Final Cut Express HD User Manual
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1 Preface 25 25 25 26 Part I Contents Final Cut Express HD Documentation and Resources Getting Started Onscreen Help Apple Websites An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD Chapter 1 29 29 30 About the Post-Production Workflow The Industry Workflow The Post-Production Workflow Chapter 2 35 35 36 36 36 Video Formats and Timecode About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD Video Format Basics Chapt
Chapter 5 65 65 66 67 69 70 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 79 79 80 82 83 84 85 87 88 90 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 Recent Clips and Generator Pop-Up Menus Chapter 7 91 91 92 93 94 95 96 98
Chapter 10 135 135 135 137 139 Part III Customizing the Interface Changing Browser and Timeline Text Size Moving and Resizing Final Cut Express HD Windows Using Screen Layouts Working With Shortcut Buttons and Button Bars Setting Up Your Editing System Chapter 11 145 145 146 146 150 151 Connecting Your Equipment Connecting Your Camcorder Connecting an External Video Monitor and Audio Speakers Opening Final Cut Express HD and Choosing Your Initial Settings What Is FireWire? What Is Device Control? Ch
180 180 181 185 187 188 188 189 189 191 192 192 193 194 195 196 196 Choosing a Filenaming Scheme Determining How Much Disk Space You Need Capturing Individual Clips in the Capture Window Using Capture Now Adding Markers to Clips in the Capture Window Marker Controls in the Capture Window Setting Markers Recapturing Clips Using Capture Project About the Additional Items Found Dialog Finding Your Media Files After Capture Where Are Captured Media Files Stored? Consolidating Media Files to One Folder Modif
Part V Organizing Footage and Preparing to Edit Chapter 17 219 219 220 221 222 225 227 228 228 231 233 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 Sorting Items in the Browser Using Column Headings Searching for Clips in the Browser About Search Options Searching for Items in the Browser Manipulating Items in the Find Results Window Chapter 18 235 235 238 Using Mark
272 273 273 Copying a Sequence Into Another Project Nesting a Sequence Basic Sequence and Timeline Settings Chapter 21 275 275 275 276 278 278 278 280 280 281 281 The Fundamentals of Adding Clips to a Sequence Creating a Rough Edit Basic Steps Involved in a Rough Edit How Clips Appear in the Timeline 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 B
314 315 316 316 318 Locking Tracks to Prevent Edits or Changes Disabling Tracks to Hide Content During Playback Customizing Track Display in the Timeline Resizing Timeline Tracks Creating a Static Region in the Timeline Chapter 24 321 321 322 323 326 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 25 329 329 329 330 332 333
367 369 370 Finding and Selecting Based on Search Criteria Selecting a Vertical Range Between In and Out Points Using Auto Select to Specify Tracks for Selections Chapter 27 373 373 375 375 376 378 380 380 382 385 385 386 387 Arranging Clips in the Timeline Snapping to Points in the Timeline Moving Items Within the Timeline Moving by Dragging Moving Clips Numerically Performing Shuffle Edits Copying and Pasting Clips in the Timeline Copying Clips by Option-Dragging Copying, Cutting, and Pasting Clip
Chapter 30 415 415 416 417 418 419 421 Split Edits Learning About Split Edits How Split Edits Look in the Viewer and Canvas Setting Up Split Edit Points in the Viewer Setting Up a Split Edit While Playing a Clip Modifying and Clearing Split Edits Split Edit Examples Chapter 31 425 425 427 428 431 431 432 432 434 435 435 435 436 436 438 438 440 441 442 442 444 444 446 446 449 Audio Editing Basics The Goals of Audio Editing Using Waveform Displays to Help You Edit Audio Learning About the Audio Controls
458 459 461 462 466 468 468 470 471 Performing a Slip Edit Using the Slip Tool Performing Precise Slip Edits Numerically Using the Ripple Tool to Trim an Edit Without Leaving a Gap Performing Ripple Edits About Ripple Edits and Sync Relationships of Clip Items on Other Tracks Doing Ripple Edits on Multiple Tracks at Once Asymmetrical Trimming With the Ripple Tool Using the Roll Tool to Change Where a Cut Occurs Rolling the Position of an Edit Between Two Clips Chapter 33 477 477 479 480 481 482 482 4
511 511 512 513 515 516 516 517 517 517 519 519 520 520 524 Adding Transitions Adding Transitions With Clips You Add to the Timeline Quickly Adding the Default Transition to Clips in Your Sequence Adding Transitions to Clips in Your Sequence Moving, Copying, and Deleting Transitions Moving a Transition to Another Edit Point Copying and Pasting Transitions Deleting Transitions Modifying Transitions in the Timeline Changing the Duration of a Transition in the Timeline Changing the Alignment of a Transition i
Chapter 39 557 557 557 558 558 Part VIII 14 Working With Timecode About Timecode in Final Cut Express HD Displaying Timecode Affected by Speed Changes Clip Time Versus Source Time Changing Global Timecode Display Options Audio Mixing Chapter 40 561 561 562 565 Overview of Audio Mixing Audio Finishing Features in Final Cut Express HD Overview of Audio Sweetening in Final Cut Express HD Making the Final Mix Chapter 41 567 567 568 569 570 572 572 574 574 576 576 577 Setting Up Audio Equipment Choosi
Chapter 43 593 593 593 594 595 596 597 598 598 598 600 600 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 Express HD Avoiding Audio Clipping 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 Stereo Versus Dual Mono Audio Chapter 44 601 601 605 607 607 608 608 609 610
Chapter 47 647 648 650 651 Working With Audio Filters Applying Filters to an Audio Clip Modifying and Removing Filters Making Real-Time Audio Filter Adjustments 653 653 654 654 658 660 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 Part IX 16 Effects Chapter 48 663 663 664 666 667 673 673 674 675 676 Video Filters Different Ways to Use Filters Applying a Filter to a Clip Ap
725 731 731 732 734 735 735 736 737 738 740 743 Moving Between Keyframes Adjusting All Opacity Keyframes of a Clip 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 Along a Motion Path Moving an Entire Motion Path in the Canvas Chapter 51 745 74
794 794 796 797 798 799 799 801 802 803 804 Working With Layered Photoshop Files What Happens When You Import a Multilayered Photoshop File Using Video and Graphics Clips With Alpha Channels Types of Alpha Channels Recognized in Final Cut Express HD Working With Clips That Have Alpha Channels Importing Clips With Alpha Channels Changing a Clip’s Alpha Channel Type Changing Canvas and Viewer Background Colors Temporarily Excluding Clips From Playback or Output Temporarily Disabling a Single Clip Soloing
Chapter 57 849 849 850 851 853 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 Express HD Creating and Adding Generated Clips to Sequences Chapter 58 855 855 856 856 857 858 862 Creating Titles How You Can Use Titles in Your Project Installing and Choosing Fonts Making Sure Titles Fit on TV Screens Text Generators Available in Final Cut Express HD Creating and Adding a Title Clip Other
891 892 893 894 895 Part XI 20 Auto-Rendering While You Are Away From Your Computer Changing Settings in the Render Control Tab Preserving Render Files Tips for Avoiding Unnecessary Rendering Reducing Render Time Project Management and Settings Chapter 61 899 899 900 901 901 902 Media Management What Is Media Management? Reasons to Manage your Media What You Need to Know to Manage Your Media Media Management Steps in Final Cut Express HD Strategies for Media Management Chapter 62 903 903 903 904 90
930 930 931 931 Master-Affiliate Clip Properties Master Clip Properties Affiliate Clip Properties Media File Properties Chapter 65 933 933 934 935 942 Reconnecting Clips and Offline Media About the Connections Between Clips and Media Files How the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Can Be Broken Reconnecting Clips to Media Files When Final Cut Express HD Reconnects Your Clips Chapter 66 945 945 946 950 951 952 952 952 953 953 955 956 957 Choosing Settings and Preferences Changing User Preferenc
Chapter 69 971 971 974 977 Exporting Sequences for DVD The DVD Creation Process Adding Chapter and Compression Markers to Your Sequence Exporting QuickTime Movies for iDVD Chapter 70 979 979 980 980 980 983 984 989 Learning About QuickTime What Is QuickTime? The QuickTime Suite of Software Applications QuickTime for Media Authoring The QuickTime Movie File Format How Final Cut Express HD Uses QuickTime for Import, Export, and Capture Formats Supported by QuickTime How Do You Export the Files You Ne
Part XIII Appendixes Appendix A 1025 1025 1026 1026 1027 1028 1030 1031 1033 1034 1035 1037 1037 1040 1042 1042 1043 1043 1044 1044 1044 1045 Video Formats Characteristics of Video Formats Storage Medium Tape Size, Cassette Shape, and Tape Coating Video Standards Type of Video Signal Aspect Ratio of the Video Frame Frame Dimensions, Number of Lines, and Resolution Pixel Aspect Ratio Frame Rate Scanning Method Color Recording Method Video Sampling Rate and Color Sampling Ratio Video Compression Types of
Appendix D 1069 1069 1070 1075 Glossary 1077 Index 1107 Solving Common Problems Resources for Solving Problems Solutions to Common Problems Contacting AppleCare Support Contents
Preface Final Cut Express HD Documentation and Resources You can use Final Cut Express HD to create movies of any budget, style, and format. Final Cut Express HD comes with both printed and onscreen documentation to help you learn how. This preface provides information on the documentation available for Final Cut Express HD, as well as information about Final Cut Express HD resources on the web.
Onscreen User Manual The Final Cut Express HD User Manual provides comprehensive information about the application. To access the onscreen user manual: m In Final Cut Express HD, choose Help > Final Cut Express HD User Manual. Information About New Features For information about features that have been added or enhanced since the last version of Final Cut Express HD, you can read the New Features section of the onscreen help.
Part I: An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I Find out how Final Cut Express HD fits into the moviemaking process and learn about fundamental concepts of digital video editing and the basic elements of a Final Cut Express HD project.
1 About the Post-Production Workflow 1 No matter what your project, Final Cut Express HD is the cornerstone of your post-production workflow. This chapter covers the following: Â The Industry Workflow (p. 29) Â The Post-Production Workflow (p. 30) The Industry Workflow Before you start editing, it’s helpful to consider how post-production fits into the overall moviemaking workflow.
Step 4: Post-Production Post-production 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 Express HD post-production 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 4: Editing The editing process involves taking the video and audio you’ve captured, along with any music or graphics you’ve imported, and arranging these raw materials into a final edited sequence of clips. Most editors start with a rough cut, where they quickly arrange all of the clips for a movie in sequence. Once that’s finished, they work on finetuning, subtly adjusting the edit points between clips and refining the pacing of each cut.
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 post-production workflow. This chapter covers the following: Â About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing (p. 35) Â Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD (p. 36) Â Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD (p. 36) Â Video Format Basics (p.
Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD 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 Express HD uses QuickTime technology, allowing you to use almost any digital video format available. This flexibility ensures that your Final Cut Express HD editing system always works with the latest video formats.
I 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.
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.
3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 3 The basic elements in Final Cut Express HD are projects, clips, and sequences. Once you learn what these are and how you can use them, you can begin working in Final Cut Express HD. This chapter covers the following: Â The Building Blocks of Projects (p. 39) Â Working With Projects (p. 43) Â About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files (p. 47) 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 Express HD. A clip is the most fundamental object in Final Cut Express HD. 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 47.
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 into 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.
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.
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. If you’re also working on an industrial training video about how to fix bicycles, that would be a second, separate project.
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 Express HD, a message appears for each open project, asking if you want to save your changes. The next time you open Final Cut Express HD, 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 Express HD Interface II Get familiar with the Browser, Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline, and learn how to customize the Final Cut Express HD interface to meet your specific needs.
4 Overview of the Final Cut Express HD Interface 4 The Final Cut Express HD interface has four main windows and a Tool palette. This chapter includes: Â Basics of Working in the Final Cut Express HD Interface (p. 55) Â Using Keyboard Shortcuts, Buttons, and Shortcut Menus (p. 57) Â Customizing the Interface (p. 59) Â Undoing and Redoing Changes (p. 63) Â Entering Timecode for Navigation Purposes (p.
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. Audio meters: These floating meters let you monitor audio levels. Timeline: This displays sequences.
II Using Keyboard Shortcuts, Buttons, and Shortcut Menus Final Cut Express HD 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.
For more information on using and customizing button bars, see Chapter 10, “Customizing the Interface,” on page 135. Using Shortcut Menus Shortcut menus (also called contextual menus) are available in nearly every section of every window and offer a quick way to perform various tasks. The commands available in a shortcut menu depend on the location of the pointer. For example, a shortcut menu in the Browser shows options different from those available in a shortcut menu in the Timeline.
II Learning Commands by Using Tooltips When you move the pointer over a control in Final Cut Express HD, a small box called a tooltip appears with a description of the control. Next to the description is the keyboard shortcut for using the control. You can turn tooltips off and on in the General tab of the User Preferences window. This tooltip appears when the pointer is over the Play button in the Viewer. To enable tooltips in Final Cut Express HD: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > User Preferences.
To resize windows in Final Cut Express HD: m 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 Express HD can be dragged. When borders line up, such as the tops of the Browser and Timeline, they act as a single border—resizing one window resizes the other as well. See “Moving and Resizing Final Cut Express HD Windows” on page 135 for more information.
II To make a tab active: m Click the tab. To close a tab, do one of the following: m Control-click the tab, then choose Close Tab from the shortcut menu m Click a tab to make it the frontmost tab, then press Control-W. You can drag tabs out of their main, or parent, windows so they appear in a separate window. This is useful when you are working on more than one sequence or project at a time.
Moving Windows There are several ways you can move windows in Final Cut Express HD. You can move a window by clicking its title bar, and then dragging it to a new position and releasing the mouse button. You can also hold down the Command and Option keys, and then click anywhere in a window and drag it to a new position. Using Different Screen Layouts Final Cut Express HD comes with a set of predefined screen layouts.
II To arrange Final Cut Express HD windows and make room for the Dock: 1 If desired, change the position of the Dock. For specific information on changing the way the Dock looks and works, see Mac Help (in the Finder, choose Help > Mac Help). 2 In Final Cut Express HD, choose Window > Arrange, then choose your preferred layout from the submenu. The windows are rearranged to take into account the position of the Dock.
Entering Timecode for Navigation Purposes Timecode allows you to navigate through your sequences to a specific point in time. Unlike Final Cut Pro, all clips in Final Cut Express HD start at 00:00:00:00. Current Timecode field in the Canvas When you enter timecode in a field, such as the Current Timecode field in the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline, you don’t need to enter all of the separator characters (such as colons); Final Cut Express HD automatically adds them for you after each set of two digits.
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. 65) Â Learning About the Browser (p. 66) Â Working in the Browser (p. 67) Â Using Columns in the Browser (p. 69) Â Customizing the Browser Display (p. 70) Note: For information about organizing footage in the Browser, see “Organizing Footage in the Browser” on page 219.
Learning About the Browser By default, you view items in the Browser in icon view, which lets you easily see items by type. For video clips, you see a frame of video to help you distinguish the contents. Project Clip Sequence Bin You can also 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.
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.
Copying and Deleting Items in the Browser Copying or duplicating a clip creates an affiliate clip, which is a clip that shares properties with the original clip, or master clip. For more information about masteraffiliate clip relationships, see “Working With Master and Affiliate Clips” on page 921. To copy an item, do one of the following: m Select the item, then hold down the Option key while you drag the item to a new bin or to the Name column heading. m Press Option-D to duplicate the selected item.
II Renaming a clip automatically renames all affiliated clips in the current project, because there is only a single Name property shared between a master clip and all of its affiliate clips. This affects all clips in the Browser and in all sequences within your project. For more information on master and affiliate clips, see “Working With Master and Affiliate Clips” on page 921. Note: Master-affiliate clip relationships exist only within a project, not across multiple projects.
Customizing the Browser Display There are various ways you can display items in the Browser, depending on your needs and workstyle. You can display items in list or icon (thumbnail) view, choose columns you want to show or hide, and choose the frame you see for a clip in icon (thumbnail) view. Choosing Views in the Browser You can view items in the Browser in list view or icon view.
II 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.
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. 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. To display thumbnails: m Control-click any column heading other than Name, then choose Show Thumbnail from the shortcut menu.
II 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 74). To change the names of the Master Comment or Comment column headings: 1 Control-click a Comment column heading, then choose Edit Heading from the shortcut menu.
Working With the Browser in Icon View In large, medium, or small icon view, you arrange your clips graphically in the Browser. Video clips are displayed as a thumbnail of the starting frame of video, audio clips are displayed as a speaker, and bins are indicated by a folder icon. If a video clip has an audio track, a small speaker icon appears inside the clip’s thumbnail. Video clip with audio Thumbnails of clips in icon view Audio clip You can use different views for open Browser windows and tabs.
II To scrub through clips in large icon view: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select the Scrub Video tool in the Tool palette. Selection tool Select the Scrub Video tool. Note: When the Scrub Video tool is selected, you can hold down the Shift or Command key to temporarily make the Selection tool active to select, open, or move clips. Â With the Selection tool selected, press Control-Shift to temporarily make the Scrub Video tool active. 2 Drag the Scrub Video tool over the thumbnail.
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.
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. 79) Â Opening a Clip in the Viewer (p. 80) Â Learning About the Viewer (p. 82) Â Tabs in the Viewer (p. 83) Â Transport (or Playback) Controls (p. 84) Â Playhead Controls (p. 85) Â Marking Controls (p. 87) Â Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus (p. 88) Â Recent Clips and Generator Pop-Up Menus (p.
 Adjust generator clip controls Generators are special clips that can be generated by Final Cut Express HD, so they don’t require source media. Final Cut Express HD has generators that create color mattes, text of different types, gradients, color bars, and white noise. For more information, see “Using Built-in Generated Clips” on page 849.  Open a transition, such as a dissolve or a wipe, from an edited sequence for detailed editing For more information, see “Adding Transitions” on page 507.
II To open a clip in the Viewer from the Browser, do one of the following: m In the Browser, double-click the clip. m Drag the clip from the Browser to the Viewer. m In the Browser, select the clip and press Return. Note: In the Browser, pressing Enter is different from pressing Return. Pressing Enter allows to you to rename the clip. m In the Browser, Control-click the clip, then choose Open in Viewer from the shortcut menu. m In the Browser, select the clip, then choose View > Clip.
Learning About the Viewer The following is a quick summary of the Viewer controls. For a more detailed description of Viewer controls, see the sections starting with “Tabs in the Viewer” on page 83. Tabs Clip name and the project it’s in.
II Â Zoom pop-up menu: This lets you enlarge or shrink the image that appears in the Viewer. Â View pop-up menu: This allows you to control display options such as marker overlays and title safe guides. Â Generator pop-up menu: You use this to select and open generators in the Viewer for modifying and editing into your sequence. Generators are special clips that can be generated by Final Cut Express HD; for example, they can be used to create color mattes and text of different types.
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 “Video Filters” on page 663. For audio filters, see “Using Audio Filters” on page 639.
II Â 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.
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.
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. Add Marker Add Motion Keyframe Mark Clip Mark In Show Match Frame Mark Out  Show Match Frame (F): When you click this button, Final Cut Express HD searches the current sequence for the same frame shown in the Viewer.
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.
II Note: When playing back media with the Viewer scaled to 100 percent, both fields of interlaced video are displayed. If the Viewer is scaled to anything other than 100 percent and you’re displaying a DV clip, only one field is shown during playback or while scrubbing through the clip. When playing back media captured with a third-party video interface, some interfaces display both fields regardless of the scale of the Viewer, which may result in visible artifacts in the picture.
Recent Clips and Generator Pop-Up Menus The two pop-up menus near the lower-right corner of the Viewer let you quickly choose source clips and generators. Generator pop-up menu Recent Clips pop-up menu 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.
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. 91) Â Opening, Selecting, and Closing Sequences in the Canvas (p. 92) Â Learning About the Canvas (p. 93) Â Editing Controls in the Canvas (p. 94) Â Transport (or Playback) Controls (p. 95) Â Playhead Controls (p. 96) Â Marking Controls (p. 98) 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 Out point In point Scrubber bar Jog control Shuttle control Transport controls Sequence marking controls  Tabs: Each tab in the Canvas represents an open sequence.
 Editing controls: The edit buttons and the Edit Overlay allow you to perform different kinds of edits from the clip in the Viewer to your sequence.  View pop-up menu: This allows you to control display options such as marker overlays and title safe guides.  Zoom pop-up menu: This lets you enlarge or shrink the image that appears in the Canvas.  Current Timecode field: This field displays the timecode of the frame at the current position of the playhead.
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.
 Play Around Current Frame (\): Plays the selected sequence “around” the current playhead position. When you click this button, 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 specified in the Preview Postroll field. When you stop playback, the playhead jumps back to its original position.
II To move the playhead to the beginning of your sequence: m Press Home on your keyboard. To move the playhead to the end of your sequence: m Press End on your keyboard. To move the playhead to the next edit point, do one of the following: m Choose Mark > Next > Edit. m Click the Go to Next Edit button. m Press the Down Arrow key. m Press Shift-E. Final Cut Express HD looks for the next edit, In point, or Out point.
Jog Control To move forward or backward in your sequence very precisely, use the jog control. The jog control allows you to move the playhead in the Canvas as if you were actually moving it with your hand, with a one-to-one correspondence between the motion of your mouse and the playhead’s motion. This control is useful for carefully locating a specific frame (for instance, if you’re trimming an edit).
II Â Add Motion Keyframe (Control-K): Click to add a keyframe to the current clip at the position of the playhead. This button adds keyframes for clip parameters such as Scale, Rotate, Crop, Distort, and so on. Â Show Match Frame (F): When you click this button, the frame you see in the Canvas appears in the Viewer. Specifically, the master clip for the sequence clip that intersects the Canvas/Timeline playhead is opened in the Viewer.
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. 101) 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 To avoid typing zeroes when moving by larger amounts, type a period instead. Â To move to timecode 00:00:03:00, type “3.” (3 and a period). The period is automatically interpreted by Final Cut Express HD as 00 in the frames field. Â To move to 00:03:00:00 from the previous position, type “3..” (3 and two periods). These periods insert 00 into both the frames and seconds fields. Â Type 3... to move to 03:00:00:00.
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.
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. 111) Â Opening and Closing Sequences in the Timeline (p. 113) Â Learning About the Timeline (p. 114) Â Changing Timeline Display Options (p. 123) Â Navigating in the Timeline (p. 127) 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.
 Lock Track control: Prevents a track’s contents from being moved or changed in any way. Overlays in locked tracks can also be protected by deselecting the “Pen tools can edit locked item overlays” option in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window. Locked tracks are cross-hatched all the way across the Timeline. Tracks can be locked and unlocked at any time. For more information, see “Choosing Settings and Preferences” on page 945.
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 127.  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.  Mute: Click to turn off audio playback for that track. The mute button affects monitoring during playback only.
II Â 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. This can be extremely useful when you need to quickly line up two clips without gaps in between, or to quickly move the playhead to a marker in preparation for an edit.
Real-Time Effects and the Render Status Bar  Real-Time Effects (RT) pop-up menu: Allows you to adjust the playback quality of realtime effects in Final Cut Express HD. Using the options in this menu, you can decide which is more important to you—visual playback quality, or maximizing the available effects that can be played back in real time. For more information on the options in the Real-Time Effects pop-up menu, see “Using RT Extreme” on page 865.
II Â Clip item render bars: Audio clip items can be rendered individually. Clip items in the Timeline display individual render bars in the following cases: Â Audio clip items that require sample rate conversion: For example, audio clips that were captured at 44.1 kHz but have been edited into a sequence set to 48 kHz. Â Audio clip items with filters applied: Applying one or more filters causes an audio clip to display a render bar within the clip item itself.
 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 126. Click here to view the Track Layout pop-up menu. About Timeline Display Options in the Sequence Settings Window You can access almost all of the Timeline display options in the Timeline Options tab of the Sequence Settings window.
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 “Adjusting Parameters for Keyframed Effects” on page 719. You can also use the Clip Overlays control in the Timeline to show or hide overlays.
About Timeline Display Controls in the Timeline Several controls in the Timeline allow you to change the display of certain items in the Timeline. Clip Overlays control Track Height controls  Clip Overlays control: Click this control 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.
II Navigating in the Timeline There are several ways you can navigate through your sequence in the Timeline: Â Move the playhead by clicking or dragging in the ruler at the top of the Timeline window. Note: The playhead in the Timeline is locked to the playhead in the Canvas, and both windows mirror each other. The Canvas displays the frame currently at the position of the playhead in the Timeline, whether it’s playing or stopped.
Using Timecode to Navigate in the Timeline The Current Timecode field shows the current position of the playhead. If you enter a new timecode number, the playhead moves to that position. You can enter either absolute or relative timecode numbers in this field. (For information on where this field is located in the Timeline, see “Horizontal Time Controls” on page 117.) To move the playhead to a specific location: 1 Make the Timeline or Canvas active.
II To zoom in and out of the Timeline using the Zoom slider, do one of the following: m Drag the thumb tabs on either side of the Zoom slider to adjust both ends of your view at the same time. If the playhead is visible, it stays centered during the zoom. If the playhead is not visible, the visible area of the Timeline stays centered.
To zoom in and out of the Timeline using the Zoom tools: 1 Select the Zoom In or Zoom Out tool in the Tool palette. 2 Do one of the following: Â Click in the Timeline. Â Drag to select a region to zoom in on or out of. As you drag, the box (or “marquee”) snaps to areas that correspond to the percentage of zoom in the Timeline. Clicking or dragging repeatedly increases the zoom factor. When the Timeline is zoomed in or out to the maximum level possible, the + and – signs on the zoom tools disappear.
II 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).
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.
II 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 Express HD 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. 135) Â Moving and Resizing Final Cut Express HD Windows (p. 135) Â Using Screen Layouts (p. 137) 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 functions such as 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 Express HD can be dragged.
Choosing a Screen Layout Choose a layout that maximizes your screen real estate in the best way for your source material, editing function, screen resolution, and monitor type. For example, if you’re doing voiceover recording, you may want to choose the Voice Over Recording layout. To choose a screen layout: m Choose Window > Arrange, then choose an option from the submenu.
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 Express HD—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.
Adding Shortcut Buttons to a Button Bar Button bars that you set up are automatically saved when you quit the application and restored when you open it again. You can rearrange, copy, and drag shortcut buttons to further customize the button bar in each window. Note: You can add any number of shortcut buttons to the button bar; however, excess buttons may not be visible within the window.
