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UP01022.Book Page 2 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Apple Computer, Inc. © 2004 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Apple. Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
UP01022.Book Page 3 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 3 Contents Preface 7 7 7 7 8 8 9 10 11 11 12 12 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 18 20 23 27 31 35 37 New Features in Final Cut Pro New Features in Final Cut Pro HD High Definition Video Editing Film Editing Timecode Titles and Effects Capture, Output, and, Media Management External Monitoring Preferences and Settings New Features in Final Cut Pro 4.
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New Features in Final Cut Pro HD Preface UP01022.Book Page 7 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM This is an overview of new features of Final Cut Pro, covering Final Cut Pro 4.0 through Final Cut Pro HD (version 4.5). New features not covered in the Final Cut Pro 4 User’s Manual are described in depth in the following chapters. New Features in Final Cut Pro HD For more information on these features and their use, see the corresponding chapters in this document.
UP01022.Book Page 8 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Listening to sequence audio while trimming When trimming footage in the Trim Edit window, the following options are available in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window: • Trim with Sequence Audio: Allows you listen to all sequence audio tracks while trimming in the Trim Edit window. • Trim with Edit Selection Audio (Mute Others): Mutes all audio tracks except the ones currently selected in the Timeline.
UP01022.Book Page 9 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM New TC Rate Browser column and item property The new TC Rate item property (visible in both the Browser columns and Item Properties) shows the source timecode rate of clips and sequences. Only the source timecode rate is displayed, not Aux 1 or Aux 2 timecode rates. Use the TC Rate Browser column to adjust the timecode rate for many clips at once. Some timecode rates are not allowed for some video frame rates.
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UP01022.Book Page 11 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM External Monitoring Using a computer display for external video monitoring Final Cut Pro allows you to monitor Canvas or Viewer video using a computer display, simplifying your video editing system setup. If you have two computer displays, one can be used to view the Final Cut Pro interface and the Finder while the other can be used as a dedicated video monitor.
UP01022.Book Page 12 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM New Features in Final Cut Pro 4.1 The following features were added in Final Cut Pro 4.1. Editing Choosing incoming and outgoing clips in the Trim Edit window In the Trim Edit window, you can activate the outgoing or incoming clip by moving the pointer over it. The play button on the active Trim Edit viewer is highlighted. JKL keys only affect the currently active clip. Filling a gap with slug now uses multiple edits In Final Cut Pro 4.
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UP01022.Book Page 14 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM New Features in Final Cut Pro 4.0 This is an overview of the new features in Final Cut Pro 4.0. For more information on these features and their use, see the Final Cut Pro 4 User’s Manual or Final Cut Pro Help. Improvements for Setup Missing scratch disk warning You are now warned when scratch disks become unavailable. This can happen for a number of reasons: They might be turned off, disconnected, or temporarily unmounted.
UP01022.Book Page 15 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Interface Enhancements Customizable keyboard shortcuts All commands in Final Cut Pro can be assigned to customizable keyboard shortcuts using the Keyboard Layout window by choosing Tools > Keyboard Layout > Customize. The default keyboard shortcut layout can be changed at any time to better suit your needs.
UP01022.Book Page 16 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Resize individual tracks in the Timeline You can change the size of individual tracks in the Timeline by dragging a track’s boundary in the Timeline patch panel: • If it’s a video track, drag the upper boundary of the track in the Timeline patch panel. • If it’s an audio track, drag the lower boundary of the track in the Timeline patch panel. New view options in the Timeline track layout menu The Track Layout menu now includes five additional options.
UP01022.Book Page 17 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM A merged clip may consist of 1 video and up to 24 audio items, so typically as many as 25 Source controls will appear in the Timeline. You can also open a sequence into the Viewer, in which case as many as 99 video and 99 audio tracks can appear in the Timeline, depending on how many tracks there are in the sequence.
UP01022.Book Page 18 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM New Timeline zoom functionality Timeline zoom functionality has been improved. You can zoom into the Timeline in any of the following ways: • 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.
UP01022.Book Page 19 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Additional Timeline display options There are several new display options for the Timeline in the Timeline Options tab of the User Preferences window, including: • Show Duplicate Frames: Select this option to mark clips that are used more than once within a single edited sequence. Colored bars appear at the bottom of the clip’s video item in the Timeline if that clip has been used more than once.
UP01022.Book Page 20 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM New location for locked presets Presets are stored with the Easy Setup they are used with. If you want to lock a preset that you’ve created, you can make a custom Easy Setup and store it in the folder where locked Easy Setups are located.
UP01022.Book Page 21 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Software-based real-time effects can be output using FireWire and other built-in video interfaces All real-time effects can be output to an external video monitor using FireWire or the built-in video output of a Macintosh PowerBook G4. This is true whether you’re using OfflineRT or DV source media in your projects. Outputting real-time effects to video using FireWire is a processor-intensive operation, requiring a very fast computer.
UP01022.Book Page 22 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Real-time effects playback and rendering options Three new tabs allow you to control real-time effects playback and rendering in your projects: • The Render Control tab in the User Preferences window allows you to enable and disable the most processor-intensive effects in Final Cut Pro. Changing the settings in the Render Control tab of the User Preferences window changes the default Render Control options that all new sequences are created with.
