync much easier, especially if you want to use it in other sequences.
II Selecting Individual Clip Items While They Are Linked Even when clip items are linked together, you may want to perform an action on only a video or audio clip item. For example, you may want to copy just the audio, or delete just the video. The Linked Selection option tells Final Cut Pro whether linked items are selected together, or if clip items can be individually selected even when they are linked to other items. The Linked Selection button is gray, indicating linked selection is turned off.
Getting Clip Items Back in Sync There are three ways to get clip items with out-of-sync indicators back into sync: Â Move the clip item back into sync with the Move into Sync command in the out-of-sync indicator shortcut menu. This moves the clip item’s position in the Timeline, if possible. Â Slip the clip item back into sync with the Slip into Sync command in the out-of-sync indicator shortcut menu.
II If the item is an anchor item (either the sole video item among linked items, or the topmost audio item if there is no video item), it moves into sync with the topmost outof-sync audio item in the group, starting on track A1 and going down. Otherwise, the selected item moves into sync with the anchor item to which it’s linked. Before syncing Control-click the out-of-sync indicator and choose Move into Sync.
To slip an out-of-sync clip item into sync using the out-of-sync indicator shortcut menu: m In the Timeline, Control-click the out-of-sync indicator on a clip item, then choose Slip into Sync from the shortcut menu. If the item is an anchor item, it slips into sync with the topmost out-of-sync audio item in the group, starting on track A1 and going down. Otherwise, the selected item slips into sync with the anchor item to which it’s linked.
II Moving or Slipping All Clip Items Into Sync at Once In cases where multiple audio items are out of sync by varying amounts from an anchor video or audio item, you have an additional option available to manage the sync relationships of all linked items at once.
To slip all out-of-sync clip items into sync with the anchor item: 1 In the Timeline, Control-click the out-of-sync indicator on the anchor clip item—either the sole video item in a group of linked items, or the topmost audio item if there is no video item among the linked items. Before syncing 2 Choose Slip Others into Sync from the shortcut menu.
II Establishing a Different Sync Relationship Between Linked Clip Items There are many reasons you might deliberately edit the video and audio items of a clip to be out of sync with one another:  Aligning the visuals of an actor reacting to a voice  Reediting an actor’s audio from one take to match the visuals of a different take  Changing the sync of ambient sound behind an image without critical audiovisual sync points (such as dialogue)  Performing sophisticated audio edits to sweeten an actor’s dial
2 Choose Modify > Mark in Sync. The items are now marked as in sync, although their positions in the Timeline haven’t changed. The out-of-sync indicators disappear. If you select just the audio and move it out of sync, out-of-sync indicators appear. The out-of-sync indicators show the new offset, not the original offset. The Mark in Sync command permanently affects the sync relationship of the selected clip items in your sequence.
II Learning About Linking Behavior in Audio Channel Pairs In addition to linking video or audio clip items together, you can also link pairs of audio items together in stereo pairs. Stereo linking is a specific kind of audio item linking, limited to two audio clip items that overlap in the Timeline. Stereo pairs allow you to control audio levels, pan settings, and effects for two audio items at once. Any modifications made to one item in the pair affect the other item.
Synchronizing Dual System Recorded Video and Audio If you are working with captured audio and video from different sources (dual system recording), you’ll probably want to link the audio and video clips by merging them into single clips in the Browser after syncing them. This way you can easily work with them as single clips in the Timeline or the Browser, as if you had captured each one as a single clip and media file.
15 Split Edits 15 When video and audio are cut at the same time, the edit is usually more noticeable. Split edits help to “soften” edits by creating continuous audio beneath video edit points. This chapter includes: Â Learning About Split Edits (p. 237) Â How Split Edits Look in the Viewer and Canvas (p. 238) Â Setting Up Split Edit Points in the Viewer (p. 239) Â Setting Up a Split Edit While Playing a Clip (p. 240) Â Modifying and Clearing Split Edits (p. 241) Â Split Edit Examples (p.
The resulting edit would look something like this: Video edit point Video track Audio tracks Audio edit point Split edits can be used in many different situations—in dialogue scenes, like the one described above, when cutting to illustrative B-roll footage during an interview, or when transitioning from one scene to another. How Split Edits Look in the Viewer and Canvas The scrubber bar in both the Viewer and the Canvas is divided in half by a light gray line.
II As with other types of edits, the Viewer scrubber bar shows edit points in your clip, while the Canvas scrubber bar shows edit points in your sequence. The light area between each set of edit points in the Viewer indicates which parts of the audio and video clip items in your source clip will be cut into your sequence. The light area between each set of edit points in the Canvas indicates where the audio and video clip items will appear in your sequence.
The resulting combination of video and audio edit points in your scrubber bar should look something like this: Once you’ve set your split edit points, you can perform your edit by using an overwrite edit or dragging directly into the Timeline. Setting Up a Split Edit While Playing a Clip You can mix and match simple edit points with split edit points, depending on what kind of edit you want to do.
II Modifying and Clearing Split Edits If you’ve set up a split edit, but you want to adjust or remove any of the edit points, you have a number of options. To move either the In or the Out points of a split edit at the same time: m Drag either the video or audio In or Out points to a new position. By default, the video or audio edit points move together. To move either an audio or video split edit point individually: m Option-drag just the split edit point you want to move.
The positions of the different edit points you’ve selected don’t change relative to one another, but the selected area of your clip or sequence does. As it changes, you’ll see the first selected frame of video updated in the Viewer, and the last frame of video updated in the Canvas. The Viewer displays the updated frame of the In point with the new timecode value. The Canvas displays the frame of the new Out point.
II Split Edit Examples The result of your split edit depends on the edit points you set. This section provides several examples of the combination of simple edit points and split edit points you might set up, along with their results.
4 Drag the clip in the Viewer to the Overwrite section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. The resulting edit looks like this: The audio precedes the video and begins at the sequence In point.
II 4 Drag the clip in the Viewer to the Overwrite section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. The resulting edit looks like this: Video begins at the In point you set. Audio precedes the video. Example: Simple Edit in the Viewer and a Split Edit in the Canvas If you set simple edit points in the Viewer and a split edit in the Canvas or Timeline, Final Cut Pro lines up the In point of the clip in the Viewer with the corresponding split audio or split video In point that you set in the Canvas or Timeline.
4 Drag the clip in the Viewer to the Overwrite section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. The resulting edit looks like this: Video begins at the split video In point. Audio precedes the video, and begins at the split audio In point.
16 Working With Multiclips 16 The multiclip features in Final Cut Pro allow you to group multiple camera angle clips together and switch or cut between them in real time. This chapter covers the following: Â About Multiclips (p. 247) Â Multiclip Workflow (p. 249) Â Creating Multiclips and Multiclip Sequences (p. 250) Â Working With Multiclip Angles in the Viewer (p. 267) Â Editing With Multiclips in Real Time (p. 273) Â Media Management and Project Interchange (p.
You can also group unrelated footage together for real-time montage editing (such as for music videos). For example, if you are editing a music video, you could add several angles of abstract visuals and cut to those angles on specific beats of the music. Working with multiclips in Final Cut Pro is a flexible and fluid process. While the active angle plays in the Canvas, you can also view all angles playing simultaneously in the Viewer.
II Multiclip Workflow The following steps describe the basic multiclip workflow in Final Cut Pro: Step 1: Shoot an event with multiple cameras A multicamera shoot uses multiple cameras to record the same subject or event from different angles and distances. The recorded tapes are known as iso reels (short for isolated reels) because each camera angle is recorded separately.
Step 4: Edit multiclips into a sequence Once you edit a multiclip into a sequence, you can enable the Multiclip Playback option to watch all angles simultaneously in the Viewer while switching or cutting to different angles in real time in the Canvas. The Multiclip Playback option allows you to cut an entire show as if it were live, and then fine-tune your edits in the Timeline just as you would for any other program. You can cut and switch between video and audio at the same time or independently.
II Preparing Clips to Be Used as Multiclip Angles Before you create multiclips, you must assign an angle number to each clip, or name the clips so that Final Cut Pro can derive angle numbers automatically. Final Cut Pro looks for angle numbers in several places, in the following order: Â Angle property of the clip: This may be a number or a letter. Final Cut Pro interprets letters A–E as angle numbers 1–5, respectively.
Deriving Clip Angle Numbers From Reel Names and Filenames When you create a multiclip, Final Cut Pro sorts the clips you selected by the values in their Angle properties. If a clip’s Angle property is empty, Final Cut Pro looks at the clip name, reel name, and finally the media filename to derive angle information. Final Cut Pro assumes the first number in the reel name or filename is an angle number.
II Creating Individual Multiclips The Make Multiclip command allows you to make one multiclip at a time, grouping several clips together that are synchronized by In point, Out point, or timecode number. About the Make Multiclip Dialog The following options are available in the Make Multiclip dialog: Choose a clip synchronization option. This column shows the relative alignment of each angle in the multiclip. This column displays the starting timecode number of each clip.
Synchronizing Angles in a Multiclip When you create multiclips using the Make Multiclip command, you can choose to synchronize the clips by In points, Out points, or matching timecode numbers. In point Out point Timecode 01:00:00:00 01:00:00:00 01:00:00:00 01:00:00:00 Â In points: This option aligns all clips so the In point of each clip is synchronized. If you use this method, you first need to visually identify a common sync point (such as a clapboard closing) in each clip by setting an In point.
II Â Timecode: This option aligns all clips by the first timecode number in common. Normally, you use this option with multicamera footage recorded with cameras or decks that received the exact same timecode signal. This method works even if each clip has a different duration, as long as each clip has an overlapping timecode number. For example, one clip may end at 01:00:00:00, and a second clip may begin at 01:00:00:00, so the angles only overlap by a single frame.
Creating a Multiclip Once you have clips prepared, you can group them together into a multiclip. To create a multiclip: 1 Assign angle numbers to each clip you want to include in your multiclip. For more information, see “Deriving Clip Angle Numbers From Reel Names and Filenames” on page 252. 2 If you want to align your clips by In or Out points, open each clip in the Viewer and set the appropriate In point or Out point. 3 In the Browser, select the clips you want to include in your multiclip.
II Creating Multiclip Sequences The Make Multiclip Sequence command allows you to create multiple multiclips at the same time. When you capture a lot of media files from a multicamera shoot, it can be time-consuming to create multiclips one at a time using the Make Multiclip command. When you need to make a lot of multiclips at the same time, you can use the Make Multiclip Sequence command to create multiclips based on the starting timecode numbers of your clips. Consider the following example.
About the Make Multiclip Sequence Dialog The Make Multiclip Sequence dialog works similarly to the Make Multiclip dialog, but there are some important differences. The Make Multiclip Sequence command always groups clips together into multiclips assuming that your footage has matching timecode, so that the same event is recorded on each tape at the exact same timecode number.
II The Make Multiclip Sequence dialog has the following features: Â Multiclip grouping area: Your selected clips are displayed as one or more multiclips, sorted and grouped based on the timecode of each clip. By default, if the starting timecode numbers of two or more clips are the same, they are grouped together into a multiclip. If a clip has a unique starting timecode number, it is grouped as its own multiclip. Note: You can adjust the timecode synchronization offset to group multiclips differently.
In this case, if you set the minimum overlap value to 66% (or any value lower than this), clip B is grouped together with clip A into a single multiclip. This is because 66% of clip B’s timecode numbers overlap clip A’s timecode numbers. Minimum overlap is set to 66%. For more information, see “Multiclip Sequence Examples” on page 262. Â Update button: Click here to update the current multiclip grouping based on the value in the “Starting timecode delta” field.
II 2 Choose Modify > Make Multiclip Sequence. The Make Multiclip Sequence dialog appears. Clips with the same starting timecode numbers are grouped into multiclips, and clips with unique starting timecode numbers are grouped into separate multiclips. Clips with the same starting timecode number are grouped together as a multiclip. Each clip with a unique starting timecode number is placed in a separate multiclip.
6 Select the “Automatically edit new multiclip(s) into a new a sequence” option to create a sequence containing your new multiclips. 7 Click OK. A new sequence is created that contains all of the multiclips in chronological order. The location of the multiclips in the Timeline is based on the starting timecode number of each multiclip. Sequence starting timecode is the same as the starting timecode of the first multiclip.
II Starting Timecode Offset Is 0:00 When the “Starting timecode delta” field is set to 0:00, most of the clips are grouped as individual multiclips. Only the few clips that have the exact same starting timecode numbers are grouped together. To group more of the clips into fewer multiclips overall, a larger timecode offset is needed. Timecode offset is set to 0:00. Starting Timecode Offset Is 5:00 In this example, clips that have starting timecode numbers within a 5-second range are grouped together.
Starting Timecode Offset Is 10:00 In this example, clips that have starting timecode numbers within a 10-second range are grouped together. There are now three multiclips, each containing five angles. Timecode offset is set to 10:00.
II Example: Creating Multiclips Using the Overlapping Timecode and Minimum Overlap Options When you adjust the minimum overlap percentage value, the multiclip grouping is automatically updated. When the starting timecode numbers of each group of angles varies significantly, this method is often faster and more intuitive than the Use Starting Timecode option. Minimum Overlap Is 100% When the minimum overlap is set to 100%, only clips with exactly matching timecode numbers are grouped together.
Minimum Overlap Is 38% In this example, the clips are properly grouped into multiclips when the minimum overlap is set to 38%. Because this value is set quite low, the timecode overlap between clips only needs to be 38% of the duration of the longest clip for the clips to be grouped together into a multiclip. Depending on the timecode of your footage, you’ll need to set a different value to group your clips into multiclips as you intend.
II When you highlight a multiclip to change its name, only the name of the multiclip itself can be changed, since the other parts of the name are added automatically. To change the name of a multiclip: 1 Click a multiclip in the Browser to select it. 2 Click the name of the multiclip. The name of the multiclip is highlighted. 3 Type a new name for the multiclip, then press Return or Enter.
To scroll to view angles that are not currently visible in the Viewer: 1 Move the pointer over any video in the Viewer. An up or down arrow (or both) appears in the Viewer. Click the arrow to view additional angles. If an arrow is green, the active angle is not visible, but you can scroll to it by clicking the arrow. 2 Click an arrow to scroll the angles up or down by one row. The active video angle is highlighted with a blue outline, and the active audio angle is highlighted with a green outline.
II Viewing Multiclip Overlays You can display information about each angle in a multiclip by turning on multiclip overlays in the Viewer. The following information appears when you turn on multiclip overlays:  Angle number  Angle’s clip name  Timecode number for each angle frame currently displayed in the Viewer Note: The current timecode number is always the clip’s source timecode. To turn on multiclip overlays in the Viewer: m Choose Show Multiclip Overlays from the View pop-up menu.
Rearranging and Deleting Multiclip Angles in the Viewer After you create a multiclip, you can rearrange the order of the angles in the Viewer. You can also delete angles you don’t want. You can undo any of these operations. To move an angle to a different position in a multiclip: 1 Double-click a multiclip in the Browser or Timeline to open it in the Viewer. 2 Command-click the angle you want to move and drag it over an existing angle.
II Adding Angles to a Multiclip in the Viewer Once you create a multiclip, you can add new angles or replace existing ones. If you change your mind, you can undo these operations. To insert a new angle into a multiclip: 1 Double-click a multiclip in the Browser or Timeline to open it in the Viewer. 2 Drag a clip from the Browser or Timeline to one of the multiclip angles displayed in the Viewer.
To overwrite an existing multiclip angle with a different clip: 1 Double-click a multiclip in the Browser or Timeline to open it in the Viewer. 2 Drag a clip from the Browser or Timeline to the multiclip angle you want to replace in the Viewer. 3 Continue to hold down the mouse button until the Insert New Angle and Overwrite Angle overlays appear in the Viewer. 4 Move the pointer over the Overwrite Angle overlay, then release the mouse button. Drag a clip to an angle, then choose Overwrite Angle.
II The pointer becomes the Scrub tool. As you drag to the left or right, the video frames jog backward or forward. A box with a positive or negative offset value also appears, showing the number of frames you are adjusting this angle’s starting point relative to the others. 3 Release the mouse button. The angle is now resynchronized relative to the other angles in the multiclip. If you change your mind, you can undo by pressing Command-Z.
You can assign the following multiclip commands to keyboard shortcuts or button bars: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ∏ Switch Video to Angles 1–16 Switch Video to Previous or Next Angle Switch Audio to Angles 1–16 Switch Audio to Previous or Next Angle Cut Video to Angles 1–16 Cut Audio to Angles 1–16 Switch Video with Effects to Angles 1–16 Switch Video with Effects to Previous or Next Angle Switch Audio with Effects to Angles 1–16 Switch Audio with Effects to Previous or Next Angle Tip: For a complete list of mul
II To edit a multiclip from the Viewer to the Timeline or Canvas: 1 Double-click a multiclip in the Browser to open it in the Viewer. 2 Set In and Out points for the multiclip in the Viewer. 3 Hold down the Option key while dragging from the Viewer to the Timeline or the Canvas Edit Overlay.
 Cutting: Like switching, cutting changes the active angle of a multiclip, but an edit is added to the multiclip at the moment you change the active angle. You can see the results of cutting in the Timeline. When you cut from one angle to another, the result is two multiclips in the Timeline: one before the cut point and one after. Before the cut, the active multiclip angle is 1. A cut is added at the point where the active angle changes.
II Switching Angles You can switch the active angle for a multiclip at any time, whether you are organizing multiclips in the Viewer or playing multiclips in the Timeline. Using the Multiclip Playback option, you can even switch angles while your multiclips play in real time. To switch the active angle for a multiclip in the Viewer: 1 Double-click a multiclip in the Browser or Timeline to open it in the Viewer. 2 Do one of the following: Â Click an angle in the Viewer to make it active.
Cutting Between Angles Instead of simply switching the active angle of a multiclip in the Timeline, you can create a cut in a multiclip whenever you change angles. You can even add edits to multiclips during playback, allowing you to do real-time editing. To cut to a multiclip angle using shortcut buttons or keyboard shortcuts: 1 In the Browser, double-click a sequence containing multiclips to open it in the Timeline and Canvas.
II 5 If you want, continue adding cuts by clicking different angles in the Viewer. 6 Press the Space bar to stop playback. When playback stops, the cuts you made are added to the multiclip. Switching and Cutting Video and Audio Items Separately By default, when you switch or cut angles in a multiclip, both video and audio items of a multiclip change together. Final Cut Pro allows you to change the active video and audio items of a multiclip independently.
However, independently switching video or audio angles breaks linking relationships between a multiclip’s clip items in the Timeline. After you perform the switch, only the audio item whose angle you switched remains linked to the video item. After you switch the active angle for audio item 4... These audio items are no longer linked to the video clip item. ...only audio item 4 is changed, and remains linked to the video item.
II To switch only the video of the active multiclip angle in the Viewer: 1 Double-click a multiclip in the Browser or Timeline to open it in the Viewer. 2 Choose View > Multiclip Active Tracks > Video. You can also choose this option from the Playhead Sync pop-up menu in the Viewer. 3 Click an angle to make it active. A blue outline highlights the active video angle.
To set up Final Cut Pro to edit multiclips in real time, choose the following options: Choose a multiclip view from the View pop-up menu. Choose Open from the Playhead Sync pop-up menu. Select the active angle in the Viewer. Enable the Multiclip Playback option in the RT pop-up menu. Â Multiclip Playback option: Enable this option in the Real-Time Effects (RT) pop-up menu in the Timeline so that all multiclip angles play in real time in the Viewer.
II Optimizing Real-Time Performance for Multiclip Playback When the Multiclip Playback option is enabled, Final Cut Pro plays multiple media files from disk at once. To improve playback performance, you can do the following: Â Use the fastest scratch disk available for your system. The speed of your scratch disk and the data rate of your media files limit the number of streams you can play back in real time. Â Reduce real-time playback quality in the Canvas.
Applying Filters, Speed, and Motion Parameters to Multiclips Individual angle’s clips can have filters, motion parameters, and speed adjustments applied. However, effects cannot be applied globally to a multiclip. For example, you can create a multiclip in which each angle’s clip has an individual Color Corrector filter applied, but the multiclip itself cannot have a Color Corrector filter applied.
II To apply a video or audio filter to the active multiclip angle in the Timeline: 1 Drag a video or audio filter from the Effects tab of the Browser to the multiclip in the Timeline. An overlay appears with two options. 2 While continuing to hold down the mouse button, do one of the following: Â To permanently apply the filter to the active angle: Drag the pointer over the Share with Active Angle overlay. This permanently applies the filter to the active angle, even if you switch or cut to another angle.
Collapsing and Expanding a Multiclip Once you have made all of your edits, you can prevent switching of angles by collapsing a multiclip down to its active angle. When you collapse a multiclip, it is replaced by the active angle of the multiclip. This is useful when you want to send a sequence to a color correctionist or effects artist, and you want them to focus only on the angles you chose during editing. Collapsing multiclips also improves performance because less video is streaming from disk.
II To reveal the master clip for the active multiclip angle: 1 Select the multiclip in the Timeline or Browser, or place the Timeline playhead over the multiclip. 2 Choose View > Reveal Master Clip (or press Shift-F). The master clip for the active angle’s clip is selected in the Browser. If this master clip happens to be within a multiclip, the multiclip is selected.
Media Management and Project Interchange Multiclips are a unique aspect of Final Cut Pro, so you need to be aware of how Final Cut Pro translates multiclips during media management or when exporting to a project interchange file such as an EDL. Working With Multiclips in the Media Manager The Media Manager has an option to include all multiclip angles, so the media file for every angle is processed. If you deselect this option, only the media file of the active angle is processed.
17 Audio Editing Basics 17 Good audio edits are usually subtle and go unnoticed by the listening audience. After you assemble your video and audio, you can edit your audio independently in the Timeline. This chapter covers the following: Â The Goals of Audio Editing (p. 289) Â Using Waveform Displays to Help You Edit Audio (p. 291) Â Learning About the Audio Controls in the Viewer (p. 292) Â Editing Audio in the Viewer (p. 295) Â Editing Audio in the Timeline (p.
Make sure your audio edit points aren’t noticeable. Editing audio clips in a sequence mainly involves finding good edit points that sound natural. Audio edit points are often more effective when they are offset from the corresponding video edits. Although you may set your initial audio and video edit points in the same place to create a quick rough cut, editing your audio more finely may involve changing many of your edit points to split edits.
II Using Waveform Displays to Help You Edit Audio As you work in Final Cut Pro, waveform displays can be very useful for navigating through parts of your audio and seeing at a glance how the levels in a track indicate things like the words and pauses in dialogue and the beats in a piece of music. Waveforms are displayed in the audio tabs of the Viewer.
Use the J, K, and L keys to shuttle through your clips, and learn to listen for the edit points you want. Once you have set In and Out points, you can use the Play In to Out (Shift-\) and Play to Out (Shift-P) commands to preview your edits. As you do this, you’ll find yourself trimming one or two frames at a time and then setting new edit points, repeating the process until you’ve found the perfect audio editing points.
II Â Level slider: This slider adjusts the amplitude, or volume, of the currently selected audio clip between +12 and –inf dB. As you drag the slider, the number in the dB field and the level overlay line are both updated. You can also adjust the volume by typing a number in the dB field to the right of the Level slider. The number you enter can include a decimal value, such as 6.23. If there are no level keyframes in the current clip, adjusting the Level slider affects the level of the entire clip.
 Pan Keyframe button: The keyframe button to the right of the Pan slider places a keyframe at the current playhead location on the pan overlay. You can add keyframes to change pan settings over time.  Pan keyframe navigation buttons: These buttons, to the left and right of the Pan Keyframe button, allow you to move the playhead forward or backward from one keyframe on the pan overlay to the next.
II Â Zoom slider: This slider lets you zoom in and out of the waveform displayed by dragging the thumb tabs on either side, which adjusts both thumb tabs and leaves the visible area of the keyframe graph centered. Pressing the Shift key and dragging one of the thumb tabs zooms in or out of the waveform, locking the opposite thumb tab and moving the visible area of the waveform in the direction in which you’re dragging.
Viewing Audio Tracks in the Viewer Clips in Final Cut Pro can have up to 24 audio items. Clips with multiple audio items have a separate tab for each mono audio item or pair of stereo audio items in the clip. The way audio clips appear in the Viewer depends on whether they’re mono or stereo. Â If audio clip items are mono, they’re represented by individual mono tabs in the Viewer, called Mono (a1), Mono (a2), and so on.
II Â If two audio clip items are linked as a stereo pair, they’re represented in a single Stereo tab that contains the waveforms of that pair’s left and right audio channels. Level changes applied to one item are automatically applied to the other. Editing audio as a stereo pair is useful for intrinsically stereo material, such as music mixed in stereo and built-in stereo camcorder audio.
Note: While this section covers how to zoom in the audio tabs of the Viewer, you can also use these instructions to zoom in and out of waveform displays of sequence clips in the Timeline. Zoom control Zoom slider To zoom in and out of the audio waveform using the Zoom control: m Click or drag the Zoom control to zoom in or out while keeping the material in the waveform display area centered.
II Scrolling Through a Zoomed-In Audio Clip If you zoom in to the waveform display area, you won’t be able to see all of the displayed waveform at once. There are three ways you can navigate through a zoomedin audio clip: Â If you play back your audio clip and then stop playback, the waveform display area shows the section of your audio clip that the playhead moved to.
Using the J, K, and L Keys to Hear Subtle Details When an audio clip is displayed in the Viewer, you hear a fragmented version of the sound as you drag the playhead (or scrub through the clip). You can drag the playhead in the ruler above the waveform in the Viewer or in the waveform display area to scrub through the clip. This can be extremely useful for quickly navigating through a clip, but will probably not be very helpful for making detailed audio edits.
II Dragging an Audio Clip to the Canvas, Browser, or Timeline To move an audio clip from the Viewer to the Canvas, Timeline, or Browser, use the drag hand at the top of the audio tab. (Clicking the waveform itself moves the playhead to the frame you clicked, and does not select the clip for dragging.) Use the drag hand to move an audio file. Trimming Audio Clips in the Viewer You can trim an audio clip to be shorter or longer.
To trim a sequence audio clip item in the Viewer: 1 Disable linked selection by doing one of the following: Â If linked selection is on, click the Linked Selection button (or press Shift-L) to turn it off. Â Hold down the Option key and click the audio item. Linked Selection button Audio selected independently of video 2 Drag the audio item from the sequence to the Viewer. The audio item opens in the Viewer by itself.
II 3 Select the Selection, Ripple, or Roll tool by clicking in the Tool palette, or by using the appropriate keyboard shortcut. 4 Set new In and Out points as you would for any other clip. New Out point set Changes you make to sequence clips in the Viewer are mirrored in the Timeline. The Out point of audio changes to match that in the Viewer.
Editing Audio in the Timeline After editing a number of clips into a sequence, you can further trim the audio clips directly in the Timeline. While you can trim audio more precisely in the Viewer, trimming the audio in the Timeline has other advantages: Â You can see the audio item you’re trimming in relation to the rest of the clips in your sequence. Â You can work with multiple clips in your sequence, rather than just one.
II Waveform on Waveform off Displaying Overlays and Adjusting the Track Height If you want to display waveforms in the Timeline, you may want to show audio level overlays and adjust the track height. Clip Overlays control Track Height control  Clip Overlays control: You can display or hide clip overlays at any time by clicking the Clip Overlays control at the bottom of the Timeline window. Audio level overlays appear as thin pink lines that indicate the sound level of each audio clip item.
Zooming In and Out of Waveforms in the Timeline There are several ways you can zoom in and out of waveform displays in the Timeline. Make sure you have waveform displays turned on (see “Displaying Waveforms in the Timeline” on page 304). You can also use the Zoom control and Zoom slider in the Timeline. These controls work the same way they do in the audio tabs of the Viewer. For information on using these controls, see “Zooming In or Out of the Waveform Display Area” on page 297.
II Naming Audio Tracks You have two choices regarding the way audio tracks are named in your sequence. Audio track labeling can be changed in the Timeline Options tab of the Sequence Settings window for each sequence (choose Sequence > Settings, then click the Timeline Options tab). Â Sequential: This option labels each audio track consecutively A1, A2, A3, and so on. Each audio track is identified individually. Â Paired: This option identifies audio tracks in pairs: A1a, A1b; A2a, A2b; A3a, A3b; and so on.
To move a clip to an adjacent track without changing its position in the Timeline: 1 Press and hold down the mouse button over the clip in the Timeline. 2 Press and hold down the Shift key. 3 Drag the clip up or down to an adjacent track. Note: As you move the clip up and down into other tracks in the Timeline, you’ll notice that it’s constrained from moving forward or backward in your sequence. It can only move up and down. This works for both audio and video clips.
II Creating or Separating Stereo Pairs Although stereo pairs are meant to be used for intrinsically stereo audio like music or stereo sound effects, any two clips of audio in the Timeline can be made into a stereo pair or separated into two mono clips. This operation can only be performed in the Timeline. Note: Stereo pair linking is not the same as clip item linking. It is not necessary to break the link between clips prior to disabling stereo pairing.
If the clip items you want to make into a stereo pair have different durations, the clip items are trimmed to the region where they both overlap. The levels, pan settings, and filters that were applied to the top clip are applied to both, and the clip attributes from the bottom clip are ignored. Before Volume level overlays Two clips that are not a stereo pair; length and volume levels differ.
II Working With Audio at the Subframe Level While the smallest unit of video is a single frame, the smallest adjustable unit of audio in Final Cut Pro is 1/100th of a frame. Audio level and pan keyframes, as well as the sync between the video and audio tracks of a clip, can be set with an accuracy of 1/100th of a frame.
To slip an audio clip item by subframe units: 1 Open a clip with both video and audio items in the Viewer, then click the audio tab. 2 Move the playhead to the In or Out point of the clip, then press Command-= (equal sign) to zoom in on the audio waveform as far as possible. A wide playhead bar in the Viewer represents one video frame at full magnification. 3 Press the Shift key and position the playhead within the frame to a new point with better sync. 4 Click the Mark In or Mark Out button.
II Examples of Ways to Easily Edit Audio As you work with audio, you may find it helpful to read through these two examples of ways you can fix audio issues using Final Cut Pro. Example: Replacing Unwanted Audio With Room Tone As you edit dialogue, you’ll often need to cut out pieces of audio that you don’t want in the sequence.
2 Create a new sequence, name it “Room Tone,” and paste the audio pause into it twice. Paste the pause section you just copied twice into a new sequence. 3 Select the clip containing the second pause, then choose Modify > Speed. 4 In the Speed dialog, click the Reverse checkbox to select it. 5 Play the resulting clips. The looping sound should be gone, but if you hear a clicking at the edit point between the two clips, you may have to add a cross fade transition between them to smooth this out.
II 7 Render the Room Tone sequence, then edit the sequence into the gap in your program, just as you would a clip. Edit the Room Tone sequence into your existing sequence to fill the gap. To replace an unwanted section of an audio clip with room tone: 1 Make the tracks that contain the unwanted audio the audio destination tracks, then disconnect the video destination track.
6 Edit the room tone into your sequence by doing one of the following: Â Drag the Room Tone sequence from the Viewer to the Overwrite section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Click the Overwrite button in the Canvas. Â Press F10. The section of unwanted audio is replaced with room tone.
II 1 Disable linked selection by doing one of the following: Â Click the Linked Selection button (or press Shift-L) so that it’s off. For more information, see “Linking Video and Audio Clip Items” on page 224. Â Click the edit point between the two audio items while holding down the Option key. 2 Select the Roll tool from the Tool palette (or press the R key). 3 Drag the audio edit point to the right so that the entire word plays at the end of the first clip.
Part III: Fine-Tuning Your Edit III Learn how to refine your edit by using trimming tools, adding transitions, nesting sequences within sequences, and synchronizing the Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline playheads together.
18 Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Edits 18 Once your rough edit is complete, you will want to fine-tune your edit. The advanced editing tools in Final Cut Pro allow you to make fine adjustments to clips in your sequence. This chapter covers the following: Â About Trimming With Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Tools (p. 321) Â Sliding Clips in the Timeline (p. 321) Â Slipping Clips in the Timeline (p. 325) Â Using the Ripple Tool to Trim an Edit Without Leaving a Gap (p.
Before edit A After edit A B B C C You can achieve the same results using the Selection tool, but with the Selection tool you sometimes create gaps when you move clips. The Slide tool never creates gaps (with the exception of sliding the first or last clip). In the following example, clip B slides to the left. The slide edit changes the Out point of clip A and the In point of Clip C, but the In and Out points of clip B stay the same.
III Performing Slide Edits by Dragging Selecting a clip with the Slide tool and dragging it is an easy way to perform a slide edit. To slide a clip in the Timeline by dragging: 1 Select the Slide tool in the Tool palette (or press the S key twice). 2 Select the clip, then drag it left or right. The clip moves to a new position in the Timeline. As you drag, the Canvas displays the Out point frame of the clip to the left and the In point frame of the clip to the right. 3 Release the mouse button.
Performing Precise Slide Edits Numerically If you need to slide a clip just two or three frames, using the mouse may be difficult. For precision edits, it is much less cumbersome to slide a clip numerically. To slide a clip in the Timeline using timecode: 1 Select the Slide tool in the Tool palette (or press the S key twice). 2 Select a clip in the Timeline, or hold down the Shift key to select multiple clips. You can also select noncontiguous clips using the Command key.
III Slipping Clips in the Timeline Performing a slip edit does not change a clip’s position or duration in the Timeline, but instead changes what portion of the clip’s media appears in the Timeline. The Slip tool allows you to move a clip’s In and Out points simultaneously. Whenever you arrange clips in the Timeline so that edit points line up with musical beats or other fixed sync points in a sequence, you want to keep your clips in position.
Performing a Slip Edit Using the Slip Tool You can perform slip edits in the Viewer or the Timeline. To perform a slip edit in the Viewer using the Slip tool: 1 Double-click a sequence clip to open it in the Viewer. 2 Select the Slip tool in the Tool palette (or press the S key). 3 Drag either the In or Out point along the Viewer’s scrubber bar. The duration of the sequence clip does not change. The sequence clip’s In and Out points move together.
III To slip a clip in the Timeline using the Slip tool: 1 Select the Slip tool in the Tool palette (or press the S key). 2 Click a clip, then drag it left or right. As you drag, an outline of the entire range of that clip is shown, indicating the amount of media available to the left and right of the current range selected in the clip. Drag point This box shows how far the clip’s In and Out points are slipping.
Performing Precise Slip Edits Numerically Slipping a clip by just a few frames using the mouse can be difficult. It’s much less cumbersome to precisely slip a clip numerically. To slip a clip in the Timeline using timecode: 1 Select the Slip tool in the Tool palette (or press the S key). 2 Select a clip in the Timeline. Note: To select multiple clips, hold down the Shift key as you select each clip.
III To slip multiple clip items at once in the Timeline: 1 Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette (or press A). You can also temporarily turn the Slip tool into the Selection tool by holding down the Command key. 2 Select multiple clip items in the Timeline. The selected clip items can be in one or more tracks. Selected clip items do not have to be adjacent. For example, you can hold down the Command key while clicking clip items to make a noncontiguous selection.
Which Clip Items Move in the Timeline After a Ripple Edit? Clip items with In points later in the Timeline than the edit point(s) you are adjusting will move, or ripple, after you perform a ripple edit. All other clip items remain in the same position in the Timeline. Take special care when performing ripple edits with complex edit point selections on multiple tracks.
III Important: When you adjust a clip’s In point with the Ripple tool in the Timeline, it appears that the clip’s In point is moving in the Timeline, and that the clip’s duration is changing from both its In and Out points. This is not true. The position of the clip’s In point in the Timeline never changes after a ripple edit is performed.
To do a ripple edit in the Timeline: 1 Select the Ripple tool in the Tool palette (or press the R key twice). 2 Select a clip item’s In or Out point by clicking near the clip item boundary. The Ripple tool changes direction to indicate which clip item boundary you are about to select. If linked selection is on, the edit points of linked clip items are also selected. For more information, see “Selecting Edits and Clips to Trim” on page 348.
III All clip items after the edit point move either left or right to accommodate the new duration of your clip. These clips move left to fill the gap. This clip shortens. Performing a Ripple Edit in the Viewer In some cases, you may want to look at the media for an entire clip before deciding at which frame to make an edit. In this case, it can be easier to open a sequence clip in the Viewer.
About Ripple Edits and Sync Relationships of Clip Items on Other Tracks When you perform ripple edits, it is fairly easy to cause linked clip items across tracks to go out of sync with each other. This usually happens when you perform a ripple edit on one track while other tracks are locked, so the clip items on that track can’t move in sync after the ripple edit.
III In the example below, Final Cut Pro won’t allow you to perform a ripple edit because the second music clip in tracks A3 and A4 would either need to be shortened, or would overwrite part of the first music clip in order to stay in sync with the clip items in V1, A1, and A2. Since the ripple edit cannot force the second music clip to overwrite the first music clip, Final Cut Pro warns you that the ripple edit cannot be performed because there is a clip collision on track A3 (and A4).
Doing Ripple Edits on Multiple Tracks at Once You can perform a ripple edit to edit points in multiple tracks to modify several video and audio items simultaneously. To perform a ripple edit on multiple tracks simultaneously: 1 Do one of the following: Â Press the Command key while clicking to select multiple edit points. Â Select the Edit Selection tool in the Tool palette, then drag a box around multiple edit points.
III 3 Hold down the Command key, then click the In point of an adjacent audio clip. Holding down the Command key while selecting an edit point allows you to add edit points to the current selection without deselecting previously selected edit points. Intended video edit point Current Out point of outgoing video clip Before In point of incoming audio clips 4 Use the Ripple tool to trim the above selection. The video and audio edit points move in opposite directions, creating a split edit.
Note: In this example, Command-clicking the In point of a stereo pair of audio clip items results in adding both audio items to the selection. You can also OptionCommand-click a single audio item to add it to the selection individually, without including other audio items linked to it. This can be especially useful for clips in which many audio items are linked to a single video item in the Timeline.
III Rolling the Position of an Edit Between Two Clips Using the Roll tool, you move the Out point of the outgoing clip and the In point of the incoming clip simultaneously. Before edit A B After edit A B C C In the example above, clip B gets shorter while clip C becomes longer, but the combined duration of the two clips stays the same. Roll edits are done using the Roll tool.
Rolling Edit Points in the Timeline The easiest place to see how a roll edit affects your clips is the Timeline. To do a roll edit in the Timeline: 1 Select the Roll tool in the Tool palette (or press the R key). 2 Select an edit point between two clips. If linked selection is on, the edit points of linked items are also selected. For more information, see “Controls That Affect Trim Edits” on page 347. Selected edit point 3 Do one of the following: Â Drag the edit point left or right.
III Â Type + (plus) or – (minus) followed by the number of frames to add or subtract from the current edit, then press Return. Edit being rolled After the roll edit, the outgoing clip is shorter and the incoming clip is longer.
To roll edit points on multiple tracks simultaneously: 1 Do one of the following: Â Press the Command key while clicking to select multiple edit points. Â Select the Edit Selection tool in the Tool palette (or press the G key), then drag to select the desired edit points. 2 Use the Roll tool to perform the roll edit across all of the tracks.
III Doing Roll Edits in the Viewer Final Cut Pro allows you to perform roll edits in the Viewer by setting In or Out points while the Roll tool is selected. To do a roll edit in the Viewer: 1 Open a sequence clip in the Viewer. 2 Select the Roll tool in the Tool palette (or press the R key). 3 Do one of the following: Â Drag the In or Out point along the Viewer’s scrubber bar to roll the edit. Â Press I or O to set a new In or Out point. Look in the Timeline to make sure the roll edit did what you expected.
19 Learning About Trimming Clips 19 Adjusting a clip’s duration by moving its In or Out point, or moving the edit point between two clips, is called trimming. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is Trimming? (p. 345) Â Controls That Affect Trim Edits (p. 347) Â Selecting Edits and Clips to Trim (p. 348) Â Trimming Clip In and Out Points (p.
You can trim edits anywhere you can adjust a sequence clip’s In and Out points— the Timeline, the Viewer, and the Trim Edit Window, which is designed specifically for fine-tuning edits. Â Viewer: You can open a sequence clip in the Viewer and adjust its In or Out point. This is useful if you want to find a particular frame for your In or Out point by looking at the clip’s entire media file.
III Controls That Affect Trim Edits Before you perform a trimming operation, make sure to check that the following controls are set properly for the operation you need to perform. Linked Selection Clip items that refer to the same media file are linked together when you edit them into the Timeline. You can also link unrelated clip items together so you can operate on them simultaneously, keeping them in sync.
For more information, see “Locking Tracks to Prevent Edits or Changes” on page 132. For information about synchronizing clip items, see Chapter 14, “Linking and Editing Video and Audio in Sync,” on page 219 and “Tips for Edits Made With the Ripple Tool” on page 338. Using the Command Key to “Gear Down” The Command key is useful if you want to make very small changes to edit points or clips in your sequence.
III If you double-click an edit point using the Selection tool, the Trim Edit window appears, showing the clips on either side of the edit point. Edit Selection Tool Instead of selecting individual edit points by clicking them with the Selection tool, you can select multiple edit points (on multiple tracks) at once by using the Edit Selection tool, designed specifically for selecting edit points.
Note: You can also select the Ripple or Roll tools, and then select an edit point. For more information, see Chapter 18, “Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Edits,” on page 321. Selecting Multiple Edit Points You can select edit points on more than one track. Only one edit point can be selected per track. To select multiple edit points in the Timeline, do one of the following: m Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette (or press Command-A), then Commandclick the edge of each clip.
III Trimming Clip In and Out Points In this section, you’ll learn how to trim edit points. Make sure you have the right tool selected for the trimming you want to do or you may not get the results you expected. Note: The cursor usually shows which tool is selected, but you can also see which tool is highlighted in the Tool palette. Trimming With the Selection Tool You can use the Selection tool to change the In or Out point of a single sequence clip, leaving a gap.
3 Drag to the left to create a gap in your sequence (by making the clip shorter) or to the right to cover an existing gap (by making the clip longer). As you drag to adjust the length of a clip, the Canvas shows the frame at the current edit point. After Resulting gap Later clips in the sequence are unaffected. They do not ripple to the left to fill in the gap. You can also achieve the same results by opening a sequence clip in the Viewer and setting a new In or Out point.
III When linked selection is disabled, extend edits are very useful for creating split edits. You can also use extend edits to quickly line up a lot of edit points to the same position in the Timeline.
Trimming Clips in the Viewer You can trim clips in your sequence by opening them in the Viewer and adjusting the clip In and Out points. To open a clip in your sequence in the Viewer, do one of the following: m Double-click the clip in the Timeline. m Select a clip in the Timeline, then press Return. m Double-click the clip in the Canvas. The clip currently beneath the playhead is opened in the Viewer. m If the clip is in a nested sequence, hold down the Option key, then double-click the clip.
III You can’t set a new edit point or drag a clip’s edit point so that it overwrites an adjacent clip in the Timeline. If you do, Final Cut Pro warns you that the clip you are trimming has collided with another clip in the Timeline, and the trim edit is not performed. (See “Understanding Alert Messages When Trimming” on page 358.) If you want to move a clip’s edit point so that it overwrites an adjacent clip, you should roll the edit point between the two clips using the Roll tool.
Instead of moving the playhead to an absolute timecode number, you can move it relative to its current position by pressing the + (plus) and – (minus) keys. Â To move the playhead 15 frames forward from the current position, type “+15”. Â To move the playhead 1 minute and 20 frames backward from the current position, type “–01.20” (the period automatically adds 00 to the seconds field).
III Using Timecode to Trim Clips in the Viewer If you’re trimming a clip in the Viewer, you can use timecode to navigate to a specific frame, rather than trying to find the frame you want using the transport controls or the J, K, and L keys. You then select the edit tool for the trimming operation you want to perform and set a new In or Out point. For more information on navigating in the Viewer using timecode, see Volume I, Chapter 8, “Navigating and Using Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas.
Understanding Alert Messages When Trimming If you try to perform an edit that isn’t possible, Final Cut Pro displays an alert message. Insufficient Content for Edit This message appears when you try to perform a three-point edit (for example, when dragging from the Browser or Viewer to the Canvas), and the source clip’s media file doesn’t have enough frames to achieve the requested edit. Click OK to close this dialog.
III Clip Collision This message appears when you try to perform an edit that might inadvertently cause unselected clip items to overwrite others. This usually happens when you are trying to perform a ripple edit on one track, and unselected clip items on other tracks cannot ripple because there are other clip items in the way. For example, suppose you are rippling a clip item on track V1 to make it 10 seconds shorter.
20 Trimming Clips Using the Trim Edit Window 20 You can trim edits precisely in the Trim Edit window. As you trim, you can play back the section of your sequence around the selected edit point to see your changes. This chapter covers the following: Â Learning About the Trim Edit Window (p. 361) Â Opening and Closing the Trim Edit Window (p. 363) Â Controls in the Trim Edit Window (p. 364) Â Using the Trim Edit Window (p. 368) Â Listening to Audio While Trimming (p.
This window shows a two-up display, with the Out point of the outgoing clip on the left and the In point of the incoming clip on the right. Two green bars—one at the top of each clip—highlight which edit points the Trim Edit window will affect. Using the Trim Edit window, you can perform a ripple edit to either side of the selected edit point, or a roll edit to both sides.
III Opening and Closing the Trim Edit Window The Trim Edit window opens when you select edit points with certain tools. You can also open the Trim Edit window manually at any time. To open the Trim Edit window, do one of the following: m Choose Sequence > Trim Edit (or press Command-7). The playhead jumps to the closest edit point on the lowest-numbered track with Auto Select enabled. The Trim Edit window shows the clips surrounding this edit point.
To close the Trim Edit window, do one of the following: m Move the playhead in the Timeline or Canvas away from the edit point. m Click anywhere in the Timeline away from an edit point to deselect all edit points in the Timeline. m Press Command-W. Controls in the Trim Edit Window Before you begin using the Trim Edit window, you may want to familiarize yourself with the controls.
III Â Scrubber bar: The scrubber bar runs along the entire width of each of the two viewer areas in the Trim Edit window, below the video image. To scrub, or move, through a clip or sequence, drag the playhead across the scrubber bar. You can also click anywhere in the scrubber bar to instantly move the playhead to that location.
Playback Controls for Individual Clips These controls allow you to move the playhead on either side of the edit point without modifying the edit point itself. The outgoing and incoming clips have separate playback controls, which can also be controlled by the J, K, and L keys. The playback controls are for viewing only; they don’t change the position of an edit point.
III Outgoing Clip Area Outgoing clip name Current timecode for the outgoing clip Outgoing clip duration Playhead Out Shift Mark Out button Out point  Outgoing clip duration: Displays the total time between the current In and Out points for the outgoing clip. This value changes to reflect any trim edits.  Current timecode for the outgoing clip: Displays the clip’s source timecode for the current position of the playhead.  Out Shift: Indicates the number of frames the Out point has been adjusted.
Incoming Clip Area Incoming clip duration Incoming clip name Current timecode for the incoming clip Playhead In Shift In point Mark In button  Incoming clip duration: Displays the total time between the current In and Out points for the incoming clip. This value changes to reflect any trim edits.  Current timecode for the incoming clip: Displays the clip’s source timecode for the current position of the playhead.  In Shift: Indicates the number of frames the In point has been adjusted.
III Playing Incoming and Outgoing Clips in the Trim Edit Window If you are performing a ripple edit in the Trim Edit window, the side of the Trim Edit window with a highlighted green bar is controlled by the J, K, and L keys. However, if you are performing a roll edit, both sides are highlighted. In this case, you choose whether the outgoing or incoming clip is controlled by the J, K, and L keys by moving the pointer over the outgoing or incoming side of the window.
3 Choose a ripple or roll edit by doing one of the following: Â Click the left image to trim the outgoing clip with a ripple left edit. Trimming indicator bar only appears above the outgoing clip. The pointer temporarily turns into a Ripple tool. Â Click the center area between the images to do a roll edit. Trimming indicator bar appears over both clips. The pointer temporarily turns into a Roll tool. Â Click the right image to trim the incoming clip with a ripple right edit.
III 4 Trim the edit point by doing any of the following: Â Click the trim buttons or use their keyboard equivalents to trim to the left or right using the displayed frame increments. Â Press [ (left bracket) or ] (right bracket) to trim backward or forward one frame. Â Press Shift-[ or Shift-] to trim backward or forward five frames. The number of frames to trim can be customized with the Multi-Frame Trim Size setting in the Editing tab of User Preferences.
Reviewing and Playing Back Your Edits in the Trim Edit Window To play the edit using the transport controls, do one of the following: m Click the Play In to Out button to play from the beginning of the first clip to the end of the second clip. m Click the Play Around Edit Loop button or press the Space bar to loop the playback of the edit. Extra frames surround your edit point, defined by the pre-roll and post-roll settings set in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window.
III Listening to Audio While Trimming When you play back the outgoing or incoming clip in the Trim Edit window (using the J, K, and L keys), you can choose which audio tracks you hear. The following options are available in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window: Â Trim with Sequence Audio: With this option selected, you hear the entire audio mix when you play back the clip on either side of the Trim Edit window.
To hear only the selected audio tracks in the Timeline while using the J, K, and L keys in the Trim Edit window: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences, then click the Editing tab. 2 Select the Trim with Edit Selection Audio (Mute Others) checkbox. Important: Make sure the Trim with Sequence Audio checkbox is also selected. 3 Select edit points in the Timeline and double-click them to open the Trim Edit window.
21 Adding Transitions 21 You can add cross dissolves and other transitions between cuts to make your program more interesting. You can also add a cross fade audio transition to smooth abrupt changes in audio. This chapter covers the following: Â Learning About Transitions (p. 375) Â Adding Transitions (p. 379) Â Moving, Copying, and Deleting Transitions (p. 384) Â Modifying Transitions in the Timeline (p. 386) Â Working With Default and Favorite Transitions (p.
Video made this process faster and easier. By mixing two video signals together, you could watch a dissolve immediately and decide how you liked it. The more quickly you can see how an effect will look, the more quickly you can refine it to suit your needs. Film editors had to anticipate how transitions would look and how long they should last without actually being able to preview them; there was never the time or budget to try transitions during editing.
III Using Transitions in Your Sequences Transitions, especially dissolves, generally give the viewer an impression of a change in time or location. When very long transitions are used, they become more of a special effect, useful in creating a different atmosphere in your sequence.
Having Handles at Edit Points Clips must have handles if you want to transition between them. Handles are additional media frames before the In point and after the Out point of your clips. The first shot in a transition (the outgoing clip) needs a handle after its Out point, while the second shot in a transition (the incoming clip) needs a handle before its In point.
III  Centered on the cut: Choose this alignment if you want the cut point between the two clips to be the midpoint in the transition. A transition centered on the cut  Ending on the cut: Use this alignment if you want the first frame of the incoming clip to be fully visible. A transition ending on the cut Adding Transitions You can add transitions when you edit a clip into the Timeline, or you can add transitions between clips already in a sequence.
Quickly Adding the Default Transition to Clips in Your Sequence You can quickly add the default transition between two clips in your sequence. The default video transition is a 1-second cross dissolve and the default audio transition is a +3 dB cross fade. You can change the default transition if you want (see “Changing the Default Transition” on page 390).
III If there are enough overlapping frames on both sides of the edit point, the selected transition is added to your edit, centered at the edit point. The added transition, centered on the edit point. To change the position of the transition, see “Changing the Alignment of a Transition in the Timeline” on page 388.
2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Effects > Video Transitions, choose the type of transition, then choose the desired transition from the submenu. Â Choose Effects > Audio Transitions, then choose the desired transition from the submenu. If there are enough overlapping frames on both sides of the edit point, the selected transition is added to your edit, centered at the edit point. To reposition the transition, see “Changing the Alignment of a Transition in the Timeline” on page 388.
III Example: Transitioning To or From Black A fade to black is really just a cross dissolve from a clip to black. In Final Cut Pro, you can add black to the Timeline by adding a slug, which is a built-in Final Cut Pro video generator. It’s often better to have an actual black clip to trim or adjust as needed. However, you can create a cross dissolve from a clip to a gap for a similar effect.
Using Transitions in Projects to Be Exported as EDLs Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) were developed for older tape-to-tape editing systems with limited capabilities. Therefore, they can only describe a narrow range of transitions. Typically, these transitions match standard transitions found on most broadcast video switchers, designated by codes that have been standardized by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
III To move a transition in a sequence: m In the Timeline, drag a transition from its current edit point to the desired edit point. If there are enough overlapping frames on either side of the edit, you can drag it before the edit point, on the edit point, or after the edit point. Drag the transition to the new edit point. Copying and Pasting Transitions To add the same transition quickly elsewhere within your sequence, you can copy and paste a transition to other edit points.
Deleting Transitions Transitions that you’ve added to your sequence can easily be removed. To delete a transition from a sequence: 1 Select the transition you want to remove in the Timeline. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Edit > Clear (or press Delete). Â Control-click the transition, then choose Cut from the shortcut menu.
III To change a transition’s duration in the Timeline by dragging: 1 Select the Selection tool, then move the pointer to the beginning or the end of the transition in the Timeline. 2 Drag either side of the transition to make the duration longer or shorter. The pointer changes to the Resize pointer, indicating that you can drag to the duration you want. To change a transition’s duration in the Timeline using timecode: 1 Do one of the following: Â Double-click the transition in the Timeline.
Changing the Alignment of a Transition in the Timeline Transitions can either start on, center on, or end on an edit point. This alignment can be changed at any time. Changing the alignment of a transition allows you to precisely control which frames are fully visible when a transition begins or ends. To change the alignment of a transition in a sequence, do one of the following: m In the Timeline, select the transition, choose Sequence > Transition Alignment, then choose another alignment from the submenu.
III Replacing Transitions If you change your mind about which transition you want in an edit, it’s easy to change it. To swap a transition in your sequence with another, do one of the following: m Move the Timeline playhead over the transition you want to change (or click to select it), choose Effects > Video Transitions or Effects > Audio Transitions, then choose another transition from the submenu.
Changing the Default Transition You can change the default transition to any transition that comes with Final Cut Pro, or to a transition you’ve customized. To change the default video or audio transition: 1 Click the Effects tab of the Browser. 2 Click the disclosure triangle next to Video Transitions or Audio Transitions. 3 Click the disclosure triangle of the transitions bin containing the transition you want as the default.
III To rename a favorite transition: 1 Select the transition in the Favorites bin in the Effects tab of the Browser. 2 Click the transition’s name to highlight the name field. 3 Enter a new name, then press Return. Deleting Favorite Transitions If you’ve added a transition as a favorite, you can delete it at any time from the Favorites bin. If it’s a transition that comes with Final Cut Pro, it will still appear in the Video Transitions or Audio Transitions bin.
However, if the duplicated frames fall outside the boundaries of the clip in the Timeline or fall within a transition, a special indicator—four white dots—appears where the duplicate frames are located. The dots can appear on either side or both sides of the transition. The side of the transition the dots appear on indicates the clip or clips that use duplicate frames. When you zoom out, the white dots decrease in range from four to zero, depending on the zoom level.