II Rearranging, Moving, and Copying Shortcut Buttons New shortcut buttons are placed to the left or right of existing buttons. You can move and copy shortcut buttons within a window and to different windows. You can also add “spacers” between shortcut buttons to organize them in the button bar. To rearrange shortcut buttons in a button bar: m In the button bar, drag shortcut buttons where you want them to appear.
To remove all shortcut buttons from a button bar: m Control-click any shortcut button in the button bar, choose Remove from the shortcut menu, then choose All from the submenu. Note: In the case of the Timeline, which contains default shortcut buttons, choose Remove > All / Restore Defaults from the submenu. 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.
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 Connecting Your Equipment 11 Setting up Final Cut Express HD 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. 145) Â Connecting an External Video Monitor and Audio Speakers (p. 146) Â Opening Final Cut Express HD and Choosing Your Initial Settings (p. 146) Â What Is FireWire? (p. 150) 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 Choosing an Easy Setup Final Cut Express HD comes with several predefined Easy Setups based on the most common video formats and devices, such as DV-NTSC and DV-PAL. The Easy Setup you choose applies to all new projects and sequences until you choose another Easy Setup. If you always use the same type of camcorder or video deck, you may never have to change your Easy Setup. If you do change your camcorder or video deck or the format you are working with, it’s simple to change your Easy Setup.
Specifying Scratch Disks for Capturing Video and Storing Render Files A scratch disk is a hard disk, internal or external to your computer, where Final Cut Express HD stores captured digital video and audio, as well as rendered media files created during editing. (Rendering is the process of creating temporary video and audio render files for portions of your sequence that Final Cut Express HD cannot play in real time.
III 3 To set locations for the waveform and thumbnail cache files and the Autosave Vault folder: a Click Set next to the appropriate item. b In the dialog that appears, locate and find the disk you want to use. c Click Select (the button includes the name of the disk you selected). The specified disk is listed next to the Set button, along with the amount of available disk space.
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 Express HD might not be able to find the scratch disk.
III The Differences Between Apple FireWire and FireWire Basic Video devices vary greatly in their functionality and adherence to FireWire specifications for device control (the technology that allows Final Cut Express HD to control your DV camcorder or deck via FireWire). For this reason, there are two versions of the FireWire protocol you can use for device control and capture in Final Cut Express HD: Â Apple FireWire: This is the default.
If the proper connections are made from the VTR to the computer, the VTR begins playing, and you see the following in the Capture window: Â Video appears in the video preview area. Â The status message “VTR OK” appears below the video preview area. Â The transport controls (play, rewind, fast-forward, and so on) appear below the video.
12 Determining Your Hard Disk Storage Options 12 To make the most of your Final Cut Express HD 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. 153) Â Data Rates and Storage Devices (p. 153) Â Determining How Much Space You Need (p. 154) Â Choosing a Hard Disk (p. 156) Â Types of Hard Disk Drives (p.
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. Â Seek time is a measurement of how quickly data stored on the disk can be accessed in milliseconds (ms). Low seek times are important when playing back an edited sequence of clips, because the disk must spend a lot of time searching for the next clip to play.
III Calculating Hard Disk Space Requirements You can use the table below to estimate how much disk space you need for your project. Video data transfer rates 30 sec. 1 min. 5 min. 10 min. 30 min. 60 min. 3.6 MB/sec. DV-format video or HDV (1080i) 108 MB 216 MB 1.08 GB 2.16 GB 6.5 GB 13 GB 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.
Choosing a Hard Disk The disk that contains your computer’s operating system is called the startup disk or boot disk. In addition to the operating system, the startup disk also stores your applications (such as Final Cut Express HD), your application preferences, system settings, and other documents. Since the files on the startup disk are your most critical data, maintaining the startup disk is vital.
III Types of Hard Disk Drives There are several disk drive technologies you can choose. The type appropriate for your needs depends on the format and data rate of the video you’re capturing. Each disk drive technology has benefits and limitations. The main choices currently available are:  ATA  FireWire  SCSI  RAID ATA Disk Drives There are two kinds of ATA disks:  Parallel (Ultra) ATA disks: These are found in Power Mac G4 and older Power Mac G3 computers.
Serial ATA Disks Serial ATA (SATA) disks are newer than parallel ATA disk drives. The disk drive mechanisms may be similar, but the interface is significantly different. The serial ATA interface has the following characteristics: Â Serial data transfer (one bit at a time) Â 150 MB/sec.
III SCSI Disk Drives SCSI disk drives are among the fastest drives available. SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) technology has been implemented in various ways over the years, with each successive generation achieving better performance.
Using a RAID or Disk Array You can improve the transfer speed of individual disks by configuring multiple disk drives in a disk array. In a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks), multiple SCSI, ATA, or FireWire disk drives are grouped together via hardware or software and treated as a single data storage unit. This allows you to record data to multiple drives in parallel, increasing access time significantly. You can also partition the array into multiple volumes.
13 External Video Monitoring 13 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. 161) Â Connecting DV/FireWire Devices to an External Monitor (p. 162) Â Using Digital Cinema Desktop Preview (p. 163) Â Troubleshooting Digital Cinema Desktop Preview (p. 166) Â About the Display Quality of External Video (p.
Consumer Video Monitors Versus Broadcast Monitors Throughout the Final Cut Express HD User Manual, a distinction is made between “video monitors” and “broadcast monitors.” This is to differentiate between cases when any video monitor will do, and when only a high-quality broadcast monitor is appropriate for a given task.
III To connect an external NTSC or PAL monitor to your edit system to monitor DV video while you edit: 1 Connect a FireWire cable between a FireWire port on your computer and the FireWire port on your DV device. 2 Connect the analog video outputs of the DV device to an external video monitor. Depending on the device, the video output may be a composite or S-video signal, using either an RCA, BNC, or S-video connector.
About Digital Cinema Desktop Preview Options You choose the Digital Cinema Desktop Preview options in the Playback Output Video pop-up menu in the A/V Devices tab of the Audio/Video Settings window.
III Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Full-Screen The video is scaled to maximize its size on the display. If the aspect ratio of the video signal and the computer display do not match, the video on the display is letterboxed (black on top and bottom) or pillarboxed (black on sides) as necessary. For example, 16 x 9 video shown on a 4 x 3 display is scaled until the width of the video matches the width of the display, and the top and bottom are letterboxed.
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.
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.
Part IV: Capturing and Importing IV Learn how to capture video and audio files to your hard disk and import media into your Final Cut Express HD project.
14 Capturing Your Footage to Disk 14 Capturing is the process of transferring footage from your original tapes to media files on the computer hard disk. This chapter covers the following: Â Overview of the Capturing Process (p. 171) Â Overview of the Capture Window (p. 172) Â Preparing to Capture (p. 178) Â Capturing Individual Clips in the Capture Window (p. 181) Â Using Capture Now (p. 185) Â Adding Markers to Clips in the Capture Window (p. 187) Â Recapturing Clips (p.
Logging Logging is the process of transcribing the content of your videotapes. The purpose of logging tapes is to break down the content of your tapes into distinct, manageable clips, making your footage easier to locate and transfer to your hard disk. In Final Cut Express HD, you can add logging information to a clip in the Capture window, or you can enter logging information in Browser columns after you capture.
IV To open the Capture window: m Choose File > Capture (or press Command-8). Available disk space and time Current Timecode field Timecode Duration field Preview area Capture tab Device status Capture buttons  Preview area: This area (at the left of the window) is where you view video as you log and capture it, and contains transport and marking controls and timecode fields. If your DV camcorder or deck is not on or there is no tape inserted, you’ll see color bars or black.
Transport Controls If you have device control, use these controls to control your camcorder or deck. The transport controls are similar to those 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 101.
IV Marking Controls Use these controls 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.
Logging Fields You can use the logging fields to add descriptive information and notes to each clip that you capture. Slate button to increment last number or letter in field Checkboxes for including information in Name field  Reel: The reel name corresponds to the actual tape that the source media is on. All clips require a reel name. Make sure you enter the proper reel name before you capture. The reel name is necessary any time you need to go back to your original tapes.
IV Using Slate Buttons Clicking a Slate button increments the last number or letter in the corresponding field. You can also clear a field by Option-clicking the corresponding Slate button: Â To clear the Description along with the Shot/Take and Angle fields: Option-click the Slate button next to the Description field. Â To clear only the Shot/Take field: Option-click the Slate button next to the Shot/Take field.
Capture Buttons You can use one of the buttons in the Capture window when you’re ready to capture your media. Â Capture Clip: Captures the media between the current In and Out point and logs a corresponding clip in the current capture bin. Â Capture Now: Instead of using In and Out points, Capture Now immediately captures the current video and audio input signal to a media file until you press the Escape key.
IV Additional Tape Label Information For some projects, the following label information may also be helpful:  Location and date  Project name  Number of audio channels and microphone setup  Total running time (TRT)  Camcorder model used Logging Your Tapes Before you capture footage from your tapes, you should familiarize yourself with their content. One way to become acquainted with your footage is to log it, breaking your tapes down into a list of named clips defined by timecode In and Out points.
Choosing a Filenaming Scheme Before you start capturing 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. Using descriptive names makes organizing and editing your footage a lot easier. However, very detailed names can cause trouble too.
IV Round off 4320 MB to 4.5 GB to be on the safe side. This is the amount of disk space you’ll need to allow just for this one project. If you plan to work on multiple projects at the same time, estimate the amount for each project and add these numbers together. To check the available hard disk space: m Choose File > Capture (or press Command-8). At the top of the Capture window, Final Cut Express HD displays the amount of available space on the current scratch disk.
5 Create or specify a capture bin to store your captured clips: Â To create a new capture bin: Click the New Bin button in the Capture window. Â To set an existing bin in the Browser as the current capture bin: In the Browser, select the bin you want to use as your capture bin, Control-click the bin, then choose Set Capture Bin from the shortcut menu. The slate icon appears next to the current capture bin. A slate icon appears next to the bin in the Browser to indicate that it is the current capture bin.
IV 8 Navigate to the first frame of the clip you want to capture by doing one of the following: Â Use the transport controls. Â Enter a timecode value in the Current Timecode field. Enter the In point timecode here. Enter the Out point timecode here. For more information about controls in the Capture window, see “Overview of the Capture Window” on page 172. 9 To set the In point for the clip, do one of the following: Â Click the Mark In button. Â Press I.
13 Enter naming information for the clip by doing the following: a Enter a brief description in the Description field (click the Slate button to increment this field by 1). Note: After you capture an individual clip, the last number in the Description field is automatically incremented. b Enter a scene number in the Scene field (click the Slate button to increment this field by 1).
IV 14 Select the checkboxes next to the fields you want to include in the name of the clip— Description, Scene, Shot/Take, and Angle. Select the checkboxes for the fields that you want to include in the Name field. Fields that contribute to the Name field 15 If you wish, you can select the Prompt checkbox to confirm the clip name after you click the Capture Clip button.
Here are some reasons to use Capture Now: Â Capturing entire tapes causes less wear on the tapes because you only have to play them back once, straight through, to transfer media files to the hard disk. Â Navigating through media on your hard disk is much faster than navigating through media on tape, so creating virtual subclips from your media file after you capture is faster than setting precise In and Out points on tape before you capture.
IV 11 Do one of the following: Â If you are capturing an entire tape: Rewind the tape to the beginning by doing one of the following: Â Press the Rewind button on your VTR or camcorder. Â Click the Rewind button in the Capture window. Â If you are capturing a portion of a tape: Rewind the tape to a point slightly before the point where you want to begin capturing. 12 When you’re ready to begin capturing, do one of the following: Â Click the Play button. Â Press the Space bar. The tape begins playing.
Marker Controls in the Capture Window Click the disclosure triangle next to Markers to see the marker controls. Set Marker In Set Marker Out Marker In Point Timecode field Marker list (after clicking the Set Marker button) Marker Out Point Timecode field For more details about the marker controls, see “Marker Controls” on page 177. Setting Markers You can set as many markers as you like. Markers appear in a list and can be edited and deleted.
IV Recapturing Clips The Capture Project feature allows you to capture multiple clips at once. This process is also known as batch capturing. This is useful when: Â One or more of your clips’ media files have gone offline because they were deleted or modified. Â You opened an archived project that no longer has any associated media files. This often happens because media files are usually too large to justify backing up.
2 In the Capture Project dialog, specify your settings, then click OK. a In the Capture pop-up menu, choose whether you want to capture the currently selected clips or all the clips in the current capture bin. b If you want to capture clips with their original settings, select the Use Logged Clip Settings checkbox.
IV 6 Insert the selected reel into your camcorder or VTR. Make sure that your equipment is properly connected and turned on. For more information, see “Connecting Your Camcorder” on page 145. 7 Final Cut Express HD captures all the clips on that reel and then prompts you to select another, until all the clips in the batch have been captured.
Finding Your Media Files After Capture The most common question editors have after capturing is: Where did my media files go? Knowing the directory in which Final Cut Express HD stores captured media files, and being able to quickly navigate the Mac OS X file hierarchy, are two of the most important aspects of being a successful editor. Where Are Captured Media Files Stored? To determine where your media files are stored, you should first check the Scratch Disks tab in the System Settings window.
IV The fastest way to find a media file is to use the corresponding clip in the Browser. To reveal a clip’s media file in the Finder: 1 Select a clip in the Browser or Timeline 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose View > Reveal in Finder. Â Control-click on the clip and choose Reveal in Finder from the shortcut menu. Consolidating Media Files to One Folder If you save a project with a new name part-way through the capture process, media files captured after the project is renamed are stored in a new folder.
5 Press Delete. This removes the clip from your project but the media file is still on the disk. Important: Because you deleted the clip, any comments or notes applied to the clip are now gone. 6 Switch back to the Finder and move the media file to the folder where you want to keep all the media files associated with your project. 7 Drag the media file from its new folder in the Finder to the Browser in Final Cut Express HD.
IV To modify the reel name properties for multiple clips and media files: 1 Make sure the Reel column is visible in the Browser. For more information, see “Organizing Footage in the Browser” on page 219. 2 Select the clips whose Reel property you want to change. 3 Control-click in any of the Reel property fields of the selected clips, then choose a name from the shortcut menu that appears. A dialog appears warning you that you are about to modify the Reel property of the media file. 4 Click OK.
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.
15 Importing Media Files Into Your Project 15 Final Cut Express HD 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. 199) Â Importing Media Files (p. 200) Â About Importing Video Files (p. 203) Â About Importing Audio Files (p.
How Is Importing Different From Capturing? Importing is different from capturing in the following ways: Â Capturing: When you capture, you transfer and often convert footage from an external video or audio device to your scratch disk. Â Importing: You import files when they are already stored on your scratch disk. Importing media files creates clips in your project; these clips refer back to the media files on disk.
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 “Organizing Footage in the Browser” on page 219. 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 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.
To import a QuickTime movie file into Final Cut Express HD, follow the steps in “Importing Media Files” on page 200. If any of the settings in your imported QuickTime file don’t match your sequence settings, a red video render bar appears in the Timeline when you add that clip to the sequence. You can check the settings of the clip by choosing Edit > Item Properties > Format.
IV Other common audio sample rates are: Â 44.1 kHz/16-bit: Audio CDs and consumer DAT recorders use these audio settings. Â 48 kHz/20-bit: Some professional video devices record natively in this format. Â 96 kHz/24-bit: These settings are becoming increasingly popular for professional sound and music production, although most video formats still record with 48 kHz. For more information, see “Audio Fundamentals” on page 579.
Important: DV sequences sometimes use 32 kHz/12-bit settings, but these settings are not recommended. As long as you don’t record your DV footage using 32 kHz/12-bit, you should not use these settings for your sequence. Audio files can be converted using the Export Using QuickTime Conversion command. To convert a CD audio file so it matches your sequence settings: 1 Select a sequence, then choose Sequence > Settings.
16 Working With HDV 16 Final Cut Express HD supports capturing, editing, and output of HDV media using the Apple Intermediate Codec. This chapter covers the following: Â About HDV (p. 207) Â HDV Apple Intermediate Codec Editing Workflow (p. 210) Â HDV Format Specifications (p. 214) About HDV HDV is a new high definition video format created by a consortium of manufacturers including Sony, Canon, Sharp, and JVC.
HDV Formats Supported by Final Cut Express HD Within the HDV specification, several resolutions and frame rates are defined. HDV formats are usually distinguished by the number of lines per frame (the height of the image), the scanning method (progressive or interlaced), and the frame or field rate. For example, 1080i60 describes a format with 1080 lines, interlaced scanning, and 60 fields per second.
IV Temporal (Interframe) Compression Instead of storing complete frames, temporal compression stores only what has changed from one frame to the next, which dramatically reduces the amount of data that needs to be stored while still achieving high-quality images. Video is stored in three types of frames: a standalone I-frame that contains a complete image, and then predictive P-frames and B-frames that store subsequent changes in the image.
HDV Apple Intermediate Codec Editing Workflow When you edit using footage encoded with the Apple Intermediate Codec, you don’t need to worry about making cuts on GOP patterns or re-encoding. You can edit just as you would with any other I-frame–only encoded footage, such as DV or uncompressed video.
IV 6-pin connector to computer H HDV camcorder in VTR mode FireWire Computer 4-pin connector to camcorder Choosing an Easy Setup Final Cut Express HD includes Easy Setups for capturing and editing HDV transcoded to the Apple Intermediate Codec. To choose the HDV Apple Intermediate Codec Easy Setup: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > Easy Setup. 2 Choose the appropriate HDV Apple Intermediate Codec Easy Setup from the Setup For pop-up menu. 3 Click OK.
5 In the Capture dialog, enter a name for the clip, then click Capture. The capture preview window appears and the camcorder begins playing back video from its current position. The status area of the capture preview window displays the percentage of real time in which the video is being encoded from HDV to the Apple Intermediate Codec. 6 Press the Esc (Escape) key to stop capturing. The video playback on the camcorder stops immediately.
IV Outputting HDV to Tape or Exporting to a QuickTime Movie After you finish editing, you can output your movie to videotape using your camcorder, or export your sequence to a QuickTime movie. If you want to output your movie back to tape, Final Cut Express HD needs to re-encode (or conform) the movie into MPEG-2 data before outputting. Depending on the length of your sequence, this process can be fairly time-consuming, because every frame in your sequence must be re-encoded.
You can also use the Export Using Compressor command to create a high-quality MPEG-2 file for use in DVD Studio Pro. For more information, see the Compressor and DVD Studio Pro documentation. HDV Format Specifications Storage Medium HDV is recorded on standard mini-DV videocassette tapes. Video Standards The HDV standards were jointly created by a consortium of manufacturers including Sony, Canon, Sharp, and JVC. HDV supports both 1080i and 720p high definition standards.
IV Scanning Methods HDV can record either interlaced or progressive scan images, depending on the frame size and format.  1080i: Interlaced  720p: Progressive Color Recording Method HDV records a 4:2:0 component (Y´CBCR) digital video signal. Each sample (pixel) has a resolution of 8 bits. Data Rate The following table lists the data rates for HDV transcoded to the Apple Intermediate Codec. DV data rates are included for comparison. Format Native frame size Data rate DV NTSC 720 x 480 3.6 MB/sec.
Video Compression HDV uses MPEG-2 compression with a constant bit rate (CBR). I-, P-, and B-frames are used, creating a long-GOP (group of pictures) pattern. MPEG-2 video and audio are composed of a hierarchy of data streams: Â Elementary stream: This can be a video, audio, subtitle, or other basic media stream. Formats like HDV contain both video and audio elementary streams.
Part V: Organizing Footage and Preparing to Edit V Organizing your footage before you edit makes editing go more smoothly. Read this section to learn how to organize clips, create subclips, and add markers to clips and sequences.
17 Organizing Footage in the Browser 17 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. 219) Â Sorting Items in the Browser Using Column Headings (p. 227) Â Searching for Clips in the Browser (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.
V 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 that the bin is open in its own window.
V 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.
V 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.
V 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, Note, 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.
Searching for Clips in the Browser Final Cut Express HD provides a number of options for searching for clips in the Browser. You can also reveal a clip’s media file in the Finder. About Search Options You can use the Find command to search for items in a project by any property or combination of properties. You can also limit your search to only the current project, or you can search every open project.
V 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. The Find window allows you to define the scope of your search and specify search criteria. Â Search: Choose an option from this pop-up menu to specify which open projects or folders you want to search—All Open Projects, the current open project, the Effects tab, or a single bin.
Options for Defining the Criteria of a Search  More: Click this to refine your search by adding more criteria.  Less: Click this to remove the last search criteria item.  Match: You can narrow or broaden your search by using multiple criteria. Choose an option from the pop-up menu.  All: Finds clips that match all criteria.  Any: Finds clips that match any single criterion.
V 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 228. Then click here. Specify your search criteria.
Searching for Multiple Items in the Browser You can also do a search to find multiple clips at once. To search for multiple items 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 228. Specify your search criteria. Then click here. 3 Click Find All. A list of found items is displayed in the Find Results window.
V 5 Click Find All. A list of unused clips is displayed in the Find Results window. Manipulating Items in the Find Results Window When you do a search for multiple items, Final Cut Express HD displays the list of found items in the Find Results window. The items displayed in the Find Results window are literally identical to the items in the Browser. They are not copies of found clips, but the clips themselves, shown in a new context.
To modify an item property for a group of found clips: 1 Perform a Find All search. See “Searching for Items in the Browser” on page 231. 2 In the Find Results window, press Command-A to select all items in the window. 3 Control-click in the column for the item property you want to modify, then choose a new option from the shortcut menu. To see where found items are in the Browser: m Select the desired items in the Find Results window, then click Show in Browser.
18 Using Markers 18 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. 235) Â Working With Markers (p. 238) 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.
V 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. When you export a QuickTime movie with markers, some types of markers appear as chapters in the Chapter pop-up menu in QuickTime Player. You can select a chapter to jump to a specific part of your QuickTime movie.
V By default, Final Cut Express HD creates a Note marker. The first marker you add is named Marker 1, the second Marker 2, and so on. The default names indicate the order in which you’ve added them to a clip, not the chronological order in which they appear in a clip or sequence. You can rename markers to indicate the location they mark. For more information, see “Renaming Markers, Adding Comments, and Changing the Kind of Marker” on page 244.
To quickly add a marker to a sequence clip in the Timeline: 1 In the Timeline, do one of the following: Â Select the clip to which you want to add a marker, then position the playhead where you want to place the marker. Â Double-click the clip to which you want to add the marker, then in the Viewer, position the playhead where you want to place the marker in the clip. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Markers > Add. Â Press M. Â Press ` (the accent key).
V Adding Markers Along With Detailed Information About Them If you like, you can name a marker, add comments, and choose the kind of marker when you first create it. To add a marker to a clip and enter information for it: 1 Do one of the following: Â To add a marker to a clip in the Viewer: Open a Browser or sequence clip in the Viewer. Â To add a marker to a clip in the Timeline: Select the sequence clip to which you want to add a marker, then position the playhead where you want to place the marker.
Adding Chapter, Compression, and Scoring Markers Chapter, compression, and scoring markers can be used by external applications such as Compressor, DVD Studio Pro, iDVD, Soundtrack, and QuickTime Player. The Edit Marker dialog lets you specify a marker as chapter, compression, or scoring. To add a chapter, compression, or scoring marker to a sequence, follow the instructions above in “Adding Markers Along With Detailed Information About Them” on page 241.
V To delete specific markers in a sequence: 1 In the Canvas or Timeline, move the playhead to the sequence marker you want to delete. Note: Make sure no items are selected in the Timeline. 2 Do one of the following: Â Â Â Â In the 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 delete all markers in a sequence: 1 Make the Canvas or Timeline active.
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. 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.
V 4 In the Edit Marker dialog, 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. Enter a name for the marker here. Add any comments in this field. If you want, click a button to choose the kind of marker. Moving a Marker You can move a marker within a clip by repositioning the playhead or by entering a different starting timecode value.
To move a marker in a clip by entering a new timecode value: 1 In the Viewer, do one of the following: Â Move the playhead to the marker, then do one of the following: Â Press M. Â Click the Add Marker button. Â Choose Mark > Markers > Edit. Â Press Option-Command-M to edit the nearest marker to the left. 2 In the Edit Marker dialog, enter a new start time in the Start field, then click OK. Enter the new time here.
V To align markers in sequence clip items to a sequence marker: 1 Add markers to important frames of individual video and audio clip items in your sequence. 2 Add a marker to the place in your sequence where you want to align your clip items. 3 Make sure snapping is enabled by doing one of the following: Â Click the Snapping button in the Timeline. Â Press N. Snapping button Add a sequence marker for aligning the sequence clip items. Add a marker to the video clip item. Add markers to the audio clip items.
Extending a Marker’s Duration When you create a marker in Final Cut Express HD, it is simply a marker that ‘s associated with a particular frame; it doesn’t have a duration. If you want, you can extend the duration of a marker so that it spans multiple frames. Markers with duration can be used to precisely define subclips in a clip. You can also use them to mark an entire area of a clip or sequence with notes, such as for color correction or audio mixing.
V To shorten a marker that has a duration: 1 Position the playhead within the duration of the marker. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Markers > Extend. Â Press Option-` (accent key). The marker is shortened to the location of the playhead. 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.
19 Creating Subclips 19 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. 251) Â Manually Breaking Large Clips Into Subclips (p. 254) Â Automatically Creating Subclips Using DV Start/Stop Detection (p.
Final Cut Express HD 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. For example, if the original clip is named “Debra enters cafe,” the first subclip is named “Debra enters cafe Subclip,” the second is “Debra enters cafe Subclip 2,” and so on. When a new subclip is first created, its name is highlighted and ready to be changed.
V 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 Express HD 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.
Manually Breaking Large Clips Into Subclips There are a few ways you can create subclips in Final Cut Express HD: 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. Turning Markers Into Subclips Once a clip has markers, you can easily turn the markers into subclips. Subclips are defined from one marker to the next.
V 3 Do one of the following: Â Drag the markers outside of the clip and into the Browser. Â Choose Modify > Make Subclip. ∏ 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.
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 248. 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.
V Automatically Creating Subclips Using DV Start/Stop Detection DV formats allow you to create subclips automatically from start/stop metadata that is embedded in video frames each time you stop and start the camcorder. This DV start/ stop metadata is captured and stored in the media file. Final Cut Express HD can identify the location of each start/stop marker (sometimes referred to as an embedded flag) to automatically place markers in a clip. These markers can then be used to create subclips.
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. You can rename the subclips, if you want. You can review the subclips, deleting any clips you might not need.
Part VI: Rough Editing VI Learn the basics of adding, arranging, and synchronizing clips in a sequence to create a rough edit of your movie.
