4
Table Of Contents
- Final Cut Express User Manual
- Contents
- FinalCutExpress4 Documentationand Resources
- PartI: An Introduction toFinalCutExpress
- PartII: Learning About theFinalCutExpress Interface
- Overview of the FinalCutExpressInterface
- Browser Basics
- Viewer Basics
- Canvas Basics
- Navigating and Using Timecode intheViewerand Canvas
- Timeline Basics
- Customizing the Interface
- PartIII: Setting Up YourEditingSystem
- Connecting DV Video Equipment
- Determining Your Hard Disk Storage Options
- External Video Monitoring
- PartIV: Capturing andImporting
- Capturing Your Footage to Disk
- Overview of the Capturing Process
- Overview of the Capture Window
- Preparing to Capture
- Capturing Individual Clips in the Capture Window
- Using Capture Now
- Automatically Creating Subclips Using DV Start/Stop Detection
- Adding Markers to Clips in the Capture Window
- Recapturing Clips
- Finding Your Media Files After Capture
- Modifying a Media File’s Reel Name Property
- Avoiding Duplicate Timecode Numbers on a Single Tape
- Importing Media Files intoYourProject
- Ingesting Media Files
- About File-Based Media
- Working with AVCHD Footage
- Sample Media File Workflow
- Working with the Log and Transfer Window
- Using the Browse Area
- Controls in the Browse Area
- Selecting Clips in the Browse Area
- Using the Preview Area
- Transport Controls in the Preview Area
- Restrictions During Preview
- Using the Logging Area
- Using Autofill Cache Logging Information
- Incrementing Logging Fields
- Setting Audio and Video Clip Import Settings
- Using the Transfer Queue
- Adding Clips to the Transfer Queue for Ingest
- Organizing Clips in the Transfer Queue
- Pausing and Stopping Ingest
- Filenaming and Clip Naming During Ingest
- Working with HDV
- Capturing Your Footage to Disk
- PartV: Organizing Footage andPreparing to Edit
- Organizing Footage intheBrowser
- Using Markers
- Learning About Markers
- Working with Markers
- Viewing Markers in the Viewer or Canvas
- Viewing Markers in the Browser
- Adding Markers in Clips and Sequences
- Deleting Markers in Clips and Sequences
- Navigating with Markers
- Renaming Markers, Adding Comments, andChangingtheKind of Marker
- Moving a Marker
- Aligning Items in the Timeline by Their Markers
- Extending a Marker’s Duration
- Editing Markers into Sequences
- Exporting Markers with Your QuickTime Movies
- Creating Subclips
- PartVI: Rough Editing
- Working with Projects, Clips, andSequences
- Specifying Preferences Before You Start Editing
- Working with Projects
- Learning About the Different Types of Clips
- Viewing and Changing the Properties of a Clip
- Creating and Working with Sequences
- The Fundamentals ofAddingClips to a Sequence
- Setting Edit Points forClipsandSequences
- About In and Out Points
- Setting Clip In and Out Points in the Viewer
- Setting Sequence In and Out Points in the Canvas or Timeline
- Navigating to In and Out Points
- Moving In and Out Points
- Clearing In and Out Points
- Working with Tracks intheTimeline
- Drag-to-Timeline Editing
- Three-Point Editing
- Finding and Selecting Contentinthe Timeline
- Understanding What’s Currently Selected
- Direct Methods for Selecting Content in a Sequence
- Finding and Selecting Based on Search Criteria
- Selecting a Vertical Range Between In and Out Points
- Using Auto Select to Specify Tracks for Selections
- Arranging Clips in the Timeline
- Cutting Clips andAdjustingDurations
- Linking and Editing VideoandAudio in Sync
- Linked Sync Relationships Between Video and Audio Clips
- Linking and Unlinking Video and Audio Clip Items intheTimeline
- Selecting Individual Clip Items While They Are Linked
- Getting Clip Items Back in Sync