UP01022.Book Page 23 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Capture and Output Automatic timecode break handling during capture New timecode break handling allows Final Cut Pro to automatically capture over timecode breaks without interruption. You can now capture the footage from an entire tape, skipping every timecode break on the tape.
UP01022.Book Page 24 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Automatic naming of captured clips Automatic naming of captured clips in Final Cut Pro has been updated to remove extra zeroes from the beginning of a clip number. For example, in previous versions of Final Cut Pro, a series of clips would automatically be named and numbered as follows: Untitled 0001, Untitled 0002, Untitled 0003.
UP01022.Book Page 25 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Capturing audio using house sync When capturing audio intended to be synchronized to video from a separate source, it’s important that your device-controllable audio deck be synchronized to your computer via a common video timing signal, such as a blackburst generator (also referred to as house sync). This is true even if you’re capturing your audio via a dedicated audio capture interface.
UP01022.Book Page 26 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Support for multichannel audio output Final Cut Pro supports audio output via up to 24 outputs using Mac OS X–compatible audio interfaces. The Audio Outputs tab of the Sequence Settings window allows you to define the number of audio output channels that are available to tracks in your sequence via the external audio interface connected to your computer.
UP01022.Book Page 27 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Support for audio interfaces with multiple input channels During capture, Final Cut Pro only supports the first two channels of audio interfaces with multiple input channels. Any additional channels do not appear in the Audio/Video Settings window, and appear to have fewer output channels than they really support.
UP01022.Book Page 28 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM As a result of the relationship between master and affiliate clips, changes made to certain properties of a master clip, such as Clip Name, Reel Name, or Timecode, are automatically made to all affiliated clips within the current project. These same changes, if made to an affiliate clip, are also made to that clip’s master clip, as well as to all other affiliated clips in the current project.
UP01022.Book Page 29 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Finding master clips You may find it necessary to find the master clip in the Browser that is affiliated with a particular clip in the Timeline. You can do so using the Master Clip command. To find an affiliate clip’s master clip: 1 Select a clip in the Timeline. 2 Choose View > Match Frame > Master Clip. The master clip is automatically highlighted in the Browser.
UP01022.Book Page 30 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Removing subclip limits As a result of the relationship between master and affiliate clips, changes made to certain properties of a master clip or subclip are automatically made to all affiliated clips within the current project. The same is true of subclips and any affiliates associated with them.
UP01022.Book Page 31 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Improved item linking in the Timeline You can now link up to 1 video item and 24 audio items in the Timeline. Additional support for modification of timecode in source media files You can modify the Reel, Timecode, Aux 1, and Aux 2 timecode tracks directly in a clip’s source media file on disk.
UP01022.Book Page 32 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Detecting duplicate frames over transitions When Show Duplicate Frames is turned on in a sequence’s settings, duplicate frames that occur over the duration of a transition between two clips are indicated by white dots to the left and/or right of that transition. The side of the transition the dots appear on indicates the clip or clips that use duplicate frames.
UP01022.Book Page 33 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Viewing clip time or source media time in the Viewer You can view the timecode of a clip in the Viewer using either Clip Time or Source Time. Choosing Source Time guarantees that the current timecode displayed represents the timecode associated with that frame in your source media file. For example, if you change the speed of a clip to 50 percent, you effectively double the number of frames in that clip.
UP01022.Book Page 34 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM • Gang: When this option is selected, the offset between the current position of the playhead in the Canvas and the current position of the playhead in the Viewer is maintained as both playheads move together. This mode is useful for editing operations in which you want to mark In or Out points using durations defined by items or markers in the Timeline as your reference.
UP01022.Book Page 35 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Audio Audio Mixer tab in the Tool Bench A new Audio Mixer tab in the Tool Bench has controls comparable to those of an automated hardware mixing console. Each audio track in the currently selected sequence is represented by a track strip, complete with solo and mute buttons, a stereo panning slider, and a volume fader.
UP01022.Book Page 36 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Keyframe thinning A new Audio Keyframe Thinning pop-up menu in the General tab of the User Preferences window allows you to control how detailed keyframe automation is when recorded using the Audio Mixer or audio filter controls. There are three choices. • All: Records the maximum number of keyframes possible while you move a track strip’s fader or panning slider. The end result is a precise re-creation of the levels you set using the Audio Mixer.
UP01022.Book Page 37 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM New support for Audio Units Final Cut Pro includes a set of Audio Units filters that you can use to adjust your audio clips. The Audio Units format is the standard Apple audio plug-in format for Mac OS X applications. Third-party Audio Units are also available; before purchasing third-party Audio Units filters for use with Final Cut Pro, check with the third-party manufacturer to make sure they’re compatible.
UP01022.Book Page 38 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Speed indicators in the Timeline Speed indicators underneath each track in the Timeline can be displayed, and show you the speed of clips in your sequence using tic marks. The spacing and color of these tic marks indicate the speed and playback direction of your clips. The speed indicators of clips in the Timeline update in real time as you make variable speed adjustments to clips in your sequence, showing you exactly how you’re altering a clip’s timing.