III Dissolve Additive Dissolve Adds the two clips so that the first clip fades out and the second fades in. Cross Dissolve1 Blends the first clip into the second clip. Dip to Color Dissolve Blends the first clip into the plain color of your choice, and then blends the plain color into the second clip. You can adjust the speed of the blend. Dither Dissolve Dissolves the first clip into the second by removing random pixels from the first clip to reveal the second clip.
QuickTime Chroma Key Combines two sources by replacing all the pixels of the first source that are the specified color with the corresponding pixels of the second source. This allows the second source to show through the first. This appears to put the second clip behind the first clip and make the selected color transparent. Explode The second clip grows from a single point, expanding outward until it entirely covers the first clip. The center point of the explosion is defined in the effect parameters.
III Slide Push Slide The second clip pushes the first clip out of view. You can adjust the push direction. Spin Slide Boxes of the first clip spin and zoom out to reveal the second clip. You can adjust the spin about the center of the box and the number of boxes. Split Slide The first clip splits at specific points and slides to reveal the second clip. You can adjust the orientation of the split.
Wipe Jaws Wipe A jagged-edged wipe from the center of the first clip reveals the second clip. You can adjust the wipe direction and the shape of the jagged edge. Random Edge Wipe A linear wipe with a random edge from the edge of the first clip reveals the second clip. You can adjust the direction of the wipe and the width of the random edge. V Wipe A V-shaped wipe from the specified edge of the first clip reveals the second clip.
22 Refining Transitions Using the Transition Editor 22 Use the Transition Editor to precisely modify a transition and preview it before you render. This chapter covers the following: Â Using the Transition Editor (p. 397) Â Applying a Modified Transition Directly to a Sequence in the Timeline (p. 405) Â Trimming Transitions and the Surrounding Clips (p. 406) Â Previewing and Rendering Transitions (p.
Controls in the Transition Editor When you double-click a transition in the Timeline or the Effects tab of the Browser, a special tab for the transition opens in the Viewer. This Transition Editor window indicates that the transition is “loaded,” or opened, so you can view and modify the transition’s settings.
III Alignment Buttons The selected button indicates the current alignment of your transition. You can change the alignment of a transition by clicking a button (if there are enough overlapping frames in the direction in which you want to realign the transition). Alignment buttons Recent Clips Pop-Up Menu This control lets you choose from a list of recently used clips. A clip is added to this list when another clip replaces it in the Viewer (not when the clip is opened in the Viewer).
Ruler The ruler displays a close-up view of the frames surrounding the transition in your sequence. The ruler and playhead in the Transition Editor are locked to those in the Timeline. The time scale of the ruler can be changed by using the Zoom In and Zoom Out tools or pressing Command-+ (plus) or Command-– (minus). Ruler Outgoing and Incoming Clip Handles A transition that appears as two overlapping clips on the same track in the Timeline is represented differently in the Transition Editor.
III Dragging the transition bar from the middle results in a roll edit, which moves the edit point between two clips in a sequence. Dragging either of the transition edges shortens or extends the transition. Note: A roll edit adjusts the location of an edit point shared by two clips; the Out point of the first clip and the In point of the second clip are moved simultaneously, or rolled. This changes the location of the edit point in the sequence, as well as the duration of each clip.
At the end of the edit, with the transition finished and the default ending percentage of 100%, the border of the wipe is all the way to the right, revealing the entire incoming clip. Near the end of an edge wipe transition You can change the starting and ending percentages for the transition. This is an excellent way of creating split-screen effects if you plan to export your sequence as an EDL for import into another editing system.
III When the transition is complete, the image becomes the full-screen picture of the incoming clip. The end of the transition in the Canvas; the splitscreen effect is maintained throughout the transition. The end of an edge wipe transition, where the end percentage is 50% Reverse Transition Button Some transition effects have a default direction.
Custom Parameters Many transitions have additional parameters that you can use to further customize their effect. These parameters appear below the controls for the properties and may include such visual effects as the center point of the effect, the width of the transition border, and the color and feathering of this border. More complex transitions have more elaborate effects.
III To open a transition from the Timeline, do one of the following: m Double-click the transition. m Control-click the transition, then choose Open from the shortcut menu. m Select the transition’s icon, then choose View > Transition in Editor. To open a copy of a transition from the Effects tab, do one of the following: m Double-click a transition in the Effects tab. m Select a transition, then press Return. m Control-click the transition, then choose Open Viewer from the shortcut menu.
Trimming Transitions and the Surrounding Clips Trimming is the process of modifying the edit points of clips that are already in your sequence. After you’ve opened a transition in your sequence in the Transition Editor, you can fine-tune your edit. This is done using the handles on the Out point of the outgoing clip and the In point of the incoming clip that meet to form your transition’s edit point.
III The name of each clip is at the top of each display and the timecode for the transition’s start or end point is visible at the bottom of each display. The end point of the transition in the incoming clip The start point of the transition in the outgoing clip Trimming the Duration of a Transition When you move the pointer to either edge of a transition in the Transition Editor, it changes to a Resize pointer.
Doing a Roll Edit to Change the Location of a Transition If you move the pointer over the middle of a transition in the Transition Editor, it changes to the Roll tool. You can then move the edit point along with the transition to the left or to the right, as long as there is available overlap between the outgoing and incoming clips. To do a roll edit, changing the location of a transition: 1 Open the transition in the Transition Editor. 2 Place the pointer anywhere on the transition.
III When you trim the outgoing or incoming clip with the Ripple tool, the Canvas shows the current frame of the edit point you’re dragging, along with the clip’s name and the current timecode value of the clip in a single frame display. A tooltip is displayed at the location of the pointer in the Transition Editor to show the offset between the new edit point you’re selecting and the original edit point.
Previewing and Rendering Transitions Many transitions can play back in real-time, depending on your system and the transition you’re applying. Those that can’t need to be rendered. Rendering is the process of combining your video and audio with the applied effects, such as transitions or filters, one frame at a time. The result is a new file, called a render file, which can be played back in real time.
III Previewing Transitions Before Rendering Them If you have to render your transitions, it’s a good idea to preview complex transitions first. You can preview transitions while you’re modifying them or any time before rendering them. To preview a transition, do one of the following: m Move the playhead in the Canvas, the Timeline, or the Transition Editor over a frame of the transition.
23 Sequence to Sequence Editing 23 You can edit from one sequence to another, either by nesting one sequence into another, or by actually editing the clips from one sequence to another. This chapter covers the following: Â Methods for Editing Clips From One Sequence to Another (p. 413) Â Opening More Than One Sequence at a Time (p. 414) Â Copying Clips From One Sequence to Another (p. 414) Â Nesting Sequences (p. 418) Â Editing the Content of One Sequence Into Another Without Nesting It (p.
Opening More Than One Sequence at a Time To copy, edit, or nest a sequence into another sequence, the destination sequence must be open in the Timeline or Canvas. When you open a sequence, the Timeline and the Canvas open together, if they’re not open already. If the Timeline and Canvas are already open, a newly opened sequence appears in its own tab on top of any other sequence tabs. If you want to view your sequences separately, you can move each into its own window.
III 4 Do one of the following: Â To do an insert edit, drag the clips where you want them to appear in the other sequence, positioning the pointer in the upper part of the track (the pointer looks like a right arrow).
 To do an overwrite edit, drag the clips where you want them to appear in the other sequence, positioning the pointer in the lower part of the track (the pointer looks like a down arrow). 5 Release the mouse button. The selected clips from the first sequence are copied into the second sequence. To copy clips from one sequence to another using the Copy and Paste commands: 1 Open the sequence that contains the clip or clips you want to copy.
III 5 In the Timeline for the second sequence, do one of the following: Â Position the playhead where you want to place the beginning of the copied clip or clips. Â In the Current Timecode field, enter the timecode number where you want to place the beginning of the copied clip or clips. 6 Choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). The copied clips are pasted into the second sequence.
Nesting Sequences Final Cut Pro allows you to treat sequences as clips. You can open sequences in the Viewer and set In and Out points, and you can even edit sequences into other sequences. Putting one sequence inside another is called nesting a sequence. The sequence inside another sequence is the nested sequence. The sequence that contains the nested sequence is sometimes called the parent sequence. Nested sequences can be used in the same way as clips.
III If you decide you don’t want to nest a sequence, you can still edit content from one sequence to another. For more information, see “Editing the Content of One Sequence Into Another Without Nesting It” on page 423. How Many Audio Items Does a Nested Sequence Have? When you nest one sequence inside of another, the nested sequence has only one video item, regardless of how many video tracks it has in its own Timeline window.
To copy and paste a sequence into another sequence: 1 In the Browser, copy the sequence by doing one of the following: Â Select a sequence in the Browser, then choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). Â Control-click a sequence in the Browser, then choose Copy from the shortcut menu. 2 In the Canvas or Timeline, open the destination sequence, then move the playhead to the location where you want to paste the nested sequence. 3 Specify the destination tracks where you want the nested sequence to go.
III 3 In the Nest Items dialog, enter a name for the new sequence into which the selected items will be placed. 4 Choose a width and height (frame size) for the new sequence that will be created to contain the selected clips. You should usually use the default settings provided, since these match the sequence that your new sequence will be nested inside.
Changing the Duration of a Nested Sequence Ripples Clips After the Nested Sequence When you first nest a sequence into another sequence (sometimes known as the parent sequence), changes in the original nested sequence that affect its duration are reflected in the parent sequence. For example, if you shorten a clip in the original nested sequence, the overall sequence duration changes.
III Important: If you modify a nested sequence duration in a parent sequence, or if you specifically set In and Out points in a sequence before you nest it into a parent sequence, the nested sequence may no longer ripple clips in the parent sequence when you adjust content in the nested sequence. Editing the Content of One Sequence Into Another Without Nesting It Instead of nesting one sequence inside another, you can simply edit the clips of a sequence into another sequence.
If you hold down the Command key while dragging Sequence A into the Canvas, you’ll edit the clips contained within Sequence A into Sequence B. So each clip in Sequence A is still an individual clip in Sequence B. This allows for more flexibility should you want to make changes to any clips that are in Sequence A. However, future changes in Sequence A have no effect on Sequence B; Sequence B does not automatically update to reflect the changes.
III To edit all content from one sequence into another using the Canvas Edit Overlay: 1 Open your destination sequence (where the copied clips will go) in the Timeline, then set an In point for the incoming clips by doing one of the following: Â Position the playhead in the Timeline. Â Set an In point in the Timeline or Canvas. Set an In point where you want to place clips from the source sequence. 2 If necessary, create additional tracks for each track present in the source sequence.
3 In the Browser, select the sequence you want to copy clips from (the source sequence). 4 Do one of the following: Â To perform an insert edit: Press Command-F9. Â To perform an overwrite edit: Press Command-F10. The content of the source sequence is edited into the destination sequence in the Timeline. To edit content from one sequence into another by dragging it into the Timeline: 1 In the Timeline, open the destination sequence (where the copied clips will go) by clicking the sequence’s tab.
24 Matching Frames and Playhead Synchronization 24 You can use the Viewer to modify sequence clip parameters as you play and edit your sequence in the Canvas and Timeline, and the playheads in all three windows can be synchronized. This chapter covers the following: Â Working With Sequence Clips in the Viewer (p. 427) Â Matching Frames Between Sequence and Master Clips (p. 430) Â Synchronizing the Canvas/Timeline Playhead With the Viewer Playhead (p.
Note: Sequence clips display sprocket holes in the Viewer’s scrubber bar to indicate that they are part of a larger sequence; Browser clips don’t display sprocket holes. Sprocket holes indicate that this is a sequence clip. Opening a Sequence Clip in the Viewer When you open a sequence clip in the Viewer, you can work with it directly in the Viewer instead of in the Timeline. To open a sequence clip in the Viewer from the Timeline: m Double-click a clip in the Timeline.
III Switching Between the Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline When you work with sequence clips in the Viewer, you can quickly switch between the Viewer and the Canvas or Timeline. For example, opening a sequence clip in the Viewer activates the Viewer, but you might want to open the clip in the Viewer and then play the sequence. To switch between the Canvas and Viewer: m Press the Q key. To switch between the Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline, do one of the following: m To make the Viewer active: Press Command-1.
To make a ripple, roll, slip, or duration change to a sequence clip in the Viewer: 1 Open the sequence clip in the Viewer. 2 Select the appropriate tool for the type of edit you want to do. 3 In the Viewer, navigate to the frame you want to use for the clip’s new In point. 4 Press I to set a new In point. 5 Navigate to a new Out point and press O to set a new Out point. If the new In or Out point is not accepted, check to see if Final Cut Pro displays an alert message.
III To check if a sequence clip is independent: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline, or move the playhead over a clip in the Canvas or Timeline. 2 Choose View > Reveal Master Clip. If the Reveal Master Clip menu item is dimmed, the selected sequence clip does not have a master clip, and it is therefore independent. Matching Frames Between a Sequence Clip and Its Master Clip Sometimes you’ll want to view the master clip that a sequence clip came from.
When the clip’s master clip opens in the Viewer, notice that there are no “sprocket holes” in the scrubber bar. This is because you’re seeing the clip from the Browser, not the sequence clip. When you view the master clip, it has the same In and Out points as the sequence clip. The current frame in the Viewer matches the frame in the Canvas. To reveal a sequence clip’s master clip in the Browser: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline, or move the playhead over a clip in the Canvas or Timeline.
III Independent sequence clips can cause complications during media management and recapturing, so you should avoid editing with these clips. You should also be careful not to unnecessarily create more than one master clip that references the same media file. Subclips are an example of master clips that can refer to the same media file, but each subclip refers to a different portion of the media file. Multiple master clips that refer to the exact same parts of the same media file are usually unnecessary.
Synchronizing the Canvas/Timeline Playhead With the Viewer Playhead When a sequence clip is open in the Viewer, you can keep the Viewer playhead in sync with the Canvas/Timeline playhead. If you want to work with a sequence clip in the Viewer instead of the Timeline, you can synchronize the Viewer and Canvas/Timeline playheads together so you see the same frame in both windows.
III To synchronize (or gang) the Viewer and Canvas/Timeline playheads: m In the Viewer or Canvas, choose an option from the Playhead Sync pop-up menu— Sync Off, Open, or Gang. Playhead Sync pop-up menu in the Viewer The playhead sync options are: Â Sync Off: Disables playhead sync. This is the default behavior. Â Open: Automatically opens the sequence clip beneath the Canvas/Timeline playhead in the Viewer. The Viewer playhead is set to the same frame as the Canvas/Timeline playhead.
Using the Gang Playhead Sync Option You can lock the playhead in the Viewer to the playhead in the Canvas and Timeline so that they move together while scrubbing through clips. This is known as ganging the clip in the Viewer window to the sequence in the Canvas and Timeline windows. When this option is selected, the offset between the current position of the Canvas/ Timeline playhead and the current position of the Viewer playhead is maintained as both playheads move together.
III 4 In either the Viewer or the Canvas, choose Gang from the Playhead Sync pop-up menu. 5 Move the playhead in the Timeline to the In point of the last clip in the sequence. The playhead is moved to the In point of the last clip in the sequence. The playhead in the Viewer moves to the left by the same amount. 6 In the Viewer, press O to set a new Out point. The clip in the Viewer is now shorter by the duration of the last clip in the sequence.
25 Working With Timecode 25 Timecode provides a unique address for each video frame on your tapes. Timecode is the vital organizational link between your original camera tapes, media files on disk, and clips in your Final Cut Pro project. This chapter covers the following: Â About Timecode in Final Cut Pro (p. 439) Â Displaying Timecode in Final Cut Pro (p. 440) Â Modifying Timecode in Media Files (p. 446) Â Working With 60 fps Timecode (p. 451) Â Working With 24 @ 25 fps Timecode (p.
Frame Rate Versus Timecode The frame rate of film, videotape, or media files determines how quickly frames are recorded or played back. Timecode (or edge code in the case of film) is a unique address for each frame, providing easy navigation, logging, recapturing, and final Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) that accurately refer back to original camera reels.
III Â 60 @ 30: Displays 60 fps video with 30 fps timecode. This option is used to display timecode for 60 fps formats (such as 720p60) using 30 fps timecode. This option matches the timecode display on many VTRs that can play 60 fps formats (such as a DVCPRO HD deck). Each timecode number represents a pair of video frames, with the second frame distinguished by an asterisk (*). This option is available only for 60 and 59.94 fps (high definition) media files.
Displaying Timecode Affected by Speed Changes If you alter the speed of a clip by applying a constant or variable speed change, the frames of the media file are no longer played at their original rate. By default, Final Cut Pro displays the timecode in italics whenever a clip is not playing at normal speed. This option, called View Native Speed, is selected by default.
III Adding auxiliary timecode tracks to your media files allows you to add matching timecode to both media files without removing the original source timecode—which is still important for referring back to your original tapes. In Final Cut Pro, you can choose which timecode track to display for each clip: source, Aux 1, or Aux 2. Many clips only have a source timecode track, so in these cases there is no option to display Aux 1 or Aux 2 timecode.
Changing Global Timecode Display Options Timecode display settings can be globally adjusted for an entire project. For most situations, it’s best to stick with the Final Cut Pro default settings:  Timecode: Source Time  View Native Speed: Enabled Note: If you customize a particular clip’s timecode display, its display option overrides the global timecode display option. Affiliate clips are not affected when you change the timecode display of a master or other affiliate clip.
III To set all clips in the active project to display source time or clip time: 1 In the Browser, click the tab of the project for which you want to change time mode settings. 2 Choose Edit > Project Properties. 3 Choose Source Time or Clip Time from the Time Mode pop-up menu. 4 Click OK. To change the native clip speed display mode for all clips in the active project: 1 In the Browser, click the tab of the project for which you want to change time mode settings. 2 Choose Edit > Project Properties.
Modifying Timecode in Media Files In Final Cut Pro, you can modify media file timecode in several ways: Â Individual clips can be adjusted by choosing Modify > Timecode. Â Multiple clips can be adjusted in the Browser timecode columns (such as Media Start and Media End). In general, choosing Modify > Timecode provides deeper control over your timecode modifications, but the Browser allows you to modify multiple clips at once.
III Using the Modify Timecode Command Timecode tracks in your media files can be added, altered, and even removed in the Modify Timecode dialog. Each media file can have up to three timecode tracks and corresponding reel names:  Source timecode track and reel name  Aux 1 timecode and Aux 1 reel name  Aux 2 timecode and Aux 2 reel name When you select a checkbox next to a timecode track, you are adding that timecode track to your media file.
3 Verify that the settings are correct: Â Frame to Set: Choose the frame you want to alter. Â Current: Choose this to alter the timecode of the current frame in the clip or sequence. Â Starting: Choose this to change the timecode of the starting frame of the clip or sequence. Â Source TC: Select this checkbox to add or alter the timecode of the source clip or sequence’s media file on disk.
III Modifying the Timecode of Merged Clips If you select a merged clip and choose Modify > Timecode, each item in the clip that’s linked to a separate source media file appears in its own tab. This allows you to change the timecode of each item in a merged clip separately. For example, a merged clip with items from three sources has three tabs in the Modify Timecode dialog. For more information, see Chapter 3, “Merging Clips From Dual System Video and Audio,” on page 45.
To create a sequence preset in which the video frame rate (timebase) and timecode rate are different: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings. 2 Click the Sequence Presets tab. 3 In the list of presets, click the unlocked sequence preset you want to modify. 4 Click the Edit button to edit the selected preset, or click the Duplicate button to edit a new copy of the selected sequence preset. The sequence video frame rate (timebase) and timecode rate can now be set in the Sequence Preset Editor window.
III Working With 60 fps Timecode Some high definition video formats, such as 720p60, have a video frame rate of 60 (or 59.94) fps. Final Cut Pro can display 60 fps timecode for 60 fps media files, or you can choose to view the timecode at 30 fps, using the special 60 @ 30 timecode display option. 60 @ 30 is a timecode display option used specifically with 59.94 and 60 fps video footage. Because 30 fps is a more universally accepted timecode rate than 60 fps, it can be useful to view your timecode this way.
Generating Timecode Window Burns If you need to create a videotape or QuickTime movie that displays timecode directly in the image (known as a timecode window burn, or window burn for short), you can use the Timecode Reader or Timecode Generator filters. Both are located in the Video bin inside the Video Filters bin in the Effects tab of the Browser. Note: In versions of Final Cut Pro earlier than 4.5, timecode reading and generation were contained in a single filter called the Timecode Print filter.
AlienUM Title V3.
Apple Computer, Inc. © 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the “keyboard” Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws.
1 Part I Contents Audio Mixing Chapter 1 15 15 17 19 Overview of Audio Mixing Audio Finishing Features in Final Cut Pro Overview of Audio Sweetening in Final Cut Pro Making the Final Mix Chapter 2 23 23 24 25 27 28 28 30 30 32 32 34 Setting Up Audio Equipment Choosing External Audio Monitoring Components Choosing an Audio Interface Choosing Speakers and an Amplifier for Monitoring Setting Up a Proper Audio Monitoring Environment Audio Cables, Connectors, and Signal Levels About Balanced Audio Signa
4 Chapter 4 51 51 51 52 53 55 57 58 58 58 60 61 61 64 65 Audio Levels, Meters, and Output Channels About Audio Meters Average and Peak Audio Levels Average Versus Peak Audio Meters Analog Versus Digital Meters About Audio Meters in Final Cut Pro Audio Peak Detection Setting Proper Audio Levels Setting Levels for Capture What Reference Level Should You Use for Mixing? Outputting Bars and Tone at the Head of Your Tape Working With Multiple Audio Output Channels About Audio Output Presets Downmixing Multipl
Chapter 7 109 109 109 114 117 117 118 119 120 121 121 122 127 128 129 132 Mixing Audio in the Timeline and Viewer Adjusting Audio Levels in the Timeline and Viewer Adjusting Audio Levels in the Timeline Changing Audio Levels in the Viewer Panning Audio in the Timeline and Viewer Panning Audio in the Timeline Changing the Pan of Audio in the Viewer Changing Pan for an Entire Clip Copying, Pasting, and Removing Audio Attributes Adjusting Clip Levels and Pan Using Keyframes Tools for Adjusting Keyframes Crea
Chapter 10 175 175 175 176 179 181 Part II 6 Tips for Better Audio Learning to Describe Sound Accurately Efficiently Using the Frequency Spectrum Tips for Cutting Dialogue Tips for Cutting Music Organizing Your Tracks Effects Chapter 11 185 185 186 190 192 199 200 201 202 202 203 Video Filters Different Ways to Use Filters Applying a Filter to a Clip Applying Multiple Filters to Clips Viewing and Adjusting a Filter’s Parameters Displaying Filter Bars in the Timeline Enabling and Rearranging Filters
261 263 266 268 269 271 272 273 274 275 275 278 281 281 283 283 284 Zooming In to the Keyframe Graph Example: Using Keyframes to Make Opacity Changes Example: Keyframing Opacity in the Timeline Smoothing Keyframes With Bezier Handles Understanding Bezier Handles and Curves Smoothing Keyframes Creating Keyframed Motion Paths in the Canvas What Are Motion Paths? Creating Motion Paths Adding, Moving, and Deleting Keyframes in Motion Paths Creating Curved Motion Paths Using Bezier Handles Controlling Speed Alo
8 311 311 312 312 314 315 315 318 318 320 323 328 329 332 Constant Speed Variable Speed (or Time Remapping) Differences Between Constant and Variable Speed Changes Frame Blending and Reverse Speed Making Constant Speed Changes Making Variable Speed Changes How Time Remapping Works Where You Can Make Time Remapping Adjustments Viewing Time Remapping Parameters Applied to Your Clips Learning to Read Timeline Speed Indicators Using the Time Remap Tool Adjusting Time Remap Keyframes in the Motion Bar Time Rem
Chapter 19 385 385 385 386 387 388 388 391 393 404 404 404 406 407 407 408 Keying, Mattes, and Masks Ways to Layer and Isolate Elements in Clips What Are Mattes and How Can You Use Them? What Is Keying and How Can You Use It? What Are Masks and How Are They Used? Using Keying to Isolate Foreground Elements Shooting Footage That Keys Well Overview of Compositing Using the Chroma Keyer Filter Working With the Chroma Keyer Filter Using Mattes to Add or Modify Alpha Channels Matte Filters Available in Final C
453 471 476 483 486 Color Corrector 3-Way Filter Controls Hue Matching Controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters Limit Effect Controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters The Desaturate Highlights and Desaturate Lows Filters The Broadcast Safe Filter Chapter 21 489 489 490 491 493 Using Built-in Generated Clips What Is a Generator Clip? Different Ways to Use Generators in Your Sequence Graphical Video and Audio Generators Available in Final Cut Pro Creating a
535 535 538 539 539 541 544 545 546 546 547 548 549 549 553 556 557 559 559 560 562 563 564 Render Indicators in Final Cut Pro About Render Status Bars in the Timeline About Item-Level Render Bars The Rendering Process Rendering Effects in Sequences Commands for Rendering Effects Rendering One or More Sequences Rendering Part of a Sequence Rendering Audio Items in a Sequence Using the Mixdown Command Temporarily Disabling Rendering Auto-Rendering While You Are Away From Your Computer Changing Render Settin
Part I: Audio Mixing I Find instructions for connecting audio equipment and using the Final Cut Pro audio mixing tools to complete your movie’s soundtrack.
1 Overview of Audio Mixing 1 Audio mixing is the process of blending the sounds of your movie together by adding filters and adjusting levels and pan settings. This chapter covers the following: Â Audio Finishing Features in Final Cut Pro (p. 15) Â Overview of Audio Sweetening in Final Cut Pro (p. 17) Â Making the Final Mix (p. 19) Audio Finishing Features in Final Cut Pro Once your movie is edited and the picture is locked, you “sweeten” the soundtrack by adding music, voiceover, and sound effects.
Audio Mixing Features You can use Final Cut Pro to create a finished audio mix for your movie, or you can export your audio tracks for finishing in another audio application. You can mix your audio in the following ways: Â Check audio levels using track and Master meters in the Audio Mixer, as well as the floating Audio Meters. (See Chapter 4, “Audio Levels, Meters, and Output Channels,” on page 51.) Â Adjust audio levels and pan using clip overlays in the Timeline or Viewer.
I Overview of Audio Sweetening in Final Cut Pro Once you finish editing your movie, you need to sweeten the soundtrack, which means adding additional sound effects, music, narration, and so on. You can create multiple audio tracks in your sequence to organize your audio, and add markers to indicate where specific sound and musical accompaniment is required.
Using Sequence Markers for Sound Effects and Musical Cues It’s common for editors or directors to play through an edited sequence and locate, or spot, places in the Timeline where sound effects should go. This is sometimes referred to as a sound effects spotting session. You can add markers to your sequence to indicate where the editor or sound designer should place sound effects. For more information about adding markers, see Volume II, Chapter 4, “Using Markers.
I Setting Appropriate Volume Levels for Audio Clips in Sequences You can adjust the volume level of all the clips in a sequence relative to each other so that the audio blends together effectively. For example, if you’re editing a narrator speaking over music in the background, you don’t want the music to overwhelm the sound of the narrator’s voice. To achieve a balanced mix, you can bring up the level of the narration and reduce the level of the music.
Determining the Number of Output Channels/Speakers Early audio systems were monophonic, capable of recording and playing back a single channel of audio. However, soon after sound was introduced to movies, filmmakers began exploring the creative possibilities of mixing multiple audio channels together to create a monophonic mix, and later two (stereo) or more (surround) speakers. Before you begin your final mix, you need to know how many speakers you are mixing for.
I Adjusting Audio Levels In Final Cut Pro, each clip has its own audio level control. As you adjust levels, watch the audio meters to check that the average levels are acceptable and that the peaks aren’t too high. Check individual track meters in the Audio Mixer first, then check the Master meter to make sure the overall level is at a consistent level. If the audio output is too high (above 0 dBFS), the sound will be distorted.
Mixing to Call Attention to Important Audio In most movies, the most important audio (though not always the loudest) is the sound of people’s voices: the actors, the interviewees, or the narrator. What these people say is the point of the show, so it’s a safe bet that the average level will be determined by the level you set for these voices. As a result, all other sound levels in your program will be adjusted relative to these voices.
2 Setting Up Audio Equipment 2 The built-in audio interface in your computer can be acceptable for rough editing, but for a professional sound mix, an external audio monitoring system is essential. This chapter covers the following: Â Choosing External Audio Monitoring Components (p. 23) Â Audio Cables, Connectors, and Signal Levels (p. 28) Â Configuring External Audio Monitors (p.
Choosing an Audio Interface An audio interface provides high-quality audio input and output between your computer and audio equipment. This includes analog-to-digital (A-to-D) and digital-to-analog (D-toA) converters, a stable digital audio clock, and input connectors that are compatible with your equipment, such as 1/4" phone (tip-ring-sleeve) and XLR connectors.
I Choosing Speakers and an Amplifier for Monitoring Professional audio engineers mix by listening, so they have to be able to trust the sound coming from their speakers. When you mix your audio, you need audio monitors that can handle the full range of audio intensities and frequencies. Ideally, your monitors will have a flat frequency response from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz (or 20 kHz). This means that they neither attenuate nor amplify any frequencies.
Amplifiers and Signal Levels Audio speakers require signals with higher voltage than consumer and professional equipment can provide directly. Speakers require speaker level audio signals, while audio devices such as tape recorders and audio mixers usually provide line level signals. An audio amplifier boosts line level signals to speaker levels to properly drive speakers.
I Setting Up a Proper Audio Monitoring Environment Room shape and material are just as important as the quality of the speakers themselves. Every surface in a room potentially reflects sound, and these reflections mix together with the sound originating from the speakers. Rooms with parallel walls can create standing waves, which are mostly low-frequency sound waves that reinforce and cancel each other as they bounce back and forth.
Audio Cables, Connectors, and Signal Levels When connecting audio devices, you use cables with the appropriate connector on each end. Audio cables can be either balanced or unbalanced, depending on their intended use. About Balanced Audio Signals For long cable runs, especially when using relatively low microphone levels, a threewire balanced audio circuit reduces noise. Balanced audio cables use the principle of phase cancellation to eliminate noise while maintaining the original audio signal.
I When the signal arrives at its destination, the inverted signal is put back in phase and both signals are combined. This puts the original and inverted signals back in phase, but it causes the noise signals on each line to be out of phase. Inverted signal (inverted again) Now, both audio signals are in phase, but the noise is inverted, causing the noise to be canceled. At the same time, the original signal gets a little stronger because it is sent on two wires and combined.
Microphone, Instrument, and Line Level Audio equipment can output line level at –10 dBV (consumer level), +4 dBm/dBu (professional level), or microphone level, which is around 50 or 60 dB less than line level. When you use a microphone, the level is very low, requiring a preamplifier to raise the signal to line level before it can be recorded or processed. Most audio mixers, cameras, and professional portable recording devices have built-in preamplifiers.
I RCA Connectors Most consumer equipment uses RCA connectors, which are unbalanced connectors that usually handle –10 dbV (consumer) line levels. RCA connector 1/4" Tip-Ring (TR) Connectors 1/4" connectors with a tip and a ring are unbalanced connectors often used for musical instruments like electric guitars, keyboards, amplifiers, and so on.
Configuring External Audio Monitors The following section describes how to connect external audio speakers to your editing system, how to select an audio interface for output, and how to make audio volume adjustments in Final Cut Pro and Mac OS X.
I 2 Choose an audio interface from the Audio pop-up menu. This device is used for playing audio from the Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline. Â Default: This option uses the output device you have selected in the Output tab of the Sound pane of Mac OS X System Preferences (or in the Audio MIDI Setup utility). If you want to control the audio output of Final Cut Pro from these locations, choose this option. This is the default setting for audio output.
4 Enable or disable the following alert message options: Â Do not show External A/V Device Warning when device not found on launch: Select this option to turn off the alert message when selected devices cannot be found during application startup. Â Do not show warning when audio outputs are greater than Audio device channels: When selected, this option disables the following message: “The selected external audio device does not support N outputs.
I To adjust the built-in volume of your computer using the volume slider in the menu bar: 1 Open System Preferences by choosing Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Sound. 2 In the Sound pane of System Preferences, make sure the “Show volume in menu bar” checkbox is selected. When the checkbox is selected, a volume icon appears in the menu bar. 3 Adjust the volume in the menu bar. You can also adjust the volume in the Sound pane of System Preferences.
3 Audio Fundamentals 3 To successfully create your movie soundtrack, it’s important to learn about the basic properties of sound and digital audio. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is Sound? (p. 37) Â Digital Audio (p. 46) What Is Sound? All sounds are vibrations traveling through the air as sound waves. Sound waves are caused by the vibrations of objects, and radiate outward from their source in all directions.
Fundamentals of a Sound Wave The simplest kind of sound wave is a sine wave. Audio sine waves rarely exist in the natural world, but are a useful place to start because all other sounds can be broken down into combinations of sine waves. A sine wave clearly demonstrates the three fundamental characteristics of a sound wave: frequency, amplitude, and phase.
I Phase cancellation can be a problem when mixing similar audio signals together, or when original and reflected sound waves interact in a reflective room. For example, when the left and right channels of a stereo mix are combined to create a mono mix, the signals may suffer from phase cancellation. In phase Out of phase Frequency Spectrum of Sounds With the exception of pure sine waves, which rarely exist in nature, sounds are made up of many different frequency components vibrating at the same time.
∏ Tip: The human voice is mostly in the 250–4000 Hz range, which likely explains why people’s ears are also the most sensitive to this range. If the dialogue in your movie is harder to hear when you add music and sound effects, try reducing the midrange frequencies of the nondialogue tracks using an equalizer filter. Reducing the midrange creates a “sonic space” for the dialogue to be heard more easily. Measuring Sound Intensity Our ears are remarkably sensitive to vibrations in the air.
I In practice, a bel is a bit too large to use for measuring sound, so a one-tenth unit called the decibel is used instead. The reason for using decibels instead of bels is no different than the reason for measuring shoe size in, say, centimeters instead of meters; it is a more practical unit. Number of decibels Relative increase in power 0 1 1 1.26 3 2 10 10 20 100 30 1000 50 100,000 100 10,000,000,000 Decibel Units Audio meters measure sound level using decibels.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio Every electrical system produces a certain amount of low-level electrical activity called noise. The noise floor is the level of noise inherent in a system. It is nearly impossible to eliminate all the noise in an electrical system, but you don’t have to worry about the noise if you record your signals significantly higher than the noise floor. If you record audio too low, you raise the volume to hear it, which also raises the volume of the noise floor, causing a noticeable hiss.
I Dynamic Range Dynamic range is the difference between the quietest and loudest sound in your mix. A mix that contains quiet whispers and loud screams has a large dynamic range. A recording of a constant drone such as an air conditioner or steady freeway traffic has very little amplitude variation, so it has a small dynamic range. You can actually see the dynamic range of an audio clip by looking at its waveform. For example, two waveforms are shown below.
When used sparingly, compression can help you bring up the overall level of your mix to compete with noise in the listening environment. However, if you compress a signal too far, it sounds very unnatural. For example, reducing the sound of an airplane jet engine to the sound of a quiet forest at night and then raising the volume to maximum would cause the noise in the forest to be amplified immensely. Different media and genres use different levels of compression.
I Identifying Two-Channel Mono Recordings When you are working with two-channel audio, it is important to be able to distinguish between true stereo recordings and two tracks used to record two independent mono channels. These are called dual mono recordings. Examples of dual-channel recordings that are not stereo include: Â Two independent microphones used to record two independent sounds, such as two different actors speaking.
Here are some tips for distinguishing stereo from dual mono recordings: Â Stereo recordings must have two independent tracks. If you have a tape with only one track of audio, or a one-channel audio file, your audio is mono, not stereo. Note: It is possible that a one-channel audio file is one half of a stereo pair. These are known as split stereo files, because the left and right channels are contained in independent files. Usually, these files are labeled accordingly: AudioFile.L and AudioFile.
I Sample Rate The sample rate is the number of times an analog signal is measured—or sampled— per second. You can also think of the sample rate as the number of electronic snapshots made of the sound wave per second. Higher sample rates result in higher sound quality because the analog waveform is more closely approximated by the discrete samples.
Bit Depth Unlike analog signals, which have an infinite range of volume levels, digital audio samples use binary numbers (bits) to represent the strength of each audio sample. The accuracy of each sample is determined by its bit depth. Higher bit depths mean your audio signal is more accurately represented when it is sampled. Most digital audio systems use a minimum of 16 bits per sample, which can represent 65,536 possible levels (24-bit samples can represent over 16 million possible levels).
I When the number of bits per sample is increased, each sample can more accurately represent the audio signal. 1 bit 2 bit 4 bit 16 bit These analog-to-digital rounding errors are known as quantization errors. Each time a digital signal is processed, it is subject to rounding, which can compound errors over time. To avoid rounding errors, you should always use the highest bit depth your equipment supports.
4 4 Audio Levels, Meters, and Output Channels You use audio meters to keep levels consistent throughout your movie and to make sure audio signals never get so high that they distort. This chapter covers the following: Â About Audio Meters (p. 51) Â Setting Proper Audio Levels (p. 58) Â Working With Multiple Audio Output Channels (p.
The most important distinction is the difference between an audio clip’s peaks and its average loudness: Â Peaks are short, loud bursts of sound. In spoken dialogue, letters like P, T, and K at the beginning of words can result in peaks if the person speaking is close to the microphone. In music, peaks occur at the very beginning of sounds from percussive instruments such as drums.
I Analog Versus Digital Meters The way you set your levels with a digital meter is different from the way you’d set levels on an analog meter. Compare a traditional analog audio meter with one of the digital audio meters in Final Cut Pro: Generic VU meter +7 +4 +2 Final Cut Pro audio meters 0 -6 0 -12 -2 -4 -18 -24 -7 -36 -10 -48 -20 -66 -30 -∞ A digital meter displays the sample values of a digital audio signal. The scale on the meter is known as digital full scale, or dBFS.
0 dB (Analog) Versus 0 dBFS (Digital) Even though audio is exclusively digital in Final Cut Pro, it is likely that your audio will exist in an analog context at some point. Even an entirely digital workflow begins with microphones and ends with speakers, which are both analog devices. When you look at the meters in Final Cut Pro, you need to consider how the signal level will correspond to an analog meter.
I About Audio Meters in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro uses peak audio meters, which respond very quickly to the audio signal, alerting you to potential peaks over 0 dBFS. The meters in Final Cut Pro display a peak level indicator, which is a yellow line that shows the most recent peak level for 3 seconds (assuming a higher peak hasn’t been reached).
Clip Indicators The Master meter and the floating audio meters have a clip indicator which lights up when the output signal reaches 0 dBFS. Once the clip indicator is lit, it stays on during playback to let you know that part of your signal clipped. The clip indicator also stays on after you stop playback, but it is turned off each time you start playback. To turn off clip indicators during playback: m Click the clip indicators on the Master meters or floating audio meter.
I Floating Audio Meters The floating audio meters display the output levels of the Viewer or Timeline with a simplified stereo display. If you’ve set up more than two audio outputs in the Audio Outputs tab of your Sequence Settings, the floating audio meters display the highest levels of any audio outputs in either the right or left channel.
Setting Proper Audio Levels When you work with audio, you need to make sure you set proper levels during capture, mixing, and output. Setting Levels for Capture When you capture digital audio, you usually cannot make level adjustments because an exact copy of the digital information is transferred to your hard disk.
I If you set the reference level of the Final Cut Pro floating audio meter to –20 dBFS, you have nearly 20 dB of headroom, since 0 dBFS is the digital limit for the loudest sound. If you set the reference level in your sequence to –12 dBFS instead, you have less headroom. Even though the average level of your audio is higher, there won’t be as much dynamic range.
Outputting Bars and Tone at the Head of Your Tape When you output your program to a tape for duplication or delivery to a broadcast facility, you’ll typically include a 1 kHz reference tone at the beginning of the tape. The level of this tone is supposed to indicate what the average level of your audio mix is. For this tone to be meaningful, you must mix your audio so that the average level of your mix matches the level of the tone.
I Working With Multiple Audio Output Channels Each Final Cut Pro sequence can have up to 99 audio tracks, each of which can be routed to any physical audio output channel on your audio interface. You can also assign more than one track to the same physical output. In this case, the signals from each track are added together, increasing the overall level of that output channel.
If your audio interface does not support the number of output channels in your audio output preset, Final Cut Pro warns that you will not hear audio tracks assigned to unavailable hardware outputs, but you are still allowed to use this preset. For example, if you are using the stereo (2-channel) built-in audio output on your computer, but you have selected a 4-channel audio output preset for your sequence, Final Cut Pro warns you that any tracks assigned to outputs 3 or 4 will not be heard.
I To create a new audio output preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences, then click the Audio Outputs tab. 2 Choose a preset from the audio output Presets list, then click Edit or Duplicate. 3 In the Audio Outputs Preset Editor, enter a name and description for the preset. 4 Choose the number of audio channels you want to access on your audio interface.
Downmixing Multiple Audio Channels to a Stereo Mix Even when you use multiple audio channels during editing and mixing, you often need to create a stereo mix when outputting or distributing your movie. Downmixing combines all audio output channels into a single stereo output. If you are working with multiple output channels and you need to output or monitor a stereo mix, you can select the Downmix option in the Audio Mixer.
I When a sequence is downmixed, odd-numbered audio outputs are sent to the left channel, and even-numbered audio outputs are sent to the right channel. Since downmixing combines multiple output channels, the level of the stereo output may be too high. To counteract these high levels, each audio output channel has its level reduced by the dB specified in its Downmix pop-up menu in the Audio Outputs tab for the current sequence’s settings (in the Sequence Settings window).
Editing While you edit in the Timeline, you can link two audio clip items together into a stereo pair so that you can control both clips’ levels or pan settings at the same time. You can also unlink stereo clip items so they are two independent, mono clip items. For more details about linking and unlinking stereo audio items, see Volume II, Chapter 17, “Audio Editing Basics.
5 Overview of the Audio Mixer 5 You can use the Audio Mixer to monitor audio levels for all of your sequence clips, as well as adjust audio levels and pan settings in real time. This chapter covers the following: Â About the Audio Mixer (p. 67) Â Controls in the Audio Mixer (p. 68) Â Using Audio Mixer Views (p. 77) About the Audio Mixer The Audio Mixer provides faders, panning sliders, and solo and mute controls for each track in your sequence.
Controls in the Audio Mixer The controls in the Audio Mixer are comparable to those of an automated hardware mixing console. Each audio track in the currently selected sequence (or audio track in the Viewer) is represented by a track strip, complete with solo and mute buttons, a stereo panning slider, a level fader, and a peak meter.
I Track Visibility Area In this area, you can choose which track faders are shown in the Audio Mixer. To show the Track Visibility area: m Click the disclosure triangle in the upper-left corner of the Audio Mixer. You can show and hide the Track Visibility area by clicking the disclosure triangle. The Track Visibility area includes the following controls: Â Track Visibility control: Click the Track Visibility control for a track to toggle the visibility of that track’s track strip in the Audio Mixer.
Track Strips Area In a typical audio mixer, each channel has a corresponding channel strip with level and pan controls. In the Final Cut Pro Audio Mixer, each track in your sequence has a corresponding track strip with mute, solo, pan, and audio level controls. If a track’s Track Visibility control is turned off in the Track Visibility area, its track strip does not appear here. If an audio track is disabled in the Timeline, that track’s track strip controls are dimmed.
I Â Panning slider: Use to change a clip’s stereo pan. The panning slider in the Audio Mixer works the same way as the Pan sliders in the Viewer’s audio tabs. Changes made to the panning slider can be recorded as keyframes in the clip currently beneath the playhead. Upon playback, the panning slider is automated by the keyframes, and animates to display the changing pan values in your program.
 Track level meter: Each track in the Audio Mixer tab corresponds to a track in your sequence (or in the Viewer) and has an individual meter with a scale from +12 dBFS to –∞ dBFS (silence). A track level meter shows the levels of the current audio clip item in a track. Use these meters to make sure the average level of each clip is consistent with similar audio material and that peaks are not above 0 dBFS. Each fader has tic marks that indicate the current strength of the signal in decibels (dBFS).
I Master Area Using the master fader controls, you can mute, downmix, and adjust the audio levels of all audio tracks at once. The controls in the Master area cannot be automated, but the current state of all controls in the Master area is stored in each clip in your project. To show the Master area: m Click the disclosure triangle in the upper-right corner of the Audio Mixer tab.
 Master audio meters: There is a Master audio meter for each output channel specified in the current sequence’s Audio Outputs tab (in the Sequence Settings window). For example, if your sequence has an audio preset that has six output channels, there are six Master audio meters in the Audio Mixer. Each meter has a scale from +12 dBFS to –∞ dBFS (silence). Since the Master audio meters show the final level that will be output to your audio interface, you should make sure that no level goes above 0 dBFS.
I View Buttons The View buttons allow you to organize the Audio Mixer into different subsets (or “banks”) of visible track strips. For example, you might choose to create two separate views to mix your sequence—one for viewing only music tracks and another for viewing dialogue tracks. This is especially useful when mixing a sequence that has more audio tracks than will fit in the Audio Mixer tab at once. Each sequence in a project stores four views.
To add keyframes whenever you move an audio fader or panning slider, do one of the following: m Select the Record Audio Keyframes button in the button bar at the top of the Audio Mixer (in the Tool Bench window). m Select the Record Audio Keyframes checkbox in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window. m Press Shift-Command-K. The Record Audio Keyframes button and the checkbox in User Preferences are the same control; they are just located in two different places for convenience.
I Using Audio Mixer Views When you work on sequences with many audio tracks, some of the track strips in the Audio Mixer may appear offscreen. To avoid having to constantly scroll back and forth, you can hide the track strips of tracks you don’t immediately need to work with. You can also create different views to organize groups of tracks in your sequence according to their content.
Organizing track strips this way is especially helpful if you organize your audio tracks according to their content. For example, you could set up View 1 to display only the track strips for audio tracks in your program containing dialogue clips. View 2 could then show only the track strips for audio tracks containing music clips, View 3 could show track strips for tracks containing sound effects, and View 4 could show track strips for tracks containing ambience clips.
6 Using the Audio Mixer 6 You can use the faders and sliders in the Audio Mixer to quickly set audio levels and pan for clips, or record keyframes to create mixer automation over time. This chapter covers the following: Â Making Basic Audio Adjustments With the Audio Mixer (p. 79) Â Making Stereo Pan Adjustments With the Audio Mixer (p. 87) Â About Mixer Automation and Keyframe Recording (p. 89) Â Using a Control Surface With the Audio Mixer (p.
When Audio Mixer Controls Aren’t Available There are several instances when the controls of a given track’s track strip aren’t available. Â If there is no clip on that track at the position of the playhead: The fader on that track’s track strip is set to indicate that there is complete silence at the gap in the track. It is not possible to adjust a given track’s fader if there is no clip at the current position of the playhead.
I To mute one or more tracks, do one of the following: m In the Audio Mixer, click the mute button in the track strip for the track you want to silence. Mute button in the Audio Mixer m In the Timeline, click the Audio Controls button to display the mute and solo buttons for each track, then click the mute button on the audio track you want to silence.
Using the Solo Button to Listen to Individual Tracks If your sequence contains several audio tracks and you want to listen to a track in isolation, you can temporarily solo only that track. When you enable a track’s solo button, all other tracks are automatically muted. However, if other tracks’ solo buttons are enabled, these tracks still remain soloed. If you enable the solo button on multiple tracks, all tracks with solo enabled play back, while all other audio tracks in your sequence are muted.
I Using Faders to Adjust Audio Levels Final Cut Pro stores audio level information in clips, not in tracks. When you adjust faders in the Audio Mixer, you affect only the clips currently beneath the playhead. This is the same as adjusting a clip’s audio level directly in the Timeline or Viewer. Changes made to faders in the Audio Mixer ... ...affect only the audio clip items below the playhead in the Timeline.
Adjusting Levels in Mono Versus Stereo Clips Track faders in the Audio Mixer control each audio clip independently unless two clips are a stereo pair: Â Dual mono clips: Track faders can be adjusted independently. For example, if you’ve captured a clip that has two actors whose dialogue was recorded independently, one on the left channel and one on the right channel, you can control their levels separately. Â Stereo pair clips: The faders of both audio tracks are locked together and move as one.
I 4 In the Audio Mixer, drag the track’s fader up or down to adjust the level. While you move the fader, the audio level field indicates the numeric value of the current level. Once you release the fader, the audio clip’s audio overlay in the Timeline changes to reflect the change you’ve made. Adjust the fader for the clip. Audio level field The audio overlay in the Timeline changes to reflect the change you’ve made.
To change the audio level of a clip numerically: 1 Make sure the clip doesn’t have any level keyframes already applied. 2 Make sure that the Record Audio Keyframes button in the button bar at the top of the Audio Mixer is not selected. 3 In the Timeline, position the playhead so that it’s directly over the clip whose audio level you want to change. 4 In the Audio Mixer, enter a new value in the number field below the fader you want to modify, then press Return. Valid values range from +12 dB to –167 dB.
I Making Stereo Pan Adjustments With the Audio Mixer You can use the panning sliders in the Audio Mixer to make adjustments to the stereo placement of clips in audio tracks that have been assigned to stereo output channels. Panning sliders appear in a track’s track strip, below the mute and solo buttons. Like adjustments made to audio faders, adjustments made using a track’s panning slider only affect the stereo imaging of the clip that appears at the position of the playhead, and can be automated.
 Stereo pair clip items: The panning sliders of tracks containing a pair of stereo clip items at the position of the playhead are locked together with an inverse relationship, giving you control over the stereo image of the clips. Changing the stereo distribution of one of the audio items inversely adjusts the stereo distribution of the other, resulting in a gradual swapping of the left and right audio items in these tracks.
I To reset a panning slider: m Hold down the Option key, then click the panning slider you want to reset. To reset all panning sliders in the Audio Mixer: m Control-click at the top of any track’s track strip, then choose Reset All Panners from the shortcut menu. Note: Stereo pan can also be modified in the Audio tabs of the Viewer. For more information on how to modify stereo pan in the Viewer, see “Changing the Pan of Audio in the Viewer” on page 118.
Specifying Audio Keyframe Recording Resolution Before you start recording keyframes using the Audio Mixer, you must define the frequency with which Final Cut Pro records level and pan keyframes. Final Cut Pro can record every subtle movement of an audio fader and panning slider or a reduced (“thinned”) number of those keyframes. To choose the resolution for audio keyframe recording: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences.
I Keyframe recording continues as long as the mouse button is held down, so it’s best to mix groups of short, consecutive clips in a track all at once. For example, suppose you’ve edited a dialogue sequence with multiple angles of coverage so that the dialogue spoken by a single character is broken up into six different clips on tracks A1 and A2.
To record level or pan keyframes: 1 Select the Record Audio Keyframes button in the button bar at the top of the Audio Mixer. ∏ Tip: You can select or deselect the Record Audio Keyframes button during playback, if necessary. 2 In the Viewer or Timeline, move the playhead to the area of your sequence where you want to record keyframes. It’s a good idea to start a few seconds before the section you’ll actually be mixing, to give yourself time to get ready. 3 Begin playback of your sequence.
I 5 Hold down the mouse button to continue recording mixer automation, and move the fader or panning slider to adjust the clip’s audio or pan levels in real time while playback continues. 6 When you’ve finished, release the mouse button to stop recording keyframes. The sequence continues to play, and the fader and pan controls return to the previously set levels. 7 If there are any other Audio Mixer controls you want to adjust at this time, repeat steps 4 through 6.
Looping Playback to Mix Each Track You can set up a section of your Timeline to loop so that you can mix each track without stopping playback. As the section of your sequence loops, you can go from one track level fader to the next, adjusting (or overwriting) keyframes until your mix is perfect. To record automation while your program is looping: 1 Select the Record Audio Keyframes button in the button bar at the top of the Audio Mixer.
I 8 When you’ve finished making adjustments, stop playback. If keyframe recording stops before the end of a clip, the audio or pan level of the remaining duration of that clip depends on whether or not there were already keyframes in the clip. Â If there were no keyframes in the clip prior to recording keyframes: The audio level or pan overlay remains at the level of the last recorded keyframe for the remaining duration of that clip.
Tips for Working With Stereo Unlike setting audio levels, adjusting stereo pan is largely an aesthetic decision. You should resist the temptation to create too many directional sound effects. Many viewers may hear your movie in mono, so they won’t be able to hear the stereo effects. (This is especially true of video that’s compressed for Internet playback and some television playback.) This doesn’t mean you should avoid stereo.
I Using the Audio Mixer to Record Over Previously Existing Automation You can use the Audio Mixer to make further changes to audio clips in your sequence that already have level and pan keyframes applied. How these changes are made depends on whether or not the Record Audio Keyframes button is selected. Â If the Record Audio Keyframes button is selected: Changes you make with the Audio Mixer during playback create a new set of keyframes, completely overwriting any previously existing keyframes.
Deleting Audio Level and Pan Keyframes You can easily remove level and pan automation from clips in a sequence using the Remove Attributes command. Audio level and pan keyframes can be removed separately or together. To remove keyframes using the Remove Attributes command: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select one or more clips in the Timeline, then choose Edit > Remove Attributes.
I Connecting a Control Surface Control surfaces send and receive MIDI data to communicate fader positions, pan knob settings, track names, and timecode.
Installing a Control Surface Once you have your MIDI interface connected to your computer, setting up a control surface is simple. To connect your control surface to your MIDI interface: 1 Connect the MIDI output port of the control surface to a MIDI input port on the MIDI interface. 2 Connect a MIDI output port on your MIDI interface to the MIDI input port on your control surface. MIDI Connector 3 Make sure the control surface is turned on.
I To configure a control surface: 1 Choose Tools > Control Surfaces. The Control Surfaces Configuration dialog appears. 2 If there is not already a control surface icon in the control surface arrangement area, click the Add (+) button (or press Command-+). A sheet appears with configuration settings.
How Audio Mixer Tracks Correspond to Control Surface Faders The track number assigned to a physical fader corresponds to the track strips visible in the Audio Mixer. For example, if only tracks A1 and A8 are visible in the Audio Mixer, they correspond to the first and second faders on your control surface. For more information about showing and hiding track strips in the Audio Mixer, see “Track Visibility Area” on page 69.
I To rearrange the order of control surface icons: 1 Choose Tools > Control Surfaces. Note: There must be at least two control surfaces connected if you want to rearrange their order. 2 Do one of the following: Â Click a control surface icon to select it, then drag the icon to a new position to the left or right. Â Press the Left Arrow or Right Arrow key to select a control surface icon, then click the Shift Order Left or Shift Order Right button to move the control surface icon.
About Fader Banks With Multiple Control Surfaces If you have multiple control surfaces configured, the fader bank button increases the control surface track numbering by the total number of physical faders. For example, if you have two control surfaces, each with eight faders, the first fader bank controls tracks 1–16, the second fader bank controls tracks 17–32, and so on.
