Final Cut Pro User Guide
Contents Final Cut Pro User Guide What’s new 6 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.5.3 6 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.5 6 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.4.9 7 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.4.7 8 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.4.6 9 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.4.4 9 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.4.1 10 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.4 10 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.3 12 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.2 14 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.1.2 16 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.
Final Cut Pro User Guide Organize files during import into Final Cut Pro 52 Import from other apps 54 Record video into Final Cut Pro 59 Memory cards and cables used with Final Cut Pro 60 Media formats supported in Final Cut Pro 62 Adjust ProRes RAW camera settings in Final Cut Pro 64 Import REDCODE RAW files into Final Cut Pro 65 Import Canon Cinema RAW Light files into Final Cut Pro 67 Analyze media 68 Play back and organize media 74 Play back and skim media 74 Organize your library
Final Cut Pro User Guide Add effects 352 Intro to effects in Final Cut Pro 352 Add and adjust transitions 353 Adjust built-in effects 364 Add and adjust clip effects 381 Add generators 408 Use onscreen controls 416 Animate video effects 424 Advanced editing 436 Use roles to manage clips and organize the timeline 436 Add, adjust, and share captions 464 Group clips with compound clips 492 Edit with multicam clips 500 Add storylines in Final Cut Pro 529 Use the precision editor in
Final Cut Pro User Guide Share your project 724 Intro to sharing projects in Final Cut Pro 724 Share to Apple devices with Final Cut Pro 726 Export files 729 Share on the web with Final Cut Pro 745 Create optical discs and disk images in Final Cut Pro 747 Share in email with Final Cut Pro 754 Batch sharing in Final Cut Pro 756 Share from Final Cut Pro using Compressor 757 Create share destinations in Final Cut Pro 761 Change metadata for shared items in Final Cut Pro 767 View the stat
What’s new What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.5.3 Final Cut Pro 10.5.3 introduces new features and enhancements, detailed below. Custom column sets Create and save custom column arrangements in the browser, and edit them with the Column Set Editor. See Create and share column sets in Final Cut Pro. Enhanced browser search • Search for media using expanded criteria, including clip text, markers, and notes. See Search for clips or projects by text in notes, names, or markers.
Automatic transcoding when copying or consolidating media Final Cut Pro can now transcode media automatically when you copy or consolidate a project, event, or library. See Create a proxy-only project, Copy items to another library, and Consolidate projects and libraries. Searchable Final Cut Pro User Guide Search the online Final Cut Pro User Guide by entering your query in the search field at the top of any page, then pressing Return.
360° video features • View and edit stereoscopic 360° video with simultaneous left-eye and right-eye views in the 360° viewer. See View and navigate 360° video in Final Cut Pro. • When patching a portion of a 360° clip with the 360° Patch effect, create a separate connected clip with just the patch image. See Create a separate clip with only the 360° Patch image. • Video stabilization as well as 5.7K and 8K project resolutions are now available for 360° video.
Support for fragmented MP4 format in HTTP live streaming Fragmented MP4 files are now an option for HTTP live streaming workflows. See Export live-streaming files with Final Cut Pro and HTTP Live Streaming destination in Final Cut Pro. What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.4.6 Final Cut Pro 10.4.6 introduces new features and enhancements, detailed below. Detect and convert incompatible media Some media formats will not be compatible with versions of macOS after macOS Mojave. Final Cut Pro 10.4.
Captions enhancements In addition to the CEA-608 and iTT caption formats, you can now add SRT captions to your projects for translation, closed-captioning, and more. When exporting, you can now burn in captions so they’re permanently visible in your output media files. See Intro to captions in Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Pro captions workflow. Tiny planet effect Use the Tiny Planet setting to create the effect of a tiny planet (or an inverted tiny planet) from a 360° clip.
Advanced color correction • Color grade with powerful new color wheels, color curves, and hue and saturation curves. See Intro to color correction effects in Final Cut Pro. • Use built-in camera LUTs to automatically process log footage and preserve its full dynamic range. Apply looks with custom LUTs to suit your creative needs. See Apply color lookup tables (LUTs). • Animate your color corrections using keyframes. See Keyframe color corrections in Final Cut Pro. • Correct a clip’s white balance.
What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.3 Final Cut Pro 10.3 introduces new features and enhancements, detailed below. New interface • A redesigned modern interface puts the focus on your video. See Final Cut Pro interface. • Configure custom workspaces for tasks like organizing and color grading. Fill a second display with the timeline (or hide the timeline completely). Expand the inspector to full-screen height.
• Log footage from ARRI, Blackmagic Design, Canon, Panasonic, and Sony cameras, as well as RED RAW footage, can be manipulated in real time to preserve wider color gamut. See Apply LUTs in Final Cut Pro and Import REDCODE RAW files into Final Cut Pro. • The range check overlay in the viewer highlights areas out of the standard RGB range. Video scopes accurately display wider color gamut in real time. See Detect out-ofgamut colors in Final Cut Pro and Intro to measuring video in Final Cut Pro.
• New XML support lets you update clips, projects, and events by dragging them directly between Final Cut Pro and supported apps. See Use XML to transfer projects in Final Cut Pro. • You can now set continuous playback of clips in the browser. See Play back video and audio clips. • You can apply fades to one or more audio clips using the Modify menu. See Apply fades using the Modify menu. • You can now roll adjacent audio components. See Example: Perform a roll edit on adjacent audio components.
Advanced effects Final Cut Pro 10.2 offers powerful new tools for creating visual effects and superb video quality in your projects. • Use the flexible Shape Mask and Draw Mask effects to create areas of transparency in your video clips. The Draw Mask effect lets you create complex custom masks and provides options for linear, Bezier, or B-Spline smoothing. See Intro to masking in Final Cut Pro and Create complex masks in Final Cut Pro.
What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.1.2 Final Cut Pro 10.1.2 introduces new features and enhancements, detailed below. Media management improvements New features provide you with more flexibility and control over media management. • Store optimized, proxy, and rendered media outside the library, at the location you choose. • Easily delete optimized, proxy, and render files from within Final Cut Pro.
Import and export features • Import and export entire libraries as single XML files using XML 1.4. See Use XML to transfer projects in Final Cut Pro. • Create keywords from Finder tags when you import media from a storage device. See Import into Final Cut Pro from your Mac or storage device and Organize files during import into Final Cut Pro. • Quickly export cuts-only projects containing XDCAM media.
• Used-clip-range indicators that show you at a glance which clips are already in a project • Direct import of photos from iOS and iPadOS devices using the Media Import window • Support for portrait/landscape metadata in still images For more information, see Intro to libraries in Final Cut Pro, Intro to media management in Final Cut Pro, and Intro to editing in Final Cut Pro.
Share When it’s time to export your project, you can use several new share options: • Share videos directly to the Chinese video-sharing websites Youku and Tudou. • Receive notifications on the status of items you shared. For more information, see Intro to sharing projects in Final Cut Pro. Audio Audio fade handles have been added to individual audio channels in the timeline. For more information, see Fade audio in and out in Final Cut Pro. Third-party support Final Cut Pro 10.
Streamlined sharing and export Sharing your finished work is easier and more flexible in Final Cut Pro 10.0.6. Destinations— sets of preconfigured export settings—allow you to quickly publish a project or clip to a sharing website, export it for viewing on iPad or iPhone, or burn it to a disc. Final Cut Pro comes with a variety of destinations, and you can also modify destinations and create new destinations.
Improved range selections Start and end points in clips in the browser now stay in place when you click elsewhere. You can also create multiple range selections in one or more clips. For more information, see Select ranges in Final Cut Pro and Set multiple ranges in the Final Cut Pro browser.
A/V output You can now connect your Mac to an external video monitor for audio and video (A/V) output. In addition to showing how video and audio look and sound on an NTSC/PAL or HD broadcast monitor, this allows you to test output with more sophisticated devices such as vectorscopes and waveform monitors. A/V output is available only with OS X Lion 10.7.2 or later and requires compatible thirdparty video interface hardware and software. FireWire DV devices are not supported.
Storage area network (SAN) locations You can now add network volumes as storage locations for events and projects. When you remove SAN locations in Final Cut Pro, other users on the network can work with the events and projects stored on those locations. XML export and import Final Cut Pro now supports XML import and export so that you can transfer your project and event information to and from systems and third-party applications that don’t recognize Final Cut Pro projects and events.
Final Cut Pro basics What is Final Cut Pro? Final Cut Pro is a revolutionary app for creating, editing, and producing the highest-quality video. Edit everything Final Cut Pro User Guide • Import and edit everything from standard-definition to 8K video—including ProRes, ProRes RAW, and all major professional camera formats. • Import and edit immersive 360° video with 360° titles, graphics, and effects, as well as VR headset playback.
Work faster, smarter • Assemble clips in the Magnetic Timeline, which fluidly adjusts adjacent clips to eliminate gaps, collisions, and sync problems. • Ripple, roll, slip, and slide your edits using state-of-the-art trimming tools, then finetune your cuts with the inline precision editor. • Connect clips to lock cutaway shots, superimposed titles, and sound effects to your main storyline, or nest clips within other clips.
Export and share everywhere • Send your finished project to Compressor for streamlined delivery to the iTunes Store. And because Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Compressor all share the same Metal architecture, you’ll experience blazing performance and consistent rendering across applications. • Optimize your project for viewing on Apple devices such as iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV. • Export files in a variety of professional formats, including industry-standard MXF.
Generated media Render files, optimized files, proxy files, and analysis files are all considered generated media because the system creates them in the background after the original media has been imported. You can store generated media inside your Final Cut Pro library or in an external location you define. For example, to organize media in a large facility more efficiently, you can put generated media on a SAN or on a storage device outside the library. See Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro.
Step 4: Arrange and edit your clips Now your movie can really begin to take shape. To assemble a rough cut, rearrange and trim clips in the timeline. You can also try out different clips using auditions. Use connected clips and storylines to add cutaway shots, titles, background music, and sound effects to your project. Create compound clips to group any combination of clips and nest clips within other clips.
Organize media in the Libraries sidebar and the browser Your imported media is available in events in your library. (An event is like a folder that contains clips and projects.) When you select an event in a library, its clips and projects appear in the browser on the right. You can reorganize your media however you like, and you can use the Libraries sidebar and the browser to manage, rate, sort, and add keywords to your imported media. See Intro to libraries in Final Cut Pro.
Edit your project in the Magnetic Timeline The bottom portion of the Final Cut Pro window contains the timeline, where you create your movie by adding and arranging clips and making all your edits. The timeline “magnetically” adjusts clips to fit around clips that you drag into place. If you drag clips out of place, the surrounding clips close up to fill the space. A project holds all of the information for your final movie, including your editing decisions and links to all the source clips and events.
Media files and clips in Final Cut Pro After you import media into events in your Final Cut Pro library, clips representing the source media files appear in the browser. A large event may hold many clips. Media files are the raw materials you use to create your project. A media file is a video, audio, still-image, or graphics file on your Mac or storage device that contains footage transferred from a camcorder or recording device or created on a computer.
Import and analyze media Intro to importing media in Final Cut Pro Importing media into Final Cut Pro is the first step toward making your movie.
During import, you assign your media to an event. You can also transcode your media and analyze your media for a variety of issues, such as color balance, the presence of people and shot type, and audio problems. When you import clips (video, audio, or still images), Final Cut Pro assigns one of five default roles to the video and audio components of each clip: Video, Titles, Dialogue, Music, and Effects. You can also override this automatic role assignment.
Import from connected cameras Import into Final Cut Pro from file-based cameras File-based camcorders and cameras can record video, audio, and still images. These kinds of devices, which record to flash-based storage media, hard drives, and so on, usually connect to your Mac through a Thunderbolt or USB cable. Some devices have removable memory cards that you can insert into your computer instead.
3. If necessary, select your camcorder, camera, or device from the Cameras section on the left. The Media Import window displays the media on your device. You can play back your media using the playback controls or skim it by moving the pointer forward or backward over a filmstrip. Note: By default, the Media Import window is set to show only video clips. If you want to display just photos, or video clips and photos, use the pop-up menu in the middle-right area of the window. 4.
• Automatically close the Media Import window when the import begins: Select the “Close window after starting import” checkbox. • Add a folder to list view by dragging: Drag the folder from the Finder to list view and browse its contents in list view. 5.
Reimport a clip Two situations warrant reimporting a clip: • If the clip was not completely imported: If you cancel or quit Final Cut Pro before an import is finished, a camera icon appears on the bottom-left corner of the clip, indicating that the media on the camera is being used for playback (instead of the QuickTime file that was created during import). To play a clip with a camera icon, Final Cut Pro locates the media either on a connected camera or in a connected, available camera archive.
Import spanned clips into Final Cut Pro Some file-based camcorders or devices that have more than one memory card slot can record one shot over multiple memory cards. The resulting shot is called a spanned clip. A good way to import a spanned clip is to connect your camera or card reader to your Mac and create a camera archive for each memory card. You can store the camera archives on your Mac or on an external storage device until you’re ready to import the spanned clip.
Import a spanned clip 1. If the media you want to import is on an external storage device or a memory card, connect the device to your Mac and turn on the device. 2. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). • Click the Import Media button on the left side of the toolbar. 3.
5. Use the settings on the right side of the Media Import window to choose how you want to organize the imported media in your library: • Add the imported media to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” then choose the event from the pop-up menu. • Create a new event: Select “Create new event in,” use the pop-up menu to choose the library in which you want to create the event, then type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim Wedding”) in the text field.
3. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). • Click the Import Media button on the left side of the toolbar. 4. In the Media Import window, select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from the Cameras section on the left. You can play back your media using the playback controls or skim it by moving the pointer forward or backward over a filmstrip.
Note: By default, the Media Import window is set to show video clips only. If you want to display just photos, or video clips and photos, use the pop-up menu in the middle-right area of the window. 5. Use the settings on the right side of the Media Import window to choose how you want to organize the imported media in your library: • Add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” then choose the event from the pop-up menu.