UP01022.Book Page 39 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Improvements to the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-way filters Additional features have been added to the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-way filters. • The Hue Matching controls provide a way to adjust the color balance of the current clip, based on a specific hue, to match a similar hue in another clip.
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UP01022.Book Page 41 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 1 1 Using DVCPRO HD Final Cut Pro combines the ease of DV and FireWire-based post production with the resolution of high definition video. Historically, editing high definition video has been prohibitively expensive for most film and video makers. Nonlinear high definition systems once required specialized video interfaces and costly high-speed disk arrays.
UP01022.Book Page 42 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Format Timebase (on tape) Timebase (in Final Cut Pro) Source timecode (in Final Cut Pro) 1080i60 29.97 frames per second 29.97 fps (59.94 fields per second) 30 fps 720p60 59.94 fps 59.94 fps 30 fps 720p30 59.94 fps (flagged as 29.97) 29.97 fps 30 fps 720p24 59.94 fps (flagged as 23.976) 23.98 fps 30 fps Note: Final Cut Pro also supports additional uncompressed high definition formats using third-party PCI cards.
UP01022.Book Page 43 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To smooth the transition from standard definition to high definition video, most manufacturers have designed HD video devices to be cross-compatible with SD equipment by including built-in format converters. This flexibility has made high definition video a common production and post-production format even though it is a less common distribution format.
UP01022.Book Page 44 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Determining Scratch Disk Requirements for DVCPRO HD Before capturing video and audio, make sure your hard disks have sufficient capacity for your source footage plus some additional space for video and audio rendering. The table below compares the on-tape data rates for DVCPRO HD formats. The actual disk space used during capture will vary slightly depending on the number of audio channels captured.
UP01022.Book Page 45 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM External Monitoring Setup While editing, it’s best to watch your video and listen to your audio on external monitors. This is especially the case when using interlaced video because computer monitors can only show your video as progressive frames.
UP01022.Book Page 46 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Note: Not all DVCPRO HD VTRs convert between all HD and SD standards. Check with the VTR manual or manufacturer to make sure the type of external monitor (NTSC or PAL, composite, component, or HD SDI) you are using is compatible with the DVCPRO HD formats supported by the VTR. Capturing DVCPRO HD in Final Cut Pro Capturing DVCPRO HD video in Final Cut Pro works just like capturing from any other DV device.
UP01022.Book Page 47 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Capturing 720p30 and 720p24 DVCPRO HD Video DVCPRO HD always records and plays back 720p video at 59.94 fps or 60 fps, but alternate frame rates can be simulated by flagging certain frames for removal during capture or playback. For example, if you choose to record 720p with a frame rate of 29.97 fps, the camera is actually recording at 59.94 fps, but every other frame is a duplicate frame that Final Cut Pro will ignore during capture.
UP01022.Book Page 48 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM The 720p30 and 720p24 capture presets enable the checkbox that tells Final Cut Pro whether or not to remove camera-tagged duplicate frames when shooting at frame rates other than 59.94 fps. Select to remove duplicate video frames during capture. Editing DVCPRO HD in Final Cut Pro Once you have your DVCPRO HD media captured to the hard disk, you can edit it just as you would any other DV media.
UP01022.Book Page 49 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 720p60 and 60 @ 30 fps Timecode When editing 59.94 fps video, Final Cut Pro supports two time display options. • 60 fps timecode: The timecode counts 60 frames per second, from :00 to :59. • 60 @ 30 timecode: Displays 30 fps timecode with the addition of an asterisk on every other frame. This time display matches the display on DVCPRO HD decks, and is useful when you are referring to log notes or EDLs generated with 30 fps timecode.
UP01022.Book Page 50 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Using 30 fps Timecode With 720p30 and 1080i60 1080i60 and 720p30 formats both use 30 fps timecode. 720p30 has one timecode number per progressive frame, while 1080i60 has one timecode number per two interlaced fields. Note: The option to show drop frame timecode is only available if your media file has a frame rate of 29.97 fps. 30 fps media files can only have a time display of 30 fps, non-drop frame timecode.
UP01022.Book Page 51 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Generating Color Bars and Tone for 1080i60 and 720p60 Video Bars and tone generators are available for use with1080i60 and 720p60 sequences. 720p30 and 720p24 sequences can also use 720p60 Bars and Tone. Real Time and Rendering High definition video requires more disk space, processing power, and rendering time than standard definition video.
UP01022.Book Page 52 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Upconverting Standard Definition Media for Use in High Definition Sequences Converting a video format to a higher resolution format is called upconverting. Upconverting standard definition media to high definition can be done by scaling the SD clip placed in the HD sequence.
UP01022.Book Page 53 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Similar upconverting can be done by following the steps above and replacing the appropriate numbers with the numbers shown in the table below. Original clip size Destination sequence size Scale (Motion tab) Aspect ratio (Motion tab) 720 x 480 1280 x 720 150 50 720 x 480 anamorphic 1280 x 720 150 50 720 x 480 1920 x 1080 225 68.75 720 x 480 anamorphic 1920 x 1080 150 12.5 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080 150 12.