I Adjusting Levels, Pan, Mute, and Solo Using a Control Surface Once your control surface is properly configured, you can open a sequence and begin mixing. Adjustments you make on the control surface are immediately reflected in the Audio Mixer, and the reverse is also true: Changes in the Audio Mixer are immediately reflected in the control surface. To use a control surface to mix audio in the Timeline: 1 Double-click a sequence in the Browser to open it in the Timeline and Canvas.
Control Surface Commands Supported by Final Cut Pro In addition to the main functions described above, the following control surface buttons can be used to trigger Final Cut Pro commands: Control surface button Final Cut Pro command Jog/scrub wheel Jog only Arrow keys Same Function keys (F1–F8); modifier keys (Shift, Command, Option, Control) Same Save, Undo, Cancel, Enter Same Marker Go to Previous Marker Nudge Go to Next Marker Cycle Home Solo End Recording Audio Mixer Keyframes Using a
I You can even adjust a fader to a new position while it is moving. For example, if a fader on the control surface is slowly moving down from a 0 dB keyframe to a –60 dB keyframe, you can move the motorized fader up to +12 dB, creating new keyframes. When you release the fader, it returns to its trajectory moving toward the –60 dB keyframe.
7 Mixing Audio in the Timeline and Viewer 7 You can control audio levels and pan in the Timeline, the Viewer, or the Audio Mixer window. You can make adjustments to multiple clips at once, as well as add keyframes to automate mixing levels over time. This chapter covers the following: Â Adjusting Audio Levels in the Timeline and Viewer (p. 109) Â Panning Audio in the Timeline and Viewer (p. 117) Â Adjusting Clip Levels and Pan Using Keyframes (p.
To display clip overlays in the Timeline: 1 Open a sequence in the Timeline, then choose Sequence > Settings. 2 Click the Timeline Options tab, then select the Show Keyframe Overlays checkbox. You can also toggle the Clip Overlays control in the Timeline. To display audio waveforms in the Timeline: 1 Open a sequence in the Timeline, then choose Sequence > Settings. 2 Click the Timeline Options tab, then select the Show Audio Waveforms checkbox.
I To add a keyframe to the volume overlay of a clip in the Timeline: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select the Pen tool in the Tool palette (press the P key). Â If you’re using the Selection tool, press and hold down the Option key. 2 Move the Pen tool to the point in your sequence where you want to set a keyframe, then click the overlay to set the keyframe. The keyframe appears as a small diamond at the point where you clicked.
To adjust a section of a clip’s overlay in the middle of four keyframes: m Drag just that section up or down, as if you were dragging the entire overlay. To delete volume keyframes in the Timeline, do one of the following: m Control-click the keyframe you want to delete, then choose Clear from the shortcut menu. m Select the Delete Point tool in the Tool palette (press the P key twice). Place the Delete Point tool on the keyframe you want to delete, then click to delete the keyframe.
I To adjust the volume of a group of clips simultaneously: 1 In the Timeline, select a group of audio clips whose levels you want to adjust. 2 Choose Modify > Levels. 3 Use the slider to adjust the volume level and choose Relative or Absolute from the popup menu, then click OK. Â Relative adjusts each track’s volume relative to the current level. Â Absolute changes all selected tracks to the value indicated next to the slider.
Changing Audio Levels in the Viewer You can control the audio levels and placement of sound (pan) in a clip in the Viewer using the sliders at the top of the Audio tab, the number fields next to the sliders, or the overlays in the middle of the waveform display area. The detail displayed in the Audio tabs of the Viewer is good for modifying keyframes recorded using the Audio Mixer. Drag the Level slider to change volume.
I Whether or not the audio item in the Viewer is a stereo pair also affects how volume and pan levels are set. Clips can have up to 24 tracks of audio, and each item can be mono or part of a stereo pair. Â If you opened mono items, each channel is in its own tab in the Viewer, and is mixed separately from all others. Â If you opened a stereo pair, both waveforms appear in the same tab, named Stereo. Adjusting the levels of one channel adjusts the levels of the other.
To adjust the volume by dragging the level overlay: 1 Place the pointer over the level overlay of your clip in the waveform display area of the Viewer (the overlay looks like a pink line, or—for stereo—two pink lines). The pointer turns into an Adjust Line Segment pointer. Adjust Line Segment pointer 2 Drag the overlay up or down to change the level of the clip. As you drag, a box displays the new audio level.
I Panning Audio in the Timeline and Viewer You can adjust audio pan settings directly in the Timeline, in the Viewer, or by adjusting faders in the Audio Mixer window. For more information, see Chapter 5, “Overview of the Audio Mixer,” on page 67 and Chapter 6, “Using the Audio Mixer,” on page 79. Panning Audio in the Timeline You can adjust the pan of one or more clips in the Timeline using the Audio command in the Modify menu, but you can’t make as many adjustments as you can in the Viewer.
Changing the Pan of Audio in the Viewer To adjust the stereo placement of your sound, you can change the pan of your audio clips. The Pan slider is actually one control with two modes. What the control does depends on what kind of audio you’ve opened in the Viewer: Â If the audio clip in the Viewer is a stereo pair, this slider lets you swap the left and right channels.
I Changing Pan for an Entire Clip When you edit a new clip into a sequence, the default stereo value depends on what kind of audio clip it is. Â If it’s a mono clip, its stereo pan is centered with a value of 0 by default. You can change this level to whatever you like, from –1 to +1. Â If it’s a stereo pair, the pan value defaults to –1, putting the left audio track out of the left channel, and the right audio track out of the right channel. You can use three controls to adjust the pan of a clip.
To adjust pan by dragging the pan overlay: 1 In the waveform display area of the Viewer, place the pointer over the pan overlay of your clip (the overlay looks like a purple line, or—for stereo—two purple lines). The pointer turns into an Adjust Line Segment pointer. 2 Drag the overlay up or down to change the pan of your clip. As you drag, a box displays the new pan value.
I Adjusting Clip Levels and Pan Using Keyframes Instead of setting the volume or pan of an entire clip to the same level, you can mix your levels and stereo placement dynamically, raising and lowering the volume level or changing the stereo pan of a clip numerous times within the same clip. To do this, you use keyframes. Keyframes can be used throughout Final Cut Pro with any feature whose parameters can be changed over time.
Using the Option Key to Temporarily Enable Pen Tools When using the Selection tool, holding down the Option key and moving the pointer over the volume level overlay in the Timeline makes the Pen tool the active tool. This is a fast and easy way to create keyframes to mix your levels. Holding down the Option key and moving the pointer to an existing keyframe temporarily enables the Delete Point tool, so that you can quickly delete keyframes you don’t want.
I Â Pan Keyframe button: This button, to the right of the Pan slider, places a pan keyframe at the current playhead location on the pan overlay. These keyframe markers can be used in preparation for dynamically panning an audio clip’s output from one stereo channel to another. Â Pan keyframe navigation buttons: These buttons, to the left and right of the Pan Keyframe button, allow you to move the playhead forward or backward from one keyframe on the pan overlay to the next.
To set additional keyframes: 1 Move the playhead to another point in the clip where you want to set a keyframe. 2 Do one of the following: Â Drag the Level or Pan slider to set a new keyframe at that level or value. Â Type a number in the appropriate field to set a new keyframe at that level or value. Â Click a keyframe button to add a keyframe to the volume level or pan overlay at the overlay’s current level.
I To adjust a section of an overlay in the middle of four keyframes: m Move the pointer over the section you want to adjust. When it turns into the Adjust Line Segment pointer, drag the section up or down to modify it. The rest of the overlay before and after the four keyframes remains untouched. Adjust Line Segment pointer To move a keyframe forward or backward in time: m Place the pointer over the keyframe you want to modify.
To delete a keyframe, do one of the following: m Move the playhead to the position of the keyframe you want to delete, then click the Level or Pan Keyframe button to delete it. m Place the pointer over the keyframe you want to delete. When it becomes a crosshair pointer, drag the keyframe up or down out of the waveform display area. When the pointer turns into a small trash can, release the mouse button. Release the mouse button when the pointer becomes a trash can.
I Example: Using Keyframes to Adjust Audio Levels You need at least two keyframes to make any dynamic change from one volume level to another in a clip. In the example above, the section of the clip to the left of the keyframes is at –30 dB, and the rest of the clip to the right of the keyframes is at 0 dB. This is the simplest type of level change you can make.
Example: Using Keyframes in the Timeline to Automate Audio Levels Suppose you’ve edited a music clip and a clip with a voice narration together in your sequence. There are long pauses between the narrator’s lines, during which you want the music to be the dominant audio track. So you set the overall level of your music to –4 dB, since that’s the level at which the audio sounds best between the actor’s lines.
I Finally, you’ll want to move the outside pair of each group of four keyframes outward a bit, so the volume of the music doesn’t change too abruptly and startle the audience. Less steep slopes between keyframes result in more gradual fades from one volume level to the next. Adjust the slope of the level change.
3 Zoom in to the clip as far as possible. When you’ve zoomed in all the way, the playhead in the Viewer is the width of one video frame. 4 Hold down the Shift key as you drag the playhead to the exact place where the click occurs. 5 Click the Level Keyframe button to mark four keyframes in a row.
I The two inner keyframes surround the problem samples, while the two outer keyframes are placed a few hundredths of a frame outside of these. The problem samples 6 Drag the part of the level overlay between the two inner keyframes down until the box indicates –60 dB. The overlay looks something like this. The unwanted noise should be gone, and the rest of your clip’s audio is not affected.
Example: Using Keyframes to Control Pan Setting keyframes to change pan dynamically works the same way as it does with levels. You need to set at least two keyframes to effect a change over time. Changing pan over time is often done to achieve stereo effects such as making a car sound zoom from left to right, or putting a particular sound effect on one side or the other of a stereo image.
I 3 Drag the Pan slider all the way to the left, so that the sound starts playing out of the left speaker. 4 Now, move the playhead to a position after the car sound effect has finished playing.
5 Drag the Pan slider all the way to the right, so that the sound ends playing out of the right speaker. Because you’ve already set a keyframe for this clip, dragging the Pan slider at another point in the clip automatically produces a new keyframe. When you play back the clip, you’ll hear the car sound move from left to right.
8 Using the Voice Over Tool 8 The Voice Over tool lets you record a single audio track directly into a sequence while you watch it. You can use the Voice Over tool to record narration, Foley effects, or any other single-channel audio source. This chapter covers the following: Â Setting Up Your Computer to Record Voiceover (p. 136) Â Controls in the Voice Over Tool (p. 139) Â Defining the Recording Duration and Destination Track (p. 143) Â Recording a Voiceover (p.
Setting Up Your Computer to Record Voiceover You can set up your computer to use the Voice Over tool in a studio, or set up a PowerBook so you can record in the field. About Microphones and Room Noise The quality of your sound recording is dependent on the quality of the microphone and preamplifier used. A microphone converts (or transduces) sound to electricity, and the preamplifier (or preamp) boosts the tiny microphone level to line level for recording.
I Connecting Audio Devices and Configuring Software Setting up your computer to record voiceover involves several steps. Step 1: Install or connect an audio interface An audio interface can be your computer’s built-in audio port, a PCI audio card, a USB audio device, or a DV camcorder connected via FireWire. Regardless of which audio interface you use, it must be compatible with Mac OS X.
Step 4: Choose an audio track and duration for your voiceover In the Browser, select and open the sequence to which you want to add a voiceover, then set In and Out points where you want the voiceover to begin and end. Step 5: Determine the offset of your audio interface Every digital recording device has some latency from the time audio enters the microphone to the time it’s processed. This latency can cause your narration to be offset by a few frames from your video.
I RAM Requirements When Using the Voice Over Tool The Voice Over tool stores audio in RAM during recording, then writes the audio data to the currently specified scratch disk. Make sure your system has enough RAM to accommodate the duration of your recording. The following chart shows some sample lengths for audio clips created with the Voice Over tool and the amount of additional memory required.
Playback and Recording Controls and Status Area  Record/Stop: Click this button to begin the audio recording and Timeline playback. While you’re recording, the button functions as a Stop button. Recording can also be stopped by pressing the Escape key. If recording is stopped, the partial audio clip that was recorded is saved to disk and placed in the Timeline.
I Audio File  Target: This line displays the sequence name and track number where audio recorded with the Voice Over tool will be placed. As subsequent takes are recorded, the audio destination track automatically moves down to the next available track.  Name: This text field displays the name that will be used for the recorded media file on disk. To change the audio clip name, click in this field, then enter the desired name.
 Input: If the audio input device you’re using has multiple inputs, this pop-up menu lets you select which one you use to record. If there are multiple audio devices you can use, Final Cut Pro remembers the input you select for each device, if you change devices.  Rate: This pop-up menu lets you choose an audio sample rate supported by the selected audio device to record your voiceover clips. It’s best to use the same audio sample rate used in your sequence.
I Defining the Recording Duration and Destination Track Before using the Voice Over tool, you need to specify the duration you’re recording and the target audio track (where clips recorded with the Voice Over tool will be placed in your sequence). Setting the Recording Duration You can define the recording duration by setting In and Out points or positioning the playhead: Â If both In and Out points are set in the Timeline, they define the duration of the recording. (This is the easiest method.
 If no Out point is set, the end of the sequence is used, defined by the end of the last clip in the Timeline. If Final Cut Pro doesn’t have enough available memory to record the duration specified, a message appears when you click the Record button in the Voice Over tab, prompting you to set a shorter recording duration. Important: Depending on the duration specified, the sync of audio recorded using the Voice Over tool may drift slightly, relative to your sequence’s other audio clips.
I Defining the Destination Track Audio that you record using the Voice Over tool is placed in the audio track connected to the audio channel 2 Source control. The following example shows a sequence with one video track and three audio tracks. A video montage is edited onto track V1, with accompanying music edited onto tracks A1 and A2. To record on audio track 3, you need to connect the audio channel 2 Source control to audio track A3. Before Connect the a2 Source control to the A3 Destination control.
In the next example, all three audio tracks already have audio edited onto them, and the audio channel 2 Source control is connected to track A3. After using the Voice Over tool, a new track A4 is created, and the new audio clip is placed there. Before After The newly recorded audio clip If another audio clip is already present in the audio track below the track connected to the audio channel 2 Source control, a new audio track is inserted below this track.
I In the example below, tracks V1, A1, and A2 contain the video and audio for an interview clip. Tracks A3 and A4 contain a stereo music clip. Suppose you connect the audio channel 2 Source control to track A2. After using the Voice Over tool, a new audio clip is created and placed on track A3, and the music clip is moved to tracks A4 and A5.
Recording a Voiceover After you’ve set up your microphone and audio interface, and the duration and destination audio track are defined, you can record your voiceover. To record a voiceover (or any other single-channel audio source): 1 Choose Tools > Voice Over. In the Voice Over tab, the status area is green and displays Ready to Record. 2 Click the Record button in the Voice Over tab. Once you do this, several things happen before your clip is placed in the Timeline.
I Recording Multiple Takes Each time you record a clip using the Voice Over tool, the audio channel 2 destination track automatically moves down one track. You can record multiple takes, one after the other, with the same specified duration in the Timeline. These new audio clips are placed beneath the one previously recorded. Recording multiple takes this way results in a stack of alternate takes, lined up at the same In point of the Timeline.
How Audio Recorded With the Voice Over Tool Appears in Your Sequence Audio is recorded during the pre- and post-roll each time you use the Voice Over tool, giving you extra audio for trimming at the head and tail. Each clip has a 5-second handle at the head and a 2-second handle at the end. By definition, handles do not appear in the sequence clip, but are visible if you open the clip in the Viewer.
9 Using Audio Filters 9 Audio filters are used for a variety of purposes, from audio cleanup to special effects. Filter parameters can be copied, pasted, automated, and adjusted in real time. This chapter covers the following: Â About Audio Filters (p. 151) Â Overview of Audio Filters (p. 152) Â Working With Audio Filters (p. 159) Â Installing Third-Party Audio Units Filters (p.
Overview of Audio Filters Filters in Final Cut Pro are always nondestructive, meaning they are applied to clips but not to the media files themselves. You can disable or remove filters at any time, so you can experiment without worrying about altering your media.
I Frequency Ranges and Equalization The entire range of human hearing, from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, can be broken into a spectrum of frequency bands: low, midrange, and high. Note: Different devices define these ranges differently; the following ranges are approximate. Low (20–250 Hz) Audible bass frequencies start around 20 Hz, though many speakers cannot reproduce frequencies this low.
Using Equalization (EQ) Filters in Final Cut Pro All of the Final Cut Pro EQ filters use a combination of three controls. This example looks at the Parametric Equalizer filter: Â Frequency: This slider lets you select the audio frequency you want to boost or attenuate. The lowest available frequency varies from 10 Hz for the High Pass filter, to 80 Hz for the 3 Band Equalizer. The highest available frequency for all EQ filters is 20,000 Hz.
I The Compressor/Limiter filter has five controls: Â Threshold: This parameter defines how loud the signal must be before the compressor is applied. This is the most important setting you need to adjust. Â Ratio: This slider determines how much compression is applied. Don’t overdo the compression; a little goes a long way. Too much compression can reduce the dynamic range to a flat, unvarying signal.
Unlike a compressor, which affects the loud parts of a signal, expansion affects the quiet parts of the signal: Â Threshold: This slider defines how low the lowest portion of the clip can be before expansion is applied. This is the first setting you’ll adjust. Â Ratio: This affects how much expansion is applied to boost the signal. Â Attack Time: This defines how quickly the filter reacts to changes in volume (the default is usually fine, but you may want to experiment).
I Â Gain: This filter lets you set how much of the signal you’re attenuating. By default, it’s set to the maximum –60 dB. Â Harmonics: These options allow you to attenuate additional frequencies that may be introduced into your signal as a result of the primary cycle hum. These frequencies are automatically derived by the filter, and you can specify up to five.
Both echo and reverb filter settings are described below: Â Effect Mix: This slider determines how much of the “dry,” or original, sound from the audio clip is mixed with the affected audio. By keyframing this parameter over time, you can make it sound as if someone is walking from far away in a room (where there would be more reverb) toward the microphone (where there would be less reverb the closer they came). Â Effect Level: This slider defines how loud the reverb or echo effect will be.
I Working With Audio Filters Filters can be added to any audio clip in a project. You can add filters individually or in groups. When you add filters to a clip, they appear in the Filters tab of the Viewer when that clip is opened in the Viewer. How they appear depends on whether the audio clip in the Viewer is a stereo pair: Â If the audio clip in the Viewer is a stereo pair, every filter you add is applied to both channels equally, and only one set of controls appears.
All filters have several controls in common: Enable checkbox and name of filter Parameter pop-up menu Parameter disclosure triangle Reset button  Parameter disclosure triangle: This allows you to show or hide a filter’s parameters.  Enable checkbox: This allows you to enable or disable filters without removing them from the clip. You can use it to disable filters temporarily to preview a different filter.  Parameter pop-up menu: Allows you to enable and disable specific settings for a filter.
I Applying Filters to an Audio Clip Applying audio filters to clips in Final Cut Pro is easy. To apply an audio filter to a clip in a sequence, do one of the following: m Drag an audio filter from the Effects tab in the Browser to a clip in a sequence in the Timeline. If you drag the audio filter to a video clip, it’s applied to any audio items linked to that clip. Drag a filter from the Browser... ...to the Timeline.
To apply multiple filters to a clip in a sequence, do one of the following: m Continue to apply more filters to the clip, one at a time, using any of the methods described previously. m Shift-click, or Command-click, multiple filters in the Effects tab of the Browser, then drag them all to one or more selected clips in a sequence in the Timeline. Filters are applied to clips in the order they appear in the Effects tab. Select several filters in the Browser, ... ...then drag them to the Timeline.
I To copy and paste filters from one clip to another: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline with a filter applied to it. 2 Copy the clip. 3 Select one or more clips in the Timeline to apply the filter to. 4 Choose Edit > Paste Attributes (or press Option-V). 5 In the Paste Attributes dialog, select these options: Â Scale Attribute Times: Shrinks or stretches the keyframes of your copied clip attributes to fit the duration of longer clips you may paste them into.
Displaying Filter Keyframes in the Timeline Once a filter has been applied to an audio clip in a sequence, you can use the Clip Keyframes control in the Timeline to add additional space underneath each audio and video track in the Timeline to view audio filters that have been applied to your clips. To view the Clip Keyframes area: m Click the Clip Keyframes control in the lower-left corner of the Timeline. Clip Keyframes control This area can be divided into three parts for audio tracks in the Timeline.
I To view the filter bar in the Clip Keyframes area: m Control-click the Keyframe Editor button, then choose Audio > Filter Bar. To view the keyframe editor in the Clip Keyframes area: m Control-click the Keyframe Editor button, then choose Audio > Keyframe Editor. To view the speed indicators in the Clip Keyframes area: m Control-click the Keyframe Editor button, choose Audio, then choose Speed Indicators from the submenu.
To change the order of filters: m Drag a filter in the Filters tab to change its place in the list of filters applied to that clip. Note: To make it easier to drag the filter, click the disclosure triangle to the left of the filter’s name to hide the filter’s parameters. To remove a filter from a clip, do one of the following: m Select a filter in the Effects tab, then choose Edit > Clear (or press the Delete key).
I To loop a section of a clip while making real-time filter adjustments: 1 With your clip opened in the Viewer, set In and Out points in the keyframe graph area of the Filters tab. In and Out points in the keyframe graph area 2 In the keyframe graph ruler, move the playhead to the In point. 3 Choose View > Loop Playback to enable looped playback. 4 To loop playback, choose Mark > Play > In to Out (or press Shift-\).
4 Begin playback. 5 Position the pointer over the audio filter control you want to adjust, and press the mouse button to begin automation recording. 6 Hold down the mouse button to continue recording automation, and move the control you’ve selected to adjust the audio filter parameter in real time while playback continues. 7 When you’ve finished, release the mouse button to stop automation recording. The sequence continues to play, and the audio filter controls return to the previously set levels.
I Controls in the Filters Tab To the right of each control is a set of keyframe controls. Like volume levels or stereo pan, filters can be keyframed to change their effect on your clip over time. Keyframe navigation buttons Keyframe display area Enable checkbox Name bar Keyframe button Section of clip currently used For a detailed description of these controls, see “Viewing and Adjusting a Filter’s Parameters” on page 192.
To set additional keyframes for a parameter while playback is paused: 1 Move the playhead to another point in the Viewer’s keyframe display area where you want to set a keyframe. 2 Do one of the following: Â Drag the parameter slider to set a new keyframe with that value. Â Type a number into the appropriate field to set a new keyframe at that value. Â Click the appropriate keyframe button to add a keyframe to the overlay of that parameter at the overlay’s current value.
I To move the playhead in the Viewer from one keyframe to another, do one of the following: m Click the left or right keyframe navigation button for a parameter to move the playhead to the next keyframe to the left or right of the current position of the playhead. m Press Option-K to move the playhead to the next keyframe to the left of the playhead. m Press Shift-K to move the playhead to the next keyframe to the right of the playhead.
To delete a keyframe, do one of the following: m Move the playhead to the keyframe you want to delete, then click that parameter’s keyframe button to remove it. m Move the pointer over the keyframe you want to delete. When it becomes a crosshair pointer, drag the keyframe up or down out of the keyframe display area. When the pointer turns into a small trash can, release the mouse button. Trash can icon m Control-click the keyframe you want to delete, then choose Clear from the shortcut menu.
I Saving a Filter or Transition as a Favorite If you’ve set up a filter with parameters that you know you’ll want to use again in the future, you can save that filter as a favorite for easy access. To make a filter a favorite: m Select the filtered clip in the Timeline, then choose Effects > Make Favorite Effect (or press Option-F). m Drag the filter you want to save from the Filters tab in the Viewer to the Favorites bin in the Effects tab in the Browser.
10 Tips for Better Audio 10 Read through the sections in this chapter for tips on cutting dialogue, cutting music, and keeping your tracks organized. This chapter covers the following: Â Learning to Describe Sound Accurately (p. 175) Â Efficiently Using the Frequency Spectrum (p. 175) Â Tips for Cutting Dialogue (p. 176) Â Tips for Cutting Music (p. 179) Â Organizing Your Tracks (p.
You can use equalizers to shape sound, making “holes” in the used frequency spectrum in which you can then place other sounds. For example, if you are trying to make dialogue in the 1–3 kHz range more audible over existing background sound, you could try filtering the background sound to reduce the 1–3 kHz range instead of reducing the level of the entire track. Equalization allows you to reduce the volume of sounds only at selected frequencies, making the mix clearer in that part of the spectrum.
I Use keyframes to eliminate microphone pops in a voiceover recording. Although you can use the Vocal DePopper filter in extreme problem cases, if you just have one or two pops in your audio resulting from words with the letter P, you can get rid of them by opening the clip in the Viewer, zooming in on the P sound, and setting four keyframes to lower the audio level and soften the sound. Use room tone to fill in audio gaps in a scene.
Cut away to another image to smooth cuts in dialogue. If you need to remove a word or phrase from someone’s speech, you can use a cutaway shot or B-roll footage at the same point. This allows you to change the audio without viewers noticing an obvious jump cut. One reason shots of the interviewer are included in documentary-style programs is to give the editor the freedom to edit the speaker’s dialogue without introducing a jump cut in the picture.
I Be careful when combining dialogue from different takes. People use different intonations as they speak a sentence, and it’s important to listen for this. Sometimes, you’ll be unable to combine two sentences because they won’t sound right together. For example, suppose you have two clips of someone talking.
Use subframe syncing to keep music on the beat. Since music has a consistent rhythm, inconsistencies in the rhythm caused by edits to a music track can be painfully obvious. Since one-frame increments are rarely detailed enough to ensure perfect sync of rhythm in a track, use subframe syncing for each segment that you edit to make sure the edit points between two clips from the same song are in rhythm. Checkerboard the audio segments you’re using to create better cross fading.
I Organizing Your Tracks As you edit audio into your sequences, it’s important to keep your tracks organized. Not only will this make it easier for you to keep your tracks straight when you edit new clips in, it will make your job much easier when it’s time to mix your tracks together. The Audio Mixer is easiest to use when you organize the audio clips in your edited sequences based on their type.
Part II: Effects II Learn how to use the powerful effects capabilities of Final Cut Pro to enhance your project. Add filters, create motion effects, generate titles, composite graphics together, and color correct your footage.
11 Video Filters 11 Once you have clips in a sequence, you can apply filters to process and modify the visual content of your clips. This chapter covers the following: Â Different Ways to Use Filters (p. 185) Â Applying a Filter to a Clip (p. 186) Â Applying Multiple Filters to Clips (p. 190) Â Viewing and Adjusting a Filter’s Parameters (p. 192) Â Displaying Filter Bars in the Timeline (p. 199) Â Enabling and Rearranging Filters (p. 200) Â Copying and Pasting a Clip’s Filters (p.
 Create and manipulate transparency effects: Use filters like the Chroma Keyer or Garbage Matte to create and manipulate the alpha channel information of clips in your project. Keying filters create alpha channels based on blue, green, white, or black areas in the image. Other filters, such as the Widescreen or Soft Edges filter, allow you to further manipulate the areas of transparency in a keyed clip, expanding, contracting, and feathering the area of transparency to fine-tune the effect.
II To apply a filter to a clip in a sequence, do one of the following: m Select one or more clips in the Timeline, then drag a filter from the Effects tab of the Browser to one of the selected clips in the Timeline. Drag the filter from the Browser... ... to a clip in the Timeline. m Select one or more clips in the Timeline, choose Effects > Video Filters, then choose a filter from the submenus.
m Open a sequence clip into the Viewer, then do one of the following: Â Choose Effects > Video Filters, then choose a filter from the submenus. Â Drag a filter from the Effects tab of the Browser directly into the Viewer. ... to the sequence clip in the Viewer. Drag the filter from the Browser... You can apply a filter to an entire clip or just part of a clip.
II To apply a filter to part of a clip in a sequence: 1 Select the Range Selection tool in the Tool palette (or press the G key three times). Range Selection tool 2 In the Timeline, drag across the part of the clip to which you want to apply the filter. Drag to select the section of the clip to which you want to apply the filter. 3 Do one of the following: Â Drag a filter from the Effects tab of the Browser to the selected portion of the clip.
To reposition the filter Start and End points: m In the keyframe graph area, drag the Start or End point of the filter to the new time or location. The End point dragged to the new time Drag the Start or End point to change it. Applying Multiple Filters to Clips You can apply one or more filters to a clip at a time. You can also add one or more filters to multiple clips at the same time. You can add as many filters as you like to a clip.
II To apply multiple filters to a clip in a sequence, do one of the following: m Apply filters to a clip one at a time (described earlier). m Select a filter in the Effects tab of the Browser, copy it, then paste it into the clip’s Filters tab in the Viewer. m Copy filters from one clip’s Filters tab, then paste them into another clip’s Filters tab (regardless of whether it’s a sequence clip in the Timeline or a master clip in the Browser).
Viewing and Adjusting a Filter’s Parameters Once you apply one or more filters to a clip, you must display filter parameters before you can adjust them. Note: If you want to show or modify parameters for a filter applied to a clip in your sequence, make sure that you open the sequence clip in the Viewer, rather than opening the master clip from the Browser. To view the filters applied to a clip, do one of the following: m Open a clip into the Viewer, then click the Filters tab.
II Â Filter category bar: Video filters are listed first, then audio filters. (This is for clips with both video and audio items.) Click the Video Filters bar or the Audio Filters bar to select all the filters in that category. Â Name bar: Each filter has a name bar that contains a disclosure triangle, on/off checkbox, and the filter’s name. Drag the name up or down to change a filter’s position in the list. (It’s easier to do this if the filter’s controls are hidden.
Keyframe graph ruler Keyframe graph area Filter Start and End points Section of clip not used  Keyframe graph area: The keyframe graph area shows all the keyframes and interpolated values associated with parameters currently displayed in the Viewer.  Keyframe graph ruler: The keyframe graph ruler corresponds to the duration of the clip or the location of a clip in a sequence:  If a clip is opened from the Browser, the keyframe ruler shows the duration of the clip itself.
II Zoom control Zoom slider  Zoom control: This control lets you zoom in and out on the duration displayed by the ruler in the keyframe graph area, expanding and contracting the keyframe graph ruler as you do so. This also keeps the area of the visible keyframe graph centered as you zoom in or out. For more information, see “Zooming In to the Keyframe Graph” on page 261.
To adjust the corresponding value to within two decimal places of precision: m Hold down the Shift key while dragging a slider. To gear down a slider, allowing you to make more precise changes to the parameter: m Hold down the Command key while dragging a slider. Logarithmic sliders As you move the handle on a logarithmic slider, the rate of change increases faster in one part of the slider than in other parts.
II Point control Point controls are used to specify locations in the Canvas. To define a new location with x and y coordinates: 1 In the Filters tab of the Viewer, click the point control. X and y coordinates Point control 2 Move the pointer to the Canvas. The pointer changes to the crosshair pointer in the Canvas. 3 Click anywhere in the Canvas to choose that coordinate. ∏ Tip: You can also drag in the Canvas, and then release the mouse button when the pointer is at the appropriate location.
To constrain the dial to 45-degree increments: m Press the Shift key while you adjust the angle control. To gear down the dial’s movement for a more precise value: m Press the Command key while adjusting the control. To reset the dial to its previous setting while adjusting a parameter: m Drag the pointer all the way out of the effect parameter. Color controls The color controls give you several ways to select a color value.
II Clip control You can use the image from one clip in a filter to change another clip. m Drag any clip from your sequence to this control to apply it to the filter. ∏ Tip: You can drag Final Cut Pro generators to clip controls as with any other clip. Clip control To clear a clip that’s currently attached: m Control-click the clip control, then choose Clear from the shortcut menu.
To show or hide filter bars, do one of the following: m Click the Clip Keyframes button in the Timeline. m Choose Sequence > Settings, then click the Timeline Options tab. Enable or disable the Show Filter and Motion Bars checkboxes. To open a clip into the Viewer using filter bars: m In the Timeline, double-click a green bar or keyframe to open that clip into the Viewer. The Filters tab is automatically selected.
II Copying and Pasting a Clip’s Filters When you copy a clip from the Timeline, you also copy all of that clip’s settings, including filters applied to that clip. Instead of pasting duplicates of the clip you’ve copied, you can paste only that clip’s filters into other clips by using the Paste Attributes command in the Edit menu. Warning: Pasting attributes into clips that have different frame rates produces erratic results.
Removing Filters From Clips You can remove one or more filters from a clip at any point in your project. To remove a filter from a clip, use one of the following methods: m Select the filter in the Filters tab, then press Delete. m Select the filter, then choose Edit > Clear. m Select the filter, then choose Edit > Cut. m Control-click a filter, then choose Cut from the shortcut menu. To remove all of a clip’s filters: 1 Click the Video filters category bar in the Filters tab.
II Video Filters Available in Final Cut Pro There are numerous filters that come with Final Cut Pro. The following tables give you a short description of each type of video filter, followed by a detailed list of available filters of that kind. Blur Filters Blur filters are commonly used to make stylized background graphics out of video clips. With enough blur applied, you can turn almost any video image into a stylized blend of colors and shapes.
Border Filters Border filters let you create borders using the total frame of your clips. Filter Result Basic Border Draws a border around the edges of the clip and ignores any alpha channel information associated with that clip. Use the Border slider to adjust the width and the color controls to select the border color. Bevel Draws a beveled border around the edges of the clip. The Light Angle control lets you specify the direction of the light.
II Color Correction Filters Color correction filters let you adjust the black, white, and midtone color balance of your clips. For detailed information on using these filters, see Chapter 20, “Color Correcting Clips,” on page 411. Filter Result Broadcast Safe1 Gives you a fast method for dealing with clips that have luminance and chrominance levels that exceed the broadcast limits for video.
Distort Filters The Final Cut Pro Distort filters are design-oriented filters that create texture effects. 206 Filter Result Bumpmap Offsets pixels in a clip using the luminance of a second selected image, called the map. Use the Direction and Outset controls to define the direction and amount of the offset, and the Luma Scale and Repeat Edge controls to define the appearance of the offset. Cylinder Distorts the clip as if it were wrapped around a cylindrical object.
II Image Control Filters Image Control filters let you manipulate the levels of black, white, and color in your clips. They can be used to correct clips with color or exposure problems or to create other, more extreme color effects. For more detailed control over the color in your clips, use the color correction filters. Filter Result Brightness and Contrast (Bezier) Lets you change the brightness and contrast of a clip by –100 to 100 percent to darken or lighten the image.
Key Filters Key filters are generally used to key out background areas of video in order to isolate foreground elements to composite against a different background. Keying filters are commonly used with the Matte Choker filter. For detailed information on applying these filters, see Chapter 19, “Keying, Mattes, and Masks,” on page 385.
II Filter Result Difference Matte Compares two clips and keys out areas that are similar. A View popup menu allows you to look at the source of the clip (with no key applied), the matte created by the filter, the final matted image, or a special composite of the source, matte, and final image for reference. The Difference Layer clip control allows you to specify another clip to compare the current image to for keying.
Matte Filters Matte filters can be used by themselves to mask out areas of a clip, or to create alpha channel information for a clip to make a transparent border so that the clip can be composited against other layers. Matte filters can also be used to make further adjustments to layers with keying filters applied to them. For detailed information, see “Using Mattes to Add or Modify Alpha Channels” on page 404.
II Filter Result Matte Choker Usually used in conjunction with a keying filter to manipulate the edges of the key. The Edge Thin slider in the Matte Choker is often used instead of the Edge Thin slider in the keying filter because it can produce a more realistic result. When you use the Matte Choker, moving the Edge Thin slider to the right gradually eats into marginally keyed areas of a filter, eliminating fringe and smoothing out the edges of your matte.
Perspective Filters Perspective filters allow you to move your clips spatially within their frames. To move a filter spatially using the entire frame of the Canvas, use motion effects instead. Filter Result Basic 3D Creates the illusion that your clip is suspended in 3D space. You can adjust the rotation around the X, Y, and Z axes using angle controls. The Center point control allows you to set the center of transformation, and the Scale slider enlarges and reduces the size of the entire affected layer.
II Stylize Filters Stylize filters can be used to create an assortment of visual effects. Filter Result Anti-alias Blurs the high-contrast areas in the clip to soften the borders between elements in the frame. Use the Amount slider to soften “stair-stepping.” Diffuse Randomly offsets pixels in the clip to create a textured blur. The Direction Angle control allows you to adjust the direction of diffusion. The Radius slider adjusts how extreme the diffusion is.
Video Filters Video filters are generally used to solve specific problems with clips in your sequence, although there are design-oriented filters in this category as well. 214 Filter Result Blink Flashes the clip on and off. You can adjust the frequency independently using the On Duration and Off Duration sliders, and the maximum dip in opacity using the Opacity slider. De-Interlace Can be used to remove the upper (odd) or lower (even) field from an interlaced video clip.
II Filter Result Strobe Lowers the apparent frame rate of a clip in your sequence by freezing the frames of the clip for a specified amount of time. The Strobe Duration slider allows you to define the duration of each freeze frame. Timecode Generator Generates a visible timecode counter independent of the timebase and timecode format of the affected clip (or sequence). For example, you can apply a Timecode Generator filter counting at 24 fps while the affected sequence has a timebase of 29.97 fps.
12 Changing Motion Parameters 12 Every video and graphics clip in a project has a set of parameters that can be edited in the Motion tab of the Viewer. These parameters include scale, rotation, center point, cropping, and corner pin distortion. This chapter covers the following: Â Creating Motion Effects in the Viewer (p. 217) Â Creating Motion Effects in the Canvas (p.
Adjusting Parameters in the Motion Tab Motion parameters are located in the Motion tab of the Viewer.
II To enable the Drop Shadow or Motion Blur attribute: m Click the checkbox next to Drop Shadow or Motion Blur. Some parameters must be enabled to use them. Drop Shadow parameters Motion Blur parameters To adjust motion parameters, do one (or more) of the following: m Drag the slider. m Enter a new value in the number field, then press Return. m Drag the corresponding overlay in the keyframe graph. m For settings with a dial control: Drag the hand on the dial.
Keyboard Modifiers for Controls in the Motion Tab When using slider controls: Â To adjust the value by two decimal places of accuracy, hold down the Shift key. Â To slow down a slider’s movement and select a more precise value, hold down the Command key. When using a dial control: Â To constrain the dial to 45-degree increments, hold down the Shift key. Â To slow down a dial’s movement and select a more precise value, hold down the Command key. Â To reset the parameter to 0, drag out of the dial.
II Opacity Parameter  Opacity slider: Increases or decreases the transparency of a clip. Drop Shadow Parameters This attribute places a drop shadow behind a clip.  Offset slider: Determines how far away from the clip the drop shadow falls.  Angle: Determines which angle the drop shadow falls toward.  Color: There are several controls you can use to determine the color of the drop shadow.
The amount of blur that appears in either case depends on the speed of the moving subject. The faster the subject moves, the more blurred it becomes, similar to a motion picture film or video image. The amount of blur that is added can be modified using two parameters. Â % Blur: Affects the smoothness of the motion blur. 1000% blurs over 10 frames; 100% blurs on one frame. Â Samples: Determines the detail of the applied motion blur, which is dependent upon the speed of the motion effects applied to a clip.
II Using Cartesian Geometry to Position Clips Final Cut Pro compositing features use simple Cartesian geometry to position clips within the frame defined by the Canvas. This makes the process of symmetrically arranging layered clips easier and more precise. Even though it’s possible to eyeball a lot of compositions, a little math can go a long way, especially when you want to start creating more precise motion effects using keyframes.
For example, suppose the center point of the clip on track V2 is –218, –119. This puts the clip 218 pixels to the left and 119 pixels up from the Canvas center point. Clip center point (-218, -119) Y offset (-119) X offset (-218) Canvas center point (0, 0) When you copy and paste these attributes to the clip on track V3, the clip appears in exactly the same place.
II Examples Using Motion Settings The following two examples demonstrate how you can use motion settings to integrate a group of clips together to create a single, multilayered broadcast design shot. Example 1: Using Motion Settings to Create a Multiclip Layout In the first example, you’ll create a layered interview segment using the Scale, Rotation, and Center Point parameters. This example assumes you’ve already created a new sequence and opened it in the Timeline.
3 From the Browser, open the first clip you want to arrange in the background of your composition, then edit it into the sequence using a superimpose edit. A new track is created above the current V1 video track, and your clip is inserted into it. 4 Double-click the sequence clip you’ve just edited into the Timeline (not the background clip), to open it into the Viewer, then click the Motion tab. Motion settings for this clip Dots in the scrubber bar indicate the clip is in a sequence.
II 6 Drag the Rotation dial control to the left so that it reads –28. A negative value rotates the clip to the left; a positive value rotates it to the right. The change is also reflected in the Canvas. This is the angle in degrees that your clip is rotated. Next, you’ll change the position of this clip in the Canvas. 7 Click the point control for the Center parameter, move the pointer to the Canvas (it changes to a crosshair), then click the crosshair in the upper-left corner of the Canvas.
Clicking in the Canvas with the crosshair moves the x and y values of that clip’s center point to the pixel you clicked. In this case, the first (x) coordinate reads –218 and the second (y) coordinate reads –119. Note: For more information about using basic geometry to position clips, see “Using Cartesian Geometry to Position Clips” on page 223. Next, you’ll add another clip to your composite. 8 In the Timeline, choose track V2 as the current destination track (click the Destination control).
II 10 Check the Basic Motion box, then click OK. This setting is the only attribute you want to copy. The two clips occupy the same position in the Canvas with the clip on track V3 taking precedence, so you’ll see that one in the Canvas. The new clip on track V3 now has the same motion settings as the other clip in track V2. Although you want to keep the size of this new clip the same, you want to position it on the right corner, as a mirror image of your original clip.
12 In the left number field of the Center parameter (the x coordinate), delete the – (minus sign), then press Return. The value changes from negative 218 to positive 218. The results appear immediately in the Canvas. Note: The x and y coordinates of a clip in the Canvas are based on the offset between that clip’s center point and the center point of the Canvas. See “Using Cartesian Geometry to Position Clips” on page 223 for more information.
II 14 Using the same sequence In and Out points that you’ve been using, set the destination track of your sequence to V3, then edit in the foreground clip using a superimpose edit. The fourth clip is now in your sequence. 15 Open this new clip in the Viewer, then select the Motion tab. 16 Open the Basic Motion parameter and adjust the Scale slider to 66, so that this clip is 66% of its original size. Set the Scale to 66. The foreground clip is now 66% of its original size.
17 Choose View > Show Title Safe. The action safe boundary is 10% smaller than the size of the video frame. The title safe boundary is 20% smaller than the size of the video frame. ∏ Tip: Viewing title safe boundaries is especially important when creating work that will be broadcast on television. Televisions cut off the edge of the video frame to give the illusion that the picture takes up the entire TV screen. The amount that gets cut off varies from manufacturer to manufacturer.
II Example 2: Using Additional Motion Settings to Refine the Layout In this example, the Crop, Feather, Opacity, and Drop Shadow settings are changed to further customize the sequence you created in “Example 1: Using Motion Settings to Create a Multiclip Layout.” 1 Open the clip on track V4 of your sequence into the Viewer, then click the Motion tab. Motion settings for the clip on track V4 First, you’ll feather the edges of your foreground clip to give it a soft border.
6 In the Paste Attributes dialog, check the Scale Attribute Times and Crop boxes, leaving all other options unchecked, then click OK. The feathering you set in the foreground clip is now applied to the background clips. Now, you’ll make two further adjustments to the foreground clip, making it seem a bit wider and allowing the clips in the background to be more visible. 7 Drag the Top and Bottom sliders in the Crop parameter to the right until they are set to 5.
II 9 To apply these settings to the other two clips, select the clip on track V4 in the Timeline, then choose Edit > Copy. Select the clips on tracks V2 and V3, then choose Edit > Paste Attributes. 10 In the Paste Attributes dialog, click the Drop Shadow checkbox, then click OK. Both selected clips now display a drop shadow. Finally, you want to darken the background layer, since it’s competing with the foreground layers. 11 Open the background clip on track V1, then click its Motion tab.
Creating Motion Effects in the Canvas In the previous section, you learned about default motion parameters for clips and how to adjust those settings in the Viewer using the Motion tab. The motion settings of sequence clips can also be manipulated directly in the Canvas. Choosing a Wireframe Mode If you want to adjust a clip’s motion settings in the Canvas, the Canvas must be in one of the “wireframe” modes.
II Which View Should You Use? There are several view and background options you can specify that make it easier to work with composited layers in your sequence, specifically in the Canvas. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 7, “Canvas Basics.” Â Image+Wireframe: Use this option when adjusting motion effects directly in the Canvas.
Using the Selection, Crop, and Distort tools in the Tool palette, you can drag a clip’s handles directly in the Canvas to create various effects. Â Center handle: Drag this handle of a clip’s wireframe with the Selection tool to reposition the clip in the Canvas (changing its Center setting in that clip’s Motion tab). Â Rotational handle: Drag one of these four rotation handles with the Selection tool to rotate the clip in the Canvas (changing its Rotation setting in that clip’s Motion tab).
II Zooming In to the Canvas In the Canvas, you can choose a magnification level to help you work with your clips as you manipulate them. By zooming into the Canvas, you can get a more detailed look at your layers, which can help you make more precise positioning decisions. By zooming out of the Canvas and making the image smaller, you can more easily move clips out of the frame, in preparation for creating keyframed motion from the outside of the frame to the inside.
Using Wireframe Handles to Transform, Scale, and Rotate In many instances, you may find that dragging the handles of a selected clip in the Canvas is faster and more intuitive than adjusting its parameters in the Motion tab of the Viewer. Note: You must be in Image+Wireframe or Wireframe mode to use wireframe handles. To scale a clip: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline. 2 Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette, then do one of the following: Â To scale the clip proportionally: Drag a corner handle.
II To move a clip: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline. 2 Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette, then drag the layer to a new position. You can move a clip partially or completely outside the Canvas. To rotate a clip: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline. 2 Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette, then drag any edge of the selected clip’s border in an arc around the clip’s center point. Drag any edge with the Selection tool to rotate the clip.
To scale and rotate a clip: m Command-drag a corner handle. Command-drag a corner handle to scale and rotate the clip. To distort the shape of a clip: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline. 2 Select the Distort tool in the Tool palette, then drag a corner handle. Drag a corner with the Distort tool to distort the clip. ∏ Tip: To shorten one side and lengthen the other side of an image, hold down the Shift key while dragging.
II To crop a clip: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline. 2 Select the Crop tool in the Tool palette, then do one of the following: Â To crop a particular side: Drag in from the edge of the clip. Drag an edge with the Crop tool to crop that side of the clip. Â To crop two sides at one time: Drag one of the corners of the wireframe. Drag a corner with the Crop tool to crop two sides at once. Â To constrain the rectangle’s aspect ratio: Hold down the Shift key while dragging a corner.
Example: Using Motion Parameters and Wireframe Handles In this example, you’ll put a graphic on the side of a building as if it were a sign. You’ll use the Scale, Center, and Distort parameters (in the Motion tab of the Viewer) to match the perspective of the building with the perspective of the sign, and the Selection and Distort tools to manipulate the graphic directly in the Canvas. This example assumes you’ve already created a new sequence and opened it in the Timeline.
II 3 In the Canvas or Timeline, position the playhead over the clip you just edited into track V1, then set the sequence In and Out points to be the duration of the building clip (choose Mark > Mark Clip or press X). Position the playhead anywhere within the clip. Set the In and Out points for the duration of this clip. 4 Perform a superimpose edit to superimpose the sign into track V2 for the duration of the shot. The sign is now on top of the building.
5 In the Timeline, select the image, then choose Image+Wireframe from the View pop-up menu in the Canvas. The selected layer in track V2 is outlined in turquoise. 6 With the Selection tool, hold down the Shift key, then drag one of the corners of the sign graphic to change its scale to match that of the building. Scale down the size of the sign graphic. 7 With the Selection tool, drag the center point of the sign graphic to move it so that its position matches that of the wall.
II 8 Select the Distort tool in the Tool palette, then drag each of the four corners of the sign graphic until they match the perspective of the side of the building. Use the Distort tool to match the perspective of the building. ∏ Tip: To make the sign look more convincing, you can also add a subtle drop shadow by enabling the Drop Shadow attribute in the Motion tab of the sign clip.
13 Adjusting Parameters for Keyframed Effects 13 Automated audio level adjustments, opacity changes between layers, shifting color values, and spinning video clips are examples of what’s possible when using keyframes to adjust clip parameters over time. This chapter covers the following: Â Animating Motion Effects Using Keyframes (p. 249) Â Smoothing Keyframes With Bezier Handles (p. 268) Â Creating Keyframed Motion Paths in the Canvas (p. 272) Â Using the Timeline Keyframe Graph Area (p.
Many clip parameters can be keyframed:  Opacity  Motion settings  Generators  Filters  Volume level  Pan settings Since you can add keyframes to filters and generators, as well as motion settings, the information presented in this chapter can also be used to modify filters and generators (discussed in Chapter 11, “Video Filters,” on page 185 and Chapter 21, “Using Built-in Generated Clips,” on page 489).
II First keyframe Second keyframe Overlay in the Timeline for the Opacity parameter Adding additional keyframes increases the complexity of the effect, but the area in between each pair of keyframes in your clip is still smoothly interpolated. Using more keyframes creates additional complexity, shown in the overlay. Determining the Number of Keyframes to Use The complexity of the changes in your effects depends on the number of keyframes that you add to a clip.
Using Three Keyframes With three keyframes, you can create more complex effects, such as a curved motion path. In the example below, the position of the clip starts at the location specified by the first keyframe, moves to the position specified by the second keyframe, and then continues on its journey until it reaches the position specified by the third keyframe. (For more information about creating motion paths in the Canvas, see “Creating Keyframed Motion Paths in the Canvas” on page 272.
II Keyframing Controls in the Viewer You can use various controls for keyframing motion effects. While motion effects, filters, and generator clips have their own individual settings and controls, they use the same controls for keyframing. Keyframe button Keyframe navigation buttons Reset button  Keyframe button: Click to place a keyframe for the corresponding parameter in the keyframe graph area at the current playhead location.
 Keyframe graph area: Shows all the values and keyframes associated with parameters currently displayed in the Viewer.  Keyframe graph ruler: Corresponds to the duration of the clip or the location of a clip in a sequence:  If a clip is opened from the Browser, the keyframe graph ruler shows the duration of the clip itself. The playhead in the Viewer moves independently of the playhead in the Timeline or Canvas.
II Keyframing Tools in Final Cut Pro Three tools in the Tool palette allow you to add, modify, or remove keyframes on a parameter’s keyframe graph line in the keyframe graph area. Pen tool Pen Smooth tool Pen Delete tool  Pen: Allows you to add keyframes to a parameter in the Motion tab or Timeline keyframe graph by clicking it (you can also press the P key).  Pen Delete: Lets you delete a keyframe from a parameter by clicking the keyframe itself (you can also press the P key twice).
Setting Keyframes Until you create at least one keyframe for a parameter (or setting) of a clip, changes you make to that parameter affect the entire duration of the clip. Once you set the first keyframe for a parameter, additional keyframes are generated automatically when you make any subsequent changes to that parameter anywhere else in that clip. You generally need to set at least two keyframes to make changes or effects that are useful or noticeable.
II To set keyframes from the Viewer or Canvas: m To add a keyframe to all of the selected clip’s motion settings at once: In the Video tab of the Viewer or in the Canvas, click the Add Keyframe button. Add Keyframe button in the Canvas m To set keyframes for a single parameter: Control-click the Add keyframe button, then select a parameter from the shortcut menu. Control-click the Add Keyframe button to choose a motion parameter from the shortcut menu.
To create additional space in the keyframe graph: 1 Drag the Motion tab from the Viewer to the Timeline. The Motion tab is now a tab within the Timeline. 2 When you’ve finished making adjustments, do one of the following: Â Drag the tab back to the Viewer. Â Control-click the tab, then choose Close Tab from the shortcut menu. The Motion tab reappears in the Viewer. To add more keyframes: 1 Move the playhead to another point in the clip where you want to set a keyframe.
II m Move the pointer over the keyframe you want to modify (it becomes a crosshair), then drag the keyframe up or down. Â To raise the keyframe’s value, drag the keyframe up. Â To lower the keyframe’s value, drag the keyframe down. As you drag, a box shows the new value of the keyframe.
To delete a keyframe, do one of the following: m Move the playhead to the keyframe you want to remove, then click the keyframe button for the corresponding setting. m Move the pointer over the keyframe you want to remove (the pointer turns into a crosshair), then drag the keyframe out of the keyframe graph area. When the pointer turns into a small trash can, release the mouse button.
II Zooming In to the Keyframe Graph For a more detailed view of the keyframes you’re setting and adjusting, you can zoom in and out of the keyframe graph area in the Motion and Filter tabs in the Viewer. To zoom using the Zoom slider: m Drag the left or right thumb tab on the side of the Zoom slider. While zooming, the visible area of the keyframe graph stays centered.
To zoom using the zoom tools: 1 Select the Zoom In or Zoom Out tool in the Tool palette. Zoom In tool Zoom Out tool 2 Do one of the following: Â Click the keyframe graph area. Â Drag to select a region to zoom in or out on. As you drag, the view automatically snaps to the specified percentages of zoom in the keyframe graph area. Â Click or drag repeatedly to increase the zoom factor.
II To change the duration of the keyframe graph ruler: m Click or drag the Zoom control. Â To zoom out and show more of your sequence, click to the right of the control. Â To zoom in and show more detail, click the left side of this control. Note: The current area of the keyframe graph area remains centered.
4 To adjust the opacity of the entire clip, do one of the following: Â Drag the Opacity slider to the left until the value in the number field reads 50. Â Type 50 in the Opacity number field, then press Return. Â Move the pointer over the Opacity value graph line in the keyframe graph area; when the pointer turns into the Adjust Line Segment pointer, drag down until the value in the number field reads 50. The image in the Canvas now shows both layers blended together.
II 8 In the keyframe graph area, move the pointer to the left of the two keyframes on the Opacity value graph line. When the pointer turns into the Adjust Line Segment pointer, drag down until the number field reads 0. A segment at 50 percent opacity results in an even mix of both layers. The ramp from 0 to 50 causes the clip on track V2 in the Timeline to fade up over track V1. A segment at 0 percent makes the top layer invisible for the duration of the segment.
12 To complete this sequence, fade the topmost layer out again by adding one last keyframe. Move the playhead to 01:00:06:00, add another keyframe, then change its value to 0. ∏ Tip: You can also do the above steps using the opacity overlay in the Timeline. See the next example for more information. Example: Keyframing Opacity in the Timeline There is a faster way to create the Opacity parameter keyframes you created in “Example: Using Keyframes to Make Opacity Changes.
II ∏ Tip: If you’re having problems getting the value of the overlay to be exactly 50, hold down the Command key while you’re dragging to gear down the ratio between the movement of your mouse and the change of the opacity parameter, enabling you to adjust the overlay more precisely. 4 Now, use a shortcut to create all the keyframes you need on the overlay at once. Hold down the Option key while you move the pointer on top of the opacity overlay on the clip in track V2.