7. Do one of the following: • Import all clips: Click Import All. • Import only some of the clips: Select each clip you want to import by Commandclicking it, then click Import Selected (the Import button changes its name). Tip: To select several clips located together, drag a selection rectangle around the clips. • Import portions of clips: Drag inside the filmstrip to select the range that you want, then click Import Selected. You can also select multiple ranges in each clip.
Import into Final Cut Pro from tape-based cameras You can import media from a tape-based camcorder or device. To determine which clips you want to import (rather than importing all of them), you can view them using Final Cut Pro before you import them. Final Cut Pro supports tape-based import of the DV (including DVCAM, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO50), DVCPRO HD, and HDV formats. To check whether your camera is compatible with Final Cut Pro, see the Apple Support article Cameras supported by Final Cut Pro. 1.
5. Use the settings on the right side of the Media Import window to choose how you want to organize the imported media in your library: • Add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” then choose the event from the pop-up menu. • Create a new event: Select “Create new event in,” use the pop-up menu to choose the library in which you want to create the event, then type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim Wedding”) in the text field.
If your camera isn’t recognized in Final Cut Pro If you’ve connected your camera or device to your computer but the Media Import window doesn’t open, or your device can’t be controlled from within Final Cut Pro, there are several things you can do to try to establish the connection. Check your equipment and system 1. Before importing media into Final Cut Pro, make sure that you’re using the correct equipment configuration: • Your camcorder or camera must be compatible with Final Cut Pro.
Import from devices Import into Final Cut Pro from your Mac or storage device You can import media—video, audio, still images, and graphics files—from your Mac, a connected external storage device, a memory card inserted in the card slot on your Mac or a card reader, or a network-attached volume. You can import media using the Media Import window or by dragging files from the Finder.
4. Use list view at the bottom of the window to navigate to a file or folder and select it. When you import from your Mac or a storage device, filmstrips are visible for individual selected clips only. Tip: Command-click to select multiple files or folders to import. 5. Do any of the following: • Preview the selected clip: Play it using the playback controls or skim it by moving the pointer forward or backward over the filmstrip.
6. Use the settings on the right side of the Media Import window to choose how you want to organize the imported media in your library: • Add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” then choose the event from the pop-up menu. • Create a new event: Select “Create new event in,” use the pop-up menu to choose the library in which you want to create the event, then type a name for the event (for example, “Chris and Kim Wedding”) in the text field.
Import media by dragging from the Finder 1. Open Final Cut Pro. 2. Do one of the following: • Select a file, Command-click to select multiple files, or select a folder of files, then drag the file or files from the Finder to the event. • Select a file, Command-click to select multiple files, or select a folder of files, then drag the file or files from the Finder to a Keyword Collection. The clip or clips appear in the event, and the keyword is automatically added to the clip or clips.
Import media from a camera archive 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). • Click the Import Media button on the left side of the toolbar. 2. In the Devices section on the left side of the Media Import window, select the storage device (internal or external) or memory card from which you want to import media, then use the list at the bottom of the window to navigate to the camera archive.
Organize files during import into Final Cut Pro You can choose how to organize your media when you import it into Final Cut Pro. You can copy the source files into the library or link to them at their current location. If your source files have Finder tags or the folders containing the files have meaningful names, you can choose to have the tags and folder names applied to the files as keywords during import.
4. In the Keywords section, select any of the following options: • From Finder tags: Creates a keyword for each Finder tag in the files you’re importing. For each keyword, a Keyword Collection is also created. For more information about Finder tags, see macOS Help (click the desktop to make the Finder active, choose Help > macOS Help, then search for “tags”). • From folders: Creates a keyword for each folder name and applies the keyword to all the files in the folder during import.
Import from other apps Import into Final Cut Pro from iMovie for macOS You can send an iMovie for macOS project to Final Cut Pro. You initiate the process from within iMovie. The project file and the media used in the project are copied to your Final Cut Pro library. If you want to send an iMovie trailer project, you first need to convert it to a movie project. For information about sending an iMovie project to Final Cut Pro or converting a trailer project to a movie project, see the iMovie User Guide.
Import into Final Cut Pro from Photos When you import photos and video clips from Photos or another photos app into Final Cut Pro, the media is always copied into the Final Cut Pro library, regardless of your settings in Import preferences. This is the only exception to the general rule that the media is imported using the import settings you defined in Import preferences. See Import into Final Cut Pro from your Mac or storage device.
Import into Final Cut Pro from Music You can import music and sound from your Music library into Final Cut Pro. 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Photos and Audio sidebar by doing one of the following: • Choose Window > Go To > Photos and Audio (or press Shift-Command-1). • Click the Photos and Audio button in the top-left corner of the Final Cut Pro window. 2. In the Photos and Audio sidebar, click Music. A list of your Music content appears in the browser. Note: If you’re using macOS Mojave 10.
Import Motion content into Final Cut Pro You can build and modify video effects, titles, transitions, and generators in Motion 5 for use in Final Cut Pro. When you save a template in Motion, it is “published” and becomes available in its respective media browser in Final Cut Pro (the browser, Effects browser, or Transitions browser). See the information about Final Cut Pro templates in the Motion User Guide.
4. To find the music or sound you want, do any of the following: • Search for an item: Type text in the search field at the top of the browser. • Choose which items to display: Click the pop-up menu at the top of the browser and choose a category, playlist, or folder. • Preview an item: Select the item and click the Play button • Select more than one item: Command-click each item.
Record video into Final Cut Pro You can record video directly into Final Cut Pro using your computer’s built-in camera or an external camera. Record live video and audio into Final Cut Pro 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Record using the built-in camera: Click the Import Media button in the toolbar. • Record using an external camera: Connect the camera to your Mac with a FireWire cable, then click the Import Media button in the toolbar. 2.
5. If you want to override automatic role assignment, create optimized or proxy media, analyze the video, or analyze the audio, select the relevant settings in the Audio Roles, Transcoding, and Analyze sections. If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later in the browser. Note: Some import options are available only when you import files from a storage device.
You can also connect your device to your Mac using one of the cables listed below. The kind of cable you need depends on the kind of device you’re using: • Thunderbolt 3 device: You can connect Thunderbolt 3 devices using a connector that plugs into the Thunderbolt 3 port on your Mac. • USB 2 or USB 3 device: You use a USB cable for file-based camcorders, digital still cameras that record video, and iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
If your device didn’t come with a cable and you’re not sure what kind of device you have, you can check the logo near the cable ports on your device to see if it matches the USB or FireWire logo, both shown above. Otherwise, check the documentation that came with your device. To check whether your camera is compatible with Final Cut Pro, see the Apple Support article Cameras supported by Final Cut Pro.
Audio formats • AAC • AIFF • BWF • CAF • MP3 • MP4 • RF64 (requires macOS 10.13 or later) • WAV Still-image formats • BMP • GIF • HEIF (requires macOS 10.13 or later) • JPEG • PNG • PSD (static and layered) • RAW • TGA • TIFF Container formats • 3GP • AVI • MOV (QuickTime) • MP4 • MTS/M2TS • MXF For information about formats you can export your movie to, see Export formats supported in Final Cut Pro.
Adjust ProRes RAW camera settings in Final Cut Pro Apple ProRes RAW brings to raw video the same great performance, quality, and ease of use that Apple ProRes has brought to conventional video, in a format ideal for highdynamic-range (HDR) content creation. ProRes RAW captures most of the sensor data from compatible cameras. This wealth of data allows you to flexibly adjust exposure and white balance in Final Cut Pro without losing any quality.
6. In the Info inspector, view or adjust any of the following settings: Note: These settings appear only if the corresponding information is found in the clip metadata. • Camera ISO: Displays the as-shot ISO setting of ProRes RAW clips. Not adjustable. • ISO: Adjusts the ISO setting of ProRes RAW clips. • Exposure Offset: Adjusts the ISO setting of ProRes RAW clips up or down by as much as one stop. • Camera Color Temperature: Displays the as-shot color temperature of ProRes RAW clips.
4. If you like, generate optimized or proxy media from the R3D RAW files. See Create optimized and proxy files in Final Cut Pro. To control whether Final Cut Pro displays optimized, proxy, or original media in the viewer, and whether video playback is optimized for quality or performance, choose the corresponding options from the View pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the viewer. See Control playback quality in Final Cut Pro. 5.
5. Click the Info button at the top of the inspector. 6. In the Info inspector, click the Modify RED RAW Settings button. 7. In the RED RAW Settings window, adjust the settings. Your changes are saved nondestructively to an external metadata file with the file extension .RMD, overwriting any existing RMD metadata file. Unlike video effects that are applied to a clip, these adjustments are associated with the file (via the RMD metadata file).
Analyze media Intro to analyzing media in Final Cut Pro You can have Final Cut Pro analyze your media (video, audio, and still images) and automatically correct common problems. For example, you can balance color and remove excess hum or loudness. You can also analyze clips to identify their contents. Analysis can detect the number of people in a shot and identify whether the shot is a close-up, medium, or wide shot.
Video analysis options in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro provides video and still-image analysis options that can automatically balance color in video and detect people and shot angles in video or still images. You can analyze video during import, or analyze video clips in the browser after import. Based on the results of the analysis, analysis keywords are added to clips or clip ranges.
Audio analysis options in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro provides automatic analysis options that can fix common audio problems, analyze and group audio channels, and remove silent channels. You can analyze audio during import, or analyze video clips with audio issues in the browser or in the timeline. Final Cut Pro provides these audio analysis options: • Analyze and fix audio problems: Analyzes the audio for hum, noise, and loudness.
2. In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in your library: • Add the imported media to an existing event: Select “Add to existing Event,” then choose the event from the pop-up menu. • Create a new event: Select “Create new Event,” then type a name for the event (for example, “Chris and Kim Wedding”) in the text field. Use the “Save to” pop-up menu to choose the location where you want to store the event.
View analysis keywords in Final Cut Pro If you analyze media to find people, analysis keywords—such as One Person, Close Up Shot, and so on—are automatically added to clips or clip ranges. Clips or ranges with analysis keywords are marked with a purple line in the browser. You can view a clip’s analysis keywords in several locations in Final Cut Pro. View keywords in the Skimmer Info window 1. In Final Cut Pro, choose View > Browser > Skimmer Info (or press Control-Y). 2. Skim the clip in the browser.
View keywords in list view in the browser 1. In Final Cut Pro, click the List View button in the top-right corner of the browser. 2. To see a clip’s keywords, click the disclosure triangle next to the clip. View the contents of a Smart Collection If you chose to create Smart Collections after analysis, clips that have analysis keywords are automatically grouped in Smart Collections within the event in the Libraries sidebar.
Play back and organize media Play back and skim media Intro to playback in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro makes it easy to view and listen to your media, whether it’s located in the timeline or the browser. You use two tools to preview and play back media in Final Cut Pro: • The playhead marks the current position in the timeline or the browser. You can move the playhead by dragging it (called scrubbing) or by clicking another area in the timeline or a clip.
Play media in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro provides many options for playing back projects and clips. You can play a project or clip from the beginning, play it from a certain point, play it at different speeds, and loop playback. You can also play video in full-screen view.
• Stop playback: Press the Space bar. • Play clips in the browser without interruption: Choose View > Browser > Continuous Playback. When this setting is chosen, all event clips play without interruption (rather than stopping at the end of each clip). Use the J, K, and L keys for playback You can use the J, K, and L keys on your keyboard to play a project or clip at up to 32x normal speed. Playback begins at the location of the playhead (for a project) or the skimmer (for a clip).
Play back media in a loop You can turn on looping so that a project or a clip (or any portion of either) plays in a continuous loop. 1. To turn on looping in Final Cut Pro, choose View > Playback > Loop Playback (or press Command-L). 2. Do any of the following: • Loop your entire project: Click the timeline to make it active, then press the Space bar. • Loop a clip in the browser: Select the clip, then press the Space bar.
Skim clips • In Final Cut Pro, move the pointer forward or backward over a clip in the browser or the timeline. The skimmer (a vertical red line) indicates exactly where the pointer is as you skim, and the corresponding frames are displayed in the viewer. Tip: You can also press the Space bar at any time to play forward from the skimmer position. Skim clips with editing tools The Blade, Trim, and Range Selection tools behave as skimmers as you move the pointer over a clip. 1.
Turn skimming on and off In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Turn all skimming on or off: Click the Skimming button. You can also choose View > Skimming (or press S). • Turn audio skimming on or off: Click the Audio Skimming button. You can also choose View > Audio Skimming (or press Shift-S). When skimming is turned on, the skimming buttons appear highlighted. Note: When skimming is turned off, you can still skim with the Blade, Trim, and Range Selection editing tools.
Play media in the Final Cut Pro event viewer Sometimes, you may need two viewers so that you can play back and skim event clips separately from timeline clips. The event viewer is a separate video display that appears next to the main viewer. With the event viewer and the viewer open, you can display two clips at the same time: one from the browser and one from the timeline. You use the event viewer to play clips in the browser only.
You can use the comparison viewer in two modes in Final Cut Pro: • Saved: Save frames to the comparison viewer so you can compare them to any frame in the timeline or the browser. In Saved mode, you can use the comparison viewer with a frame browser that shows thumbnails of your saved frames. You can save up to 30 frames from anywhere in your project or library, and you can display saved frames in the comparison viewer with just a click.
Store and review frames in the frame browser When working with the comparison viewer in Saved mode, you can view, add, and remove saved video frames in the frame browser. 1. In Final Cut Pro, show the comparison viewer next to the viewer by choosing Window > Show in Workspace > Comparison Viewer (or pressing Control-Command-6). 2. To open the frame browser, click the Saved button at the top of the comparison viewer, then click the Frame Browser button in the lower-left corner. 3.
Compare the previous or next clip in the timeline The Previous Edit and Next Edit buttons in the comparison viewer’s Timeline mode let you quickly compare a frame in the timeline with frames in adjacent clips. This is particularly useful for color correcting a series of shots in a scene that requires continuity in color and exposure. 1. In Final Cut Pro, show the comparison viewer next to the viewer by choosing Window > Show in Workspace > Comparison Viewer (or pressing Control-Command-6). 2.
