Final Cut Pro Introduction

Final Cut Pro is a sophisticated video editing program for Macintosh that allows you to create and edit movies like a professional. It contains simple as well as advanced editing tools for seamless transitions and precise digital video manipulations. Using Final Cut Pro, you also have access to a variety of filters and special effects, tools for creating animated text and graphics, as well as audio editing tools.

This guide serves to introduce you to Final Cut Pro's basic video editing capabilities. Browse through the Video Editing Terminology section if you have no previous experience with video editing to get familiar with some of its central ideas. Good luck!

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Video Editing Terminology

Project-a Final Cut Pro file that stores all of your media. All sequences, clips, audio, effects, and other media files stored in your project will be accessible and organized in the Browser.

Sequence-a composited series of media clips, effects, edit information, and output information

Clip- a "media snippet", a media file containing audio, video, graphics or other media for use in a sequence

Subclip-a portion of a clip defined by In and Out points

Edits-editing effects applied to clips and sequences, such as Insert, Overwrite, etc. There are seven main types of edits in Final Cut Pro. See The Rough Edit and Advanced Editing for more information.

Effects-special effects other than edits applied to your video, such as transitions, filters, and text. You can apply a variety of effects using the Viewer in Final Cut Pro. A list of available effects can be found under the Effects tab in the Browser.

Transition- an effect used to create seamless transitions between clips. For example, fade-out/fade-in or ripple dissolve. Cross dissolve is the default transition.

Filters-other special effects such as tinting or texturing an image, blurring, etc.

Generators-a class of effects that create (generate) new video information rather than modifying existing video. For example, the text generator is used to produce titles and text in your sequence.

Frames- the series of still images that make up video. Video consists of a series of still frames put together to generate a motion in a film. A single frame is a still image.

Timecode - the categorizing of time in video which allows you locate specific frames and navigate easily within video media. Final Cut Pro uses standard timecode, in the format of {Hours: Minutes: Seconds; Frames}. In NTSC (standard) format, 30 frames=1 second.

In/Out points - corresponds to the beginning and end of media as it will be used in a sequence; specifies which exact frames are needed. These can be set in the Viewer or the Canvas using the mark in/mark out buttons: .

Markers - used in Final Cut Pro to make notes for later reference or pinpoint locations.

Playhead - indicates the position in time in the sequence or clip. Dragging the playhead "scrubs," or scans, through the sequence.

Jog Control - allows you to move through a clip frame by frame

Keyframe - a point where a parameter for an effect changes. You can add and edit keyframes in the Viewer. See Special Effects for more information.

Rendering-is necessary for previewing motion or special effects. It applies any motion or effects to the media and then copies the result to disk.

Target track -the media track you want to edit. Select your target track by highlighting the track icon in the Timeline: .

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The Final Cut Pro Workspace

Final Cut Pro is made up of four essential windows that contain all of the video editing tools and settings you will use to create your sequence. These are the Browser, the Viewer, the Canvas, and the Timeline.

In addition you can also use the tool pallete (shown at right) to make selections, navigate, and perform edits .

The Browser

The Browser is the window that organizes and accesses all of the source material for your project. You can organize your media in bins, which are analogous to folders. To work with a clip or effect, just find the item you wish to work with in the Browser and drag it into the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline.

The Viewer

The Viewer is analogous to your "source" monitor. You use the viewer to play clips, locate and mark specific frames, set in and out points, and change audio, video, and effects settings for the clip. The viewer contains Tabs at the top which are used to organize clip controls. These are:

The Video Tab- views video frames and can set in/out points, keyframes, and markers
The Audio Tab- views audio waveforms and allows you to alter audio settings and effects and mark edit points in audio clips
The Filters Tab- used to apply and adjust filter settings
The Motion Tab- applies and modifies motion effects
The Controls Tab- adjusts settings for generators

The Canvas

The Canvas is the window that acts as your workspace for a sequence. It is the window you use to edit clips into your sequence and view results. You can use the player controls or drag the playhead to navigate in your sequence. You can also set in/out points, markers and keyframes. Each sequence you have open is contained in a tab on the top of the Canvas window for ease of navigation. See The Rough Edit for more information on how to edit your sequence using the Canvas.

The Timeline

The Timeline displays the layers of video and audio tracks in a sequence along a time axis. You use the timeline to view the layout and timing of your sequence components, navigate between media clips, select specific points in your sequence, and select tarket tracks. The Timeline mirrors the Canvas so that if you move the Timeline's playhead, the Canvas display also moves simultaneously.