Smoothing Keyframes With Bezier Handles The keyframes of some motion settings and filter controls (but not audio volume levels) can be smoothed. When you smooth a keyframe, one or more Bezier handles are “attached” to the keyframe. These handles define the Bezier curve applied to a parameter’s interpolation from one keyframe to the next. This allows you to modify the acceleration and deceleration of the change from one keyframe’s value to the next.
II Understanding Bezier Handles and Curves When adjusting the Bezier handles that are attached to a smoothed clip, there are several kinds of curves you can create, which result in different velocity rates. Â The steeper the curve of the Bezier handles in the parameter’s keyframe graph line (or overlay), the faster the rate of change. Â The shallower the curve of the parameter’s keyframe graph line (or overlay), the slower the rate of change.
Two-Sided Bezier handles Keyframes that are in between other keyframes have two-sided Bezier handles. These handles are normally locked together, so that the curve of a parameter’s keyframe graph line has a smooth transition into and out of the keyframe, with no sudden changes. Two-sided Bezier handles for the smoothed keyframe between a beginning and end keyframe By default, if you change one of these handles, there’s an equal change to both sides of the handle.
II Smoothing Keyframes Smoothing a keyframe, or adding Bezier handles to it, makes the change from one keyframe’s value to the next more gradual by applying a curve instead of a straight line. The ability to apply smoothing to a parameter in Final Cut Pro depends on the kind of keyframes a parameter uses. Â One-dimensional keyframes: Parameters that contain multiple values can’t be represented by curved graph lines in the keyframe graph.
To change the angle between one side of a Bezier curve and the other: m Hold down the Command key as you drag a Bezier handle. When you release the Command key, the new relative angle of the two handles is locked to the angle you set. Hold down the Command key to change the angle of a handle independently of the other handle. To change the length and the angle of one Bezier handle independently of the other: m Hold down the Command and Shift keys as you drag a Bezier handle.
II What Are Motion Paths? The simplest motion path is a straight line defined by two center keyframes. Once the first keyframe is defined in the Motion tab, any time you move the Canvas or Timeline playhead to another time and then move that clip’s wireframe somewhere else in the Canvas, another keyframe is created automatically. For example, you define a center keyframe for a video clip at –160, 100.
Creating Motion Paths The simplest way to make changes to a clip’s motion path is by manipulating it directly in the Canvas while in Image+Wireframe mode. To create a motion path: 1 Open the clip you want to animate into the Viewer, then click the Motion tab. 2 In the Canvas, choose a wireframe mode from the View pop-up menu. 3 In the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline, move the playhead to the point on the Timeline where you want that clip’s motion to begin.
II Adding, Moving, and Deleting Keyframes in Motion Paths You can edit a motion path directly in the Canvas by adding, dragging, or deleting motion path keyframes. The playhead doesn’t need to be over a keyframe for you to move or delete it, nor does the playhead location prohibit you from adding additional motion path keyframes using the Pen tool.
Bezier handles on motion paths in the Canvas work the same way as they do for keyframes in the Motion tab, except that they affect the spatial motion of the clip, rather than the velocity of the clip’s change over time. (To change the acceleration or deceleration of a clip’s motion between two keyframes, you need to create separate Bezier handles in the center overlay in the Motion tab.
II To change the angle between one side of a Bezier curve and the other: m Hold down the Command key as you drag a Bezier handle. Release the Command key to lock the new relative angle of the two handles back together. Press Command, then drag to resize one side differently than another. To change the lengths and the angle of the selected Bezier handle independently of one another: m Hold down the Command and Shift keys as you drag a Bezier handle.
Controlling Speed Along a Motion Path The speed at which a clip travels along a motion path is determined by two factors: Â The spatial, or physical, distance between two keyframes in the Canvas. The farther a clip has to travel in a given duration, the faster its apparent movement. The less distance a clip moves, given the same amount of time, the slower it appears to go. Â The duration, or distance in time, between two keyframes in the center overlay of a clip’s Motion tab.
II To vary the acceleration of this clip along its motion path, you must first add Bezier handles to the keyframes you want to adjust (see “Creating Curved Motion Paths Using Bezier Handles” on page 275). A velocity handle appears as a small purple dot between the keyframe and the end of the Bezier handle. You can then modify the velocity handle attached to each Bezier handle for these keyframes.
To slow down a clip’s motion at the beginning and speed it up as it nears the next keyframe: m Drag the velocity handle away from the selected keyframe. Drag away from the keyframe to slow down the motion of the clip at the beginning, and then speed it up as it nears the next keyframe. To add Bezier handles to a keyframe and change the acceleration: m Control-click a keyframe, then choose an option from the shortcut menu, depending on the kind of acceleration you want.
II Moving an Entire Motion Path in the Canvas If you’re happy with the shape of a motion path, but you want to move it to a different position, you can move entire motion paths for one or more selected items directly in the Canvas. To move selected motion paths: 1 In the Canvas, do one of the following: Â Choose View > Image + Wireframe. Â Choose View > Wireframe. 2 Press and hold down the Command and Shift keys, click the clip in the Canvas, then drag it to move the motion path.
To change the name of a motion favorite: 1 Select the motion favorite in the Favorites bin of the Effects tab of the Browser. 2 Click the name of the motion favorite, type a new name, then press Return. When you apply a motion favorite to a clip in your sequence, it’s not like applying a filter. There is no special object (such as a filter) that is attached to your clip. Instead, applying a motion favorite applies all the motion keyframes in that favorite to the motion parameters of the clip.
II Using the Timeline Keyframe Graph Area Once motion parameters have been applied to a clip in your sequence, you can use the Clip Keyframes control in the Timeline to display a keyframe graph area below each video and audio track to allow you to view and edit parameters that are applied to your clips. To display the Timeline keyframe graph area: m Click the Clip Keyframes control.
 Keyframe editor: The keyframe editor shows you motion or filter parameters’ value graph lines and keyframes beneath clips with applied effects. These graph lines are identical to those found in the keyframe graph area of the Motion and Filters tabs in the Viewer. You can edit keyframes in the keyframe editor using the Selection and Pen tools. The keyframe editor can display the keyframe graph lines of only one parameter at a time.
II Working With the Filter and Motion Bars The filter and motion bars are useful for seeing at a glance the keyframes of one or more clip parameters in the Timeline. You can choose which parameter keyframes are visible in each bar, and you can use the Selection tool to slide these keyframes back and forth in time.
Working With the Timeline Keyframe Editor The keyframe editor allows you to edit the keyframe graph lines belonging to a clip’s filters and motion parameters directly in the Timeline. It’s ideal for making adjustments that don’t require more than one parameter to be displayed simultaneously, especially when you want to make the adjustment in relation to other elements in the Timeline, such as markers and superimposed clips.
14 Reusing Effect and Motion Parameters 14 If you frequently use a particular transition or filter with specific settings, you can save it as a favorite for easy access. This chapter covers the following: Â Copying and Pasting Specific Clip Attributes (p. 287) Â Creating and Applying Favorite Filters and Transitions (p.
About the Paste Attributes Dialog You select which attributes to paste by using the Paste Attributes dialog. The following options are available in the Paste Attributes dialog: Â Scale Attribute Times: Relatively repositions the keyframes of the copied clip’s attributes to fit the duration of longer or shorter clips you paste them into. For example, suppose you copied a 5-second clip with motion keyframes at the beginning, middle, and end.
II Â Filters: Adds the parameter values and keyframes for all filters from the clip you copied. The pasted filters are added to any filters already existing in the clip to which you are copying. Existing filters are left unchanged. For example, suppose that two clips, Clip A and Clip B, each have a Gaussian Blur filter applied. Clip A has a radius parameter value of 100, and Clip B has a radius parameter value of 13.
Copying and Pasting Clip Attributes When you paste clip attributes into other clips, the following rules apply: Â All parameters in the Motion tab of the clip you paste attributes into are replaced. Â The speed parameters of the clip you paste into are replaced. Â Filters are added in addition to any filters already in the clip you paste into. (Existing filters are left as is.
II Removing Attributes From a Clip If you ever want to remove particular attributes from a clip, such as motion parameters, filters, and so on, you can remove the attributes by using the Remove Attributes command. This is a convenient way to clear a lot of keyframes or filters at once. To remove attributes from a clip: 1 In the Timeline, select one or more clips whose attributes you want to remove. 2 Choose Edit > Remove Attributes.
Applying Filters Across Multiple Tracks at Once When working with multiple layers of video or audio in the Timeline, if you want to apply a filter to a clip or region on one track, you may want the filter to apply to the clips below and above it as well. You can make this happen automatically by first enabling Auto Select on all the tracks to which you want the filter applied.
II Creating and Applying Favorite Filters and Transitions Often you may find yourself using the same filter or transition several times in the same sequence. Rather than manually reapplying the same filter or keyframed parameters over and over again to multiple clips, you can save a filter or effect as a favorite and then apply it to multiple clips instantly. You can also save animated motion parameters, called motion favorites, and apply them to clips whenever you need to do so.
Creating Favorite Filters and Transitions The steps for creating favorite filters and transitions are essentially the same. You can create a favorite by dragging a filter or transition from the Timeline or from the Effects tab into the Favorites bin in the Effects tab. Although the steps below mostly describe how to create favorite transitions, the same steps can be used to make favorite filters.
II To create a favorite filter from the Filters tab in the Viewer: 1 Choose Window > Effects (or press Command-5) to make sure the Effects tab is open. 2 Double-click a sequence or Browser clip with one or more video or audio filters applied. The clip opens in the Viewer. 3 Click the Filters tab in the Viewer. 4 Make any desired adjustments to the keyframes or values of the filter parameters.
Organizing and Renaming Favorites When you create a favorite, you may want to rename it, particularly if you modified it, to help keep track of your transitions and filters. To rename a favorite transition or filter: 1 Select the transition or filter in the Effects tab in the Browser. 2 Click it again to highlight its name field. 3 Enter a new name, then press Return. Enter the new name for your favorite transition.
II Applying Favorite Filters and Transitions You can apply filters and transitions from the Favorites bin in the Effects tab just as you would apply any other filter or transition. Transitions can be applied to edit points between sequence clips, and one or more filters can be simultaneously applied to one or more clips in your sequence. For more information about applying filters to clips, see “Applying a Filter to a Clip” on page 186 and “Applying Multiple Filters to Clips” on page 190.
15 Previewing Effects and Comparing Frames 15 The Frame Viewer and QuickView tabs are useful for comparing content in different frames or quickly previewing a frame you are working with in the Canvas. This chapter covers the following: Â Comparing Two Frames in the Frame Viewer (p. 299) Â Viewing Your Composition in the QuickView Tab (p.
Displaying Images in the Frame Viewer Tab The default view of the Frame Viewer tab consists of the previous edit from the selected sequence and the current frame at the position of the playhead split horizontally, with the current frame on the right. As you play a sequence, the Frame Viewer continues to show the last displayed frame. When playback is paused, the contents of the Frame Viewer are updated relative to the new position of the playhead.
II You can customize the contents of the Frame Viewer tab using the following controls: Â Frame Viewer pop-up menus: Two pop-up menus near the bottom control which two frames are displayed in the Frame Viewer. Â None: This option is only available for the Frame Viewer pop-up menu on the right. If you don’t want to use the split-screen feature in the Frame Viewer, select this setting. When this setting is selected, only the frame corresponding to the green square indicators is displayed.
Choosing Display Options in the Frame Viewer The following section describes how to view and adjust split screen displays in the Frame Viewer. To choose a frame to display: m Choose a frame to display from the Frame Viewer pop-up menu next to the green square or blue square indicator. You can also choose Current Frame from the Frame Viewer pop-up menu to view the frame at the position of the playhead. To turn on the split screen: m Choose an edit point in both Frame Viewer pop-up menus.
II Viewing Your Composition in the QuickView Tab The QuickView tab provides an alternate way to view your composition outside the Canvas as you work. It takes advantage of the ability of Final Cut Pro to cache frames of your sequence to RAM as you play it. This is useful for fast previews of complex composites and effects. It’s also a good way to see how your final composite looks if you are zoomed in to the Canvas while making adjustments.
 Resolution pop-up menu: Choose Full, Half, or Quarter as your viewing resolution in the QuickView window. This setting is for display purposes only and does not affect the resolution of your rendered program. At lower resolutions, the preview area plays back faster and you’re able to cache a greater area of the Timeline into RAM.  View pop-up menu: This pop-up menu lets you choose the window to cache video from.
II If an In point is set in the Timeline but no Out point is set: Final Cut Pro caches video from the In point through the duration specified by the Range slider for playback in the QuickView window. If neither In nor Out point is set in the Timeline: Final Cut Pro uses the position of the playhead, caching half of the duration specified by the Range slider before the position of the playhead, and half after the playhead, for display in the QuickView window. Video is cached to RAM as it’s played.
16 Changing Clip Speed and Time Remapping 16 You can adjust a clip’s speed parameters to create fast- or slow-motion effects. With time remapping, you can create variable speed effects. This chapter covers the following: Â Speed Basics (p. 307) Â Constant and Variable Speed Settings (p. 311) Â Making Constant Speed Changes (p. 314) Â Making Variable Speed Changes (p. 315) Speed Basics The default speed of all clips is 100 percent, but you can change a clip’s speed setting at any time.
How Changing Speed Affects a Clip’s Duration A change in a clip’s speed can affect the duration of the clip. If you choose 50 percent speed, your clip is twice the duration; if you change speed to 200 percent, the clip becomes half as long. For example, if you set a 10-second clip to play back at 50 percent, Final Cut Pro duplicates frames in the clip so that the clip becomes 20 seconds long and plays back more slowly.
II You can also use the fit to fill edit with multiple clips. When you do so, each successive clip selected in the Browser replaces each successive clip in your sequence using a fit to fill edit, starting with the clip at the current position of the Timeline playhead. If you’ve selected more clips in the Browser than you have clips in your sequence, you’ll see an “Insufficient content for edit” error message.
5 Do one of the following: Â Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Fit to Fill section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Click the Fit to Fill button in the Canvas. Â Press Shift-F11. Fit to Fill button Fit to Fill section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas The material in the Viewer overwrites any material already between the sequence In and Out points you specified. The speed of the source clip is changed to compensate for the difference in duration.
II Constant and Variable Speed Settings You can make two kinds of speed changes to a clip—constant and variable. Additional options allow you to control the timing and improve the look of clips when you apply speed settings. Constant Speed Applying a constant speed change to a clip alters the entire clip’s playback speed by the same percentage. For example, applying a speed setting of 25 percent to a clip makes the entire clip play in slow motion.
Differences Between Constant and Variable Speed Changes There are three main differences between constant and variable speed changes. Â First, while a constant speed change applies a single percentage to the entire clip, a variable speed change can have as many percentage speed changes throughout a single clip as you want. Unlike clips with constant speed changes applied, which may require rendering at higher speeds, variable speed clips can play back in real time regardless of how fast the clip plays back.
II Note: While clips using frame blending can play in real time at preview quality, frame blending on a field-per-field basis is much more processor-intensive, and is only performed when the clip is either rendered or played via a third-party video interface with real-time hardware processing that’s capable of field blending. You can make a clip play backward by turning on the Reverse option. Alternatively, you can enter a negative speed setting.
Making Constant Speed Changes The simplest speed change you can make to a clip is a constant speed change. You do this using the Speed dialog. To change the playback speed of a clip by a constant amount: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline, or move the playhead over a clip in the Timeline. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Modify > Speed. Â Control-click the clip, then choose Speed from the shortcut menu. Â Press Command-J. 3 Select speed options for the effect you want to create, then click OK.
II Making Variable Speed Changes Time remapping allows you to make variable speed changes in clips. You can move any frame in a clip’s media file so that it plays at some other time in a clip. Adjacent frames automatically shift position in time, causing speeding up and slowing down to compensate for the moved frame or frames. Variable speed changes are made by assigning a frame in a clip’s media file to a new time in the clip.
For example, consider the following examples when using a 300-frame clip: Â Instead of playing frames 1–300 from the clip’s media file, you can set time remapping keyframes so that frames 300–1 play instead. This would appear as reversed playback. Â You can repeat frame 1 from the clip’s media file for the entire 300-frame duration of the clip. This would appear as a freeze frame. Â You can set keyframes so that frame 1 from the clip’s media file plays at frame 1, 150, and 300 of the clip.
II When you choose a value for the keyframe on the y axis, you are choosing a frame from the clip’s original media file. When you drag a time remapping keyframe up and down on the y axis, a tooltip appears that displays which media file frame you are assigning to that point in time in your clip. As you move the keyframe up, you choose a later frame in your clip’s media file, and when you move the keyframe down, you choose an earlier media file frame.
Where You Can Make Time Remapping Adjustments There are four places in Final Cut Pro where you can make variable speed adjustments: Â Timeline: One of the simplest ways to make variable speed changes is to use the Time Remap tool in the Tool palette to make adjustments to clips directly in the Timeline. As you work with this tool, an outline of your clip appears that shows you which source frame in the clip is being remapped to what time.
II Â Speed indicator area: Speed indicators show you the speed of clips in your sequence using tic marks. The spacing and color of these tic marks indicate the speed and playback direction of your clips. The speed indicators of clips in the Timeline update in real time as you make variable speed adjustments to clips in your sequence, showing you exactly how you’re altering a clip’s timing. Note: You cannot adjust speed in the speed indicator area.
Learning to Read Timeline Speed Indicators The Timeline includes speed indicators to show you the speed of clips in your sequence using tic marks. Note: To illustrate the examples in this section, all screenshots in the Timeline are presented with both the motion bar and speed indicators visible. Motion bar (blue) Speed indicators Clip Keyframes control To view the Timeline keyframe graph area: m Click the Clip Keyframes control in the lower-left corner of the Timeline.
II To view the speed indicators in the Timeline keyframe graph area: m Control-click the Clip Keyframes control, choose Video from the shortcut menu, then choose Speed Indicators from the submenu. Timeline speed indicators show you the relative playback speed of clips in your sequence. For example, suppose you have a 10-second clip in your sequence. At normal, 100-percent speed, the Timeline speed indicators are evenly spaced, indicating that your clip is playing forward at a constant speed.
If you make a clip play backward by selecting the Reverse checkbox in the Speed dialog, the speed indicators turn red to show that playback is going backward in time. Reverse indicators are red. When you make variable speed changes, the duration of the affected clip stays the same. The Timeline speed indicators display all speed changes—fast forward, slow motion, and reverse—happening within the clip.
II If parts of a clip are set to 100-percent speed, but other parts are set to fast-forward or slow motion, the speed indicators at 100 percent appear highlighted so you can differentiate them. Mixed speed indicators Highlighted speed indicators show 100-percent speed. Using the Time Remap Tool You can use the Time Remap tool in two ways: Â Slide a frame from somewhere else in the clip to the current position of the Time Remap tool. In this case, the Time Remap tool does not move.
For example, clicking a clip at 01:00:02:00 in the Timeline with the Time Remap tool places the playhead at that frame in the Timeline. Dragging to the left, you move frame 00:00:06:00 in your clip from 01:00:06:00 in the Timeline to 01:00:02:00, which is the current position of the playhead. 100% speed Variable speed Squeezed Stretched, slower Frame 00:00:06:00 from the clip’s media file has been remapped to frame 00:00:02:00.
II 4 With the mouse button still held down, drag left or right to begin moving a frame from another part of the clip to the current playhead position in the Timeline. While you drag, the Timeline speed indicators change to show you the modified speed to the left and right of the new time remap keyframe at the playhead, and a tooltip appears with the following information: Tooltip  Time: The current position of the playhead in the Timeline.
Sliding a Frame to a New Time in the Clip Option-clicking a clip with the Time Remap tool enables you to grab the frame at that point in the Timeline and move it to another time within that clip. Note: For simplicity, the clip in the following example is described as having timecode starting at 00:00:00:00, and the Timeline starts at 01:00:00:00. In reality, the source frame you select corresponds to the timecode value of the captured media file.
II To scrub through a clip in the Canvas, hold down the Shift key, then click a clip with the Time Remap tool. 3 When you’ve found the source frame in the clip that you want to remap to another time, hold down the Option key and drag the chosen frame to another time in the clip. While you drag, a new keyframe is created that is visible in the motion bar at the position of the source frame being dragged.
Adjusting Time Remap Keyframes in the Motion Bar Once you’ve created one or more time remap keyframes, you can readjust them in the motion bar. To readjust time remap keyframes in the motion bar: 1 Control-click the Clip Keyframes control in the Timeline, then choose Video from the shortcut menu and Motion Bar from the submenu. Click here to display the motion bar.
II Time Remapping Using the Time Graph While the Time Remap tool allows you to make speed adjustments to clips quickly, you can also make time remapping changes using the time graph in either the keyframe editor of the Timeline or the keyframe graph area of the Motion tab in the Viewer. In particular, editing the time graph is the only way to modify keyframe velocity, easing the transition from one speed keyframe to another using smoothed keyframes with Bezier handles.
forw ard Fast Source time  Fast-forward (greater than 100% speed): Fast-forward speed can be seen as a steeper line, in which several frames of a video clip play in the space of one frame of the Timeline. Sequence time Source time  Freeze frame (0% speed): So far, all these graphs have illustrated forward-playing clips, represented by a line that slopes upward. A freeze frame, represented by a flat line, may also be created with the time graph.
II Ac ce le ra tio n Source time  Acceleration/deceleration: Finally, the most powerful feature of the time graph is the ability to adjust the transition in a clip from one speed to another, at whatever velocity you require. Gradual changes from one speed to another are represented by curves. For example, a gradual transition from slow motion to fast forward might look like this: Sequence time When you put all this together, you can start to understand what is happening in more complex time graphs.
Time Remapping in the Motion Tab You can also make adjustments to a clip’s speed using the time graph in the Time Remap parameters in the Motion tab of the Viewer. For more information about settings in the Motion tab, see “Adjusting Parameters in the Motion Tab” on page 218. Time Remap parameters Time Graph Output parameters Time Remap Parameters  Setting: This pop-up menu allows you to choose between constant and variable speed.
II Time Graph Output Parameters  Time: A timecode value showing the clip’s current playhead position in the Timeline or Viewer. If the clip is in a sequence, the current Timeline timecode is shown. If the clip is a Browser clip, the clip’s current timecode is shown.  Source Frame: The timecode value of the clip frame that’s mapped to the current time. This field always shows time with View Native Speed selected.
5 Control-click the current timecode field, then deselect View Native Speed from the shortcut menu. Note: When View Native Speed is deselected, the timecode field is no longer italicized. 6 In the Viewer, move through the clip one frame at a time using the left and right arrow keys. Final Cut Pro now increments the timecode at the frame rate of the clip, ignoring any speed adjustments.
17 Working With Still Images and Photographs 17 You can use still images and photographs in your movie to previsualize scenes, create motion graphics, and provide visual continuity when no video is available. This chapter covers the following: Â Using Still Images and Graphics in Your Sequences (p. 335) Â Creating Freeze Frame Stills From a Video Clip (p. 336) Â Considerations Before Creating and Importing Stills (p. 337) Â Changing the Duration of Still Images (p.
Creating Freeze Frame Stills From a Video Clip Final Cut Pro makes it easy to grab a freeze frame whenever you need to, whether you are viewing a clip in the Viewer or working on a sequence in the Timeline. No additional media is created on your hard disk; freeze frames are simply clips that reference a single frame of a media file. To create a freeze frame from a video clip: 1 Make sure the frame you want for a freeze frame is displayed in the Viewer or the Canvas.
II If a Still Image Appears Fuzzy on Export Standard definition video is almost always interlaced, so still images created from standard definition video are interlaced, too. A single frame of interlaced video consists of two fields that were originally captured at different moments in time. If there is a lot of motion in the video content of a frame (such as a ball quickly moving past the camera), the two fields contain very different visual information.
Creating Graphics With the Correct Frame Size for Video When you’re preparing to import graphics into Final Cut Pro, it’s important to be aware of the implications of frame size, sequence size, and pixel aspect ratio. Ultimately, the frame size of your output format determines the size of the graphic you create in your graphics application. For example, if you are working with NTSC DV video, your graphic needs to have the same dimensions: 720 x 480.
II Video Is Not 72 Dots per Inch There is a myth in video graphic design: Since some older computer displays used 72 pixels per inch, all video created on a computer must be at this resolution. This is not true or necessary. The dimensions of a video image are dependent only on the number of horizontal and vertical pixels used in the image. Pixel dimensions alone determine the resolution of a video image.
 If your graphic is taller than it is wide, there are gray borders to the right and left of the image in the Viewer and Canvas. The borders are not part of the image. Gray borders appear on the sides because this image is taller than it is wide. These borders are not part of the image, but extra space shown in the Viewer.  If your graphic is wider than it is tall, there are gray borders at the top and bottom of the image in the Viewer and Canvas. The borders are not part of the image.
II Since every non-square video frame size has an equivalent square frame size that will look correct in SD video, it’s easy to create your graphics with a usable frame size. The steps below tell you how. See “Pixel Aspect Ratios in SD Video Signals Versus Computer Displays” on page 342 for more background information on this topic.
3 Do one of the following: Â Save your image from the graphics program into your media folder on disk. Â In your graphics program, first save your image at the original dimensions with a name such as MyGraphic_original (this is a working copy that you can always use to make further changes). Then, rescale the graphic from the square frame size you created it with to the non-square equivalent shown in the table in the first step.
II SD NTSC pixels are taller than computer pixels and SD PAL pixels are wider than computer pixels. As a result, a 720 x 480 pixel image looks different (taller) on an NTSC video monitor than it does on a computer display. For example, if you capture a clip of video with a globe in the picture, export a frame, and look at this frame in a graphics application, you’ll see something like this: NTSC square vs.
Choosing the Maximum White Sequence Setting When you edit a graphics clip into a sequence, if the “Process maximum white as” popup menu in the Video Processing tab of the Sequence Settings window is set to White, the brightest white in that graphic will appear at 100 percent when viewed on the Waveform Monitor in Final Cut Pro. If your sequence is set to Super-White, the brightest white in that graphic will appear at 109 percent when viewed on the Final Cut Pro Waveform Monitor.
II Selecting Fonts and Creating Line Art for Video When creating line art or selecting a font to use for a broadcast video image, you should avoid creating horizontal single-pixel lines, or using fonts that are too thin. Because video is interlaced, horizontal lines that have a height of a single pixel will flicker as the field in which they appear alternates on and off.
To scale an image within a sequence to exactly fit the sequence dimensions: 1 Select one or more clips in the sequence. ∏ Tip: You can also place the playhead over a clip in the Timeline without selecting any clips. 2 Choose Modify > Scale to Sequence. Each selected clip’s scale parameter is set to the appropriate amount so that both horizontal and vertical image dimensions fit within the sequence dimensions.
II Changing the Duration of Still Images Once an image is edited into your sequence, it has a default duration of 10 seconds. However, you may want the image to play for a longer or shorter duration. There are also a few ways to change the duration of a clip. To change the default duration of still images: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences, then click the General tab. 2 Enter a new value in the Still/Freeze Duration field.
Example: Adding Camera Motion to Still Images You’ve probably seen documentaries that show a graceful camera pan or tilt across a still image, sometimes slowly zooming in or out. These kinds of effects are traditionally done with a motion control camera, which is a device that consists of a static camera and a mobile, programmable photo table. The photo table can be programmed to move slowly past the camera in several directions and rotate around a pivot point.
II If the final destination of your sequence will be standard definition (SD) video, then any scanned images, digital photographs, and HD video images with higher resolution work well. Stills from SD video aren’t recommended because you’d have to increase the size of the still by scaling it up, which would degrade the image quality considerably and create artifacts in the picture. If you’re creating graphics for motion-control camera effects in an HD sequence, the image dimensions will have be quite high.
Step 4: Prepare the Viewer and Canvas settings To see the image size and position as it will appear within the frame during playback, you need to make a couple of adjustments. (Otherwise you may, for example, see the frame background where you didn’t mean to show it.) You also need to turn on the wireframe view to position the image visually. a In the Canvas, choose Image + Wireframe from the View pop-up menu. b Choose Fit All from the Zoom pop-up menu.
II 1 Move the playhead to the time when you want the image pan to start. 2 Move the position of the image in the Canvas to the starting position of the pan. Starting position 3 Control-click the Keyframe button in the Canvas, then choose Center from the shortcut menu. A keyframe appears in the Motion tab, next to the Center parameter. Center parameter keyframe 4 Move the playhead to the time when you want the pan to end.
5 Move the image in the Canvas to the ending position. You don’t need to add a keyframe this time because, once a single keyframe has been added to a parameter, new keyframes are automatically added each time you move the clip to a new position. You should see a line in the Canvas indicating the interpolated motion path between the starting and ending keyframes.
II To create a more realistic camera move, you may also want to smooth the motion at the beginning and the end of the motion path, so that the camera starts slowly, reaches full speed, and then slows down as it reaches the second keyframe. To smooth the speed at the starting and ending points of a motion path: 1 Choose Mark > Previous > Keyframe until the playhead is over the starting keyframe of your clip. (You can also press Option-K.
18 18 Compositing and Layering Compositing is the process of stacking and blending multiple video or graphics clips over one another in a sequence to create multilayered motion graphics and special effects shots. This chapter covers the following: Â Compositing Strategies and Modes (p. 355) Â Working With Layered Photoshop Files (p. 368) Â Using Video and Graphics Clips With Alpha Channels (p.
Audio items linked to video items you’ve layered in the Timeline are also stacked, one on top of another. You can have up to 99 tracks of audio in addition to the 99 tracks of video in a sequence in the Timeline, for a total of up to 198 tracks in a single sequence. Layered audio is mixed together by Final Cut Pro according to the volume settings that you’ve adjusted. For more information about editing audio, see “Setting Proper Audio Levels” on page 58.
II Different Ways to Layer Clips in the Timeline There are several ways you can layer clips in the Timeline. Â Create a new track in a sequence, then edit clips into the new track. You can add one or more tracks to a sequence, depending on the effect you are creating. For more information, see Volume II, Chapter 8, “Working With Tracks in the Timeline.” Â Drag a clip into an empty area of the Timeline, so a track is created for the new clip.
Adjusting Opacity Levels of Clips Every visual clip in a project has a level of transparency, or opacity parameter, that you can change in Final Cut Pro. When you adjust the opacity setting of one or more clips, they blend to create a single image. You can then use the resulting image as the background of a title sequence or as a montage in your program. Opacity is used to blend two clips, one of dancers and the other of a piano player.
II To adjust the opacity of a clip (with no keyframes) in the Timeline: 1 In the Timeline, click the Clip Overlays control. The opacity overlay can be dragged up or down to adjust it. Clip Overlays control 2 Drag the opacity overlay up or down to adjust the setting. To adjust the opacity of a clip with greater accuracy, press and hold down the Command key while you change the height of the opacity overlay.
To adjust the opacity of a clip (with no keyframes) in the Motion tab: 1 Do one of the following: Â Double-click the sequence clip you want to adjust to open it into the Viewer, then click the Motion tab. Note: When compositing clips in a sequence, make sure that you open clips from the sequence to adjust their motion parameters, including opacity. If you do a match frame edit or inadvertently open a clip from the Browser, you won’t be working on the clip as it appears in your sequence.
II Working With Composite Modes Final Cut Pro composite modes are settings that determine how the colors of one clip visually interact with those of another clip layered beneath it in a sequence. When you edit a clip into your sequence, it defaults to the Normal composite mode, meaning that it is a solid layer and is not affected by any layers underneath it. Once applied, different composite modes produce different visual results in your clips.
3 Move the playhead over these two clips to see the interaction between the two clips in the Canvas. In this example, the Screen composite mode is on the upper of two clips; no opacity is on either clip. You can quickly view or change a clip’s composite mode while working in the Timeline. This provides a fast alternative to choosing a different composite mode from the Modify menu.
II Composite Modes in Final Cut Pro  Normal: Displays the clip without any changes. This is the default of any new clip you edit into your sequence.  Add: Combines the color values of the selected clip with those of the clip beneath it in the Timeline, not exceeding absolute white. The resulting image is lighter. Where the added values are greater than one, absolute white is displayed.
 Multiply: Compares the color values for each pixel of the selected clip with those of the clip beneath it in the Timeline, and multiplies them together. If the image is already dark, there is little or no effect. If the image is light, Multiply darkens it. In this example, the white area of the layered image of brick is rendered totally transparent, and the brick merges with the floor. Note that shadows are preserved, and the layered image is lightened and darkened to match the image.
II Â Overlay: Wherever the color value is more than 128, Screen is applied. Wherever the color value is less than 128, Multiply is applied. In this example, the layered image is rendered semitransparent, with its opacity in different parts of the frame varying based on the brightness of the foreground and background images. Â Hard Light: Darkens or lightens the colors of the selected clip, depending on the color values for that clip. The effect is similar to shining a hard spotlight on the clip.
 Darken: Compares the color values for each pixel of the selected clip with those of the clip beneath it in the Timeline, and selects the darker of the two. In this example, the lightest parts of the layered image of sheet music become transparent, while the darker parts darken the background image of the singer.  Lighten: Compares the color values for each pixel of the selected clip with those of the clip beneath it in the Timeline, and selects the lighter of the two.
II Note: When the travel matte is on track V1, Final Cut Pro uses black as the default background. Using Travel Mattes to Hide or Reveal Parts of a Clip Travel mattes are useful when you want to use one clip to selectively hide or reveal part of another.
3 Place the main clip that you want masked on track V3, directly above the matte layer. The main clip to be masked goes above the matte clip. 4 Select the main clip on track V3. 5 Choose Modify > Composite Mode, then choose Travel Matte - Alpha or Travel Matte Luma, depending on the clip you’re using as your matte layer on track V2. Â Alpha: Uses the clip’s alpha channel, if one exists, as the mask. Â Luma: Uses the luminance, or grayscale image, of the clip as the mask.
II What Happens When You Import a Multilayered Photoshop File Final Cut Pro lets you import multilayered Photoshop files. Files created in any version of Photoshop can be imported, but only Photoshop 3.0 features (such as opacity, composite modes, layer order, and layer name) are supported for import. If you’re working on a motion graphics sequence, you can lay out all the graphic elements you want to animate in Photoshop as separate layers of painted and scanned graphics.
The sequence Final Cut Pro creates has the same number of layers as there are in the imported file. The background layer appears in track V1 and each consecutive layer is in the same order as the original Photoshop file. If you change the order of the video tracks, the layering order changes. If the background in the Photoshop file is transparent, then the background of the new sequence is transparent as well and defaults to black. A Photoshop file is a sequence with its own tab in the Timeline.
II Using Video and Graphics Clips With Alpha Channels Ordinary video clips have three channels of information for red, green, and blue. An alpha channel contains additional information that defines areas of transparency in the clip or image. If you import a QuickTime movie or a still image from another application, or one that’s been created by a 3D animation program, it may have an alpha channel in addition to its color channels.
 Straight: Typically generated by a 3D animation or compositing program, straight alpha channels contain only the pixels rendered for an image with no background (although the background appears black). Because of this, movies with translucent effects, such as volumetric lighting or lens flares, appear distorted unless they’re composited with something in the background.
II Working With Clips That Have Alpha Channels You can edit clips that have alpha channels into your sequence as you would any other clip, but you must make sure that a clip with an alpha channel is on a higher numbered video track than any clips that are supposed to be beneath it. For example, suppose you have a title graphic that was created in Photoshop, so it has an alpha channel already set up. When you import it into Final Cut Pro, the alpha channel is recognized automatically.
Importing Clips With Alpha Channels Some clips and images you import may have alpha channels. Ordinary video clips have three channels of information for the red, green, and blue channels respectively. An alpha channel contains additional information that defines areas of transparency in the movie. When you import a QuickTime movie or an image file, its alpha channel is immediately recognized by Final Cut Pro.
II To change or reverse the alpha channel type of a clip using the Item Properties window: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select a clip in the Browser, then choose Edit > Item Properties > Format. Â Control-click a clip in the Browser, then choose Format from the Item Properties submenu of the shortcut menu. Â Select your clip, then press Command-9. The Item Properties window appears. 2 Control-click the Alpha row in the Clip column and choose the alpha channel type from the shortcut menu.
To reverse a clip’s alpha channel: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline, Browser, or Viewer. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Modify > Reverse Alpha. Â Control-click the Reverse Alpha column in the Browser, then choose No or Yes from the shortcut menu. If the Reverse Alpha menu item is checked, its alpha channel is being reversed. If it’s unchecked, then the alpha channel is left alone.
II Options for Displaying Alpha Channel Information Several options in the View pop-up menus of the Viewer and Canvas allow you to display the alpha channel and the background that’s displayed beneath a clip with an alpha channel in different ways. These options can make it easier to see how the alpha channels of various clips affect your sequence.
Displaying backgrounds When working with clips that have an alpha channel, you can choose different backgrounds to make it easier to see which areas of your picture are transparent. There are four backgrounds to choose from:  Black  White  Checkerboard 1  Checkerboard 2 Note: You can also choose View > Background, and then choose Red, Green, or Blue from the submenu to use one of these solid colors as the background.
II Viewing RGB and Alpha Channels in the Viewer When you’re working in the Viewer, it can sometimes be helpful to have a quick look at the alpha channel of your clip. The alpha channel defines areas of transparency, and can change if various filters are applied. For example, if a blue screen clip is added to the Viewer, and a blue screen filter is applied to it, you can check to see what the alpha channel looks like by itself by choosing View > Channels > Alpha.
 Alpha+RGB: This option lets you see a representation of the alpha channel overlaid on top of the RGB channels that constitute the actual image of the video clip. The alpha channel is overlaid in red, with solid red representing nontransparent areas. The RGB and Alpha options in the View menu are most effective when used with different backgrounds (described in the next section).
II There are several backgrounds to choose from.  Black  White  Checkerboard 1  Checkerboard 2  Red  Green  Blue Note: Red, Green, and Blue backgrounds are available from the submenu only when choosing View > Background. To choose a background for viewing a clip, do one of the following: m Choose View > Background, then choose a background from the submenu. m Choose the background from the View pop-up menu in the Viewer.
Temporarily Disabling a Single Clip If, instead of disabling an entire track, you only want to disable a single clip temporarily, you can do so. While a single clip is disabled, it will not be:  Played back  Rendered  Output to tape with the rest of the sequence To disable one or more clips: 1 Select the clip or clips using one of the selection tools. 2 Do one of the following:  Choose Modify > Clip Enable so it’s no longer selected.
II Soloing Clips in Multitrack Sequences When working with multiple tracks you may find it helpful to quickly demo one clip within a sequence to the exclusion of the clips above and below it on other tracks. This helps you focus very closely on how one clip is working in a sequence. This feature, called solo item, works by disabling all unselected clips in the Timeline that appear in other tracks at the position of the playhead.
19 Keying, Mattes, and Masks 19 You can isolate specific elements of clips from the background and combine those elements with other clips by using keying, mattes, and masks. This chapter covers the following: Â Ways to Layer and Isolate Elements in Clips (p. 385) Â Using Keying to Isolate Foreground Elements (p. 388) Â Using Mattes to Add or Modify Alpha Channels (p. 404) Â Using Masks to Replace or Modify Alpha Channels (p.
In Final Cut Pro, a matte is a customizable, polygonal shape used to make part of a clip transparent. By outlining part of an image with a matte, you can turn everything outside or inside the shape transparent. Final Cut Pro allows you to create four- and eight-point mattes.
II What Are Masks and How Are They Used? A mask is an image that is used to create areas of transparency in another image. For example, the luminance in one clip can be used to create transparency in another clip. You can also assign the alpha channel of one clip to a completely different clip. (For more information about alpha channels, see “Alpha Channels and Key, Matte, and Mask Filters,” which follows.
Using Keying to Isolate Foreground Elements There are two different methods used for keying: chroma keying and luma keying. Chroma keying is a method of keying on a particular hue of color. Although any color can be keyed on, the colors most frequently used for chroma keying are blue and green.
II If you must apply compression during capture, you can still pull good keys from clips with as much as a 2:1 compression ratio, but ideal source footage should be uncompressed. DV footage, which is compressed with a 5:1 ratio as it’s recorded, is less than ideal. This is because of compression artifacts that, while invisible during ordinary playback, become apparent around the edges of your foreground subject when you start to key. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t key with DV footage.
Using the Final Cut Pro Video Scopes to Help Correctly Light Your Background Screen Since the Waveform Monitor shows you all variances in brightness in the video frame from the left to the right of the screen, you can use it to reveal hot spots in your background screen that may be difficult to see with the naked eye.
II Overview of Compositing Using the Chroma Keyer Filter While you can use one of several different filters for keying, you often use more than one filter, depending on the qualities of the video clip. In general, the process of compositing two shots together by keying consists of seven main steps, using several different types of filters. For more details, see “Example: Using the Chroma Keyer Filter” on page 398.
A second Matte Choker filter can also be applied to fill holes in the foreground subject that appear as a result of aggressive settings applied to key out the background. By adjusting the Edge Thin slider to the right, you can fill in semitranslucent areas in your foreground subject, without changing the background areas you’ve already keyed out. For more information about the Matte Choker filter controls, see “Matte Filters” on page 210.
II Step 8: Perform additional adjustments to the background layer Finally, you should spend some time working on the appearance of the background layer. Editing a foreground clip in front of a background clip is just the beginning. There are numerous details you must now consider to make the shot look convincing. For example, the foreground and background of video you shoot in the field are seldom both in focus, so the shot may look more realistic if you put the background out of focus with a blur filter.
Specifying the Type of Controls to Use for the Chroma Keyer Filter The Chroma Keyer has a set of visual controls, as well as standard numeric interface controls. The visual controls are those you’ll probably use most often, but you can toggle between the two. To use the visual controls: m In the Filters tab, click the Visual button next to the Chroma Keyer filter.
II To use the standard numeric controls, do one of the following: m In the Chroma Keyer tab, click the Numeric button. In the Chroma Keyer tab, click this button to use the standard numeric controls. m Click the Filters tab.
Visual Controls in the Chroma Keyer Filter Enable/Disable checkbox Color Range control Reset button Select Color button Saturation control View Final/Matte/Source button Invert Selection button Luminance control Sliders for further adjustments  Enable/Disable checkbox: Make sure there’s a checkmark in this checkbox for the controls you want to use. This lets you add or remove color, saturation, or luminance from the criteria used to define a key.
II Â Sat control: Allows you to adjust the degree and range of saturation that contributes to defining your key. The top and bottom handles work the same as those in the Color Range control. Drag left or right within the gradient to move all four handles simultaneously. Â Luma control: Lets you adjust the degree and range of luminance that contributes to defining your key. The top and bottom handles work the same as those in the Color Range control.
 Invert Selection button: Click this button to invert the key you’ve defined. For example, suppose you’ve set up a key based on the color of a green car and turned the desaturation all the way down so that the car is grayscale and the background is color. Clicking the Invert Selection button makes the background grayscale, and the car appears in color. Three sliders at the bottom of the Chroma Keyer let you make further adjustments.
II 4 Click the Select Color button to pick a color in the clip to key, move the pointer to the Canvas (it turns into an eyedropper), then click the desired key color. Choose a color that’s fairly close to the edge of your foreground subject, so that the area near the subject is the first area of color you key out. The color range you select with the eyedropper becomes transparent in the clip.
You can perform this step as many times as you need to. The goal is to eliminate as much of the background as you can without affecting the foreground subject. If you start encroaching on the outline of your foreground element, you’ve gone too far and should undo. It is not necessary to remove all the background fringe around your foreground subject with this step; you should focus only on eliminating the major areas of the background screen.
II 7 Depending on how the edges of your foreground subject look, you may want to make adjustments using the Edge Thin slider. The Edge Thin slider allows you to shrink the alpha channel created by the Chroma Keyer to begin to eliminate the light fringing that remains around the edges of the foreground subject. Before adjusting the Edge Thin slider After moving the Edge Thin slider to the right 8 An optional step at this point is to use the Softening slider to blur the edges of the foreground subject.
9 If you still see light fringing at this point, or if you were forced to use settings so extreme in the Chroma Keyer that some of your foreground subject was eaten away around the edges, you can apply the Matte Choker filter. After you apply the Matte Choker filter, adjust the Edge Thin and Edge Feather sliders. This is the point where you should work to eliminate all the background fringing.
II 13 Finally, you’re ready to insert the background image. Make sure that the clip you’re editing into your sequence to use as the background image appears in a video track below the foreground clip being keyed. The background image now appears. The background image is placed below the foreground clip that was keyed.
Using Mattes to Add or Modify Alpha Channels You can use the matte filters to create a new alpha channel or add to or subtract from a clip’s existing alpha channel. Matte filters work equally well with clips that already have an alpha channel, as well as with clips that have alpha channels created using a keying filter, such as the Chroma Keyer. Matte Filters Available in Final Cut Pro There are three matte filters used most often in conjunction with the Chroma Keyer.
II 3 Move the pointer to the Canvas (it turns into a crosshair pointer), then click to change the location of the matte corner defined by Point 1. Before changing the location of the first point After changing the location of the first point 4 Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the Point 2, Point 3, and Point 4 crosshair controls, until you’ve created a box that crops out everything outside the blue screen surrounding the actor. 5 To round the four corners of the matte, adjust the Smoothing slider, if necessary.
6 You can also adjust the Choke and Feather sliders. The Choke slider adjusts the overall size of the matte, without changing the shape; the Feather slider blurs the edges of the matte. The finished matte image The parameters of the Garbage Matte filters can be keyframed, just like any other filter. This can come in handy if you need to use one of the Garbage Matte filters to crop out the outside edge of a green screen in a shot where the camera is panning.
II Keyframes are created automatically when you make these adjustments. The change of the matte’s shape and position is calculated for each frame in between the two sets of keyframes you’ve created. If the motion of the camera movement is consistent, the position of the matte should follow the position of the background screen. If the motion of the camera is inconsistent, you can create more keyframes to adjust the shape and position of the four matte points as necessary.
Example: Using the Image Mask and Mask Feather Filters In the following example, a still image is used to create an alpha channel in another clip. 1 Apply the Image Mask filter to the clip being keyed, by opening this clip into the Viewer, then clicking the Filters tab. In this example, a grayscale TIF file, called “Border.tif,” that has a white center surrounded by a rough black border, is used. 2 Drag the Border.tif clip to the clip control of the Image Mask filter.
II 4 Apply the Mask Feather filter to the clip you want to blur. 5 Open this clip into the Viewer, then click the Filters tab. 6 Move the Mask Feather filter so it appears below any other filters that may be creating or modifying the clip’s alpha channel (such as the Image Mask filter that’s already been applied). 7 Adjust the Softening slider to soften the edge of the clip’s alpha channel. The clip’s image remains untouched.
20 Color Correcting Clips 20 Final Cut Pro includes powerful color correction features that let you analyze clips in your project and perform color correction on them. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is Color Correction? (p. 411) Â Measuring and Evaluating Video (p. 418) Â The Color Correction Process (p. 434) Â The Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters (p.
Why Color Correct Your Footage? There are a number of reasons why you may want to color correct your footage: Â Make sure that key elements in your program look the way they should: Every scene of your program has key elements that are the main focus of the viewer. In a narrative or documentary video, the focus is probably on the people in the shot. In a commercial, the key element is probably a product shot, such as the label of a bottle or the color of a car.
II Â Achieve a “look”: The process of color correction is not simply one of making all the video in your piece match some objective model of black, white, and color tones. Color, like sound, is a property that, when subtly mixed, can result in an additional level of dramatic control over your program. With color correction, you have control over whether your video has rich, saturated colors, or a more muted look.
Using a Chip Chart in Production In many productions, a chip chart is placed next to the slate at the beginning of every shot. This chart can be used during postproduction to unambiguously correct each shot so that the color balance of your images can be perfectly corrected. This then gives the colorist a good neutral starting point for the color correction process. Chip charts are especially useful during multi-camera shoots with consumer grade camcorders.
II The goals of color correction at this stage depend on the length of the project. Â Short projects, commercials, spots, and very short videos may get a detailed color correction pass right away. The colorist will first calibrate the telecine’s own color corrector to balance the whites, blacks, and color perfectly. Then the colorist, in consultation with the cinematographer, director, or producer, will work shot by shot to determine the look of each clip according to the needs of the project.
Other Advantages to Telecine Transfers In addition to color correction, a colorist working with a telecine has many other options available, depending on what kinds of issues may have come up during the edit. Â Using a telecine to pull the image straight off the film negative, the colorist can reposition the image to include parts of the film image that fall outside the action safe area of video. Â With the telecine, the image can also be enlarged optically up to 50 percent without distortion.
II Color Correction in Final Cut Pro With as much control as they afford, telecine sessions tend to be expensive, especially for longer projects. Tape-to-tape color correction can also be expensive, but in both cases you’re paying to work with a professional colorist who has years of experience. Color correction requires a practiced eye and careful attention to detail, because it is this final step that really differentiates the look of no-budget video programs from professional broadcast TV.
Measuring and Evaluating Video Before you can effectively perform color correction using the Final Cut Pro color correction features, you need to understand the basics of what makes up the image of a video clip. A video clip’s image can be divided into two components, luma (luminance) and chroma (chrominance). Together, these two components make up the picture that you see when you play back your video.
II Chrominance (Chroma) Chroma (also referred to as chrominance) describes all the different color values in your clips, ranging from the absence of color to the maximum levels of color that can be represented. Chroma has two properties, hue and saturation. Â Hue describes the actual color itself, whether it’s red or green or yellow. Hue is measured as an angle on a color wheel.
Blacks, Mids, and Whites In the Final Cut Pro color correction filters, most of the controls that you use to correct your clips are divided into controls over blacks, mids, and whites. Each of these represents different overlapping ranges of luma values in your image. Blacks Blacks make up the minimum range of luma in your clip. If you looked on a smooth gradient from black to white, controls that affect the blacks will affect your picture in the leftmost three-fourths of the gradient, from black to gray.
II Illegal Broadcast Levels Broadcast facilities have limits on the maximum values of luma and chroma that are allowable for broadcast. If a video exceeds these limits, distortion can appear in the form of colors bleeding into one another, the whites and blacks of your program washing out, or the picture signal bleeding into the audio and causing audible distortion. In all these cases, exceeding standard signal levels can result in unacceptable transmission quality.
Displaying Excess Luma and Chroma Levels in the Viewer and Canvas The Final Cut Pro range-checking options (in the Range Check submenu of the View menu) allow you to enable zebra striping in the Viewer and Canvas to immediately warn you of areas of your clip’s image that may stray outside the broadcast legal range. Zebra stripes appear as animated diagonal “marching lines” that are superimposed over illegal areas or areas that are very near the broadcast legal limits in your picture.
II Options in the Range Check Submenu  Excess Luma: If you choose this option, red zebra stripes appear in all areas of the frame with luminance above 100 percent, and green zebra stripes appear in areas of the frame with luminance from 90–100 percent. A yellow exclamation point icon indicates luma that’s too “hot.” A green checkmark indicates that all luma in the picture is legal.
Working With Final Cut Pro Video Scopes The video scopes in Final Cut Pro—the Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope, and Parade scope—work similarly to the same standard scopes that you’d find in any online or color correction suite. In addition, a Histogram is available to give you an instant look at the distribution of luminance levels in your clips.
II 2 Choose the type of scopes you want to view from the Layout menu. For more information, see the next section, “Options in the Video Scopes Tab of the Tool Bench.” Note: To open and use the Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope during log and capture, see Volume I, Chapter 23, “Using Color Bars for Video Calibration.” 3 Choose the video frame you want to analyze from the View pop-up menu. For more information, see the next section, “Options in the Video Scopes Tab of the Tool Bench.
Viewing and Choosing Display Options for Video Scopes Various options in the video scopes are designed to help you better focus on the visual information you’re looking for. You can choose to see one or more options. To see video scope options that are currently displayed: m Control-click anywhere in a video scope, then choose an option from the shortcut menu that appears. Options that are enabled, or displayed, have a checkmark next to them.
II Â Include Black: This option is available in the Histogram only. Turning this option on scales the Histogram’s height to include the blacks in the picture. Turning this option off scales the height, ignoring the blacks. You may want to turn this option on if there’s a lot of black in the clip you’re viewing, to help you get a clearer profile of all the whites and blacks in the clip.
With the Waveform Monitor set to display saturation, you can also compare the relative saturation levels of two clips by comparing the thickness of their displayed waveforms. Modifying the saturation of one clip to match that of another is simple; just adjust the Saturation control of one of the color correction filters in one of the clips to compensate.
II Learning to Read the Vectorscope The Vectorscope shows you the overall distribution of color in your image against a circular scale. The video image is represented by a series of connected points that all fall somewhere within this scale. The angle around the scale represents the hue displayed, with targets indicating the primary colors of red, green, and blue and the secondary colors of yellow, cyan, and magenta.
The color targets of the Vectorscope scale match the colors in the Color Balance controls of the Final Cut Pro color correction filters. If the hues of two shots you’re trying to match don’t match, the direction and distance of their offset on the Vectorscope scale gives you an indication of which direction to move the balance control indicator to correct for this. The Vectorscope is also helpful for identifying and correcting the flesh tones of actors in a shot.
II Learning to Read the Histogram The Histogram display shows you the relative strength of all luminance values in the video frame at a glance, from black to super-white (assuming the video codec you’re using supports Y´CBCR processing). It’s really a bar graph of sorts, where each pixel on the scale from left to right represents a percentage of luma, from 0 to 110.
The shape of the Histogram is also good for determining the amount of contrast in an image. A low-contrast image has a concentrated clump of values nearer to the center of the graph. By comparison, a high-contrast image has a wider distribution of values across the entire width of the Histogram. Low-contrast image High-contrast image Learning to Read the Parade Scope The Parade scope is actually a modified Waveform Monitor.
II The Parade scope is very useful for comparing the relative levels of reds, greens, and blues between two clips. If one clip has more blue than another, the difference shows up as an elevated blue waveform in the one, and a depressed blue waveform in the other. In the previous screenshot, the overall image contains quite a bit of blue. By comparison, the shot of the couple dancing below has substantially less blue and far higher levels of red, which can be seen immediately in the Parade scope.
The Color Correction Process As mentioned earlier, color correction has several goals. To outline the process of color correction, this section focuses on two of those goals:  Making the actors or key elements of your scene look the way they should  Determining the overall look that you want for the scenes making up your movie Every video project is comprised of a series of scenes.
II Step 3: Add additional color correction as necessary It’s important to remember that you don’t have to do everything with a single application of a color correction filter. For example, if you can’t get the colors in both the dimly lit areas and the highlights of your clip right with a single filter, focus only on the dimly lit area. You can then adjust the highlights with a second application of a color correction filter.
Using Scopes Versus Looking at the Picture There are two pieces of information that you have available to work with while performing color correction: the readouts displayed in the Video Scopes tab, and the visual image as displayed on your NTSC or PAL broadcast video monitor. Each has advantages and disadvantages; you’ll want to use both equally to determine what needs to be done.