Play media on an external display in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro includes an A/V Output option to send video and audio from your Mac to an external video monitor. The A/V Output feature shows you how video and audio look and sound on a reference SDR or HDR video monitor. In addition, this feature allows you to test output with sophisticated external devices such as vectorscopes and waveform monitors.
Use the Pro Display XDR as a dedicated HDR color reference monitor On a system with a Pro Display XDR, Final Cut Pro provides the maximum color and brightness accuracy in HDR video playback. This makes the Pro Display XDR the ideal professional reference monitor for critical work such as HDR color correction.
6. In Final Cut Pro, choose Window > A/V Output. The viewer contents appear on the HDMI monitor. Viewer features (such as onscreen controls and the title-safe and action-safe overlays) appear only in Final Cut Pro. Note: If you’re viewing HDR video on a system with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, you can have Final Cut Pro show the HDR image as tone mapped. Tone mapping compresses bright image content and reduces the apparent dynamic range of the video to fit the viewable range of the connected display.
Choose the type of playback media • In Final Cut Pro, click the View pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the viewer, then choose an option in the Media Playback section: • Optimized/Original: Choose this option to edit with optimized media (in the Apple ProRes 422 format) for playback. If optimized media is not available, Final Cut Pro uses the original media for playback. • Proxy Preferred: Choose this option to edit with proxy media for playback.
Show title-safe and action-safe overlays The title-safe area is the inner 80 percent of the screen, guaranteed to be visible on all televisions. To prevent text in your video from being hidden by the edge of a TV set, you should restrict any titles or text to the title-safe area. The action-safe area is 90 percent of the image area.
3. To import the image and add it as an overlay, click the View pop-up menu in the upperright corner of the viewer, then choose Choose Custom Overlay > Add Custom Overlay. Your custom overlay appears in the viewer. 4. Do any of the following: • Adjust the opacity (transparency) of the overlay: Click the View pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the viewer and choose Show Custom Overlay, then choose a percentage from the Opacity submenu.
By default, rendering begins in the background 5 seconds after you stop working and moving the pointer in Final Cut Pro. You can turn off background rendering or adjust this setting in Final Cut Pro preferences (see Playback preferences in Final Cut Pro). You can also manually control rendering for a project or a portion of a project, and you can delete render files for one or more projects, events, or libraries to free up storage space. See Manage render files in Final Cut Pro.
As your library grows, you can rename, copy, move, and delete your clips, events, and projects as necessary. You can have multiple libraries open at the same time, and you can easily copy events and projects between libraries. For more information about managing multiple libraries, see Intro to managing libraries in Final Cut Pro.
Rename items in Final Cut Pro You can rename clips, projects, and events. Renaming a clip affects only that instance of the clip. For example, if you add a clip from the browser to the timeline, copy clips between events, or copy clips within the timeline, each of these clip instances (copies) is independent of the others and can have its own name. Important: Renaming a clip in Final Cut Pro does not rename the clip’s source media file on your Mac or storage device.
Rename a clip in the timeline index 1. To open the timeline index in Final Cut Pro, click Index in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press Shift-Command-2). 2. Click the Clips button at the top of the timeline index. 3. Select the Name field for a clip, click again (or press Return), then type a new name. Rename a clip in the Info inspector 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a clip in the browser or the timeline. 2.
Merge and split events in Final Cut Pro You can merge (combine) two or more events in a library (for example, if the media and projects they contain are very closely related). If you find an event is getting bulky and unmanageable, you can split it into multiple events. You can also sort events in the Libraries sidebar by name or date. Merge multiple events 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Drag one or more events to an event you want to combine them with.
Move items between events in Final Cut Pro You can copy and move clips and projects from one event to another. For information about copying and moving clips, projects, and events to other libraries, see Copy or move items between libraries in Final Cut Pro. 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the event that contains the clips or projects you want to copy or move. 2. In the browser, select the clips or projects you want to copy or move.
Duplicate projects as snapshots When you duplicate a project as a snapshot, Final Cut Pro embeds copies of compound or multicam “parent” clips in the duplicate, so any changes to other instances of those clips do not affect the duplicate. 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the event that contains the project you want to duplicate as a snapshot. 2. In the browser, select the project you want to copy. 3. Choose Edit > Snapshot Project (or press Shift-Command-D).
Delete items from libraries in Final Cut Pro You can delete unwanted clips and projects. You can also delete an entire event from your library to free up storage space. When you delete a clip or a project from an event, or delete an entire event, the source media files are moved to the Trash. There’s one exception: Media that is being used by other projects in your library always remains in the library. Note: Libraries must contain at least one event. 1.
• List view: Displays a list of your clips and projects with associated file and settings information. Use this view when you want to view or sort clips and projects by data such as duration, creation date, last modified date, rating, keywords, and so on. When you select a clip in list view, a filmstrip for the selected clip appears at the top of the browser. The clip filmstrip is fully interactive, allowing access to start and end points, markers, and keywords.
Customize filmstrip view 1. In Final Cut Pro, click the Clip Appearance button above the browser. 2. Do any of the following: • Adjust the time represented by each thumbnail in a clip’s filmstrip: Drag the Duration slider. Adjusting the Duration slider expands and contracts the amount of detail shown in each clip’s filmstrip. The longer each thumbnail’s duration, the fewer thumbnails each clip displays, and the more clips are displayed in the browser.
• Adjust the filmstrip height: Drag the Clip Height slider. • Turn audio waveforms on or off: Click the Waveforms checkbox. When audio waveforms are on, they appear at the bottom of each clip’s filmstrip, increasing the height of all clips in the browser.
• Play clips in the browser without interruption: Select the Continuous Playback checkbox. When this checkbox is selected, all clips in the browser play through without interruption (rather than stopping playback at the end of each clip). Alternatively, choose View > Browser > Continuous Playback.
• Group clips by category: Click the Group By pop-up menu and choose a category. To set the sort order, click the pop-up menu again and choose either Ascending or Descending. • Choose how clips are sorted in filmstrip view: Click the Sort By pop-up menu and choose an option. You can sort clips by date, name, take, or duration. To set the sort order, click the pop-up menu again and choose either Ascending or Descending. Note: In list view, click a column heading to sort clips by that category.
Edit column sets 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser in list view, Control-click any column heading, then choose Edit Available Columns from the shortcut menu. 2. In the Column Set Editor window, do any of the following: • Create a column set: Click the Action pop-up menu in the lower-left corner and choose New Column Set, then enter a name for the new set.
Organize clips Rate clips in Final Cut Pro If your clips contain sections that you don’t like or might never want to use in a project— because they’re blurry, for example—you can mark them as rejected. You can easily rate the clips you like and don’t like as you review them. When you’re ready to edit your project, you can focus on your best footage by choosing to display only those clips you marked as favorite. You can also delete your rejected clips’ source media files to free up storage space.
Remove ratings from clips 1. In Final Cut Pro, make sure the clips you want to work with appear in the browser. You might need to choose a new option, such as All Clips, from the Filter pop-up menu at the top of the browser so that all the clips you need to access are visible. See Find clips and projects in Final Cut Pro. 2. In the browser, select the clips whose rating you want to remove, and press the U key (or choose Mark > Unrate). The green or red line at the top of the clips disappears.
Additionally, when a keyword is applied to a clip or clip range, a Keyword Collection appears in the Libraries sidebar. A Keyword Collection contains pointers (aliases) to clips tagged with a specific keyword. For example, if you apply the keyword “water” to all clips containing water, you can then select the “water” Keyword Collection in the Libraries sidebar to view all clips containing the “water” keyword in the browser.
4. Repeat step 3 for each keyword or keyword phrase you want to add to the selection. A blue line appears at the top of the selection in the browser, indicating that keywords have been applied to it. 5. When you’re finished adding keywords, close the keyword editor. Add keywords using keyboard shortcuts To add keyword phrases to your clips using keyboard shortcuts, you must first assign keywords and keyword phrases to the keyboard shortcuts. 1.
Add keywords by dragging clips to Keyword Collections A quick and easy way to add keywords to one or more clips is to drag the clips from the browser to existing Keyword Collections. To create a Keyword Collection, see Add keywords using the keyword editor, above. 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the event that contains the clips you want to add keywords to. 2. In the browser, select the clip or clips that you want to apply the keyword to. 3.
You can also view a clip’s keywords by selecting the clip in the browser and clicking the Keywords button in the toolbar (or pressing Command-K). The keywords applied to the clip are shown in the keyword editor. • View all the clips that have a specific keyword: Select a Keyword Collection in the Libraries sidebar. The clips with that keyword appear in the browser. Remove all keywords from a selection 1.
Add clip and project notes in Final Cut Pro As you review your clips and projects, you can add and edit notes about them in the browser (or, in the case of timeline clips, in the timeline index). You can quickly find these items later by entering the note text in the search field in the browser or the timeline index, or in the Text field in the Filter window. For information about text searches, see Find clips and projects in Final Cut Pro. Note: You can add notes to each instance of a clip or project.
3. If the Notes column isn’t visible in the Clips pane, Control-click a column heading and choose Notes. 4. Click the Notes field for the clip, then type or edit the notes for that clip. Organize clips by roles in Final Cut Pro You can organize clips by roles, which are metadata text and color labels assigned to clips.
Lines marking event clips in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, lines appear on clips and ranges in the browser to help you see at a glance if they’re marked as favorite or rejected, have keywords applied, or are being used in the current project. The color of the line indicates the type of marker. To turn marker lines on or off, choose View > Browser > Marked Ranges. Color Description More information A green line indicates that you’ve marked a clip as favorite. See Rate clips in Final Cut Pro.
Find items using search, keywords, and Smart Collections Find clips and projects in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can search for media in the browser in several ways: • Quickly filter clips: Use the Filter pop-up menu to locate clips by rating (for example, clips you’ve rated as favorite). You can also locate unused clips and clips with neither ratings nor keywords.
Search for clips or projects by text in notes, names, or markers 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select a library or one or more events or folders you want to search. 2. Click the Search button at the top-right corner of the browser. 3. In the search field, enter the text you want to search for. As you type, the search results update in the browser. By default, Final Cut Pro searches text in notes, clip and project names, and markers. 4.
4. In the Filter window, click the Add Filter pop-up menu and choose search criteria. • Text: Find clips or projects by their name or by text in notes and markers. You can add multiple Text filters to search using more than one word or phrase, as well as exclude specific words and phrases from the search. • Ratings: Find clips based on the rating (favorite or rejected) assigned to them. See Rate clips in Final Cut Pro.
5. Further refine your search by choosing items from the pop-up menus for the filters you’ve added. 6. Do one of the following: • Specify that an item must match at least one of the search criteria or keywords: Click the pop-up menu in the upper-left corner of the Filter window, then choose Any. • Specify that an item must match all the search criteria and keywords: Click the pop-up menu in the upper-left corner, then choose All. The items that match the search criteria are displayed in the browser.
Create a Smart Collection based on search criteria 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the library or one or more events or folders you want to search. Note: If you select multiple events or folders, Final Cut Pro creates a library Smart Collection in the Smart Collections folder for that library. 2.
Delete a Smart Collection 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the Smart Collection you want to delete. 2. Choose File > Delete Smart Collection (or press Command-Delete). The Smart Collection is removed from the library, but its associated items (the clips and projects that appeared in it) are unaffected. Tip: To create a Keyword Collection for an entire library, create a library Smart Collection using one or more keywords as the search criteria.
Copy or move collections between events, libraries, and folders In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Copy a Smart Collection or Keyword Collection to another event, library, or folder: Drag the collection to the new location. A copy of the collection appears in the destination event, library, or folder, and the collection’s search criteria are applied to the items at that location.
Edit your project Intro to editing in Final Cut Pro The term video editing refers both to broader stages of a project workflow and to very specific manual tasks that you do with clips in a project timeline. Final Cut Pro User Guide • Create a project: To create a movie in Final Cut Pro, you first create a project, which provides a record of your editing decisions and the media you use. See Create a new project in Final Cut Pro.
Create and manage projects Create a new project in Final Cut Pro To create a movie in Final Cut Pro, you first create a project, which provides a record of your editing decisions and the media you use. When you create a new Final Cut Pro project, you do the following: • Name the project. • Specify the event where the project is stored. Often, you store projects in events that contain the media used to create the project.
6. If you want to further customize settings for your project, click Use Custom Settings. Note: Final Cut Pro shows the automatic settings by default, but it retains the settings you used last, so this step may be unnecessary. 7. If you want to make any changes to the project’s video or audio properties, use the pop-up menus in the custom settings view. 8. Click OK. The new project appears in the browser with the name you gave it in step 4.
Modify a project’s settings in Final Cut Pro As your project evolves, you may decide to change its settings. In most cases, Final Cut Pro manages project settings automatically based on the properties of the first clip you add to a project, but you can change almost all settings of an existing project. If you must modify the project settings, choose video and audio project settings based on how you intend to share your final movie with your audience. 1.
In the past, reframing each clip in a project for a new aspect ratio was a manual and timeconsuming process. Final Cut Pro now speeds up this process with the Smart Conform feature, which analyzes the content of each clip for faces or other areas of visual interest, and automatically reframes clips that have a different aspect ratio from the project aspect ratio.
Project Name • Project Name: Type a name for the project. Starting Timecode • Starting Timecode: If you want your project’s timecode to start at a value other than 00:00:00:00, type a starting timecode value. Video • Format: Choose the video format (a specific method of encoding the video) or an aspect ratio. Note: If you choose 360° from the Format pop-up menu, the Projection Type pop-up menu appears. See Intro to 360° video in Final Cut Pro. • Resolution: Choose the frame size of the video.
Save and back up projects in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro automatically saves all the changes you make as you work on a project, which means you never have to save changes manually. Also, you can undo all of your changes up to the last time you quit and reopened Final Cut Pro by choosing Edit > Undo (or pressing Command-Z). You can create multiple versions of a project by duplicating it. See Duplicate projects and clips in Final Cut Pro.
6. If your selection contains optimized or proxy media, select settings for copying optimized or proxy media in the window that appears, then click OK. 7. In the Libraries sidebar, select the new library that you just created. 8. To open the Library Properties inspector, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button in the toolbar. 9.