20 Working With Projects, Clips, and Sequences 20 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. 262) Â Learning About the Different Types of Clips (p. 265) Â Viewing and Changing the Properties of a Clip (p. 266) 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 “Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences” on page 39. Working With Multiple Projects in the Browser You can have multiple projects open in Final Cut Express HD at the same time. Each project opens in a separate tab in the Browser.
VI Â Time Mode pop-up menu: Choose whether all clips in the active project are displayed in source time or clip time. Â Comment Column Headings: This allows you to customize the four Master Comment property names in the active project. For example, you can change “Master Comment 1” to “Director’s Notes”. For more information, see Chapter 39, “Working With Timecode,” on page 557.
Returning to Saved Projects Two commands in the File menu can be used to open previously saved files—Revert Project and Restore Project. Â Revert Project: This command lets you return to a previous version of a project that you saved, not one that Final Cut Express HD autosaved. For more information, see the next section, “Using the Revert Project Command.
VI Learning About the Different Types of Clips There are several kinds of clips in Final Cut Express HD. Some clip types, such as still images and audio, are obviously different than others because of their unique icons. However, some clip types are almost identical and yet behave differently depending on where they are located (such as Browser clips versus sequence clips).
About Offline Clips If a media file is modified, moved, or deleted, the Final Cut Express HD clip that connects to that media file can no longer find it. In this case, the clip’s media file is said to be offline. The clip itself is described as an offline clip. An offline clip has a red slash through its icon in the Browser or its file in the Timeline.
VI Changing Clip Properties in the Browser Being able to change clip properties directly in the Browser columns is very convenient. You don’t need to open any additional dialogs or windows unless you have a specific reason for doing so. For example, you can clear the In or Out point of a clip, or enter a comment in one of the Master Comment columns. It’s just as easy to change the properties for multiple clips as it is for a single clip, although some clip properties can only be changed one clip at a time.
Viewing and Changing Clip Properties in the Item Properties Window If you find yourself constantly scrolling through the Browser to find particular clip properties, you can save yourself some time by viewing the clip’s properties in the Item Properties window instead. Viewing and Modifying Clip Properties The Item Properties window displays a detailed view of each clip’s properties in a consistent, organized way.
VI 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.
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 Express HD, you need to create a sequence to edit it into. You can create as many new sequences as you want in a project. If you want to delete a sequence from your project, it’s easy to do.
VI Opening and Closing Sequences You can only edit clips into a sequence when it is 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 in front of any other sequence tabs. To open a sequence, do one of the following: m Double-click a sequence in the Browser. m Select the sequence in the Browser, then press Return.
Duplicating a Sequence If you want to test changes to your edited sequence that are more extensive than a few levels of Undo will permit, or if you want to create several versions of your program for a client to review, you can duplicate your current sequence and make changes to the duplicate. Changes you make to a duplicate of a sequence do not affect the original in any way.
VI To copy a sequence from one project to another by dragging: 1 Open the second project. This project appears as another tab in the Browser. 2 Tear away the second project tab in the Browser to make it its own window. 3 Drag the sequence from the Browser in the second project window to the Browser in the first project. The copied sequence appears in your first project. To create master clips for a sequence pasted into a project: 1 Select the sequence in the Browser. 2 Choose Tools > Create Master Clips.
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 Express HD assumes your sequence settings match your intended output format, such as NTSC DV tape or a 320 x 240 Sorenson movie for the web.
21 The Fundamentals of Adding Clips to a Sequence 21 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. 275) Â Overview of Ways to Add Clips to a Sequence (p. 278) Â Preparing a Sequence Order in the Browser (p. 280) Creating a Rough Edit During the rough editing phase of your project, the overarching structure of your movie begins to take shape.
Step 2: Arrange content This is where you assemble the clips in the Timeline into the order you want by selecting, moving, copying, cutting, pasting, and deleting. 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.
VI 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. The video clip item is now on V2. Linked audio clip items are on A3 and A4. Video and audio clip items can be linked or unlinked at any time. For more information, see Chapter 29, “Linking and Editing Video and Audio in Sync,” on page 397.
Undoing and Redoing Actions As you begin to edit in Final Cut Express HD, 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 Express HD.
VI 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 24, “Drag-to-Timeline Editing,” on page 321. 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 25, “Three-Point Editing,” on page 329.
VI 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 Express HD can properly determine their order.
22 Setting Edit Points for Clips and Sequences 22 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. 283) Â Setting Clip In and Out Points in the Viewer (p. 286) Â Setting Sequence In and Out Points in the Canvas or Timeline (p. 290) Â Navigating to In and Out Points (p. 300) 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 Express HD 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.
VI 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.
VI 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. 3 Do one of the following: Â Press I to set an In point or press O to set an Out point. Â Click the Mark In or Mark Out button. Mark In button (I) Mark Out button (O) Â Control-click in the scrubber bar, then choose Mark In or Mark Out from the shortcut menu. Â Choose Mark > Mark In, or choose Mark > Mark Out.
Specifying an Edit Point Using Timecode After setting an In point, if you want a clip to have a specific duration, you can quickly define an Out point relative to your In point. To set an In or Out point for a clip in the Browser using timecode: 1 Select the clip in the Browser. 2 Click the In or Out point column of the clip in the Browser, then enter a new timecode number. ∏ Tip: You can also make relative adjustments by adding or subtracting timecode from an existing In or Out point.
VI 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 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. (The preview pre-roll and post-roll settings are in the General tab of the User Preferences window. To change these settings, see “Choosing Settings and Preferences” on page 945.
VI 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 Express HD 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. 292 Part VI Rough Editing After the edit, the playhead moves to the end of the clip.
VI 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.
VI 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.
VI 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: Â Press X. Â Click the Mark Clip button in the Canvas. Â 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. .
VI 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 26, “Finding and Selecting Content in the Timeline,” on page 355. 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 Express HD 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).
VI 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.
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.
VI Clearing In and Out Points If you want to eliminate one or both edit points to start over again, there are several ways you can do so. To clear an In point, do one of the following: m Press Option-I. m Option-click the Mark In button. m Control-click in the scrubber bar, then choose Clear In from the shortcut menu. m In the Viewer or Canvas, drag an In point vertically off the scrubber bar, either up or down. To clear an Out point, do one of the following: m Press Option-O.
23 Working With Tracks in the Timeline 23 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. 305) Â Specifying Destination Tracks in the Timeline (p. 309) Â Locking Tracks to Prevent Edits or Changes (p. 314) 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 Express HD 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.
VI 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.
VI 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.
VI 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.
VI 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. 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.
VI Disabling Tracks to Hide Content During Playback You can disable entire tracks to hide their contents during playback. The clips on a disabled track are not visible or audible when you play it, nor will they render or be output to tape. You can still edit items on disabled tracks; they just won’t appear in the Canvas during playback. A track can be enabled or disabled at any time. This does not permanently affect either your sequence or the clips edited into it.
Customizing Track Display in the Timeline You can modify the way tracks are displayed in the Timeline in several ways: Â Tracks in the Timeline can be resized, either individually or collectively. For more information, see the next section, “Resizing Timeline Tracks.” Â Clip items on video tracks can be displayed with name only, name and thumbnail frame, or filmstrip. All video tracks in the sequence share the same display settings.
VI To resize all video or all audio tracks at once: m Hold down the Option key, then drag a track boundary to resize it. If you drag a video track boundary, all video tracks in the Timeline are resized by the same amount. If you drag an audio track boundary, all audio tracks are resized by the same amount. To resize both video and audio tracks at once: m Hold down the Shift key, then drag any track boundary to resize it. All tracks in the Timeline are resized by the same amount.
Creating a Static Region in the Timeline If you are working with more tracks than you can see on the screen at once, and you spend a lot of time scrolling through multiple tracks in the Timeline, you may find it useful to create a static region in the middle of the Timeline for tracks that you always want to see. This region can contain video tracks, audio tracks, or both.
VI To resize a static region in the Timeline: m Drag the dividers or thumb tabs to include tracks in (or exclude tracks from) the static region. As the static region gets larger or smaller, the size of the other regions is adjusted accordingly. To move the static region up or down in the Timeline: m Drag the center slider in the static region’s scroll bar to move the entire region, automatically resizing the scrollable regions above and below the static region.
24 Drag-to-Timeline Editing 24 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. 321) Â Dragging Clips to the Timeline (p. 322) Â Doing Simple Insert and Overwrite Edits in the Timeline (p. 323) 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.
VI 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 280. 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 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. What appears in this display depends on the kind of edit.
VI 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.
VI 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.
25 Three-Point Editing 25 When you’re adding content to a sequence with three-point editing, you only need to set three edit points to tell Final Cut Express HD what content should go where in the Timeline. This chapter covers the following: Â Understanding Three-Point Editing (p. 329) Â About Edit Types in the Edit Overlay (p. 332) Â Performing the Different Types of Edits (p. 333) 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.
VI 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.
About Edit Types in the Edit Overlay There are seven choices for placing clips into your sequence for three-point edits. The two basic edits are overwrite and insert; the other options are variations on inserting or overwriting. You choose an edit based on how you want your source clip to fit into your sequence, including what you want to happen to any clips that are already there. Most of these choices are covered in more detail in the following pages.
VI Performing the Different Types of Edits The following section tells you how to perform the most common types of edits for adding content to a sequence. These procedures assume that you’ve already set In and Out points and destination tracks in the Timeline. For more information, see Chapter 22, “Setting Edit Points for Clips and Sequences,” on page 283 and “Specifying Destination Tracks in the Timeline” on page 309.
To perform an insert edit: m Specify the necessary edit points and destination tracks, then do one of the following: Â Drag a clip from the Viewer or Browser to the Insert section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Press F9. Insert section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas 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.
VI 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. When you first install Final Cut Express HD, the default transition is a 1-second cross dissolve. An insert with transition edit is exactly the same as an ordinary insert edit, but it places the default transition into your sequence, centered on the edit point.
The source clip is inserted into the sequence with the default transition. Before an insert with transition edit After an insert with transition edit New clip is inserted with transition 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.
VI To perform an overwrite edit: m Specify the necessary edit points and destination tracks, then do one of the following: Â Drag the clip from the Viewer or Browser to the Overwrite section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Press F10. Overwrite section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas The clip overwrites all items on the destination tracks from the playhead position through the duration of your edit. No items are moved.
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. When you first install Final Cut Express HD, the default transition is a 1-second dissolve. An overwrite with transition edit is exactly the same as an ordinary overwrite edit, but it places the default transition into your sequence, centered on the edit point.
VI The clip overwrites other items on the destination tracks for the duration of the edit, and uses the default transition. Before an overwrite with transition edit After an overwrite with transition edit New clip with transition overwrites existing clips 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.
Replace edits follow a few special rules: Â Replace edits use the current playhead positions in the Timeline and the Viewer to place the source clip in the Timeline. Â Replace edits never use clip In and Out points specified in the Viewer. If these points have been set, they will be ignored. Â By default, a replace edit uses the duration of the sequence clip intersected by the Timeline playhead.
VI To replace an entire clip in the Timeline with a clip synchronized to a point in the sequence: 1 In the Timeline, move the playhead to a frame you want to match with a source clip. For example, if both the sequence and source clip are shots of a person jumping, you could move the Canvas/Timeline playhead to the first frame where the person’s feet leave the ground. 2 Make sure that the correct Source and Destination controls are connected in the Timeline for the clip you want to replace.
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.
VI 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 554.
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.
VI 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 Press F11. The selected area in the sequence is replaced by the source clip. Final Cut Express HD 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. This is called a superimpose edit. You can use a superimpose edit to quickly stack a source clip on top of a clip already in your sequence. If there isn’t an available track in your sequence, Final Cut Express HD creates a new one for the source clip.
VI 3 Do one of the following: Â Drag the clip from the Viewer to the Superimpose section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas. Â Press F12. Superimpose section of the Edit Overlay in the Canvas 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.
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.
VI 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.
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.
VI 4 Choose Mark > Mark Clip (or press X) to set In and Out points around the gap. Note: You must select the Auto Select controls for the tracks containing the gap. For more information, see “Using Auto Select to Specify Tracks for Selections” on page 370. In and Out points 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. You can use this method when you want to make sure a particular frame of a clip ends at a specific point in a sequence.
VI 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. The rest of your clip has overwritten any material to the left of the Out point for the duration defined by the In and Out points set in the Viewer. The new clip lines up with the Out point you specified in the Timeline.
2 In the 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 where you want the new clip to begin. 3 Now, if you do an overwrite edit, you’ll see that the entire clip in the Viewer has been edited into the sequence. Since you used an overwrite edit, any clip items that were already in those tracks in the sequence have been overwritten by the source clip. The new clip begins where the playhead was located.
26 Finding and Selecting Content in the Timeline 26 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. 355) Â Direct Methods for Selecting Content in a Sequence (p. 357) Â Finding and Selecting Based on Search Criteria (p. 367) 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 Express HD 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.
VI 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.
VI Â Group Selection: Selects multiple contiguous items. This tool automatically selects an entire item in the Timeline even if you only drag over a part of it. Any other items linked to it are selected as well. Use this tool to select several clips in their entirety. Â Range Selection: Selects a range of multiple contiguous items. This tool does not automatically select an entire item, but only the part of the item that you drag across.
Selecting Clips Selecting individual clips is as straightforward as clicking, as long you are clicking with the right tool. Also included here are the tricks you need to know for selecting multiple contiguous and noncontiguous clips quickly. ∏ Tip: When clip items are linked, but you need to select just an individual clip item, you can temporarily prevent linked items from being selected together by pressing the Option key while selecting.
VI Selecting a Group of Clips by Dragging Sometimes the fastest way to select a group of contiguous clips is to drag a box around them. To select multiple whole clips by dragging: 1 Do one of the following: Â Select the Group Selection tool in the Tool palette. Â Press the G key two times, so the Group Selection tool is displayed in the Tool palette. Â Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette (or press A). 2 Drag a box around all of the desired clips to select them.
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. You can also Command-click a specific item again to deselect it.
VI 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 370.
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.
VI 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.
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.
VI 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).
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.
VI 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.
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.
VI 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.
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.
27 Arranging Clips in the Timeline 27 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. 373) Â Moving Items Within the Timeline (p. 375) Â Copying and Pasting Clips in the Timeline (p. 380) Â Deleting Clips From a Sequence (p. 385) Â Finding and Closing Gaps (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.
VI Moving Items Within the Timeline Composing a sequence usually involves plenty of arranging and rearranging of content in the Timeline. There are a couple of ways to move clips around in the Timeline: Â The fast, visual way is to drag the clips. Â For precise, timecode-based movement, you can select the clips and enter timecode values in the Current Timecode field.
To move a clip to a new position by dragging (and do an insert edit): 1 In the Timeline, drag the clip to the desired location. 2 Press and hold down the Option key (after you’ve started dragging the clip). The pointer looks like a right arrow. 3 Release the mouse button. The arrow pointing right indicates that an insert 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.
VI The number of frames moved Clip items to be moved 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 32, “Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Edits,” on page 453 and Chapter 34, “Trimming Clips Using the Trim Edit Window,” on page 493.
Using the Command Key to Drag More Slowly When you’re dragging clips, edit points, or keyframes, usually the default one-to-one correspondence between the motion of your mouse and the motion of the item you’re dragging works just fine. However, you can drag even more precisely by pressing the Command key to slow, or “gear down,” the dragging speed after you’ve started dragging.
VI To shuffle a clip item from one position to another: 1 Select a clip item you want to move in the Timeline with the Selection tool. Before 2 Drag the selected clip item to the beginning of the clip item you want to insert the dragged clip item in front of. If you have trouble aligning it with the edit point, press the N key to turn snapping on. 3 While continuing to hold down the mouse button, press the Option key. The pointer turns into the Shuffle Edit pointer.
4 Release the mouse button to place the selected clip at the insertion point. After Clip D moves here. Clips A, B, and C move right and fill the gap left by Clip D. Important: Shuffle edits are only possible if you move a clip item beyond the boundaries of its original position. If you don’t move a clip item far enough, pressing the Option key while you drag the clip item allows you to perform an insert edit, but not a shuffle edit.
VI Modifying Selections and Commands Using the Option Key When you’re working with clips in the Timeline, you can use the Option key to do one of three things: Â Hold down the Option key while you select a clip to temporarily turn off linked selection (if it’s on) or turn it on (if it’s off ). Â Hold down the Option key after an item is selected, then drag the item from its original position to make a duplicate of that item.
Copying, Cutting, and Pasting Clips in the Timeline When you copy and paste clip items from tracks in the Timeline, Final Cut Express HD 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.
VI 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.
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.
VI 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.
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.
VI 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.
There are two types of gaps: Â Track gaps: These are empty spaces between two clips in the same track. Â Gaps: These are track gaps that occur in every single track of your sequence. Gap Track gap To find gaps in a sequence: 1 Move the playhead to the beginning of the sequence to start looking from the beginning. Otherwise, you can look for gaps to the right or left of the playhead’s current position. 2 Do one of the following: Â Choose Mark > Next, then choose Gap from the submenu (or press Shift-G).
VI 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.
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.
28 Cutting Clips and Adjusting Durations 28 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. 391) Â Changing the Duration of Clips in the Timeline (p. 395) Â Opening Sequence Clips in the Viewer to Change Durations (p. 396) 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.
VI 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.
Joining Through Edits (Splicing Cut Clips Back Together) Whenever you cut a clip item with the razor blade tool, the clip item is split into two pieces separated by a through edit. You can’t see a through edit when you play back your sequence in the Canvas because the frames on either side of the edit are from a continuous section of a media file. You can join through edits at any time, splicing the separated clip items back into a single clip item.
VI 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).
29 Linking and Editing Video and Audio in Sync 29 Final Cut Express HD 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. 397) Â Linking and Unlinking Video and Audio Clip Items in the Timeline (p. 402) 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.
VI An out-of-sync indicator appears whenever the following conditions occur: Â Audio and video clip items from the same media file are out of sync. Because they come from the same media file, these items always show out-of-sync indicators, even if they are not currently linked. Â Audio and video clip items belonging to a merged clip have been moved out of sync. Because they come from different media files, these items only show out-of-sync indicators if they are linked.
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-of-sync indicators appear. The same happens if you move the audio item to the right.
VI 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 457). 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.
VI 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.
VI 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 Express HD 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.
VI 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 out-of-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.
Slipping a Clip Item Into Sync This operation leaves the out-of-sync clip item in the same position in your sequence, but slips the In and Out points within that item so that the item is in sync with the corresponding audio or video anchor item to which it’s linked. This works in the same way as the Slip tool. For more information, see “Slipping Clips in the Timeline” on page 457.
VI 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.
VI 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.
VI 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 parallel audio clip items 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.
30 Split Edits 30 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. 415) Â How Split Edits Look in the Viewer and Canvas (p. 416) Â Setting Up Split Edit Points in the Viewer (p. 417) Â Setting Up a Split Edit While Playing a Clip (p. 418) Â Modifying and Clearing Split Edits (p. 419) 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.
VI 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.
VI 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.
VI 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.
VI 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.
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.
31 Audio Editing Basics 31 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. 425) Â Using Waveform Displays to Help You Edit Audio (p. 427) Â Learning About the Audio Controls in the Viewer (p. 428) Â Editing Audio in the Viewer (p. 431) Â Editing Audio in the Timeline (p.
Besides making clean-sounding cuts, there are other reasons to edit the audio in your sequence separately from the video. You can edit mistakes in dialogue, adjust the sync of off-camera or rerecorded dialogue, or even replace the entire audio of a clip with another take of the same audio. For more information, see “Split Edits” on page 415. Make sure that your video and audio clips are in sync.
VI Using Waveform Displays to Help You Edit Audio As you work in Final Cut Express HD, 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.
VI 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. If there are level keyframes, using this slider will either: Â Adjust the level of a keyframe at the current position of the playhead. Â Add a new keyframe to the level overlay and adjust it to the new level.
 Ruler: When you’re looking at the contents of an audio tab in the Viewer, you’ll see two playheads, both of which are locked together. The normal Viewer playhead is located in the scrubber bar below the waveform display area, but there’s also a second playhead within the waveform display area. The ruler above the waveform display area shows the currently displayed range of your clip.
VI Editing Audio in the Viewer You can use the Viewer’s audio tabs to edit the audio of a clip opened from the Browser or Timeline. The audio tabs let you view audio waveforms, set In and Out points, markers, and keyframes, and change volume levels and stereo pan settings. Opening Audio Clips in the Viewer Many clips contain both video and audio items. To look at an audio clip item, you need to open the clip in the Viewer and then click one of the audio tabs.
Viewing Audio Tracks in the Viewer 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. Each mono tab displays the waveform for one clip item, and levels applied to one are completely independent of any other.
VI The scrubber bar in the Viewer always represents the entire duration of the clip in the Viewer. The ruler above the waveform display area, on the other hand, is not so constrained. Using the Zoom control and the Zoom slider at the bottom of the waveform display area, you can zoom in and out of the waveform display area in the Viewer. This expands and contracts the audio ruler, allowing you to see more or less detail in an audio clip’s waveform.
To zoom in and out of the audio waveform using keyboard shortcuts or menu commands: 1 Move the playhead to the position in the waveform display area where you want zooming to be centered. 2 Do one of the following: Â To zoom in: Choose View > Zoom In, or press Command-= (equal sign). Pressing Command-+ (plus) repeatedly shows more and more detail, down to the individual frames of your audio clip. Â To zoom out: Choose View > Zoom Out, or press Command-– (minus).
VI 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.
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.
VI 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.
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.
VI Turning off audio waveforms speeds up the time it takes to redraw the clips in the Timeline, which can improve performance, especially when you are not focused on audio editing. You can turn audio waveforms on and off at any time by pressing Option-Command-W. 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.
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 438). 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 432.
VI Moving Audio Items From One Track to Another at the Same Frame From time to time, you’ll want to move an audio clip up or down to an adjacent track, but keep its In and Out points at the same location in your sequence.
Using Audio Transitions to Smooth Audible Changes Sometimes, a cut in the audio will be quite noticeable despite your best efforts to find just the right frame on which to place the edit. In these cases, you can apply a cross fade to the edit point to try to smooth out the transition from one audio clip to the next. Final Cut Express HD comes with two audio transitions: a +3 dB cross fade (the default) and a 0 dB cross fade. Each cross fade results in a different audio level change as the transition plays.
VI 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.
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 Express HD 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.
VI 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.
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 Express HD. 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.
VI To create a section of room tone from a short pause: 1 Find the longest pause you can in the dialogue clip with the gap you need to fill, then copy the section that contains the pause. If you’re in the Timeline, you can use the Range Selection tool. The long pause in your clip is selected. 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.
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. For more information, see Chapter 35, “Adding Transitions,” on page 507. If the looping effect is not obvious, you may want to skip the speed reversal step. You may also need a longer section of ambient tone, or several different sections. Experiment to see what works best.
VI 3 Move the Canvas or Timeline playhead to the In point. 4 Drag your Room Tone sequence into the Viewer, and move the Viewer playhead to the start of the section of room tone you want to use. 5 Set an In point in the Viewer. 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 Press F10. The section of unwanted audio is replaced with room tone.
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 402. 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 VII: Fine-Tuning Your Edit VII Learn how to refine your edit by using trimming tools, adding transitions, and nesting sequences within sequences.
32 Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Edits 32 Once your rough edit is complete, you will want to fine-tune your edit. The advanced editing tools in Final Cut Express HD 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. 453) Â Sliding Clips in the Timeline (p. 453) Â Slipping Clips in the Timeline (p. 457) 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.
VII 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.
VII 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. 4 Release the mouse button when the clip is positioned at a range of frames that you like. The In and Out points move together, maintaining the clip’s duration.
VII 3 Release the mouse button when the clip is positioned at a range of frames that you like. The duration and location of all clips in your sequence remain the same after this operation. 4 Click the Play In to Out button (or press Shift-\) to review the new section between your sequence clip’s In and Out points. 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.
Note: You can specify the default number of frames to trim by changing the MultiFrame Trim Size setting in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window. (For more information, see “Choosing Settings and Preferences” on page 945.) The timecode entry field shows how far you are slipping the clip. 4 Click the Play In to Out button (or press Shift-\) to review the new section between your sequence clip’s In and Out points.
VII Using the Ripple Tool to Trim an Edit Without Leaving a Gap A ripple edit adjusts a clip’s In or Out point, making the clip longer or shorter, without leaving a gap in the Timeline. The change in the clip’s duration ripples outward, moving all subsequent clips earlier or later in the Timeline. If you don’t use a ripple edit when you change the duration of a clip, you will either leave a gap when you make a clip shorter, or overwrite part of an existing clip if you make a clip longer.
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.
VII Performing a Ripple Edit in the Timeline When you use the Ripple tool to adjust the duration of a clip in the Timeline, always pay attention to where Final Cut Express HD previews the location of the new clip Out point. Even when you are adjusting a clip’s In point with the Ripple tool, the location of the clip’s Out point is what you should pay attention to.
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 480.
VII 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.
VII In the example below, Final Cut Express HD 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 Express HD 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.
VII 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.
VII 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 479. Selected edit point 3 Do one of the following: Â Drag the edit point left or right.
VII 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.
VII Doing Roll Edits in the Viewer Final Cut Express HD 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.
33 Learning About Trimming Clips 33 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. 477) Â Controls That Affect Trim Edits (p. 479) Â Selecting Edits and Clips to Trim (p. 480) 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.
VII 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.
Locked Tracks Trim operations with the Ripple tool will only affect clip items on unlocked tracks. If there are clip items on certain tracks you don’t want to change inadvertently while trimming, you can lock these tracks in your sequence to prevent unwanted changes. Linked items on locked tracks aren’t affected when you move other linked clip items.
VII Tools for Selecting Edit Points There are two tools in the Tool palette that can be used to select edit points in the Timeline—the Selection tool and the Edit Selection tool. Selection Tool You can select individual edit points by clicking them with the Selection tool. Select the Selection tool by clicking it in the Tool palette or pressing the A key. Selection tool When you use the Selection tool to adjust a clip’s edit point, the icon changes to indicate it can be used for trimming.
Selecting Single Edit Points A single edit point refers to a single clip item’s In point or Out point, or two adjacent clip items’ Out and In points, respectively. To select a single edit point in the Timeline, do one of the following: m Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette, then click an edit point to select it in the Timeline. Note: You can double-click the edit point to open the edit in the Trim Edit window.