II Keyboard Shortcuts to Move Quickly Between Clips Key command Function + Temporarily moves the playhead to the Out point of the clip two edits back control + control + Temporarily moves the playhead to the Out point of the clip one edit back control + Temporarily moves the playhead to the In point of the clip one edit forward control + control + Temporarily moves the playhead to the currently defined sequence In point control + Temporarily moves the playhead to the currently defined seq
The two main color correction filters in Final Cut Pro that you’ll use to perform primary color correction are the Color Corrector filter and the Color Corrector 3-way filter. Each has different requirements for real-time processing; the one you use will probably depend on the video hardware you have installed. Using the Color Corrector Filters All the Final Cut Pro color correction filters are located in the Color Correction bin, within the Video Filters bin in the Effects tab in the Browser.
II The Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters The Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-way filters employ a graphical interface designed specifically for the task of color correction. The controls will be recognized immediately by professional colorists who have experience with online color correction equipment. The same basic controls are used in both filters. General Controls There are several basic controls in the top-left corner of both filters.
Copy Filter Controls The Copy Filter controls give you an easy way to copy color correction filters and filter settings into other clips in your sequence. Copy To 1st Clip Forward Copy From 2nd Clip Back Copy To 2nd Clip Forward Drag Filter Copy From 1st Clip Back  Copy From 2nd Clip Back: Copies the settings from the color correction filter of the same type that’s applied two clips behind the currently selected clip, and pastes those settings into the current color correction filter.
II Working With the Copy Filter Controls The Copy Filter controls are designed to help you color correct sequences that have shot-reverse-shot editing. For example, suppose you want to cut from a wide shot of two actors to a medium shot of them from a different angle, and then back to the wide shot. Assume you also already applied a color correction filter to the first shot. A render bar appears above that clip. This render bar indicates that the first clip has a filter applied to it.
If the previous clip doesn’t have the same number of filters, the Copy From buttons copy settings from the first available color correction filter that matches the type of the current one. If there are no color correction filters in the previous clips, these buttons are dimmed.
II Menu Commands for the Copy Filter Controls Some Copy Filter controls have equivalents in the Copy Filters submenu of the Modify menu.  From 2nd Clip Back  From 1st Clip Back  To 1st Clip Forward  To 2nd Clip Forward Keyboard Shortcuts for the Copy Filter Controls The Copy Filter controls have keyboard equivalents, described here. Using the Option key with these shortcuts modifies their operation.
Color Balance Controls Color Balance controls are color wheels that allow you to change the mix of red, green, and blue that fall within the area of a specific range of luminance in your clip. The Color Balance controls act like virtual trackballs; you can drag anywhere within a control to move the color balance indicator. The Color Corrector filter has one Color Balance control that affects the whites of a clip, and a Hue control.
II The Color Corrector Filter Controls The Color Corrector filter controls are deceptively easy considering the amount of power they give you over the look of your clips. The main controls are at the top of the visual interface tab—Color Balance controls and Level and Saturation controls—and are described next. For information about the controls in the Limit Effects area, see “Limit Effect Controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters” on page 476.
When using the Whites auto-balance control, don’t select an area that’s overexposed, such as a light source or a shiny highlight. This won’t give you the desired result. Instead, select a properly exposed area of your picture that’s white, such as a well-lit shirt sleeve or white wall.
II Level and Saturation Controls in the Color Corrector Filter The Level sliders allow you to adjust the Whites, Mids, and Blacks levels of your clip to adjust the contrast of your image. The first step when color correcting one clip to match another is to adjust its overall luminance levels to match those of the other. Only after doing this are you able to adjust the colors appropriately and achieve the desired results.
Hue Matching Controls in the Color Corrector Filter The Hue Matching controls allow you to adjust the hue of the current clip to match a similar color in an adjacent clip of your sequence. A common example is when matching the flesh tones of an actor in two different shots with different lighting. For more information on using the Hue Matching controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-way filters, see “Hue Matching Controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters” on page 471.
II 5 Choose Window > Arrange > Color Correction. This displays the Video Scopes tab in the Tool Bench. While color correcting, it’s helpful to have the Video Scopes tab open to get a more detailed analysis of your video as you work. 6 In the Layout pop-up menu of the Video Scopes tab, choose All to make sure that all the scopes are available. Choose All so that all video scopes are available for you to use. Now you’re ready to begin adjusting the image.
8 Since the image is underexposed, adjust the Mids slider to bring more detail out of the shadows. Moving the Mids slider to the right moves the distribution of midtones farther to the right, as you can see on the Histogram. Lightening this shot using the Mids slider, as opposed to readjusting the whites, allows you to preserve the maximum amount of available detail in the image. Otherwise, boosting the whites might result in the lighter areas of your clip being blown out.
II The Color Corrector filter automatically adjusts the Balance control to compensate for whatever tint exists in that area of the picture. In this example, click a highlight of the white bedspread. Remember, don’t select an area that’s overexposed, like a light source or a shiny highlight. This does not give you the desired result. Instead, select a properly exposed area of your picture that’s white, like a well-lit shirt sleeve or white wall.
Note: When using the Whites Select Auto-balance Color button, it’s important to recognize that the color temperature of the light illuminating the white area you select will affect the hue of the compensation that is made.
II Color Corrector 3-Way Filter Controls The Color Corrector 3-way filter gives you more subtle control over the color of your clips than the Color Corrector filter. The controls are deceptively easy considering the amount of power they give you over the look of your clips. The main controls are at the top of the visual interface tab—three Color Balance controls and Level and Saturation controls—and are described below.
 Mids Balance control: Drag in the Mids Balance control to move the balance control indicator and change the mix of red, green, and blue in the mids of your clip. Note: The areas of your picture affected by the Mids Balance control overlap the areas affected by the Blacks and the Whites Balance controls, so adjustments to the mids affect adjustments you may have already made to the blacks and whites.
II Using a Trackball With the Color Correction Filters Additional keyboard shortcuts are available to make it easy to use a trackball to adjust the Color Balance controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-way filters. These keyboard shortcuts work only while the mouse button (or trackball button) is pressed, and are designed to work with the drag lock button of your trackball.
Level and Saturation Controls in the Color Corrector 3-Way Filter The Level sliders allow you to adjust the Whites, Mids, and Blacks levels of your clip to adjust the contrast of your image. The first step when color correcting one clip to match another is to adjust its overall luminance levels to match those of the other. Only after doing this are you able to adjust the colors appropriately and achieve the desired results.
II Note: Be very careful when raising the saturation of a clip using this control. It is very easy to raise the saturation too high, resulting in saturation values that are illegal for broadcast. Never adjust the saturation of clips based on how they appear on your computer display. NTSC and PAL video never look as vivid on a computer display as they do on a properly calibrated broadcast video monitor, and it’s often tempting to overcompensate when basing your adjustments on a computer display.
1 Move the playhead in the Timeline over the clip you’re working on so that you can see your changes output to video as you work. With an external broadcast monitor connected to your computer, and View > External Video set to All Frames, whichever frame is at the current position of the playhead in the Canvas will be output to video. 2 Select a clip to correct in the Timeline, then apply the Color Corrector 3-way filter. For more information on applying filters, see Chapter 11, “Video Filters,” on page 185.
II The Blacks and Whites sliders automatically adjust themselves to achieve the best numeric distribution based on the luminance levels shown in the Histogram. This gives you a starting point from which to proceed. If your image was incorrectly exposed, you would now adjust the Blacks, Mids, and Whites sliders as necessary. As with all level controls, moving a slider to the right redistributes the affected values farther to the right, making the affected parts of the image appear brighter.
8 To begin to compensate for this, click the Whites Select Auto-balance Color button (the eyedropper). Click the eyedropper near the Whites control. Note: When this button is selected, your pointer turns into an eyedropper when you move it into the Canvas. 9 Click the eyedropper in an area of the picture that’s supposed to be white. Depending on the image, you may not necessarily want to select the purest white in the image.
II You can see the correction in the Canvas. After Before Note: When using the auto-balance control, it’s important to recognize that the color temperature of the light illuminating the white area you select will affect the hue of the compensation that is made.
11 Click the eyedropper in an area of the picture that’s supposed to be unsaturated black. Again, depending on the image, it may be more useful to pick a spot that’s not pure black, but is a bit lighter so that it might show through some of the tint that’s affecting that part of the image. Click the eyedropper on the black of the headrest. The Color Corrector 3-way filter adjusts the Blacks Balance control to compensate for whatever tint exists in the shadows of your picture.
II After you’ve used the auto-balance controls to achieve a properly balanced image, it’s time to fine-tune it. To really get the look you want, you need to adjust the various Color Balance controls by hand. When adjusting the Color Balance controls, you always want to start by first correcting the whites, and then correcting the blacks. You’ve already performed these two steps using the auto-balance controls.
While making these adjustments, it’s a good idea to use the flesh tone target in the Vectorscope to show you how accurately the color of the actor’s face is represented. As you can see in the Vectorscope’s analysis of the before image, the cluster of colors about the flesh tone indicator were still a little off. Moving the Color Balance control of the Mids corrected for this. Because you’re not worrying about matching this image to any other shots right now, you can select whatever look you want.
II In this example, even with all the correction we’ve applied, the image is still a little oversaturated. This is especially apparent in the red third of the Parade Scope, in the Video Scopes tab. Before adjusting the saturation After adjusting the saturation Note: As always, be careful to make adjustments to saturation only while looking at a properly calibrated broadcast monitor.
Example: Color Correcting a Three-Shot Sequence for Continuity Now that you’ve examined the specifics of using the Final Cut Pro color correction filters, you are ready to use these filters to make a series of three shots in a scene match one another. In the three shots shown in this example, two shots are taken from the same clip, and one is an insert shot taken from a completely different clip. 1 Apply the desired color correction filter to all the shots in the sequence.
II 4 In the Timeline, move the playhead to the first clip of the scene (for this example, the master shot) to open it in the Viewer. (With the Playhead Sync pop-up menu set to Open, the clip automatically opens in the Viewer.) Then click the Color Correction tab in the Viewer to open the visual controls for that clip’s color correction filter.
7 In the Timeline, position the playhead over the second clip so that it opens in the Viewer. Move the playhead so it’s in the second clip. There are three approaches you can take to compare the colors of the first and second shots: Â Press Control–Up Arrow to flip back and forth between this clip and the first one to see the differences in color and luminance levels in the Canvas. As you do this, the image on your external video monitor updates to show these two images.
II As you compare adjacent clips in your sequence, remember to pay attention to the video scopes. With Final Cut Pro set to the Multiple Edits view, you can select the Video Scopes tab in the far right Tool Bench window. The Multiple Edits layout lets you easily compare clips. Note: The Video Scopes tab can be set to display the same choice of edit points as the Frame Viewer tab.
Using information from the Video Scopes tab, you can adjust the Whites and the Mids sliders to make the two spikes of the Histogram match more closely, so you get comparable luminance levels. Moving one invariably results in some movement in the other, but keep making your adjustments until their position approximates the Histogram from the master shot. 8 With this accomplished, focus on the Parade scope. It shows that the second clip has far more blue and green than the first.
II Hue Matching Controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters The Hue Matching controls provide a way to adjust the color balance of the current clip, based on a specific hue, to match a similar hue in another clip. A common example of when you might use the Hue Matching controls is to match the flesh tones of an actor in two different shots that have different lighting. The Hue Matching controls do not affect the contrast of your image.
Hue Matching Controls The Hue Matching controls work well as a starting point to help you quickly match the overall color balance of two shots; however, you’ll probably want to further adjust the end result by hand to achieve the exact effect you’re looking for. The Hue Matching controls of the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-way filters work identically.
II Example: Using the Hue Matching Controls of the Color Corrector 3-Way Filter This example shows how to use the Hue Matching controls of the Color Corrector 3-way filter to match the flesh tones of an actor in two different shots. In the first shot, the actor is outside, and the color of the shot is correctly balanced for daylight, and has a cool blue look.
4 Once the contrast has been adjusted the way you want it, click the Select Auto-balance Color button (the eyedropper). 5 Move the pointer into the Frame Viewer 2 tab where clip 1 is showing. When the pointer becomes an eyedropper, click a highlight in the actor’s face in clip 1. Click a highlight.
II 6 Now, in the Color Corrector 3-way tab in the Viewer, click the highlighted Whites autobalance button. Click the Whites auto-balance button. Which auto-balance control highlights as the recommended next step depends on what you selected as your match color. If you selected a highlight as in this example, the Whites auto-balance control is highlighted, letting you know that it’s the appropriate control to use. If you selected a shadow, however, the Blacks auto-balance control is highlighted.
8 The Whites Balance control changes, dipping into the blues to compensate for the overly warm lighting. The color balance of clip 2 now approximates that of clip 1 much more closely. The color balance of both shots is now similar. If you’ve achieved the results you wanted, you can stop. Often, however, use of the Hue Matching controls is simply the first step taken, and other adjustments will be made afterward.
II Limit Effect Controls You can use the color value, saturation, and luminance of your clip together or separately to perform a key using the Limit Effect controls. For example, if you want to modify only the bright areas of your picture, you can disable both color and saturation, and perform only a luminance key.
Select Color button View Final/Matte/Source button Invert Selection button  Select Color button (the eyedropper): When you click this button, the pointer turns into an eyedropper you can use to select a color from a clip in the Video tab of the Viewer or in the Canvas. Shift-clicking this button allows you to select another region of the background screen that wasn’t keyed out by your first use of this control, thereby broadening the range of colors to be keyed out and enlarging the keyed-out area.
II Example: Using the Limit Effect Controls to Change a Specific Color This example shows you how to use the Limit Effect controls of the Color Corrector filter to selectively change the color of a man’s pants from red to blue, without changing the color of anything else in the frame. This example shows how to adjust the color of the man’s pants only. 1 With the color correction filter already applied, click the Select Color button (the eyedropper) to activate the Select Color tool.
The Limit Effect controls change to include the selected color range. Now, you’ll make a hue adjustment so that you can see the area you’re trying to isolate. 3 To make the pants pink, rotate the Hue control toward magenta. You can also use the View Final/Matte/Source button (the key) to view the key itself as a grayscale image while you make changes. Adjusting the Limit Effect controls while viewing the color-correcting effect is more interactive.
II If you need to readjust the range of hues between these handles, drag in the color gradient and move the range of hues left or right in relation to the Color Range handles. Now that you’ve selected the main key color range, you can make adjustments to the luminance to increase the amount of the picture that is affected by the key. 5 Move the top handles in the Luma control to select a primary luminance range to affect, then adjust the bottom handles to affect the tolerance. Key color range is increased.
Example: Using the Limit Effect Controls to Isolate a Specific Color Against Grayscale This example shows you how to use the Limit Effect controls of a color correction filter to create the effect of a red bicycle against a grayscale background. This example shows how to adjust the background to gray. 1 With the color correction filter already applied, use the Limit Effect controls to isolate the reds of the bicycle, then move the Sat slider all the way to the left.
II 2 Click the Invert Selection button to reverse the key created by the Limit Effect controls. Invert Selection button The bicycle remains red and the background turns into various shades of gray. The Desaturate Highlights and Desaturate Lows Filters Sometimes, the use of one of the Final Cut Pro color correction filters results in unwanted colors appearing in either the highlights or shadows of your image.
The Desaturate Highlights and Desaturate Lows filters are actually the same filter, but with different default settings. If you need to desaturate the highlights and the lows, you need to apply either filter only once, and then select both options. Highlight Desaturation controls Lows Desaturation controls Desaturate Highlights and Desaturate Lows Filters Controls Highlight Desaturation controls  Enable: Allows you to enable or disable the Highlight Desaturation controls.
II Example: Using the Desaturate Highlights Filter In this example, the use of a color correction filter to bring color detail out of the blues of a diving clip has resulted in some unwanted reds in the bright highlights of the image. To eliminate these unwanted reds without losing the other colors of the diver and the background, you’ll use the Desaturate Highlights filter.
The Broadcast Safe Filter The Broadcast Safe filter gives you a fast way to deal with clips that have luminance and chrominance levels which exceed the broadcast limits for NTSC and PAL video. This filter automatically uses the proper settings for NTSC or PAL, based on the sequence settings that are being used. The default settings work for most situations.
II Luminance Limiting controls  Enable: Click here to enable or disable the Luminance Limiting controls. Deselecting this checkbox doesn’t prevent any of the luminance controls from being moved; it just disables their effects.  Clamp Above: Adjust the slider or enter a value to define the maximum allowable percentage of luminance, above which values will be clamped. This defaults to 109.  Max Output: All values in between Start (Threshold) and Clamp Above will be compressed so that no values are clipped.
21 Using Built-in Generated Clips 21 Final Cut Pro can generate several types of clips for you to use in your sequences, including bars and tone, placeholders, and backgrounds. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is a Generator Clip? (p. 489) Â Different Ways to Use Generators in Your Sequence (p. 490) Â Graphical Video and Audio Generators Available in Final Cut Pro (p. 491) Â Creating and Adding Generated Clips to Sequences (p.
Different Ways to Use Generators in Your Sequence In creating composites and other effects, you may find some of the Final Cut Pro generators helpful. They allow you to very quickly add certain types of built-in clips by simply choosing items from a menu.
II Graphical Video and Audio Generators Available in Final Cut Pro Not sure what each generator does or how to use it? See the table below. Generator Result Usage information Bars and Tone (NTSC) Generates reference video color bar and tone for NTSC systems. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 23, “Using Color Bars for Video Calibration.” Bars and Tone (PAL) Generates reference video color bar and tone for PAL systems.
492 Generator Result Gradient (Render > Gradient) Generates a predefined gradient based  You can adjust the start and end on a direction you choose from the colors of the gradient using color Gradient Type pop-up menu. controls.  The Dither and Gaussian checkboxes allow you to modify the quality of the gradient you create. Usage information Highlight (Render > Generates a simulated specular Highlight) highlight band.
II Generator Result Shapes Generates a circle, oval, rectangle, or  You can change the size or square, depending on what you choose. dimensions, softness of the edges, and color of each shape. Usage information Slug Generates a video clip consisting of a black image with an empty pair of audio tracks.  Slug is used primarily as a placeholder in areas of your edit where you want to keep a gap between two clips.
2 Click the Controls tab to view that generator’s parameters, and adjust the controls to suit your purposes. Click the Controls tab to show the parameters of the generator. All generators have certain parameters that can be used to customize their effects. See “Graphical Video and Audio Generators Available in Final Cut Pro” on page 491 for more information.
22 Creating Titles 22 Titles, including opening and closing credits and those used in the lower part of the screen, are important elements in your project. This chapter covers the following: Â How You Can Use Titles in Your Project (p. 495) Â Installing and Choosing Fonts (p. 496) Â Making Sure Titles Fit on TV Screens (p. 497) Â Text Generators Available in Final Cut Pro (p. 498) Â Creating and Adding a Title Clip (p. 500) Â Other Options for Creating and Adding Titles (p.
Installing and Choosing Fonts If there are special fonts you want to install to use in Final Cut Pro, you need to install the TrueType version of those fonts because Final Cut Pro text generators use TrueType fonts. (Most professionally created fonts come in both PostScript and TrueType versions.) For information on installing fonts, see Mac Help. DV was designed for real-world images that blend together, and it is not optimized for rigid lines of text.
II Making Sure Titles Fit on TV Screens If you plan to show your work on a TV screen or monitor at any time, you’ll want to avoid the possibility of having your titles disappear off the edge of the frame. To do this, turn on the title safe boundary before you create the title, and restrict any text you add to the space within that boundary. Note: Because few video projectors use masking, title safe boundaries may not be important for movies displayed with video projectors.
Text Generators Available in Final Cut Pro The table below describes each Text generator and includes tips about settings for each generator. 498 Text generator Result Tips for making settings Crawl Generates a single line of text that moves horizontally across the screen. You type the text you want to animate in a text entry field. Carriage returns are ignored and all text appears on a single line, like a ticker tape display.
II Text generator Result Tips for making settings Scrolling Text Generates text that scrolls up the screen, like credits at the end of a movie. The Scrolling Text generator allows carriage returns. Â The Indent slider works only with left- or right-aligned text and moves the entire scrolling column to the left or right. Â The Gap Width slider works only with center-aligned text, and lets you define a space between two pieces of text on a single line that are separated by an asterisk (*).
Creating and Adding a Title Clip When you’re creating a title clip for a sequence, you can create a basic title or specify more options, including the font, size, alignment, and more advanced specifics such as auto kerning. Once you create the title clip, you add it the same way you would edit any clip into your sequence. Note: Generated text clips always adopt the frame size of the sequences they’re edited into.
II 3 In the Text field, type the text that will appear in your movie. Reset button Enter title text in this field. Number field for the font size Font size slider, with arrows on either end Parameter controls for the Text generator 4 If you wish, specify additional settings. Note: Different text generators have different controls. Â Â Â Â Text: Enter your title text in this field. Font: Choose a font from the Font pop-up menu.
 Origin: Origin refers to the center of the text. The definition of the Origin determines where the text appears within the screen.You can position the text by clicking the Point Select (+) button, and then manually adjusting the Origin (shown as a tiny + indicator) within the Canvas or Viewer. Or, you can enter horizontal and vertical values in the Origin number fields.
II To add the title clip to your sequence: 1 In your sequence in the Timeline, set your destination track. If you place the title clip on a track that’s above another track, the lower clip appears as the background to the title. 2 Set the In and Out points. 3 Click the Video tab in the Viewer, then drag the title clip from the Viewer to the Canvas or Timeline.
Using LiveType to Create Titles for Your Project When you want to create more dynamic and unique titles, LiveType makes it easy for you. It provides dozens of fonts and hundreds of objects and textures that are not available in the Final Cut Pro Text generators.
II Working With LiveType and Motion Clips in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, imported LiveType and Motion project clips behave the same as any other clips. They can be organized within the Browser, opened in the Viewer, edited into sequences, trimmed, copied, and pasted. LiveType and Motion clips also maintain normal master and affiliate clip relationships. LiveType and Motion titles can be played back in Final Cut Pro the same as other media files.
Part III: Real Time and Rendering Learn how to maximize the real-time playback capabilities of Final Cut Pro and render effects that cannot be played back in real time.
23 Using RT Extreme 23 RT Extreme is the real-time effects architecture that allows you to play back multiple video layers, video and audio filters, motion, and other effects in real time, without needing to render them first. This chapter covers the following: Â Introduction to Real-Time Processing Using RT Extreme (p. 509) Â Using Real-Time Controls in Final Cut Pro (p. 519) Â Real-Time Audio Mixing in Final Cut Pro (p. 529) Â Choosing Real-Time Playback Versus Rendering (p.
RT Extreme supports features such as dynamic real-time, multiclip, and native MPEG-2based video playback. Real-time effects are displayed in the Canvas, the Viewer, Digital Cinema Desktop, or on an external video output such as a DV output via FireWire or a third-party video interface. Note: Not all codecs are supported by RT Extreme, but the most commonly used ones are. Most of the effects that come with Final Cut Pro are capable of playing back in real time.
III About Dynamic Real-Time Playback To maximize performance during playback, you can choose to have Final Cut Pro automatically adjust the video quality, frame rate, or both, during playback. This is called dynamic real-time playback. Dynamic real-time playback continually adjusts video quality and frame rate on a frame-by-frame basis. When there are fewer demands on the CPU, Final Cut Pro uses higher video quality or a higher frame rate.
About Safe Real-Time Playback The Safe RT mode guarantees that effects are played back at the quality and frame rate you specify, and that no frames are dropped during playback. If Final Cut Pro anticipates that your computer won’t be able to perform all the effects calculations in real time, the render status of that portion of the Timeline becomes red, which means you have to render before you can play back. Red video render bars indicate rendering is required.
III About Unlimited Real-Time Playback If you’d rather lower the playback quality of your video to increase the number of realtime effects that can be played back, you can select the Unlimited RT mode. In this mode, Final Cut Pro attempts to play as many frames as possible, even when the effects in your sequence exceed the processing power of your computer. Real-time effects that can play back without dropping frames still appear with green, dark green, or yellow render bars as appropriate.
Playing Only the Base Layer of a Sequence You can improve real-time performance by using the Play Base Layer Only feature. When this option is selected, Final Cut Pro ignores effects processing altogether in areas of your sequence where the applied video effects require rendering for real-time playback (indicated by a red render bar). Motion effects or video filters are ignored and the clip’s original media is played.
III About External Video Monitoring If you enable external video monitoring (such as DV output via FireWire), this adds additional load to your computer’s processor. The Safe RT mode takes into account whether or not external video monitoring is enabled. When external video monitoring is enabled, you usually get less real-time performance than when external video monitoring is disabled. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 16, “External Video Monitoring.
Available Real-Time Effects Video transitions and filters that can play back in real time appear in boldface type in the Effects tab in the Browser and in the Effects menu. The following effects can play back in real-time: Â Superimpositions and multiclip playback: Simultaneously superimposed video clip items in the Timeline with different opacity settings can be played back in real time. Multiclip playback can also be played back in real time, depending on the number of angles in the clip.
III Supported RT Extreme Playback Codecs RT Extreme is not capable of playing back all video codecs. The CPU speed and amount of RAM installed in your computer affect which codecs can play back in real time.
More About Gamma Correction When a video signal is displayed on a monitor, the amount of brightness by which a pixel is altered depends on the original strength of the incoming signal. A gamma curve describes how the brightness of an incoming video signal (shown on the x axis) is translated to the brightness of the displayed signal.
III Using Real-Time Controls in Final Cut Pro Real-time playback and status are controlled and displayed in several different areas of the application: Â Timeline and audio clip item render bars: Render bars tell you which parts of your sequence play back in real time, and at what quality. Some render bar colors (such as red) indicate that real-time playback is not possible.
Note: Even though they may also indicate real-time playback status, these bars are usually referred to as render bars. In other words, the presence of a colored bar in the Timeline indicates that a clip requires some kind of processing. Historically, the name render bars was used because, in the past, all effects had to be rendered and there was no option for real-time processing.
III Note: Video formats that have higher system requirements for real-time playback result in fewer effects displayed in bold. Real-time effects appear in bold. Setting Real-Time Playback Options Real-time playback options, such as Unlimited RT and the quality of playback, can be adjusted in two locations: Â The Playback Control tab of Systems Settings: The Playback Control tab shows you all real-time settings available, although some may not apply to certain sequences.
 The RT (real-time) pop-up menu in the Timeline: This menu only shows you options available for the current sequence. For example, if your sequence has a timebase of 23.98 fps, and a your external video output is set to a 29.97 fps device, the RT pop-up menu displays pull-down options. However, if you disable the external video output, pull-down options do not appear. You can adjust real-time playback settings in the RT pop-up menu instead of the Playback Control tab of the System Settings window.
III Settings and Options in the RT Pop-Up Menu and Playback Control Tab The following section describes the settings and options in both the RT pop-up menu and the Playback Control tab of the System Settings window. Some settings, such as pull-down options, are not always available in the RT pop-up menu.
 Unlimited RT: Selecting this option tells Final Cut Pro to play as many frames as possible when your effects exceed the processing power of your computer. Final Cut Pro does this by spending time to process some frames in real time while skipping others completely. Unrestricted real-time playback allows you to play more effects, but increases the likelihood that your sequence will drop frames during playback. This mode is useful for getting a real-time preview of complex effects compositions.
III Â Playback Video Quality: Some codecs, such as DV, allow you to choose from several resolutions during playback. Most codecs support three levels of quality (high, medium, and low), while others support only high and low qualities. Selecting a higher playback quality will reduce the number of simultaneous real-time effects you can play. Â Dynamic: This option allows Final Cut Pro to automatically change between High, Medium, and Low quality as necessary to maintain real-time playback.
The following three pull-down patterns are available when your sequence has an editing timebase of 23.98 fps and you choose 29.97 fps external video output. Â 2:3:2:3: This pull-down is the most commonly supported pull-down pattern for NTSC devices, and is ideal for recording devices such as a standard definition television, an MPEG-2 encoding device, or a high-end finishing system.
III Â 2:2:2:4: This is a good choice if you are editing 23.98 fps video and want to preview video with as many real-time effects as possible on an NTSC monitor. Because it requires less processing, the 2:2:2:4 pull-down pattern is also useful if you need to output pull-down video from an older, slower computer (or a computer with a heavy processing load) that drops frames when you try to output 2:3:2:3 or 2:3:3:2 pull-down video.
 Gamma Correction: This pop-up menu is only available in the Playback Control tab (not the RT pop-up menu) on older systems with graphics cards that don’t support gamma correction. If your computer’s graphics card does not support gamma correction, you have two options:  Accurate: High-quality gamma correction. This option is the most accurate, but also requires the most CPU power.  Approximate: Lower-quality gamma correction.
III Real-Time Audio Mixing in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro can mix and play back multiple audio tracks in a sequence in real time, even while you make adjustments to levels, stereo pan, and audio filters.
7 Play back the sequence. If your system cannot support the number of tracks in the sequence, you see a “dropped frames” warning. 8 If you have dropped frames, reduce the number of tracks in the sequence and play it back again. Repeat this step until the sequence plays without dropped frames. 9 Set the number of real-time tracks in the General tab of the User Preferences window to the number that played back without dropped frames.
III Choosing Real-Time Playback Versus Rendering Here are some practical examples of using real time versus rendering during the course of editing your movie: To monitor video or output to tape with perfect playback of all effects in a sequence (no dropped frames and full-resolution video): 1 In the RT pop-up menu, choose Safe RT mode so there’s a checkmark next to it. The quality of the video is then safe from the sometimes quality-detrimental effects of Unlimited RT.
Using a Third-Party Video Effects Accelerator Card Instead of using RT Extreme, you may want to use a supported third-party video effects accelerator card. A video effects accelerator card is a video interface card that supports real-time effects processing, and can take the place of the built-in RT Extreme effects architecture of Final Cut Pro. All codecs capable of real-time effects playback appear in the Effect Handling tab of the System Settings window.
24 Rendering 24 When you apply more effects to a clip than your computer can process in real time, you need to render temporary media files to watch your sequence in real time. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is Rendering? (p. 533) Â Render Indicators in Final Cut Pro (p. 535) Â The Rendering Process (p. 539) Â Changing Render Settings (p. 549) Â Managing Your Render Files (p. 559) Â Tips for Avoiding Unnecessary Rendering (p.
Reasons for Rendering Any time Final Cut Pro must perform more calculations than your computer can handle in real time, you need to render. Final Cut Pro processes your video and audio when you apply filters, motion parameters, and speed, or when you mix clips with size, codec, or frame rates that don’t match your sequence. For example, placing a clip whose media file uses a DV codec into a Photo-JPEG sequence requires rendering before you can play back the sequence.
III Render Indicators in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro shows you which parts of your sequence need to be rendered by using render bars in the Timeline and, in some cases, on individual audio clip items. About Render Status Bars in the Timeline There are two render status bars in the Timeline above the ruler: The upper one is for video and the lower for audio. Render bars in the Timeline; the upper bar is for video, the lower bar is for audio.
Video Render Status Bars The color of the video render bar above the Timeline ruler indicates whether the items below need to be rendered. 536 Bar color Timeline playback state Dark gray No rendering is required. Blue-gray The material has already been rendered. Dark green Indicates a real-time effect that’s capable of playback and output to video at full quality with no rendering required.
III Audio Render Status Bars The color of the audio render bar above the Timeline ruler indicates whether the items below need to be rendered. Color Real-time playback state Dark gray No rendering is required. Blue-gray Sections of a sequence have been rendered using the Mixdown command. Red Sections of the Timeline contain audio items that cannot play in real time and that require rendering. Sections of sequences needing to be rendered play audible beeps.
About Item-Level Render Bars An audio clip item in the Timeline may display an individual render bar within the clip itself; this indicates that the audio clip requires resampling, or sample rate conversion, to match the current sequence audio settings. A green bar indicates that an audio clip item is being resampled in real time, while a blue-gray render bar indicates that an audio clip item has been individually rendered so that real-time audio resampling is no longer necessary.
III The Rendering Process When you render effects in a sequence, they’re rendered in the following order: Â The top-layer video track (the highest-numbered track) is rendered first and then composited onto the track below. Â Within each track, effects are rendered as follows: speed, filters, motion, motion blur, opacity, and transitions. You can change the order of rendering by using nested sequences. For more information, see Volume II, Chapter 23, “Sequence to Sequence Editing.
Selectively Rendering Parts of a Sequence There are several ways to selectively render specific parts of your sequences. Â Select the items you want to render manually: The easiest way to control what is rendered is to select the sequences or clips you want to render using the Selection tool. For example, you can select any number of sequences in the Browser, and then render them all at once by choosing Sequence > Render All > Both.
III Commands for Rendering Effects Three submenus contain commands to control which effects are rendered in one or more selected sequences or clips. Which render commands you should use depends on the scope of the rendering operation you wish to perform. Each of these rendering commands relies upon the settings in the Render Control tab in the Sequence Settings window to control the quality and speed of the render cache files created.
 Audio: Renders only the audio items in the selected region of the sequence. Select one or both of the options that appear below to choose which audio items will be rendered; audio items appearing with red render bars, and/or item-level rendering for clips that need to be resampled or that have filters applied.
III Render Only Submenu The commands in the Render Only submenu operate either on a selected region of the Timeline, or on the entire sequence if no selection is made. Render commands corresponding to each Timeline playback state appear in this submenu. In addition to the Timeline playback states that appear in the Render Selection and Render All submenus, another command appears here, Mixdown.
Rendering One or More Sequences You can use any of the above commands to render all effects or a subset of effects in one or more sequences. To render an entire sequence: 1 Do one of the following: Â In the Browser, select one or more sequences. Â Open a single sequence in the Timeline. 2 If necessary, choose Sequence > Settings, then select the Render Control tab in the Sequence Settings window to specify quality settings for rendered effects, as well as to choose which effects are and are not rendered.
III Rendering Part of a Sequence If you’ve added a transition or an effect to a clip and want to render just that part of the sequence, use the Render Selection command. To render a section of a sequence: 1 Do one of the following: Â In the Timeline, select one or more clips or transitions. Â In the Timeline or Canvas, set In and Out points for the area that you want to render.
Rendering Audio Items in a Sequence The following commands allow you to render audio items when required for real-time playback. Audio filters and sample rate conversion are rendered together. To render individual audio items: 1 Select one or more clips with transitions and filters in the Timeline. 2 Choose Sequence > Render Selection > Audio. To render all audio items: 1 Select or open a sequence in the Timeline. 2 Choose Sequence > Render All > Audio.
III Temporarily Disabling Rendering Normally, Final Cut Pro attempts to calculate all the effects applied to the frame at the current playhead position. Sometimes, especially with effects-intensive sequences, you will want to disable these calculations temporarily while you make changes to edits in a sequence or to the settings of a motion effect or filter. When rendering is disabled, all clips that require rendering (indicated by red render bars in the Timeline) do not appear in the Viewer or Canvas.
Auto-Rendering While You Are Away From Your Computer The Auto Render option allows you to take advantage of idle computer time when you’re not editing—such as during a coffee break or lunch—to render open sequences in the Timeline. To change Auto Render settings: m Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences and click the General tab.
III Changing Render Settings Each sequence has rendering options you can change in the following locations: Â Video Processing tab in Sequence Settings: This tab allows you to choose color space, bit depth, maximum white level conversion, and scaling options for your sequence. You can also adjust these settings in each sequence preset, using the Sequence Preset Editor in the Audio/Video Settings window.
About Video Bit Depth Each pixel uses a certain number of bits to store the intensity of a color channel. For example, a typical RGB media file may use 8 bits for each of the red, green, and blue channels. Using 8 bits allows for 256 intensity values per color channel. The more bits used per color sample, the more subtle variations of color are possible. For example, if you use 10 bits per color sample instead of 8, there are 1024 possible intensity values per color channel instead of 256.
III About Color Space Conversion Each color space has a certain range, or gamut, of colors that can be represented. Some colors represented in the Y´CBCR color space cannot be represented in RGB, and are said to be out of gamut. If the color space of your media files doesn’t match the color space of your sequence, Final Cut Pro maps the media file color values to the color space of the sequence. In some cases, colors get “clipped” to the nearest value during conversion.
Rendering Y´CBCR Footage in RGB When super-white Y´CBCR values are converted to RGB, any values above 235 are mapped to 255. Any variation in luma above 235 is therefore clamped, or clipped, resulting in solid patches of white where there was once detail in the bright parts of the image. When these RGB values are converted back to Y´CBCR, all white values of 255 are mapped to a single value (usually 235, which is white in Y´CBCR).
III Important: While using the Super-White setting will match the super-white levels recorded by some consumer camcorders, the output will not be broadcast legal because the luminance levels will be too high according to the CCIR 601 standard for video. In this case, if you have to output a tape for broadcast, you will need to correct the white levels in your edited sequence either with filters or by using external hardware such as a proc amp.
Color Space and Bit Depth Precision Options  Always Render in RGB: Forces codecs that normally process color using the Y´CBCR (YUV) color space to process using the RGB color space instead. If selected, this option may cause subtle changes in color in your rendered material. If the video codec you’re using doesn’t support Y´CBCR rendering, this option is unavailable.
III Process Maximum White Pop-Up Menu Final Cut Pro can process maximum white in one of two ways, depending on your capture source. Many DV camcorders record video with whites that are brighter than 100 IRE, the level allowed by the CCIR 601 engineering standard for video. White levels brighter than 100 IRE are called super-white.
Motion Filtering Quality Pop-Up Menu  Normal: This option uses standard scaling and transformation algorithms, and yields medium-quality results compared to the other options.  Best: This option performs very high-quality motion transformations on your clips. Use this option for final rendering for output or export.  Fastest: This option performs fast, low-quality motion transformations on your clips. This improves rendering time, so it is useful when you are sketching out motion effects.
III Changing Settings in the Render Control Tab Each sequence has its own group of render and playback settings, located in the Render Control tab of the Sequence Settings window. These settings allow you to enable and disable processor-intensive effects in Final Cut Pro, such as filters and motion blur. This is useful if you want to apply filters and speed changes to clips, but temporarily ignore them to avoid rendering while you edit.
Render Settings  Frame Rate: You can use this pop-up menu to reduce the frame rate of rendered effects, dramatically speeding up rendering at the expense of lowering playback quality. For example, if you’re editing at 29.97 fps, and you choose 50 percent in the Frame Rate pop-up menu, rendered effects in your sequence will play back at 15 frames per second.
III Managing Your Render Files Rendering produces render files that are actual media files stored on your hard disk, the same as your captured media. Video and audio render files are saved to the disks you specify in the Scratch Disk tab of the System Settings window. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 22, “Choosing Settings and Preferences.” When you’re working on multiple projects or a highly complex project, render files can accumulate very quickly.
Using the Render Manager The Render Manager allows you to manage the render files associated with the sequences in your projects. Render files are created whenever you render transitions, effects, or multilayer composites in a sequence. They are stored in the scratch disk location specified in the Scratch Disks tab of the System Settings window. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 22, “Choosing Settings and Preferences.
III To delete render files: 1 Choose Tools > Render Manager. The Render Manager dialog appears. All projects that reference render files on the current render scratch disk are displayed. This includes all items in a sequence or project. Click the triangle next to a project to show all of its render files. Each entry shows the amount of disk space used on the render scratch disk. Displays the number of render files to be deleted and the disk space that will be made available.
Preserving Render Files When you make changes to effects, composited media, and other edits that have already been rendered, the render file for the affected item is no longer valid. Â If the project has been saved with the render file, the render file is deleted when whichever of the following happens later: Â The project is saved again. Â The change falls off the “Undo queue” (the series of changes that can be reversed with the Undo command in the Edit menu).
III Tips for Avoiding Unnecessary Rendering You can do several things to avoid rendering. Â Edit the majority of your project using cuts only; only add transitions, effects, or filters that can play back in real time or that are absolutely necessary in making decisions about your first cut. Avoiding unnecessary effects and time-consuming rendering can help you focus on your program’s overall pacing and structure.
Reducing Render Time Here are some tips for reducing the amount of time it takes to render your sequence: Â Lower the frame rate and resolution of effects that are rendered in the Render Control tab of the Sequence Settings window. This lowers the playback quality of those effects, but allows them to render substantially faster. Â Disable certain render-intensive effects in your sequence, including filters, frame blending, and motion blur.
AlienUM Title V4.
Apple Computer, Inc. © 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the “keyboard” Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws.
1 Part I Contents Media and Project Management Chapter 1 13 13 15 15 16 17 Media Management What Is Media Management? Reasons to Use Media Management What You Need to Know to Manage Your Media Media Management Steps in Final Cut Pro Strategies for Media Management Chapter 2 19 19 20 20 22 23 24 24 25 25 26 27 27 28 Backing Up and Restoring Projects Backing Up and Restoring Projects Using the Revert Project Command Using the Autosave Feature Restoring Autosaved Projects Opening a Project File After
4 42 43 45 46 48 48 49 49 50 50 Identifying Master Clips Creating Master and Affiliate Clips Breaking the Relationship Between an Affiliated Clip and Its Master Independent Clips Finding a Clip’s Master Clip Master-Affiliate Relationships With Subclips, Merged Clips, and Freeze Frames Master-Affiliate Clip Properties Master Clip Properties Affiliate Clip Properties Media File Properties Chapter 5 51 51 54 55 60 61 Offline and Online Editing About Offline/Online Editing Offline/Online Editing Workflows
Chapter 9 109 109 110 111 112 113 113 115 Part II Diagnostic Tools for Clips Different Tools for Diagnosing Clips About the Analyze Movie Command Using the Analyze Movie Command Information Reported by the Analyze Movie Command Finding and Marking Long Frames Using the Mark Long Frames Command Detecting Audio Peaks Project Interchange Chapter 10 119 119 120 121 124 125 131 131 132 132 132 133 134 134 135 135 135 136 139 142 Importing and Exporting EDLs What Is an EDL? Learning to Read an EDL Elements
Chapter 12 155 157 158 159 159 161 Using the Export Audio to AIFF(s) Command Exporting Multichannel QuickTime Files Exporting OMF Audio Files Limitations of OMF Exporting in Final Cut Pro Exporting Sequence Audio to an OMF File Exporting Audio Clip Information to an EDL 163 163 167 170 171 Importing and Exporting Final Cut Pro XML About XML Overview of the Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format Exporting XML in Final Cut Pro Importing XML Into Final Cut Pro Part III 6 Output Chapter 13 175 175 177 17
Chapter 16 215 215 220 222 224 Exporting Sequences for DVD The DVD Creation Process Adding Chapter and Compression Markers to Your Sequence About the DVD Authoring Applications Creating DVD-Compliant Sources for DVD Studio Pro Chapter 17 227 227 228 228 228 231 232 236 Learning About QuickTime What Is QuickTime? The QuickTime Suite of Software Applications QuickTime for Media Authoring The QuickTime Movie File Format How Final Cut Pro Uses QuickTime for Import, Export, and Capture Formats Supported by
Part IV 8 Settings and Preferences Chapter 22 281 281 282 287 292 293 293 293 293 294 294 295 296 297 298 300 Choosing Settings and Preferences Changing User Preferences General Tab Editing Tab Labels Tab Timeline Options Tab Render Control Tab Audio Outputs Tab Locating and Trashing the Preferences File Changing System Settings Scratch Disks Tab Search Folders Tab Memory & Cache Tab Playback Control Tab External Editors Tab Effect Handling Tab Chapter 23 301 301 301 303 303 304 304 305 306 307 308 3
Chapter 26 324 328 329 329 330 331 332 334 Settings in the Device Control Preset Editor About Device Control Protocols Device Control Protocols Supported by Final Cut Pro Using FireWire Device Control Using Serial Device Control Using a Non-Controllable Device Calibrating Timecode Capture With Serial Device Control Troubleshooting Your Device Control Setup 335 335 336 340 344 Sequence Settings and Presets What Are Sequence Settings? About Sequence Settings and Presets Timeline Display, Render, and Audio
10 372 372 372 373 373 SDI (Serial Digital Interface) HD-SDI (High Definition Serial Digital Interface) SDTI (Serial Digital Transport Interface) SCART A Brief History of Film, Television, and Audio Formats Appendix B 377 377 379 380 381 383 383 386 387 Frame Rate and Timecode What Is Frame Rate? Understanding Flicker and Perceived Frame Rate Frame Rate Limits: How Many Frames per Second Is Best? Choosing a Frame Rate What Is Timecode? About Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame Timecode Timecode on Tape Compa
Part I: Media and Project Management I Final Cut Pro features project and media management tools that help you keep track of your footage from the first phase of postproduction to the final cut.
1 Media Management 1 Successful editing requires two things: storytelling skills and effective media management. You should pick a media management strategy before you begin your project. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is Media Management? (p. 13) Â Reasons to Use Media Management (p. 15) Â What You Need to Know to Manage Your Media (p. 15) Â Media Management Steps in Final Cut Pro (p. 16) Â Strategies for Media Management (p.
The flexibility and power of media management in Final Cut Pro stems from one simple fact: A clip and its media file are treated independently. In Final Cut Pro, 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: Â 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.
I Reasons to Use Media Management 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 over your media, clips, and notes in Final Cut Pro is critical for an efficient editing workflow. Â Browser: A virtual media database for sorting, categorizing, and commenting clips.
Media Management Steps in Final Cut Pro Logging, capturing, making subclips, and processing your media are all steps in managing your media files. Because clips are separate from media files in Final Cut Pro, you can be easily assign them to different media files throughout the course of a project. This allows you to switch between low- and high-resolution versions of your media files, and transfer projects to other Final Cut Pro systems without media files and quickly reconnect them.
I Step 5: The final cut (online edit) and outputting to tape When you are finished with your edit, you can use the Media Manager to duplicate your finished sequence using full-resolution settings. Each clip in this sequence has fullresolution settings, which you can use to recapture all the necessary media to create the final cut at full resolution. Once recapturing is complete, you can apply any necessary color correction, titles, transitions, and so on, and then output to tape.
Working With Full-Resolution Media Versus an Offline/Online Workflow You can capture and edit your media at full resolution, or you can use an offline/online workflow where you capture and edit at low-resolution, and then recapture at full resolution for your final edit. Working With Multiple Editing Workstations and Trading Project Files If you are working on the same project on multiple editing systems, you need multiple copies of your media files.
2 Backing Up and Restoring Projects 2 Routine backups are a critical part of the editing process. If necessary, you can go back to earlier versions of a project. This chapter covers the following: Â Backing Up and Restoring Projects (p. 19) Â Archiving Completed Projects (p. 24) Â Updating Projects From Previous Versions of Final Cut Pro (p. 25) Backing Up and Restoring Projects Final Cut Pro has several methods for backing up, reverting, and restoring projects.
Using the Revert Project Command Sometimes you may make a series of trial changes to a project. What if you don’t like those changes and want to start over with your project the way it was the last time you saved it? You can use the Revert Project command to immediately return to the previously saved state of a project. To revert to the previously saved state of a project: 1 Click a project’s tab in the Browser or Timeline to make it active. 2 Choose File > Revert Project.
I To change the location of the Autosave Vault folder: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > System Settings, then click the Scratch Disks tab. 2 Click Set next to the Autosave Vault option. 3 Navigate to a folder to store autosaved files, then click Choose. 4 Click OK to accept the changes to System Settings. A folder called Autosave Vault is created at the selected location. All autosaved copies for a given project are stored in their own project folder within the Autosave Vault folder.
Using a “First-In, First-Out” Strategy Final Cut Pro uses a “first-in, first-out” strategy for keeping autosave files. When Final Cut Pro reaches the limit for the number of copies created or projects saved, the oldest autosave file is placed in the Trash (unless the oldest project is currently open) and a new autosave file is created.
I To restore a previously autosaved project: 1 Click a project’s tab in the Browser or Timeline to make it active. 2 Choose File > Restore Project. 3 In the dialog that appears, choose the autosave file you want to use, then click Restore. The number of items in the pop-up menu for a project depends on the settings in the Autosave Vault options in the General tab of the User Preferences window and corresponds to the current number of autosave versions of the project in the Autosave Vault folder.
Archiving Completed Projects After living and breathing a project for months or years, it may be hard to imagine you’ll ever want to look at it or touch it again... but you never know for sure. You might get a surprise distribution offer, but with the caveat that you shorten the project by 5 minutes.
I Updating Projects From Previous Versions of Final Cut Pro You can open and use projects created with earlier versions of Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express. In some cases, you need to specify how Final Cut Pro handles the color space, clip relationships, and motion transformation quality in these files.
Updating Projects You can open and use projects created with earlier versions of Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express, but you need to specify how you want Final Cut Pro to handle the color space in these files. To update projects created in earlier versions of Final Cut Pro: 1 Open a project created using an earlier version of Final Cut Pro. A message tells you that the file’s format is outdated and asks if you want to update the format. Click Yes. Click here to update your project.
I Updating Projects From Final Cut Pro HD 4.5 or Earlier When updating projects from Final Cut Pro HD 4.5 or earlier, Final Cut Pro gives you the following options: Â Scaling quality: Projects created in Final Cut Pro HD 4.5 and earlier used the Fastest option. If you want higher quality motion transformations, you can choose Normal or Best. For more information, see Volume III, Chapter 24, “Rendering.” You can also change this setting later in the Video Processing tab of each sequence in your project.
Updating Projects or Sequences From Final Cut Pro 1.2.1 Older versions of Final Cut Pro and the Apple DV-NTSC and DV-PAL codecs converted Y´CBCR video to RGB video whenever rendering was required. The conversion sometimes resulted in subtle but noticeable shifts in color or intensity. Starting with version 1.2.5, Final Cut Pro handled color space differently; however, old projects may still have links to older render files that exhibit the color and intensity shifts.
3 Elements of a Final Cut Pro Project 3 When you are organizing your project and media files, it can be helpful to have a detailed understanding of each element in a Final Cut Pro project, such as clip types and properties, bins, sequences, and so on. This chapter covers the following: Â About Clips, Media Files, and Sequences (p. 29) Â About Icons and Project Elements in the Browser (p. 33) Â Clip Properties (p.
Types of Clips Different types of clips are distinguished by the type of media files they refer to. For example, an audio clip is simply a clip that represents an audio-only file on disk. However, some clips, such as subclips, are distinguished not by the type of media files they refer to, but how they refer to them. For example, the definition of a subclip is any clip that refers to less than the total length of a media file. It doesn’t matter whether a subclip is a video clip, audio clip, or merged clip.
I A multiclip allows you to sync multiple clips together as angles within a single clip. The main reason to use a multiclip is to sync multiple camera angles together so you can cut between them in real time in the Timeline. However, you can sync any footage you want together in a multiclip, not just different camera angles. For instance, when making a music video, you could sync three different performances of the band playing and cut between them on the beat.
The following properties are not shared between master and affiliate clips:  Comment A–B  In point  Out point  Duration  Description  Film Safe  Composite mode  Reverse Alpha  Thumbnail An independent clip is a sequence clip that has no master clip, so it doesn’t share properties with any other clips. You can make a sequence clip independent at any time, although you usually shouldn’t unless you have a specific reason to do so.
I About Icons and Project Elements in the Browser Icons appear next to the name of each project element in the Browser. The following table explains what kind of Final Cut Pro project elements each icon represents. Icon Name Description Clip A clip represents a media file. A clip is created when a media file is captured or imported into Final Cut Pro. This icon is also used for merged clips (clips created by merging audio and video clip items together).
Icon Name Description Locked bin The contents of a locked bin cannot be changed. In Final Cut Pro, the only locked bins are the ones in the Effects tab, which contain the installed effects. The one exception in the Effects tab is the Favorites bin, which is not locked so you can store your favorite effects and transitions there. Video filter Effects filter that can be applied to a video clip. Video transition Transition effect that can be applied between two consecutive clips in a video track.
I You can view and modify clip properties in the following locations:  Browser columns  Item Properties dialog (choose Edit > Item Properties)  Modify Timecode dialog (choose Modify > Timecode) Name of property Description Name Name of the clip. During logging, the name property is usually created automatically from a combination of the Description, Scene, Shot/Take, and Angle properties, which are entered in the Log and Capture window.
36 Name of property Description Aux TC 1-2 Aux 1 and Aux 2 are additional timecode tracks that can be created in a QuickTime media file for any clip in your project. These properties can be useful for synchronizing clips to related media files without altering the source timecode of your files. For example, when synchronizing video clips captured from Digital Betacam with audio clips captured from DAT, the source timecode of each clip reflects timecode that was captured from each tape.
I Name of property Description Data Rate Shows how much data a clip’s media file requires per second of playback. This value is displayed in megabytes per second. The data rate of a media file is determined by its video frame rate, dimensions, compressor, color sampling method, and audio sample rate and bit depth. Generally, the higher the data rate, the higher the quality of the media file.
38 Name of property Description Last Modified Indicates the date and time a clip’s media file was modified, or the last time a sequence was edited. In the case of clips, this information is read directly from the modification date property of the clip’s media file, so you can also see this information in the Finder by selecting the file and then choosing File > Get Info. Length Shows the total length of a clip, regardless of clip In and Out points.
I Name of property Description Media End The timecode address that refers to the last frame of the media file, and thus the Out point set during capturing from tape in the Log and Capture window. This timecode value represents the very last frame of a clip’s media file, not the Out point of the clip. For more information, see “Media Start,” above.
40 Name of property Description Source Shows the file path of the clip’s media file on disk. For example: Scratch Disk:Capture Scratch:Dining:Interview Clip.mov This property is the critical connection between a clip and its media file. If a media file changes location or name, or if its modification date changes, the clip will no longer be able to locate it based on its Source property’s file path, causing the clip to become offline.
4 Working With Master and Affiliate Clips 4 Master-affiliate clip relationships make it easy to manage multiple uses of media files in your project. This chapter covers the following: Â Using Master and Affiliate Clips (p. 41) Â Master-Affiliate Clip Properties (p. 49) Using Master and Affiliate Clips As you edit, the distinction between master and affiliate clips is usually not very important.
When several clips are independent, they may all refer to the same media file, but they refer to it independently. For example, if you recaptured a new media file for an independent clip, other clips in your project would still refer to the original media file. To reconnect all the clips to the new media file, you would have to reconnect each one individually.
I Creating Master and Affiliate Clips Besides capturing and importing clips into a project, there are several other ways to create new master clips: Â Create a new subclip, merged clip, multiclip, or freeze frame clip: When each of these is created, they are master clips. When you edit with these clips, affiliate clips are created from the master clip. Â Import an EDL: This creates a sequence of affiliate clips and a bin containing the sequence clips’ master clips.
Creating Affiliate Clips From Master Clips As you edit in Final Cut Pro, you create affiliate clips in a sequence from master clips in the Browser. Dragging a master clip to a sequence creates an affiliate clip in the sequence. The following operations establish a relationship between a new clip and a master clip in the Browser: Â Editing a clip into a sequence: Whenever you edit a clip into a sequence, an affiliate clip is created from the master clip.
I Breaking the Relationship Between an Affiliated Clip and Its Master Once the relationship between master and affiliate clips is broken, the affiliate clip becomes independent. Not only are all of its properties independent, such as name, log notes, and so on, but the independent clip now refers to its media file directly, instead of by way of a master clip. Changes to the original master clip no longer have any effect on the independent clip.