3. To open the Library Properties inspector, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button in the toolbar. 4. In the Storage Locations section, click Modify Settings if either Media or Motion Content is set to In Library. 5. In the window that appears, click the Media pop-up menu and choose a folder outside the library in which to store the media, then click Choose. 6.
Select clips and ranges Selections and filmstrips in Final Cut Pro A fundamental step in editing a video project is choosing what you want to include in your final movie. In Final Cut Pro, you indicate what clips or portions of clips you want to act on by making a selection. Final Cut Pro provides a variety of powerful tools for making selections with both speed and precision, including filmstrips, which are a connected series of thumbnail images.
Select clips in Final Cut Pro Clips represent your video, audio, and graphics files and allow you to work with your media in Final Cut Pro without changing the files themselves. To add clips to your project, rearrange them, or trim them, you first need to select them. You can select a single clip or multiple clips at a time. Selecting multiple clips allows you to move them as a group within your project, or from one event to another.
A yellow border appears around the clip, indicating that it’s selected. Note: A timeline clip selection (shown above) is different from a timeline range selection, which has visibly distinct range handles for adjusting the selection start point and end point. See Select ranges in Final Cut Pro. Select multiple clips in the browser or the timeline In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Select a number of individual clips: Hold down the Command key as you click the clips you want to select.
Select ranges in Final Cut Pro Instead of selecting whole clips, you can select a range within any clip in the timeline or the browser. In the timeline, you can also select a range that spans multiple clips. You can trim range selections, mark them with ratings and keywords, and modify them in other ways. You can adjust the range selection start and end points by dragging either side of the selection. You can also create multiple range selections in one or more clips in the browser.
Select a range in the timeline 1. In Final Cut Pro, open an existing project. 2. In the timeline, do any of the following: • Click the Tools pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the timeline and choose Range Selection (or press R). The pointer changes to the Range Selection tool . Drag the Range Selection tool across one or more clips to select a range. To adjust the range selection start and end points, drag the range handles on either side of the range.
If you’re using the Blade, Trim, and Range Selection tools in the timeline or in the precision editor, you can use the I and O keys to set selection start and end points in a connected clip or storyline, as well as in clips underneath connected clips and storylines. Move the pointer directly over a clip and press I to set a selection start point, or press O to set a selection end point. See Cut clips in two in Final Cut Pro, Make roll edits in Final Cut Pro, and Use the precision editor in Final Cut Pro.
Set multiple ranges in the Final Cut Pro browser In the browser, you can set multiple ranges within one or more clips, and you can select and deselect ranges after you set them. For example, you might set multiple ranges in a long event clip, and then deselect some of the ranges before adding all of the selected ranges to the timeline at once. Note: Selected ranges have a thick yellow border. Unselected ranges have a thin orange border. Editing commands operate on yellow selections only.
The additional range selection appears in the clip. To remove a range selection, Option-click it. For more ways to remove ranges from event clips, see Remove ranges from clips in an event, below. Set multiple ranges in event clips during playback You can set multiple ranges in clips in the browser during playback. 1. In Final Cut Pro, play back a clip in the browser. 2. While the clip is playing, do any of the following: • Add a range start point: Press Shift-Command-I.
Remove ranges from clips in an event You can remove individual ranges, multiple ranges, or all ranges from the current event. 1. In Final Cut Pro, set multiple ranges in one or more event clips. 2. Do any of the following: • Remove an individual range in an event: Option-click the range. • Remove selected ranges in an event: Select the ranges you want to remove, then choose Mark > Clear Selected Ranges (or press Option-X).
You can use clips from multiple events in a single project. You can also add clips from your photo and music apps, the collections of media (such as titles and sound effects) that come with Final Cut Pro, and the Finder. Deleting clips from the timeline does not remove the source clips from your events, your other apps, the Final Cut Pro media collections, or the Finder.
Drag clips to the timeline in Final Cut Pro You can add clips to the timeline by dragging them from the browser or from the Finder. Drag clips from the browser You can show media in the browser by selecting items in the Libraries sidebar, the Photos and Audio sidebar, or the Titles and Generators sidebar. 1. In Final Cut Pro, open a project in the timeline. 2.
Note: If you add clips to the timeline from the Finder, the Libraries sidebar, or the Photos and Audio sidebar, you’re effectively importing the media into the event that contains the current project. In this case, Final Cut Pro applies the default optimization and analysis settings to the new clips. You can change these settings in the Import pane of Final Cut Pro preferences. When you add still images to the timeline, they have a default duration of 4 seconds.
Insert browser clips in the timeline 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more clips in the browser. 2. Move the playhead to the point in the primary storyline or in a selected storyline (or make a range selection) where you want to insert the clip. 3. Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Insert (or press W). Note: If you use the keyboard shortcut and the skimmer is present in the timeline, the edit occurs at the skimmer position. • Click the Insert button in the top-left corner of the timeline.
• Insert a gap clip: Choose Edit > Insert Generator > Gap (or press Option-W). Final Cut Pro inserts a blank clip (containing blank video and silent audio) that you can adjust to any duration. (The film industry term for this is slug.) Note: Gap clip color is determined by the current background color in Final Cut Pro. To adjust the background color, choose a Player Background option in the Playback pane of Final Cut Pro preferences. If you want a different color, consider using a solid generator.
Connect clips in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can attach clips to other clips in the timeline. Connected clips remain attached and synced until you explicitly move or remove them. Some uses for connected clips include: • Cutaway shots: Add a cutaway shot by connecting it to a video clip in the timeline. • Superimposed titles: Add a title or a lower third to a video clip or range. • Spot sound effects and background music: Sync audio clips to clips in the primary storyline.
Connect clips in the timeline 1. If your Final Cut Pro project is empty, add clips to the dark gray primary storyline area in the timeline to build your initial sequence. The clips in the primary storyline serve as a foundation on which you connect (attach) clips to further build your project. Connect edits are slightly different from the other edit types in that they never add clips to the primary storyline.
The first frame of the source selection is connected to the clip in the primary storyline at the playhead or skimmer position. If you dragged the selection to the timeline, the first frame of the source selection is connected to the primary storyline at the point where you released the mouse or trackpad button. When you rearrange, move, ripple, or delete clips in the primary storyline, any clips connected to them are moved or deleted along with the primary storyline clips.
When you connect clips by dragging them, you have the option to put video clips either above or below the primary storyline. Note: In Final Cut Pro, if you connect clips, the topmost video clips block out any video clips below them. Exceptions to this rule are clips with some type of transparency, keying, or compositing settings. See Intro to compositing in Final Cut Pro. Audio clips never affect video output, even when they’re placed above video clips in the timeline.
Edit clips in the primary storyline without affecting connected clips If you need to move, trim, or delete clips in the primary storyline but want to keep any connected clips where they are, you can hold down the Grave Accent (`) key while editing to preserve the timing and position of connected clips.
Overwrite clips in Final Cut Pro In an overwrite edit, one or more source clips overwrite any clips in the primary storyline or a selected storyline, starting at a range selection start point or the playhead or skimmer position. No clip items are rippled forward, so the duration of your project remains the same. Overwriting media is different from replacing it. Overwriting works with range selections only, not entire clips, and is not constrained by clip boundaries.
Replace clips in Final Cut Pro You can replace clips in your project with clips from the browser or the Finder. In contrast to overwrite edits, replacing works on whole timeline clips only and can change the duration of your project. Replace options include using the start or end of the source clip, retiming the source clip to fit the duration of the timeline clip, and automatically creating or adding to auditions. Replace a clip in the timeline by dragging 1.
• Replace from End: The target clip is replaced with the source clip selection, starting from the end of the source selection. The duration is determined by the duration of the target clip. • Replace with Retime to Fit: The target clip is replaced with the entire source clip selection, retimed to fit the duration of the target clip. • Replace and Add to Audition: The target clip is replaced with an audition that has the source clip selection as the pick and the target clip as an alternate.
Add still images in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can add and edit a variety of still-image formats in your projects, including photos and graphics files. Add a still image to the timeline You can add still images to your Final Cut Pro project using the Libraries sidebar, the Photos and Audio sidebar, or the Finder.
3. Choose Clip > Open Clip. Each layer appears in the timeline as a connected clip that you can edit as you would any other clip. For example, you can animate layers by fading them in or out. The default duration for a layered graphics file is one minute. To adjust the duration of one of the layers in the timeline, use any of the trimming techniques described in this chapter (see Intro to trimming in Final Cut Pro).
Create freeze frames in Final Cut Pro Freeze-frame clips hold a particular frame in place, temporarily stopping the action onscreen. You can create a freeze-frame clip from any video clip in the timeline or the browser. If you create a freeze-frame clip from the browser, it’s attached to the primary storyline at the playhead location as a connected clip. If you don’t want to create a separate clip for a freeze frame, you can create a hold segment, which temporarily stops the action for part of a clip.
Change the default duration of freeze-frame clips Freeze-frame clips have the same default duration as still-image clips: 4 seconds. You can change the default duration in the Editing pane of Final Cut Pro preferences. 1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences (or press Command-Comma), then click the Editing button at the top of the window. 2. Adjust the Still Images value slider.
Remove clips from projects in Final Cut Pro When you remove clips from a project in the timeline, the source media from the browser or the Finder is not affected. Delete clips or ranges from the timeline 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clips or the range you want to remove. 2. Choose Edit > Delete (or press the Delete key). The selected clips or portions of clips are removed from the timeline, and any clips to the right of the selection ripple to close the resulting gap.
Solo or disable clips in Final Cut Pro Sometimes, it’s helpful to compare how a project plays with and without certain clips. In Final Cut Pro, you can quickly play one clip’s audio, excluding audio from other clips. This feature, called solo, works by disabling the audio in all unselected clips in the timeline. You can also disable (rather than delete) selected clips, making them invisible and silent during playback. Disabled clips don’t appear in any output. You can just as easily reenable them.
Disable and reenable one or more clips 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more clips in the timeline. 2. Choose Clip > Disable (or press V). Disabled clips are dimmed in the timeline and are invisible and silent during playback. 3. To reenable the disabled clips, select them in the timeline, then choose Clip > Enable (or press V). You can also solo, disable, or silence audio clips in Final Cut Pro. See Solo and mute audio clips in Final Cut Pro.
Make three-point edits Intro to three-point editing in Final Cut Pro Three-point editing allows you to use start and end points in the browser and the timeline to specify the duration of a clip and where it should be placed in the timeline. Threepoint editing gets its name from the fact that only three edit points are necessary to determine the portion of the source clip to use and where to place that clip in the timeline. Final Cut Pro infers the fourth edit point automatically.
Final Cut Pro three-point editing guidelines The result of a three-point edit in Final Cut Pro depends on which three points you set in the browser and the timeline. Edit points set Results • Source selection start and end points in the browser The start point of the source selection in the browser is aligned with the destination start point in the timeline, and the duration of the edit is determined by the source selection start and end points in the browser.
Final Cut Pro three-point edit examples In Final Cut Pro, you can make precise edits using a combination of three (or sometimes two) edit points set in the browser and the timeline. See Intro to three-point editing in Final Cut Pro. Here are a few examples of ways to make three-point edits.
Example: Make a backtimed three-point edit You can make a three-point edit by defining source selection start and end points in the browser and a destination end point (instead of a destination start point) in the timeline. This is called backtiming a clip. You can use this method when you want to make sure a particular clip ends at a specific point in a project, on a musical beat.
Example: Make a three-point edit with multiple clips You can make three-point edits with multiple clips at a time. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select two or more clips in the browser (don’t select a range within a single clip). For information about selecting multiple clips, see Select clips in Final Cut Pro. 2. In the timeline, define a destination start point by positioning the skimmer at the location in your project where you want the clips to start. 3.
Example: Make a two-point edit You can make an edit without any selections in either the browser or the timeline. This is known as a two-point edit. In this case, Final Cut Pro acts on the current clip in the browser from the position of the skimmer or playhead to the end of the clip, and on the project in the timeline from the position of the skimmer or playhead forward.
Arrange clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline In Final Cut Pro, you can arrange and reorder the clips in your project however you want. If you add or move a clip in the timeline by dragging, Final Cut Pro moves other clips to make room for it. Other reordering techniques include moving clips numerically by entering a timecode value, nudging clips with keyboard shortcuts, overwriting with the Position tool, and moving clips vertically from and to the primary storyline. Move clips by dragging horizontally 1.
The timecode display below the viewer becomes an entry field and reflects your changes as you type. 3. Press Return. The clips move forward or back by the duration you entered. The adjacent clips are trimmed to accommodate the change in the clip’s position. If you prefer to fill in the vacated parts of the storyline with a gap clip, select the Position tool by pressing P before entering a timecode value.
Nudge clips with keyboard shortcuts You can “nudge” selected items to move them by very small amounts, such as frames. Nudging by subframes is also available for connected audio-only clips. Nudging clips in the timeline is similar to making a slide edit; the preceding clip and the following clip must have media handles (additional media available beyond the edit point). See Make slide edits in Final Cut Pro. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more clips in the timeline. 2.
2. Select the clip you want to move. 3. Drag the clip to a new position in the timeline. The moved clip overwrites any clips at the new position. A gap clip fills in the vacated part of the timeline. Note: If you prefer to move clips left or right in the timeline without leaving a gap, you can perform a slide edit. To return to the Select tool (the default), click the Tools pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the timeline and choose Select (or press A).
3. Do any of the following: • Move clips out of the primary storyline: Drag the clips from the primary storyline to their new position as connected clips (above or below the primary storyline). The subsequent clips in the primary storyline ripple left to close the gap created by the clips you moved. • Move clips to the primary storyline: Drag the clips from their position as connected clips to an edit point between two clips in the primary storyline.
Note: You can drag clips from and to the primary storyline as long as there are no clips connected to them. If there’s a connected clip, you must first move or remove it, or use either the Lift from Storyline command (Option-Command-Up Arrow) or the Overwrite to Primary Storyline command (Option-Command-Down Arrow). See Move clips from and to the primary storyline without rippling the project, next.