UP01022.Book Page 54 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Pan and Scan You can crop and even perform simple pans by animating the origin parameters in the Motion tab. For more information on using the Motion tab and animating parameters, see Volume III, Chapter 2, “Creating Motion Effects and Using Keyframes,” in the Final Cut Pro 4 User’s Manual. Warning: It is difficult to add a convincing pan into a scene that did not originally have one. Use this technique sparingly.
UP01022.Book Page 55 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM DVCPRO HD Output in Final Cut Pro DVCPRO HD clips and sequences are recorded to tape via FireWire, just like any other DV media. For more information about editing to tape, see Volume I, Chapter 15, “Editing to Tape,” in the Final Cut Pro 4 User’s Manual. 720p Output and Playback 720p DVCPRO HD provides several frame rate options during recording and playback (60, 30, 24), but the actual frame rate used is always 59.94 fps (over FireWire) or 60 fps.
UP01022.Book Page 56 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Offline and Online Editing Using DVCPRO HD Because formats like DV and DVCPRO HD are already compressed (yet still acceptable quality), many people choose to do their rough logging, assembly, and editing at full native resolution.
UP01022.Book Page 57 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To capture, edit, and output a project using native resolution DVCPRO HD video: 1 Choose an Easy Setup or capture preset that matches your DVCPRO HD source footage. 2 Log footage before capture, deciding which clips to capture. 3 Capture selected DVCPRO HD footage via FireWire. 4 Create a sequence using an Easy Setup or sequence preset that matches your source footage. 5 Edit as necessary.
UP01022.Book Page 58 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM When your rough editing is complete, you can return to your original source tapes and recapture only the media necessary to create the final edited sequence. The result will be a full-resolution DVCPRO HD sequence ready for full-resolution output. Although you may choose any offline-quality format that suits your project, the following table shows corresponding DVCPRO HD and OfflineRT HD presets that ship with Final Cut Pro.
UP01022.Book Page 59 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To edit your OfflineRT project: 1 In the OfflineRT project, create a sequence using a sequence preset that matches your OfflineRT source footage. 2 Edit the sequence just as you would with full-resolution clips. When you finish editing, you can capture the full-resolution media necessary to create the final sequence. You need to create a duplicate sequence that has full-resolution settings (for both the sequence and the clips within).
UP01022.Book Page 60 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 3 In the Save dialog, choose a name and destination for the new project file. 4 Once saved, open the new project in Final Cut Pro. Note: To avoid confusion, close the original low-resolution project if it is still open. 5 In the Browser, select your edited sequence and choose File > Batch Capture. For more information about batch capturing, see Volume I, Chapter 10, “Logging and Capturing Media” in the Final Cut Pro 4 User’s Manual.
UP01022.Book Page 61 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To create a cross-platform-compatible zip archive of your project(s): 1 In the Finder, select the Final Cut Pro project file(s). 2 Control-click the project file and choose Create Archive Of from the shortcut menu. If you create a single archive zip file, the archive file will be named after the file you originally selected (for example, My Movie.fcp becomes My Movie.fcp.zip). If you select multiple files, the archive file will be named Archive.zip.
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UP01022.Book Page 63 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 2 2 Editing and Trimming The Timeline and Trim Edit windows in Final Cut Pro HD have been refined to allow even more specific control of your editing operations. Copying and Pasting Clips in the Timeline When you copy clips from tracks in the Timeline, Final Cut Pro pastes those clips in the same tracks unless you specify different destination tracks by clicking their Auto Select controls.
UP01022.Book Page 64 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To copy and paste clips from one Timeline track to another: 1 Select one or several clips in the Timeline. 2 Copy the clips by pressing Command-C. 3 Option-click the lowest numbered Auto Select control to select the track (or lowest track) you want to paste to. 4 Paste the clips by pressing Command-V. V2 is auto selected after copying clip. Video clip is pasted to autoselected track. No auto select controls are changed after copying clip.
UP01022.Book Page 65 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM For example, to copy and paste clips from tracks V3, A5, and A6 to tracks V2, A2, and A3, do the following: 1 Select the clips on V3, A5, and A6. 2 Copy the clips by pressing Command-C. 3 Option-click the track V2 Auto Select control. The video destination track for pasting is now set to V2. 4 Option-click the track A2 Auto Select control to set the lowest audio paste destination tracks.
UP01022.Book Page 66 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Filling a Timeline Gap With Slug In Final Cut Pro 4.0 and earlier, filling a Timeline gap with slug performed a fit-to-fill operation, applying a constant speed change to the slug. In Final Cut Pro 4.1 and later, choosing the Fill with Slug shortcut command uses as many two-minute slug generators as necessary to fill the gap.
UP01022.Book Page 67 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To trim an edit asymmetrically to create a split edit (when the linked selection option is turned off): 1 Select the Ripple tool. 2 Hold down the Option key, then click the Out point of an outgoing video clip to select it. Holding down the Option key while selecting an edit point selects only that point, ignoring any other items linked to that clip. 3 Hold down the Command key, then click the In point of an incoming audio clip.
