2009

This preface covers the following:
• About Final Cut Studio Workflows (p. 5)
• About the Final Cut Studio Documentation (p. 6)
• Additional Resources (p. 6)
The Final Cut Studio Workflows document has been designed to summarize the overall
post-production process and show how the various applications in Final Cut Studio fit
into it. This manual also explains how the applications in Final Cut Studio work together,
letting you send projects and media from one environment to another to perform
specialized tasks.
About Final Cut Studio Workflows
Although every video and film program has different needs, the truth is that the
post-production workflows of most programs, from music videos to feature-length
documentaries, follow a very similar path. Every program needs to have its source media
ingested, organized, edited, and color corrected; its audio mixed; and the entire program
mastered and finally output; more or less in that order.
Where the workflows of various projects differ is in finding the best way to match the
acquisition format of the source media to the type of output that’s required for exhibition,
at the highest level of quality appropriate for the budget.
For example, if you’re working on a documentary or narrative feature, your workflow will
vary depending on the combination of acquisition and delivery formats you use. Possible
combinations include:
• Shoot using a high definition camera for a broadcast release
• Shoot using a digital cinema camera for film output
• Shoot on film for a direct-to-DVD release
• Shoot on film for finishing via a digital intermediate workflow
• Shoot on film for finishing via a negative conform
5
Introduction
Preface