Lunchbox Requirements for FP 412

**Keep all raw footage and sound on your hard drive until after graduation.

1. All raw footage on mini-DV tape (HQ copy from Beta Master)

2. All raw footage on mini-DV tape with sync sound (off timeline)

3. Finished film on DV tape (on tape 2 or three times) OPTIONAL (Beta or DVC PRO Copy)

4. Original DAT or Nagra Tapes

5. CD of all RAW audio DAT and Nagra tapes

6. CD of each and every individual audio track with sync "beep"

7. CD containing OMF files of all audio

8. Rushes Log

9. EDL (post edit EDL - can be exported off timeline)

10. Short editors report - mainly containing info about effects and transitions used, music cues, other editing info that may be useful (or essential) later.

Layer (Track) Techniques in Final Cut Pro:

Changing the look of your browser/bin

1. Select the browser 2. VIEW - BROWSER ITEMS - Choose small, medium, or large icons

Making a Super Stack

1. Select all the clips you want to use in the browser

2. Drag them to the Canvas Window and let go of them over the purple "superimpose" part.

Using the Canvas drag and drop edit tools

1. Drag a clip from the timeline to the canvas to see how each tool affects the rest of the clips on the timeline.

Copy/Paste Attributes

1. Copy a clip by selecting it and then pressing apple+c.

2. Control click another clip on the timeline, this allows you to paste just the clip's attributes (and do other things).

OR

1. Copy a clip by selecting it and then pressing apple+c.

2. Select the clip you want to paste attributes to and press option+V

Move a clip a specific distance on the timeline

1. Press + then type in 100 (for 1 second), then hit enter.

To "Solo" a clip on the timeline

1. Select a clip, hit Control+S (same to unsolo it)

An alpha channel is a portion of the video signal that maintains transparency. You manipulate the alpha channel to blend overlapping layers so that many images appear at the same time – which is the very essence of video compositing.

FCP, unlike Photoshop and AE, does not assign an alpha channel, so you have to make one, usually by adding a filter or creating a travel matte.

In a video image, each pixel is made up of red, green and blue. A video image contains 32 bits, 8 bits for each colour, plus 8 bits reserved for transparency. This is the alpha channel. It is a grayscale value which represents the relative opacity. In FCP’s defined alpha channel; Black is 100% transparent, white is 100% opaque, and gray indicates transparency.

To see the alpha channel, in the viewer select Alpha + RGB. The grayscale value is in shades of red so you can see it more clearly.

Creating an Alpha Channel

Alpha channels can be created in other programs and imported into FCP, or you can use FCP to create one using a filter.

In the motion tab of the viewer, you can create an alpha channel simply by adjusting the opacity or cropping an image. But the more common way is to use a Matte filter. Matte filters allow you to knock out selected portions of an image to reveal the image behind it. In the effects tab there is a whole section of matte filters. They will all make some portion of the image transparent.

Garbage matte: this lets you draw shapes using point controls (4 point and eight point). Often used to cut holes in a section of an image.
Extract: This filter takes the luminance info from a clip and lets you use it as a travel matte.
Image Mask: Similar to a travel matte (more later)
Mask shape: You can use a diamond, oval, Rectangle, etc. to help you shape your alpha channel.
Matte choker: Used with a key effect to adjust the alpha channel (more later).

HOW TO APPLY A MATTE SHAPE:

1. Place two clips over one another on the timeline. The lower clip will serve as the background. Select the upper clip and go to Effects-Video Filters-Matte-Mask Shape. 2. In the filters tab of the viewer, change the shape and adjust its size and postion. 3. Go to Effects-Video Filters-Matte-Mask Feather. Add other effects and filters as needed.

USING GARBAGE MATTES:

Garbage mattes can be used for all kinds of things, such as replacing backgrounds. To use garbage mattes you need to know about point controls. Each point control is numbered and corresponds to a X, Y coordinate on the canvas.

1. Place two clips over one another on the timeline. The lower clip will serve as the background or effect. Select the upper clip and go to Effects-Video Filters-Matte-4 point garbage Matte. 2. Control-S to solo the clip. In the viewer in the filters tab, select the crosshair button for point one and click an area on the image in the canvas. Repeat for all four points. 3. Check the invert box in the filters tab of the viewer. Adjust the background image accordingly.

USING CHROMA KEYER:

1. Place two clips over one another on the timeline. The lower clip will serve as the background. Select the upper clip and go to Effects-Video Filters-Key-Chroma Keyer. 2. select the chroma keyer tab in the viewer. Use the eye dropper to select the colour you want to key away in the canvas. Hold the shift key down and re use the eyedropper to get most of that colour away. Smooth and adjust the effect with the other parameters.

USING A LUMA KEY EFFCT:

1. Place two clips over one another on the timeline. The lower clip will serve as the background. Select the upper clip and go to Effects-Video Filters-Key-Luma Key. 2. Increase the Threshold and lower the tolerance as required. Be sure the key mode says key out brighter and that you are viewing the final image.

CONSTRUCING A TRAVEL MATTE EFFECT:

A typical travel matte requires three layers. Make sure your tracks are in proper order; “Graphic fill’ – the image cut by the stencil, is on v3. “Matte” is on v2. This is the image that makes the stencil. Background on v1.

1. Control click on v3. Choose travel matte – luma from the Composite mode submenu. 2. Add the required effect to v1 (such as a blur).

USING TEXT:

As above, arrange your 3 layers properly. V3 may have a series of images. V2 will contain your text, and v1 will be the background.