UP01022.Book Page 68 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 4 Use the Ripple tool to trim the above selection. Each opposite set of edit points moves in opposite directions, allowing you to create a split edit. Audio/video synchronization is maintained in both clips. Outgoing video clip is trimmed shorter from its Out point. This clip remains the same length. This clip remains the same length. Incoming audio clip is trimmed shorter from its In point.
UP01022.Book Page 69 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Listening to Sequence Audio While Trimming When trimming footage in the Trim Edit window, the following options are available in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window: • Trim with Sequence Audio: Allows you to listen to all sequence audio tracks while trimming in the Trim Edit window. • Trim with Edit Selection Audio (Mute Others): Mutes all audio tracks except the ones currently selected in the Timeline.
UP01022.Book Page 70 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Changing View Options in the Timeline Track Layout Menu The Track Layout menu includes five additional options. These options can also be set in the Timeline Options tab of the Sequence Settings window.
UP01022.Book Page 71 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Using LiveType Titles in Final Cut Pro 3 3 You can directly import LiveType project files into Final Cut Pro HD. This eliminates the need to render a QuickTime movie of your LiveType title each time you want to use it in Final Cut Pro. Note: To open LiveType projects directly in Final Cut Pro, LiveType 1.2 or later must be installed on the Final Cut Pro system you are using.
UP01022.Book Page 72 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Editing the LiveType Title Contents Although you can perform normal editing tasks with a LiveType clip, the LiveType title contents cannot be adjusted directly within Final Cut Pro. LiveType title settings can only be changed in the LiveType application. Final Cut Pro provides a quick and easy way to open LiveType clips directly in the LiveType application to make changes to your title.
UP01022.Book Page 73 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 4 Editing Film With Final Cut Pro in a PAL Environment 4 New Support for Conforming 25 fps to 24 fps and Exporting 25 fps EDLs Final Cut Pro now provides features that let you conform 25 fps (PAL) media to 24 fps, edit at 24 fps, and export a 25 fps EDL. This is for situations in which your content originated on film and your negative cutter prefers to receive a 25 fps EDL from you instead of a film cut list.
UP01022.Book Page 74 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM The 25 fps EDL Export for Film Workflow The basic steps involved in this workflow are outlined below. Refer to the Final Cut Pro and Cinema Tools documentation if you need more information about certain procedures mentioned here. Step 1: Film at 24 fps and transfer to PAL video Transfer your 24 fps film to 25 fps PAL video. The film is sped up to 25 fps in the telecine transfer.
UP01022.Book Page 75 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Step 5: Select the clips in the Browser, then choose Tools > Conform 25 to 24 This command adjusts the PAL clips to play at a frame rate of 24 fps. (This command has the same effect as conforming from 25 fps to 24 fps in Cinema Tools.) Note: If your clips contain both audio and video, the Conform 25 to 24 command also adjusts the audio speed so that the audio and video remain in sync after the frame rate is changed.
UP01022.Book Page 76 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Some Background About Working With 24 @ 25 in Final Cut Pro When you conform PAL video from 25 fps to 24 fps, the result is that the clips play at 24 fps in actual time. This means the speed appears natural and normal as you are editing—it’s the same speed at which the original material was filmed. But the 24 @ 25 timecode you see displayed by Final Cut Pro is counting 25 fps.
UP01022.Book Page 77 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Note: Importing a 25 fps EDL for editing at 24 fps is not supported. A 25 fps EDL needs to be imported into a 25 fps sequence. You cannot create and edit a 24 fps sequence from a 25 fps EDL. In other words, the 24 @ 25 fps EDL editing process only works in one direction: from film to PAL tape to 25 fps EDL.
UP01022.Book Page 78 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM If you are still grappling with the frame rates and timecode counting rates that don’t match, you can try the following exercises to better understand this principle. To do these exercises, you need only the following items: • A pen and paper • A clock or watch that increments in seconds Tip: Your computer clock can easily be set to count in seconds. To set your computer clock to count in seconds, see the instructions on page 81.
UP01022.Book Page 79 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM You can now determine exactly how long you were writing simply by looking at the last number you wrote on the paper. As unremarkable as this sounds, this is exactly how timecode works: A unique number is written alongside each video frame as long as the video is recording. Note: Although timecode and video frames move much faster—many times per second—the process is identical to the exercise above.
UP01022.Book Page 80 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM The reason this exercise is challenging is because you have to keep track of the count on paper or in your head and ignore the numbers on the clock. The first minute is easy. After that, if you simply copy the numbers on the clock’s second counter, you won’t be doing the exercise properly. The first problem with copying the numbers you see on the clock counter is that you will eventually include the :59, which isn’t allowed.
UP01022.Book Page 81 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Relating these exercises back to video with frame rates and timecode counts that don’t match, imagine that the seconds you were accounting for were actually frames of film or video. Each mark you made would then indicate a frame passing. The frames pass at a constant rate (such as 24 fps) and are each labeled with a unique identifier (or code).