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Starting a New Project and Importing Media

Starting a New Project

To start a new project, open the File menu and choose New Project.
When you create a new project, an initial "blank" sequence, Sequence 1, is automatically created.
All of the sequences, clips, audio, effects, and other media in your project will be accessible in the Browser.
Logging and Capturing Clips From A Camera

Logging is the process of viewing and assessing videotapes and marking clips you might use with reference to their timecodes. Final Cut Pro stores these "offline" clips in your log bin, saving capture preferences when you are ready to capture. Capturing means actually importing the clips into your computer when you are ready to use them in your project.

Connecting your camera:

Make sure the camera is properly connected to the computer.
Turn the camera on and set it to VCR mode.
If the display on your camera reads "DV IN" you're ready to go.
To log clips:

In the Browser for your project, create a logging bin by going to File > New > Bin. Name your bin and then choose File > Set Logging Bin.
Select Log and Capture from the File menu.
Under the Preferences tab, select Device Control and make sure your settings are as follows:
Protocol: Apple Firewire
Time Source: DV Time
System: NTSC.
Type a name for the Reel (the individual videocassette)
Use the transport controls to control your source deck and view your media.
When you find a clip you wish to log, click Mark In where you would like it to start, play the tape, then click Mark Out at its Out point.
Click the Log button. If the "Prompt for Name" option is selected, you are prompted to enter name information.
Follow the same process to log successive clips.
All of your logged clips are stored in your designated logging bin and contain a red slash to indicate they are offline .
To capture clips you've just logged:

In the Log and Capture window, select Batch Capture.
Select "All Clips in Logging Bin", and "Online Quality".
Click OK.
To interrupt batch capture, press Escape or click the mouse button.
To capture only selected clips:

In the Browser window, select the clips you want to capture.
Choose File > Batch Capture.
Select "All Selected Clips", and "Online Quality".
Click OK.
To interrupt capture, press Escape or click the mouse button.
If you are having trouble with the log and capture process, consult one of our Final Cut Pro guidebooks or ask an Electronic Resources Center staff member for assistance.

Importing other Media

To import QuickTime-compatible media files, audio, or still images:

Select a destination in the Browser.
Select File > Import > File or Folder.
Select the item and click Open.
When you import still images, they become clips that contain two minutes of identical frames.
Also, make sure to flatten photoshop files before you import them into Final Cut Pro.
Rendering

Rendering is necessary to smoothly preview clips in Final Cut Pro. Most Final Cut Pro sequences need to be rendered before they can be played in real time. To render a sequence or selection:

Go to the Sequence menu and select Render Sequence or Render Selection.
Once Final Cut Pro has finished rendering, you can preview your sequence or selection.

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The Rough Edit

Rough editing is the initial set up of the sequence of clips in your project. After the rough edit you can fine tune your sequence. To get started it is helpful to have some idea of the sequence of clips you want to composite and use those to set up a base track in V1 of the Timeline.

Editing in Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro uses three point editing. This means that three points need to be defined to insert a clip into a sequence. Three points are chosen out of a possible four: the In and Out points for the source clip, and the In and Out point for the location in the sequence.

To perform edits, you will first need to mark your three points:

Select the clip you wish to edit from the Browser and double click to open it in the Viewer.
Select your in point and click on the mark in button to set your in point.
Select your out point and click on the mark out button . Your clip should now have both markers in the bar below it in the Viewer: .
Go to the Canvas or Timeline and place the playhead at the position in the sequence where you would like to insert your clip.
To perform the edit, drag the clip from the Viewer to the Canvas. You can edit in your clip by positioning it over the desired type of edit in the Edit Overlay in the Canvas:
The Edit Overlay appears when you drag a clip from the Browser or Viewer to the Canvas. Position your clip over the desired type of edit to edit it into your sequence.

The Edit Overlay

Types of Edits

Insert-inserts the clip, moves time forward in the sequence
Overwrite-overwrites other media, doesn't change total time of the sequence
Replace- form of overwrite edit which replaces the current frame in Canvas with the frame in Viewer, with additional frames of video on each side to fit available space
Superimpose- lays on top of media, used to overlay titles and other text onto video
Fit-to-Fill- inserts clip & speeds or slows the material to fill the available space.
With transition-places the default transition at beginning of clip when inserted

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Advanced Editing

There are several advanced editing tools and techniques available in Final Cut Pro. The main ones are outlined below. These are accessible in the tool pallette:

Ripple Edit - affects the entire duration of sequence by moving the in and out points of a clip, without affecting other clips or creating gaps
Roll Edit - moves the out point of one clip and in point of the next, so that the overall duration of the sequence is not affected
Slipping - moves both the in and out points of a clip in the same direction, so duration of clip is unaffected, and adjacent clips are unaffected; just changes which frames of the clip are used
Sliding - moves a single clip in relation to adjacent clips, in & out points stay the same, length of side clips change
Match Frame- this type of edit is used when you want a visual frame to match an audio cue. To perform a match frame:

Play through your audio sequence until you find your audio cue you wish to match and press M. A green marker appears in the Timeline at that point.
Position the playhead over the marker.
Click the Match frame button in the Canvas. The clip will open in the Viewer.
Locate the frame in the Viewer you wish to match by using the jog control.
Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Canvas and replace.
For more guidance on advanced editing techniques in Final Cut Pro, see Further Assistance.

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Transitions

Transition Effects in Final Cut Pro are used to seamlessly link clips together. They are one of the key components of professional video editing. You can use transitions to create artistic effects, like a ripple dissolve to indicate, "It was all a dream...", or a fade in/fade out to signify the passage of time. Final Cut Pro has more than 50 transition effects for you to choose from.

To apply a transition:

In the Timeline, position the playhead between two clips by using the up/down arrow keys to jump between clips.
Go to the Effects menu and select Video Transitions, then choose the transition you would like to use from the submenus. A transition will be inserted between the two clips.
To preview your transition, go to Sequence > Render Selection. You can now preview your transition.
To change the transition, just position the playhead over the transition in the timeline, go to the Effects menu and select a new transition.

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Text, Background Images and Special Effects

Final Cut Pro also has a variety of other audio and video effects that you can use to enhance your production. For example, adding an titled intro sequence for your project, adding music or other audio, using a background image, or creating rolling credits.

The Viewer is your toolbox for creating special effects. Once you are familiar with the concept of keyframes, which are points that indicate where a setting for an effect changes, you can create a variety of effects over time using the Motion Tab.

To use keyframes:

Click on the Motion tab in the Viewer.
Extend the Viewer display out the right by dragging on the lower right corner of the Viewer. This will display a timeline to the right.
Select a point in your clip where you would like to add a keyframe. The clip will play in the Canvas as you move the playhead in the Viewer.
Add the first keyframe by either clicking the add keyframe button in the Viewer , or using the keyframe tool in the tool pallete.
A keyframe will appear in the timeline:
You can add successive keyframes in the same manner.
You can change your effect settings by keyframe by dragging in the Viewer timeline or manually entering values in the settings fields.
As you drag the playhead in the Viewer, you can preview the effect in the Canvas.
To add text to your sequence (using a generator):

Click the Effects Tab in the Browser and open the Video Generators folder.
Drag the Text Generator icon to a track in the Timeline. If you want to superimpose text, drag the text generator to the uppermost track in your sequence.
Double-click on the generator in the Timeline to open it in the Viewer.
In the Viewer, you can edit the settings for your text using the Controls Tab, and add motion effects using keyframes in the Motion tab.

To use background images:

You will need to first import your image into the Browser.
Once your image is in the Browser, select it and drag it to a track in the Timeline. If you want to superimpose your image, drag it to the uppermost track.
Double-click on your image in the Timeline to open it in the Viewer.
You can now add filters, change opacity levels, animate your image, etc., by using keyframes to adjust settings in the Viewer.
To alter or insert audio clips:

To insert an audio clip, select the clip you wish to insert from the Browser.
Drag the clip to the audio track(s) in the Timeline.
To alter audio settings, double click the clip to open it in the Viewer and play with its settings.
You can create audio transitions by selecting Audio Transitions from the Effects tab in the Browser.
You can create a variety of other special effects using the Viewer. For more information, see Further Assistance.

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Creating Final Output

Once you have finished creating and editing your sequence, you are ready to export it to be viewed.

Before you export:

If you have not already done so, render and preview your sequence to ensure that there are no lingering problems.
Make sure your sequence is opened in the Timeline or selected in the Browser.
Exporting your sequence using predefined sequence settings:

Go to File > Export > Final Cut Pro Movie
Specify settings, output quality, and whether to include video, audio, or both. Choose Current Settings to use the current QuickTime settings for the sequence.
Specify a filename and destination folder.
Click Save.

Exporting your sequence using QuickTime export settings:

Go to File > Export > Quicktime
Choose an export format and Use settings.
Specify a filename and destination folder.
Click Save.
Your clip is now ready to be viewed outside of Final Cut Pro.