- Establishing a Different Sync Relationship BetweenLinkedClip Items
- Learning About Linking Behavior in Audio Channel Pairs
- Split Edits
- Audio Editing Basics
- The Goals of Audio Editing
- Using Waveform Displays to Help You Edit Audio
- Learning About the Audio Controls in the Viewer
- Editing Audio in the Viewer
- Opening Audio Clips in the Viewer
- Viewing Audio Tracks in the Viewer
- Zooming In or Out of the Waveform Display Area
- Scrolling Through a Zoomed-In Audio Clip
- Using the J, K, and L Keys to Hear Subtle Details
- Turning Off the Audio Scrubbing Sounds
- About Setting Edit Points for Audio
- Dragging an Audio Clip to the Canvas, Browser, or Timeline
- Trimming Audio Clips in the Viewer
- Editing Audio in the Timeline
- Creating or Separating Stereo Pairs
- Working with Audio at the Subframe Level
- Examples of Ways to Easily Edit Audio
- Working with Projects, Clips, andSequences
- PartVII: Fine-Tuning Your Edit
- Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, andRoll Edits
- About Trimming with Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Tools
- Sliding Clips in the Timeline
- Slipping Clips in the Timeline
- Using the Ripple Tool to Trim an Edit WithoutLeavingaGap
- Using the Roll Tool to Change Where a Cut Occurs
- Learning About Trimming Clips
- Trimming Clips UsingtheTrimEdit Window
- Adding Transitions
- Learning About Transitions
- Adding Transitions
- Adding Transitions with Clips You Add to the Timeline
- Quickly Adding the Default Transition to Clips inYourSequence
- Adding Transitions to Clips in Your Sequence
- Example:Transitioning to or from Black
- Moving, Copying, and Deleting Transitions
- Moving a Transition to Another Edit Point
- Copying and Pasting Transitions
- Deleting Transitions
- Modifying Transitions in the Timeline
- Video Transitions That Come with FinalCutExpress
- Refining Transitions UsingtheTransition Editor
- Sequence-to-Sequence Editing
- Matching Frames
- Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, andRoll Edits
- PartVIII: Audio Mixing
- Setting Up for Audio Mixing inFinalCutExpress
- Evaluating Levels withAudioMeters
- Mixing Audio intheTimelineandViewer
- Adjusting Audio Levels in the Timeline and Viewer
- Panning Audio in the Timeline and Viewer
- Adjusting Clip Audio Levels and Pan Using Keyframes
- Using the Voice Over Tool
- Using Audio Filters
- About Audio Filters
- Overview of Audio Filters
- Working with Audio Filters
- Installing Third-Party Audio Units Filters
- PartIX: Effects and ColorCorrection
- Using Video Filters
- Color Correction
- Changing Motion Parameters
- Adjusting Parameters forKeyframed Effects
- Animating Motion Effects Using Keyframes
- How Keyframing Works
- Determining the Number of Keyframes to Use
- Keyframing Controls in the Viewer
- Keyframing Tools in FinalCutExpress
- Setting Keyframes
- Adjusting and Deleting Keyframes
- Moving Between Keyframes
- Resizing the Keyframe Graph Area
- Adjusting All Opacity Keyframes of a Clip
- Example:Using Keyframes to Make Opacity Changes
- Example:Keyframing Opacity in the Timeline
- Smoothing Keyframes with Bezier Handles
- Creating Keyframed Motion Paths in the Canvas
- Animating Motion Effects Using Keyframes
- Reusing Effect andMotionParameters
- Changing Clip Speed
- Working with Freeze Frames andStill Images
- Using Still Images and Graphics in Your Sequences
- Creating Freeze Frames from a Video Clip
- Exporting Still Images
- Considerations Before Creating and Importing Stills
- Creating Graphics with the Correct Frame Size for Video
- Working with Graphics Clips of Different Sizes
- Video Is Not 72 Dots per Inch
- Bit Depth of Imported Graphics