VII m Select the Edit Selection tool in the Tool palette (or press Command-G), then drag to select edit points on one or more tracks. As you drag in the Timeline, this tool selects one edit per track. The edits don’t have to be aligned in time. When you release the mouse button, the Trim Edit window appears. One edit per track is selected. m Select the Ripple or Roll tool in the Tool palette, then click the edge of the clip. Command-click to select multiple edit points.
Performing edits using the Selection tool is useful for filling in gaps between two clips and for creating gaps in preparation for another editorial operation. When you trim an edit point with the Selection tool, the Selection tool appears as a trimming tool. To trim a clip’s edit point in the Timeline using the Selection tool: 1 Select the Selection tool in the Tool palette (or press the A key). 2 Move the pointer to the In or Out point of a clip in the Timeline. The pointer changes to a Resize pointer.
VII Extending and Shortening Clips in the Timeline A convenient way to extend or shorten a clip in the Timeline is to tell Final Cut Express HD to adjust an edit point to the current position of the playhead. An extend edit moves an edit point between two clips to the playhead position in the Timeline. Note: Although these are often referred to as extend edits, you can just as easily shorten clips with this method.
3 Choose Sequence > Extend Edit (or press E). The selected edit point is rolled to the position of the playhead. This clip lengthens. This clip shortens. After If you selected multiple edit points on clip items on several tracks using the Edit Selection tool, all of these clip edit points are moved to the position of the playhead. Note: If you try to extend an edit farther than the total amount of media available in a clip, Final Cut Express HD does not extend the edit point.
VII To trim a clip in the Viewer: 1 Open a clip from your sequence in the Viewer. The scrubber bar shows virtual “sprocket holes,” which indicate that the clip is from your sequence (not from the Browser). 2 Do one of the following: Â Use the transport controls or the J, K, and L keys to move the playhead in the Viewer to a new point in your clip. Then set a new In or Out point using the Mark In and Mark Out buttons or the I and O keys.
Moving the Playhead in the Timeline Using Timecode You can move the playhead in the Timeline using absolute timecode values (hours, minutes, seconds, and frames) or relative timecode amounts (in which case you only need to enter the relevant amount of information—just frames, or seconds and frames, for example).
VII To move a clip in your sequence using timecode: 1 Select one or more clips in your sequence. 2 Do one of the following: Â To move the clips forward, press + (plus) and type a timecode duration for the move. Â To move the clips backward, press – (minus) and type a timecode duration for the move. The timecode entry field appears when you type. 3 Press Return. The clips move forward by the duration entered.
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 “Navigating and Using Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas” on page 101.
VII Understanding Alert Messages When Trimming If you try to perform an edit that isn’t possible, Final Cut Express HD 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.
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.
34 Trimming Clips Using the Trim Edit Window 34 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. 493) Â Opening and Closing the Trim Edit Window (p. 495) Â Controls in the Trim Edit Window (p. 496) Â Using the Trim Edit Window (p. 500) 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.
VII 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.
VII 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.
VII 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.
VII 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.
VII 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.
VII 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 listen to all sequence audio tracks while using the J, K, and L keys in the Trim Edit window: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > User Preferences, then click the Editing tab. 2 Select the Trim with Sequence Audio checkbox. 3 Select edit points in the Timeline and double-click them to open the Trim Edit window. 4 Move the pointer over the side of the Trim Edit window you want to listen to, then use the J, K, and L keys to play back the incoming or outgoing clip.
35 Adding Transitions 35 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. 507) Â Adding Transitions (p. 511) Â Moving, Copying, and Deleting Transitions (p. 515) Â Modifying Transitions in the Timeline (p. 517) Â Video Transitions That Come With Final Cut Express HD (p.
Video made this process faster and easier. By electronically mixing two video signals together, you could watch a dissolve immediately and decide if 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.
VII 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.
VII  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. To add the default video transition, do one of the following: m Select an edit point between two video clips or position the Canvas or Timeline playhead at the desired edit point, then press Command-T.
VII To change the position of the transition, see “Changing the Alignment of a Transition in the Timeline” on page 519. To add the default audio transition, do one of the following: m Select an edit point between two audio clips or position the Canvas or Timeline playhead at the desired edit point, then press Option-Command-T. m Control-click an edit point between two audio clips in the Timeline, then choose Add Transition from the shortcut menu.
To add a transition from the Effects tab in the Browser: m Drag a transition from the Effects tab in the Browser to an edit point in the Timeline. If there are enough overlapping frames between the two clips, you can drag the transition to start on, center on, or end on an edit point. The transition snaps to one of these three areas as you drag it close to the edit point. To reposition the transition, see “Changing the Alignment of a Transition in the Timeline” on page 519.
VII To fade to or from black: m Add a cross dissolve transition to one of the following:  The beginning of the first clip in your sequence  The end of the last clip in your sequence  The beginning or end of any clip with a gap on one or both sides For more information, see “Adding Transitions to Clips in Your Sequence” on page 513. If the transition starts at the beginning of the sequence, you’ll see a fade from black. If the transition is placed at the end of the last clip, you’ll see a fade to black.
Moving a Transition to Another Edit Point You can move a transition from one edit point to another. The transition is removed from the previous edit point and located at the new edit point. If there’s already a transition at the new edit point, it’s replaced by the new transition. To move a transition in a sequence: m In the Timeline, drag a transition from its current edit point to the desired edit point.
VII 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.
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.
VII 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.
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. m Drag a transition from the Effects tab in the Browser onto the transition you want to change in the Timeline.
VII 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.
VII Slide Multi 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 first clip and the spin about the center of the box, as well as the number of boxes. 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.
Wipe Gradient Wipe Uses a gradient wipe image to wipe across the first clip, revealing the second clip. You can adjust the softness of the wipe and invert the gradient wipe image. By default, the transition wipes horizontally from left to right. You can override this by dragging an image onto the gradient clip well. Inset Wipe A rectangular wipe from the specified edge or corner of the first clip reveals the second clip.
36 Refining Transitions Using the Transition Editor 36 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. 525) Â Applying a Modified Transition Directly to a Sequence in the Timeline (p. 532) Â Trimming Transitions and the Surrounding Clips (p. 532) 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.
VII 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.
VII 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.
Reset Button Click this to reset all of a transition’s parameters to the default values. Reset button 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.
VII Opening and Modifying Transitions in the Transition Editor When you open a transition from your sequence in the Timeline in the Transition Editor, you can modify and trim it much more precisely than you can in the Timeline. All the transitions that come with Final Cut Express HD are different, but all of them share some essential properties and edit points that you can modify in the Transition Editor.
Applying a Modified Transition Directly to a Sequence in the Timeline After you modify a transition’s settings in the Transition Editor, you can apply the transition directly to an edit point in the Timeline. If you do this, the modified transition is only saved in the Timeline. To apply a modified transition directly to your sequence in the Timeline: m Drag the transition’s drag hand to an edit point in the Timeline. Drag the hand from the Transition Editor to an edit point in your sequence.
VII About the Two-Up Display in the Canvas You can drag the pointer in the Transition Editor to trim the transition and change the duration of the transition or the actual location, or edit point, where the transition occurs between two clips. When you do this, a dual frame display appears in the Canvas to show how your change affects the clips surrounding this transition. Â The frame on the left: This displays the current frame at the transition’s start point in the outgoing clip.
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.
VII Doing a Ripple Edit to Adjust the Length of a Clip in a Transition Even when a transition is applied between two clips, you can change the duration of the outgoing or incoming clip using the Ripple tool. Ripple edits do not cause gaps in your edited sequence. Â Rippling the Out point of the outgoing clip: This moves the transition and the edit point at the same time so that the outgoing clip is shortened or extended. The rest of your edited sequence moves forward or back to accommodate this change.
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.
VII 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.
37 Sequence to Sequence Editing 37 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. 539) Â Opening More Than One Sequence at a Time (p. 540) Â Copying Clips From One Sequence to Another (p. 540) Â Nesting Sequences (p. 544) 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.
VII 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.
VII 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 Express HD 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.
VII 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. However, the number of audio items that are nested is equal to the number of audio output channels specified in the Audio Outputs tab of the Sequence Settings window for the nested sequence.
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.
VII You open sequence B and add two more clips to the end of it, extending its duration from 10 to 15 seconds. Once you’ve done this, all of the clips in the parent sequence that are to the right of the nested sequence B are automatically rippled 5 seconds to the right to accommodate the lengthening of the nested sequence B. Adding clips to sequence B ripples the parent sequence.
If you drag Sequence A into the Canvas to edit it into Sequence B, the resulting nested sequence typically has one video track and two audio tracks (assuming Sequence A has two audio output channels). Nesting Sequence A into Sequence B results in Sequence A becoming one clip in Sequence B. Sequence B 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.
VII 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.
38 Matching Frames 38 You can use the frame displayed in the Canvas to open the matching frame of a master clip in the Viewer. You can also open sequence clips directly in the Viewer. This chapter covers the following: Â Working With Sequence Clips in the Viewer (p. 551) Â Matching Frames Between Sequence and Master Clips (p. 554) Working With Sequence Clips in the Viewer The Viewer is a versatile window used for several different purposes.
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. m Select the clip, then choose View > Clip (or press Return). m Position the playhead at the In point of the clip in the Timeline (using the Up or Down Arrow key) or anywhere within the clip in the Timeline, then press the Return key.
VII 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 Express HD displays an alert message.
VII Matching a Frame in the Canvas to Its Master Clip Sometimes you’ll want to view the master clip that a sequence clip came from. Here are several reasons why: Â You want to open the original master clip without any of the motion, filter, or audio parameters from the sequence clip. This is useful when you want to add a “fresh” copy of the clip to your sequence. Â You want to open the master clip with all of its video and audio items, instead of the sequence clip, which may only be a single clip item.
Important: If you open a source media file in the Viewer and drag it to the Browser, a new master clip is created. If you drag it to the Timeline or Canvas, an independent clip is created in the sequence. This is true whenever you open a media file in the Viewer— either by using a match frame command or by dragging a media file from the Finder directly to the Viewer. Independent sequence clips can cause complications during media management and recapturing, so you should avoid editing with these clips.
39 Working With Timecode 39 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 Express HD project. This chapter covers the following: Â About Timecode in Final Cut Express HD (p.
For example, if you adjust a clip’s speed by 200%, Final Cut Express HD plays the media file at twice the normal speed, which actually means only half the frames are played (every other frame is skipped). The timecode display shows the actual timecode number of each frame, so the timecode numbers skip, just as the video frames do.
Part VIII: Audio Mixing VIII Find instructions for connecting audio equipment and using the Final Cut Express HD audio mixing tools to complete your movie’s soundtrack.
40 Overview of Audio Mixing 40 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 Express HD (p. 561) Â Overview of Audio Sweetening in Final Cut Express HD (p. 562) Â Making the Final Mix (p.
Audio Mixing Features You can use Final Cut Express HD to create a finished audio mix for your movie in the following ways: Â Adjust audio levels and pan using clip overlays in the Timeline or Viewer. (See “Adjusting Audio Levels in the Timeline” on page 601.) Â Add keyframes to precisely control level adjustments over time. Â Add audio filter keyframes to change filter parameters over time. (See Chapter 50, “Adjusting Parameters for Keyframed Effects,” on page 719.
VIII Â Sound effects: Sound effects enhance the believability or mood of a scene. You can purchase stock sound effects libraries for use in your projects, or you can create your own sound effects. Sound effects are usually recorded during post-production, once the picture is edited and it is clear what sounds are required. Examples include mechanical sounds, explosions, vehicles, animals, a clock ticking, a telephone ringing, and so on.
Cleaning Up Audio Once you’ve organized your audio tracks by sound category and properly placed your sound effects and music, you can clean up noisy audio clips and fine-tune levels in preparation for the final audio mix. Even when you strive for the best location recording possible, you’ll usually need to do a certain amount of cleanup for every track recorded in the field.
VIII Making the Final Mix During the final mix, you choose exactly how to balance dialogue, effects, and music for optimal clarity and impact. If you simply combine all the stems together without adjusting levels, the combined level may be too high, dialogue may be inaudible, and sound effects or music that worked in the individual stem mixes may feel wrong in the context of the other audio. To make the final mix, it’s critical that you use audio monitors you can trust.
Adjusting Pan Panning allows you to control the placement of each sound in your mix. Using pan controls, you can position each sound to whichever speaker/output channel you want, or distribute it to both left and right speakers at once. For example, if an audio signal is hard-panned to the left, it only comes out of the left speaker. However, if the signal is center-panned, the signal is equally present in the left and right speakers. A knob or slider controls stereo pan.
41 Setting Up Audio Equipment 41 The built-in audio port on 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. 567) Â Audio Cables, Connectors, and Signal Levels (p. 572) 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.
VIII 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.
VIII ∏ Tip: A much cheaper alternative to building new walls is to mount angled pieces of material to the existing walls to eliminate parallel surfaces. If the material in a room is very reflective, the room sounds “brighter” because high frequencies are easily reflected. Mounting absorbing material (such as acoustic foam) on the walls can reduce the brightness of a room. A “dead room” is one that has very little reflection (or reverberation).
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.
VIII 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.
VIII 1/8" Mini Connectors These are very small, unbalanced audio connectors. Many computers have 1/8" mini inputs and outputs at –10 dBV line level, and many portable audio devices such as CD players, Walkmans, and MP3 players use these connectors for headphone outputs. Portable MiniDisc and DAT recorders often use 1/8" mini connectors for connecting microphones.
XLR Connectors These are the most common professional audio connectors. They almost always carry a balanced signal. Many cables use an XLR connector on one end and a 1/4" TRS connector on the other. The signal may be microphone level (when using a microphone) or +4 dBu/dBm (professional) line level.
VIII Setting Monitoring Levels and Muting System Sound Effects When you mix your audio, it’s important to monitor using a consistent volume setting. If a sound is too loud in the mix, you should adjust the level of the audio in Final Cut Express HD, not the volume on the speakers themselves. Once you set up your audio monitoring levels, you should not need to adjust the overall volume of your audio very often.
To route Mac OS X alerts and sound effects through your computer’s built-in speakers: 1 Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Sound. 2 Click the Sound Effects button. 3 Choose “Built-in Audio: Internal speakers” from the “Play alerts and sound effects through” pop-up menu. While monitoring the audio of your program, avoid changing the volume of your speakers unless it is absolutely necessary.
42 Audio Fundamentals 42 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. 579) Â Digital Audio (p. 588) 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.
VIII 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. The particular characteristics of a sound are the result of the unique combination of frequencies it contains. Musical sounds usually have a fundamental frequency, or pitch, and additional frequencies, called overtones, or harmonics, that are related to the fundamental frequency.
Measuring Sound Intensity Our ears are remarkably sensitive to vibrations in the air. The threshold of human hearing is around 20 microPascals (µP), which is an extremely small amount of atmospheric pressure. At the other extreme, the loudest sound a person can withstand without pain or ear damage is about 200,000,000 µP, such as a loud rock concert or a nearby jet airplane taking off.
VIII 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.
VIII 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.
VIII 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.
VIII 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).
VIII 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.
43 43 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. 593) Â Setting Proper Audio Levels (p. 598) About Audio Meters Audio meters display the level of your audio signal in an objective way, helping you to set consistent levels throughout your program and ensuring that you have sufficient headroom and dynamic range.
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.
VIII 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 Express HD: Generic VU meter +7 +4 +2 Final Cut Express HD 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 Express HD, 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 Express HD, you need to consider how the signal level will correspond to an analog meter.
VIII Floating Audio Meters The floating audio meters display the output levels of the Viewer or Timeline with a simplified stereo display. 0 dBFS Floating audio meter Clip Indicators The floating audio meters have a clip indicator that 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.
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. However, if you are capturing analog audio using the Voice Over tool, make sure you set the levels so the meters in the Voice Over tool match the audio meters on your video or audio device.
VIII If you set the reference level of the Final Cut Express HD 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.
44 Mixing Audio in the Timeline and Viewer 44 You can control audio levels and pan in the Timeline or in the Viewer. You can also make adjustments to multiple clips at once and add keyframes to automate mixing levels over time. This chapter covers the following: Â Adjusting Audio Levels in the Timeline (p. 601) Â Panning Audio in the Timeline and Viewer (p. 607) Â Adjusting Clip Levels and Pan Using Keyframes (p.
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. ∏ Tip: To avoid opening Sequence Settings, you can also press Option-Command-W while the Timeline is active. To adjust the volume of a single clip with no keyframes: 1 Enable the Clip Overlays control at the bottom of the Timeline to display overlays. 2 Drag the volume level overlay up or down to adjust volume.
VIII To adjust keyframes in the Timeline: m Place the Selection tool directly over a keyframe, so that it turns into a crosshair pointer. You can now adjust a single keyframe by dragging it up and down to change its level, or from side to side to move it forward and backward in time. 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 select a range of keyframes to modify: m Use the Range Selection tool to select a group of keyframes. You can now move, delete, or change the level of just those keyframes. 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.
VIII 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. Drag the Level slider to change volume. Numeric entry field (level) Numeric entry field (pan) Level overlays How these controls affect the level of your clip depends on whether or not you’ve set keyframes for either level or pan.
Whether or not the audio item in the Viewer is a stereo pair also affects how volume and pan levels are set. 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. As you adjust the volume and pan levels of clips in Final Cut Express HD, your changes can be played back immediately.
VIII To adjust the volume by using the Modify menu: 1 Select one or more clips in the Timeline, or place the Canvas or Timeline playhead over the clip whose volume level you want to modify. 2 Choose Modify > Audio, then choose one of the Gain items from the submenu to indicate how much you want to modify the level. The volume of your clip is increased or decreased from its current value by the increment you choose. If you selected multiple clips, all clips are modified relative to their current values.
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.
VIII To adjust pan by entering a numeric value: 1 Enter a new value in the Pan field. To enter a negative value, type – (minus) and the number. Â For a mono item, enter a value between –1 and 1. –1 moves the audio all the way to the left stereo output channel. 1 moves the audio all the way to the right stereo output channel. Â For a stereo pair, enter a value between –1 and 1. –1 is the original left and right stereo placement captured with your clip. 1 reverses the left and right channels.
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 Express HD with any feature whose parameters can be changed over time.
VIII 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.
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 Press the Option key and click an overlay with the Pen tool to add a keyframe at that point without changing the level of the overlay.
VIII 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.
VIII 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.
VIII Then, releasing the Option key, you can drag the area in the middle of each group of four keyframes down, to lower the level of the music, while the narrator speaks. Lowered levels 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.
To set and adjust subframe keyframes: 1 Open the clip in the Viewer and click the Audio tab. 2 Move the playhead to the edit point that’s causing the click by pressing Shift-I or Shift-O, or by using the Up and Down Arrow keys to move from one sequence edit point to the next. 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.
VIII 5 Click the Level Keyframe button to mark four keyframes in a row. 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.
VIII 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.
45 Using the Voice Over Tool 45 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. 624) Â Controls in the Voice Over Tool (p. 627) Â Defining the Recording Duration and Destination Track (p. 631) 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.
VIII 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.
VIII 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.
VIII 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 Express HD 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.
VIII 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 Express HD 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.
VIII 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.
VIII 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.
VIII 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.
46 Using Audio Filters 46 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. 639) Â Overview of Audio Filters (p. 640) Â Working With Audio Filters (p. 647) About Audio Filters The goal of audio mixing and processing is to create a believable sonic environment that is not distracting.
Overview of Audio Filters Filters in Final Cut Express HD 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.
VIII 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 Express HD All of the Final Cut Express HD 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.
VIII 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).
VIII 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). Â Effect Level: This slider defines how loud the reverb or echo effect will be.
VIII 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.
Applying Filters to an Audio Clip Applying audio filters to clips in Final Cut Express HD 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.
VIII 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.
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. Â Audio Attributes: Determines which attributes of the audio clip are pasted. Â Filters: Applies the parameter values and keyframes you have set for all filters in the clip you copied. Warning: Pasting attributes into clips that have different frame rates will produce erratic results. 6 Click OK.
VIII In addition to adjusting individual settings for each filter, you can also enable and disable the filters without removing them from your clip, rearrange their order to modify their effects, and remove them from your clips. To enable or disable a filter: m Click the checkbox by the filter name in the Filters tab. If you uncheck the box, the filter is disabled, but not removed from the clip.
Looping Playback While Making Real-Time Filter Adjustments Ordinarily, playing back your sequence clip in the Viewer plays back your entire clip, from the starting position of the playhead forward. If you instead want to loop a limited section of your clip as you adjust a filter’s parameters, you can enable Looped Playback, set In and Out points to determine how much of your clip plays back, and use the Play In to Out command to loop playback.
47 Tips for Better Audio 47 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. 653) Â Efficiently Using the Frequency Spectrum (p. 654) Â Tips for Cutting Dialogue (p. 654) Â Tips for Cutting Music (p. 658) Â Organizing Your Tracks (p.
Efficiently Using the Frequency Spectrum It’s fairly obvious that the most important sound in the mix should have the highest level, but there are other methods for blending without increasing loudness. Most sounds occupy a particular frequency range, so if you mix sounds in different ranges, you can still maintain clarity without too much level adjustment. Too many sounds in the same range can create cacophony.
VIII Shows how you can eliminate unwanted clicks at edit points 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.
For example, suppose an actor was supposed to say, “Get those cats out of that tree,” and instead said, “Get dose cats out of that tree,” accidentally swallowing the “th” sound in the word “those.” If you need to use that take, you could copy the “th” sound from the word “that” and paste it over the botched beginning of the word “dose.” The change is so small that nobody will notice the difference.
VIII Change the pace of off-camera dialogue. As long as the speaker is off camera, you can do other things as well. For example, you can easily change the pacing of what’s being said, making the sentence sound more or less dramatic. The key is to have footage you can cut away to that will seem plausible. An audience shot or another actor listening are two examples of plausible cutaway shots. Remember, if you create any gaps as a result of editing your audio, fill them in with room tone.
Edit in sound to handle a loud background noise at an edit point. If you’re cutting from one clip to another, but there’s a loud sound right at the edit point, such as a car or a plane passing, you can edit in sound to mask the cut.
VIII Checkerboard the audio segments you’re using to create better cross fading. Instead of using cross fades to transition between two edited clips from the same music track, edit them together across multiple tracks in your sequence: Instead of placing audio tracks like this... ... do this. Now, you can use the volume level overlay to create cross fades that are as long as you need, using whichever shape will make the transition from one clip to the next least noticeable.
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. For example, put all sync-sound dialogue clips into one group of tracks, background ambiences in another group of tracks, sound effects in another group of tracks, and music in a different group of tracks.
Part IX: Effects IX Learn how to use the powerful effects capabilities of Final Cut Express HD to enhance your project. Add filters, create motion effects, generate titles, composite graphics together, and color correct your footage.
48 Video Filters 48 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. 663) Â Applying a Filter to a Clip (p. 664) Â Applying Multiple Filters to Clips (p. 666) Â Viewing and Adjusting a Filter’s Parameters (p. 667) Â Displaying Filter Bars in the Timeline (p. 673) Â Enabling and Rearranging Filters (p. 673) 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.
IX In most cases, you apply filters to individual clips in sequences, not to master clips in the Browser. There may be occasions where you want every instance of a master clip edited into a sequence to have the same filter applied, such as color correction. In this case, apply the color correction filter to the master clip in the Browser. However, filters applied to clips are still independent of each other.
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.
IX 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).
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. m If a sequence clip is already open in the Viewer, click the Filters tab. m In the video track of a clip in the Timeline, double-click the filter bar. The clip is opened into the Viewer with the Filters tab open. Note: If a sequence clip is already open in the Viewer with the Filters tab open and you open another sequence clip, the new clip appears with the Filters tab open as well.
IX Â Reset button: The Reset button is in the Name bar, under the Nav column. Click to delete all keyframes for the corresponding parameter or parameters and reset those parameters to their default value. Â Show/Hide keyframes pop-up menu: This pop-up menu is in the Name bar, under the Nav column. Use this pop-up menu to choose the parameters that have keyframes displayed (or hidden) in the keyframe graph area of the Name bar. Â Enable/Disable checkbox: Click to enable or disable a filter.
Sliders By default, sliders only show whole integer values. 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.
IX 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. If you drag instead of clicking, the values update as the crosshair moves. For more information about positioning clips in the Canvas, see “Using Cartesian Geometry to Position Clips” on page 695. Angle control This control specifies angles and rotations. The longer, black hand of the dial indicates the angle.
Color controls The color controls give you several ways to select a color value. Eyedropper button Hue direction control Click the disclosure triangle to display the hue, saturation, and brightness controls. Color picker Hue, saturation, and brightness controls  Disclosure triangle: Click to display sliders and number fields corresponding to the hue, saturation, and brightness of the range of colors available.
IX Displaying Filter Bars in the Timeline Once you’ve added filters to one or more clips, you can choose whether or not to display filter indicators, or bars, in the Timeline to indicate that the clips have filters applied to them. Filter bars are green and appear in the space below each video and audio track in the Timeline for the duration of that clip.
To rearrange the order of filters in the Filters tab: m Drag a filter up or down in the list to change the order in which filters are applied. Move the selected filter up or down in the list to change the order in which it is applied to the clip. ∏ Tip: Rearranging filters may be easier if you collapse the filters’ settings before dragging. Click the small disclosure triangle to the left of the filter’s name.
IX 5 In the Paste Attributes dialog, select the Filters checkbox under Video Attributes. To copy a clip’s filter, make sure the Filters checkbox is selected. 6 Choose any other options, then click OK. The parameter values of the filters in the clip you copied from are copied into the selected clip or clips. Removing Filters From Clips You can remove one or more filters from a clip at any point in your project.
Video Filters Available in Final Cut Express HD There are numerous filters that come with Final Cut Express HD. 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.
IX Channel Filters Channel filters allow you to manipulate the color and alpha channels of clips in your sequence to create effects. Filter Result Arithmetic Performs an arithmetic operation, blending a specific color channel of your clip with another color. You can choose the operator used and the channel it’s applied to from pop-up menus. The color controls allow you to specify the color with which the channel interacts.
Distort Filters The Final Cut Express HD Distort filters are design-oriented filters that create texture effects. 678 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.
IX 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 55, “Keying, Mattes, and Masks,” on page 805.
IX Filter Result Difference Matte Compares two clips and keys out areas that are similar. A View pop-up 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 822.
IX 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.
IX 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. 686 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. Deinterlace Can be used to remove the upper (odd) or lower (even) field from an interlaced video clip.
IX 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. View Finder Displays a simulated camcorder viewfinder overlay. Various elements can be included, such as rec/play/pause mode (or custom text), title/action safe, and a blinking lamp. You can also adjust the text and color of the mode text.