Independent Clips Independent clips do not share properties with any other clips. They are neither master clips or affiliate clips. Copying an independent clip creates another independent clip. This can lead to complicated media management because each clip has its own relationship to its media file. This means you have to reconnect each clip to its media file individually, instead of reconnecting a single master clip which also reconnects all of its affiliates.
I To create a master clip from an independent clip in a sequence: m Drag a clip from the sequence to the Browser to create a copy of it. The clip in the Browser automatically becomes a master clip, and the sequence clip you dragged becomes an affiliate of the master clip.
. When Can Independent Clips Become Affiliated With Existing Master Clips? For an independent clip to become affiliated with a preexisting master clip when using the Create Master Clips command, the following criteria must be met: Â The master clip must contain all tracks that are used by the independent clip. Â The master clip must contain all of the frames used by the independent clip. Essentially, all media used by the independent clip must exist in the master clip.
I Master-Affiliate Clip Properties Most clip properties reside in a master clip, and all the affiliate clips simply use the properties stored in their master clip. Other properties are stored in a clip’s media file. For a detailed description of each of these properties, see “Clip Properties” on page 34. Master Clip Properties The following clip properties are stored in a master clip, and these are shared between the master and all its affiliate clips.
Affiliate Clip Properties The following clip properties are unique to each affiliate clip, and unique to the master clip as well. These properties are not shared. Most of these properties are properties for editing and trimming, such as In and Out points, so that each affiliate clip can have a unique duration in a sequence, while still referring to the same media file via its master clip.
5 Offline and Online Editing 5 Final Cut Pro allows you to do offline editing with lowresolution copies of your media files, and then recapture your footage at full resolution for the final online edit. This chapter covers the following: Â About Offline/Online Editing (p. 51) Â Offline/Online Editing Workflows (p. 54) Â Using the OfflineRT Format in Final Cut Pro (p. 55) Â Online Editing on Non–Final Cut Pro Editing Systems (p. 60) Â Trading Project Files Using Email or the Internet (p.
Offline Editing Editing with low-resolution copies of your media files allows you to fit more media on your scratch disks and improve playback and real-time effects performance (especially when using slower hard disks, such as in PowerBooks). This phase can last from a few days to several years, depending on the scope of the project, the amount of footage, and so on.
I The audio mixing phase is analogous to the video online edit session: The goal is to produce a continuous, natural-sounding mix by setting proper levels, setting panning (locating sounds in different speakers, either for stereo or surround sound), and using any necessary audio filters. When the audio mix is complete, you bring it to the online edit session for an audio layback into the finished sequence (or directly onto the finished master tape).
Offline/Online Editing Workflows The offline/online editing process in Final Cut Pro consists of the following steps: Step 1: Set up and capture media at low resolution You can log and capture your footage directly to low-resolution, offline-quality media files. Alternatively, you can log and capture your footage at full resolution, and then use the Media Manager to create low-resolution media files for offline editing.
I Step 4: Recapture necessary media at full resolution You bring your finished, full-resolution sequence to a Final Cut Pro editing system capable of recapturing your media at full resolution, and then capture your footage. Step 5: Add final color correction, effects, transitions, and titles Once you have full-resolution footage, you can accurately color correct and add final titles and effects. At the end of this process, you render your effects in preparation for output.
Setting Up and Capturing Media to an OfflineRT Format Before you capture, you need to choose an appropriate OfflineRT format for offlinequality editing in Final Cut Pro. To prepare your project for capturing media to an OfflineRT format: m Choose an OfflineRT Easy Setup that corresponds to the standard or your original footage (NTSC or PAL) and frame rate.
I Editing With Offline-Quality (Low-Resolution) Media Files You edit your OfflineRT sequence just as you would if your footage was captured at full resolution. Using Full-Resolution Graphics in a Low-Resolution, OfflineRT Sequence Even though your OfflineRT sequence is set to small image dimensions, as you edit, you can import and use your full-resolution still graphics in your low-resolution project.
To create a duplicate of your sequence with online-quality settings: 1 In the Browser, select your sequence. 2 Choose File > Media Manager. 3 Choose “Create offline” from the Media pop-up menu, then choose an online-quality sequence preset from the “Set sequences to” pop-up menu. Note: If you want to limit the amount of media your online-quality sequence references to media necessary for the sequence itself, make sure the “Delete unused media” checkbox is selected.
I You can now transfer the project containing your new sequence to a Final Cut Pro system capable of recapturing your footage at full resolution. The sequence clips are considered offline because they are not yet connected to full-resolution media. In this case, the term offline refers to the fact that the clips are disconnected from media files. For more information on using the Media Manager, see Chapter 7, “Overview of the Media Manager,” on page 77.
Adding Final Color Correction, Effects, Transitions, and Titles An online edit session focuses on the quality of your video. A fully-equipped online edit suite includes a video waveform monitor, a vectorscope, and a broadcast-quality monitor to make sure your video looks as good as possible.
I Â Other nonlinear editing systems: These are systems similar to Final Cut Pro, such as Avid, Media 100, and Premier Pro. These systems each recognize their own native formats, and some also recognize the AAF format. The Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format can be used in conjunction with third-party plug-ins to export Final Cut Pro sequences to the native formats of other nonlinear editing systems.
To create a cross-platform-compatible zip archive of your project(s): 1 In the Finder, select the Final Cut Pro project file(s). 2 Control-click the project file and choose Create Archive Of from the shortcut menu. If you create a single archive zip file, the archive file will be named after the file you originally selected (for example, My Movie.fcp becomes My Movie.fcp.zip). If you select multiple files, the archive file will be named Archive.zip.
6 Reconnecting Clips and Offline Media 6 Whenever a clip’s media file is modified outside of Final Cut Pro, the connection between the clip and the media file breaks. You can easily reconnect clips and media files whenever you need to. This chapter covers the following: Â About the Connections Between Clips and Media Files (p. 64) Â How the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Can Be Broken (p. 65) Â Making Clips Offline (p. 66) Â Reconnecting Clips to Media Files (p.
About the Connections Between Clips and Media Files Final Cut Pro is very flexible about the connection between clips and their media files. It is fairly easy to make a clip go offline by accidentally moving or modifying a media file in the Finder, but it is also very easy to reconnect clips to media files. A clip connects to a media file via the clip’s Source property, which contains the location of the media file as a file path.
I How the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Can Be Broken There are several reasons the connection between the clips in your project and your media files on disk can break, causing the corresponding clips in your project to go offline: Â You modified your media files in any way that changes the modification date in the Finder. Â You moved your media files to another folder. Â You renamed your media files. Â You created an offline project file with the Media Manager.
Making Clips Offline You can deliberately make clips in your project offline. This breaks the connection between a clip in your project and its media file on disk by removing the file path in the clip’s Source property. Since the file path in a clip’s Source property is shared among affiliated clips, removing this file path makes all affiliated clips offline at the same time.
I Â Delete Them from the Disk: Select this option to disconnect clips from their media and immediately delete the media files from the disk. This action is not undoable. If you need the media files again, you have to recapture them. 4 If you choose to move or delete the files, a message tells you this action cannot be undone. To continue, click OK. Differences Between “Missing” and Offline Media Files Final Cut Pro considers any clip without a media file to be offline.
Reconnecting Clips to Media Files Clips in your project don’t have to be offline for you to use the Reconnect Media command. You can reconnect media files to clips in your project at any time, since all you are doing is changing the file path stored in the clip’s Source property.
I Files To Connect List This displays a list of clips organized by clip status: Â Online Files: This refers to clips that are currently referencing the appropriate media files. You may want to reconnect these clips if you want your clips to reference a different folder with the same media, or media captured with different settings.
 Search Folders pop-up menu: When the Search Single Location checkbox is deselected, Final Cut Pro searches all of the directories and volumes shown in this pop-up menu in the order they appear. The menu is divided into three sections, and a fourth option to add additional search folders.  Directories from the Search Folders tab in System Settings: These are folders set in the Search Folders tab in the System Settings window, and they appear in the same order.
I Â Search: Click this button to start searching for media files that match the highlighted clip. When you click this button, the Reconnect dialog opens with the matching media file selected (if found). Media files are searched for in folders based on the order they appear in the Search Folders pop-up menu. If the Search Single Location option is selected, only the folder shown in selected. Files Located List As you match clips to corresponding media files, they appear in this list.
The first item in the Files to Connect list is highlighted. The currently highlighted clip is the clip whose media file Final Cut Pro attempts to match. 3 To remove the currently highlighted clip from the Files To Connect area, click Skip File. You may want to skip a clip if you cannot locate its media file, but you want to continue reconnecting other clips in the list.
I Several options can help you find your clip. Â Show pop-up menu: If this option is set to All Files, you can select any file type in the selected folder on your hard disk, whether or not it can be connected to a clip in Final Cut Pro. To limit the kind of files you can select in this list, choose a file type from the pop-up menu. Â Matched Name Only: Choose this option so Final Cut Pro restricts your selections to media files whose names match the file name in the clip’s Source property.
7 Click Try Again to search for a different media file to connect to the clip. Otherwise, click Continue to reconnect the media file to the current clip, even though certain attributes don’t match. Clips connected to media files with mismatched attributes appear in the File Located area in italics, and the total number of clip-media file mismatches is displayed next to “Amount with conflicts.” All media files located appear in a list in the Files Located area of the Reconnect dialog.
I About the Offline Files Dialog The Offline Files dialog appears each time you open a project whose clips’ media files have been modified in any way. This dialog may also appear when you switch to another application and then return to Final Cut Pro. If any media files are modified, moved, or deleted during this time, you see the Offline Files dialog. You can select which media files to disregard.
7 Overview of the Media Manager 7 The Media Manager helps you move, copy, delete, and process your project’s media files, automatically updating the connections between clips and media files. This chapter covers the following: Â What Can You Do With the Media Manager? (p. 78) Â Selecting Items to Process With the Media Manager (p. 79) Â Settings and Options in the Media Manager Window (p. 80) Â How the Media Manager Processes Selected Items (p. 87) Â Limiting How Much Media Is Copied or Deleted (p.
What Can You Do With the Media Manager? The Media Manager can duplicate an existing project, or individual items in the project, as well as the corresponding media files, or portions of those media files. Final Cut Pro treats media files and clips independently, so some Media Manager options determine how clips are modified, duplicated, or reconnected, while other options determine how media files are processed.
I You can use the “Create offline” option in the Media Manager to duplicate a sequence with different video and audio settings. This option doesn’t actually create any new media files, so the resulting sequence and its clips are offline (meaning the clips have no media files to refer to). You can then recapture the sequence’s media files at full resolution for the final edit. This option is typically used in preparation for online editing.
 Any combination of the above: The Media Manager can handle a diverse range of selections, such as a bin and several sequences, a sequence and multiple clips in the Browser, noncontiguous clip items in a sequence, and so on. Important: Media files that do not have a source timecode track or reel name are never trimmed shorter, transcoded, or made offline.
I Summary Area The Summary area at the top describes what operation is about to be performed and shows how much hard disk space the resulting media requires. Move the pointer over a bar to view the disk space for the specified items. Â Original: This bar shows the total disk space used by the media files associated with your current selection. This bar may be segmented if the media referenced by the selected items is found on multiple disks.
Media Pop-Up Menu The choices in this pop-up menu represent the main Media Manager tasks. All other options in the Media Manager follow from the choice you make here. Â Copy: This option copies all the selected items’ media files to the folder or disk specified in the Media Destination path. Â Move: This option moves selected items’ media files to the location specified in the Media Destination path.
I Â Create Offline: This option is very different from the others because no media files are created or processed, and your selection is always copied to a new project. This option is used to make a copy of a sequence with different settings, not to copy actual media. The main reason for this option is to copy a sequence with lowresolution settings to a sequence with full-resolution settings which you can then use to recapture full-resolution media. This prepares you for an online editing session.
Selecting this option allows you to retain not only the media for clips in your sequences, but also media defined by your original master clip In and Out points. When combined with the “Include Affiliate Clips Outside Selection” option, you can retain media for all clips affiliated with your original selection, even if you did not explicitly select all of the affiliated items.
I Use Handles Checkbox This option modifies the “Delete unused media” option described above so that less media is deleted from a media file. Handles are additional footage at the beginning and end of a clip that you keep just in case you need a few extra frames for trimming, or you need extra footage beyond your planned In and Out points to create a transition, such as a dissolve, to another shot.
“Base Media File Names on” Pop-Up Menu This pop-up menu determines how clips are named when they’re segmented as a result of the “Delete unused media” option. The following media filenaming options are available: Â Existing file names: Filenames of clips created by the Media Manager are based on the source media files on disk. The first new media file created is named the same as the original media file, and additional media files are named with a numerical suffix.
I Media Destination Area This area displays the location where media files are placed after copying, moving, or recompressing. Click the Browse button to choose a different location for the media files. This shows the location where moved or copied media files will be stored. Click here to select a location for storing media files.
For example, suppose that you originally captured a ten-minute clip and used four sections of this clip’s media file in your project; two of them overlap and the other two don’t. In this case, three media files are created, one from the two overlapping clips, and two more for the remaining two clips.
I How Independent Clips Are Processed Even if you don’t maintain proper master-affiliate relationships in your project by using independent clips, the Media Manager carefully analyzes your media management operation before it begins processing. For example, suppose you have a sequence called Sequence A that contains several independent clips. Also suppose that there are several master clips in the Browser that reference the same media files as the independent sequence clips.
Limiting How Much Media Is Copied or Deleted When you select clips to process with the Media Manager, keep in mind that those items may be affiliated with other clips in your project. Specifically, a master clip, which refers to a media file on your scratch disk, may have many affiliate clips located in different sequences.
I 5 Deselect “Include master clips outside the selection.” This option ignores additional media referred to by the master clip. The resulting media file contains only the first 10 seconds of the original media file, which is sufficient for recreating Sequence A, but not for recreating the original master clip or the clip in Sequence B.
Preserving Media for the Selected Item, Its Master Clip, and All Affiliated Clips If you want to create a copy of Sequence A along with enough media for the clip in Sequence A, Sequence B, and the media referred to by the master clip’s In and Out points, you would do the following: 1 Select Sequence A in the Browser, then choose File > Media Manager. 2 Choose Copy from the Media pop-up menu. 3 Select “Duplicate selected items and place into new project.” 4 Select “Delete unused media from selected items.
8 Examples of How to Use the Media Manager 8 The best way to learn about the Media Manager is to perform some of the common tasks described in this chapter. This chapter covers the following: Â Using the Media Manager (p. 94) Â Example: Removing Unused Media From a Sequence (p. 97) Â Example: Duplicating a Sequence and Its Corresponding Media Files (p. 98) Â Example: Duplicating a Portion of a Sequence and Its Media Files (p.
Using the Media Manager There are three main steps to working with the Media Manager: Â Select items in your project. Â Choose a Media Manager operation and its options. Â Start the media management process. Step 1: Select clips or sequences in your project Before you can use the Media Manager, you must select items that you want the Media Manager to process. You can select an entire project, one or more bins, individual or multiple sequences, clip items within a sequences, or clips in the Browser.
I 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose File > Media Manager. Â Control-click one of the selected items, then choose Media Manager from the shortcut menu. If one of the items you selected contains no media (for example, if an empty sequence is part of your selection), a message gives you the option to continue or stop. If you choose to continue, the items that don’t contain any media will be ignored. A message appears if your selection does not contain media.
8 When you’re ready to continue, click OK. If you chose to create a duplicate project, Final Cut Pro prompts you to choose a name and destination for your new project file. 9 Navigate to where you want to store the items, enter a name for the file if desired, then click Save. Final Cut Pro scans your selected clips and sequences.
I A progress bar displays the state of completion of your Media Manager operation. For information on the order of operations, see “How the Media Manager Processes Selected Items” on page 87. Important: Do not switch to the Finder when the Media Manager is in the middle of processing operations. If you do, a Relink dialog may appear when you return to Final Cut Pro. To continue, click OK and don’t relink. If an error occurs during the selected operation, the process stops and an error message appears.
2 In the Media Manager, choose the following options, then click OK. Choose “Use existing” from this pop-up menu. Click here to retain only media used in the sequence. If you select the Use Handles checkbox, enter a duration here. Make sure this is not selected. Note: If the clips in your sequence are affiliated with clips in other sequences, and your master clips have no In or Out points set (or Out points set near their Media End points), there may not be very much media deleted.
I 2 In the Media Manager, choose the following options, then click OK. Choose “Copy” from this pop-up menu. Select these options to include only media used in the sequence. Handles are optional. Make sure this option is selected. Example: Duplicating a Portion of a Sequence and Its Media Files The Media Manager lets you copy selected clip items in your sequence along with their media files.
2 In the Media Manager, choose the following options, then click OK. Choose Copy from this pop-up menu. Optional Make sure this option is selected. Example: Copying Several Sequences With New Settings, but Without Media Files There are several situations in which you might want to create an offline copy of one or more sequences: Â When you’re preparing to recapture media files using a different capture preset.
I 2 In the Media Manager, choose the following options, then click OK. Choose “Create offline” from this pop-up menu. Make sure this checkbox is selected. Handles are optional. Choose a sequence preset for your copied sequences and associated clips. This option is always selected when you choose “Create offline.” Note: Selecting “Include master clips outside selection” and “Include affiliate clips outside selection” creates master clips that preserve the most media for recapturing.
1 In the Browser, select all items in the project. Press Command-A or use the Selection tool to select everything in your project. 2 In the Media Manager, choose the following options, then click OK. Choose Recompress from this pop-up menu. Choose the codec you want to use for recompressing (you can also create a new preset from here). Make sure these options are set properly. Click here to choose a location for the recompressed media files.
I Example: Removing Portions of Media Files After Creating Subclips A common logging and capturing workflow involves capturing each tape to a single media file, breaking the master clip into subclips, and then using the Media Manager to create individual media files for each subclip. In this example, the Media Manager creates a media file for every subclip in your project.
5 In the Media Manager, make the following selections: Choose “Use existing” from this pop-up menu. Select this option. Choose “clip names” from this pop-up menu. This option names your media files using the descriptive subclip names instead of numbered variations on the original media filename. Deselect the “Duplicate selected item and place into a new project” checkbox. 6 Click OK. The Media Manager creates a new media file for each selected subclip and reconnects each subclip to the new media file.
I 2 In the Browser, select all items in the project. Press Command-A or use the Selection tool to select everything in your project. 3 Make sure the Browser window is active. In the Media Manager, choose the following options, then click OK. Choose “Move” from this pop-up menu. Handles are optional. Make sure this is not selected. Click Browse and select your destination folder.
Example: Consolidating Your Project and Media Files for Archiving Many people like to archive their finished project files along with the corresponding media files. In this example, you copy all the content to an archive folder, which you can then back up on a DVD-R or other high-capacity media. After this process, you have an additional copy of your project and its corresponding media files. The original project file and media files are still intact.
I 3 Make sure the Browser window is still active. In the Media Manager, choose the following options, then click OK. Choose Copy from this pop-up menu. (Optional) Click here so that the parts of media files that are not used by your clips and sequences are not included. Make sure this option is selected. Handles are optional. Click Browse and select a folder to save your new media files. 4 In the dialog that appears, enter a project name, check that the destination folder is correct, then click OK.
9 Diagnostic Tools for Clips 9 If you need detailed information about a clip’s media file, you can use the diagnostic tools in Final Cut Pro to analyze your media. This chapter covers the following: Â Different Tools for Diagnosing Clips (p. 109) Â About the Analyze Movie Command (p. 110) Â Finding and Marking Long Frames (p. 113) Â Detecting Audio Peaks (p.
 Mark Long Frames: The frame rate of a media file determines the duration of each frame. Long frames are frames that have a longer duration than expected based on a media file’s frame rate, and they are often the result of a problem during capture. The Mark Long Frames command analyzes one or more clips in the Browser or Viewer, and places markers to indicate any long frames that are detected. You may use this command if you have any doubt about the integrity of your clips’ media files.
I Using the Analyze Movie Command The Analyze Movie command displays track and media properties of a QuickTime media file in a Movie Analysis window. For details, see the next section, “Information Reported by the Analyze Movie Command.” The contents of this window can’t be printed from Final Cut Pro, but you can copy and paste the contents into any textbased application, such as a word processor or SimpleText. To analyze any QuickTime media file on your hard disk: 1 Choose Tools > Analyze Movie > File.
Information Reported by the Analyze Movie Command The Analyze Movie command provides the following information. File information Video track information Audio track information Timecode track information For all QuickTime files: Â Filename: The name of your QuickTime file on disk. Â Duration: The total duration of the file. Â Average Data Rate: The average data rate of all tracks in the file.
I For files with an audio track: Â Track Number and Size: The track number of the audio track (multichannel QuickTime files may have more than one audio track) and its size on disk. Â Duration: The duration of the audio track. Â Average Data Rate: The average data rate of the audio track alone. Â Format: The bit rate of the audio track and whether it’s stereo or mono. Â Sample: The sampling rate of the audio track in kilohertz (kHz).
To find and mark long frames: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select one or more clips in the Browser. Â From the Timeline or Browser, open the clip you want to check. 2 Choose Tools > Long Frames > Mark. A status window appears with a progress bar showing how much of the process is complete. 3 If a marker already exists for a long frame, a message appears asking if you want to overwrite the existing marker. Click OK or No. Markers are placed at each long frame.
I Detecting Audio Peaks When you capture audio, clipping occurs if any part of the audio signal goes over 0 decibels full-scale (dBFS). Because 0 dBFS is the maximum digital level possible, all levels that would have been above 0 dBFS are set (clipped) at 0 dBFS. Due to the nature of digital audio recording, such clipped audio typically results in a crackly, brittle sound. Excessive peaks indicate that your audio was recorded at unsuitable levels.
 If you selected clips in the Timeline, markers appear in both the Timeline and Canvas. For a clip in a sequence, markers appear here in the Timeline. You can clear audio peak markers that were previously added, if you like. To clear all audio peak markers in a clip: 1 Select one or more clips in the Browser or Timeline. 2 Choose Mark > Audio Peaks > Clear.
Part II: Project Interchange Learn how to move projects and media files between editing systems and other media applications.
10 Importing and Exporting EDLs 10 Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) are useful for transferring edit information between editing systems. This chapter includes: Â What Is an EDL? (p. 119) Â Learning to Read an EDL (p. 120) Â Exporting EDLs (p. 124) Â Importing Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) (p. 132) Â Creating Better EDLs (p. 135) Â Transition Wipe Codes for EDL Export (p.
Learning to Read an EDL An EDL contains the same basic clip information as a Final Cut Pro sequence, but the presentation is very different. Because EDLs originated with linear, tape-to-tape editing systems, so each event is described in terms of a source tape and a record (or master) tape. Note: This section describes components of an EDL using the CMX 3600 EDL format. Other formats may vary slightly.
II Elements of an EDL The elements of an EDL are described in the following sections. Title and Sequence Timecode Format The first line of an EDL contains the title of the sequence. In NTSC sequences, the second line displays whether the sequence timecode is drop frame or non-drop frame. Event Number An event number uniquely identifies each event in the EDL. An EDL event requires two lines if more than one source is used.
Edit (or Transition) Type An EDL can represent several kinds of video edits, or transitions. A cut requires a single source, while all other types of edits require two sources, and thus two lines in an EDL. Â C: Cut. This is the simplest kind of edit. Â D: Dissolve. This transition begins with one source and dissolves to a second source. Â W: A wipe. This is followed by a wipe code that indicates the type of standard wipe. Â K: A key edit.
II On tape-to-tape edit systems, the tapes containing the two shots are loaded in two video decks—VTR A and VTR B. To perform a dissolve or wipe, the edit controller plays both decks simultaneously and uses a hardware video switcher to create the transition effect as it’s recording on the final master tape. However, when both shots in a dissolve, wipe, or key are on the same reel, it is impossible to perform the effect in a tape-based editing suite.
Exporting EDLs You can export an EDL from any selected sequence. You can only export one sequence to an EDL at a time. To export a sequence to an EDL file: 1 Select a sequence in the Browser or open the sequence in the Timeline. 2 Choose File > Export > EDL. 3 Select your settings, then click OK. For more information, see “Settings and Options in the EDL Export Dialog” on page 125. 4 Choose a location and enter a name for the file, then click Save.
II If your sequence exceeds the maximum number of events for the format you specified, Final Cut Pro creates additional EDL files. If an error message appears: You may not be able to export an EDL in the specified format. Try changing the options and exporting again. You may also need to simplify your sequence further and try again. ∏ Tip: You should also output your original sequence to tape, DVD, or QuickTime movie. Bring this tape to your online session along with your EDL as a reference.
Sorting Pop-Up Menu This menu allows you to choose the order in which your sequence clips are sorted in the exported EDL. Â Master, Audio Merged: Clips appear in the order in which they occur in the sequence. Audio clips that start and end together are merged into one event line where possible. This sorting method allows you to recreate your sequence in order of clips in the Timeline. Â Source, Audio Merged: Clips are ordered based on their arrangement in the original source tapes.
II When this option is deselected, Final Cut Pro includes keying (K) events. Video track V1 is treated as the background layer and track V2 as the foreground layer of the key effect. The following event refers to the first text generator clip in the sequence shown above. 001 001 002 GEN V V K B K 02:10:42:13 02:10:52:13 01:00:00:00 01:00:10:00 000 00:00:55:00 00:00:55:00 01:00:00:00 01:00:00:00 This option does not affect audio track export.
Reel Conflicts If you create a transition between two clips from the same reel in your sequence, Final Cut Pro considers this to be a reel conflict, because the resulting EDL event would be impossible to perform in a tape-based editing system. This is because in a linear editing suite, a transition requires two video sources, but you can’t put the same tape in two decks at the same time.
II Â Pre-read Edits: Some high-end digital video decks can actually perform transitions by using the master tape as one of the sources. A digital VTR with the ability to pre-read video off the tape before recording is required. Pre-read is a technical feature that allows a deck to read the signal off tape, send it to a device for processing, and then record the processed signal back onto the same tape in the same location.
EDL Notes EDL notes are useful for including details about your Final Cut Pro sequence, even though the information can’t be used directly by the editing system that imports the EDL. Â File or Clip Names: This pop-up menu allows you to include either the file or clip names as a note beneath each edit. Â Comments pop-up menu: Choose one of the comments columns in the Browser (Master Comments 1–4 or Comments A–B) to include in the EDL.
II Reviewing an EDL After you’ve exported an EDL, you should open the text file to compare it to your original sequence. You can open most EDL formats directly in a text editing application. Important: It’s best to avoid making changes to the contents of an EDL file. If you do make changes to the EDL, make sure you don’t change the formatting (such as accidentally adding or deleting whitespace characters like space, tab, or return characters); otherwise, the resulting EDL may not be interpreted properly.
Importing Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) Importing EDLs into Final Cut Pro is becoming less common as more full-featured project interchange formats are supported. However, if you are reediting a project from an older, linear editing system, or you are having trouble exchanging sequence information using other project interchange formats, you can use an EDL to transfer basic edit information into Final Cut Pro.
II To import an Edit Decision List: 1 Choose File > Import > EDL. 2 Specify your import options, then click OK. Select the options you want. 3 Locate and select the EDL, then click Open. When you import an EDL, a sequence is created in your current project tab, along with a bin that contains master clips for the clips in the sequence. Note: When you import a Sony 5000 EDL, the title of the created sequence is “Untitled”.
 Handle Size: Specify the number of additional frames you want to capture on either side of each clip. You should always add handles when recapturing media from an imported EDL because it gives you more flexibility for trimming edit points, adding dissolves, and so on. Note: You cannot set handles when you choose Reconnect since the media files are already on your disk and are not being captured.
II Recapturing Clips From an Imported EDL Unless you already have the corresponding media files on your hard disk, the offline clips in the new sequence must be recaptured. To do this, you select the sequence or the master clips and then batch capture. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 19, “Capturing Your Footage to Disk.” Note: You need all the original source tapes associated with the EDL before starting the capture process. Clips from your imported EDL remain offline until you recapture them.
∏ Tip: If you need to modify a sequence to prepare it for EDL export, duplicate the sequence and work on the copy instead. This way you can always get back to the original sequence if necessary. In the duplicated sequence, remove motion settings, filters, and nonstandard transitions. Move all clips to video track V1. You can use video track V2 for superimposed (key) effects, such as titles.
II Unique Reel Names for Each Tape and Timecode Breaks Every tape that you capture from should have a unique reel name written on the label. It’s crucial to enter the correct reel name in the Log and Capture window while logging new clips to make sure Final Cut Pro requests the right tape during the batch capture process. With professional video equipment you can often record tapes with userprogrammable timecode.
To change a clip’s reel name in the Browser: 1 Select a clip, then Control-click in the Reel column. All reel names used in the current project appear as choices in the menu. Note: To change the reel name for several clips at once, select multiple clips in the Browser. 2 Choose the correct reel name from the shortcut menu. All selected clips are assigned the new reel name you choose. This information is changed both in the clips and in the original media files stored on disk.
II EDL Considerations During Editing While you edit, keep the following guidelines in mind to ensure successful EDL export: Â Limit the number of edits in your sequence. Â Only use transitions in track V1. Â Join through edits wherever they appear. Â Limit the number of audio tracks you use. Â Don’t rely on audio mix levels. Â Avoid nested sequences and nonstandard video transitions. Â Be careful when using still frames and speed settings.
Keep Track of Duplicate Frames You can use the Final Cut Pro duplicate frames indicators to keep track of whether you use a clip more than once within a single edited sequence. Duplicated frames are marked by a colored bar appearing at the bottom of the clip’s video item in the Timeline. If you have warning in advance, you can reedit your sequence to eliminate the duplicates, if necessary. This is most important for film editing, where duplicating frames is a much more involved process than with video.
II Avoid Nested Sequences Nested sequences, or sequences within a sequence, should not be used if you are exporting an EDL. To prevent confusion, you can create a duplicate of your edited sequence and simplify sections where there are nested sequences. To replace a nested sequence with its clip content for EDL export: 1 Duplicate your edited sequence. By working with the copy, you can still get back to your original sequence if necessary.
Transition Wipe Codes for EDL Export In an EDL, each type of wipe transition shape has a unique code. This code is used to tell a video switcher which shape to use for any given edit. Since many of the transitions in Final Cut Pro have no equivalent in a given EDL format, all nonstandard transitions are automatically mapped to the closest approximate SMPTE standard wipe pattern during the EDL export process.
II Final Cut Pro transition EDL wipe number equivalent Split Slide 3 Swap Slide 2 Cross Stretch 1 Squeeze 3 Squeeze and Stretch 3 Stretch 3 Band Wipe 23 Center Wipe 4 Checker Wipe 23 Checkerboard Wipe 1 Clock Wipe 13 Edge Wipe 2 Gradient Wipe 0 Inset Wipe 4–11 Jaws Wipe 120 Random Edge Wipe 1 V Wipe 115 Venetian Blind Wipe 123 Chapter 10 Importing and Exporting EDLs 143
11 Exporting Audio for Mixing in Other Applications 11 If you plan to send your audio to an audio postproduction facility for finishing, you can export audio tracks to the Open Media Framework (OMF) interchange format, or export tracks as individual AIFF files. This chapter covers the following: Â Ways You Can Finish Your Audio (p. 145) Â Organizing Your Audio Clips for Multi-Track Export (p. 146) Â Exporting Audio Tracks to Individual Audio Files (p. 147) Â Exporting Audio Output Groups to AIFF(s) (p.
If you decide to use an outside facility, make sure that you leave the audio in your edited sequence alone, other than editing the audio clips you want for continuity and catching any obvious editorial fixes, such as mispronounced words. Don’t add any filters and don’t overedit your audio (that’s the audio editor’s job). You’ll export your edited audio tracks so that the audio facility can import them into their system for further work. Any filtering, mixing, and fine editing can be done by them.
II Exporting Audio Tracks to Individual Audio Files If you have a lot of source audio in your sequence that wasn’t captured with timecode, or if you need to export your audio to a video system that doesn’t support OMF import, you can export each audio track to its own audio file. These files can then be imported into a multitrack audio application. The disadvantage of this method is that it doesn’t preserve your edit points because all of the audio clips on each track your become one audio file.
Preparing to Export Audio Tracks as Audio Files Before you export your sequence’s audio tracks to audio files, you should follow the steps below. Step 1: Make a duplicate of your sequence Since you may make significant alterations to your sequence, it’s better to duplicate it and work on the copy. If you make any drastic errors, you can always return to your original sequence.
II 4 Press I to mark an In point, press the Right Arrow key on the keyboard to move forward one frame, then press O to mark an Out point. In and Out points for the single-frame clip p 5 Drag this clip from the Viewer to the first frame of your sequence in the Timeline. 6 Option-click the video portion of the one-frame clip to select that part only. Select the video only, then press Delete. 7 Press Delete to delete the video portion of this clip. Only the audio portion remains as your sync beep.
8 Cut the stereo beep and paste it 2 seconds beyond the beginning and end of each audio track you will export. This shows the sync beep at the beginning of an audio track. Step 3: If necessary, arrange audio clips so they don’t overlap When you export audio files, there is no automatic way to include “handles,” or extra audio at the beginning and end of each audio clip.
II Exporting Audio Tracks as Individual Audio Files When you export an audio track in your sequence, the new audio file becomes a continuous audio file the length of the sequence. All the clips in that track are merged into a single, continuous media file. To export a single audio track as an audio file: 1 Option-click the Track Visibility control next to the audio track you want to export. Note: If the Track Visibility control for more than one track is enabled, the tracks are mixed together during export.
6 In the Sound Settings dialog, choose the format, number of channels, sample rate, quality, and sample size (bit depth), then click OK. Choose Linear PCM. Choose Mono. Enter a sample rate or choose one from this pop-up menu. Choose the quality you want Choose a bit depth. Important: Avoid audio compression unless you are specifically required to use it for multimedia projects or the web. 7 When you’re ready to export, click Save. The name of the exported audio file defaults to the name of the sequence.
II Here’s a typical example illustrating how you might export multichannel audio from an edited sequence. Suppose you’ve set up a sequence to have three stereo audio outputs and 12 audio tracks. The Audio Outputs tab of the Sequence Settings window would look like this: And the sequence would look something like this: Each of the 12 audio tracks can be assigned to one of the three pairs of output channels.
In this situation, using the Export Audio to AIFF(s) option creates three separate stereo AIFF files. Each file corresponds to an audio output pair in your sequence and contains the combined audio from all the audio tracks in your sequence assigned to that pair, mixed together using the levels you set. All three of these files are exactly the same duration.
II Preparing to Export Audio to AIFF(s) If your edited sequence has only a single pair of audio outputs, then the Export Audio to AIFF(s) option will output a single stereo (or two mono) AIFF file. If you want to output multiple AIFF files, here are some things to keep in mind.
4 Choose a sample rate, sample bit depth, and channel configuration from the pop-up menus. Â Rate: Lower sample rates take less bandwidth but have lower quality. Make sure your sample rate is compatible with the audio facility you’ll be handing the files off to. Usually, you should use the sample rate specified in your sequence settings, which should ideally be the sample rate of the original audio media files. Â 96 kHz: This is a high-resolution sample rate that can be easily converted to 48 kHz. Â 88.
II Exporting Multichannel QuickTime Files Final Cut Pro supports capture, import, and export of multichannel audio QuickTime files. To export your sequence to a QuickTime file, you can use the Export QuickTime Movie command. The rules for audio grouping are the same when exporting a QuickTime movie as when exporting individual AIFF files: stereo output pairs are exported as stereo QuickTime audio tracks, and mono output pairs are exported as two individual mono QuickTime audio tracks.
Exporting OMF Audio Files OMF—or Open Media Framework—is a cross-platform file format for exchanging video and audio sequence information between different editing systems. Avid originally developed the OMF file format and many editing applications have incorporated some level of OMF import and export compatibility. Today, OMF is most often used for exchanging audio sequence, track, and clip information from video editing systems to audio postproduction applications.
II Limitations of OMF Exporting in Final Cut Pro Before you export an OMF file, consider the following limitations: Â If you have cross fades in your edit, they are exported as linear cross fades, regardless of what kind of cross fades you use in your edited sequence. Your audio editor can reset these to their desired type within the audio software. How well your cross fades import into another application depends on the tool your audio editor uses.
4 In the OMF Audio Export dialog, choose the desired options, then click OK. Select the desired options, then click OK. Â Sample Rate: Choose an option that suits what you’re using the audio for. All of the audio you export has the same sample rate. If you use audio with different sample rates, it’s converted. Â Sample Depth: Choose 16- or 24-bit.
II Exporting Audio Clip Information to an EDL Some audio postproduction software can import EDLs just like video editing applications. Importing an EDL creates audio clips (or regions) in the audio application’s timeline, which you can then use to recapture your audio from original source tapes. This is similar to a video online edit session, in which all clips are recaptured at the highest quality possible.
Once you’ve copied all of your non-timecoded audio material onto timecoded formats, you can log and capture your audio the same way you’d log and capture video, knowing that all of your audio edits can now be described in an exported EDL. You treat the new timecoded tapes as your original audio source material for the duration of the project.
12 Importing and Exporting Final Cut Pro XML 12 Using the Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format, the possibilities for exchanging project data are virtually unlimited. You can generate Final Cut Pro project files on any platform, using any software you want. This chapter covers the following: Â About XML (p. 163) Â Overview of the Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format (p. 167) Â Exporting XML in Final Cut Pro (p. 170) Â Importing XML Into Final Cut Pro (p.
XML, or eXtensible Markup Language, is a markup language. Markup languages clarify the content in a document by tagging the elements of the document. A well-known markup language is HTML, the standard language for writing web pages. The benefit of working with XML is that it is an open standard. The structure and rules for working with XML documents are well documented by the World Wide Web Consortium (http://www.w3c.org).
II XML was designed to be extensible—you can define any tags and hierarchical rules that fit the data you are working with. For example, an XML file that contains store inventory data might have elements such as , , , and . An XML file that contains video editing information would have very different elements, such as , , , , and so on. XML is a strict markup language, which means all tags must be closed.
Whitespace Whitespace in a document includes multiple spaces, tab characters, carriage returns, newline characters, and so on. An XML parser reads and processes XML tags in a document, but ignores extra whitespace.
II Overview of the Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format The Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format was designed to describe every element in a Final Cut Pro project in a human-readable, XML-based format. Final Cut Pro can import and export this format, opening a world of possibilities limited only by your ability to generate and process XML documents. Because Final Cut Pro supports XML, you are no longer limited to creating clips, bins, and sequences within Final Cut Pro.
Main Final Cut Pro XML Elements This section describes some of the main elements of the Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format. Here is an example of a simple Final Cut Pro XML interchange file. The code below represents a Browser clip whose media file is offline.
II Example: Creating an XML file and Importing It Into Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro always exports verbose XML, which means that every element and subelement is included. However, when you import XML, Final Cut Pro accepts sparse XML, which means that you only need to provide a limited number of required elements. This means you can create fairly terse XML and Final Cut Pro fills in missing information with default information.
if you receive an error message, you should reopen your XML file in TextEdit to make sure you entered the sample code correctly. Simple typos, such as mismatched beginning and ending tags, can cause the error “XML translation was aborted due to a critical error.” Also, make sure your file is a plain-text file, not an RTF file. Exporting XML in Final Cut Pro You can export clips, bins, sequences, or even an entire Final Cut Pro project as an XML file.
II Importing XML Into Final Cut Pro You can generate Final Cut Pro XML interchange files with your own applications and then import them into Final Cut Pro. When you import XML into Final Cut Pro, clips, bins, and sequences are automatically generated within Final Cut Pro. You can import your clips into a currently open project or into a new project. To import an XML file into Final Cut Pro: 1 In Final Cut Pro, choose File > Import > XML. 2 Navigate to the XML file on your hard disk, then click Choose.
Part III: Output Learn how to output your completed movie to videotape or DVD, or export to any QuickTimecompatible video format.
13 Preparing to Output to Tape 13 Tape is still the most common means of acquisition, output, and transfer for professional projects. Final Cut Pro allows you to output sequences or clips to tape at any phase of your project. This chapter covers the following: Â Choosing a Videotape Format and Equipment for Output (p. 175) Â Output Requirements (p. 177) Â Methods for Output to Tape in Final Cut Pro (p. 178) Â Setting Up Your Editing System to Output to Tape (p.
 Uncompressed digital and professional analog video formats: These are formats such as Betacam SP (analog), Digital Betacam, D-5, or HDCAM. VTRs for these formats support several different video interface connections, such as component analog (Betacam SP), SDI (Digital Betacam, D-5), and HD-SDI (HDCAM). Final Cut Pro requires a third-party video interface to connect your computer to the input connections of the VTR.
III Output Requirements Requirements for full-resolution DV output  Media files captured with a DV capture preset  Sequence settings that match your DV capture settings  A DV camcorder or deck with a FireWire port for transferring video, audio, and device control data Requirements for full-resolution Digital Betacam output  Media files captured with a high-resolution, uncompressed codec  Sequence settings that match your clips’ capture settings (unless you want to render your entire sequence before you
Methods for Output to Tape in Final Cut Pro There are three main ways you can output your video from Final Cut Pro to tape:  Edit to Tape  Print to Video  Recording to tape directly from the Timeline Edit to Tape The Edit to Tape command supports both assemble and insert editing, which are two forms of traditional videotape editing (these are not related to overwrite or insert editing in the Timeline). The Edit to Tape command requires device control to remotely start and stop the VTR.
III Recording to Tape Directly From the Timeline This method allows you to record whatever signal is currently playing on your editing system, regardless of the quality. Simply connect the video output of your computer (FireWire or third-party video interface) to a VTR or camcorder, enable external video monitoring in Final Cut Pro, and press the record button. Whatever happens in the Timeline is recorded to tape.
Connecting Your Video Equipment and Setting it to VCR Mode Make sure your VTR or camcorder is connected to your computer and turned on. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 13, “Connecting DV Video Equipment and Specifying Initial Settings.” Make sure your camcorder or deck is set to VCR (sometimes labeled VTR) mode. Final Cut Pro cannot record to video equipment that is in Camera mode.
III Selecting Playback Settings When you want to output your program to video, you can choose whether to render the effects that won’t output at full quality in real time, or output them at the reduced quality you’ve selected in order to avoid rendering. Playback settings can be adjusted in the Playback Control tab of System Settings, or in the RT pop-up menu in the Timeline.
Selecting Edit to Tape and Print to Video Preferences If you like, turn on two preferences relating to tape and playback operations. Â Abort ETT/PTV on dropped frames: If you select this option, a message appears when any frames are dropped during playback when outputting, and Final Cut Pro immediately stops the operation. You can choose to redo the entire output, or you can attempt a match frame edit to output the remaining video from where the dropped frame occurred.
III Choose Device Control and Edit Preview Settings If necessary, specify device control and input (“capture”) settings in the Device Settings tab of the Edit to Tape window. You can change both of these settings by choosing an Easy Setup that’s appropriate for your video equipment. To choose device settings: 1 In the Edit to Tape window, click the Device Settings tab. 2 Change your device control and edit preview settings. For more information, see “Device Settings Tab” on page 196.
To prepare a tape with black and timecode: 1 Insert a videotape into your camcorder or deck. 2 Choose File > Edit to Tape. 3 In the Edit to Tape window, click the Black and Code button. Click this button to black your tape. 4 If your video equipment supports timecode generation, make sure your deck is set to accept an external timecode signal. Note: Timecode is sent via an RS-422 serial port. This is not supported for DV FireWire. 5 Enter the starting timecode in the dialog, then click OK.
14 Assemble and Insert Editing Using Edit to Tape 14 The Edit to Tape window provides precision control over output to tape. Both assemble and insert editing modes are supported, and remote control of your video device is required. This chapter covers the following: Â Overview of Tape Editing Methods (p. 185) Â About the Edit to Tape Window (p. 189) Â Using the Edit to Tape Window (p.
Three methods of electronic editing exist, each with increasing precision and quality: Â Hard (or crash) recording: This method begins laying video signal on tape as soon as the record button is pressed, without waiting for a pre-roll period in which the VTR motor can get up to speed. Crash records cause breaks in the video signal. If you have ever recorded a television show with a consumer VCR, you have performed a crash record simply by pressing the record button.
III About Assemble Editing to Tape An assemble edit records all video, audio, timecode, and control track information on to tape starting at the In point of the edit. Whatever signal was on the tape previously is replaced. By definition, this means there must already be some signal recorded on the tape (even if it’s only 10 or 15 seconds at the head of the tape) so you can set an In point.
About Tracks on Videotape Most professional videotape formats have one video track, two or more audio tracks, a timecode track, and a control track. About the Control and Timecode Tracks Unlike the other tracks on a tape, the control track serves a purely practical function: to make sure the tape plays at exactly the same speed it was recorded so the signal is output correctly.
III About the Edit to Tape Window In most window layouts in Final Cut Pro, the Edit to Tape window appears in the same location as the Canvas. The Edit to Tape window has three tabs: Â Video: This tab allows you set tape In and Out points, specify tracks for insert editing, and perform the edit to tape. Â Mastering Settings: This tab allows you to adjust settings for elements before and after your movie, such as black, color bars, a slate, and a countdown.
 Mode: Choose an option—Mastering or Editing.  Mastering: This is the default mode. The mastering mode is useful if you want to output an entire movie with leading elements such as color bars, slate, and countdown. In mastering mode, you can only set an In point on the tape, because the Out point is calculated based on the duration of the elements you choose in the Mastering tab.  Editing: In Editing mode, only the selected clip or sequence is recorded to tape. You cannot add leader or trailer elements.
III Â Mark In: Click this button, or press I, to set the frame on your tape where recording will start. Â Mark Out: Click this button, or press O, to set the frame on your tape where recording will stop. Â Go to In Point: Click this button, or press Shift-I, to move the tape to the In point you set. Â Go to Out Point: Click this button, or press Shift-O, to move the tape to the Out point you set.
 Audio Insert: This pop-up menu allows you to individually record-enable audio tracks on tape when insert editing. The number of audio tracks available in this pop-up menu is determined by the Audio Mapping option in the currently selected device control preset. Unavailable audio channels are dimmed. For more information about Audio Mapping options, see “Choosing Audio Mapping for Multichannel Audio Output” on page 204.
III Â Play Around Current Frame: This is based on the preview pre-roll and preview postroll settings in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window. The tape plays from the playhead position at the pre-roll setting and continues through the amount of time specified by the post-roll setting. Â Fast Forward: Moves the videotape forward. You can also press the L key repeatedly to go through a range of speeds.
Leader Elements  Color Bars: Adds color bars and a 1 kilohertz (kHz) reference tone, preset to –12 decibels (dB). Color bars at the beginning of your tape allow the recipients to calibrate their equipment to match the color levels and values that your system used when outputting your program. The reference tone lets the recipients properly adjust audio levels during playback. For more information on creating a mix with proper levels, see Volume III, Chapter 4, “Audio Levels, Meters, and Output Channels.
III Trailer  Trailer: Adds a black trailer at the end of your sequence or clip or at the end of the last loop of your clip or sequence. It’s good practice to put a 30-second black trailer at the end of your tape so viewers don’t see noise as soon as your movie ends. It’s also helpful to add a few seconds of black at the end of each edit when you are assemble editing. This provides timecode and control track after the last frame of your output sequence to set a new In point for a new edit.
Device Settings Tab The Device Settings tab is a convenient location for choosing a device control preset that’s compatible with your output deck. You can also choose a device control preset automatically by choosing a different Easy Setup. If necessary, choose device control and capture settings from the pop-up menus. Â Device Control: Choose a device control preset that matches your particular video equipment. For more information, see Chapter 25, “Device Control Settings and Presets,” on page 323.
III Using the Edit to Tape Window The following section describes how to perform an assemble or insert edit using the Edit to Tape window. Performing an Assemble Edit to Tape Assemble editing begins recording the signal on tape at the predetermined timecode In point. For details, see “About Assemble Editing to Tape” on page 187.
4 If you haven’t already done so, set In and Out points for your clip or sequence in the Viewer, if you don’t want to output the entire clip or sequence. If desired, set In and Out points for the part you want to record. 5 In the Edit to Tape window, cue the tape where you want to start your initial edit, then press I, click the Mark In button, or type a value and press Return. Note: You do not need to set an Out point for an assemble edit.
III Transitions and effects that require rendering, along with any added elements, are rendered automatically prior to output. A dialog shows you the rendering progress of your sequence or clip. You can also choose to output unrendered real-time effects at a lower quality, saving time by avoiding rendering.
To perform an insert edit: 1 Choose File > Edit to Tape. The preview option is disabled if you are using DV equipment. In most layouts, the Edit to Tape window appears on top of the Canvas. 2 Choose Editing or Mastering mode from the pop-up menu in the top center of the window. Choose a mode from this pop-up menu. For more information about the Editing and Mastering modes, see “Video Tab” on page 189. 3 Select a clip or sequence in the Browser.
III 5 Set In and Out points on your tape where you want your clip or sequence recorded. If you’re in Mastering mode: Use the transport controls in the Edit to Tape window to cue the tape where you want to start your initial edit. Then press I or click the Mark In button to set the In point. (You don’t set an Out point in this mode, because you may include trailer elements that extend the edit duration.
6 Select the destination video and audio tracks to be edited to in the Edit to Tape window. When performing an insert edit, you can selectively record-enable the video, audio, and timecode tracks on tape. Destination tracks that are disabled in the Edit to Tape window are not overwritten on the destination tape. Click here to enable or disable timecode. Choose your audio tracks from this pop-up menu. Click here to enable or disable video.
III 9 To edit your sequence or clip to tape, drag it from the Browser or Viewer to the Insert section of the Edit Overlay in the Edit to Tape window or click the Insert Edit button. Drag the clip or sequence here to do an insert edit. Or click the Insert Edit button. Transitions and effects that require rendering, along with any leader and trailer elements, are rendered automatically prior to output. A dialog shows you the rendering progress of your sequence or clip.
Using Edit to Tape to Output Multichannel Audio Final Cut Pro is capable of outputting up to eight tracks of audio when performing an insert edit to tape. The number of audio tracks that can be recorded to when using the Edit to Tape command depends on the number of audio tracks your video or audio recording deck supports. You also need to have enough discrete outputs on your audio interface to connect to each audio input on your deck. Assemble editing records all audio tracks at once.
III In Final Cut Pro, you can specify an audio mapping by selecting or creating a device control preset and setting the Audio Mapping pop-up menu in the Device Control Preset Editor to the appropriate configuration for your recording device. Important: The Audio Mapping pop-up menu does not automatically detect the number of audio tracks to which your video or audio recording device is capable of recording. You need to manually choose a device control preset based on your recording device’s capabilities.
15 Printing To Video and Output From the Timeline 15 You can output your sequence to videotape using the Print to Video command, or simply record from the Timeline. This chapter covers the following: Â Different Ways You Can Output Video From the Timeline (p. 207) Â Printing to Video (p. 208) Â Recording From the Timeline (p. 211) Â Outputting to VHS Tape (p.
 Record from the Timeline: You can use this method at any time to record the video output of Final Cut Pro to tape, providing a “what you see is what you get” recording of your sequence. In this case, Final Cut Pro does not control your VTR in any way. If you need to output your clip or sequence to tape more precisely using device control, you can edit directly onto videotape. For more information, see Chapter 14, “Assemble and Insert Editing Using Edit to Tape,” on page 185.
III To automatically start a camcorder or deck recording during Print to Video: 1 Choose File > Print to Video. 2 Select the Automatically Start Recording checkbox in the Print to Video window. 3 Click OK to begin recording to tape. Note: The Automatically Start Recording checkbox is the same as the Auto Record and PTV checkbox shown in a device control preset.
3 Choose File > Print to Video. 4 Select elements you want to print along with your sequence or clip. In this section, select all of the options you want to add before the clip or sequence. In this section, select the media you want to print and choose looping options. Enter options to add a trailer at the end of the clip or sequence. All selected elements are sent to tape in the order listed. Make sure elements you don’t need are not selected.
III Recording From the Timeline The easiest way to output to tape is to enable external video output in Final Cut Pro, play back your sequence in the Timeline, then press Record on your connected camcorder or deck. If you want to show black before and after your program, you have to add Slug generators to the beginning and end of your sequence, or move all the sequence clips to the right to leave a gap before the beginning of your sequence.
3 In the Timeline, move the playhead to where you want to start recording in your sequence. Move the playhead where you want to start recording. The first frame will be recorded immediately after you press Record on your camcorder or deck. To avoid an awkward freeze frame at the beginning of your sequence, you may want to move the playhead to an initial frame of black. 4 If you want to loop your sequence, choose View > Loop Playback so there’s a checkmark next to it.
III For more information about these settings, see “Default Timing Options” on page 288. Â Every Frame: Plays back every frame of the sequence, whether or not rendering is required. If there are transitions or effects in your sequence that haven’t been rendered, your sequence will not play back in real time, but every frame will be recorded on tape. Â Forward: Plays from the current position of the playhead forward to the end of the sequence in the Timeline.
16 Exporting Sequences for DVD 16 Making a DVD of your movie is a great way to show and distribute it. Video DVDs contain high-quality media and can be played in most set-top DVD players, as well as most computers with DVD playback capability. This chapter covers the following: Â The DVD Creation Process (p. 215) Â Adding Chapter and Compression Markers to Your Sequence (p. 220) Â About the DVD Authoring Applications (p. 222) Â Creating DVD-Compliant Sources for DVD Studio Pro (p.
There are essentially four phases to creating a DVD: Â Create and edit your source material. In addition to the main Final Cut Pro movie, you can create still graphics or short movies for use as menu backgrounds. It is important to understand that all edits, special effects, audio fades and mixes, and scene transitions must be added to the video and audio in Final Cut Pro before exporting them for use in the DVD authoring application. Â Encode your video and audio to DVD-Video compliant formats.
III Video for DVD All DVD video must be MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 encoded, using specific frame dimensions, frame rates, and bit rates. Larger frame dimensions and higher bit rates result in better video, but at the cost of larger files. The most important thing you can do when preparing your material for use on DVD is to use the highest quality settings available.
About the MPEG Format MPEG-2 is an internationally accepted compression standard developed by the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG). MPEG-2 allows you to create broadcast-quality video files and was designed to support high-resolution, high bit-rate video. It is the video compression format used for high-quality video titles on DVD and home satellite dish systems. All DVD players contain the hardware required for MPEG-2 playback.
III Video DVDs support several audio formats: Â AIFF (uncompressed): Provides the highest quality mono or stereo audio, but requires the most disc space. May cause problems with DVD tracks that contain multiple audio streams. QuickTime, Compressor, iDVD, and DVD Studio Pro all are able to create suitable uncompressed AIFF audio streams. Â Dolby Digital AC-3: Provides high-quality compressed audio. Supports from one to six channels (5.1 surround sound), including standard stereo.
Adding Chapter and Compression Markers to Your Sequence Once you have your edited sequence or program finished, you can add markers to the sequence for use on DVD. Markers are reference points you can place within clips or sequences that identify specific frames. There are two kinds of markers you can add that directly relate to authoring a DVD—chapter markers and compression markers. Â Chapter markers allow DVD authoring applications to create a navigable chapter list for your exported QuickTime movie.