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UP01022.Book Page 83 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 5 Viewing and Modifying Timecode 5 Timecode is the vital organizational link between your original camera tapes, media files on disk, and clips in Final Cut Pro. When you prepare for the final cut, each editing decision you made in an earlier phase must be accurately traced back to the original camera masters via timecode. Final Cut Pro HD displays timecode information differently than in earlier versions.
UP01022.Book Page 84 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Timecode Modes For each clip, you can select one of two timecode modes: • Source time: The timecode track of the media file • Clip time: Timecode based on the frame rate of the current clip Source Time Source time refers to timecode addresses of your media file. Because you usually refer back to the original source tapes at some point during your project, Final Cut Pro displays source time by default.
UP01022.Book Page 85 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Time Displays You can also choose to view your timecode with several possible time displays, depending on the frame rate of the media file: • Non-Drop Frame: Available for most frame rates • Drop Frame: Available only for 29.97 fps (NTSC) media files • 60 @ 30: Available only for 60 and 59.
UP01022.Book Page 86 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Unless you make speed adjustments to a clip, switching this setting on and off won’t have any noticeable effect on the way timecode displays. Important: Adjusting speed affects how a clip plays back the frames of a media file, but it does not affect the frames of the media file itself. Constant and variable speed adjustments are nondestructive—they leave the media file intact.
UP01022.Book Page 87 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Each timecode overlay is colored to indicate linked video and audio clips. A + (plus) symbol next to the video or audio overlay title indicates that there are additional timecode overlays that cannot fit. Changing the size of the Canvas or Viewer can sometimes reveal additional timecode overlays. Indicates additional timecode overlays are not displayed.
UP01022.Book Page 88 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To reset the timecode display for all clips in the active project: 1 In the Browser, click the tab of the project that you want to change timecode display settings for. 2 Choose Edit > Project Properties. 3 Choose a timecode display from the Time Display pop-up menu. 4 Select the Reset Time Display checkbox. 5 Click OK.
UP01022.Book Page 89 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Each media file or sequence can have up to three timecode tracks and corresponding reel names: • Source timecode track and reel name • Aux 1 timecode and Aux 1 reel name • Aux2 timecode and Aux 2 reel name Note: Depending on the frame rate of the media file, some timecode rates may not be allowed. Some timecode settings can be modified in the Browser or Item Properties, but other settings are restricted to prevent accidental changes.
UP01022.Book Page 90 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Note: You can only adjust Media Start and Media End fields in the Browser or Item Properties for offline clips that are not associated with media files. Warning: Modifying or deleting your source timecode track or reel name may make recapturing from source tapes impossible and EDLs inaccurate. Unless you have a good reason for modifying the source timecode track, it’s best to leave the timecode captured from tape.
UP01022.Book Page 91 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 6 Choose a timecode rate from the Timecode Rate pop-up menu. Note: Not all timecode rates are available for all video rates (timebases). 7 Click OK to accept the changes and click OK again to close the Audio/Video Settings window. The new sequence preset can be loaded into preexisting sequences or used in Easy Setups. If you already have a sequence for which you’d like to modify the timecode rate, you can also use the Modify > Timecode command.
UP01022.Book Page 92 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 24 @ 25 Timecode 24 @ 25 timecode displays 25 fps timecode while you are editing 24 fps video. For more information about 24 @ 25 fps editing, see “Editing Film With Final Cut Pro in a PAL Environment” on page 73. Generating Timecode Window Burns In Final Cut Pro HD, timecode reading and generation are separated into two filters, replacing the Timecode Print filter. Both are located in the Video category of the Video Filters bin in the Effects tab.
UP01022.Book Page 93 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 6 Media and Clip Management 6 Edit to Tape and Print to Video In some instances, Edit to Tape and Print to Video used to require re-rendering of material in the Timeline prior to output. In Final Cut Pro HD, re-rendering is no longer necessary, significantly reducing rendering time before output. Note: Built-in countdowns, slates, color bars, and tone still require rendering before output.
UP01022.Book Page 94 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Maximizing Media File Performance for Multiple Stream, Real-Time Playback Final Cut Pro captures and writes media files to maximize the number of simultaneous streams and real-time effects during playback. Note: The number of playback streams does not necessarily correspond to the number of video tracks in your sequence. Instead, the number of streams refers to how many simultaneous video files can be read from your scratch disk.
UP01022.Book Page 95 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Changing Affiliate Clips Into Independent Clips As a result of the relationship between master and affiliate clips, changes made to certain properties of a master clip, such as Clip Name, Reel Name, or Timecode are automatically made to all affiliated clips within the current project. These same changes, if made to an affiliate clip, are also made to that clip’s master clip, as well as to all other affiliated clips in the current project.
UP01022.Book Page 96 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Additional Settings in the Batch Capture Window In the Batch Capture window, when you select the Use Logged Clip Settings checkbox, additional settings are included for the captured clips: • Image and Gain settings (for analog capture) • Capture settings from the Capture pop-up menu • Audio settings from the Audio Format pop-up menu These settings are found in the Clip Settings tab of the Log and Capture window.