• Move selected connected clips to the primary storyline: Choose Edit > Overwrite to Primary Storyline (or press Option-Command-Down Arrow). Depending on the amount of overlap on the connected clip, the Overwrite to Primary Storyline command either creates a split edit or overwrites any video clips at the new location and converts the audio portion of the overwritten clip to a connected clip. The Overwrite to Primary Storyline command is not available for audio-only clips.
Cut a clip in the timeline 1. In Final Cut Pro, click the Tools pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the timeline and choose Blade (or press B). The pointer changes to the Blade tool . Tip: To switch to the Blade tool temporarily, hold down the B key. When you release the B key, the tool reverts to the previously active tool. 2. Move the skimmer to the frame in the clip where you want to cut, then click. Tip: You can also cut clips while playing back your project.
Cut all clips at once You can use the Blade All command to cut all primary storyline clips and connected clips at the skimmer or playhead location simultaneously. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, move the skimmer to the frame where you want to cut. 2. Choose Trim > Blade All (or press Shift-Command-B). All clips at the skimmer position are cut. Cut multiple selected clips at once You can use the Blade command to cut selected primary storyline clips and connected clips simultaneously. 1.
Extend or shorten clips in Final Cut Pro You can trim a clip in your project by adjusting the start point or end point of the clip. The default type of trim in Final Cut Pro is a ripple edit, which adjusts a clip’s start point or end point 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. Similarly, if you delete a clip from the timeline, subsequent clips ripple earlier to close the gap.
Any clips to the right of the edit point are rippled accordingly. When you extend a clip to its maximum length in either direction, the clip edge turns red. Enter a new duration for a clip using timecode You can change the total duration of one or more selected clips by entering a timecode value. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more clips in the timeline. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Modify > Change Duration (or press Control-D). • Double-click the timecode display below the viewer.
2. Choose Trim > Trim Selection. Final Cut Pro trims the clip start and end points to match the range selection. The unwanted sections are removed from the clip and the project, and the subsequent clips in the project ripple accordingly. Nudge edit points with keyboard shortcuts You can fine-tune the start or end point of a clip using keyboard shortcuts. You can move the edit point by one or more video frames.
Move edit points to the playhead or skimmer position You can adjust selected edit points in the timeline, either as a ripple edit or as a roll edit, using keyboard shortcuts. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the edit point you want to adjust. Note: For a roll edit, select both sides of the edit point with the Trim tool. 2. Position the playhead or the skimmer at the point in the timeline to which you want to move the edit point. 3. Choose Trim > Extend Edit (or press Shift-X).
Trim edit points using timecode You can trim clips numerically by entering timecode values. 1. In Final Cut Pro, if the Select tool is not the active tool, click the Tools pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the timeline and choose Select (or press A). 2. In the timeline, select the start point or the end point of the clip you want to trim. 3.
Cut the start or end of a clip at the playhead Some of your video clips may have sections at the beginning or the end that you don’t want to include in your project. You can easily trim off these ranges with a single command, even while playing back the project. No selections are required. This type of edit is sometimes called a top and tail edit. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, position the playhead or the skimmer on the frame at which you want to trim the clip. 2.
Align audio to video At any time, you can align audio to video for clips or components in your project to make the video and audio start and end points match. This clears any split edits you made. You can select multiple clips or components. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clips or components you want to align. 2. Choose Trim > Align Audio to Video.
2. In the timeline, click the center of the edit point you want to roll, so that both sides of the edit point are selected. 3. Do one of the following: • Drag the edit point left or right. • Press the Plus Sign (+) key or the Minus Sign (–) key followed by the timecode duration to add or subtract from the current edit, then press Return. The timecode display below the viewer shows the duration of the trim. For more information about entering timecode values, see Navigate using timecode in Final Cut Pro.
Make slip edits in Final Cut Pro Performing a slip edit doesn’t change a clip’s position or duration in the timeline, but instead changes what portion of the clip’s media appears in the timeline. A slip edit allows you to change a clip’s start and end 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 movie, you want to keep your clips in position to maintain the alignment.
2. Drag a clip left or right. As you drag, a timecode field indicates the amount of time you’re moving the start point and the end point. Yellow edge selections on the start point and end point indicate a slip edit. When you release the mouse or trackpad button, the slipped clip appears in the timeline with a new start point and a new end point. Note: If either the start point or the end point turns red as you drag, you’ve reached the end of the available media for that side of the clip.
Make slide edits in Final Cut Pro Performing a slide edit allows you to move a clip’s position in the timeline between two other clips without creating a gap. The clip’s content and duration remain the same; only its position in the timeline changes. When you slide a clip, the adjacent clips get longer and shorter to accommodate the change in the clip’s position. The combined duration of these three clips stays the same, and the project’s total duration remains unchanged as well.
2. Option-drag a clip to the left or right. Yellow selections on the neighboring clips indicate a slide edit. As you drag, a timecode field indicates the amount of time you’re moving the clip in the timeline. When you release the mouse or trackpad button, the slide clip appears at the new position in the timeline. The adjacent clips are trimmed to accommodate the change in the clip’s position.
Create split edits in Final Cut Pro You can set separate video and audio start and end points in an individual clip, creating a split edit. You can use a split edit to introduce the sound of a new shot or scene before cutting to the video of that shot or scene, or to extend the audio of a shot over a subsequent shot. For example, you could cut from a clip of a person talking to video of a person listening, while the audio from the first clip continues.
3. Drag the start point (left edge) of the video portion of the clip to the right, effectively trimming it with a roll edit. The example below shows the video start point of the close-up shot being dragged to the right. This creates a J-shaped split edit, with the start point of the audio overlapping the preceding clip. 4.
5. If you want to turn off the separate audio view to “clean up” the affected clips, do one of the following: • Select the clip in the timeline, then choose Clip > Collapse Audio (or press Control-S). • Double-click the clip’s audio waveform. When you play back this section of the timeline, the person in the close-up shot begins to speak before the video cuts to the close-up. Create a split edit using keyboard shortcuts You can create split edits quickly using keyboard shortcuts.
3. Move the playhead to the edit point between the two clips. To ensure accurate playhead placement, use keyboard shortcuts: • Move the playhead to the previous edit point: Press Semicolon (;) or the Up Arrow key. • Move the playhead to the next edit point: Press Apostrophe (’) or the Down Arrow key. 4. Do one of the following: • Select both sides of the audio edit point: Press Shift-Backslash (\). • Select both sides of the video edit point: Press Backslash (\). 5.
Align audio to video If you perform a split edit that extends the audio portion of a clip beyond the video portion, you can quickly put the audio and video back into alignment so that the video and audio start and end points match. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clips or components you want to align. 2. Choose Trim > Align Audio to Video. If you select a component, the audio is aligned on both edges of that component. If you select the edge of a component, only that edge is aligned.
View and navigate Zoom and scroll in the Final Cut Pro timeline Being able to see and get to any point in your project is critical to efficient editing and storytelling. There are many ways to adjust the view of the timeline. Zoom in to and out of the timeline using commands In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Zoom in to the timeline: Choose View > Zoom In, or press Command-Plus Sign (+). • Zoom out of the timeline: Choose View > Zoom Out, or press Command-Minus Sign (–).
Fit the timeline contents into the available window size Whether you’re zoomed in to a single clip or zoomed out so far that all the clips in your project appear on the left side of the timeline, you can quickly change the view so that all the clips fill the visible part of the timeline and no scrolling is required. • In Final Cut Pro, choose View > Zoom to Fit (or press Shift–Z). Zoom in to and out of the timeline using the Zoom slider 1.
2. Do any of the following: • Zoom in to the timeline: Drag the Zoom slider to the right, or press Command-Plus Sign (+). • Zoom out of the timeline: Drag the Zoom slider to the left, or press Command-Minus Sign (–). Scroll a zoomed-in timeline 1. In Final Cut Pro, zoom in to the timeline until you see a portion of the project only. 2. Do one of the following: • Drag the scroll bar at the bottom of the timeline left or right. • Drag the scroll bar at the right side of the timeline up or down.
Adjust timeline clip appearance in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can change how clips are displayed in the timeline. For example, you can show clips with or without video filmstrips or audio waveforms. You can also change the vertical height of clips, and adjust the relative size of video filmstrips and audio waveforms in clip thumbnails. You can also show only the clip labels. 1. In Final Cut Pro, click the Clip Appearance button in the top-right corner of the timeline.
Tip: To increase the size of audio waveforms for timeline clips, press ControlOption-Up Arrow. To decrease the size of audio waveforms for timeline clips, press Control-Option-Down Arrow. 3. To adjust the vertical height of clips in the timeline, drag the Clip Height slider to the left to decrease the clip height, or to the right to increase the clip height. 4. To adjust the display of clip labels, do any of the following: • View clips by name: Select the Clip Names checkbox.
Turn snapping on or off In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose View > Snapping (or press N). A checkmark next to the menu item indicates that snapping is on. • Click the Snapping button in the top-right corner of the timeline. When snapping is on, the Snapping button is highlighted. Tip: To turn snapping on or off temporarily, hold down the N key. When you release the N key, snapping reverts to its previous state.
Navigate subframe by subframe You can navigate clips by subframes. A subframe has 1/80 the duration of a video frame and is a more precise unit of reference when viewing or editing audio waveforms that are zoomed in to the sample level. Note: You can’t make edits to video at the subframe level. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline or browser, move the pointer over a clip, then click. 2. Do any of the following: • Move backward in one-subframe increments: Press Option-Left Arrow.
To move the playhead to a new timeline location in Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Move the playhead to a specific timeline location: Click once in the center of the timecode display below the viewer (or press Control-P), enter the new timecode value, and press Return. For example, to move the playhead to 01:40:31:03, press Control-P, then enter “1403103” and press Return.
View source and project timecode in Final Cut Pro You can view timecode in a resizable, floating window while you’re working on a project in the timeline. You can view either source timecode (the timecode originally embedded in the source clip) or project timecode (the time elapsed since the project’s starting timecode). The source timecode window shows the names and source timecode of all the clips at the current playhead position in the timeline, starting with the topmost clip.
Show source or project timecode in a floating window 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Show source timecode: Choose Window > Source Timecode, or Option-click in the center of the timecode display below the viewer. Tip: Select a clip in the timeline to highlight the corresponding row in the source timecode window with a yellow box. • Show project timecode: Choose Window > Project Timecode, or Shift-click in the center of the timecode display below the viewer. 2.
Show source timecode when skimming clips in the timeline By default, when you skim clips in the timeline, the timecode display shows the project timecode, but you can set Final Cut Pro to show source timecode instead. 1. To turn on video and audio skimming in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose View > Skimming (or press S), so that a checkmark appears next to the menu item. • Click the Skimming button in the top-right corner of the timeline.
Show or hide the timeline index • In Final Cut Pro, click Index in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press ShiftCommand-2). The timeline index appears to the left of the timeline. View a list of items in the timeline index 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the timeline index. 2. Do any of the following: • Final Cut Pro User Guide View a list of the clips used in the timeline, ordered chronologically: Click the Clips button at the top.
You can do any of the following: • Rename clips. • See a list of clips by timecode in the Position column. • View, reassign, and edit roles in the Roles column. • View and add notes in the Notes column. • View the active angles of multicam clips in the Active Angle column. You can specify which columns are displayed by Control-clicking a column heading and choosing an option.
All of the tags are shown by default. You can specify which items are displayed by clicking a button at the bottom of the timeline index. You can show markers, keywords, analysis keywords, incomplete to-do items, completed to-do items, and chapter markers. • View a list of roles in the timeline, and control the arrangement of the timeline: Click the Roles button at the top. Select a role name in the list to highlight all clips in the timeline with that role assigned.
Work with markers Intro to markers in Final Cut Pro Markers are reference points you can place within clips to locate, identify, annotate, and navigate to specific frames. In Final Cut Pro, you can use markers to: • Sync two or more clips at a specific point. For example, you can use a marker to label the frame where a door slams and then snap a sound effect to that marker. • Flag a specific location in a clip with editing notes or other descriptive information.
Add a marker to a clip in the browser or the timeline 1. To specify where you want to add a marker in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Skim to the location. • Play the clip, and when the playhead reaches the location where you want to add a marker, press the Space bar to stop playback. For more information about positioning the skimmer and the playhead, see Navigate within your Final Cut Pro project. 2. Do one of the following: • Add a marker: Choose Mark > Markers > Add Marker (or press M).
Remove a marker In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Navigate to a marker, then choose Mark > Markers > Delete Marker (or press Control-M). • Select one or more clips, then choose Mark > Markers > Delete Markers in Selection. • Double-click a marker to show the marker controls, then click the Delete button. • Control-click the marker you want to remove, then choose Delete Marker.
• Indicate that a to-do item is completed: Select the Completed checkbox. The marker turns green. • Make the marker a standard marker: Click the Standard Marker button. The marker turns blue. 3. Click Done. Move or copy a marker You can move or copy markers using the familiar Cut, Copy, and Paste commands. 1. In Final Cut Pro, Control-click the marker you want to move or copy, then choose an option. • Move the marker: Choose Cut Marker. • Copy the marker: Choose Copy Marker. 2.
Add chapter markers in Final Cut Pro Chapter markers are a standard feature in DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and podcasts. You can add chapter markers to your project so that when you share your finished movie, viewers can use the markers to quickly jump to those points in the movie. Apps and devices that recognize Final Cut Pro chapter markers during playback include iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, QuickTime Player, DVD Player, and most standard DVD and Blu-ray players.
Set the chapter marker thumbnail image After you set a chapter marker, you can choose an appropriate video frame to represent that particular chapter. 1. In Final Cut Pro, click the chapter marker once in the timeline to select it. The marker enlarges slightly to show that it’s selected, and a chapter marker thumbnail pin appears to the right of the selected chapter marker. By default, the chapter marker thumbnail pin appears 11 frames after the chapter marker. 2.