III When a movie or sequence with at least one chapter marker is exported, the exported QuickTime movie has a text track, in addition to the video, audio, and timecode tracks. This text track is automatically set up as a QuickTime chapter track. How this track is used depends on the application you use to open the exported QuickTime movie. Â In QuickTime Player: A chapter track is visible from QuickTime Player as a pop-up menu in the movie window.
In most cases, the compression markers that are placed automatically by Final Cut Pro will suffice. However, in areas of abrupt visual change that take place inside a clip with no edit point to give it away, a user-placed compression marker can help to compress that section more smoothly. For example, suppose you have a shot that contains an extremely fast 180-degree pan from a jungle scene to the beach behind the camera. This rapid change has no cut point for Final Cut Pro to detect automatically.
III Using DVD Studio Pro DVD Studio Pro can import either standard QuickTime movies or DVD-compliant sources. When you import standard QuickTime movies, they are automatically encoded to be DVD-compliant. The video is encoded as MPEG-2 at a quality determined by a set of preference settings, allowing you more control over the quality than when using iDVD. The audio is encoded as uncompressed AIFF. For details on exporting a QuickTime movie for use in DVD Studio Pro, see “Using iDVD” on page 222.
Exporting a QuickTime Movie for DVD Use The process of exporting your movie is the same, whether you plan to use iDVD or DVD Studio Pro for creating a DVD. To export a QuickTime movie for use in iDVD or DVD Studio Pro: 1 In Final Cut Pro, choose File > Export > QuickTime Movie. 2 Configure the Save dialog as desired. In most cases, you will leave the Setting pop-up menu at Current Settings and include both audio and video.
III Using Compressor as a Standalone Application This approach is similar to launching Compressor within Final Cut Pro, but requires you to render the sequence first. An advantage of this approach is that you can create encoding batches within Compressor, allowing your computer to compress multiple movies automatically. To use Compressor as a standalone application, you must first export your sequence from Final Cut Pro as a QuickTime movie.
17 Learning About QuickTime 17 Final Cut Pro uses QuickTime technology as a foundation for media file storage and as an import and export engine for opening multiple video, audio, and graphics file formats. This chapter covers the following: Â What Is QuickTime? (p. 227) Â How Final Cut Pro Uses QuickTime for Import, Export, and Capture (p. 231) What Is QuickTime? QuickTime is Apple’s multiplatform, multimedia technology for handling video, sound, animation, graphics, text, interactivity, and music.
The QuickTime Suite of Software Applications When someone mentions QuickTime, people often think of the free media player developed by Apple. However, QuickTime is much more than just that. QuickTime comprises a suite of applications that allow you to play, edit, and manipulate your media. The QuickTime software includes: Â QuickTime Player: Apple’s free easy-to-use application for playing, interacting with, or viewing video, audio, virtual reality (VR), or graphics files that are compatible with QuickTime.
III How Is Information Stored in a QuickTime Movie? QuickTime movie files store media data in separate tracks. You create a QuickTime movie file by adding tracks that point to the media you want to use. The media may be embedded in the file itself or in a reference movie in another file. This track architecture is powerful and flexible, allowing you to store and synchronize multiple pieces of video and audio media in a single file. There are many types of tracks allowed in a QuickTime movie file.
The QuickTime framework supports codecs that are commonly used today as well as codecs that were once popular. When you go to export a QuickTime movie file, the long list of available codecs demonstrates how extensive QuickTime codec support is. At the same time, this list can be potentially daunting. Look for the codec you need and ignore the rest.
III Â DV: There are several DV codecs available for NTSC, PAL, and other varieties such as DVCPRO HD. A DV camcorder uses a DV codec to turn full-resolution image data into compressed media, which is then stored on tape. The raw data stream from tape can be captured to your hard disk in a file format called a DV stream.
Formats Supported by QuickTime QuickTime supports a lot of media formats and codecs, with many more coming all the time. Some examples of formats and codecs supported by QuickTime follow. Movie File Formats File formats are the overarching structure used to store data. Different movie file formats place video and audio media in different parts of the file, as well as the associated metadata. The most commonly used media file formats supported by QuickTime are described below.
III Video Codecs Supported Within Video File Formats A video codec is an algorithm for encoding video images in space (within a frame) and time (across multiple frames) to compress the data requirements while still producing an acceptable image. Not all codecs are supported by all file formats. Uncompressed This isn’t really a codec, but a way of storing QuickTime movies with no compression at all.
Apple M-JPEG There are two Apple M-JPEG codecs, M-JPEG A and M-JPEG B. These are variable data rate codecs similar to the ones used by video capture cards. If you need to deliver more heavily compressed material to keep files small, consider these codecs. M-JPEG is a “lossy” codec (meaning visual information is permanently removed from the video frames) and will result in artifacts in your video. The severity of these artifacts depends on the data rate you choose.
III Graphics and Still Image Formats  BMP: Standard bit-mapped graphics format used on Windows computers.  FlashPix: A format for storing digital images, especially digital photographs, developed by Eastman Kodak Company.  GIF: Graphic Interchange Format. A common bit-mapped graphics file format used on the web.  JPEG/JFIF: Joint Photographics Experts Group. A “lossy” compression file format used for images. JFIF is JPEG File Interchange Format.
Audio File Formats  AAC or .mp4: Advanced audio coding. This format is a continuation of the MP3 audio format, improving quality while reducing file size. This audio format is commonly used in MPEG-4 multimedia files, and can support features such as surround sound.  AIFF/AIFC: Audio Interchange File Format. An audio format for Macintosh computers commonly used for storing uncompressed, CD-quality sound (similar to WAVE files for Windows-based PCs).  Audio CD Data (.cdda): Compact Disc Digital Audio.
III The Export Using QuickTime Conversion command gives you more flexibility, particularly in terms of the type of compression and file formats supported. For more information, see “The Export Using QuickTime Conversion Command” on page 237. The Export QuickTime Movie Command The Export QuickTime Movie command creates a new QuickTime movie file.
18 Exporting QuickTime Movies 18 You can export your sequence to a QuickTime movie using any of the available sequence presets. Markers can also be included for use in other applications such as DVD Studio Pro and Soundtrack. This chapter covers the following: Â About the Export QuickTime Movie Command (p. 239) Â Choosing the Type of QuickTime Movie to Export (p. 240) Â Exporting a QuickTime Movie File (p.
Choosing the Type of QuickTime Movie to Export You can create two kinds of QuickTime movies with the Export QuickTime Movie command—a self-contained movie or a reference movie. Â Self-contained movie: A self-contained movie contains the video and audio media— all of the data used to create your movie is within a single file. This single file can be safely and easily copied to another computer without worrying that you need other files to play it back.
III Exporting a Self-Contained Movie Without Recompressing the Media If you choose to export a self-contained movie, you have the option to not recompress the media in your clip or sequence. If you deselect the Recompress All Frames option and choose Current Settings from the Setting pop-up menu, Final Cut Pro simply copies frames from existing media files into the new file with no recompression. This is a convenient way to export your media without subjecting it to recompression artifacts.
5 Choose a location and enter a name for the file. If you want, enter a name for the file. Choose a place to save the file. To create a reference movie, make sure there is no check in this checkbox. Specify the settings for the exported movie. 6 Choose the compression setting you want to use from the Setting pop-up menu. The settings shown here come from built-in presets. If you want to customize these settings, you can do so in the Sequence Preset Editor.
III 8 Choose which markers you want to export as text tracks inside the movie file. The markers exported depend on whether you selected a sequence or a clip for export. If you selected a sequence, only sequence markers are exported. If you selected a clip, only markers from that clip are exported. For more information about using markers in Final Cut Pro, see Volume II, Chapter 4, “Using Markers.
19 Exporting QuickTime-Compatible Files 19 When you need to export video, audio, or still image files for use in other applications, you can use the Export Using QuickTime Conversion command to create any file format supported by QuickTime. This chapter covers the following: Â Â Â Â Â About the Export Using QuickTime Conversion Command (p. 245) Types of QuickTime-Compatible File Formats (p. 246) Exporting a QuickTime Movie File for Web Distribution (p. 247) Exporting a DV Stream (p.
Types of QuickTime-Compatible File Formats With the Export Using QuickTime Conversion command, you can choose to export almost any file format that QuickTime supports, along with a wide variety of codecs and custom parameters that each format supports. Because there are so many file formats and specific settings, this chapter does not provide an exhaustive description of every file format and its associated settings.
III Audio File Formats For information on exporting any of these formats, see Chapter 11, “Exporting Audio for Mixing in Other Applications,” on page 145. Â AIFF: This is the default audio format used on Macintosh computers. Each data byte is stored with the most significant byte (MSB) stored first. This is known as big endian. Â WAVE: This is the standard audio format used on Windows computers. Each data byte is stored with the least significant byte (LSB) first. This is known as little endian.
7 Choose a preset compression setting from the Use pop-up menu. Settings are shown by their data rate, primary type of audio in the source clip or sequence, and type of motion in the source clip or sequence. 8 To set additional video, audio, and Internet streaming settings, click Options. Click here to include video in your exported QuickTime file. Click here to include audio in your exported QuickTime file. Click here if your program is to be streamed on the Internet.
III 9 When you’ve finished selecting your options, click OK. 10 When you’re ready to export, click Save. A dialog shows you the progress of the export. To cancel your export, press Esc or click Cancel. Note: Whenever you use the Export Using QuickTime Conversion command, all audio that requires rendering is automatically rendered with a render quality of High, regardless of the render quality setting.
Standard Video Compression Settings Depending on the codec you choose from the Compression type pop-up menu, various options may be available, as explained below.  Compression Type: Select a codec from this pop-up menu to compress the video. All the standard Final Cut Pro and third-party video codecs installed on your system are available. Motion  Frame Rate: Define the frame rate of your exported movie. This doesn’t need to match the frame rate of the clip or sequence you’re exporting.
III Data Rate  Data Rate:  Automatic: QuickTime adjusts the data rate of your QuickTime movie automatically.  Restrict to: With some codecs, you can manually restrict the data rate of your compressed QuickTime movie file. The codec uses a combination of spatial and temporal compression to try to reach your target rate. Be aware of your frame size and frame rate so you don’t set a data rate that is too low for the codec to reach. Compressor  Depth: Choose a color depth.
Filter Settings QuickTime filters apply to your entire exported clip or sequence. This is different from applying a filter within Final Cut Pro, where a filter is applied only to selected clips or parts of a clip. Adjust settings for the filter in this area. Click a disclosure triangle to see more filters. Select a filter in this list. Â Load: Click here to use a filter you’ve saved, such as one used in an earlier project. Â Save: Click here to save a filter’s settings, if you might use them again.
III QuickTime Movie Sound Settings Click Settings to choose an audio format, number of channels, sample rate, and additional settings. Depending on the format you choose from the Format pop-up menu, additional settings may be available. Important: If there is no audio in your clip or sequence, deselect the Sound Settings checkbox. Otherwise, blank audio tracks are created in your QuickTime movie file, which require additional space.
 Rate: Choose a standard sample rate from the pop-up menu or enter a value to specify the output rate for the audio. Lower sample rates take less bandwidth but have lower quality.  8-22.225 kHz: These lower sample rates are used mainly for multimedia and web movies to reduce file size.  32 kHz: A lower-quality sample rate often used on consumer DV camcorders. This option isn’t particularly useful for exporting unless you specifically need to make a file that is compatible with a 32 kHz device.  44.
III Prepare for Internet Streaming If you’re outputting QuickTime files for streaming over the Internet, there are three format options. Â Fast Start: The QuickTime movie is downloaded like any other graphic or media file. Once enough of the movie has downloaded, the movie begins to play automatically. Â Fast Start - Compressed Header: This works the same way as a Fast Start movie, except that the header information is compressed, so the movie takes up less disk space.
Exporting a DV Stream A DV Stream file is just like the DV video and audio data recorded on DV tape. This file format is used with applications such as iMovie. DV Stream files are not the same as QuickTime movie files with separate, extensible tracks. Use this option to make iMoviecompatible DV Stream files. To export a DV Stream file: 1 Select a clip or sequence in the Browser or open the sequence in the Timeline. 2 Choose File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion.
III Â Audio Format: Choose your options. Â Locked: Conforms the audio tracks to the “locked audio” standard where the audio and video sample clocks are synchronized. Â Rate: Choose a sample rate for the exported file from this pop-up menu. Note: DVCPRO and DVCPRO 50 always use locked audio with a sample rate of 48 kHz. With these formats, these options are not adjustable. 7 When you’re ready to export, click Save. A dialog shows you the progress of the export.
Each setting in this list is a predefined group of codecs and settings. If your needs are more specific, skip ahead to step 6. 6 To customize settings, click Options. 7 Click the checkbox next to Video and Sound to include these in your exported file. To include video in the exported file, make sure this is checked. Click here to adjust compression used for the video track. To include audio in the exported file, make sure this is checked. Click here to adjust compression used for the audio track.
III 9 Click Settings in the Audio section to adjust compression settings used for the audio tracks. The audio compression settings here are similar to the QuickTime Movie Sound Settings, although different codecs and settings are supported. 10 When you’re ready to export, click Save. A dialog shows you the progress of the export. To cancel your export, press Esc or click Cancel.
20 Exporting Still Images and Image Sequences 20 At many points during your project, you may need to export still images of your video for graphics, posters, the press, email, or the web. This chapter covers the following: Â Determining the Image Format for Still Image Export (p. 261) Â Exporting a Single Still Image (p. 262) Â Exporting Image Sequences (p. 264) Determining the Image Format for Still Image Export Final Cut Pro uses the built-in QuickTime technology in Mac OS X to export still images.
Resolution of Exported Still Images Exported still images are 72 dpi. This number cannot be changed during export, and is irrelevant for video and computer use. If you are exporting for print and you need to adjust the dpi setting, you can do so in a graphics application such as Adobe Photoshop. Bit Depth of Exported Still Images Exported still images are always exported using 8 bits per pixel per color channel.
III 5 Choose a file format from the Use pop-up menu. Disregard the frame rate (frames per second or fps) when exporting single still images. Choose a setting from the pop-up menu. Some graphics file formats do not appear in the Use pop-up menu. If the file format you need does not appear in the list, see step 6. 6 To select custom settings, click Options, and in the Export Image Sequence Settings dialog, choose your settings, then click OK.
Exporting Image Sequences You can export numbered image sequences in various formats using the Export Using QuickTime Conversion command. If you want to export just a part of a clip or a sequence, you can do so by setting In and Out points before exporting. To export a numbered image sequence: 1 Select a clip or sequence in the Browser or open a sequence in the Timeline. 2 Do one of the following: Â To export the entire clip or sequence, clear all In and Out points.
III 7 Click Options, and in the Export Image Sequence Settings window, choose your settings, then click OK. Choose a format type from this pop-up menu. Enter the desired frame rate, or choose an option from the pop-up menu. Click here to set additional options, if available. Â Format: Choose the image format you want to use from the pop-up menu. Â Frames per second: Enter a value or choose an option from the pop-up menu for the frame rate for the images.
21 Batch Exporting Clips and Sequences 21 You can set up Final Cut Pro to export multiple clips and sequences at one time using the Batch Export command. This chapter covers the following: Â Overview of the Batch Exporting Process (p. 267) Â Selecting Items in the Browser to Batch Export (p. 268) Â Selecting Batch Export Settings (p. 270) Â Doing a Batch Export (p. 275) Â Opening Batch Exported Files in the Viewer (p. 276) Â Redoing Batch Exports (p.
Follow these steps to do a batch export. Steps are described in detail on the following pages. Step 1: Select the clips, sequence, or bin you want to batch export. Step 2: Select export settings in the Batch Export window. Step 3: Batch export the desired items. Selecting Items in the Browser to Batch Export You can select as many clips, sequences, and bins as you want to batch export.
III 3 To change the name of a bin in the Export Queue, click the bin’s name once to select it, wait a moment, then click the name a second time. Type a new name. If you want, enter a new name for the bin. 4 To create a new bin, do one of the following: Â Choose File > New > Bin. Â Press Command-B. Each bin in the Export Queue has its own export settings. You may want to reorganize items into different bins to keep items with the same settings in the same bin.
Selecting Batch Export Settings Items in the Export Queue window do not have individual export settings. Instead, each bin in the Export Queue has export settings. When you place a clip or sequence into a bin in the Export Queue, that item is exported using the settings assigned to the bin. You can place the same clip or sequence in as many Export Queue bins as you like. This allows you to export the same clip or sequence to multiple file formats or with different settings.
III In the Batch window, you can select settings for all items in the bin. 2 Click Set Destination, then choose a location to save the exported file. 3 Choose a QuickTime-compatible file format from the Format pop-up menu. Select the desired format. These are the same file format choices available when using the Export Using QuickTime Conversion command and the Export QuickTime Movie command.
4 Choose preset settings from the Settings pop-up menu. The preset settings you see depend on the format you’ve selected. Note: If you are exporting a QuickTime movie, the preset settings are the current sequence presets available in Final Cut Pro. This is the same as when you are using the Export QuickTime Movie command, except the choice Item Settings replaces Current Settings, and no custom settings choice is available.
III 8 If you chose QuickTime Movie from the Format pop-up menu, the Recompress All Frames and Make Self-Contained options are available. You can select these options if you want. For more information about these options, see “Choosing the Type of QuickTime Movie to Export” on page 240. Select the options you want. 9 Select the “Use Item In/Out” option to export only the media between the current In and Out points. If this is not selected, all of the media in the clip or the entire sequence is exported.
 Length: Displays the total length of the clip or sequence, regardless of In or Out points.  Destination: The path to the folder on disk where the exported files will be saved. The Render Files folder is used by default. To change the folder, double-click in this column. In the dialog, choose a location to save the file.  Format: Displays the file format used for exporting.  Settings: Displays the preset setting name for the export settings of this export bin.
III Doing a Batch Export After you’ve selected the clips and sequences you want to export and organized them into bins with your desired settings, you export the items as a batch. To do a batch export: 1 In the Export Queue, select the bins you want to export. If you want to export all items in the Export Queue, deselect all items. Select the bin you want to export. Then click Export. 2 Click Export. A dialog shows you the progress of the export. To cancel your export, press Esc or click Cancel.
Opening Batch Exported Files in the Viewer After your sequences and clips have been exported, you can open them in the Viewer. To open batch exported files in the Viewer: m In the Export Queue window, select an item, then click View Exported. The status of the selected item must be “Done.” Select an item to view. Then click View Exported. Each item appears in a separate Viewer window.
III Redoing Batch Exports If items in the Export Queue were canceled or stopped because of errors, they can be easily requeued. An item’s status can be changed at any time, from Queued to Done or from Error to Queued. For example, an item that was canceled before it finished exporting can be set back to Queued and exported again. To change the status of items in the Export Queue: m Control-click in the Status column of the item you want to change, then choose a status in the shortcut menu.
Part IV: Settings and Preferences IV Learn how to customize Final Cut Pro for the particular needs of your project and editing environment.
22 Choosing Settings and Preferences 22 Final Cut Pro has numerous settings and preferences that allow you to customize your system for particular video formats and editing styles. This chapter covers the following: Â Changing User Preferences (p. 281) Â Changing System Settings (p. 294) Changing User Preferences A preference modifies how a particular Final Cut Pro feature behaves.
 Timeline Options Tab (p. 293): These are the default display options used when a new sequence is created. This is where you can change the default number of video and audio tracks for new sequences. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 9, “Timeline Basics.”  Render Control Tab (p. 293): This tab allows you to choose the render quality of new sequences you create. For more information, see Volume III, Chapter 24, “Rendering.”  Audio Outputs Tab (p.
IV Â List Recent Clips: This value determines how many clip names appear in the Recent Clips pop-up menu in the Viewer. This pop-up menu shows a list of clips that you opened from the Browser, in the order they were opened (with the most recently opened clip at the top of the list). The default is 10 clips, and the maximum is 20. For more information on using the Viewer’s Recent Clips pop-up menu, see Volume I, Chapter 6, “Viewer Basics.
More About Audio Playback Quality Sample rate conversion occurs when you use clips with audio sample rates that differ from the sample rate in your sequence’s settings. If the sample rate of your media files matches the sample rate of the sequence, this pop-up menu has no effect. Transitions between rendered and nonrendered portions of audio clips are also affected by the quality chosen in the Audio Playback Quality pop-up menu.
IV Interface Options  Show Tooltips: Select this option to automatically display descriptions of interface elements and their corresponding keyboard shortcuts, called tooltips. Tooltips appear in small yellow boxes when you move the pointer over a control and pause briefly (without clicking the control). When you move the pointer away from the control, the tooltip disappears. The tooltip (interface element and keyboard shortcut) that appears when you place the pointer over the Play button in the Viewer.
Capture and Playback Options  Sync audio capture to video source if present: Select this option in the following scenarios:  You have an audio interface that has a video genlock input, and the genlock input is receiving a proper video signal.  You are capturing audio media that you intend to synchronize with video, such as sound recorded on a separate audio recorder during a film or video production.
IV Text Size Options  Browser Text Size: This pop-up menu allows you to choose how small or large text appears in the Browser and Timeline. You can also adjust these settings by choosing View > Text Size or control-clicking in the Browser and choosing Text Size from the shortcut menu. Auto Render Options  Auto Render: The Auto Render option allows you to take advantage of idle computer time when you’re not editing—such as during a coffee break or lunch—to render open sequences in the Timeline.
Default Timing Options  Still/Freeze Duration: This value determines the duration for imported graphics and freeze frames you create in Final Cut Pro (when you choose Modify > Make Freeze Frame in the Canvas or Viewer). The default duration is 10 seconds. In and Out points are set around the middle of a clip, providing equal handles for trimming on either side of the clip. You can increase the length of a Freeze Frame by opening it in the Viewer and entering a higher value in the Timecode Duration field.
IV In the following example, the sequence contains ten duplicate frames. Below, the handle size setting is set to zero frames, so no additional frames are shown. These ten frames are used twice, so they are shown as duplicate frames. When the handle size setting is set to ten frames, five additional frames on either side of the duplicate frames are displayed. Ten duplicate frames. Five additional frames beyond the duplicate frames are shown here... Chapter 22 Choosing Settings and Preferences ...
 Threshold: This allows you to set a minimum number of frames that must be duplicated before a duplicate frame’s indicator will appear. By default, this is set to 0 so that all instances of duplicated frames are indicated. You can set it as high as 99 frames (3 to 4 seconds, depending on the frame rate), in which case there would have to be a minimum of 99 consecutive duplicated frames before a duplicate frames indicator would appear.
IV Trim Edit Window Options  Dynamic Trimming: Select Dynamic Trimming to allow edit points in the Trim Edit window to automatically follow the position of the playhead. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 9, “Timeline Basics.” The setting is also applicable for trimming; see Volume II, Chapter 19, “Learning About Trimming Clips.”  Trim with Sequence Audio: When this option is selected, you hear all sequence audio tracks while using the JKL keys on either side of the Trim Edit window.
You can choose the resolution of keyframe recording (in other words, how often audio level and panning keyframes are added to a clip while you adjust a fader in the Audio Mixer). For more information about recording audio keyframes, see Volume III, Chapter 6, “Using the Audio Mixer.” Â All: Records the maximum number of keyframes possible while you move a channel strip’s fader or panning slider. The end result is a precise re-creation of the levels you set using the Audio Mixer.
IV Timeline Options Tab This tab is used to set default options for new sequences. This is where you set the default number of video and audio tracks for new sequences. Once a sequence is created, you can change display options by choosing Sequence > Settings or by using the Timeline display controls in the lower left of the Timeline. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 9, “Timeline Basics.” Render Control Tab This tab is used to set default render options for new sequences.
Changing System Settings Settings apply to capture, sequence, rendering, real time, output, hardware, and format configurations in Final Cut Pro. Once you set up for a particular video format and device, these settings are adjusted relatively infrequently. There are several places you can modify settings in Final Cut Pro: Â System Settings: The System Settings window covers a wide variety of settings, mainly related to the computer setup you are using and how Final Cut Pro interacts with it.
IV Search Folders Tab When reconnecting clips to media files, Final Cut Pro uses the folders assigned in this tab to search for media. The folders listed here appear in the Search Folders pop-up menu in the Reconnect Files dialog, allowing you to limit your media search to specific media drives and folders. This is helpful when you have a large number of disks that contain footage for multiple projects, or when you are using a SAN (storage area network).
To remove a search folder: m Click Clear next to the search folder you want to remove from the list. Missing Search Folders When a search folder is moved or deleted, Final Cut Pro displays the message “‘Unknown’ is offline.” When a mounted volume is missing, Final Cut Pro displays the message “‘Volume name’ is offline.” Memory & Cache Tab The settings in this tab affect memory usage in Final Cut Pro.
IV Â Still Cache: This specifies the amount of RAM used to hold still images for real-time playback. The still cache that is allocated is a percentage of the excess RAM allocated to Final Cut Pro, so adjusting the Application slider also adjusts the amount of RAM available to the still cache. The more RAM allocated to the still cache, the more still frames can be played back in real time in the currently selected sequence.
External Editors Tab Final Cut Pro allows you to directly open clips’ media files in other applications. This tab allows you to assign media file types, such as still images or audio, to external applications for editing and processing outside Final Cut Pro. To open a clip in an external application: 1 Do one of the following: Â Control-click a clip in the Browser or Canvas, then choose Open in Editor from the shortcut menu. Â Select a clip in the Browser or Timeline, then choose View > Clip in Editor.
IV In some cases, a clip’s Creator property determines what application will open it, such as LiveType or Motion clips. However, for generic media types such as audio and video, you can assign any application you want. For example, you could set Peak DV as your audio file editor so you could quickly make permanent changes directly to the source audio files on disk (such as using a noise reduction filter available in that application to clean up a particularly noisy clip).
Effect Handling Tab The Effect Handling tab allows you to assign real-time effects processing to third-party video effects accelerator card or to Final Cut Pro (native software processing). Each codec that appears here can be assigned to a different video effects accelerator card or to Final Cut Pro. For more details, see Volume III, Chapter 23, “Using RT Extreme.
23 Audio/Video Settings and Easy Setups 23 Audio/Video settings allow you to customize your Final Cut Pro system to work with particular video formats and equipment. You can also choose Easy Setups to quickly set up your system with a single click. This chapter covers the following: Â The Audio/Video Settings Window (p. 301) Â Changing Your Easy Setup and Presets (p. 303) The Audio/Video Settings Window The Audio/Video Settings window establishes the video format you are working with.
There are several kinds of presets, each accessible from the corresponding tab in the Audio/Video settings window: Â Capture Presets: These determine the dimensions, frame rate, codec, and interfaces used when capturing media files to disk. This group of settings is used during capture and usually matches the format of your source tapes. Different capture presets allow you to quickly set up Final Cut Pro to capture a wide range of video formats.
IV Viewing a Summary of the Current Presets The Summary tab in the Audio/Video Settings window shows the currently selected capture, sequence, and device control presets, as well as settings in the A/V Devices tab. You can check this tab to see how your editing system is currently set up, make quick changes to your editing system configuration by selecting a different preset, or create an Easy Setup containing a custom combination of presets.
Selecting a Different Easy Setup Final Cut Pro comes with Easy Setups for the most commonly used video formats and devices, such as DV, uncompressed standard definition video, DVCPRO HD, and offline (low-resolution) editing. If your editing configuration doesn’t match any of the current Easy Setups or presets, you can always create your own Easy Setup. If you buy a thirdparty video interface, Easy Setups that support the interface are often included.
IV Choosing Individual Presets If a preset doesn’t suit your needs, you can choose another one in the Summary tab of the Audio/Video Settings window. The preset you choose then applies to all new projects and sequences.
Viewing Settings in a Preset Below each pop-up menu in the Summary tab of the Audio/Video Settings window, there is a brief overview of what each preset is used for. If you’re not sure which preset to choose, you can view detailed information in the individual preset tabs. To view settings for a preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings, then click the appropriate preset tab. 2 Click a preset to see a summary of its settings.
IV Creating a New Preset If none of the existing presets is exactly what you need or want, you can create a new one by duplicating an existing preset and modifying the duplicated preset’s settings. To create a new preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings. 2 Click the tab for the type of preset you want to create. 3 Click a preset you want to use as starting point for creating a new preset, then click Duplicate. Click the preset you want to duplicate so it’s highlighted. Then click Duplicate.
The newly created preset becomes the currently selected preset and appears in the appropriate preset pop-up menu in the Summary tab of the Audio/Video Settings window. The new preset appears in the pop-up menu. Editing a Preset You can edit any preset that is not locked. To edit a preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings, then click the tab for the type of preset you want to edit. 2 Click the preset you want to modify, then click Edit. Click the preset you want to edit. Then click Edit.
IV Deleting Presets You may decide to delete a preset that you’ve created. Before you delete it, make sure you aren’t using it in current projects and won’t need it for future projects. To delete a preset you’ve created: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings. 2 Click the appropriate preset tab. 3 Select the preset you want to delete, then click Delete. Click the appropriate preset tab. Click the preset you want to delete. Then click Delete.
To create a custom Easy Setup: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings. 2 In the Summary tab, choose the desired presets. For more information, see “Choosing Individual Presets” on page 305. If you want to create a custom preset, see “Creating a New Preset” on page 307. 3 Choose video and audio playback settings. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 16, “External Video Monitoring.” 4 Click Create Easy Setup.
IV To move an Easy Setup to another Final Cut Pro editing system: m Copy the Easy Setup file from its stored location on your hard disk to another disk or storage medium. To delete a custom Easy Setup: 1 Quit Final Cut Pro. 2 Drag the Final Cut Pro preferences file to the Trash. This file is in the following location: [Home]/Library/Preferences/Final Cut Pro User Data 3 Locate the custom Easy Setup file you want to delete.
Example: Creating a Custom Preset and Easy Setup The following example shows how to create a custom Easy Setup for capturing DV NTSC video from a Betacam SP deck using a USB-to-serial adapter for serial device control and a DV converter box. You can use the existing sequence and capture presets and external video setting, but you need to create a new device control preset. To create a custom Easy Setup for capturing DV NTSC video from a Betacam SP deck: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings.
IV 6 Click the Summary tab. The Device Control Preset pop-up menu is now set to the newly created preset, Betacam SP Serial Device Control. 7 Click Create Easy Setup. 8 Enter a name and description for your new Easy Setup, then click Create. 9 Enter a filename and location if you don’t want to use the defaults, then click Save. Installing Third-Party Easy Setups and Presets Final Cut Pro places several preset files on your hard disk during installation.
24 Capture Settings and Presets 24 A capture preset is a group of settings that determine how media is captured from an external media device (such as a VTR) to a hard disk. This chapter covers the following: Â About Capture Preset Settings (p. 315) Â Creating a Preset to Capture Audio Only (p. 321) Important: If you’re using a third-party video interface, see the documentation that came with the interface for information on how to set up an appropriate capture preset.
To view or edit a capture preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings, then click the Capture Presets tab. 2 Click the preset you want to modify, then click Edit. General Settings for Capture Presets  Name: The name of the capture preset appears in the Audio/Video Settings window in two places: the Capture Preset pop-up menu in the Summary tab, and the list of presets in the Capture Presets tab.  Description: This is a brief description, or summary, of what the preset is to be used for.
IV Â Remove Advanced Pulldown and/or Duplicate Frames During Capture From FireWire Sources: Some camcorders, such as the Panasonic DVX100 or Varicam, can record alternate frame rates within a standard frame rate. For example, the DVX100 can record 23.98 fps video within 29.97 fps by adding an advanced 2:3:3:2 pulldown. The Varicam can record multiple frame rates, such as 23.98 fps (720p24) by adding redundant frames within a 59.94 fps (720p60) video signal.
 FPS (Frames per second): Choose a value to specify the number of frames captured per second. For a list of common frame rates, see Appendix A, “Video Formats,” on page 349. Note: The capture preset frame rate should match both the frame rate of your source tapes and the editing timebase you plan to use in your edited sequences. One exception to this rule is when capturing 25 fps video for use in a 24 fps sequence. This is a common film workflow used in Europe.
IV Advanced QuickTime Video Settings for Capture Presets The QuickTime Video Settings in the Capture Preset Editor and Sequence Preset Editor are a subset of all the possible QuickTime Video settings. In most cases, these settings should be sufficient. However, some video interfaces and codecs have specific video settings not shown in one of the Preset Editor windows. Clicking on the Advanced button gives you complete access to all QuickTime video options for Source (input) and Compression settings.
 Limit data rate to N KBytes/sec.: Some codecs allow you to enter a target data rate for your compressed QuickTime file. The codec may use a combination of spatial (per frame) and temporal (across multiple frames) compression to try to reach your target data rate. Be aware of your frame size and frame rate so you don’t set an impossible goal and get disappointing quality in the visual image. This is identical to the Limit Data Rate field in the QuickTime Video Settings section of the Preset Editor window.
IV If you choose None, the Input and Format pop-up menus are not available. If you’re using FireWire but don’t have a FireWire device attached, this option is set to “[Missing] DV Audio”. Â Input: Choose a hardware input from the currently selected audio device. Note: For example, if you selected Built-in Audio, you can choose Microphone or Line In. (On some computers, the S/PDIF optical connector is also an option.) Â Format: Choose an audio configuration from the list.
To create a device-controllable, audio-only capture preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings, then click the Capture Presets tab. 2 Select a preset, then click Duplicate. Final Cut Pro automatically duplicates the selected preset and opens a new Capture Preset Editor window. 3 In the Capture Preset Editor, adjust the following settings, then click OK. Enter a name and appropriate description for your audio capture preset.
25 Device Control Settings and Presets 25 A device control preset communicates transport commands and timecode between Final Cut Pro and supported camcorders and VTRs. This chapter covers the following: Â About Device Control Presets (p. 323) Â About Device Control Protocols (p. 328) Â Troubleshooting Your Device Control Setup (p.
Viewing Settings for a Device Control Preset Settings in a device control preset are used during logging, capturing, and output to tape. To view or edit a device control preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings, then click the Device Control Presets tab. 2 Click the preset you want to modify, then click Edit. Settings in the Device Control Preset Editor The following section describes the settings in the Device Control Preset Editor. Â Name: Enter a name for the preset.
IV What Is a Device Control Protocol? A device control protocol defines the rules and syntax for how two devices communicate with each other. The two connected devices must negotiate and agree upon the speed of communication (often measured in bits per second or baud, much like a modem), the length of each binary word, and how different commands—such as play, rewind, and fast-forward—are coded.
 Time Source: Some tape formats can have more than one kind of timecode track. You can choose which track you want Final Cut Pro to read timecode from, and in the case of LTC and VITC, you can let Final Cut Pro read either one depending on what’s available:  LTC: Because LTC is audio, it can be interpreted by a timecode reader even when the tape is fast-forwarding, but it can’t be read when the tape is paused or moving extremely slowly.
IV Â Use Deck Search Mechanism: Select this option to use a deck’s internal search mechanism to cue a tape to a specific timecode value, if available. Decks with serial device control may have this option. Do not select this option if your deck has problems moving the playhead to a specified timecode value during capture. For more information, see the documentation that came with your video equipment. This option is not available for DV devices.
 Pre-roll and Post-roll: Because VTRs and audio players are mechanical devices, it takes a few seconds for the device’s motor to stabilize and reach a steady speed after starting from a stopped or paused position. The pre-roll time sets how far in advance your camcorder or deck starts playing back your source tape before capture or output. In most cases, the 3 second default is sufficient.
IV Device Control Protocols Supported by Final Cut Pro The following is a list of the device control protocols you can use in Final Cut Pro. Not all protocols are compatible with all features. See the documentation that came with your camcorder or deck for more information on the device control specification it uses, or visit the Final Cut Pro website at http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro.
Video devices vary greatly in their adherence to FireWire specifications for device control. For this reason, there are several versions of the FireWire protocol you can use for device control and capture in Final Cut Pro: Â Apple FireWire: This is the default. Â Apple FireWire Basic: This is a simplified device control protocol for camcorders and decks that aren’t compatible with the complete Apple FireWire protocol. Using this protocol doesn’t affect the quality of captured video or audio.
IV Timecode Transferred Via Serial Device Control Final Cut Pro can use two kinds of timecode sent over a remote serial connection: Â LTC: LTC (longitudinal timecode) is recorded as an audio signal on a dedicated timecode track. Â VITC: VITC (vertical interval timecode) is recorded as part of the video signal, using several video lines that are normally masked by consumer televisions. Lines 16 and 18 of the vertical blanking portion of the video signal are commonly used.
Calibrating Timecode Capture With Serial Device Control Unless you are capturing a DV video format via FireWire, the timecode and video signals are sent separately from the video deck to the computer. Because the signals are separate, they can possibly arrive at different times, which causes the wrong timecode number to be recorded with captured video frames.
IV 2 Capture a clip of video from a tape with LTC (Longitudinal TimeCode) or VITC (Vertical Interval TimeCode) timecode on it. For more information, see Volume I, Chapter 19, “Capturing Your Footage to Disk.” 3 Compare the timecode value recorded in the captured media file (in the Current Timecode field) with the burned-in timecode on the video frame. Current Timecode field Burned-in timecode If both timecode values match, then there is no offset, so no adjustment is necessary.
4 Enter a number of frames in the Capture Offset field, then click OK. Enter a negative number if the clip’s timecode track has higher numbers than the burned-in timecode. For example, if the clip’s Media Start timecode is 01:00:00:04, and the first video frame has a burned-in timecode number of 01:00:00:00, enter –4 in the Capture Offset field.
26 Sequence Settings and Presets 26 Settings for sequences are found in several windows throughout Final Cut Pro. These settings are used when new sequences are created. This chapter covers the following: Â What Are Sequence Settings? (p. 335) Â About Sequence Settings and Presets (p. 336) Â Timeline Display, Render, and Audio Output Options (p. 340) Â Changing Sequence Settings (p. 344) What Are Sequence Settings? A sequence preset is a group of settings that is used when you create a new sequence.
About Sequence Settings and Presets A sequence preset has two tabs: the General and Video Processing tabs. Note: Default Timeline, render control, and audio outputs options are available in User Preferences, or after a sequence has been created by choosing Sequence > Settings. To view or edit a sequence preset: 1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings, then click the Sequence Presets tab. 2 Click the preset you want to modify, then click Edit.
IV Â Pixel Aspect Ratio: Choose a pixel aspect ratio that matches the format you are working with. The pixel aspect ratio determines the shape of each pixel, which affects the overall dimensions and aspect ratio of your video image. Â Square: For multimedia and uncompressed high definition video. Â NTSC - CCIR 601 / DV: For standard definition NTSC formats such as Digital Betacam, DV, or DVD. Â PAL - CCIR 601: For standard definition PAL formats. Â HD (960x720): For 720p HD video, such as DVCPRO HD and HDV.
QuickTime Video Settings for Sequences Final Cut Pro uses the built-in QuickTime architecture of Mac OS X to decompress, render, and output video from your sequence. Since capturing is also handled by QuickTime, QuickTime video settings are explained in more detail in “QuickTime Video Settings for Capture Presets” on page 317. Â Compressor: Choose a codec that matches the format of your media files. Any media file in your sequence that doesn’t use the codec specified here will have to be rendered.
IV Â Depth: Choose the bit depth used for each sample. Â 8-bit: This bit depth is useful for highly compressed movies created for the web. Unless you have a specific need for 8-bit audio, you should avoid this option because the quality is fairly low. Â 16-bit: This is the bit depth of DV, DVCAM, and DVCPRO, as well as of music CDs. If all of your original audio media is 16-bit, and you aren’t routing multiple audio tracks to the same audio output, choose this option.
Timeline Display, Render, and Audio Output Options When you create a new sequence, the timeline display, render, and audio output settings that are used come from the corresponding tabs in the User Preferences window. Once a sequence is created, you can change its options by selecting the sequence and choosing Sequence > Settings. Timeline Options Tab New sequences are created using the settings in the Timeline Options tab of the User Preferences window.
IV Render and playback settings  Filters: If this option is not selected, all filters are ignored during playback, improving real-time performance.  Frame Blending for Speed: If this option is selected, clips with speed adjustments are processed with frame blending. Frame blending makes slow-motion video smoother by synthesizing in-between frames. This requires more processing power, so you can turn it off when you are working on a rough cut.
Audio Outputs Tab The settings in this tab allow you to define the number of audio output channels available for your sequence, using whatever video or audio interface is connected to your computer. New sequences are created with the audio output preset chosen in the User Preferences window. Once a sequence is created, you can choose a different audio output preset by selecting the sequence, choosing Sequence > Settings, then click in the Audio Outputs tab.
IV The Audio Outputs tab has the following settings: Â Outputs pop-up menu: This pop-up menu allows you to specify the number of audio outputs available on your external audio interface. This menu defaults to two output channels for simple stereo output. Additional output channels can be added in pairs. You can specify as many as 12 pairs of audio outputs, or 24 total outputs. Â Channel Settings boxes: Each pair of outputs has its own settings box, each with its own set of controls.
Changing Sequence Settings You can change individual settings for a sequence, such as image height or codec, or you can change all the settings at once by loading a sequence preset (which is simply a set of predefined sequence settings). To view and change individual settings for a sequence: 1 Select a sequence in the Browser or in the Timeline. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Sequence > Settings. Â Control-click the sequence’s icon, then choose Settings from the shortcut menu. Â Press Command-0 (zero).
IV 3 Click the Load Sequence Preset button. 4 Choose a new preset from the pop-up menu in the Select Sequence Preset dialog, then click OK. Important: Final Cut Pro does not allow you to change the editing timebase of a sequence once it contains clips. If you load a sequence preset with a different editing timebase, the editing timebase remains unchanged.
Part V: Appendixes Find specific information on video formats, frame rate and timecode, and solutions to common user problems in this section.
Video Formats A Appendix A This appendix covers the following: Â Characteristics of Video Formats (p. 349) Â Video Formats Supported by Final Cut Pro (p. 366) Â Types of Video Signals and Connectors (p. 369) Â A Brief History of Film, Television, and Audio Formats (p. 373) Characteristics of Video Formats All video formats achieve the same basic goal: they store black-and-white or color information as electronic lines that make up a video frame.
Video formats can be characterized by the following factors: Â The medium used to store the video information. This is primarily videotape, but can also be optical disc, solid-state memory, or a hard disk. Â The size (1/2”, 3/4”, 8 mm) of the tape and the shape of the cassette shell. Â The video standard supported, such as NTSC, PAL, ATSC (HDTV 1080i or 720p), and so on. Â The type of electronic signal recorded on tape.
V Storage Medium Video—especially digital video—can be stored on more than just videotape. The characteristics of the storage medium determine playback and recording capabilities. For example, magnetic and optical disc media (CD, DVD, hard disk) are capable of nonlinear reading and writing, while videotape is inherently linear. Videotape is still a very efficient means of storing large amounts of digital data in a small space, but other types of media are quickly gaining ground.
Video Standards For the last 50 years, there have been two major signal types recorded on video tape: NTSC and PAL. With the emergence of new, high definition video formats, NTSC and PAL formats are now referred to as standard definition video formats. Standard Definition Video NTSC, or National Television Systems Committee, is the television and video standard used in most of the Americas, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
V There are an increasing number of HD tape formats available. Most HD formats only support a subset of the options shown in the table above, and most camcorders and video decks do not support every combination. Type of Video Signal Video signals are separated into several channels for recording and transmission. There are different methods of color channel separation, depending on the video format and historical origins.
 Composite: The luma (Y´) and chroma (C) signals are combined into a single, composite video signal for broadcast. The chroma signal is placed on a color subcarrier frequency related to the main luma frequency. This method of superimposing color information on top of the black-and-white information indicates that this format originated in the early days of color television, when black-and-white TV compatibility was critical for widespread adoption.
V Aspect ratio can be expressed as absolute dimensions (4 x 3), a ratio (4:3), a fraction (4/3), or as the decimal equivalent of a ratio (1.33:1 or, simply 1.33). Â Video aspect ratios are often written as ratios, such as 4:3 for standard definition video or 16:9 for high definition video. Â Film aspect ratios are often written as decimal equivalents, such as 1.33, 1.85, and 2.40. The higher the decimal number, the wider the image. An aspect ratio of 2.40 is wider than 1.85, and 1.85 is wider than 1.33.
Common video frame sizes are shown in the table below.
V Pixel Aspect Ratio A pixel usually refers to a physical picture element on a video display that emanates light. But a pixel is also a term for a sample of light intensity—a piece of data for storing luma or chroma values. When stored on tape or on hard disk, the intensity of a pixel has no inherent shape, height, or width; it is merely a data value. For example, one pixel may have a value of 255, while another may be 150.
These days, the biggest challenge comes when exchanging graphics between applications that use different pixel aspect ratios, or when using an application that does not support rectangular pixels with one that does. The key to a simple workflow is to use applications that can work at the native, nonsquare pixel image dimensions and compensate on the computer display.
V Because the fields are changing at twice the frame rate, there is less perceived flicker than if each frame was scanned progressively. For example, with NTSC, a field of odd lines is scanned in 1/60th of a second and a field of even lines follows in the next 1/60th of a second, resulting in a complete frame every 1/30th of a second.
About Field Dominance Field dominance is an issue when recording and playing back interlaced video material. With progressive video, there is only one way to play back a video frame: Start at line 1 and scan until you reach the last line. With interlaced video, the video player must choose whether to scan the odd lines first, or the even lines. In other words, each time a frame is displayed, which field should be played first, field 1 or 2? This is totally dependent on which field was recorded first.
V Color Recording Method The color recording method of a video format may be either RGB, component (Y´CBCR), S-Video (Y/C), or composite. The more discrete channels a format has, the higher the quality of the image, but the more data required to store and transmit that information. Color recording method Video formats Composite 1”, 3/4” U-matic, 1/2”, VHS, D-2, D-3. S-Video (Y/C) Hi8, S-VHS. Component (Y´CBCR) BetacamSP, Digital Betacam, DVD, DV, D-1, D-5.
Color Sampling Ratio Color sampling ratio refers to the ratio of luma (Y) samples to each color difference sample (CB and CR). For example, 4:2:2 color sampling means that for every four pixels of luma information stored, only two CR samples and two CB samples are stored. By reducing the number of chroma samples, less information is recorded. This is usually acceptable because the luma signal contains more of the detail our eyes see, so the chroma signal doesn’t need to be stored as accurately.
V Bit Depth The number of bits used per sample determines how accurately the sample is stored, and how much intensity variation is possible within the signal. For example, a video signal with a bit depth of only 1 bit can have either a value of 0 or 1, resulting in only black or white pixels. 2 bits per sample results in four possible values: 00, 01, 10, or 11, or any of four shades of gray (or some other color) per sample.
Video Compression Once a video signal is digital, it requires a large amount of storage space and transmission bandwidth. To reduce the amount of data, several strategies are employed to compress the information without negatively affecting the quality of the image. Some methods are lossless, meaning that no data is lost, but most are lossy, meaning that information is thrown away that can’t be retrieved.
V Run-length encoding is lossless, because all the information is retained after decoding. This technique is particularly useful for computer graphics applications, because there are often large fields of identical colors. Note: If each bit in the original image were to alternate between 0 and 1, run-length encoding would not only be ineffective, it could actually make the overall data rate higher! Each codec is designed to anticipate and compress different kinds of data patterns.
Video Formats Supported by Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro supports any video format that uses an installed QuickTime codec. QuickTime natively supports codecs used by a number of video devices, such as DV, DVCPRO 50, DVCPRO HD, HDV, and IMX. With these formats, the distinction between file format and tape format is blurred, and transferring from tape to hard disk or other media is essentially a file transfer, allowing you to edit footage natively.
V High Definition Video Formats Final Cut Pro supports capture, editing, and output of high definition video. If you use DVCPRO HD, you can capture, edit, and output just as you can with any other DV format. For other high definition formats, you need an appropriate third-party capture interface and hard disks with sufficient speed and capacity. Scanning Methods Most high definition formats can record both progressive and interlaced video.
Compressed High Definition Tape Formats Because of the high data rate generated by high definition video cameras, most HD formats compress the image data to fit on tape. Â DVCPRO HD; also generally referred to as DV-100 (in reference to its bit-rate of 100 Mbps). Â D-9 HD, an extension of the Digital S format. (Digital S is designated SMPTE D9.) Â D-5 HD, an extension of the D-5 format. Â HDCAM and HDCAM-SR (an extension of the HDCAM format).
V Data Rate Comparisons The following table is useful when preparing to capture video to a particular codec on your hard disk. Format Typical data rate OfflineRT (using Photo JPEG) Varies between 300-500 KB/sec. 25:1 compressed M-JPEG 1 MB/sec. DV-25 3.6 MB/sec. DVCPRO50 7.2 MB/sec. 2:1 compressed M-JPEG 12 MB/sec. Uncompressed standard definition video 24 MB/sec. Uncompressed 8-bit 1080i 29.97 fps high definition video 121.5 MB/sec. Uncompressed 10-bit 1080i 29.
Composite Composite is the lowest common denominator of video signals. A composite signal runs all color and brightness information on a single cable which creates analog “artifacts,” negatively affecting the quality of the signal. Nearly all video devices have a composite input and output. This format uses a single RCA or BNC connector. In professional editing environments, composite video signals are most commonly used for troubleshooting, for menu outputs, and for low-quality preview monitoring.
V Component YUV (Y´CBCR) and Component RGB Professional video equipment, such as Betacam SP decks, has component YUV video inputs and outputs. Component YUV separates color and brightness information into three signals, which keeps the color quality more accurate than other systems. Component YUV is as good as analog video gets. High-end consumer equipment, such as DVD players and televisions, has increasingly begun to support component YUV.
FireWire 800 (Also Called IEEE 1394b) This is the next generation of FireWire after IEEE 1394a, a higher bandwidth version capable of data transfer speeds of up to 800 Mbps. FireWire 800 is also capable of supporting longer cable distances, up to 100 meters. In addition to the standard 9-pin–to–9-pin FireWire 800 cables, 9-pin–to–4-pin and 9-pin–to–6-pin FireWire 400 to FireWire 800 cables are also available to connect older devices to a FireWire 800 interface.
V SCART Consumer PAL equipment sometimes has a special connector called a SCART connector. A SCART connector has multiple pins that run composite, component RGB, and stereo audio in one bundle. SCART input or output can be broken up into individual connections using special adapters available from video and home electronics stores.
Year Event 1946 ENIAC, the first electronic computer, using 18,000 vacuum tubes, is unveiled. 1948 Long-playing (LP) phonograph records are introduced. 1948 Hollywood switches to nonflammable film. 1948 Ampex introduces its first professional audio tape recorder. 1948 The transistor is invented. 1951 The first commercially available computer, UNIVAC I, goes on sale. 1952 The FCC provides UHF channels 14 through 83. 1953 Second NTSC adopts RCA color-TV standard, 525 lines, 29.
V Year Event 1996 DV format is introduced. 1997 DVD format is introduced. 1997 Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) digital television standards are adopted by FCC, including 18 formats, 6 of which are HDTV. 1999 Final Cut Pro 1.0 is introduced. 2000 DVCPRO HD equipment begins shipping. 2000 First IMX VTRs begins shipping. 2003 First HDV camcorder is introduced.
Frame Rate and Timecode B Appendix B This appendix covers the following: Â What Is Frame Rate? (p. 377) Â Understanding Flicker and Perceived Frame Rate (p. 379) Â Frame Rate Limits: How Many Frames per Second Is Best? (p. 380) Â Choosing a Frame Rate (p. 381) Â What Is Timecode? (p. 383) Â About Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame Timecode (p. 383) Â The Difference Between Frame Rate and Timecode (p. 385) Â Timecode on Tape (p. 386) Â Comparison of Various Timecode Formats (p.
Recording and playback speed are usually the same, though they do not have to be. For example, if you film a rubber ball bouncing on a sidewalk at 24 frames per second, your movie will have 24 unique photographs of the position of the ball. However, if you film at 100 frames per second, there are nearly four times as many photographs of the ball’s position during the same period of time. The more frames per second, the more precisely the exact position of the ball is documented.
V Understanding Flicker and Perceived Frame Rate Movie screens are not constantly illuminated, although when you watch a movie in the theater, it appears that this is the case. A film projector’s shutter actually blocks the light to the screen when each frame advances, but your eyes momentarily retain the image until the shutter opens again (thanks to persistence of vision).
Frame Rate Limits: How Many Frames per Second Is Best? When recording an object in motion, there are practical reasons to limit the camera frame rate: Â The limit of human perception: There is no reason to show more frames per second than the viewer can perceive. The exact limit of human motion perception is still up for scientific debate, but it is generally agreed that there is an upper threshold after which people can’t appreciate the difference.
V Examples of How Different Frame Rates Are Used Film is especially flexible in that it can be photographed and played back with a diverse range of speeds. Some examples are: Â 1 frame per hour: Extreme time lapse photography. Â 1 frame per minute: Time lapse photography and stop motion animation. Â 18 frames per second: Early motion picture films. Â 24 frames per second: Worldwide standard for movie theater film projectors.
Some digital video formats actually support several frame rates within a single format, allowing variable frame rate video recording and film (24 fps) compatibility. Frame rate Media Description 24 Film; high definition video This is the universally accepted film frame rate. Movie theaters worldwide almost always use this frame rate. Many high definition formats can record and play back video at this rate, though 23.98 is usually chosen instead (see below). 23.98 (23.
V What Is Timecode? Timecode is a signal recorded with your video that uniquely identifies every frame of your tape using a time stamp in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. Timecode uses the following format: SMPTE timecode 01:32:15:28 Hours Minutes Seconds Frames Timecode was invented in the late 1960s so that computer video editing systems could automatically find specific frames on tape and record editing decisions that could then be performed over and over again.
You can think of dropframe timecode like leap years on the calendar. In the case of leap year, an extra day is added every 4 years except when the year is divisible by 400. This compensates for the fact that the way we measure our days and the way we measure our years does not align exactly. Even though the difference is slight, an unacceptable error accumulates over time unless regular adjustments are made to the count. More About Drop Frame Timecode and NTSC Frame Rate NTSC video has a frame rate of 29.
V Error between timecode number and real time Timecode labels (30 fps) Time passed (29.97 fps) 1800 1800/30ths of a second = 60 seconds = 1 minute =1800/29.97ths of a second = 60.06 seconds = 1.001 minutes 0.001 minutes 0.06 seconds 1.8 frames 18,000 = 8000/30ths of a second = 60 seconds = 10 minutes = 18000/29.97ths of second = 600.6 seconds = 10.01 minutes 0.01 minutes 0.6 seconds 17.9 frames 108,000 = 108000/30ths of a second = 3600 seconds = 1 hour =108000/29.97ths of a second = 3603.
Timecode on Tape There are several kinds of timecode recorded on videotape, each stored in a different part of the video signal. LTC timecode is stored as an audio signal, while VITC is stored in a line of each video frame. Â LTC (longitudinal timecode) is typically recorded as an audio signal on a dedicated timecode track. You can add or change LTC timecode on your original tapes even after they’ve been recorded because it’s recorded on its own independent track.