49 Changing Motion Parameters 49 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. 689) 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.
IX 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.
IX Distort Parameters  Upper Left, Upper Right, Lower Right, Lower Left: You can change the shape of a clip by moving each of four corner points independently of one another. The corner points defining the relative distortion of a clip are offset relative to the center of the clip.  Aspect Ratio: Allows you to squeeze a clip horizontally or vertically to change the ratio of its width to its height. This parameter never increases a clip’s size.
Motion Blur Parameters Motion blur affects any clip that has motion, whether it’s a moving subject in a video clip, or keyframed motion effects that you’ve created. The Motion Blur parameter allows you to create or exaggerate motion blur in ordinary video clips. For example, if you apply motion blur to a clip where someone is standing still and waving an arm, the arm becomes blurred, while the rest of the image remains sharp. This happens even though the arm waving is not a keyframed motion effect.
IX Using Cartesian Geometry to Position Clips Final Cut Express HD 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.
IX 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 Layout With Multiple Clips 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.
IX 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 695. 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).
IX 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 695 for more information.
IX 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.
IX 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 Layout With Multiple Clips.” 1 Open the clip on track V4 of your sequence into the Viewer, then click the Motion tab. First, you’ll feather the edges of your foreground clip to give it a soft border. 2 Click the disclosure triangle next to the Crop parameter.
7 Drag the Top and Bottom sliders in the Crop parameter to the right until they are set to 5. Now, you’ll add a drop shadow to these three layers. 8 With the Motion tab of the foreground clip still open in the Viewer, click the checkbox next to Drop Shadow to enable it, then click the Drop Shadow’s disclosure triangle. Using the appropriate controls, set the offset to 10, angle to 135, softness to 23, and opacity to 65. Adjust the settings in the Drop Shadow parameter.
IX 11 Open the background clip on track V1, then click its Motion tab. Click the Opacity parameter’s disclosure triangle, then set the opacity to 50 percent. The background clip now appears darker in the Canvas. Now you have your completed composite: three clips layered, cropped, scaled, and rotated, with edges feathered. 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.
To put the Canvas into a wireframe mode, do one of the following: m Choose View > Image+Wireframe. m Press W to put the Canvas in Image+Wireframe view. Press W a second time to return to Image view. m Choose Image+Wireframe from the View pop-up menu at the top of the Viewer or Canvas. Manipulating Images in the Canvas When a clip is selected in the Timeline or Canvas (and you are in a wireframe mode), there are handles attached to the clip that allow you to perform different geometrical manipulations.
IX Crop and Distort Tools The Crop and Distort tools can be used to manipulate images directly in the Canvas, instead of setting parameter values in a clip’s Motion tab. Crop tool Distort tool  Crop tool: Allows you to drag each of a clip’s four sides inward to crop just that side. You press the C key to select the Crop tool.  Distort tool: Lets you drag each of a clip’s corner points independently, in order to create perspective effects and other geometric distortion.
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.
IX 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.
IX 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.
IX 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.
IX 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.
50 Adjusting Parameters for Keyframed Effects 50 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. 719) Â Smoothing Keyframes With Bezier Handles (p. 731) Â Creating Keyframed Motion Paths in the Canvas (p.
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 48, “Video Filters,” on page 663 and Chapter 57, “Using Built-in Generated Clips,” on page 849). How Keyframing Works You place keyframes at specific points in a clip or sequence to change parameters at those points.
IX 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. You need at least two keyframes in a clip to make a dynamic change from one value in an effects parameter to another. A more sophisticated change requires three keyframes. To isolate a keyframe change to a certain section of the entire overlay for an effect, you need at least four keyframes.
Keyframing Tools in Final Cut Express HD 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).
IX 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.
To add more 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 Adjust the appropriate setting control. Â Type a number in the appropriate number field. Â Hold down the Option key and click a clip’s overlay in the Timeline where you want to add the keyframe. This doesn’t change the parameter’s current value; it simply adds a keyframe with the same value.
IX To move a keyframe forward or backward in time: 1 Click the clip keyframes control in the Timeline. 2 Move the pointer over the keyframe you want to move (the pointer turns into a crosshair), then drag the keyframe forward (right) or backward (left). To delete a keyframe in the clip keyframe area of the Timeline, do one of the following: m Press and hold down the Option key, move the pointer over the keyframe you want to remove (the pointer turns into the Pen Delete tool), then click the keyframe.
Example: Using Keyframes to Make Opacity Changes This example illustrates how you can use Final Cut Express HD to dynamically adjust opacity over time to create sophisticated multilayered effects. You’ll layer two clips and adjust a clip’s opacity over time. The topmost clip fades in, superimposes the other clip for a few seconds, and then fades up (nearly obscuring the underlying image) before fading away completely. 1 Edit two clips of equal duration into your sequence, each on its own video track.
IX 5 In the current timecode field of the Viewer, enter 01:00:02:00 to move the playhead. Entering the new timecode moves the playhead to this location. 6 Click the opacity keyframe button to create a keyframe at the new position of the playhead. Since it takes at least two keyframes to create a dynamic change to a parameter over time, you’ll need to add another keyframe. 7 Move the playhead to 01:00:03;00 on the keyframe graph ruler, then create another keyframe.
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.
IX 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.
3 Move the pointer over the opacity overlay (located directly on top of the clip on track V2). When it turns into the Adjust Line Segment pointer, drag the entire overlay down so that it’s at 50 percent. A box displays the value of the opacity parameter as you adjust it.
IX 5 Release the Option key, then drag each of the opacity overlay segments between keyframes (or drag the keyframes themselves up or down to the values you want). Â To adjust an overlay segment using the Selection tool, move the mouse so that it’s directly over an overlay segment. When it turns into the Adjust Line Segment pointer, drag it up or down. Â To adjust a keyframe using the Selection tool, move the pointer so that it’s directly over a keyframe.
For example, if you space keyframes 2 seconds apart in the Rotate setting, the resulting rotation lasts 2 seconds. If you apply smoothing to one of the keyframes, the total duration of the rotation remains 2 seconds, but the rate at which the clip rotates to full speed and then slows down to a stop is different over the course of those 2 seconds. If you move the two keyframes closer together, the rotation happens faster; if you move the two keyframes farther apart, the rotation happens slower.
IX One-Sided Bezier Handles The first and last keyframes of a group have one-sided Bezier handles. These keyframes begin and end any dynamic changes in a clip’s parameters, and therefore accelerate into a change and decelerate out of it. Last keyframe Bezier handle First keyframe Bezier handle Two-Sided Bezier handles Keyframes that are in between other keyframes have two-sided Bezier handles.
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. To smooth a keyframe: m Control-click the keyframe, then choose Smooth from the shortcut menu. Choose Smooth from the shortcut menu. You can manipulate the velocity of change that takes place from one keyframe to the next by adjusting the Bezier handles on the curve.
IX Creating Keyframed Motion Paths in the Canvas You can create motion for a clip by repositioning it, and then setting keyframes to change the clip’s Center parameter over time. By setting enough keyframes, you can eventually create the motion path you want. There is an easier way, however, which can produce more sophisticated results; you set up the motion in the Canvas using a motion path (in Image+Wireframe or Wireframe mode).
∏ Tip: To move the playhead relative to these keyframes, you can view your clip’s keyframes in the Motion tab of the Viewer. To view these keyframes underneath your clips in the Timeline, you can enable the Clip Keyframes control. A fourth keyframe, between the three others, changes the motion path even more. A third keyframe is added, between two existing keyframes, for additional movement.
IX 7 Move the playhead to the position where you want to add your next keyframe. 8 Drag the clip to the next position in the Canvas. With the Selection tool still selected, drag the clip to the next position. Final Cut Express HD automatically adds a new keyframe, and creates the appropriate motion path in the Canvas. Repeat steps 7 and 8 to add as many keyframes as you need.
Creating Curved Motion Paths Using Bezier Handles When you add a keyframe to a motion path, it’s a Bezier point (also known as a corner point) by default. You can change corner points into curves by using the Pen Smooth tool to add Bezier handles to these points, smoothing the motion path that the anchor point of the clip follows. When you use Bezier handles to create curved motion paths in the Canvas, you won’t need to use as many keyframes to define complex motion paths.
IX To resize one side of a Bezier curve independently of the other: m Hold down the Shift key as you drag a Bezier handle. Release the Shift key to lock the relative length of the two handles back together using the new unequal lengths you set. Press Shift, then drag to resize one side differently than another. 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.
To remove Bezier handles from a keyframe in a motion path, do one of the following: m Control-click a keyframe in the Viewer, then choose Make Corner Point from the shortcut menu. m Select the Pen Smooth tool (press the P key three times), then click a curved keyframe. 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.
IX 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 738). 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.
IX 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.
51 Reusing Effect and Motion Parameters 51 If you frequently use a particular transition or filter with specific settings, you can copy and paste clip attributes. This chapter covers the following: Â Copying and Pasting Specific Clip Attributes (p. 745) Copying and Pasting Specific Clip Attributes Clip attributes are all the parameters applied to a clip—for example, motion parameters, audio and video filters and their parameters, speed parameters, and so on.
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.
IX 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.
To paste the attributes of a copied clip into another clip: 1 In the Timeline, select a clip whose attributes you want to paste into another clip. 2 Do one of the following to copy the clip and its settings: Â Choose Edit > Copy. Â Press Command-C. 3 Select a clip or clips to paste the settings into. 4 Do one of the following: Â Choose Edit > Paste Attributes. Â Control-click the clip or clips you’ve selected in the Timeline, then choose Paste Attributes from the shortcut menu. Â Press Option-V.
IX 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.
52 Changing Clip Speed 52 You can adjust a clip’s speed parameters to create fast- or slow-motion effects. This chapter covers the following: Â Speed Basics (p. 751) Â Speed Settings (p. 755) Â Making Speed Changes (p. 757) Speed Basics The default speed of all clips is 100 percent, but you can change a clip’s speed setting at any time. Â Slow motion: Speed is under 100 percent. Â Fast motion: Speed is over 100 percent. You may have different reasons for changing the speed settings.
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 Express HD duplicates frames in the clip so that the clip becomes 20 seconds long and plays back more slowly.
IX For example, suppose you want to replace a 5-second shot of a lizard with a 3-second shot of a desert landscape. In this case, you can use the fit to fill edit to make the landscape shot fit. Before edit D After edit A B C A D C 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.
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 Press Shift-F11. 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.
IX Speed Settings 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. Constant speed changes are useful when altering a clip’s timing to fit a larger or smaller gap in your sequence, or when trying to achieve a consistent speed change across an entire clip (making a car seem faster or slower, for example).
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.
IX Making 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.
53 Working With Still Images and Photographs 53 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. 759) Â Creating Freeze Frame Stills From a Video Clip (p. 760) Â Considerations Before Creating and Importing Stills (p. 761) Â Changing the Duration of Still Images (p.
Creating Freeze Frame Stills From a Video Clip Final Cut Express HD 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.
IX Deinterlacing Still Video Images to Improve Image Quality 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 Express HD, 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.
IX 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.
Understanding Digital SD Video Non-Square Pixels When creating graphics for standard definition video, you need to consider the fact that the digital video pixels are considered to be non-square (taller than wide—NTSC, or wider than tall—PAL) compared to your computer graphics program that uses square pixels. Non-square pixels are also referred to as rectangular pixels.
IX To create graphics that look correct when output to video: 1 In your graphics application, create a frame size that’s the square pixel equivalent of the video frame size of your sequence. Use the chart below to determine the frame size you need. For example, if you’re working in DV-PAL (which has a frame size of 720 x 576) your graphic should have a frame size of 768 x 576 to look correct on an SD video monitor.
Pixel Aspect Ratios in SD Video Signals Versus Computer Displays Standard definition (SD) video images use pixels with a non-square (rectangular) aspect ratio, while computer displays represent images using a grid of pixels with a square aspect ratio. 720 x 486 Broadcast (720 x 480 DV) 640 x 480 SD NTSC pixels are taller than computer pixels and SD PAL pixels are wider than computer pixels.
IX Creating Graphics With the Correct Color Settings for Video You should be aware that the range of colors that can be displayed on a broadcast video monitor is much smaller than that which can be displayed on your computer. For this reason, colors that appear bright and clean on NTSC or PAL video can seem duller when viewed on your computer. If you output graphics images with colors that go outside the “legal” range for video, they will appear oversaturated, and may “bleed” into other parts of the image.
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.
IX To scale an imported graphic in a sequence: 1 Edit the image into the sequence in the Timeline. 2 Double-click the clip in the Timeline to open it in the Viewer. 3 Click the Motion tab in the Viewer. 4 Edit the percentage in the Scale field, or use the Scale slider until you find a size you like. 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.
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.
IX 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 5: Position and keyframe the image at the pan start and end points The Center parameter determines where the image appears (or doesn’t appear) onscreen. You’ll create the image movement by setting a starting and ending Center location with keyframes. To generate the movement path for you, Final Cut Express HD interpolates the position of the image between these two points 1 Move the playhead to the time when you want the image pan to start.
IX While you may see only a rough approximation of the final camera move effect, you can still see it without rendering. To see it at higher resolution, render it and then play it. ∏ Tip: If the image looks “blocky” after rendering, choose High from the RT pop-up menu and render the clip again. If any frames drop during playback, try choosing Unlimited RT from the RT pop-up menu in the Timeline.
54 Compositing and Layering 54 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 Introduction to Compositing and Layering (p. 775) Â Adjusting Opacity Levels of Clips (p. 777) Â Working With Composite Modes (p. 780) Â Working With Layered Photoshop Files (p. 794) Â Using Video and Graphics Clips With Alpha Channels (p.
Methods of Compositing Once you’ve layered clips in the Timeline, there are several ways you can adjust how each one blends with the layers below by adjusting the following parameters: Â Opacity levels: This adjusts the transparency of a clip. You can adjust this parameter to subtly blend two or more layers together, or animate this parameter over time to create fade ins and fade outs. For more information, see “Adjusting Opacity Levels of Clips” on page 777.
IX When you layer clips, the clip in the topmost track in the Timeline is the one that appears during playback in the Canvas. However, this is true only if: Â None of the clips is set to be transparent (by changing the opacity parameter) Â None of the clips has an alpha channel If you change the opacity level of one or more layered clips so they have some transparency, the clips blend and you see both images combined.
When you blend multiple clips together using the Opacity parameter, it’s important to be aware of the color range, the amount of movement, and the overall amount of contrast and texture in the images with which you’re working. Balancing all of these qualities is what separates a good-looking composite from a confused jumble of images and motion. To adjust the opacity of a clip (with no keyframes) in the Timeline: 1 In the Timeline, click the Clip Overlays control.
IX 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.
Working With Composite Modes Final Cut Express HD composite modes determine how the brightness and color 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 completely opaque layer that does not blend with the layers beneath.
IX Normal composite mode, with the opacity of the top clip (the dancers) at 50 percent Applying Composite Modes to Clips Applying different composite modes to layered clips in a sequence is easy. The main thing to remember is that composite modes affect the interaction between one layered clip and whichever clip is underneath it in the sequence. Clips that are above a layered clip using a composite mode are unaffected.
Composite Modes in Final Cut Express HD The following section describes how composite modes affect two layers in a sequence. About the Examples in This Section Most of the examples in this section combine the following two reference images to create a third composite image. The composite image illustrates how differently the color values from each image interact when using each composite mode.
IX Normal Normal is the default composite mode for clips. When a clip uses Normal composite mode, you can still adjust its transparency by using its Opacity parameter or an alpha channel. Add Add emphasizes the whites in each overlapping image, and lightens all other overlapping colors. The color values in every overlapping pixel are added together. The result is that all overlapping midrange color values are lightened. Blacks from either image are transparent, while whites in either image are preserved.
Subtract Subtract darkens all overlapping colors. Whites in the foreground image go black, while whites in the background image invert overlapping color values in the foreground image, creating a negative effect. Blacks in the foreground image become transparent, while blacks in the background image are preserved. Overlapping midrange color values are darkened based on the color of the background image. In areas where the background is lighter than the foreground, the background image is darkened.
IX Multiply Like Darken, Multiply emphasizes the darkest parts of each overlapping image, except that midrange color values from both images are mixed together more evenly. Progressively lighter regions of overlapping images become increasingly translucent, allowing whichever image is darker to show through. Whites in either image allow the overlapping image to show through completely. Blacks from both images are preserved in the resulting image.
Screen Like Lighten, Screen also emphasizes the lightest parts of each overlapping image, except that the midrange color values of both images are mixed together more evenly. Blacks in either image allow the overlapping image to show through completely. Darker midrange values underneath a certain threshold allow more of the overlapping image to show. Whites from both images show through in the resulting image. The order of two clips affected by the Screen composite mode does not matter.
IX Overlay Whites and blacks in the foreground image become translucent, and interact with the color values of the background image, causing intensified contrast. Whites and blacks in the background image, on the other hand, replace the foreground image. Overlapping midrange values are mixed together differently depending on the brightness of the background color values. Lighter background midrange values are mixed by screening.
Hard Light Whites and blacks in the foreground image block the background image. Whites and blacks in the background image, on the other hand, interact with overlapping midrange color values in the foreground image. Overlapping midrange color values are mixed together differently depending on the brightness of the background color values. Lighter background midrange values are mixed by screening. Darker background midrange values, on the other hand, are mixed together by multiplying.
IX Soft Light Soft Light is similar to the Overlay composite mode. Whites and blacks in the foreground image become translucent, but interact with the color values of the background image. Whites and blacks in the background image, on the other hand, replace the foreground image. All overlapping midrange color values are mixed together, creating a more even tinting effect than the Overlay composite mode. The order of two clips affected by the Soft Light composite mode is important.
Darken Darken emphasizes the darkest parts of each overlapping image. Whites in either image allow the overlapping image to show through completely. Lighter midrange color values become increasingly translucent in favor of the overlapping image, while darker midrange color values below that threshold remain solid, retaining more detail. The order of two clips affected by the Darken composite mode does not matter.
IX Lighten Lighten emphasizes the lightest parts of each overlapping image. Every pixel in each image is compared, and the lightest pixel from either image is preserved, so that the final image consists of a dithered combination of the lightest pixels from each image. Whites in both images show through in the resulting image. The order of two clips affected by the Lighten composite mode does not matter.
Travel Matte - Luma The Travel Matte - Luma composite mode does the same thing as the Travel Matte Alpha composite mode, but the transparency is derived from the luma information (instead of the alpha channel) of the clip below. The luma information may be derived from a grayscale equivalent of the RGB channels, or directly from the luma (Y´) channel in the case of Y´CBCR video. White is equal to 100 percent transparent and black is equal to 100 percent opaque (solid).
IX To create a travel matte: 1 Place the clip you want to appear in the background of your composite on track V1 in the Timeline. 2 Place the clip you want to use as your matte layer on track V2, above the background clip. Â When using the Travel Matte - Alpha mode: Make sure that the clip has a properly formatted alpha track (see “Using Video and Graphics Clips With Alpha Channels” on page 796).
Working With Layered Photoshop Files You can create multilayered graphics in Adobe Photoshop for use in a composited Final Cut Express HD sequence. This allows you to create a complex arrangement of separate graphics elements and import them as a group, with their position and layer ordering intact. Once you import layered Photoshop files, they appear as a sequence, with each individual layer stacked. At this point, it’s easy to manipulate each layer individually to create sophisticated composites.
IX When you import a layered Photoshop file into Final Cut Express HD, the file becomes a sequence in your project. All the layers of the source Photoshop file are composited together with a sequence frame size identical to the imported Photoshop file’s frame size. An imported Photoshop file becomes a sequence in the Browser. If you want to import a layered Photoshop file as a single clip, you must flatten the image in Photoshop, and then import the file into Final Cut Express HD.
Don’t Add or Delete Layers From an Imported Photoshop File Final Cut Express HD keeps track of each imported Photoshop layer according to its position relative to the bottom layer.
IX Types of Alpha Channels Recognized in Final Cut Express HD Final Cut Express HD recognizes three kinds of alpha channels. A fourth state indicates there’s no alpha channel available; you can choose “None/Ignore” to ignore an existing alpha channel. You can determine how Final Cut Express HD interprets a clip’s alpha channel in the Item Properties window or in the Browser. There is also a clip property to reverse the available alpha channel.
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 Express HD, the alpha channel is recognized automatically.
IX 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 Express HD.
To change 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. Â Control-click a clip in the Browser, then choose Item Properties from 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, then choose the alpha channel type from the shortcut menu.
IX Exchanging Media With Alpha Channels Alpha channels are simply grayscale images or frames, where levels of white and black determine varying degrees of transparency. If you look at a clip with an alpha channel in the Viewer with the alpha option in the View pop-up menu checked, you’ll see that the solid areas of the image are represented by 100 percent white, and that transparent areas of the image are represented by 100 percent black.
There are several backgrounds to choose from.  Black  White  Checkerboard 1  Checkerboard 2  Red  Green  Blue To choose a background for viewing a clip: m Choose View > Background, then choose a background from the submenu. Temporarily Excluding Clips From Playback or Output In the process of finessing effects in a sequence or experimenting with multilayer effects in sequences, it can be helpful to compare how the sequence plays with and without certain clips.
IX 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.
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.
55 Keying, Mattes, and Masks 55 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. 805) Â Using Keying to Isolate Foreground Elements (p. 808) Â Using Mattes to Add or Modify Alpha Channels (p. 822) Â Using Masks to Replace or Modify Alpha Channels (p.
In Final Cut Express HD, 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 Express HD allows you to create four- and eight-point mattes.
IX 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.
IX 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.
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 816.
IX Step 3: Eliminate fringing with the Matte Choker filter After keying out as much of the background as you can without touching the foreground subject, apply the Matte Choker filter to eliminate any faintly remaining blue or green fringing or pixels surrounding the edge of your foreground subject. Using the Matte Choker filter to eliminate this fringing works similarly to using the Thin/Spread slider in the Chroma Keyer.
Step 6: Crop out elements using the Garbage Matte filter If there are “unkeyable elements” other than your foreground subject that you want to eliminate from the frame, such as props, lighting fixtures, or other undesirable objects, you can use one of the Garbage Matte filters to remove those elements. For more information on using Garbage Matte filters, see “Using Mattes to Add or Modify Alpha Channels” on page 822.
IX Working With the Chroma Keyer Filter Despite its name, the Chroma Keyer actually uses a combination of chroma and luma keying to achieve a good key. Using the Chroma Keyer, you can create a key using any range of color you want, including (but not limited to) the usual blue and green. You can also fine-tune your composite by adjusting the color value, saturation, and luminance ranges used to define your key, together or separately.
 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.  Reset button: Click to restore the Color Range, Saturation, and Luminance controls to their default values. Shift-click the button to reset all three controls at once.  Color Range control: Allows you to fine-tune the range of color that you want to key on.
IX Â 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. Clicking this button, and then Shift-clicking with the eyedropper in the Viewer or Canvas, allows you to select another region of the background screen that wasn’t keyed out by your first use of this control. This broadens the range of colors to be keyed out and enlarges the keyed-out area.
Example: Using the Chroma Keyer Filter The following example illustrates a typical use of the Chroma Keyer filter. 1 Edit the green screen clip you want to key into the Timeline. If you wish, you can use a superimpose edit to place the green screen clip over a clip you want to use as the background. ∏ Tip: If you edit the clip into track V2 of the Timeline, you’ll have room to insert another clip as the new composited background.
IX 5 Next, you want to expand the keyed area to include regions of the background that weren’t immediately eliminated by the first key. Click the Select Color button, and in the Canvas, Shift-click another region of the background you want to key out to enlarge the region of transparency. Selecting another range of color with the eyedropper tool After selecting an additional range of color You can perform this step as many times as you need to.
Note: You should remove the majority of the green screen using the top handles, but stop at the point where there’s still some fringing around the areas of fine detail in the foreground subject. This is the point where you should start using the bottom handles to expand the keyed area more softly. It is not important, at this point, to completely eliminate this fringing, only to make sure that it’s soft and translucent, rather than pixelated and solid.
IX 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. This is especially helpful if the edges of your foreground subject look rough, due to compression artifacts that appear as blocky edges around your foreground subject. Don’t overdo this step, as it’s easy to lose details in the subject you’re trying to preserve with this control.
10 If you’re satisfied with your key, but there is some color from the background that is spilling onto the edges of your foreground subject, you can go back to the Chroma Keyer tab in the Viewer and adjust the Enhance slider to desaturate this spill so that it’s not noticeable. Don’t move the Enhance slider too far, or you may get undesirable coloration in the edge of your subject.
IX 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 Express HD There are three matte filters used most often in conjunction with the Chroma Keyer.
IX 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.
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.
IX Â Mask Shape: Allows you to create an alpha channel in a clip that consists of a simple shape—a diamond, oval, rectangle, or round rectangle. The solid part of the clip that remains after applying the Mask Shape filter appears inside the shape that’s been created. The vertical and horizontal scale of the shape can be altered, as can the mask’s center. The Mask Shape filter can also be inverted, to reveal areas of the clip outside the shape. Â Soft Edges: Allows you to feather the edges of a clip.
3 Choose Luminance from the Channel pop-up menu. Note: When using a clip’s luminance to define transparency, white is used for 100 percent solid, and black is used for 100 percent transparent. The clip now has a border that matches the Border.tif clip. You can further modify this new alpha channel, blurring it with the Mask Feather filter, for example. 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.
56 Color Correcting Clips 56 Final Cut Express HD 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. 827) Â Measuring and Evaluating Video (p. 830) Â The Color Correction Process (p. 833) Â The Color Corrector Filter (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.
IX 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.
Color Correction in Final Cut Express HD With Final Cut Express HD, you have professional color correction tools at your disposal. Controls that allow automatic adjustments of blacks and whites give even the beginner a basic starting point from which to proceed. With patience and practice, you can learn to work with these tools to achieve sophisticated color correction right on your desktop.
IX 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.
Whites In the Final Cut Express HD color correction filters, most of the controls that you use to correct your clips affect the whites. Whites Whites make up the maximum range of luma in your clip. On this gradient, controls that affect the whites affect the rightmost three-fourths of the gradient, from gray to white. The effect that controls have over the whites of an image start to diminish at approximately 25 percent luma, shown above. This excludes the darkest parts of your image.
IX The Importance of Using a Properly Calibrated Broadcast Monitor When using Final Cut Express HD color correction filters to adjust the color, blacks, and whites of clips in your sequence, it is essential to always use a properly calibrated broadcast video monitor to view your adjustments as you’re making them. Only an NTSC or PAL broadcast monitor allows you to see the color and brightness of your video as it truly looks.