Correct shaky video in Final Cut Pro You can smooth a clip’s shaky footage by correcting the stabilization, rolling shutter, or both. The stabilization feature in Final Cut Pro reduces the camera motion in your video so that shaky parts can be played back more smoothly. You can turn off stabilization for any clip so that it plays as originally recorded. Many camcorders and still cameras include CMOS image sensors that expose the picture they’re recording progressively, instead of all at once.
5. In the Video inspector, do any of the following: • Reduce the shake: Select the Stabilization checkbox. If you turn on Stabilization, its checkbox turns blue and Final Cut Pro analyzes the clip for the best stabilization method. See Adjust stabilization settings, below. • Reduce rolling shutter distortion: Select the Rolling Shutter checkbox. 6. To view the fix, play the clip in the timeline.
3. If you want to change the stabilization method, click the Method pop-up menu and choose an option: • Automatic: Allows Final Cut Pro to choose the most appropriate stabilization method (either InertiaCam or SmoothCam). This is the default setting. • InertiaCam: Applies stabilization optimized for video footage that has camera moves such as pans and zooms. Use the Smoothing slider to adjust the amount of the InertiaCam effect.
Edit audio Intro to audio in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro has many features designed to make processing and editing audio easier. For example, you can analyze and automatically enhance audio to address problems such as noise or hum, add effects to your clips, sync video and audio clips automatically, and match audio between two clips.
For the most part, you use the same tools to edit audio clips that you use to edit video in Final Cut Pro. The following editing features are covered elsewhere in the Final Cut Pro User Guide: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Use roles to manage clips: Use roles and subroles in Final Cut Pro to organize clips in your events and projects by function or category, control the arrangement of the timeline, and export separate video or audio files (also known as media stems). See Intro to roles in Final Cut Pro.
Audio editing basics Audio waveforms in Final Cut Pro Audio waveforms are visual representations of the actual sound. Audio waveforms appear in clips in the following ways: • As the bottom portion of a video clip • As a detached or audio-only clip An audio waveform’s amplitude and length change according to the underlying sound’s volume and duration. A short, loud sound such as a drum beat has a sharp, peaked waveform, whereas low-level crowd noise has a lower, more uniform waveform.
Audio channels and components in Final Cut Pro Audio files can contain a single audio channel or multiple audio channels. Channels usually correspond to microphone inputs during recording or to speakers for multichannel output. For example, a stereo audio file usually contains left and right channels that match what you hear from the left and right speakers during playback. Final Cut Pro automatically groups channels into audio components according to how the channels are configured for the clip.
Show expanded audio components You can expand the audio portion of clips in Final Cut Pro to view and edit audio components. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select the clip in the timeline, then choose Clip > Expand Audio Components (or press Control-Option-S). • Double-click the audio portion of the clip in the timeline while holding down the Option key. Note: You can also show audio components for all the clips in one or more roles.
Show expanded audio and video You can view audio and video separately in the same clip in the timeline by expanding clips that have both audio and video. This can be useful if you need to zoom in to the audio portion to make edits or to create a split edit. If you create a split edit so that audio portions overlap, you won’t clearly see the overlapped waveforms unless you choose to show expanded audio for split clips.
Detach audio from video By default, Final Cut Pro imports audio and video from the same source into one clip. You can easily detach the audio from a video clip so that you can edit the audio clip separately in the timeline. • In Final Cut Pro, select the clip in the timeline, then choose Clip > Detach Audio. A new audio clip appears as a connected clip beneath the video clip. To reattach an audio clip to its original video clip, you need to create a compound clip.
Zoom in to audio waveforms in Final Cut Pro For even more precise editing, you can zoom in to audio clips at the audio sample level. Audio samples show the audio waveform at a fraction of a second (for example, 1/48,000 for audio recorded at a sample rate of 48 kHz). Zoom to audio samples 1. In Final Cut Pro, choose View > Zoom to Samples (or press Control-Z), so that a checkmark appears next to the menu item. Note: The Zoom to Samples feature is enabled by default. 2.
View and change audio levels in Final Cut Pro The audio meters show the audio levels of clips in Final Cut Pro and warn you if a particular clip or section of a clip reaches peak levels, which may result in audible distortion. When an audio clip is approaching peak levels during playback, the level color changes from green to yellow. When an audio clip exceeds peak levels, the level color changes from yellow to red, and the peak indicator turns red for the respective audio channel or channels.
Note: The number of audio meters you see depends on how many channels are configured for the clip you’re playing. For example, when you play back a surround clip in the browser, six surround audio meters are displayed, but if you drag that same clip into a stereo project in the timeline, Final Cut Pro automatically mixes down the surround audio into stereo, and only two audio meters are displayed.
The soloed clip appears highlighted, and other clips appear dimmed. To turn off solo, click the Solo button, or choose Clip > Solo (or press Option-S) again. Disable clips or ranges 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more clips in the timeline. Note: If the selected clips contain both video and audio, and you want to mute the audio only, choose Clip > Expand Audio or Clip > Expand Audio Components, then select the audio portion only (or drag to select a range). 2. Choose Clip > Disable (or press V).
Add audio Add music and sound in Final Cut Pro You can add music and sound files directly to a project or an event from your Music library or other sources. Final Cut Pro also includes a number of built-in Foley and other sound effects that you can insert as connected audio clips. If you have a clip that contains both audio and video, you can choose to insert only the audio portion of the clip. See Add only a clip’s video or audio in Final Cut Pro. 1.
4. When you’ve selected the clip or clips you want to use, do one of the following: • Drag the sound clip or clips to the timeline. • Drag the sound clip or clips to the sidebar. The Photos and Audio sidebar changes to the Libraries sidebar, allowing you to add the files to an event or a Keyword Collection. After you drag the files, the Photos and Audio sidebar reappears.
3. To adjust the input level of the microphone, do one of the following: • Drag the Input Gain slider right to increase the input level, or left to decrease it. • Type a dB value in the Input Gain field. Use the audio meters to make sure the volume doesn’t exceed peak levels (shown in red), which may result in audible distortion. Note: If the Input Gain slider is dimmed for a selected input device, try adjusting the gain on the device itself or its software utility (if available). 4.
6. To start recording, click the Record button (or press Option-Shift-A). 7. To stop recording, click the Record button (or press the Space bar or Option-Shift-A). When you stop recording, the playhead returns to the start point you set in step 1, ready for you to record additional takes. If you record additional takes with the “Create Audition from takes” checkbox selected, Final Cut Pro creates an audition. See Combine audio from multiple takes and Create auditions in Final Cut Pro.
Preview and select a voiceover take 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the audition containing the voiceover takes you want to review, then open it by choosing Clip > Audition > Open (or pressing Y). 2. In the audition window, select the take and press the Space bar (or press ControlCommand-Y) to play it. 3. When you decide on the take you want to use, make sure it’s selected, then click Done. 4.
Combine audio from multiple takes By default, an audition lets you choose only one voiceover take to use in your project. If you want to combine portions of two separate takes into one “comp” take, you can break the audition into separate audio clips, which you can then edit and combine as needed. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select an audition in the timeline, then choose Clip > Break Apart Clip Items (or press Shift-Command-G).
4. Click Go. The Final Cut Pro Sound Effects folder opens in the Finder. 5. In the Finder, drag the alias of your custom audio folder into the Final Cut Pro Sound Effects folder. 6. Delete the word “alias” from the end of the folder name. 7. In Final Cut Pro, if the Photos and Audio sidebar isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Click the Photos and Audio button in the top-left corner of the Final Cut Pro window. • Choose Window > Go To > Photos and Audio (or press Shift-Command-1). 8.
Edit audio clips or audio components Intro to audio editing in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro includes tools for editing audio clips or multiple audio channels. You edit audio in two ways, detailed below. Clip-level audio editing You can make audio adjustments and edits to whole clips. At this level, audio adjustments and effects are applied to the entire clip, including any audio channels within the clip. Final Cut Pro preserves any adjustments you make to individual audio channels.
• You edit audio components in the same way you edit whole clips. You can: • Skim individual components when clip skimming and audio skimming are turned on. See Skim media in Final Cut Pro. • Adjust the volume of a component. See Adjust volume in Final Cut Pro. • Mute a component’s audio by disabling or silencing all or a portion of the component. This is the fastest way to remove unwanted sounds from a component. See Solo and mute audio clips in Final Cut Pro.
Important: Changing the channel configuration resets all adjustments and edits made to audio components (including applied effects, disabled ranges, keyframe adjustments, and role assignments). 1. In Final Cut Pro, select the clip in the timeline. 2. In the Audio Configuration section of the Audio inspector, click the Channels pop-up menu and choose an option. The channels appear in the Audio inspector as separate audio components, each with its own waveform.
Enable or disable an audio component You can enable or disable audio components in a clip. For example, you may want to disable unused components in a clip. By default, all active audio components in a clip appear as selected in the Audio inspector and are arranged in the same order when the clip is expanded to show audio components in the timeline. To learn more about viewing audio components, see Ways to view audio clips in Final Cut Pro.
Adjust volume in Final Cut Pro You can adjust the volume levels of audio clips from the browser, the timeline, the Audio inspector, or the Modify menu. Volume adjustments you make from the Audio inspector or the Modify menu are applied to the entire selection. To make more precise adjustments, you can create keyframes in the clip, and then make adjustments to points between keyframes. See Keyframe audio effects in Final Cut Pro.
• Adjust the volume using a relative dB value: Choose Modify > Adjust Volume > Relative (or press Control-L). The display below the viewer changes to show relative dB values. Type a positive or negative value to change the relative volume. The volume is adjusted by the same amount throughout the selection, preserving any fades or other keyframe adjustments. • Silence the selected clip or range to 0 dB: Choose Modify > Adjust Volume > Silence (–∞).
4. In the Audio inspector, do one of the following: • Enter a value in the Volume field. If multiple clips are selected, the volume for all clips is set to the value you entered. • Drag the Volume slider right to increase the volume, or left to decrease it. If multiple clips are selected, the volume for all clips is adjusted relative to each clip’s original volume.
Disable a clip’s audio At times, you may import clips with unwanted audio that you will never use. You can disable the audio in these clips. To ensure the best playback performance, deselect the audio components of these clips in the Audio inspector. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more clips in the timeline or the browser. 2. In the Audio Configuration section of the Audio inspector, deselect the checkboxes next to the component waveforms you want to silence.
Apply fades using the Modify menu 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select one or more audio clips or video clips with audio. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Modify > Adjust Audio Fades > Apply Fades. Fades appear at the beginning and end of the selected clip or clips. Note: If you select a clip that already has a fade, the Apply Fades command does not override it. • Choose Modify > Adjust Audio Fades > Fade In.
Create a fade manually using fade handles • In the Final Cut Pro timeline, drag the fade handle to the point in the clip where you want the fade to begin or end. Fade handles from the beginning of a clip create a fade-in, and fade handles at the end of a clip create a fade-out. Fades complement any volume adjustments you’ve already made to a clip.
Remove fades 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select one or more audio clips or video clips with audio. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Modify > Adjust Audio Fades > Remove Fades. Fades are removed from the beginning and end of the selected clip or clips. • Choose Modify > Adjust Audio Fades > Fade In. If there are preexisting fades at the beginning of the selected clip or clips, they are removed.
Create an audio crossfade using the Modify menu 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select two or more adjacent audio clips or video clips with audio. 2. Choose Modify > Adjust Audio Fades > Crossfade (or press Option-T). Final Cut Pro creates the crossfade at the edit point between the selected clips using media handles.
Create a crossfade manually using fade handles 1. In Final Cut Pro, select two adjacent clips in the timeline, then choose Clip > Expand Audio (or press Control-S). The clips appear expanded. 2. Drag the end point of the first clip and the start point of the second clip so that the audio portions of the clips overlap. Note: Make sure to adjust the audio overlap to the length you want. 3. Drag the fade handles of each clip to the points where you want the fade to begin and end.
Change the fade shape of a transition crossfade You can change the shape of the fade handles in a transition crossfade that Final Cut Pro created automatically. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a video transition in the timeline, then do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 2.
Pan audio for stereo 1. In Final Cut Pro, select the audio clip. 2. In the Pan section of the Audio inspector, click the Mode pop-up menu and choose Stereo Left/Right. 3. Move the sound left or right by doing one of the following: • Type a value in the Pan Amount field. • Drag the Pan Amount slider left or right. Pan audio for surround sound 1. In Final Cut Pro, select the audio clip. 2.
3. If you want to adjust the pan amount, do one of the following: • Type a value in the Pan Amount field. • Drag the Pan Amount slider left or right. The Pan Amount settings vary according to the pan mode you choose. Adjust surround sound using the Surround Panner In the Audio inspector, you can use the Surround Panner to change the surround sound field or make advanced adjustments using sliders.
• Make advanced adjustments: Below the Surround Panner, click Show in the Advanced section, then drag the sliders to adjust any of the following parameters: • Original/Decoded: Adjusts the balance between the original and decoded signals. The slider can be adjusted from –100 (original signal only) to 100 (decoded center and surround signals only). At 0, the signal is balanced evenly between the original and decoded signals.
Reset pan adjustments In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Reset an edited pan mode: Click the Pan Mode pop-up menu and choose another preset. The Pan Amount slider is not affected. • Reset adjustments to the Surround Panner only: Move the pointer to the Surround Panner section in the Audio inspector, then click the Reset button that appears on the right. • Reset all adjustments: Move the pointer to the Pan row in the Audio inspector, then click the Reset button that appears on the right.
4. Do one of the following: • Disable the portion of the component where the noise occurs: Press the V key (or press the Delete key). Disabling a selected range mutes all sound within the range. To unmute (enable) the range, press the V key (or press Command-Z). Note: When you disable a range in an audio component, fade handles become available on either side of the disabled range. See Fade audio in and out in Final Cut Pro.
Example: Trim audio within an audio component 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then choose Clip > Expand Audio Components (or press Control-Option-S). 2. Position the pointer at the edge of the audio component you want to trim. The pointer changes to the Trim tool . 3. Drag to trim that section. To undo your trim, press Command-Z. 4. Play back the clip to listen to your adjustments. 5.