V Comparison of Various Timecode Formats This table compares 24, 25, 30 fps drop frame and non-drop frame timecode. 35 and 16mm feet and frame counts are also shown. Note how the drop frame timecode numbers jump by 2 frames starting between frame count 1799 and 1800.
388 Frame count 24 frames per 1:00 25 frames per 1:00 30 frames per 1:00 30 frames per 1:00 16 frames per foot 40 frames per foot 1801 00:01:15:01 00:01:12:01 00:01:00:01 00:01:00:03 0112+09 0287+21 1802 00:01:15:02 00:01:12:02 00:01:00:02 00:01:00:04 0112+10 0287+22 1803 00:01:15:03 00:01:12:03 00:01:00:03 00:01:00:05 0112+11 0287+23 1804 00:01:15:04 00:01:12:04 00:01:00:04 00:01:00:06 0112+12 0287+24 1805 00:01:15:05 00:01:12:05 00:01:00:05 00:01:00:07 0112+13 028
V Frame count 24 frames per 1:00 25 frames per 1:00 30 frames per 1:00 30 frames per 1:00 16 frames per foot 40 frames per foot 1835 00:01:16:11 00:01:13:10 00:01:01:05 00:01:01:07 0114+11 0290+11 1836 00:01:16:12 00:01:13:11 00:01:01:06 00:01:01:08 0114+12 0290+12 Appendix B Frame Rate and Timecode 389
Working With Anamorphic 16:9 Media C Appendix C This appendix covers the following: Â About Anamorphic 16:9 Media (p. 391) Â Recording Anamorphic Video (p. 395) Â Capturing Anamorphic Media (p. 396) Â Viewing and Editing Anamorphic Media (p. 397) Â Rendering Items That Contain Anamorphic Media (p. 399) Â Exporting Anamorphic Video to a QuickTime Movie (p. 400) About Anamorphic 16:9 Media In Final Cut Pro, you can capture, edit, and export anamorphic 16:9 media.
Video can also be recorded anamorphically. Using a standard definition camcorder, the recorded video frame is still 720 x 480 pixels, but the active area of the 16:9 frame is vertically stretched to fill all 480 lines. This picture is slightly distorted after being stretched vertically. The advantage of this is that producers can shoot widescreen material using inexpensive equipment.
V About Letterboxing When 16:9 video is displayed on a standard definition 4:3 monitor, you’ll see black bars at the top and bottom of the picture. The result is known as letterboxing. This picture is letterboxed. If the original, unmodified 16:9 anamorphic image has 480 active lines (NTSC DV, for example), then the letterboxed version of this image will only be 360 lines tall, comprising 75 percent of the total viewable area of the monitor. As a result, 25 percent of the displayed video frame is black.
Why Shoot 16:9 Video? There are three main reasons to shoot 16:9, or anamorphic, video. Achieve a Cinematic Look Even if you end up letterboxing your output for standard definition televisions, viewers tend to associate the widescreen look with a cinematic feel. Using the widescreen format also allows videomakers more room for creativity in their shot composition.
V Recording Anamorphic Video Anamorphic video can be acquired in one of three ways: Â Using an anamorphic lens: An anamorphic lens is a wide angle lens that optically distorts the 16:9 image to fit into a 4:3 frame before sending it into your camcorder’s CCD (charged coupling device). Because this is done optically, the result is clean and clear and takes advantage of the full resolution of the DV frame. This method is recommended by some for users looking for the best possible quality.
Capturing Anamorphic Media When you capture video, Final Cut Pro uses the settings in the currently selected capture preset. If your footage was shot anamorphically, you can select the Anamorphic 16:9 option. For more information, see “General Settings for Capture Presets” on page 316. Make sure this checkbox is selected if you’re capturing 16:9 media.
V Viewing and Editing Anamorphic Media Final Cut Pro has the ability to properly display anamorphically captured material at the correct 16:9 aspect ratio directly on your computer display without rendering. Generators and transitions such as the oval and star iris are correctly shaped, and all motion effects automatically take the 16:9 aspect ratio into account.
Changing Clip Properties for Anamorphic Media If you’ve captured anamorphic media but didn’t use a capture preset that had the Anamorphic option turned on, you can change the anamorphic clip property in the clip’s item properties or in the Browser. Make sure you enable the Anamorphic property for all clips before you begin editing. Important: QuickTime media files do not have an embedded anamorphic metadata flag, only clips do.
V Rendering Items That Contain Anamorphic Media There are several things to keep in mind before you render sequences that contain anamorphic 16:9 media: Â When adding anamorphic 16:9 clips to an anamorphic 16:9 sequence, no rendering is necessary. Â Any clips with the Anamorphic setting turned on in the Item Properties window will be appropriately rendered in that format. Â If you’re using a sequence preset that has the Anamorphic option selected, all clips in the sequence will be rendered in that format.
Exporting Anamorphic Video to a QuickTime Movie Instead of outputting to tape, you may want to export your sequence as a QuickTime movie for multimedia or web distribution using a widescreen frame. For examples of widescreen QuickTime movies, see some of the movie trailers at http://www.apple.com/trailers. To export a 4:3 sequence to a QuickTime movie with a widescreen aspect ratio: 1 Create a new sequence with the aspect ratio you want to use.
Solving Common Problems D Appendix D This appendix covers the following: Â Resources for Solving Problems (p. 401) Â Solutions to Common Problems (p. 402) Â Contacting AppleCare Support (p. 408) Resources for Solving Problems If you run into problems while working with Final Cut Pro, there are several resources you can use to find a solution. Â This appendix: This appendix includes information about some of the most frequent issues users encounter. Problems are grouped by category.
Solutions to Common Problems The following section describes common problems and solutions in Final Cut Pro. Problems With Video Devices Your camcorder or deck is not recognized. Â Make sure your device control cable or FireWire cable is properly connected and plugged in all the way. Â Verify that the camcorder is set to VCR mode. Â Make sure the appropriate protocol for your device is selected in the device control preset. (See “Viewing a Summary of the Current Presets” on page 303.
V Your external NTSC or PAL monitor is displaying an orange frame with the message “Video card not supported for RT Effects, it may have insufficient video memory or be an unsupported type.” Â Make sure the monitor displaying the Viewer and Canvas is connected to a video graphics card that’s compatible with Final Cut Pro. The audio is not in sync with the video, or you’re experiencing dropped frames in your video. Many audio sync issues stem from dropped frames on capture or output.
 Another source of dropped frames on capture or playback may be fragmented hard disks. In general, it’s preferable to capture to disks that are specifically reserved for video. To avoid fragmentation, you should avoid filling up your disks with numerous files unrelated to the projects you’re working on. If you’re editing a long project where some clips are captured, others are deleted, and then more are captured, and so on, even the cleanest storage volume may become fragmented.
V After editing to tape, you don’t see the material you edited when you play back the tape. Â The Edit to Tape command requires that the sequence or clip you’re outputting be opened in the Viewer before you click the Insert or Assemble edit buttons in the Edit to Tape window. For more information, see Chapter 14, “Assemble and Insert Editing Using Edit to Tape,” on page 185. An error message appears during capture reporting a “Break in the Timecode.
DV video clips look fuzzy on the computer’s monitor. Â Older Power Mac G4 computers cannot process and properly play back DV in real time when playback quality is set to High. As a result, these computers display DV video at a lower resolution in order to maintain the full frame rate of playback for DV clips. This lower resolution results in a softer image, but no information is lost. You can see this when the picture is stopped.
V General Performance Issues Final Cut Pro seems to be working slowly. Â The amount of memory available to Final Cut Pro can make a big difference in performance, especially with long projects. More RAM is also needed for softwarebased real-time effects and long projects. You may not have enough RAM allocated to Final Cut Pro. This can be changed in the Memory & Cache tab of the System Settings window. Problems With Audio Quality You don’t hear audio through your camcorder speakers.
Problems Playing a Reference Movie You’re having problems playing a reference movie. Â If you encounter playback problems with a reference movie, export the media as a self-contained movie (which includes all its media files), and not as a QuickTime reference movie. To do this, make sure there is a checkmark in the Make Movie Self-Contained checkbox in the Export dialog. For more information, see “Exporting a QuickTime Movie File” on page 241.
Glossary Glossary 2:2:2:4 pull-down An efficient but low-quality pull-down method, primarily useful for previewing the output of real-time effects on an NTSC monitor. See also pull-down insertion, pull-down pattern. 2:3:2:3 pull-down The most commonly supported pull-down pattern for NTSC devices. This option is ideal for recording to an NTSC device such as standard definition television, an MPEG-2 encoding device, or a high-end finishing system. See also pulldown insertion, pull-down pattern.
16 mm A film format for film and television presentations, which has a 4:3 aspect ratio. 24-bit resolution A bit depth used for high-quality audio playback. 32-bit floating point resolution An extremely high resolution bit depth used for lossless computation of audio or video data. 35 mm A standard motion picture film format. This may be cropped during projection to create widescreen aspect ratios such as 1.66 or 1.85, or filmed and projected anamorphically for an aspect ratio of 2.40.
ambience A type of sound. Ambient audio includes background room noise, traffic noise, and atmospheric sound effects. analog A signal that consists of a constantly varying voltage level, called a waveform, that represents video and audio information. Analog signals must be digitized, or captured, for use by Final Cut Pro. VHS and Betacam SP are both analog tape formats. Compare with digital. anamorphic Visuals that are shot in a widescreen format and then squeezed into a 4:3 frame size.
audio clip A media clip containing audio tracks. audio meter A meter that lets you monitor audio output levels from your computer. You use the audio meters in Final Cut Pro when you capture, mix, and outputting your program. Audio Mixer A tab in the Tool Bench window. The Audio Mixer is the primary tool in Final Cut Pro for mixing multiple channels of a program’s audio in real time. audio track A track in the Timeline into which you can edit audio clip items.
Betacam SP A high-end, standard definition component analog video format. Supports four tracks of analog audio. Betacam SX A standard definition, 8-bit digital videotape recorder format with 10:1 video compression using MPEG-2 compression, and 4:2:2 color sampling. Supports four tracks of audio with 16-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling. Bezier curve In its simplest form, a line defined by two end points and two associated control points, or “handles”. Pulling the control points adjust the line into a curve.
B-roll A term used to describe alternate footage shot to intercut with the primary shots used in a program. B-roll is frequently used for cutaway shots. Browser The central storage area in Final Cut Pro, where you organize all of the source material used in your project. The Browser lists all elements—video and audio clips, graphics clips, and sequences—in a project. Each project is represented by a tab that contains that project’s file.
chroma keying See blue or green screening. clip An item in a Final Cut Pro project representing video, audio, or graphics media files on disk. clipping Distortion occurring during the playback or recording of digital audio because of a signal that exceeds the maximum sample value of 0 dBFS. CMYK Abbreviation for Cyan Magenta Yellow Black. The color space commonly used for images that are printed with four-color ink on offset presses. codec Short for compressor/decompressor, or encode/decode.
composite video An analog video signal that combines all chroma and luma information into a single waveform running through a single cable. This can result in analog “artifacts,” affecting the quality of the video signal. Nearly all video equipment has composite inputs and outputs. compositing A process in which two or more images are combined into a single frame. This term can also describe the process of creating various video effects.
decibel (dB) Unit of measurement for sound levels; a logarithmic scale used to describe the loudness of sound as perceived by the human ear. (1 dB corresponds to approximately the smallest volume change that the average human ear can perceive.) For digital audio, dBFS is the standard decibel unit of sound level measurement. See also digital full scale. decompression The process of creating a viewable image for playback from a compressed video, graphics, or audio file. Compare with compression.
digitize To convert an analog video signal into a digital video format. A method of capturing video. See also capture. disabled track A track that has had its Track visibility control disabled. Disabled tracks will not output to tape or be rendered into a QuickTime file for output. disclosure triangle A small triangle you click to show or hide details in the interface. distort To change the shape of a clip by moving a corner point independently of the other corner points.
dual system recording A recording process in which video is captured on one recording device and audio is recorded on another. Dual system audio must be synchronized onto the source videotapes prior to capture, or synced up in Final Cut Pro. duplicate frames indicator Colored bar that appears at the bottom of a clip’s video item in the Timeline, indicating that frames are duplicated elsewhere in the sequence.
editing The process of combining and arranging audio, video, effects, transitions, and graphics in a sequence to produce a program. edit point (1) Defines what part of a clip you want to use in an edited sequence. Edit points include In points, which specify the beginning of a section of a clip or sequence, and Out points, which specify the end of a section of a clip or sequence. (2) The point in the Timeline in an edited sequence where the Out point of one clip meets the In point of the next clip.
finishing The process of reassembling the clips used in the final edit of a program at their highest quality. Finishing may involve recapturing offline resolution clips at full resolution, rerendering effects, then outputting the final program to tape. Finishing may also involve extra steps that were not taken in the offline edit, such as color correction.
ganged The behavior of the playheads in the Viewer and Canvas when they’re locked together, so that they move as one. gaps Locations in a sequence where there is no media on any track. When output to video, gaps in an edited sequence appear as black sections. gear down To slow down a mouse operation and make it more precise by holding down the Command key while dragging an item or control. This can be helpful when dragging clips if, for example, the Timeline is zoomed out so that clips look small.
image sequence A movie exported as a series of numbered image files, stored in a folder. Each image file contains one frame of video. The Targa and TIFF file formats are commonly used to export image sequences for file interchange among different film compositing workstations. importing The process of bringing files of various types into a project in Final Cut Pro. Imported files can be created in another application, captured from another device, or brought in from another Final Cut Pro project.
keyframe A special-purpose control that denotes a change in value in a filter or motion parameter. When two keyframes with different values are set in Final Cut Pro, a transition from one value to another is calculated, resulting in a dynamic change to that parameter. For example, two center point keyframes with different values will result in animated motion for that clip.
Linking button A button in the upper-right corner of the Timeline that turns the linked selection option on and off. Lock Track control The lock icon, near the beginning of tracks in the Timeline, that you click to lock and unlock tracks. See locked track. locked track A track whose contents cannot be moved or changed. In the Timeline, a locked track is distinguished by cross-hatched lines across the track. You can lock or unlock tracks at any time by clicking the Lock Track control in the Timeline.
master clip A clip in the Browser which controls the relationship to a media file for all other affiliated clips in your project. Mastering mode In Final Cut Pro, a mode in the Edit to Tape window that lets you output additional elements such as color bars and tone, a slate, and a countdown when you output your program to tape. master shot A wide-angle shot that encompasses the entire scene.
mixing The process of adjusting the volume levels of all audio clips in an edited sequence, including the production audio, music, sound effects, voiceovers, and additional background ambience, to turn all of these sounds into a harmonious whole. mono Short for monophonic. A type of sound in which each audio channel is handled discretely, or are taken from a tape and mixed together into a single track, using equal amounts of audio channels 1 and 2. Compare with stereo, stereo pair.
NTSC format The video standard defined by the National Television Standards Committee, the organization that originally defined North American broadcast standards. NTSC video has a specifically limited color gamut, is interlaced, has a frame size of 720 x 486 pixels (720 x 480 for DV), and a frame rate of 29.97 fps. Compare with PAL format. NTSC legal The range of color that can be broadcast free of distortion according to the NTSC standards.
P2 (Professional Plug-in) A compact solid-state memory card designed for professional and broadcast media gathering. Since they have no moving parts, these cards are compact and sturdy as well as resistant to heat and cold. P2 cards typically store DVCPRO or DVCPRO 50. PAL format Acronym for Phase Alternating Line, a 25 fps (625 lines per frame) interlaced video format used by many European countries. PAL has a frame size of 720 x 546. Compare with NTSC format.
preset A saved group of settings, such as capture, device control, and sequence settings. Presets determine properties such as frame rate, editing timebase, and capture interfaces. Presets are usually defined for particular video formats and workflows, and can be grouped together into Easy Setups. Print to Video A command in Final Cut Pro that lets you send clips or sequence to your video or audio outputs for recording on tape. proc amp Short for processing amplifier.
range checking Options that enable zebra striping to immediately warn you of areas of a clip’s image that may stray outside of the broadcast legal range. razor blade edit An edit in which a single clip is cut into two clips. raw data Uncompressed data. real-time effects Effects that can be applied to clips in an edited sequence and played back in real time, without requiring rendering first. In Final Cut Pro, the real-time effects architecture is known as RT Extreme.
Resize pointer A cross-shaped pointer with small arrows pointing left and right that indicate the directions in which an edit point can be moved. The Resize pointer appears when you move the pointer to the boundary of a clip item or transition in the Timeline. reverse shot A typical example of a reverse shot is a cut to the second person in a conversation; for example, an interviewer asking the next question after the interviewee has finished speaking. RGB Abbreviation for Red, Green, and Blue.
sampling The process of measuring an analog signal and converting it into a digital value. For example, the sampling rate of an audio stream specifies how many samples are captured. Higher sample rates yield higher-quality audio. SAN (storage area network) A network that connects computer systems to a shared storage area. The shared storage is typically a group of disk arrays (RAIDS) grouped together and managed via software (such as Xsan).
SGI An uncompressed image file format popular on the IRIX operating system on SGI workstations. Stores images with millions of colors+. Can contain an alpha channel. shortcut menu A menu you access by holding down the mouse button and the Control key, or by pressing the right mouse button. shot A segment of uninterrupted captured video. A shot is the smallest unit of a program. shuffle edit An edit in which a clip is moved from one position in an edited sequence to another by insertion.
slug A generator in Final Cut Pro used to create black video in a sequence. A slug can be used to represent a video clip that has not yet been placed. SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) The organization responsible for establishing various broadcast video standards. Established the SMPTE standard timecode for video playback. snapping A setting in the Timeline that affects the movement of the playhead.
split edit An edit in which the video or audio items of a clip ends up being longer than the other; for example, the sound is longer than the video at the head of the clip, so it is heard before the video appears. Also referred to as an L-cut or J-cut. splits A method of delivering an audio mix of programs destined for foreign language distribution, typically using a multitrack audio recorder.
Super 16 A film format for widescreen presentations, with a 15:9 (1.66) aspect ratio. Super 16 is frequently used when shooting a project intended to be blown up to 35 mm. super-white White that is brighter than 100 IRE, the maximum level allowed by the CCIR 601 engineering standard for video. S-Video A high-quality video signal for high-end consumer video equipment.
thumbnail The first frame of a clip, shown as a tiny picture for reference. In Final Cut Pro, the thumbnail is, by default, the first frame of a clip. You can change the frame, known as the poster frame, used as that clip’s thumbnail by using the Scrub Video tool. thumb tabs (1) Small tabs between the audio and video scroll bars in the Timeline that define separate groups of audio or video tracks with their own scroll bars.
Tool Bench A window in Final Cut Pro that contains interface elements that you can use to supplement information displayed in the Viewer and Canvas. The Tool Bench can contain up to five tabs—Audio Mixer, Frame Viewer, QuickView, Video Scopes, and Voice Over. Tool palette A window in Final Cut Pro that contains tools for selecting, editing, zooming, cropping, and distorting items in the Timeline. All tools in the Tool palette can also be selected using keyboard shortcuts.
underscan To display the entire video frame on a video monitor, so that no part of the frame is masked. Computers display underscan video. Some broadcast monitors have a setting that can enable an overscan video signal to display as underscan. Compare with overscan. U-Matic An 3/4” analog tape format once popular for broadcast. variable speed Speed that varies dynamically, in forward or reverse motion, in a single clip. VCR Abbreviation for videocassette recorder.
video scopes Tools you can use to evaluate the color and brightness values of video clips in the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline. Video scopes display an analysis of the video frame located at the current playhead position. Video Scopes tab A tab in the Tool Bench that contains the Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope, Parade scope, and Histogram. video switcher A device with multiple video inputs that allow you to cut or transition between several sources.
widescreen Any movie presentation that has an aspect ratio wider than 4:3. In movie theaters, 1.85 is considered standard and 2.40 is considered widescreen. For video, 4:3 is considered standard and 16:9 (which is almost the same aspect ratio as 1.85) is considered widescreen. See 16:9. window burn Visual timecode or keycode information superimposed onto video frames.
zebra stripes Animated diagonal “marching lines” that are superimposed over areas of an image that are very near or exceed the broadcast-legal limits. Zebra stripes are enabled when you use the Final Cut Pro range-checking options. zoom level The level at which the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline is magnified. You can adjust the level of precision of your editing by setting the zoom level. For example, by zooming in on the Timeline, you can make changes to a clip’s individual frames.
% of Blur setting III-222 1/4" tip-ring connectors III-31 1/4" tip-ring-sleeve connectors III-31 1/8" mini connectors III-30 2:2:2:4 pull-down III-527, IV-409 2:3:2:3 pull-down III-526, IV-409 2:3:3:2 pull-down III-526, IV-409 3/4" U-matic IV-176 3:2 pull-down III-526, IV-409 3D simulation transitions II-392 3G format IV-246 3GPP and 3GPP2 devices IV-246 3-point editing.
Adjust Line Segment pointer III-116, III-259, III-359, IV-410 Adobe Photoshop files. See Photoshop files ADR (automatic dialogue replacement) III-17 Advanced button IV-318 advanced pull-down III-526 advanced pull-down.
analog-to-DV systems I-195–I-197 analog video I-24, I-325, IV-370 calibrating equipment I-322 color calibration I-331 connecting equipment I-195–I-197, I-198 connectors I-194 consumer devices I-198 levels I-324 measuring during output I-325 analog videotape IV-177, IV-386 analog waveforms IV-411 Analyze Movie command IV-109, IV-110–IV-113 Anamorphic 16:9 setting for sequences IV-337 anamorphic Easy Setups IV-56 anamorphic lens IV-395, IV-396 Anamorphic option for sequence settings IV-397– IV-398 Anamorphic
Assemble Edit button IV-198 assemble editing IV-197–IV-199 blacking tapes and IV-183 described IV-186, IV-411 editing to tape IV-178, IV-187 requirements IV-188 asymmetrical trimming II-335, II-336–II-338 ATA disks I-185 atmospheric sound effects IV-146 A-to-D converters III-24 A tracks IV-121 ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee) IV-352 Attack Time control III-155, III-156 attenuating audio signals III-155 attenuating signals IV-343, IV-411 attributes (XML) IV-165, IV-168 Aud Format property IV-35
synchronized audio I-296 syncing with video. See audio-video sync timecode I-108, I-294 tracks. See audio tracks transferring to timecoded media I-296 trim settings and IV-291 unrendered III-524, III-529, III-537, IV-211 voiceover. See voiceover voices.
properties II-80–II-85 quality II-290 recapturing I-265, I-278, I-283 recently used I-86 reconnecting to files I-36 redoing changes in II-96 removing from sequences II-206–II-208 renaming I-58 render bars III-519 rendering I-121, III-546 rendering in nested sequences II-421 rendering separately III-542 render status III-537 replacing II-161–II-162 replacing sections of II-165–II-166 resolution II-311 resyncing II-163, II-228–II-232 ripple edits II-338 scrolling through II-299 scrubbing II-300 scrubbing thro
noise reduction filters III-156–III-157 OMF files and IV-159 parameters III-168 postproduction and IV-146 real-time adjustments III-166–III-167 recording automation III-167 removing III-166, IV-150 rendering III-115, III-530, III-546 stereo pairs and III-159 viewing in Viewer III-165 audio follows video behavior III-33 Audio Format option IV-257 audio formats exporting QuickTime-compatible format IV-247 file formats IV-236 history of IV-373–IV-375 for video DVDs IV-219 audio generators III-491 Audio Insert
rendering video effects and III-530 resampling for III-543 stem mixes III-19 tips for working with stereo III-96 Audio Mixing screen layout I-142 audio monitors I-160, I-164 equipment III-23 final mixes and III-19 levels III-34 setting up III-27 audio-only angles II-268 audio output presets III-61, III-62 Audio Outputs Preset Editor III-63 Audio Outputs tab III-62, IV-293, IV-342 Audio Output tab I-215 audio overlays IV-150 adjusting pan or spread III-120 adjusting volume III-116 audio peak markers IV-115,
scrolling through I-138 scrolling vertically through II-137–II-139 selecting II-178, II-185–II-188, II-191–II-193 selecting all clips on II-185 selecting for capture I-253–I-255 selecting items forward or backward on II-186 selection tools II-185–II-188 separation II-147 in sequences II-86 soloing III-70, III-82 sound effects IV-146 Source controls I-113 stereo or dual mono III-66 stereo pairs II-235 stereo recordings III-46 switching angles II-279 in Timeline I-114 track strips in Audio Mixer III-77–III-78
bands equalization and III-152 frequency ranges III-39 Band Slide transition II-394, IV-142 Band Wipe transition II-395, IV-143 bars and tone III-60 Bars and Tone generator III-35, III-491 Base Output Filename option IV-273 base tracks II-125 Basic 3D filter III-212 Basic Border filter III-204 Basic Motion parameter III-220 bass frequencies III-39, III-153 Batch Capture command IV-59 Batch Capture dialog I-255, I-264–I-266, I-267 batch capturing additional items found I-269 batch capture list IV-408 batch l
ignoring in Histogram III-427 black, fading to or from II-383 black and code IV-183–IV-184 Black and Code button IV-184, IV-190 Black and Code dialog IV-184 black, between color bars and slate IV-194 blackburst generators I-206, I-297, II-46 blacked tapes IV-183 blacking tapes I-258 black levels IV-413 Black Level slider I-327 blacks absolute I-332 analog video levels I-325 calibrating I-323 DV black levels I-330 setup levels I-325 Blacks Balance control III-453 Black setting IV-194 Blacks Reset button III-
selecting items for Batch Export IV-268 selecting items for Media Manager IV-79 sequences in II-98–II-100 sorting items in II-27–II-28, II-99 tabs for bins II-19 tabs in I-49 timecode columns II-446 tooltips in I-59 using a custom layout in I-70 viewing items in I-54 working with I-55–I-58 built-in analog audio I-201 built-in audio III-24, III-33 built-in audio cards IV-320 built-in digital audio I-201 Bumpmap filter III-206 button bars I-46, I-153–I-156, II-274 Button List window I-154 C cables I-185, I-1
capture cards.
number of III-33 selecting for capture I-288 shortcut menu III-69 stereo III-44 Channels option IV-253 chapter markers II-55, II-60, II-62, IV-217, IV-220, IV-220–IV-221, IV-243 chapter tracks IV-221 Character Generator (CG) IV-414 checkerboard backgrounds I-84 Checkerboard Wipe transition II-395, IV-143 Checker Wipe transition II-395, IV-143 chip chart III-414, IV-414 Choke slider III-406 chroma (chrominance) IV-353, IV-362, IV-414 chroma.
cropping III-243 currently selected clips II-176 cutting II-213–II-215 deleting from projects I-58 described I-28, IV-415 deselecting II-183 disabling audio/video tracks in III-382–III-383 displaying in Transition Editor II-404 distorting shape III-242 dragging to Timeline II-131, II-141–II-147 duplicate frames I-131 duplicate names I-263 duration II-106, II-217, II-354–II-355, II-408–II-409, III-347 DV video and fuzziness IV-406 editing III-373 editing into sequences II-169–II-170 editing multiple clips II
searching for II-28–II-34 selecting II-175–II-188, II-190, II-348–II-350 selecting for Media Manager IV-79, IV-94 selecting in Browser I-55 selecting multiple clips II-182 selecting tracks to capture I-253–I-255 sequence clips I-122, II-354, II-427–II-430, IV-433 shown in Timeline III-382 shuttling through I-101–I-102 sliding II-321–II-324 sliding frames to new times III-326 slipping II-372 snapping to points II-195–II-196 sorting II-27–II-28, II-99 source tapes I-36 speed I-119 speed adjustments IV-89 spee
video monitors and I-209 color balance III-412 Color Balance controls III-434, III-444, III-445–III-446, III-453–III-455 Color Balance filter III-207 color balance process IV-415 color bars III-553, IV-194, IV-415 calibrating broadcast monitors with I-331–I-334 calibrating video signals with I-322 described I-321 in Waveform Monitor I-326 Color Bars setting IV-194 color calibration broadcast monitors I-331–I-334 hardware and I-330–I-331 color conversions III-552 color correction I-210, III-411–III-487, IV-6
connectors I-194 formats I-198 Component RGB IV-371 Component video IV-371, IV-415 Component YUV IV-353, IV-361, IV-371 Composite Arithmetic filter III-186 Composite Mode property IV-32, IV-50 composite modes See also specific composite mode name in Final Cut Pro III-363–III-367 opacity and III-361 viewing or changing a clip’s III-362 Composite property IV-36 Composite recording method IV-361 Composite video capture interfaces I-198 connectors I-194 inputs I-207 outputs I-210 Composite video signals IV-354,
transport controls III-105 Control Surfaces Configuration dialog III-99, III-100 control tooltips I-47 control tracks IV-188 conversation scenes II-238 converting sample rates I-314 Copy command I-57, II-416 Copy Filter controls III-440–III-443 “Copy From” rule III-441 copying archive files IV-106 audio filters III-162 clip attributes III-222 clips II-127, II-202–II-205, II-414–II-417 clips in Browser I-57 color correction settings III-440 Easy Setups IV-311 limiting, in Media Manager IV-90 low-resolution d
data rates analog video equipment IV-318 capture presets IV-318, IV-320 comparison chart IV-369 described IV-416 scratch disks IV-284 target rates for compression IV-251 data transfer rates I-180 DAT devices I-164, I-205, I-294, I-313 dates in filenames I-39 DAT format I-23 DAWs (digital audio workstations) IV-158, IV-416 daylight III-461 DB9 connectors I-194, I-206 dBFS measurements III-41, III-53 dBm measurements III-41 dBu measurements III-41 dBv measurements III-41 DCT encoding IV-365 deacceleration in
non-DV devices I-199 Print to Video command and IV-207 protocols for IV-329 serial devices IV-330–IV-331, IV-334 settings IV-183 status messages I-177 verifying setup of IV-334 video capture without I-176, I-276–I-277 video deck I-277 video decks IV-323–IV-329 Device Control pop-up menu I-295 Device Control Preset Editor I-244, IV-324–IV-327 device control presets I-207, I-234, I-244, IV-323– IV-327 audio mapping IV-205 described IV-302, IV-323 serial devices IV-330 troubleshooting IV-334 Device Control Pre
Document Type Definitions (DTDs) IV-166, IV-168 Dolby Digital AC-3 format IV-219 Dolby Digital sound III-20, III-58 DOS file format IV-131 dots per inch (dpi) measurements III-339 double-byte characters IV-132, IV-136 double-sided logarithmic sliders III-196 downconverting HD video I-212 Downmix control III-73 downmix control IV-157, IV-339 downmixes described IV-418 exporting IV-154, IV-156 outputting all channels as stereo III-73 to stereo mixes III-64 Downmix pop-up menu IV-343 dpi measurements III-339 d
DVCAM format IV-175, IV-187, IV-366, IV-419 Final Cut Pro support I-22 FireWire DV interface and I-192 DV codec III-24, III-517 DV codecs QuickTime-compatible IV-233 types of IV-231 DVCPRO 100 format IV-419 DVCPRO 25 codec III-517 DVCPRO 25 format IV-366 DVCPRO 50 codec III-517 DVCPRO 50 format IV-175, IV-233, IV-366, IV-369, IV-419 data rates I-180 Final Cut Pro support I-22 FireWire DV interface and I-192 DVCPRO format IV-175, IV-187, IV-356, IV-419 Final Cut Pro support I-22 FireWire DV interface and I-1
Edge Thin slider III-477 Edge Wipe transition II-395, IV-143 edging around keyed subjects III-398, III-402 edit buttons I-91, II-151, IV-190 Edit Decision Lists. See EDLs editing anamorphic media IV-397–IV-398 assemble editing.
XML interchange files IV-167 Editing mode IV-190, IV-201 editing systems IV-131 Editing tab II-373, IV-287 editing timebase IV-335, IV-337, IV-345 Edit Marker dialog II-60, II-64, II-68 Edit Overlay I-89, I-91, II-151, IV-190 edit points III-301 AIFF files and IV-147 described IV-420 edit points, moving to I-94 edit points.
encoding options IV-255 ending points for filters III-190, III-194 equalization (EQ) advantages III-176 filters III-18, III-152–III-154 equipment analog video calibration I-325 for color calibration I-330–I-331 connecting video devices I-194–I-200 consumer devices I-198 Easy Setups and I-161 editing system components I-163 non-controllable devices I-277 non-DV devices I-199 SCSI devices I-186–I-188 setup I-18, I-159 synchronizing I-206 warnings I-215 error messages exporting EDLs IV-125 “No shortcut” IV-273
F Fade In, Fade Out transition II-393 fade-ins II-376, II-393 fade-outs II-376, II-393 fader banks III-103 faders IV-420 adjusting III-83–III-86 in control surfaces III-99, III-102, III-105 described III-71 Master fader III-73, III-86 fade-to-black transitions II-383 Fast Forward button IV-193 fast-forward in time graph III-330 fast motion III-307 Fast Start - Compressed Header option IV-255 Fast Start option IV-255 favorites IV-420 audio filters III-173 audio transitions II-390 creating III-293–III-294 del
keying filters III-208–III-209 looping real-time playback III-166–III-167 masks III-407–III-409 matte filters III-210–III-211, III-404–III-407 multiple applied filters III-162, III-190, III-441, III-478 noise reduction filters III-156–III-157 nondestructive filters III-152 Paste Attributes command and III-201 perspective filters III-212 playback settings IV-341 QuickTime IV-252 real-time audio adjustments III-166–III-167 real-time playback III-516 rearranging III-200 removing III-166, III-202, III-301 rende
flattening audio IV-150 flattening layers in images III-344, III-349, III-369 FLC files IV-246 Flesh Tone line III-430, IV-421 flesh tones I-328–I-329, III-412, III-430, III-464, III-474 flicker IV-358, IV-379 Flicker filter III-214 floating audio meter III-57 floating audio meters III-55, III-57 Flop filter III-212 folders importing I-307–I-310 media files I-35 naming I-39 folders, EDLs and IV-136 Foley effects III-17, IV-146 fonts III-496–III-499 animating III-504 color III-501 readability III-496 selecti
frequency ranges described III-38, III-39 equalization and III-152, III-153 frequency response III-25 fringing around keyed subjects III-391, III-400 front, moving clips to III-357 FT (Flesh Tone line) IV-421 FTP sites IV-61 full-resolution media capturing IV-18 importing into OfflineRT sequences IV-57 media management and IV-17 recapturing IV-79 full-screen preview I-217 fuzzy still images III-337 FXScript language III-186, III-195, III-489 G gain I-292–I-294, I-331, IV-421 adjusting frequency ranges III-
scaling III-339 space requirements I-182 still images IV-261–IV-265 still image sequences IV-264 as titles III-503 video output and III-340–III-343 graphics cards I-165, I-216, III-515, III-518 gray, neutral III-454, III-462 gray color bars I-334 grayscale backgrounds III-482 Green Screen filter III-208, III-391 green screening IV-413 grouping multiclips II-259 Group Selection tool II-179, II-181 GVG 4 Plus format IV-136, IV-140 H Handle Length options IV-160 handles I-248, I-266 audio clips IV-150, IV-160
frame rates IV-382 OfflineRT format and IV-55 high definition video.
replace edits II-160–II-166 resetting II-118, II-119 reviewing II-107 ripple edits II-329, II-408–II-409 roll edits II-338 selecting clips and II-116 sequence clips II-429 setting I-80, I-89, I-95, I-247, II-105–II-106, II-108– II-117, IV-201 slipping II-120 split edits II-237–II-242, IV-123 split In and Out points II-117 synchronizing angles in multiclips II-254 synchronizing for merged clips II-47 three-point editing II-149, II-169 in timecode I-107 timecode breaks and I-281 timecode settings II-106 trans
ITU-RBT 709 color standard III-552 J jam syncing timecode I-259 Jaws Wipe transition II-396, IV-143 Jaz drives I-181 J-cuts IV-423 See also split edits JFIF format I-306, IV-235 jog control II-365 in Canvas I-89, I-94 in Log and Capture window I-231 moving one frame at a time I-103 in Viewer I-74, I-79, I-102 jog controls IV-190, IV-423 jogging through frames IV-423 Join Through Edit command II-216 JPEG codec IV-234 JPEG compression IV-230 JPEG format I-306, I-316, IV-228, IV-235, IV-261, IV-423 jump cuts
favorite motion effects III-281 filter keyframes III-164 Garbage Matte filters and III-406–III-407 generator clips and III-490 graphs IV-424 keyframe editor.
Level keyframe navigation buttons II-293 level keyframe navigation buttons III-122 level keyframes IV-150 deleting III-98 modifying III-96 recording III-90 recording with control surfaces III-106 level overlay II-292, III-116 levels audio III-19, III-21, III-40 average and peak levels III-51 instrument levels III-30 line levels III-30 mixing III-18 monitors III-34 signal levels III-26 Levels attribute III-120 Levels filter III-207 Level slider II-293, III-115 Levels of Undo setting II-73, IV-282 LFE (low-fr
changing clip settings I-254 clips IV-137 described I-19, I-225, IV-425 duplicate timecode numbers I-257–I-259 entering data I-232, I-249–I-251 importance of I-237 In and Out points I-247 incrementing numbers I-249 keyboard shortcuts for I-257 Log and Capture window settings I-229–I-234 logging bins I-245–I-246 logging clips I-256–I-257 log notes I-250 marking while logging I-251–I-252 media management and IV-16 monitoring video and audio during I-242 preparing for I-235, I-239 reel names I-240, I-246 selec
audio scoring markers IV-243 chapter markers II-55, II-60, IV-217, IV-220, IV-220–IV-221, IV-243 clip markers II-54 comments in II-60 compression markers II-55, II-60, IV-217, IV-220, IV-221, IV-243 controls for I-80, I-95 deleting II-60, II-61 described II-53–II-56, IV-425 displaying II-56 editing into sequences II-69 exporting II-60 extending duration of II-67–II-68 finding items by II-189 moving II-64–II-65 moving clips with II-66 moving frame to II-63 moving playhead to I-94, II-62, II-63 music scoring
Match pop-up menu II-30 Matrix Wipe transition II-394 Matte Choker filter III-208, III-211, III-391, III-404 Matte generator III-490 mattes III-404–III-407, IV-426 alpha channels and III-387, III-404 described III-385 filters III-210–III-211 Garbage Matte filters III-404 Matte Choker filter III-404 media described IV-426 importing I-305–I-315 labeling II-23–II-26 logging I-256–I-257 managing I-227 organizing II-15–II-26 playing at varying speeds I-101–I-102 source media IV-435 Media 100 systems IV-61 Media
Media Start and Media End fields II-446 Media Start and Media End points II-40, II-107 Media Start and Media End properties II-83 Media Start column in Browser I-301 Media Start header I-301 Media Start property IV-38, IV-49, IV-50 memory allocated to Final Cut Pro IV-407, IV-408 described IV-430 maximizing real-time playback III-515 Undo levels and IV-282 voiceover requirements III-139 Memory & Cache tab IV-296–IV-297 memory cards I-311 menus on DVDs IV-215 merged clips changing II-51 creating II-46–II-48,
panning II-293 in Viewer II-296 mono audio channels I-254, I-288, I-290 mono audio pairs III-115 mono channels IV-152 mono clips III-88 monophonic sound III-20 Mono tabs II-296 montage editing II-247 montages III-356, IV-427 More option for searches II-30 motion bars I-127, II-178, III-285 displaying III-320 speed setting display III-319 variable speed settings III-318, III-328 Motion Blur rendering III-557, III-563 smoothing slow motion III-313 Motion Blur effect IV-341, IV-427 Motion Blur parameter III-21
MPEG formats IV-228 MPEG I-frames II-55 MPEG standards IV-427 M stems III-181 multichannel audio I-253, I-287, I-291, I-292, IV-204, IV-321 multiclip grouping area II-259 multiclip icon IV-33 multiclip playback III-516, III-525 Multiclip Playback mode II-250, II-281–II-283 multiclips adding angles II-271 angle numbers II-251 in Browser II-266 collapsing and expanding II-250, II-286 creating II-253–II-255 deleting angles II-270 described II-79, II-247, IV-30, IV-31 dragging into Timeline II-144 editing II-27
navigation in Browser I-57 in Canvas I-97–I-103 controls for IV-190–IV-191 in Edit to Tape window IV-190–IV-193 Log and Capture window controls I-231 with markers I-251 shortcuts I-57 with timecode values I-132 in Timeline I-112–I-117, I-131–I-138 in Viewer I-97–I-103 nearfield monitors III-27 nested sequences anamorphic video in IV-400 audio export and IV-159 audio items II-419 avoiding II-423–II-426 creating II-419–II-421 described II-80, II-89, II-413, IV-427 duration changes II-422 EDLs and IV-135, IV-1
logging and I-300 media management and IV-16 moving and I-37 offline/online workflows IV-18 reconnecting IV-68–IV-74 renaming files and I-58 Offline Files window IV-74–IV-75 Offline Items in Logging Bin option I-265 offline media files described IV-64 ignoring IV-75 missing files and IV-67 recapturing at full resolution IV-59 XML notations for IV-168 Offline property IV-39 OfflineRT codec III-517 OfflineRT format I-180, I-182 data rates IV-369 editing IV-55–IV-60 OfflineRT sequence preset IV-101 Offline Sta
output ports I-160 audio III-24 MIDI connections III-101 output in postproduction process I-20 output process anamorphic video IV-399 Edit to Tape command IV-178 media management and IV-17 online editing workflow and IV-60 output described IV-428 playback settings IV-181 Print to Video command IV-178 recording from Timeline IV-179 output requirements Betacam SP output IV-177 Digital Betacam IV-177 DV output IV-177 VHS output IV-177 Outputs pop-up menu IV-343 Out Shift indicator II-367 Oval Iris transition I
parent sequences II-418, II-423 partial reveals III-367 Particle Noise generator III-490, III-492 partitions multiple I-179 naming I-39 passive speakers III-26 passthrough mode IV-213 Paste Attributes dialog III-120, III-163, III-201, III-222, III-228, III-287–III-290 Paste command I-57 pasting clip attributes III-287–III-290 pasting clips in sequences II-416 in Timeline II-202–II-205 patching tracks I-113 patch panel IV-438 paths master and affiliate clips and IV-42 motion IV-427 reconnecting media files I
problems during IV-113–IV-114, IV-402–IV-406, IV-408 quality I-83 QuickView tab III-304–III-305 real-time effects quality III-510 real-time effects settings III-521–III-528 real-time playback I-312 render bars III-519 reverse playback I-98 settings IV-297, IV-341 speed III-222, III-307–III-314 stopping I-98 testing IV-209 video quality III-510 voiceover controls III-140 x axis and III-317 Playback Control tab I-220, III-521, IV-297 playback drops.
premixes (stem mixes) III-19 preproduction in moviemaking process I-15 Pre-read Edits setting IV-129 pre-roll frames I-281 pre-roll header for voiceover III-148 pre-roll settings IV-212, IV-288, IV-328 Preset Editor window IV-307, IV-308 presets IV-323–IV-327, IV-430 See also settings audio-only capture presets I-295 audio output III-61, III-62 capture presets.
multiple open projects II-74 narratives I-241 opening I-34 organizing I-32, II-15–II-26 project files II-76 prompting for new settings IV-285 redoing changes in I-52, II-96 reopening after power failures IV-23 reopening automatically IV-285 reopening by default II-74 restoring IV-22 reverting II-76 reverting to previous state IV-20 saving I-33, II-73 searching for items in II-31–II-34 selecting items for Media Manager IV-79, IV-94 sequences in I-32, II-85, II-86 space requirements I-182 switching between I-
chapter tracks IV-221 described IV-228 QuickTime Pro I-317–I-318, IV-228 QuickTime settings IV-249–IV-255 audio IV-253–IV-254, IV-320–IV-321 capture presets IV-315–IV-321 video IV-249–IV-252, IV-317–IV-318 QuickTime Streaming Server software IV-255 QuickTime transitions II-393–II-394 QuickTime video sequence presets IV-338 QuickView tab III-303–III-305, IV-430 controls III-303–III-305 playback in III-304–III-305 uses for III-303 R Radial Blur filter III-203 Radial transition II-394 RAIDs (Redundant Array o
recording process device control presets IV-328 output to VHS tape IV-213 Print to Video command IV-207, IV-208–IV-210 real-time effects and III-528 recording anamorphic video IV-395 recording from Timeline IV-208, IV-211–IV-213 recording to videotape IV-185–IV-205, IV-207– IV-210 setting up for IV-208–IV-210 voiceover controls III-140 voiceover settings III-143, III-148–III-150 record monitors I-97, IV-431 record tapes in EDLs IV-120 Rectangle Iris transition IV-142 Rectangle transition II-393 rectangular
order of III-539 preferences IV-287, IV-293 printing to video and IV-181, IV-199, IV-203, IV-210, IV-211 quality levels for IV-181 quality of audio exports IV-156 reasons for III-534 reducing time for III-564 reference movies and IV-240 render files. See render files Render Manager.
asymmetrical trimming II-336–II-338 clips with transitions II-388 closing gaps II-207–II-208 indicators in Trim Edit window II-364 performing II-207–II-208, II-332–II-333, II-370 rippling multiple tracks II-336 sync relationships and II-334 tips II-338 Ripple filter III-206 Ripple tool II-329 rippling clips.
Save Normally option I-318 Save option IV-252 Save Project command I-33 Save Window Layout command I-143 saving items IV-20–IV-23, IV-285 autosave feature II-77 favorite transitions II-390 files II-77 keyboard shortcut layouts I-144, I-151 projects I-33, II-73 QuickTime movies I-318 screen layouts I-142 shortcut button bars I-156 track layouts II-137 saving render files III-562 Scale Attribute Times option III-163, III-288 scale handles III-238 Scale slider III-220 Scale to Sequence command III-339, III-346
forward or backward in tracks II-186 linked items II-227 Option key shortcuts II-202 for trim edits II-348–II-350 selecting items in Browser I-55 Selection tool I-67, II-179, III-238, IV-433 selection tools II-178, II-181, II-190, II-348 Select Preset option IV-133 Select Track Backward tool II-180, II-186 Select Track Forward tool II-180, II-186, II-210 Select Track tool II-180, II-185, II-186 self-contained movies I-318, IV-240–IV-243, IV-255 self-powered speakers III-26, III-32 Sepia filter III-207 seque
parent sequences II-418 playback options IV-212 playing I-77, I-92 presets IV-302, IV-344–IV-345 prompting for new settings IV-285 reconnecting to media IV-79 renaming I-58 render files for III-561 rendering III-539–III-540, III-544–III-545 rendering process and II-90, II-410–II-411 rendering transitions in I-121, III-536 render settings III-556, IV-340 rerendering IV-243 scrolling through I-137 scrubbing I-132 searching for items in II-188–II-189 selecting all clips in II-188 selecting for Media Manager IV
Shake files I-306 Shapes generator III-493 Sharpen filter III-212 Shift key II-182 shooting ratios I-32, I-181 shooting scripts I-259 shortcut buttons I-46, I-144, I-153–I-156 shortcut menus IV-273, IV-434 using I-46–I-47 viewing I-46–I-47 Shot/Take field I-250 Shot/Take property IV-39, IV-49 shot-reverse-shot editing III-441 shots IV-434 Show as Sq.
Sony RS-422 protocol IV-329 Sony Video Disk Units I-312 Sony VISCA protocol IV-329 sorting items bins II-27–II-28 in Browser II-27–II-28 clips II-26, II-27–II-28, II-99 clips in EDLs IV-126 importance of IV-15 sequences II-27–II-28 SOT (Sound On Tape) IV-435 sound See also audio sound beds III-17 sound cues III-142 sound effects III-17, III-18, III-179 sound effects tracks III-181 sound waves III-38 sound.
Spill Suppressor - Blue filter III-209, III-392 Spill Suppressor - Green filter III-209, III-392 Spin3D transition II-392, IV-142 Spinback3D transition II-392, IV-142 spindle speed I-181, I-185 Spin Slide transition II-395, IV-142 split editing IV-123 split edit points II-117, II-241–II-242 split edits IV-436 asymmetrical edits II-336 audio cuts and II-316–II-317 audio editing tips II-290 changing simple edits to II-240 clearing II-242 described II-237 examples II-243–II-246 modifying II-241–II-242 performi
real-time playback III-516 resolution III-338–III-340 scaling III-339, III-345 sequences IV-264 as titles III-503 STML text IV-246 Stop button II-365, IV-192 Stop Motion Blur filter III-214 stop-motion photography IV-380 stopping batch capture I-268 playback I-98 stopping processes Edit to Tape process IV-182 Media Manager processes IV-96 storage area networks (SAN) IV-18, IV-433 storage disks.
linking items II-224 marking clips as in sync II-233 merged clips II-226 multiple audio items II-223–II-224 out-of-sync indicators II-220–II-222 reasons for breaking sync II-233 resyncing clips II-228–II-232 ripple edits and II-334 selecting linked items II-227 tips II-290 unlinking items II-226 sync signals I-297 Sync Time column II-253, II-259 synthesized clips.
in batch lists I-301 blacking video IV-184 breaks IV-137, IV-405 Browser columns for II-446 calibrating IV-136, IV-182, IV-327, IV-332–IV-334 capturing IV-328–IV-329 capturing footage without I-276 clip duration and II-106 clip time vs.
Auto Select controls I-114, II-191–II-193 Canvas and I-109 changing pan in III-117 clips in II-94, II-295 color-coding and II-212 copying and pasting clips II-202–II-205 currently selected items II-175–II-177 customizing display II-134–II-139 cutting clips in II-213–II-215 deleting items in II-206–II-208 described I-109, IV-438 deselecting items in II-183 displaying the keyframe area III-286 display options I-122–I-131 dragging audio clips to II-301 dragging files to I-309 drag-to-Timeline editing II-141–II
using the Time Graph III-329–III-331 Time Remap tool III-323–III-327 Timer option IV-326 time scales in keyframe graphs III-263 times in filenames I-39 Time Source setting IV-326 timing information IV-195 timing signals I-297 Tint filter III-207 tip-ring connectors III-31 tip-ring-sleeve connectors III-31 titles EDLs IV-121, IV-125 fitting on screen III-497 LiveType III-504 online editing and IV-60 overview III-495 text generators III-498–III-499 title clips III-500 title safe areas IV-438 title safe bounda
video. See video tracks voiceover tracks III-181 working with regions I-138, II-137–II-139 Track Size option I-124 Tracks property IV-40 track strips IV-439 hiding III-77 Track Strips area III-68, III-70 Track Visibility area III-68, III-69, III-78 Track Visibility control I-113, II-134, III-69, III-78, IV-151, IV-159, IV-439 trailers adding IV-195 black trailers IV-195 elements IV-193 options IV-195 Trailer setting IV-195 transcoding avoiding IV-233 OfflineRT format and IV-56 transferring items.
trim edits in II-346, II-369–II-371 using II-368–II-372 Trim Forward and Trim Backward buttons II-362, II-366 trimming See also trim edits alert messages II-358 asymmetrical edits II-336–II-338 audio clips II-301–II-303 clips II-406–II-409 described II-345, II-406, IV-439 dynamic trimming II-362, II-369 editing with timecode II-355 extend edits II-352 Gang mode II-436–II-437 opening clips for II-354–II-355 ripple edits II-331 selecting clips for II-190 selecting edit points for II-349–II-350 selection tools
unused media II-29, II-42 deleting IV-78 described IV-16 Media Manager settings IV-84 removing with Media Manager IV-97 Up button in Log Bin controls I-245 Update button for markers I-252 Update button for multiclips II-260 updating external output I-222 updating older projects IV-25–IV-28 updating software I-11 USB audio interface I-203 USB hubs I-195, I-206 USB-to-serial adapters I-195, I-206 USB video interface I-194 Use Deck Search Mechanism option IV-327 used media II-29 Use In/Out option IV-274 Use It
video cards II-90 analog-to-digital IV-371 analog-to-digital capture I-209 capture presets and IV-315 connecting I-165 connecting analog equipment to I-195–I-197 effect handling settings IV-300 external video monitors I-210 gamma correction III-518 play through IV-316 real-time playback and III-515 third-party IV-176, IV-315, IV-366 video interface cards I-165 videocassette recorders. See VCRs, video decks video clips adding to sequences II-93, II-96 affiliate clips.
offline IV-64 offline clips I-36, II-79 opacity III-263–III-267, III-360 opening I-72–I-73, I-98, II-354, II-428 opening in external editors IV-298 organizing II-15–II-26, II-142–II-143 playhead controls I-78–I-79, I-93–I-94 playing I-77, I-92, I-98, I-101–I-102 properties II-80–II-85, IV-34–IV-40 recapturing I-265, I-278, I-283, IV-135 recently accessed IV-283 recently used I-86 reconnecting to files I-36 redoing changes in II-96 reel names I-246 in reference movies IV-240 relationships IV-44 removing from
video filter icon IV-34 video filters II-284, III-203–III-215, IV-135 advantages of III-185 After Effects filters III-202 applying III-186–III-190 categories III-193 copying and pasting into clips III-201 filter bars III-199 FXScript III-195 keyframing III-186 multiple filters III-190, III-478 rearranging III-200 removing III-202 settings III-192–III-195 turning on or off III-200 using controls III-195–III-199 Video Format option IV-256 video formats III-388 characteristics IV-349–IV-365 data rates IV-369 F
videotape timecode II-439 video tracks See also audio tracks, tracks adding I-114 adding to sequences II-146 analyzing IV-111, IV-112 applying filters to multiple tracks III-292 capturing I-233 compression IV-258 described II-123, IV-441 destination tracks II-127–II-130 disabling I-113 disabling in clips III-381–III-383 display size I-128 dragging clips into II-131 for DVDs IV-217 editing to tape operations IV-191 in EDLs IV-121, IV-126 invisible IV-291 locking I-113, II-132–II-133 number of I-124 in QuickT
Voice Over tab III-139 Voice Over tool III-135–III-150, IV-441 controls III-139–III-142 defining the destination track III-145–III-147 defining the recording duration III-143–III-144 memory requirements III-139 opening III-139 using to correct for latency III-138, III-141 voiceover tracks III-181, IV-146 voices III-22, III-40, III-152 volume See also audio adjusting III-21 adjusting computer’s volume III-35 adjusting for clips II-293, III-113, III-115–III-116 audio clips III-19 changing in Timeline III-128–
handles III-238 Image+Wireframe mode III-236, III-237 RGB mode III-237 Wireframe mode III-236 wireframes I-83 Wireframe setting I-83 wireless devices IV-246 word-processing programs I-300 workstations IV-18 Wrap Wipe transition II-396 write-protection tab IV-182 Y´CbCr format (YUV) IV-361, IV-371, IV-371 Y´CbCr signals (YUV) IV-353 y axis, frame numbers and III-316 YCbCr color space (YUV) compositing and III-552 rendering in RGB III-552 settings III-553–III-555, III-556–III-558 working in III-549–III-552 y