- Creating Graphics with the Correct Color Settings for Video
- Flattening Graphics with Layers
- Using Alpha Channels
- Selecting Fonts and Creating Line Art for Video
- Scaling Images and Video Clips to Match a Sequence
- Changing the Duration of Still Images
- Example:Adding Camera Motion to Still Images
- Compositing and Layering
- Introduction to Compositing and Layering
- Adjusting Opacity Levels of Clips
- Working with Composite Modes
- Working with Layered Photoshop Files
- Using Video and Graphics Clips with Alpha Channels
- Temporarily Excluding Clips from Playback or Output
- Keying, Mattes, and Masks
- Using Generator Clips
- Creating Titles
- PartX: Real Time and Rendering
- Using RT Extreme
- Introduction to Real-Time Processing
- Changing Real-Time Playback Settings
- Still-Image Real-Time Playback
- Improving Real-Time Performance
- Real-Time Audio Mixing in FinalCutExpress
- Choosing Real-Time Playback Versus Rendering
- Using RT Extreme for Video Output
- Rendering and Video ProcessingSettings
- What Is Rendering?
- Render Indicators in FinalCutExpress
- The Rendering Process
- Changing Render Settings
- Managing Your Render Files
- Tips for Avoiding Unnecessary Rendering and Reducing Render Time
- Working with Mixed-Format Sequences
- About Mixed-Format Sequences
- Determining Whether Clips in a Sequence Will Play Back inReal Time
- Working with Mixed-Format Sequences
- Combining SD and HD Video
- Rendering MixedFormat Sequences
- Using RT Extreme
- PartXI: Project Management andSettings
- Backing Up andRestoringProjects
- Working with MasterandAffiliateClips
- Reconnecting Clips andOfflineMedia
- Choosing Settings andPreferences
- PartXII: Output
- Preparing to Output to Tape
- Printing to Video andOutputfrom the Timeline
- Learning About QuickTime
- Exporting QuickTime Movies
- Exporting Using QuickTimeConversion
- About the Export Using QuickTime Conversion Command
- Types of File Formats You Can Export with QuickTime
- About Color Space Conversion
- Exporting a QuickTime Movie File for Web Distribution
- Configuring QuickTime Movie Settings
- About QuickTime Aperture Display Modes
- Exporting to an Apple Device
- Exporting a DV Stream
- Exporting an AVI File
- Exporting Sequences for DVD
- Exporting Still Images andImageSequences
- PartXIII: Appendixes
- Video Formats
- Characteristics of Video Formats
- Video Formats Supported by FinalCutExpress
- A Brief History of Film, Television, and Audio Formats
- Frame Rate and Timecode
- Working with Anamorphic16:9Media
- Solving Common Problems
- Video Formats
- Index
15
205
15 Importing Media Files
into Your Project
Final Cut Express can import almost any media file that
QuickTime recognizes, allowing you to integrate different
formats within a single project.
This chapter covers the following:
 What File Formats Can Be Imported? (p. 205)
 Importing Media Files (p. 206)
 About Importing Video Files (p. 209)
 About Importing Audio Files (p. 211)
 Importing Still Images and Graphics (p. 214)
What File Formats Can Be Imported?
Importing files into Final Cut Express for use in your sequences is fairly straightforward.
You can import various kinds of files, including video, audio, still images and graphics,
and numbered image sequences.
You can import any files that are recognized by QuickTime, including:
 Video files: QuickTime Movie, AVI, and Macromedia Flash (video only—you won’t be
able to play any audio portions)
For details about these formats, see Chapter 65, “Learning About QuickTime,” on
page 1001.
 Audio files: AIFF/AIFC, Sound Designer II, System 7 Sound, uLaw (AU), and WAVE
For details about these formats, see “About Importing Audio Files” on page 211.