Example: Trim all audio components at the same time 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then choose Clip > Expand Audio Components (or press Control-Option-S). 2. Position the pointer at the edge of one of the expanded audio components. 3. Hold down the Shift key and drag left or right to trim the edit point for all of the audio components at once. The video portion of the clip is not affected. To undo your edit, press Command-Z. 4. Play back the clip to listen to your adjustments. 5.
Example: Enable or disable audio components in a multicam clip When you create a multicam clip that contains multiple audio components, you can use the angle viewer or the Audio inspector to add audio components from inactive angles to the active angle. This makes it easy to add audio from different source clips in your multicam clip while maintaining the active video angle. You can also disable audio components from the active angle to eliminate unwanted or unused audio.
5. Click the Audio button at the top of the inspector. The audio corresponding to the active angle in the angle viewer appears highlighted in the Audio Configuration section of the Audio inspector. 6. To add audio components from inactive angles, do one of the following: • In the angle viewer: Hold down the Command and Option keys and click an inactive angle or angles. • In the Audio inspector: Select the checkbox next to each audio component you want to add.
7. To remove an audio component from the active angle, do one of the following: • In the angle viewer: Hold down the Command and Option keys and click the angle (highlighted in green) whose audio you want to remove. • In the Audio inspector: Deselect the checkbox next to the audio component you want to remove. • In the timeline: With the clip’s audio components expanded in the timeline, select the audio component and press Delete.
4. Drag left or right to roll the edit point. The edit point is rolled to the new location. The combined duration of the two components stays the same. Note: The adjacent audio components must have sufficient media handles (additional media available beyond the edit point). If you can’t roll the edit point any farther and one side of the edit point appears red, you’ve reached the end of the media for one of the two components.
Add audio effects to a clip 1. Click the Effects button in the top-right corner of the Final Cut Pro timeline (or press Command-5). 2. In the Effects browser, select an audio effect. You can do any of the following to help make your selection: • Preview what an effect sounds like using the audio from the currently selected timeline clip: Move the pointer over the audio effect thumbnail.
Copy selected clip attributes to another clip You can copy selected audio attributes, such as settings and effects, from one clip to another. For example, you can copy pan settings, or any effects you’ve added to a clip, including any keyframe adjustments. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). 2. Select the clip or clips you want to apply the attributes to, then choose Edit > Paste Attributes (or press Shift-Command-V). 3.
Remove audio effects in Final Cut Pro You can remove all effects from a clip selection, or you can use the Remove Attributes command to remove selected attributes and effects. The second method provides more control over individual effects and settings and is similar to copying selected effects to a clip selection using the Paste Attributes command. If you’re not sure you want to remove an audio effect, you can turn it off but retain its settings.
Remove all clip effects from one or more clips 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Choose Edit > Remove Effects (or press Option-Command-X). All clip effects are removed from the selected clips entirely. All built-in effects on the selected clips (such as Volume and Pan) are reset to their default values. Turn off a clip effect After you apply an audio effect to a clip, you can turn off the effect (but retain its settings) in the Audio inspector or the Audio Animation editor. 1.
Adjust audio effects in Final Cut Pro You can adjust an effect’s parameters using controls in the Audio inspector or the effect’s window. If you’re using Audio Units effects or Logic Effects, you can show an expanded interface by opening the effect’s window. For more information about using the Logic Effects that are included with Final Cut Pro, see Final Cut Pro Logic Effects. Adjust an audio effect 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip with the effect you want to adjust. 2.
Use Audio Units and Logic effects presets Many Audio Units and Logic effects include built-in presets that are tailored for specific settings or environments, such as reverb presets that simulate the acoustics of a small room or a large cathedral. Presets make it easy to preview and apply effects quickly. 1. In Final Cut Pro, locate the effect in the Effects section of the Audio inspector. 2. Click the Preset pop-up menu and choose a preset.
4. Select effect parameters and adjust their settings as needed. You can preview your adjustments by using the skimmer or playing the clip in the timeline. When you adjust a preset’s parameters, the Preset pop-up menu indicates that the preset has been edited. 5. To save an edited preset, click the Preset pop-up menu and choose Save Preset, then type a name for the new preset. Saved presets appear in the Preset pop-up menu.
Delete custom presets 1. In Final Cut Pro, locate the effect in the Effects section of the Audio inspector. 2. Click the Preset pop-up menu and choose Reveal User Presets in Finder. 3. In the Finder window, select the preset or presets you want to delete, then drag them to the Trash. After a custom preset has been deleted, it no longer appears in the Preset pop-up menu.
3. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Save Audio Effects Preset. • Open the Audio inspector and click Save Effects Preset at the bottom of the inspector. The Save Audio Effects Preset window appears, with any applied or adjusted effects selected in the Attributes list. 4. Enter a name for the new preset in the Name field. 5. Click the Category pop-up menu and choose an Effects browser category in which to store the new preset. 6.
5. In the Finder, hold down the Option key and choose Go > Library. 6. Drag the effects preset file to the following location in the Library folder: /Users/username/Library/Application Support/ProApps/Effects Presets/ 7. If Final Cut Pro is open, quit and reopen it. The transferred audio effects preset appears in the Effects browser, in the same category as on the original Mac.
3. Do one of the following: • See expanded parameters in the Audio Animation editor: Click the triangle to choose an individual parameter from the pop-up menu, or choose All to see all keyframes. • See expanded parameters in the Audio inspector: Click the Parameters disclosure triangle for the effect. 4.
• In the Audio inspector: Position the playhead in the timeline at the point where you want to add a keyframe, then click the Keyframe button (or press Option-K). After you add a keyframe, the Keyframe button changes to solid white, indicating that the playhead is currently on this keyframe. When you move the playhead in the timeline, arrows appear next to the Keyframe button in the Audio inspector to indicate which side of the playhead has keyframes.
3. In the timeline, do one of the following: • If you’re adjusting volume only: Click the Tools pop-up menu above the timeline and choose Range Selection (or press R). The pointer changes to the Range Selection tool • . If you’re adjusting an effect in the Audio Animation editor: Click the Tools pop-up menu above the timeline and choose either Select or Range Selection (or press A for Select, or R for Range Selection). 4. Drag across the area where you want to adjust the volume or effect. 5.
Adjust keyframes in the Audio Animation editor You can move keyframes left or right in the Audio Animation editor. If an effect appears with a disclosure button, you can expand the effect view and move keyframes up or down to change the parameter value. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a keyframe. 2. Do one of the following: • To change the keyframe’s position in time, drag it left or right. As you drag, the timecode value appears.
Adjust keyframes in the Audio inspector For many effects, you adjust the parameter value of individual keyframes using the Audio inspector. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a keyframe or position the playhead on a keyframe, then adjust the parameter value in the Audio inspector. 2. To change the value at the next keyframe, go to the next keyframe and adjust the value again.
View one effect at a time in the Audio Animation editor You can collapse the Audio Animation editor to view only one effect at a time. This can be useful if you have multiple effects applied to a clip and want to preserve screen space. 1. In Final Cut Pro, choose Clip > Solo Animation (or press Control-Shift-V). 2. In the Audio Animation editor, click the triangle next to the displayed effect’s name, then choose an effect from the pop-up menu.
Audio tools and techniques Enhance audio in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro includes several powerful tools for automatically analyzing and enhancing the audio in your projects, including: • Loudness: Improves the main audio signal and makes it more uniform. • Background Noise Removal: Reduces background noise. • Hum Removal: Reduces common electrical hum noise at either 50 or 60 Hz. All enhancements are designed to correct most common audio problems automatically or with minor adjustments.
3. If it isn’t already open, open the inspector, then click the Audio button at the top. In the Audio Enhancements section of the inspector, a green checkmark next to an enhancement indicates that the clip was analyzed and, if necessary, adjusted for that enhancement. A blue checkbox appears next to each enhancement that was turned on to apply a correction. You can turn on additional enhancements by selecting their checkboxes (when an enhancement is turned on, its checkbox is blue). 4.
Sync audio and video in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro can automatically analyze and sync the audio and video clips in your project. For example, if you select two video clips and three audio clips from different sources that were all recorded during the same take, Final Cut Pro automatically analyzes the clips and syncs them together into a new clip in the browser. The original clips are not affected.
Sync clips automatically 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser, select the audio or video clips you want to sync. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Clip > Synchronize Clips (or press Option-Command-G). • Control-click the selection and choose Synchronize Clips. 3. In the window that appears, type a name for the synced clip in the Synchronized Clip Name field. 4. Click the In Event pop-up menu and choose the event in which you want to create the new synced clip. 5.
Sync clips using custom settings 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser, select the audio or video clips you want to sync. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Clip > Synchronize Clips (or press Option-Command-G). • Control-click the selection and choose Synchronize Clips. 3. In the window that appears, type a name for the synced clip in the Synchronized Clip Name field. 4. Click the In Event pop-up menu and choose the event in which you want to create the new synced clip. 5.
8. To show the custom settings, click Use Custom Settings. The custom settings appear. Note: The automatic settings are shown by default, but if the last synced clip you created used custom settings, those settings are shown. 9. Click the Synchronization pop-up menu and choose how the clips are synced: • Automatic: Final Cut Pro syncs the clips automatically. • Timecode: Final Cut Pro syncs the clips using timecode recorded in the clips. If you recorded timecode in your clips, choose this option.
The Content Created method can sync clips within 1-second accuracy (because in most camcorders the smallest unit in date and time information is 1 second). If you choose this syncing method, consider doing any of the following to make the sync frame-accurate: • Select “Use audio for synchronization.” (See step 7.) Final Cut Pro uses the Content Created data as a starting point and then further refines the sync. • Manually adjust the sync. (See Manually adjust or slip a synced clip, below.
Manually adjust or slip a synced clip You may need to adjust a synced clip (by slipping the sync, for example). You can do this by opening the contents of the synced clip in the timeline. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select the clip in the browser or the timeline. 2. Choose Clip > Open Clip. The timeline displays the contents of the clip. 3. Make adjustments to the contents of the synced clip. The contents of a synced clip include a clip in the primary storyline and one or more connected clips.
Remove audio matching 1. In Final Cut Pro, select the clip in the timeline. 2. In the Audio Enhancements section of the Audio inspector, click the Equalization pop-up menu and choose a different equalization setting. To remove all equalization, choose the Flat setting. Preserve pitch in retimed clips in Final Cut Pro By default, Final Cut Pro preserves pitch when retiming clips so that the pitch doesn’t sound higher when the clip is faster or lower when the clip is slower.
Add titles Add and adjust titles Intro to titles in Final Cut Pro Titles play a critical role in movies, providing important bookends (such as opening titles and closing credits) and conveying time and dates within the movie. Titles, especially in the lower third of the screen, are also used in documentaries and informational videos to convey details about subjects or products onscreen. You can also add notes and placeholders within your project while you edit.
Add titles in Final Cut Pro You add titles to clips in your project using the Titles and Generators sidebar. After you’ve added text, you can modify the title’s text style. Add a title to a project clip 1. Drag the playhead in the Final Cut Pro timeline to the point where you want to add the title. 2. If the Titles and Generators sidebar isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Click the Titles and Generators button in the top-left corner of the Final Cut Pro window.
Add a title as a clip in the primary storyline There are two ways to add a title as a clip in the primary storyline. You can either insert a title clip at the edit point between two clips or replace an existing clip in the primary storyline with a title clip. 1. To open the Titles and Generators sidebar in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Click the Titles and Generators button in the top-left corner of the Final Cut Pro window.
Enter text for your title After you add a title clip to your project in the timeline, you can type text for your title in the viewer. 1. Select a title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Move the playhead over the selected title clip. 3. In the viewer, double-click the title text, then type text for your title. 4. To select a different text object, do one of the following: • Click the Previous Text Layer or Next Text Layer button. • Double-click a different text object. 5.
Add the default title in Final Cut Pro You can set a default title or a default lower third and then quickly add it to your project using a keyboard shortcut or a menu command. Final Cut Pro comes with the default title set to Basic Title and the default lower third set to Basic Lower Third, but you can change the defaults to any title. Add the default title or lower third 1.
Adjust titles in Final Cut Pro You can edit text in the viewer or in the Text inspector, and you can adjust a title’s appearance using the Title and Video inspectors. For example, you can adjust a title’s opacity or modify the text’s font, alignment, color, glow, and drop shadow. Edit title text 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select a title clip in the timeline, then move the playhead over the selected title clip. • Double-click a title clip in the timeline.
Adjust a title clip’s opacity You can adjust a title clip’s opacity to make the title more transparent. 1. Double-click a title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3. Click the Video button at the top of the inspector.
Adjust a title’s settings You can modify a title’s settings in the Title inspector. You can build and modify titles in Motion 5 for use in Final Cut Pro. When you save a title template in Motion, you can choose which parameters to publish in the Title inspector in Final Cut Pro. For this reason, the parameters that you can adjust in the Title inspector vary from title to title. See the information about Final Cut Pro templates in the Motion User Guide. 1. Select a title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline.
Modify a title’s text style 1. Double-click a title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. The title appears in the viewer, and the text in the first text object in the title clip is selected. Note: To modify a different text object in the same title, select it in the viewer. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3.
Note: To reveal the controls in each of the sections, you may need to scroll down in the Text inspector and double-click each section name. For a complete list of available controls, see Text inspector controls in Final Cut Pro. • Basic: Sets the basic text settings such as font, size, alignment, tracking, and line spacing. • 3D Text: Sets the depth, depth direction, weight, front edge type, front edge size, back edge type, and inside corner type for 3D text objects.
Use the ruler to align paragraph text objects Text created in Motion and some titles included with Final Cut Pro contain paragraph text. You can use a ruler and tabs to control the layout of paragraph text. See the Motion User Guide. 1. In Final Cut Pro, double-click a paragraph text object in the viewer. 2. In the viewer, click the Show Ruler button. Note: The Show Ruler button appears only when you edit a paragraph text object. A ruler appears above the paragraph text object in the viewer.
Text inspector controls in Final Cut Pro You can make common text adjustments using controls in the Text inspector. To access these controls, select a title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then open the Text inspector. Preset pop-up menu • Preset: An unlabeled pop-up menu at the top of the Text inspector, used to apply preset text styles to titles in the timeline. You can also use this pop-up menu to save text appearance and format settings. See Apply preset text styles in Final Cut Pro.