The overall process of color correcting different shots in a scene to match one another involves five steps. Step 1: Pick the master shot of a scene to use as the basis for color correction If you’re color correcting a scene consisting of a single shot, then your job is pretty easy. All you need to do is find the settings that work best for that one shot. Most scenes, however, cut between a variety of different shots using close-ups, medium shots, and wide shots.
IX Looking at the Picture The only piece of information you have as you color-correct your clips is the visual image as displayed on your NTSC or PAL broadcast video monitor. It’s important to carefully look at the clip you’re working on and compare it visually to previous clips you’re trying to match. The most useful procedure when correcting one clip to match another is the ability to quickly flip back and forth between multiple edit points in the Canvas.
Using the Color Corrector Filter All the Final Cut Express HD color correction filters are located in the Color Correction bin, within the Video Filters bin in the Effects tab in the Browser. They can be applied the same way as any other filter. For more information, see Chapter 48, “Video Filters,” on page 663. Once applied, color correction filters appear in the Filters tab of a clip that’s opened in the Viewer, along with any other filters you may have added.
IX The Color Corrector Filter The Color Corrector filter employs 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. General Controls There are several basic controls in the top-left corner of both filters.
If you hold down the Shift key while dragging a color balance control indicator, the angle of the control indicator is constrained, restricting the indicator’s movement out toward the edge of the control, or in toward the center. This lets you change the intensity of your color mix without changing the distribution of hues.
IX The Color Corrector filter has one Color Balance control that lets you manipulate the whites in a clip, and a Hue control. You rarely use the Balance and Hue controls simultaneously in a single color correction operation. Â Balance control: The Balance control affects the color balance in the whites of your clip. Drag within the color wheel to move the balance control indicator and change the mix of red, green, and blue in the whites of your clip.
 Auto White Level button: Click this button to analyze your clip and find the maximum level of white in the frame. The Whites slider is then adjusted to move the maximum white level to 100 percent as viewed on the Histogram.  Auto Black Level button: Click this button to analyze your clip and find the maximum level of black in the frame. The Blacks slider is then adjusted to move the maximum black level of your clip to 0 percent as viewed on the Histogram.
IX 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, see “Hue Matching Controls in the Color Corrector” on page 844.
6 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. 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. Now it’s time to address the color.
IX Since the picture was tinted into the blues, when you click the eyedropper on part of the white bedspread, the balance control indicator moves into a mixture of red and yellow to turn the whites of the image into true white. The balance control indicator moves to correct the whites. You can see the correction in the Canvas.
9 Click anywhere in the Balance control and drag to move the balance control indicator relative to its previous position. Since you already used the Auto-balance control to add more reds to compensate for the blues that you didn’t want, this will be your starting point as you work to achieve the particular effect you want for this scene.
IX 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.
Example: Using the Hue Matching Controls of the Color Corrector Filter This example shows how to use the Hue Matching controls of the Color Corrector 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. In the second shot, the actor has walked inside, where the color is incorrectly balanced for tungsten, causing it to be excessively warm, emphasizing the reds.
IX 3 Once the contrast has been adjusted the way you want it, click the Select Auto-balance Color button (the eyedropper). 4 Move the pointer into the window 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. The Match Color indicator fills with this color to let you know it’s been selected, and the Whites Select Auto-balance Color button highlights to let you know you should use it for the next step.
6 Move the pointer into the Canvas where clip 2 is displayed. When the pointer becomes an eyedropper, click a highlight in the actor’s face in clip 2 that matches, as closely as possible, the highlight you selected in clip 1. Note: For best results, it’s extremely important to select an area of color in the clip being corrected that accurately matches the level of the area of color you selected as the match color. Click a highlight in clip 2 that nearly matches the same highlight you chose in clip 1.
57 Using Built-in Generated Clips 57 Final Cut Express HD 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. 849) Â Different Ways to Use Generators in Your Sequence (p. 850) Â Graphical Video and Audio Generators Available in Final Cut Express HD (p. 851) 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 Express HD generators helpful. They allow you to very quickly add certain types of built-in clips by simply choosing items from a menu.
IX Graphical Video and Audio Generators Available in Final Cut Express HD 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. Use color bars and tone to calibrate external video and audio monitors. Bars and Tone (PAL) Generates reference video color bar and tone for PAL systems. Use color bars and tone to calibrate external video and audio monitors.
Generator Result Highlight (Render > Highlight) Generates a simulated  The Center point control determines the specular highlight band. location of the highlight, and the Highlight Angle control defines its angle. You can adjust the width and softness of the highlight with two sliders, and the highlight and background colors with color controls.  The Dither and Gaussian checkboxes allow you to modify the quality of the gradient you create.
IX Creating and Adding Generated Clips to Sequences All the Final Cut Express HD generators can be accessed either from the Effects tab of the Browser, or from the various submenus of the Generator pop-up menu in the Viewer. This pop-up menu is available when the Video or Audio tab is displayed in the Viewer. When you choose a generator, it appears in the Video tab of the Viewer.
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 Express HD” on page 851 for more information.
58 Creating Titles 58 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. 855) Â Installing and Choosing Fonts (p. 856) Â Making Sure Titles Fit on TV Screens (p. 856) Â Text Generators Available in Final Cut Express HD (p. 857) Â Creating and Adding a Title Clip (p. 858) 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 Express HD, you need to install the TrueType version of those fonts because Final Cut Express HD 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.
IX To display the title safe boundaries, do one of the following: m Choose View > Show Title Safe, so a checkmark appears next to it. m Choose Show Title Safe from the View pop-up menu in the Viewer, so a checkmark appears next to it. To hide the boundaries, do one of the following: m Choose View > Show Title Safe to remove the checkmark. m Choose Show Title Safe from the View pop-up menu in the Viewer to remove the checkmark.
Text generator Result Scrolling Text Generates text that  The Indent slider works only with left- or rightscrolls up the screen, aligned text and moves the entire scrolling like credits at the end of column to the left or right. a movie. The Scrolling  The Gap Width slider works only with centerText generator allows aligned text, and lets you define a space carriage returns. between two pieces of text on a single line that are separated by an asterisk (*).
IX To create a title clip: 1 Select a text generator by doing one of the following: Â Click the Video or Audio tab in the Viewer, then choose a text generator from the Generator pop-up menu. Â In the Effects tab of the Browser, double-click a text generator. For more information, see “Text Generators Available in Final Cut Express HD” on page 857 for detailed descriptions of the choices. 2 In the Viewer, click the Controls tab. 3 In the Text field, type the text that will appear in your movie.
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. Size: Change the font size by entering a value or dragging the slider to the left or right. Alignment: Choose the alignment of your title on the screen from this pop-up menu. Your choices are Left, Center, and Right.
IX Â Tracking: Use the slider to adjust the space between letters, or enter a value in the number field. Â Leading: Use the slider to adjust the space between lines of text, or enter a value in the number field. Â Aspect: Use the slider to adjust the proportion of height versus width of your selected font, or enter a value in the number field. Â Auto Kerning: Select the Auto Kerning checkbox to kern your text automatically so that the spacing between the individual letters of your text is correct.
Other Options for Creating and Adding Titles If a title you have in mind is something you can’t create with the available text generators, you can use other methods to create titles and incorporate them into your sequence: Â Using Photoshop files or stills for titles: If a title you really want is best created in another application such as Photoshop, you can create it there and add it to your sequence as a still image.
Part X: Real Time and Rendering X Learn how to maximize the real-time playback capabilities of Final Cut Express HD and render effects that cannot be played back in real time.
59 Using RT Extreme 59 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. 865) Â Using Real-Time Controls in Final Cut Express HD (p. 871) Â Real-Time Audio Mixing in Final Cut Express HD (p.
How Many Effects Can Be Played in Real Time? Each filter, motion parameter, or effect that you apply to a clip makes greater or lesser demands on the processing capabilities of your computer or on the video card you’re using to handle real-time effects playback.
X Playback video quality and frame rate can be controlled independently. For example, if you need to see every frame during playback, you can set your sequence playback frame rate to Full and video quality to Dynamic. In this case, your sequence video quality may be reduced during playback, but every frame will play.
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 Express HD 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.
X 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 Express HD ignores effects processing altogether in areas of your sequence where the applied video effects require rendering for realtime playback (indicated by a red render bar). Motion effects and video filters are ignored and the clip’s original media is played.
About External Video Monitoring If you enable DV output via FireWire, real-time playback is disabled. Maximizing Real-Time Playback Performance Many aspects of a computer system contribute to the playback of real-time effects: Â CPU speed: The faster your computer CPU is, the more real-time effects Final Cut Express HD can perform. Â Multiple processors: Computers with more than one processor have significant real-time performance advantages over single-processor computers.
X Â Transitions, filters, and motion effects: Most of the built-in transitions and filters can be used in real time. With the Unlimited RT setting selected in the Real-Time Effects (RT) pop-up menu of the Timeline, almost any effect or clip requiring processing can play back in real time. Display Quality and Accuracy of RT Extreme Video does not appear the same on a computer display as it does on a video monitor (such as an NTSC, PAL, or high definition monitor).
About Render Status Bars There are two render status bars in the Timeline above the ruler. The upper one is for video and the lower for audio. These render bars indicate various levels of real-time playback, including which sections of the sequence will play in real time and which ones require rendering to play back smoothly. Render bars appear near the top of the Timeline. Note: Even though they may also indicate real-time playback status, these bars are usually referred to as render bars.
X Identifying Which Effects Can Be Processed in Real Time Final Cut Express HD shows all video transitions and filters that can play back in real time in bold in both the Effects tab in the Browser and the Effects menu.
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. Playback Settings  RT pop-up menu:  Safe RT: Selecting this option guarantees that effects are played back at the quality and frame rate specified for Playback Video Quality and Frame Rate, and that no frames are dropped during playback.
X Â Playback Video Quality: Some codecs, such as DV, allow you to choose from several resolutions during playback. Selecting a higher playback quality will reduce the number of simultaneous real-time effects you can play. Â Dynamic: This option allows Final Cut Express HD to automatically change between High, Medium, and Low quality as necessary to maintain real-time playback. In this case, the quality of the video resolution can change frame by frame.
Real-Time Audio Mixing in Final Cut Express HD Final Cut Express HD can mix and play back eight audio tracks in a sequence in real time. Different filters and transitions affect real-time playback in varying degrees. If Final Cut Express HD can’t mix all the tracks in a sequence in real time, you hear a series of beeps indicating that part or all of your sequence must be rendered before being output as a final mix.
60 Rendering 60 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. 877) Â Render Indicators in Final Cut Express HD (p. 879) Â The Rendering Process (p. 883) Â Tips for Avoiding Unnecessary Rendering (p.
Reasons for Rendering Any time Final Cut Express HD must perform more calculations than your computer can handle in real time, you need to render. Final Cut Express HD 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 an NTSC clip into a PAL sequence requires rendering before you can play back the sequence.
X Render Indicators in Final Cut Express HD Final Cut Express HD 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. 880 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.
X 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.
X 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 “Sequence to Sequence Editing” on page 539.
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.
X 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.
Render All Submenu The commands in the Render All submenu render all the clips corresponding to the selected Timeline playback states in a sequence, regardless of whether or not you’ve selected a region of the Timeline. Â Both: Renders both the video and audio of the sequence. Several menu items representing each video and audio Timeline playback state appear underneath. Selecting and deselecting specific render states allow you to control which clips are rendered (selected menu items appear checked).
X More About Audio Render Options Two of the audio rendering operations create render files in very specific ways. Â Item Level rendering options: Renders the audio items that need to be resampled to match the sample rate of the sequence, as well as audio items with filters applied to them, as item level render files. Audio mixing is still done in real time, and mixing performance improves since audio resampling and audio effects no longer consume real-time processing resources.
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.
X 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.
Temporarily Disabling Rendering Normally, Final Cut Express HD 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.
X 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 Express HD > User Preferences and click the General tab.
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 Express HD, 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.
X Changing Render Options for Sequences If you change the render control options for new or existing sequences, you will affect real-time playback, rendering, video output, and export quality to QuickTime movie files. To change the default Render Control options for all new sequences: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > User Preferences 2 Click the Render Control tab. 3 Select the settings you want, then click OK.
Using Nested Sequences to Preserve Render Files You can preserve render files for a sequence or for audio clips within a sequence by nesting that sequence within another sequence. Nesting is particularly useful for protecting the render files for effects-intensive clips you plan to trim frequently. If a change is made to a parent sequence that’s been nested, it needs to be rerendered before the nested sequence plays in real time.
X Â Disable the rendering and playback of filters, frame blending, and motion blur individually, or collectively in the Render Control tab of Sequence Settings. These options can be reselected at any time. Â Temporarily disable rendering of non-real-time clips. This allows you to make changes to effects-intensive sequences without having to wait for frames at the position of the playhead to render for display in the Viewer or Canvas. For more information, see “Temporarily Disabling Rendering” on page 890.
Part XI: Project Management and Settings XI Final Cut Express HD features tools that help you keep track of your footage from the first phase of post-production to the final cut.
61 Media Management 61 Successful editing requires 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. 899) Â Reasons to Manage your Media (p. 900) Â What You Need to Know to Manage Your Media (p. 901) Â Media Management Steps in Final Cut Express HD (p. 901) Â Strategies for Media Management (p.
The flexibility and power of media management in Final Cut Express HD stems from one simple fact: A clip and its media file are treated independently. In Final Cut Express HD, a more accurate description of media management would be clip and media management.
XI What You Need to Know to Manage Your Media To effectively keep track of or manage your media, you must have a good understanding of the following:  The distinction between a clip and a media file, as well as the relationship between the two  The relationship between master and affiliate clips in a Final Cut Express HD project  How to effectively sort and search large amounts of data, such as clips in the Browser or in a sequence  How to name files concisely and descriptively  The fundamental nature
Step 3: Transferring your project to another Final Cut Express HD system Clips represent media files even when the media files aren’t there. This means that the structure of an entire edited sequence can be saved separately from its media files. At any time, you can tell Final Cut Express HD to recapture all of a sequence’s media files, and the movie is automatically re-created.
62 Backing Up and Restoring Projects 62 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. 903) Â Archiving Completed Projects (p. 907) Â Updating Projects From Previous Versions of Final Cut Express HD (p. 909) Backing Up and Restoring Projects Final Cut Express HD has several methods for backing up, reverting, and restoring projects.
Using the Autosave Feature Autosave routinely saves copies of your project while you work. If something goes wrong with the current version of your project, you can restore an autosaved version to quickly pick up where you left off. How Autosave Works By default, autosave files are stored in the following location: [Home]/Documents/Final Cut Express HD Documents/Autosave Vault. To turn on autosave: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > User Preferences, then click the General tab.
XI If you have more than one hard disk, you can routinely save your normal project file on one disk and specify an Autosave Vault folder on the other disk. This way, if you have trouble with one hard disk, you will still have project files on the other. Warning: The Autosave Vault folder is not locked. If you inadvertently delete this folder from the Finder, Final Cut Express HD automatically re-creates it. However, any autosave files in the deleted folder cannot be re-created.
Restoring Autosaved Projects If you’re working on your project and decide you want to go back to an earlier autosaved version, you can use the Restore Project command. Restore Project allows you to choose from all of the available autosaved versions of the currently active project, based on the time and date they were created. For example, suppose your client saw the newest cut of a project and didn’t like it.
XI Opening a Project File After Your Computer Is Unexpectedly Powered Off If your computer is abruptly shut down, you can open the most recently autosaved project file after you restart your computer. In this situation, you have several options: Â Open the project file and restore the latest autosaved version. Â Open the latest autosaved version of the project directly from the Finder.
Creating an Archive of a Finished Project For long-term archiving, you should save both the project file and the original media (such as the actual videotapes). As long as you have your project file and the original videotapes, you can open your project and recapture your media at any time.
XI Updating Projects From Previous Versions of Final Cut Express HD Almost every version of Final Cut Express HD has new features that require the project format to change. The current version of Final Cut Express HD can open projects from any previous version. Choosing Project Update Options If you open an older project file, most necessary updates happen automatically.
Updating Projects From Final Cut Express HD (version 3) or Earlier Scaling Quality Projects created in Final Cut Express HD (version 3) and earlier used the Fastest option. If you want higher quality motion transformations, you can choose Normal or Best. You can change this setting later in the Video Processing tab of each sequence in your project. For more information, see “Rendering” on page 877.
63 Elements of a Final Cut Express HD Project 63 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 Express HD 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. 911) Â About Icons and Project Elements in the Browser (p. 915) 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.
XI Clips Defined By Relationship to Other Clips A master clip is the first instance of a clip imported or captured in Final Cut Express HD. Master clips exist exclusively in the Browser, and they are used to manage multiple instances of the same footage used throughout your project. This is how it works: Each time you edit a clip into a sequence, Final Cut Express HD creates a new instance of that clip.
Clips Defined By Media File Connection An offline clip is any clip whose media file cannot be located, or whose Source property is empty. When you first log clips, they are offline clips because they have no associated media files. If the modification date of a clip’s media file changes in the Finder, or if you delete a clip’s media file, the clip becomes an offline clip until you reconnect it. Clips Defined By Location in Project A Browser clip is any clip which appears in the Browser.
XI 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 Express HD 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 Express HD. This icon is also used for merged clips (clips created by merging audio and video clip items together).
Icon Name Description 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. Audio filter Effects filter that can be applied to an audio clip. Audio transition Transition effect that can be applied between two consecutive clips in an audio track.
XI Name of property Description Anamorphic A checkmark in this property indicates that the media file’s pixel data was intended to be displayed anamorphically (stretched wide). You can set this property to force a clip with a 4:3 aspect ratio to be widescreen 16:9. For clips, this property is originally based on the capture preset used; for sequences, it’s based on the sequence settings. You can change this property at any time.
Name of property Description Duration Shows the duration between a clip’s In and Out points. Speed adjustments to a clip affect a clip’s duration. Frame Size Displays the video image dimensions in pixels. For clips, this property is based on the dimensions of the clip’s media file or capture preset selected during logging. For sequences, frame size is based on the sequence settings (or sequence preset chosen).
XI Name of property Description Offline A checkmark indicates a clip is offline, meaning no media file exists in the location of the clip’s Source file path, or the clip’s Source file path is empty. A clip is offline if its media file can’t be located, or if media has not yet been captured for the clip (thus the clip does not yet have a file path to point to a media file on disk). Out Timecode of the Out point for a clip.
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.
64 Working With Master and Affiliate Clips 64 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. 921) Â Master-Affiliate Clip Properties (p. 930) 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.
XI 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, 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 Use the Duplicate as New Master Clip command: This allows you to duplicate a master clip in the Browser as a new, unrelated master clip.
Creating Affiliate Clips From Master Clips As you edit in Final Cut Express HD, 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.
XI 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, 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.
XI To create new master clips for an entire sequence of independent clips: 1 Do one of the following to define the scope of the Create Master Clips operation: Â To create master clips corresponding to every clip in your project, make sure nothing is selected in the Browser or the Timeline. Â If you want to limit the creation of master clips to a specific group of clips or sequences, select them. 2 Choose Tools > Create Master Clips.
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.
XI Finding a Clip’s Master Clip Using the Reveal Master Clip command, you can identify the master clip of any clip in the Browser. To find a clip’s master clip: 1 In the Browser or Timeline, select an affiliate clip. If the Timeline is active but no clip is selected, the clip at the position of the playhead acts as the selected clip. 2 Choose View > Reveal Master Clip. The master clip is automatically selected in the Browser.
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 916. 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.
XI 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.
65 Reconnecting Clips and Offline Media 65 Whenever a clip’s media file is modified outside of Final Cut Express HD, 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. 933) Â How the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Can Be Broken (p. 934) Â Reconnecting Clips to Media Files (p.
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. If a clip cannot locate its media file, the media file is considered offline, and the clip is called an offline clip. An offline clip has a red slash through its icon in the Browser: These are offline clips.
XI Differences Between “Missing” and Offline Media Files Final Cut Express HD considers any clip without a media file to be offline. However, the status of the clip’s Source property determines whether Final Cut Express HD continues to search for a clip’s media file each time a project is opened.
About the Reconnect Files Dialog The Reconnect Files dialog has the following features: Click these buttons to filter which types of clips are displayed in the Files To Connect list. Displays all clips selected to be reconnected. Choose a directory and select this checkbox to limit your media file search to a single directory. Click to remove the currently highlighted clip from the Files To Connect area. Click this to tell Final Cut Express HD to search the specified locations for a clip’s media file.
XI Search Locations Area This area allows you to choose which folders are searched when Final Cut Express HD looks for media files. Â Skip File: Click this button to remove the current clip highlighted in the Files to Reconnect list. When this clip is removed, the next clip in the list is highlighted for reconnection. Â Search Single Location checkbox: When you select this option, only the directory path in the Search Single Location pop-up menu is searched, as well as any subfolders of that directory path.
Search Order and Speed in the Reconnect Files Dialog Final Cut Express HD searches folders in the order they appear in the Search Folders pop-up menu. To make searching for media files efficient, Final Cut Express HD searches designated folders before searching entire volumes. This way, if a media file is located in a specified search folder, Final Cut Express HD never has to perform a more timeconsuming search through an entire volume.
XI Using the Reconnect Files Dialog The Reconnect Files dialog has many options, depending on the types of clips you are reconnecting and the number of volumes and folders you want to search for missing media files. The task below suggest one possible workflow. To use the Reconnect Files dialog: 1 Select the clips you want to reconnect.
5 Do one of the following: Â Choose a directory path from the Search Folders pop-up menu, then select the Search Single Location option to limit where Final Cut Express HD searches for clips’ media files. Â Deselect the Search Single Location option so that all folders in the Search Folders pop-up menu are searched. 6 Do one of the following: Â Click Search to have Final Cut Express HD search for media files automatically. Â Click Locate to manually navigate to the location of the media file.
XI 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 Express HD. 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 Express HD restricts your selections to media files whose names match the file name in the clip’s Source property.
8 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.
XI 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 Express HD. 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.
66 Choosing Settings and Preferences 66 Final Cut Express HD 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. 945) Â Changing System Settings (p. 952) Changing User Preferences A preference modifies how a particular Final Cut Express HD feature behaves.
 Timeline Options Tab (p. 951): 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 “Timeline Basics” on page 111.  Render Control Tab (p. 952): This tab allows you to choose the render quality of new sequences you create. For more information, see “Rendering” on page 877.
XI Real-Time Audio and Video Options  Real-time Audio Mixing: Enter a number in this field to specify how many audio tracks can be mixed in real time. The default is 8 tracks, and the maximum is 99. The maximum number of tracks that can be mixed without having to be rendered is affected by your computer’s processing capabilities, the number and types of filters used in your sequence, the data transfer rate of your hard disk, and the amount of memory available to Final Cut Express HD.
 Limit real-time video to N MB/s: Final Cut Express HD uses this number to limit how many video streams can play back from your scratch disk in real time. This is useful when you have a scratch disk with a limited data rate, such as a PowerBook hard disk. For example, suppose you try to play a sequence with six simultaneous video tracks containing DV media, and Final Cut Express HD warns you that frames were dropped during playback.
XI Autosave Options  Autosave Vault: The Autosave option saves a copy of each open project at regular intervals. For more information, see “Using the Autosave Feature” on page 904. New Project and Sequence Options  Prompt for settings on New Project: When this option is selected, the Project Properties dialog appears when you create a new project. For more information about setting project properties, see “Working With Projects, Clips, and Sequences” on page 261.
Editing Tab The preferences in this tab affect editing behaviors in Final Cut Express HD. Default Timing Options  Still/Freeze Duration: This value determines the duration for imported graphics and freeze frames you create in Final Cut Express HD (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.
XI  Preview Post-roll: This value is used by the Play Around Current control and the Trim Edit window to determine how much time after the playhead should be played. For more information, see “Viewer Basics” on page 79. The setting is also applicable in the Trim Edit window; see “Trimming Clips Using the Trim Edit Window” on page 493. 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.
Render Control Tab This tab is used to set default render options for new sequences. You can choose the default frame rate and resolution settings used when you render items in new sequences, and decide what kinds of effects are displayed (such as filters and speed settings). Once a sequence is created, you can change its render control options by choosing Sequence > Settings and clicking the Render Control tab. For more information, see “Rendering” on page 877.
XI To open System Settings: m Choose Final Cut Express HD > System Settings. The System Settings window is divided into several tabs: Â Scratch Disks Tab (p. 953) Â Search Folders Tab (p. 953) Â Memory & Cache Tab (p. 955) Â Playback Control Tab (p. 956) Â External Editors Tab (p. 957) Scratch Disks Tab You use the Scratch Disks tab to choose where you want to capture video and audio media files, and where to store the render, cache, and Autosave files that Final Cut Express HD creates.
To add or replace a search folder: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > System Settings, then click the Search Folders tab. 2 Do one of the following: Â Click the last Set button to add a new search folder. Â Click Set next to an existing search folder to replace it. The Choose a Folder dialog appears. 3 Navigate to the search folder you want to use in the Reconnect Files dialog, then click Choose. 4 Click OK.
XI Memory & Cache Tab The settings in this tab affect memory usage in Final Cut Express HD. Memory Usage Use these fields to decide how much of the RAM available in your computer to use when running Final Cut Express HD. Your computer’s available RAM is defined as the amount of RAM not used by Mac OS X and other currently running applications.
Thumbnail Cache Settings The thumbnail cache stores the clip thumbnails displayed in the Timeline and the Browser. When you choose to display thumbnails, the thumbnail cache improves the responsiveness of the Timeline and Browser. There are two settings you can modify:  Disk  RAM Enter numbers in these fields to specify the sizes of the thumbnail caches.
XI External Editors Tab Final Cut Express HD 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 Express HD. 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.
To set an external editor: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > System Settings, then click the External Editors tab. 2 Click Set next to the clip type for which you want to assign an external editor. 3 In the Open dialog that appears, navigate to the location of the application you want to use, then click Open. The pathname appears next to the file type in the External Editors tab. The path is shown for the application set to open still image files.
Part XII: Output XII Learn how to output your completed movie to videotape or DVD, or export to any QuickTime-compatible video format.
67 Preparing to Output to Tape 67 Tape is still the most common means of acquisition, output, and transfer for professional projects. Final Cut Express HD allows you to output sequences or clips to tape at any phase of your project. This chapter covers the following: Â Output Requirements (p. 961) Â How to Output to Tape in Final Cut Express HD (p. 962) Â Setting Up Your Editing System to Output to Tape (p.