UP01022.Book Page 97 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 7 External Audio and Video Monitoring 7 Seeing and hearing your project on external monitors and speakers can provide a more accurate sense of your final project than simply using the built-in computer speakers and display. Since all Final Cut Pro systems can send video and audio out of the built-in FireWire connector, it is easy to monitor the Canvas or Viewer on an external NTSC or PAL monitor.
UP01022.Book Page 98 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM A FireWire DV setup is a common configuration. The FireWire device (either a camcorder, VTR, or FireWire-to-analog converter box) converts DV signals to video and audio signals connected to a video monitor and self-powered speakers. If you have a home stereo system, you can also connect the audio output of the FireWire device into any available channels on the home stereo system.
UP01022.Book Page 99 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Using a Computer Display for External Video Monitoring Final Cut Pro allows you to monitor Canvas or Viewer video using a computer display, simplifying your video editing system setup. If you have two computer displays, one can be used to view the Final Cut Pro interface and the Finder while the other can be used as a dedicated video monitor.
UP01022.Book Page 100 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Full-screen The video is scaled to fit the display in at least one dimension. 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. • Pros: This format gives you the biggest picture possible and maintains the proper aspect ratio. • Cons: Scaling artifacts may be noticeable when viewed up close.
UP01022.Book Page 101 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Compensating for Latency With Frame Offset By changing the frame offset, you can compensate for the delay between your computer display and external video and audio outputs. Frame offset is active only when your sequence real-time effects are handled by Final Cut Pro. For information about setting the Effects Handling tab of the Sequence Settings window, see Volume I, Chapter 6, “Viewing and Setting Preferences,” in the Final Cut Pro 4 User’s Manual.
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High Definition Video Fundamentals Appendix UP01022.Book Page 103 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Television is undergoing a radical change—the most fundamental redesign since its invention nearly 100 years ago. Everyone working in television, video, and even film production has heard the news: The switch from analog to digital television is underway. Television is being shot, edited, and even broadcast all in the digital domain.
UP01022.Book Page 104 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 104 Year Event 1934 RCA experiments with 343-line, 30 fps television format, removing flicker by introducing interlacing. 1936 BBC begins broadcasting a high definition, monochrome, 405-line, 25 fps interlaced signal tied to European 50Hz electrical frequency. 1939 NBC begins regularly scheduled broadcasts of electronic television, 441 lines and 30 fps. 1941 National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) standardizes U.S.
UP01022.Book Page 105 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Year Event 1990 General Instrument proposes an all-digital HDTV system in the U.S. 1991 Japan adopts Hi-Vision/MUSE as the national HDTV standard, 16:9 aspect ratio, 1,125 scanning lines, 30 fps, interlaced. 1993 Digital Betacam is introduced. 1996 DV format is introduced. 1997 DVD format is introduced.
UP01022.Book Page 106 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM ATSC Digital Television Formats With the exception of Japan’s MUSE HDTV broadcast format and current HD development in Europe, HDTV today usually refers to the ATSC specifications. Unlike the single frame size and rate of the NTSC and PAL formats, the ATSC chose18 official digital television formats, and several of these have official designations from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE).
UP01022.Book Page 107 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Note: The SMPTE RS170A standard actually specifies the color NTSC analog broadcast format in use since 1953, and only roughly corresponds to the ATSC 640 x 480/60i format. Each ATSC format also supports NTSC-speed variants: 23.98 (24), 29.97 (30), and 59.94 (60), calculated by multiplying whole number frame rates by 1000/1001 (which is a slightly more accurate ratio than 29.97/30).
UP01022.Book Page 108 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM High Definition Versus Standard Definition Video Formats Whenever a new format is introduced, it needs to be distinguished from the formats that already exist. Standard definition video wasn’t a commonly used term until the latest high definition formats were introduced a few years ago. High definition has two slightly different meanings.
UP01022.Book Page 109 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Compressed High Definition Tape Formats Because of the high data rate generated by high definition video cameras, most HD formats compress the image data to fit on tape. • DVCPRO HD (SMPTE D-12); also generally called DV-100 in reference to its bit-rate of 100 Mbps. • D-9 HD, an extension of the Digital S format. (Digital S is also designated SMPTE D9.
UP01022.Book Page 110 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Discussing HD Formats in Conversation Because there are so many possible HD formats, it’s best to be as specific as possible when describing a particular variant. Always mention the image dimensions, frame rate, and scanning method. Often, people in the film and video industries abbreviate HD format names to either the frame rate or image dimensions (but not both) with the scanning method tagged on to the end (for example, 24p or 1080i).
UP01022.Book Page 111 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Determining Image Dimensions From Frame Rate The following example suggests ways of assessing the image dimensions of an HD video format when only the frame rate is given in the name. 24p describes an image recorded progressively at either 23.98 or 24 fps. But what are the image dimensions? If you are using DVCPRO HD, only frame sizes of 1280 x 720 support 23.98 and 24 fps recording.