How to Output to Tape in Final Cut Express HD There are two main ways you can output your video from Final Cut Express HD to tape:  Print to Video  Recording to tape directly from the Timeline Print to Video Print to Video is generally the best option. Many digital camcorders and VTRs can be triggered to record automatically as soon as you begin the Print to Video operation. You need to connect a FireWire (for DV) cable between your computer and video deck to use this option.
XII Setting Up Your Editing System to Output to Tape Before you output to tape, you need to set up your video devices and Final Cut Express HD settings and preferences. Some steps are only relevant to particular methods. Step 1: Connect your video deck or camcorder Step 2: Cue the videotape (Print to Video) 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 “Connecting Your Equipment” on page 145.
68 Printing To Video and Output From the Timeline 68 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. 965) Â Printing to Video (p. 966) Â Recording From the Timeline (p. 968) Â Outputting to VHS Tape (p.
Printing to Video The Print to Video command doesn’t allow you to set In or Out points on your tape. Instead, you manually press record whenever you want to begin recording on tape. This is considered a crash record. You can automatically add leader and trailer elements, such as color bars and tone, a countdown, a slate, and a black trailer, to your movie. You can also loop your movie as many times as you want, if you want to output your movie multiple times on the same tape.
XII To print to videotape: 1 Select the desired sequence or clip in the Browser, or open your sequence and make the Canvas or Timeline active. 2 To output part of a sequence or clip to video, set In and Out points to designate the part you want to record to videotape. For more information, see “Setting Edit Points for Clips and Sequences” on page 283. Mark In and Out points, if desired. 3 Choose File > Print to Video. 4 Select elements you want to print along with your sequence or clip.
5 When you’ve finished setting options, click OK. Transitions and effects that require rendering, along with any added elements, are rendered automatically prior to output. 6 When a message tells you to start recording, press the Record button on your camcorder or deck. Wait a few seconds for your video device to reach a smooth recording speed, then click OK to begin recording. 7 When playback is finished, press the Stop button on your camcorder or deck.
XII 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.
 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.  Forward: Plays from the current position of the playhead forward to the end of the sequence in the Timeline.  Reverse: Plays from the current position of the playhead back to the beginning of the sequence in the Timeline.
69 Exporting Sequences for DVD 69 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. 971) Â Adding Chapter and Compression Markers to Your Sequence (p. 974) Â Exporting QuickTime Movies for iDVD (p.
There are essentially three phases to creating a DVD: Â Create and edit your source material. In addition to the main Final Cut Express HD 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 Express HD before exporting them for use in the DVD authoring application. Â Author your DVD title.
XII Â Add compression and chapter markers in Final Cut Express HD to help control the encode quality and make creating chapter selection menus easier. MPEG encoders, such as the one used by iDVD, can use these markers to customize the MPEG encoding process, directing the encoder to concentrate on those areas of the video that are the hardest to encode. See “About the MPEG Format,” next, and “Adding Chapter and Compression Markers to Your Sequence” on page 974 for more information.
Audio for iDVD Projects iDVD projects can have a single audio stream for each menu, slideshow, and movie. All audio used in iDVD projects ends up as uncompressed AIFF audio on the burned DVD. When recording and editing audio, use a 48 kilohertz (kHz) sample rate and no compression. This ensures the best quality. Important: When creating DVDs, your audio must have either a 48 kHz or 96 kHz sample rate. If you use the 44.
XII More About Chapter Markers You can add chapter markers so that DVD authoring applications can create a navigable chapter list for your exported QuickTime movie. Chapter markers also appear in QuickTime Player as a chapter list for jumping to specific parts of the movie using a pop-up menu. A chapter marker is distinguished by the text appearing in the Comment field of its Edit Marker window. For details on adding and deleting markers, see “Using Markers” on page 235.
More About Compression Markers Compression markers identify areas of abrupt change in your sequence, such as a cut from a black room to a bright grassy plain. Compression markers are automatically inserted by Final Cut Express HD at all edit points. You can also place compression markers where you want; these are forced compression markers.
XII Exporting QuickTime Movies for iDVD iDVD only imports standard QuickTime movies as video sources. This means that if you intend to use iDVD as your DVD authoring application, you only need to export a QuickTime movie from Final Cut Express HD. iDVD automatically encodes the video and audio sources to be DVD-compliant. The video is encoded as MPEG-2 at a quality controlled by a preference setting and the video length. The audio is encoded as uncompressed AIFF.
70 Learning About QuickTime 70 Final Cut Express HD 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. 979) Â How Final Cut Express HD Uses QuickTime for Import, Export, and Capture (p.
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.
XII 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.
XII Â AIFF and WAVE: These are audio file formats that contain uncompressed audio data. 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.
XII 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 (None) 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.
XII 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.
XII How Do You Export the Files You Need? There are two commands in Final Cut Express HD that you use to output QuickTime content. Â Export QuickTime Movie: This command allows you to export your Final Cut Express HD sequence as a QuickTime movie, choosing from available sequence presets and including markers for use in other applications (such as DVD Studio Pro).
The Export Using QuickTime Conversion Command Unlike the Export QuickTime Movie command, which only exports to a QuickTime movie file, the Export Using QuickTime Conversion command allows you to export to almost any file format QuickTime supports, using any video and audio codec supported by that format. Everything is customizable: image dimensions, frame rate, audio sample rate, video codec, audio codec, and so on.
71 Exporting QuickTime Movies 71 You can export your finished sequence to a QuickTime movie. 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. 991) Â Choosing the Type of QuickTime Movie to Export (p. 992) 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.
XII Exporting a QuickTime Movie File You can use the Export QuickTime Movie command whenever you want to export a sequence or media file to a QuickTime movie file. To export a QuickTime movie: 1 Choose Sequence > Settings, then click the Render Control tab. 2 Select the appropriate rendering options for the output quality you want. 3 Select a clip or sequence in the Browser or open a sequence in the Timeline. 4 Choose File > Export > QuickTime Movie. 5 Choose a location and enter a name for the file.
8 To export a QuickTime movie with all video, audio, and rendered media in a selfcontained file, select the Make Movie Self-Contained option. Leave this option unselected to export a reference movie, which is a small movie that contains pointers to audio and render files located elsewhere. For more information, see “Choosing the Type of QuickTime Movie to Export” on page 992. 9 When you’re ready to export, click Save. A dialog shows you the progress of the export.
72 Exporting QuickTime-Compatible Files 72 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 About the Export Using QuickTime Conversion Command (p. 995) Â Types of QuickTime-Compatible File Formats (p. 996) Â Exporting a QuickTime Movie File for Web Distribution (p. 997) Â Exporting a DV Stream (p.
What Is QuickTime and Why Do I Need to Know About It? QuickTime is Apple’s multiplatform, multimedia technology for handling video, sound, animation, graphics, text, interactivity, and music. For more information, see “Learning About QuickTime” on page 979. 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.
XII Still Image File Formats and Image Sequences  Still Image: This choice allows you to select one of many still image file formats. See Chapter 73, “Exporting Still Images and Image Sequences,” on page 1009.  Image Sequence: This choice allows you to select a still image file format and export each frame of your video as a separate file in the format you choose. See “Importing Media Files Into Your Project” on page 199.
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.
XII 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 Express HD 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.
XII 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 Express HD, 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.
XII 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.
XII 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. The person downloading the file must have QuickTime 3.0 or later.
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. 3 Choose a location and enter a name for the file. 4 Choose DV Stream from the Format pop-up menu. 5 Choose a setting from the Use pop-up menu, based on the video standard and audio sample rate of the selected clip or sequence. 6 To customize settings, click Options. Â DV Format: Choose a DV format, such as DVCPRO 50, here.
XII Exporting an AVI File AVI is a Windows-compatible movie file format for digital video. This file type is no longer officially supported by Microsoft, but it’s still frequently used. The AVI format is similar to a QuickTime movie file, but it supports fewer track types and codecs. It is useful mainly for delivery of movie files to Windows computers or the Internet. To export an AVI file: 1 Select a clip or sequence in the Browser or open the sequence in the Timeline.
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. If there is no audio in your clip or sequence, make sure the Sound checkbox is not selected. Otherwise, the blank audio tracks will take up space in your output file.
73 Exporting Still Images and Image Sequences 73 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. 1009) Â Exporting a Single Still Image (p. 1010) Â Exporting Image Sequences (p.
Bit Depth of Exported Still Images Exported still images are always exported using 8 bits per pixel per color channel. For example, an RGB TIFF or Photoshop file uses a total of 24 bits (3 channels x 8 bits per channel) per pixel. If an alpha channel is included, the exported file uses 32 bits per pixel (4 channels x 8 bits per channel). Exporting a Single Still Image Exporting a still image from Final Cut Express HD is easy.
XII 6 To select custom settings, click Options, and in the Export Image Sequence Settings dialog, choose your settings, then click OK. Custom settings allow you to choose any graphics file format supported by QuickTime. You can also make particular adjustments to the compression method or color depth. In most cases, the default values are fine, but if you need particular settings, you can adjust the settings here. Each graphics file format has a unique set of adjustable parameters. Choose a format.
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.
XII 7 To select custom settings, 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.
74 Exporting Audio for Mixing in Other Applications 74 If you plan to send your audio to an audio post-production facility for finishing, you can export each audio track as an individual AIFF file. This chapter covers the following: Â Ways You Can Finish Your Audio (p. 1015) Â Organizing Your Audio Clips for Multi-Track Export (p. 1016) Â Exporting Audio Tracks to Individual Audio Files (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.
XII Exporting Audio Tracks to Individual Audio Files Final Cut Express HD allows you to export each audio track in your sequence as a discrete file, which you can then open in another audio application for final mixing. The disadvantage of this method is that it doesn’t preserve your edit points because all of the audio clips on each track become one audio file. Your audio editor then has to manually edit each track to get back to the original clips.
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.
XII 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.
XII 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.
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.
Part XIII: Appendixes XIII 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. 1025) Â Types of Video Signals and Connectors (p. 1042) Â A Brief History of Film, Television, and Audio Formats (p. 1045) 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.
 The scanning method: interlaced fields (2 fields per frame) or progressive (one complete frame at a time).  Color recording method: RGB, component (YUV), S-Video (Y/C), or composite.  Color sampling: For component digital formats, the ratio of color samples to blackand-white (or luma) samples (for example, 4:4:4, 4:2:2, and 4:1:1).  Sampling rate: the number of samples per second of each video line.
XIII The size of the cassette itself can be varied as well. For example, the BetacamSP format comes in both small and large sizes. The small tapes are used for camcorders, while the large format is used in studio VTRs. Aspects of the physical composition of magnetic tape, such as density of magnetic particles, limits the data rate and track size that can be recorded on the tape. The magnetic coating on a video tape is formulated to work with particular camcorders and VTRs.
High Definition Video In the late 1990s, high definition video formats were standardized in the United States by the ATSC (Advanced Television Standards Committee). These high definition video formats are the next generation of broadcast and recording video formats. Unlike standard definition formats, which are restricted to fixed frame rates and number of lines per frame, HD video provides several options per format.
XIII The luma (black-and-white channel) and chroma (color channels) information can be recorded and transmitted several different ways in a video signal. Â RGB (Red, Green, Blue): This is the native format for most computer graphics and video files. This signal is also used inside traditional color CRTs and flat-panel displays. Red, green, and blue signals can be combined to make any color, as well as grayscale images from black (no signal on any channel) to white (full signal on every channel).
Aspect Ratio of the Video Frame The ratio of horizontal to vertical dimensions of a film or video frame is called the aspect ratio. Aspect ratio is independent of absolute image size or resolution. Standard definition 1.33:1 (4 x 3) High definition 1.78:1 (16 x 9) Standard cinema 1.85:1 Widescreen cinema 2.35:1 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).
XIII Below is a list of commonly used aspect ratios, mostly from the film and television industry, plus a few others for comparison: Aspect ratio Medium 1.33 (4:3) Television 1.37 Camera footage (prior to projection) 1.66 Standard European film masked in projector 1.78 (16:9) High definition television 1.85 Standard North American film projector 2.40 (also 2.35, 2.38, and 2.
Common video frame sizes are shown in the table below. Width Height Pixel Screen aspect ratio aspect ratio Description 320 240 1:1 4:3 Used for web distribution or offline video editing 640 480 1:1 4:3 An early standard for analog-to-digital video editing, and an ATSC video specification 7201 480 Height 4:3 greater than width NTSC DV and DVD image dimensions. Also part of the ATSC video specification.
XIII 720 x 486 Versus 720 x 480 Another issue that comes up is the subtle difference between NTSC SD formats that use 486 lines per frame (Digital Betacam, D-1, D-5) and formats that use 480 lines per frame (DV, DVCPRO, DVD). Why is there this subtle difference? The reason is simple: 480 is divisible by 16, and 486 isn’t. Divisibility by 16 is important for any MPEG-like compression codec, because each frame is broken into 16 x 16 pixel blocks (known as macroblocks) during compression.
None of this was obvious in the days of linear editing, when video was simply copied from one tape to another, because the video equipment always compensated automatically. However, as people began using computers to work with video, digital video captured to the computer looked distorted (squashed vertically or stretched horizontally) because the computer displayed the pixels as squares, without compensation. Some video formats use rectangular pixels to reduce the amount of information stored on tape.
XIII Scanning Method A video frame is made of horizontal lines that are scanned from one side of a display to the other. Progressive video scanning happens when each line of a video frame is scanned one after another. Interlaced scanning fills the entire frame with only half the lines, which requires half the time, thus doubling the perceived frame rate and reducing flicker. About Interlaced Scanning Frame rates lower than 40 fps cause noticeable flicker.
About Progressive Scanning Progressive scanning is much simpler than interlaced scanning: each line is scanned consecutively until a complete frame is drawn. Computer monitors and many recent high definition televisions use progressive scanning. Here are some significant facts about interlaced and progressive scanning methods: Â Interlacing provides twice the perceived frame rate with only half the recording or transmission requirements.
XIII In Final Cut Express HD, there are two options for field dominance: Â Upper (field 2 is dominant, so the second field is drawn first) Â Lower (field 1 is dominant, so the first field is drawn first) Generally, Upper is used by 640 x 480 systems, while Lower is most common in professional 720 x 486 and DV 720 x 480 systems. Color Recording Method The color recording method of a video format may be either RGB, component (Y´CBCR), SVideo (Y/C), or composite.
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.
XIII 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.
XIII 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.
Types of Video Signals and Connectors When you capture and output, the type of video signal you use to connect your equipment is a critical factor that goes into determining the quality of your video. Video camcorders, decks, and monitors can use different types of signal types, depending on the environment they are intended for. Consumer equipment usually has limited video signal choices; professional gear gives you the greatest range of options.
XIII S-Video S-Video, also known as Y/C, is a higher quality video signal used by high-end consumer video equipment. The image looks sharper and has better color than composite video because S-Video keeps the color and brightness information separate on two cables. Most low-cost analog-to-digital video interfaces have S-Video as their highest quality video connector.
FireWire (Also Called IEEE 1394a or i.LINK) This is the consumer and professional standard for DV-format digital video. FireWire is an inexpensive and easy way to capture and output high-quality digital video using a variety of camcorders and decks, capable of data rates as high as 400 Mbps. Standard FireWire cables can be up to 4.5 meters long.
XIII A Brief History of Film, Television, and Audio Formats The timeline below helps to illustrate the constantly evolving list of media formats as well as developmental peaks and valleys. Year Event 1826 First photograph is taken. 1877 Thomas Edison makes the first sound recording of “Mary had a little lamb.” 1888 Heinrich Hertz shows that electricity can travel through space and that radio waves are physically identical to light.
Year Event 1953 First CinemaScope, anamorphic film is released with 2.66 aspect ratio (1.33 x 2). 1955 Stereo tape recording is introduced by EMI Stereosonic Tapes. 1956 Ampex introduces its first video recorder using 2-inch reel-to-reel tape. 1961 Stereo radio broadcasts begin. 1963 Philips introduces audio cassette tapes. 1967 BBC TWO becomes the first British color broadcast network, using the PAL system, 625 lines, 25 fps interlaced.
Frame Rate and Timecode B Appendix B This appendix covers the following: Â What Is Frame Rate? (p. 1047) Â Understanding Flicker and Perceived Frame Rate (p. 1048) Â Frame Rate Limits: How Many Frames per Second Is Best? (p. 1049) Â Choosing a Frame Rate (p. 1050) Â What Is Timecode? (p. 1052) Â About Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame Timecode (p. 1052) Â The Difference Between Frame Rate and Timecode (p. 1055) Â Timecode on Tape (p. 1055) Â Comparison of Various Timecode Formats (p.
Early television systems selected frame rates based on local electrical standards to avoid electrical interference with the picture. NTSC in North America uses 30 fps (now adjusted to 29.97 fps for color NTSC) based on 60 Hz electrical power. PAL, used primarily in Europe, uses 25 fps based on 50 Hz electrical mains. Because film cameras are relatively simple compared to video cameras, they allow shooting and playing back with a wide range of frame rates (although the standard projection speed is 24 fps).
XIII Early television systems used a different approach for the same result: increased flicker without increasing the necessary electronic bandwidth. Interlaced scanning fills a television frame with only half the video lines of a frame (this is known as a field), and then fills in the remaining lines (the other field). A field effectively fills the television screen with an image, even though it is only half-resolution, and it does so in half the time it would take to draw the full frame.
Recording Slow Frame Rates for Time-Lapse Photography Slow frame rates are used for time-lapse photography, in which a scene is recorded relatively slowly, perhaps one frame every second, hour, or day. This is useful when you are trying to capture gradually changing events, such as growing plants, the movement of clouds, or the rising and setting of the sun. When played back at standard frame rates, events occur rapidly on screen and otherwise undetectable patterns emerge.
XIII 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.
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.
XIII Drop frame timecode compensates for the fact that the NTSC format has a frame rate of 29.97 fps, which is .03 fps slower than the nearest whole number frame rate of 30 fps. Timecode can only be represented by whole numbers, so timecode numbers are periodically skipped in drop frame timecode. This way, the timecode number always matches the seconds and minutes of video that have played. NTSC can use either drop frame or non-drop frame timecode.
Now, instead of using a five-letter code to uniquely tag each frame, consider using an address code in the format 00:00:00:00. Remember that these numbers don’t reflect time, they are simply unique identifiers. The first frame of NTSC video will be labeled 00:00:00:00. The 29th frame will be labeled 00:00:00:29 and the 30th frame will be labeled 00:00:01:00. Again, just because a frame is labeled 00:00:01:00 does not mean that one second has passed.
XIII Drop frame timecode was invented to compensate for the discrepancy between 29.97 and 30 fps. Every minute except each tenth minute, two timecode numbers are dropped from the timecode count. This drop frame mode of 30 fps timecode remains accurate compared to the actual time passed, with a strange side effect that two numbers each minute vanish from the count.
Most timecode readers can automatically switch between LTC and VITC if they are both available. In Final Cut Express HD, you can choose this setting in your device control preset: Â LTC+VITC: If you choose this setting, Final Cut Express HD looks at both timecodes so that accurate timecode can be read no matter what speed the tape is playing (LTC is used for normal and high-speed playback; VITC is used for slow motion and pause).
XIII 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 1782 00:01:14:06 00:01:11:07 00:00:59:12 00:00:59:12 0111+06 0285+06 1783 00:01:14:07 00:01:11:08 00:00:59:13 00:00:59:13 0111+07 0285+07 1784 00:01:14:08 00:01:11:09 00:00:59:14 00:00:59:14 0111+08 0285+08 1785 00:01:14:09 00:01:11:10 00:00:59:15 00:00:59:15 0111+09 0285+09 1786 00:01:14:10 00:01:11:11 00:00:59:16 00:00:59:16 0111+10 028
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 1817 00:01:15:17 00:01:12:17 00:01:00:17 00:01:00:19 0113+09 0287+37 1818 00:01:15:18 00:01:12:18 00:01:00:18 00:01:00:20 0113+10 0287+38 1819 00:01:15:19 00:01:12:19 00:01:00:19 00:01:00:21 0113+11 0287+39 1820 00:01:15:20 00:01:12:20 00:01:00:20 00:01:00:22 0113+12 0288+00 1821 00:01:15:21 00:01:12:21 00:01:00:21 00:01:00:23 0113+13 02
Working With Anamorphic 16:9 Media C Appendix C This appendix covers the following: Â About Anamorphic 16:9 Media (p. 1059) Â Recording Anamorphic Video (p. 1063) Â Capturing Anamorphic Media (p. 1064) Â Viewing and Editing Anamorphic Media (p. 1064) Â Rendering Items That Contain Anamorphic Media (p. 1066) Â Exporting Anamorphic Video to a QuickTime Movie (p. 1067) About Anamorphic 16:9 Media In Final Cut Express HD, you can capture, edit, and export anamorphic 16:9 media.
Video can also be recorded anamorphically. For example, using a standard definition NTSC 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.
XIII 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.
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.
XIII 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 Express HD uses the settings in the currently selected Easy Setup. If your footage was shot anamorphically, you can select an anamorphic Easy Setup. If you used the 16:9 Wide button on your camcorder when recording video: You typically don’t need to worry about the Anamorphic option in the capture preset. Some cameras can embed metadata regarding the selected aspect ratio directly in the video signal.
XIII This should be done before adding any 16:9 clips to a 16:9 sequence. If a 16:9 clip is edited into a 4:3 sequence (the Anamorphic setting is turned off ), the clip is scaled to fit in the 4:3 frame, which requires rendering. Changing Clip Properties for Anamorphic Media If you’ve captured anamorphic media but didn’t use an Easy Setup that had the Anamorphic option turned on, you can change the anamorphic clip property in the clip’s item properties or in the Browser.
To select the Anamorphic property for a clip: 1 Open the clip from the Browser, then choose Edit > Item Properties. 2 Make sure the Anamorphic row has a checkmark in it to indicate it’s turned on. If your media is anamorphic, make sure there’s a check mark in this row. The Anamorphic column in the Browser also lets you select this option for clips and sequences. A checkmark in this column denotes anamorphic media.
XIII Outputting Anamorphic Video to Tape When outputting an edited sequence to tape using anamorphic video, you have two choices, depending on what kind of equipment you want to play back from: Â Output as is, with the video appearing squeezed on a 4:3 monitor: This is the preferable option if you’re planning on playing back your video on hardware that will compensate for the proper aspect ratio, or if you’re planning on transferring to film.
7 In the Compression Settings window, choose a codec from the Compression Type pop-up menu. If you are making a movie for web distribution, choose a codec such as Sorenson, MPEG-4 video, or H.264. 8 Customize the compression settings as necessary, depending on the file size and quality you want, then click OK. 9 In the Movie settings window, click Size. 10 Select Use custom size, then enter horizontal and vertical dimensions with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Solving Common Problems D Appendix D This appendix covers the following: Â Resources for Solving Problems (p. 1069) Â Solutions to Common Problems (p. 1070) Â Contacting AppleCare Support (p. 1075) Resources for Solving Problems If you run into problems while working with Final Cut Express HD, 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 Express HD. 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 Easy Setup with the appropriate protocol for your device is selected.
XIII 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. Nearly all dropped frames are caused by either incorrectly configured hardware or incorrect preference settings.
 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.
XIII An error message appears during capture reporting a “Break in the Timecode.” Â When capturing clips for your program from source tapes that were shot in the field, or from old source tapes that have been played to the point of wearing the media, timecode breaks may appear, disrupting the computer’s ability to read a continuous stream of timecode.
You experience poor playback and stuttering video when trying to edit. Â Make sure you are not editing with media which uses keyframe compression, such as Sorenson or Cinepak. Your camcorder or deck doesn’t go to the specified timecode or won’t perform a command. Â Make sure you selected the correct Easy Setup in the Easy Setup window (choose Final Cut Express HD > Easy Setup). General Performance Issues Final Cut Express HD seems to be working slowly.
XIII 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 993.
Glossary Glossary 4:3 The aspect ratio for broadcast video. The ratio of the width to the height of the visible area of the video frame, also called the picture aspect ratio, is 4:3, or 1.33. 16-bit resolution A standard bit depth for digital audio recording and playback. 16:9 A widescreen aspect ratio for video. The ratio of the width to the height of the visible area of the video frame, also called the picture aspect ratio, is 16:9, or 1.78. The 16:9 aspect ratio is used for high definition video.
alpha channel An image channel in addition to the R, G, and B color channels that is used to store transparency information for compositing. Alpha channels are often 8-bit, but some applications support 16-bit alpha channels. In Final Cut Express HD, black represents 100 percent transparency, and white represents 100 percent opacity. Only certain formats, such as Targa, TIFF, PICT, and the QuickTime Animation codec, support alpha channels.
audio meter A meter that lets you monitor audio output levels from your computer. You use the audio meters in Final Cut Express HD when you capture, mix, and output your program. audio track A track in the Timeline into which you can edit audio clip items. Audio Units The standard real-time audio filter format for audio applications running on Mac OS X. Auto Render A feature that allows Final Cut Express HD to render open sequences whenever a specified number of idle minutes have passed.
black level An analog video signal’s voltage level for the color black, represented by IRE units. Absolute black, or setup, is represented by 7.5 IRE for NTSC in the United States and 0 IRE for NTSC in Japan and for PAL. blue or green screening A special effects technique that allows you to derive an alpha channel or matte from the blue or green background of a video clip in order to make it transparent for purposes of compositing against other clips.
CG Abbreviation for Character Generator. A specialized hardware device used for creating titles. channel 1 Typically the left audio channel in a stereo recording. channel 2 Typically the right audio channel in a stereo recording. channels When used to describe video, can refer to color channels or alpha channels. Color and transparency information for video and graphics clips is divided into individual channels.
color correction A process in which the color of clips used in an edited program is evened out so that all shots in a given scene match. Color correction is generally one of the last steps in finishing an edited program. The color correction tools in Final Cut Express HD give you precise control over the look of every clip in your project by adjusting the color balance, black levels, mids, and white levels of individual clips. color depth The possible range of colors that can be used in a movie or image.
crop To mask a specified amount from the total frame size of an image. You can crop the top, left, right, and bottom of an image independently. cut An edit in which one clip immediately follows another, with no transition effect. This is the simplest type of edit. cutaway shot A shot that is related to the current subject and occurs in the same time frame. For example, an interviewer’s reaction to what is being said in an interview is a cutaway shot.
digital A description of data that is stored or transmitted as a sequence of 1s and 0s. Most commonly, refers to binary data represented using electronic or electromagnetic signals. QuickTime movie files are digital. Compare with analog. Digital-8 A standard definition consumer digital video format that records a DV video signal onto Hi-8-style tapes. Digital Betacam A standard definition digital videotape recorder format with approximately 2:1 video data compression and 4:2:2 color sampling.
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 Express HD. 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.
exposure The amount of light in video or film images. Exposure affects the overall brightness of the image as well as its perceived contrast. extend edit An edit in which the edit point is moved to the position of the playhead in the Timeline. It allows you to move an edit point between two clips quickly. An extend edit overwrites any clips that come between the selected edit point and the playhead. It does not affect the overall duration of a sequence.
frame blending A process of visually averaging frames together over time to create smoother motion. This is often useful when playing back clips in slow motion, to smooth otherwise jerky motion. frequency The number of times a sound or signal vibrates each second, measured in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz). Audio recordings are made up of a vast collection of waveforms, using many different frequencies of sound. Each frequency in a recording is associated with an audio pitch.
Hi8 An analog videotape format. Introduced as a higher quality version of 8 mm. Histogram A video scope in Final Cut Express HD that displays the relative strength of all luma values in a video frame, from black to super-white. It is useful for comparing two clips in order to match their brightness values more closely. hue An attribute of color perception, also known as color phase. Red, blue, yellow, and green are all different hues.
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 Express HD, 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.
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. logging The process of entering detailed information about clips, in preparation for capturing them from videotape. looping A playback mode in which clips and sequences go back to the beginning whenever the playhead reaches the end of the media.
match-on-action A cut from one shot to another with similar action in the frame; for example, cutting from a shot of a woman opening the door outside an apartment to a shot from the interior of the apartment of the door opening and the woman walking in. matte Sometimes referred to as a holdout matte. An effect that uses information in one layer of video to affect another layer.
noise floor The background noise generated by audio equipment during recording, which inadvertently becomes a part of the recording. non-drop frame timecode Timecode in which frames are numbered sequentially without dropping any frames from the count. When discussing NTSC video, the video frame rate is actually 29.97 fps, and non-drop frame timecode is off by 3 seconds and 18 frames per hour in comparison to actual elapsed time. Compare with drop frame timecode.
out-of-sync indicator In the Timeline, the symbol that appears at the beginning of a clip when a video item moves out of sync with its linked audio items, or vice versa. Out point The edit point that specifies the last frame of a clip for use in a sequence. output Sending video or audio signals out of your Final Cut Express HD editing system to display on a monitor or record on tape. overscan The part of the video frame that cannot be seen on a TV or video monitor.
playhead A navigational element in the Viewer and Canvas scrubber bar and in the Timeline. It corresponds to the frame displayed in the Canvas and the Viewer. You drag the playhead to navigate through a sequence. post-production The phase of film or video editing in which all of the production elements are organized, assembled, and output for the distribution phase. preset A saved group of settings, such as capture, device control, and sequence settings.
recapture To capture a clip’s media file again. Usually done to eliminate unused material in order to capture only the media files necessary to create your finished program at full resolution. record monitor In a linear editing suite, a monitor that displays the edited master tape. A record monitor corresponds to the Canvas in Final Cut Express HD. redigitize To digitize clips again. Also referred to as recapturing. reel Identifies the source tape from which a clip was captured.
RGB Abbreviation for Red, Green, and Blue. A color space commonly used on computers in which each color is described by the strength of its red, green, and blue components. This color space directly translates to the red, green, and blue phosphors used in computer monitors. The RGB color space has a very large gamut, meaning it can reproduce a very wide range of colors. This range is typically larger than the range that can be reproduced for broadcast.
scene A series of shots that take place at the same time in the same location. A series of scenes make up a program. scratch disk The disk or disk space you allocate in Final Cut Express HD for digital video capture and editing, as well as for the storage of a project’s render files. script A set of instructions that performs a specific function, similar to programming. FXScript allows you to create custom scripts for use in Final Cut Express HD.
shuttle To drag the slider on the shuttle control to the right to fast-forward and to the left to rewind. Playback speed varies depending on the distance of the slider from the center of the control. shuttle control The slider control located at the bottom of the Viewer and the Canvas. This control is useful for continuous playback at different speeds, in fast and slow motion. It also shifts the pitch of audio as it plays at varying speeds.
SOT (sound on tape) Audio recorded on analog or digital video formats (audio and video). soundtrack The audio that accompanies a program’s video. sound bite Typically a short excerpt from an interview clip, as used on news shows. sound effects Specific audio material, such as the sound of a door closing or a dog barking, from effects libraries or from clips you recorded. Sound effects can be used to replace sounds in the location audio of a program, or to add sound that wasn’t originally recorded.
stereo, stereo pair Short for stereophonic, in which audio contains two different channels. Stereo pairs are linked and are always edited together. Audio level changes are automatically made to both channels at the same time. A pair of audio items may have their stereo pairing enabled or disabled at any time. Compare with mono. storyboard A series of pictures that summarizes the content, action, and flow of a proposed project.
sync The relationship between the image of a sound being made in a video clip (for example, a person talking) and the corresponding sound in an audio clip. Maintaining audio sync is critical when editing dialogue. tabs In Final Cut Express HD, tabs delineate projects in the Browser, sequences in the Canvas and Timeline, and functions within the Viewer. You click a tab to open a project or go to a specified function window, such as Video, Audio, Filters, or Motion.
timecode gap An area of tape with no timecode at all. Timecode gaps usually signify the end of all recorded material on a tape, but timecode gaps may occur due to user error, such as fast-forwarding too far past a section of previously recorded material and recording additional footage. Video occurring after a timecode gap begins with a timecode value of 00:00:00:00. See also reset timecode break. Timeline A window in Final Cut Express HD that displays a chronological view of an open sequence.
trimming (1) Precisely adjusting and defining the In and Out points of a clip. (2) Modifying an edit point in the Timeline by moving it earlier or later. (3) Fine-tuning an edited sequence by making small adjustments to many edits. Trim Edit window A window in Final Cut Express HD that displays both sides of an edit point. For example, if Clip A cuts to Clip B, the Out point of Clip A is shown on the left and the In point of Clip B is shown on the right.
Voice Over tool Allows you to record audio in Final Cut Express HD while simultaneously playing back a specified section of a sequence from the Timeline. Audio can be recorded using any Mac OS X Core Audio-compatible device, such as a USB audio capture device, PCI audio card, or the built-in microphone on a DV camcorder. VTR Abbreviation for videotape recorder. Generally refers to professional equipment used for recording video from various sources. VU meter Short for Volume Unit meter.
Y´CBCR The color space in which many digital video formats store data. Three components are stored for each pixel—one for luma (Y) and two for color information (CB for the blue difference signal and CR for the red difference signal). Also referred to as YUV. YUV See Y´CBCR. 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.
% of Blur setting 694 1/4" tip-ring connectors 575 1/4" tip-ring-sleeve connectors 575 1/8" mini connectors 575 3D simulation transitions 520 3G format 996 3GPP and 3GPP2 devices 996 3-point editing. See three-point editing 4:3 aspect ratio 1077 4:3 monitors 1067 4:3 video 1062, 1064 16:9 button 1060 16:9 video.
alpha channels black 797 changing types of 799, 800 described 1078 editing clips with 798 exchanging media and 801 in graphics 767 image formats 987 importing clips with 799 keying filters and 807 masks and 807, 824 mattes and 807, 822 premultiplied black 797 QuickTime movie files and 796, 799 reversing 800 straight 797 types recognized in Final Cut Express 797 uncompressed movies 985 using graphics and video clips with 796–802 video codecs and 986 white 797 Alpha Compositor transition (Channel Compositor)
amplitude 582 audio attributes 609, 649–650, 747 audio sweetening 1015 background noise 658 bit depth 274, 590 bit resolution 1004 capturing 1074 clipped 597 clips.
labels 135 linked 121 linked items 326, 360, 398, 401–402 looping playback 107 markers 87, 98, 188, 236, 238, 240 matching video for 87, 98 media files and 47–49 media files for 268 merged clips 47 moving 246, 375–377, 487, 489 moving clips between tracks 441 moving playhead 97 muting 505 in nested sequences 545 offline clips 48, 266 opening 80–81, 102, 431, 436, 486, 551 organizing 219–226, 322–323 overlays 125, 439 pasting audio attributes 649–650, 745–748 peaks 594 playback quality 947 playing 84, 95, 10
rendering 606, 876, 889 stereo pairs and 647 viewing in Viewer 650 Audio Format option 1006 audio formats exporting QuickTime-compatible format 997 file formats 988 history of 1045–1046 audio generators 851 Audio Interchange File Format.
gaps in 387, 388–390 height 439 inserting sync beeps in 1018–1020 invisible 951 invisible tracks 315 labels 600 levels 564 linking mono tracks 413 locking 116, 312, 314, 480, 1006 moving audio clips between 441 music 1016 number of 124 offsets 327 organizing 660, 1016 pasting clips onto 380–384 playing in Trim Edit window 505–506 in QuickTime movies 981, 993 real-time mixing 876, 947, 1071 render status 881 resizing in Timeline 316–317 ripple edits 468 roll edits 474 scrolling through 133 scrolling vertical
bars and tone 600 Bars and Tone generator 578, 851 base tracks 307 Basic 3D filter 684 Basic Border filter 676, 677 Basic Motion parameter 692 bass frequencies 581, 641 batch capture disk space and 181 Batch Capture dialog 190 batch capturing additional items found 191 described 1079 selected clips only 189–191 batch recapturing 1079 beats in music 659 beeps rendering audio and 881 sound cues 630 unrendered audio and 875, 876 Beep When Playing Unrendered Audio option 875, 876 bels 582 Bevel filter 676 Bezie
displaying items in 70 dragging audio clips to 436 icons in 915–916 icon view 74–76 illustrated 56 importing items in 199–203 list view 71–73 markers in 238 master-affiliate clips in 924 media management and 900 moving and resizing window 135 navigating in 67 opening clips in 431 opening projects in 46 organizing clips in 322–323 overview 65 poster frames 77 renaming items in 68 resizing text labels 135 saving projects 45 screen text size 949 searching for items in 231–234 sequences in 280–282 sorting items
marker controls 188 marking controls 175 transport controls 174 capturing process aborting 949 audio levels 598 Capture Clip button 185 capturing anamorphic media 1059–1064 capturing audio 1074 copying capture settings 747 data rates 153 described 1080 frame rates and 191 hard disk requirements 154 vs. importing 200 manual video capture 151 media management and 901 problems with 1074 subclips and 257 using non-controllable devices 151 video DVDs and 972 capturing video.
backtiming 294, 348, 352–353 blending 777, 777–779 boundaries 395 clip names 180 compared to media files 901 composite modes 781 compression markers and 976 conflicting properties 927 connections to media files 934 controls 85–86, 96–98 copying 68, 380–384, 539, 540–543 copying and pasting attributes 674–675, 694, 745–748 copying to other projects 925 cropping 713 currently selected clips 356 cutting 391–393 deleting from projects 68 described 40, 1081 deselecting 362 disabling audio/video tracks in 803–804
speed 121 speed settings 755–756 subclips 47, 257–258 subclips. See subclips synthesized. See generators tail clips 1101 thumbnail display 124 in Timeline 276 title clips 858 transferring projects to other systems 902 transitions 509 trimming 369, 480–487, 532–535 types of 265–266, 911–912 undoing changes in 63, 278 unused 232 varying speeds 105–106 video.
customizing 71–73 Command key 611 “gearing down” with 378, 480 selecting items with 362 commands shortcut buttons 140 Comment Column Headings option 263 Comment columns in Browser 73 Comment property 913, 917, 931 comments columns in Browser 73 comments in markers 241, 243, 245, 368 Component RGB 1043 Component video 1043, 1082 Component YUV 1029, 1037, 1043 Composite Arithmetic filter 664 Composite Mode property 913, 931 composite modes See also specific composite mode name in Final Cut Express 782–792 opa
Crop tool 708, 709 Cross Dissolve transition 508, 515, 521 cross fades 442, 508, 606, 654, 659 cross-platform filenames 50 Cross Stretch transition 523 Cross transition 521 Cross Zoom transition 520 Cube Spin transition 520 cueing videotape 963 Curl filter 684 Current Sequence Timecode display 496 Current Timecode field 173, 488 in Canvas 94 navigating with 110 in Timeline 118, 128 in Viewer 83 working with 108 Custom Gradient generator 851 customizing Browser display 70–73 columns 71–73 cutaway shots 1083
device control Capture window controls 174 capturing video 181–185 described 1083 Print to Video command and 965 status messages 152 video capture without 151 device status indicator 173 dialogue 1016, 1083 audibility 565 from different takes 657 editing 566, 655 off-camera 657 in post-production 562 tips for cutting 654–658 tracks 660 dialogue scenes 416 dialogue stems 660 Diamond transition 521 Difference Matte filter 681 Diffuse filter 685 Digital-8 format 1084 digital audio See also audio overview 588–5
duplicating.
insert with transition edits 332, 335–336, 511 keyboard shortcuts 331, 549 lift edits 385–387 linear editing 35, 1089 marker information 241, 244 master clips 923 match cuts 471 match frame editing 1090 media management and 901 multiple clips 322–323 nonlinear and nondestructive 35 nonlinear editing 1092 offline/online editing 1092 overwrite editing 1093 overwrite edits 323–325, 332, 336–339, 542 overwrite with transition edits 332, 338–339, 511 performing 421–424 preferences 950 razor blade edits 1094 repl
sequences as QuickTime movies 993–994 sequences for DVD 971 still images 1009–1011 Export QuickTime Movie command 989, 991–994 Export Using QuickTime Conversion command 206, 989, 990, 995–997, 1010, 1012 exposure 828, 1086 extend editing 1086 extend edits 485–486 external audio monitoring systems 567 external editing applications 794 clearing 958 opening a clip in 957 specifying 958 External Editors tab 957 external hard disks 156 external monitors connecting 146 Digital Cinema Desktop feature 163–165 DV/Fi
real-time playback 871 rearranging 674 removing 651, 675 rendering and 606, 878, 892, 894 settings 84, 668–669 sharpen filters 684 stereo pairs and 647 stylize filters 685 video filters 686 viewing in Viewer 650 Filters option 650, 999 Filters tab 84, 668–669, 836 final audio mixes 565–566 Final Cut Express basic interface 55–56 customizing interface 135–142 filters 676–687 FXScript language 849 generators 857–858 memory allocated to 1074, 1075 performance 1074 projects 39–47 Support ID 1075 workflow 30–33
freeze frames 950, 968, 969, 970 moving one frame at a time 107 moving playhead to 243, 244 Out points and 285 playing all 104 playing back 970 poster frames 72, 77 size 765 trimming by 494 video image dimensions 37 frame size QuickTime and 1002 Frame Size property 918, 931 frames per second.
H handles 183 audio clips 1020 Bezier handles 732, 738, 1079 clip handles 283, 510, 528 described 1087 drag handles 527 velocity handles 741, 742 voiceover clips 638 wireframes 708, 710–717 hard disks available space 173 calculating space needs 155 data transfer rates 153–159 determining needed space 180 fragmentation 1072 heat buildup 156 multiple disks 153 naming 51 problems with 1071 problems with disk space 181 removable media 154 seek time 154, 157 selecting 156 space required for projects 154–155 spin
Image Stabilizer filter 686 iMovie 984, 996, 1005 Implode transition 522 importing items 32 audio files 204–206 vs.
Jaz drives 154 J-cuts 1088 See also split edits JFIF format 199, 987 jog control 497 in Canvas 93, 98 in Capture window 174 moving one frame at a time 107 in Viewer 82, 86, 106 jog controls 1088 jogging through frames 1088 Join Through Edit command 394 JPEG codec 986 JPEG compression 982 JPEG format 199, 980, 987, 1009, 1088 jump cuts 1088 K kerning 861 keyboard shortcuts audio details 435 button bars 57, 139–142 buttons 139–142 described 57 Digital Cinema Desktop feature 165 editing 331, 549 Edit Selectio
positioning 695 layer masks 795 layers imported graphics 767 Photoshop files 771, 794, 795 layouts 1089 L-cuts 1089 See also split edits leading 861 left output channel 612 length, compared to duration 950 length.
M M+ pointer 924 Mac OS, version of 1071, 1075 Mac OS X showing and positioning the Dock 62 Mac OS X Core Audio 568 MacPaint format 199, 987 macroblocks 1033 Macromedia Flash format 199 magnetic tape characteristics 1027 magnifying view.
match-on-action 1091 Match option 230 Match pop-up menu 230 Matrix Wipe transition 522 Matte Choker filter 680, 683, 810, 811, 822 Matte generator 850 mattes 822–824, 1091 alpha channels and 807, 822 described 805 filters 682–683 Garbage Matte filters 822 Matte Choker filter 822 media described 1091 importing 199–206 organizing 219–226 playing at varying speeds 105–106 source media 1099 Media End points.
standard definition (SD) 766 mono audio 1091 linking 413 panning 429 in Viewer 432 mono audio pairs 606 monophonic sound 565 Mono tabs 432 montages 1091 More option for searches 230 motion bars 358 Motion Blur rendering 892, 895 smoothing slow motion 756 Motion Blur effect 1091 Motion Blur parameter 691, 694 motion-camera techniques 759 motion control cameras 770 motion effects 84 animating with keyframes 719–731 controls 692–694 copying 746 creating in Canvas 707–717 described 689 examples of using 697–707
N Name property 913, 916, 930 names clip names 180 clips 916 files 901 finding items by 368 markers 241, 245 master clips 930 matching when reconnecting files 941 problems reading in Browser 135 reels 902 naming items clips 176 narration. See voiceover National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) 37 National Television Systems Committee format.
opacity overlays 125 Opacity parameter 693 Opacity slider 693, 779 Open command 46, 925 opening external editors 957 media files 925 opening items audio clips 431 bins 221 clips 486 customized shortcut button bars 142 multiple sequences 540 nested sequences 486 reopening last project 262 sequence clips 552 sequences 271 transitions 531 operating systems 50 Optimize Hints for Server option 1005 Option key 611 Option key shortcuts copying items 380 moving and selecting 381 split edits 419 Options option 1005,
Particle Noise generator 850, 852 partitions multiple 153 naming 51 passive speakers 570 passthrough mode 970 Paste Attributes dialog 609, 650, 674, 675, 694, 700, 745–748 Paste command 68 pasting clip attributes 745–748 pasting clips in sequences 542 in Timeline 380–384 patching tracks 115 patch panel 1102 paths master and affiliate clips and 922 motion 1091 reconnecting media files 936 paths, motion.
moving in Timeline 970 moving markers with 245 moving to In and Out points 300 moving to markers 243, 244 moving to Out point 969 navigating between keyframes 612 navigating in Timeline 127–133 playing around current frame 290 playing clips around current position of 103 play time before and after 969 positioning 95, 127 positioning in Timeline 969 selected items and 356 in Timeline 112, 118 in Viewer 82, 85–86 playing clips around current playhead position 103 disabling tracks 315 between In and Out points
project files 263 prompting for new settings 949 redoing changes in 63, 278 reopening after power failures 907 reopening automatically 948 reopening by default 262 restoring 906 reverting 264 reverting to previous state 903 saving 45, 261 searching for items in 231–234 sequences in 44, 270 space requirements 154 switching between 47 times and dates notations 51 transferring 902 types of clips 265–266 undoing changes in 63, 278 working with 262–263 properties clip properties 266–269 clips 916–920 independent
real-time audio filter adjustments 651 mixing 600, 876 real-time audio mixing 876, 947, 1071 real-time effects 158, 1094 display quality 871 dynamic real-time playback 866 external video monitoring 870 in Final Cut Express 870 identifying transitions and filters for 873 maximizing real-time playback 870 options in Final Cut Express 871 overview 865–871 playback settings 874–875 Play Base Layer Only feature 869 processing requirements 866 render bars 872 RT pop-up menu 874–875 Safe RT mode 867 settings 873–8
disabling 890 effects 889 indicators 880–882 manually 884 order of 883 preferences 949, 952 printing to video and 968 reasons for 878 reducing time for 895 reference movies and 992 render files.
room tone 426, 446–449, 655, 1016, 1096 Rotate filter 684 rotation controls 671 motion parameters 692 rotating clips 708, 711 rotation handles 708 rotation value 1096 rotoscoping 1096 rough cuts 33 rough editing 1096 rough edits drag-to-Timeline editing 321 steps in 275–276 RT Extreme capabilities 865 display quality 871 external video monitoring 870 Play Base Layer Only feature 869 Safe RT mode 867 settings 873–875 unlimited real-time playback 868 RT pop-up menu 122, 873, 874–875 RTP Payload Encodings opti
in thumbnails 73 turning off 435 Scrub Video tool 75, 1097 SCSI cables 159 SCSI disk drives 159 SCSI interface cards 159 SD (standard definition) video 208, 764, 766, 771 SD2 format 988 SD format 910, 1033 Search command 229 Search Folders tab 953 searching for items.
rendering process and 274, 536–537 rendering transitions in 122, 880 scrolling through 132 scrubbing 127 searching for items in 367–368 selecting all clips in 367 sequence order in Browser 280–282 setting In and Out points for 87, 98 setting keyframes for 87, 98 setting markers for 87, 98 settings 261, 273–274 sorting 227 tabs in Timeline 114 transitions and 507–511, 519, 531–532, 536–537 Sequence Settings window 124–125 serial ATA disks 157, 158 “Servo Can’t Lock” message 1073 Set Marker button 177 Set Mar
snapping moving clips with snap points 246 playhead to markers 244 in scrubber bar 96 in Timeline 121, 373–374 trimming and 479 turning on/off 374 in Viewer 85 Snapping button 374, 479, 1098 snapping playheads 1098 Soft Edges filter 664, 683, 825 softening items edges of keyed subjects 815, 819 Softness slider 693 software real-time effects audio mixing and 876 controls 871 display quality 871 playback 866 settings 873–875 still frames 870 superimpositions 870 software updates 26 Solarize filter 685 solo co
audio cuts and 449–450 audio editing tips 425 changing simple edits to 418 clearing 420 described 415 examples 421–424 modifying 419–420 performing 421–424 setting up 417–420 split edit points 417–418 in Viewer or Canvas 416 splits 1099 Split Slide transition 523 split stereo files 588 spotlight effects 792 spotting sessions 563 spread, controlling with keyframes 620–621 sprocket holes 80, 551 square pixels 764–766, 1034 Squeeze and Stretch transition 523 Squeeze transition 523 S sounds 645 standard definit
subframe keyframes 616–619, 654 subframe syncing 658 subpixels 861 Subtract compositing mode 784 Super 16 format 1100 Super 8 format 1100 superimpose edits 94, 776, 1100 described 332 destination tracks and 313 keyboard shortcuts 331 performing 346–347 superimposition effects 870 super-white 1100 super-whites 830, 834 Support ID 1075 support websites 26 surround sound 565 sustained transfer speed 154, 157 S-VHS format 1056 S-Video connectors 1043 S-Video format 1100 S-Video recording method 1037 S-Video sig
TIFF format 199, 980, 982, 987, 1009, 1101 timecode 1052–1058 absolute and relative values 488 breaks 1073 clip duration and 288 compared to frame rates 557, 1055 comparison chart 1056 consumer mini-DV devices 963 Current Timecode field 173 described 557, 1052, 1101 determining type of 1052 dragging values to other fields 110 drop frame timecode 1053–1058, 1084 duplicate timecode numbers 195–197 entering 64 format of 1052 In and Out point settings 288 incoming clips 500 longitudinal timecode 1056 LTC 1056 m
snapping in 373–374 solo control 120 Source and Destination controls 309–313 speed indicators 121 static regions for tracks 318–319 switching to Canvas or Viewer 553 tabs 60 Track Height control 317 transitions in 509, 510, 517–519, 531, 532 transparency effects 777–779 trimming clips in 478, 484 unused area 117 working with Canvas and 113 zoom controls 118 zooming view of 118, 128–130, 434, 440 Timeline Options tab 124–126, 951 Time Mode pop-up menu 263 time remapping 1102 times in filenames 51 Tint filter
described 507, 1102 displaying 509, 533 duration 517–518, 533 editing clips after applying 519 fade-to-black transitions 514 handles and 510 identifying as real-time effects 873 included with Final Cut Express 520–524 insert with transition edits 335–336, 511 modifying 517–519, 525–535 moving 516, 534 opening 526, 531 overwrite with transition edits 338–339, 511 previewing 537 properties 530 real-time playback 871 rendering 536–537 rendering and 878, 894 replacing 520 reversing direction 529 ripple edits 53
two-pops.
copying and pasting attributes 674–675, 745– 748 copying to other projects 925 copying to other sequences 539, 540–543 currently selected 356 cutting 391–393 deleting 68 described 40, 265 deselecting 362 displaying in Transition Editor 530 dragging to Timeline 313, 321–327 duration 288, 395, 487, 535 DV video and fuzziness 1073 editing into sequences 348–349 editing multiple clips 322–323 exporting audio from 989 exporting to QuickTime 989 filenames 180 filters.
video equipment capturing video with 181–185 controlling 152 external monitors 161, 162 troubleshooting 1070 video signals 1042–1044 video filter icon 916 video filters 676–687 advantages of 663 applying 664–666 categories 668 copying and pasting into clips 674–675 filter bars 673 keyframing 664 multiple filters 666 rearranging 674 removing 675 settings 667–669 turning on or off 673 using controls 669–672 Video Format option 1006 video formats characteristics 1025–1041 frame rates 1034 history of 1045–1046
resizing clips in 487 ripple edits in 465 roll edits in 475 sequence clips in 396, 551–554 sequences in 271 setting stereo pan/spread in 608–609 source clips in 115 split edits in 416, 417–418, 421–424 switching to Canvas or Timeline 553 tabs 60, 82, 83–84 trimming clips in 436–437, 478 turning off audio scrubbing in 435 “Unrendered” message 881 uses 79–80 using timecode in 108–110 viewing filters in 650 View pop-up menu 88 working with keyframes in 611–614 working with markers in 235–236 Zoom pop-up menu 8
Wipe transition 522 wireframe handles 710–713 wireframe mode 1104 wireframe modes 707–708 handles 708 Image+Wireframe mode 707 Wireframe mode 707 wireframes 89 Wireframe setting 89 wireless devices 996 Wrap Wipe transition 524 write-protection tab 963 X x and y coordinates 1104 x coordinates 670, 691, 695–696 XLR connectors 576 Y Y/C signals 1029 Y´CbCr color space (YUV) described 1105 settings 892–893 YUV color space 1105 Y´CbCr format (YUV) 1037, 1043, 1043 Index Y´CbCr signals (YUV) 1029 y coordinate