UP01022.Book Page 112 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Downconverting High Definition Video The method used in downconverting HD video depends on the destination format and the intentions of the cinematographer or director. Since 16 x 9 images don’t fit within a 4 x 3 frame, some cinematographers shoot widescreen images while protecting for another aspect ratio. For example, 16 x 9 protected for 4 x 3 will keep the majority of the action centered within a 4 x 3 portion of the 16 x 9 image.
UP01022.Book Page 113 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM To preserve the aspect ratio of widescreen movies on a 4 x 3 screen, widescreen movies are scaled until the entire image fits within the 4 x 3 frame. The remaining space at the top and bottom of the 4 x 3 frame is left empty, and is almost always made black. If a film or video was shot to be exclusively viewed in a widescreen venue, this technique is usually the best approach for downconversion.
UP01022.Book Page 114 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Pan and Scan 16 x 9 to 4 x 3 pan and scan The pan and scan method also crops 16 x 9 movies within a 4 x 3 frame, but the movie can be cropped on a shot-by-shot basis. This is a more time-consuming approach to converting 16 x 9 to 4 x 3, but it is often necessary when the original widescreen movie was not shot with 4 x 3 in mind.
UP01022.Book Page 115 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Upconverting Standard Definition Video Upconverting a 4 x 3 aspect ratio image in a 16 x 9 frame results in borders (or side panels) on the left and right sides of the 4 x 3 image. This type of frame is sometimes referred to as pillarboxed. If the aspect ratio of the original and destination formats match, you can simply scale the original video to the destination size.
UP01022.Book Page 116 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM DVCPRO HD Specifications DVCPRO HD is an extension of the DVCPRO (25) and DVCPRO 50 formats. DVCPRO HD Tape Format The data rate of DVCPRO HD is fixed at 100 megabits per second, or 12.5 megabytes per second. The tape speed of DVCPRO HD is double the DVCPRO 50 tape speed and four times the speed of DVCPRO. DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, and DVCPRO HD use a metal particle (MP) tape formulation. Some tape sizes are supported only by decks and not by cameras.
UP01022.Book Page 117 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Interlaced and Progressive Scanning Methods DVCPRO HD can record either interlaced or progressive scan images, depending on the frame size and format.
UP01022.Book Page 118 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM The reason DVCPRO HD internally uses rectangular pixels is to reduce the overall amount of data recorded to tape and disk, but you shouldn’t need to worry about these behind-the-scenes format details while you shoot or edit. An HD SDI signal output from an HD VTR or camera has square pixels, a welcome relief for video graphics designers after struggling to understand standard definition rectangular pixels.
UP01022.Book Page 119 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Versatile Formatting Choices With Digital Formats Storing video digitally allows versatile formatting choices while still using the same physical storage media. Frame rate, image dimensions, and scanning methods are no longer rigidly defined per tape format. For example, the same DVCPRO HD camcorder and tape can be used to record a 1920 x 1080 interlaced image at 29.97 fps or a 1280 x 720 progressive scan image at 59.94 fps.
UP01022.Book Page 120 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM DVCPRO HD Timecode DVCPRO HD records timecode at 30 fps for NTSC-related frame rates or 25 fps when recording at 25 fps. When recording a video at 59.94 or 60 fps, each timecode number actually is used twice, with an asterisk used to distinguish frame 1 and frame 2 of each timecode pair. Using 30 fps timecode maintains backward compatibility with SMPTE 30 fps timecode.
UP01022.Book Page 121 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Brief Overview of DVCPRO HD Formats 1080i60 1080 60 1280 x 720 1920 x 1080 720 x 480 1080i60 is a common broadcast format that is frame and field compatible with standard definition NTSC video. Pros • Individual still frames in this format are very high quality because of the high resolution. • 29.97 fps frame rate and interlacing are both compatible with standard definition NTSC video.
UP01022.Book Page 122 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 720p60 720 60 1920 x 1080 720 x 480 1280 x 720 This format is smaller than 1920 x 1080, but the smaller image dimensions allow the frame rate to be doubled. Sports events and other rapid-movement imagery are usually broadcast in this format. Pros • Yields the highest frame rate possible with the DVCPRO HD format. • Individual still frames in this format have no motion artifacting (such as flickering lines) due to the progressive scanning.
UP01022.Book Page 123 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM 720p24 720 24 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 720 x 480 720p24 is sometimes simply referred to as 24p mode, and is considered by some to be the most flexible frame rate choice because it is possible to transfer to NTSC and PAL as well as to film. Choose this mode if you plan to transfer your finished video to film, or if you are trying to emulate a film look on your final video. Even though the camcorder always records 720p formats at 59.
UP01022.Book Page 124 Tuesday, March 23, 2004 7:32 PM Recording and Playing Back Variable Frame Rates With DVCPRO HD Some DVCPRO HD devices allow recording and playback of variable frame rates from 4 to 60 frames per second. Variable frame rate recording and playback are limited to the 720p HD format. The camera CCD outputs from 4 to 60 fps (in whole number increments), but the built-in VTR records at a constant rate of 60 fps (or 59.94 fps).
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