• Tracking: A slider to set the spacing between text characters; applies a uniform value between each character. • Kerning: A slider to adjust spacing between text characters. • Baseline: A slider to adjust the baseline of text characters: an invisible horizontal line defining the bottom alignment of characters. • All Caps: A checkbox to make text characters uppercase.
3. Click the Text button at the top of the inspector. Tip: Double-click the top bar of the inspector to switch between half-height view and full-height view. 4. Click the pop-up menu at the top of the Text inspector and choose 2D Styles or 3D Styles. 5. Choose a text style from the submenu that appears. The text style is applied to the selected title clips. Save and apply custom text styles 1. Double-click a title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline.
3. Click the Text button at the top of the inspector. Tip: Double-click the top bar of the inspector to switch between half-height view and full-height view. 4. Make any custom changes to the font or style in the Text inspector. See Modify a title’s text style. 5. Click the pop-up menu at the top of the Text inspector and choose one of the following: • Save Format Attributes: Saves basic text attributes, including font, size, alignment, tracking, and line spacing.
Organize your saved custom text styles 1. Quit Final Cut Pro. 2. In the Finder, hold down the Option key and choose Go > Library. 3. Navigate to /Users/username/Library/Application Support/Motion/Library/Text Styles/. The Text Styles folder contains the custom text styles you’ve created. Each text style has three files: a file with the extension .molo, a file with the extension .png that is the preview of the text style, and a file with “_menu” appended to the end of the style’s name (also with a .
Modify Final Cut Pro titles in Motion Many of the titles included with Final Cut Pro were created using Motion, an Apple app designed to work with Final Cut Pro. You can open any of these titles in Motion, make modifications, and save the changes as a new title that you can access from the Titles and Generators sidebar. Important: To modify a title in Motion, you must have Motion 5 installed on your computer. 1.
Find and replace text in Final Cut Pro If your project contains multiple instances of a particular word or phrase displayed in multiple title clips, such as names, company names, or job titles, you can find the specific word or phrase and quickly change each instance of it. 1. If you want to find and replace text in a selection, select a title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Choose Edit > Find and Replace Title Text. 3.
Add and adjust 3D titles Intro to 3D titles in Final Cut Pro In addition to creating basic two-dimensional text, you can create text that appears to have depth—complete with sides, edges, and backs. 3D text in Final Cut Pro exhibits the same characteristics as real three-dimensional objects, simulating natural lighting, shading, and textures. You can easily convert back and forth between 2D text and 3D text. When you reenable 3D text after switching to 2D text, the previous 3D settings are restored.
Final Cut Pro 3D titles workflow Although 3D titles can be customized in unlimited ways, you can create impressive-looking 3D text in just a few steps with Final Cut Pro. Step 1: Create a 3D title In Final Cut Pro, you can either add a 3D title from the Titles and Generators sidebar or convert an existing 2D title to 3D. Either way, you’ll wind up with a 3D title that has basic settings.
Step 3: Adjust 3D text settings You can customize your 3D title by adjusting basic text settings (including font, size, tracking, line spacing, and capitalization). You can also modify 3D-specific text attributes such as depth, text weight, edge style, and corner style. All of these attributes can be modified in the Text inspector. To get a good look at all sides of your title, you can use onscreen controls to rotate the title or move it in 3D space.
Step 4: Modify the materials You can define the surface appearance of the 3D title by applying preset materials or by creating custom materials. Materials include substances (such as metal or plastic), paint layers, distress layers, and more. Each layer has many attributes, allowing you to create limitless variations in appearance. You can also apply different materials to different facets of 3D titles (front, back, side, and edges).
Step 6: Integrate the text with your composition Finally, you can combine your 3D title with backgrounds or other elements to create an organic, integrated scene. You can also apply glow or drop shadow effects in this final step. Add 3D titles to a project Add 3D titles in Final Cut Pro Add a 3D title the same way you would add a 2D text title. For details (including alternative ways to add titles), see Add titles in Final Cut Pro. 1.
The title appears in your project, showing the front of the text. For information on how to manipulate and examine all facets of your 3D titles, see Rotate titles in 3D space in Final Cut Pro and Move titles in 3D space in Final Cut Pro. Note: Some 3D titles come with their own built-in backgrounds. You can disable (or enable) the built-in background in the Title inspector. Convert text to 3D text in Final Cut Pro Any title can be converted back and forth between 2D and 3D.
Convert 3D text to 2D 1. Double-click a 3D title clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. The title appears in the viewer, and the text in the first text object in the title clip is selected. To modify a different text object in the same title, select it in the viewer. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3.
But 3D text actually has multiple facets (the front, sides, edges, and back), even though you can’t see them by default. You can view these other facets by rotating the text object using the onscreen controls. 1. In Final Cut Pro, add a 3D title to your project and select it in the timeline. 2. Position the playhead in the timeline so that your 3D title appears in the viewer. 3. In the viewer, click the 3D title once.
For more information about the three axes of the 3D coordinate system in Final Cut Pro, see Move titles in 3D space in Final Cut Pro. Note: You can modify the appearance of each facet individually, and control the bevel and style of the edges between facets. See Intro to 3D text materials in Final Cut Pro and Modify 3D text depth and edges in Final Cut Pro. Move titles in 3D space in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro uses a 3D coordinate system to precisely control the look of your 3D titles.
4. Do any of the following: • Move the object horizontally along its X axis: Drag the red arrow. • Move the object vertically along its Y axis: Drag the green arrow. • Move the object forward or backward along its Z axis: Drag the blue arrow. As you drag, the active arrow turns yellow, and the status bar above the viewer displays the current coordinates of the object as well as the distance the object has moved (the delta). Coordinates are given in the form of X, Y, and Z.
3. Click the Text button at the top of the inspector. Tip: Double-click the top bar of the inspector to switch between half-height view and full-height view. 4. Adjust the basic text settings as needed. For a list of available controls, see Text inspector controls in Final Cut Pro. For basic instructions on working with 2D or 3D titles, see Adjust titles in Final Cut Pro.
Change text depth direction 3D text depth can be set to extrude in different directions: forward, backward, or centered on the original text plane. 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. In the 3D Text section of the Text inspector, click the Depth Direction pop-up menu and choose one of the following settings: • Backward: The text object is extruded backward from the plane where the text was initially added.
Set the style of 3D text edges The places where the different facets of a 3D title meet are called edges. You can add bevels, ridges, rings, and other shapes to customize the appearance of these edges. You can set the back edge (between the back of the text and its sides) to be identical to the front edge (between the front and the sides), or you can set each to a different edge shape. 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2.
Adjust the size of text edges If you change the style of the front edge or back edge of a 3D title to anything other than square, you can also adjust the size of that edge. If the back edge is set to something other than Same As Front (or Square), you can adjust the size of the back edge independently from that of the front. 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. In the 3D Text section of the Text inspector, click the Front Edge pop-up menu and choose a setting other than Square.
3D Text controls in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, adjust depth, weight, and edge attributes using the controls in the 3D Text section of the Text inspector. To access these controls, select a 3D title clip in the timeline and choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • 3D Text: A checkbox that, when selected, applies 3D attributes to selected text in your project and enables 3D controls. Deselecting this checkbox converts selected 3D text to 2D text and disables 3D controls.
Modify surface appearance Intro to 3D text materials in Final Cut Pro 3D titles in Final Cut Pro have properties designed to give them a natural and realistic appearance. They respond to lighting conditions and exhibit shading, reflectivity, and other attributes of real-world objects. Attributes that define an object’s surface appearance are called materials.
Each material layer type has a variety of controls and settings to customize the specific look and feel of the material. You can apply multiple material layers of differing types to compound their effects, and you can rearrange the order in which material layers are applied to create varied effects. You can also apply different materials to specific facets of a 3D title.
Add preset materials to 3D text in Final Cut Pro The quickest way to give your 3D title a naturalistic texture is to apply one of the preset materials built into Final Cut Pro. Below are some examples of the many preset 3D materials available in Final Cut Pro: 1. Add a 3D title to your Final Cut Pro project. 2. Double-click the 3D title clip in the timeline. The title appears in the viewer, and the text in the first text object in the title clip is selected.
5. In the Material section of the 3D Text section, click the preview thumbnail. A pop-up menu showing the material presets categories appears. 6. Click the pop-up menu and choose a material category, then click the submenu and choose a preset. The preset 3D material is applied to the text object. You can modify any of the preset materials or add new material layers to create custom textures. See Modify 3D text materials in Final Cut Pro and Work with 3D text material layers in Final Cut Pro.
Modify material layers used in a 3D texture You can create a custom material by applying a preset material and then modifying it. This example shows how to modify the Substance layer of a simple 3D texture. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a 3D title and apply a preset material to it. See Add preset materials to 3D text in Final Cut Pro. The preview thumbnail of the preset you applied appears in the Text inspector, in the Material section of the 3D Text section.
3. Click the Type pop-up menu (below the Substance pop-up menu) and choose a substance belonging to the category you chose above. Depending on the option you choose, additional controls may appear. 4. Adjust other available Substance settings, such as Color, Brightness, Roughness, and so on. As you make adjustments, the preview thumbnail is updated in the Material section, and the 3D title is updated in the viewer.
Add a material layer to a 3D texture 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3. Click the Text button at the top of the inspector. Tip: Double-click the top bar of the inspector to switch between half-height view and full-height view. 4.
Enable or disable material layers You can temporarily turn off or turn on any material layer to see how it’s affecting the overall texture. • In the Material section of the 3D Text section of the Final Cut Pro Text inspector, click the checkbox to the left of the material layer type (Substance, Paint, Distress, and so on). When the checkbox is highlighted blue, the effect of the material layer is visible in the viewer. When the checkbox is not highlighted, the effect is turned off.
Add a light-emitting material to 3D text in Final Cut Pro The Emit material layer type causes the selected 3D text layer to appear to be selfilluminating rather than just reflecting other light. The light emitted using this method does not illuminate other objects or cause shadows to be cast. In fact, the Emit layer is a texture with a single color or gradient, which is superimposed on top of the 3D title. This makes the image appear brighter.
Save modified 3D text materials in Final Cut Pro After you create your own materials, you can save those textures as custom presets. Saving a modified material as a custom preset includes all material layers shown in the Text inspector at the time of saving (including disabled material layers). 1. In the Material section of the 3D Text section of the Final Cut Pro Text inspector, click the preview thumbnail and choose Save Material from the pop-up menu. 2.
Add materials to 3D text facets in Final Cut Pro By default, applying a material to a 3D title causes all facets of the text to display the same material. But a 3D title can also display different materials on its different facets. For example, you can apply car paint to the front facet and a shiny metal appearance to the side facet. You can even apply a different material to the edges—facets that join a title’s front (or back) with its sides.
4. In the Material section of the 3D Text section, click the Material pop-up menu and choose Multiple. Five preview thumbnails appear, representing the five facets of 3D text: Front, Front Edge, Side, Back Edge, and Back. 5. Do any of the following: • Apply a preset material to a facet: Click the preview thumbnail for the facet, then choose a new preset material from the pop-up menu.
4. Click the preview thumbnail for any of the highlighted facets, then choose a new preset material from the pop-up menu. The facets are updated to display the new material—both in your 3D title in the viewer and in the preview thumbnails in the inspector. The facets are also automatically linked together so that further changes to any of them affect all of them. Link facets together You can link two or more facets together so that changes made to one of them are automatically applied to the others. 1.
Revert from multiple facets to a single facet 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a 3D title set to multiple facets. See Apply a material to multiple facets simultaneously. 2. In the Material section of the 3D Text section of the Text inspector, click the Material pop-up menu and choose Single. The five preview thumbnails are replaced by a single preview thumbnail, and all facets revert to the material that was applied to the selected facet.
Substance controls in Final Cut Pro Use the Substance controls, in the Material section of the 3D Text section of the Text inspector, to modify the basic surface texture of 3D text. Depending on the option you choose in the Substance pop-up menu, different parameter controls become available. • Substance: A pop-up menu to set a substance type: Concrete, Fabric, Metal, Plastic, Stone, Wood, Flat, or Generic.
When Substance is set to Metal • Type: A pop-up menu to choose a style of metal (Brass, Gold, Steel, and so on). There is also a Custom option that allows you to use a custom gradient for the metal’s reflection. See Intro to the gradient editor in Final Cut Pro. • Shininess: A slider to adjust how reflective the surface appears. • Thickness: A slider to adjust the apparent thickness of the metal surface when it’s applied on top of another substance layer.
When Substance is set to Stone • Type: A pop-up menu to choose a style of stone (Limestone, Granite, Slate, and so on). • Depth: A slider to adjust the depth of surface irregularities in the stone substance. • Placement: A group of controls (available when you click the disclosure triangle) to set how the stone pattern is applied to the text object. See Placement controls in Final Cut Pro.
• Enable Edge: A group of controls (available when you click the disclosure triangle) that creates a dynamic effect for how edges are rendered based on the relative position of the camera. As the text changes position (relative to the camera), the shading changes. You can enable or disable these controls by selecting or deselecting the checkbox to the left of the Enable Edge disclosure triangle. • • Edge Amount: A slider to adjust how visible the edges of the selected substance layer appear.
Paint controls in Final Cut Pro Use the Paint controls, in the Material section of the 3D Text section of the Text inspector, to create the effect of a coat of paint added to the surface of the 3D title. Depending on the option you choose in the Paint pop-up menu, different parameter controls become available. • Paint: A pop-up menu to set a paint type: Smooth Paint, Textured Paint, Watercolor, or Reflective Paint.
When Paint is set to Watercolor • Paint Color: A control to set the color of the paint. • Sheen: A slider to adjust the apparent shininess of the paint surface. • Opacity: A slider to adjust the visibility of the paint. Drag to the left to make the paint more transparent, or drag to the right to make it more opaque. • Placement: A group of controls (available when you click the disclosure triangle) to set how the watercolor pattern is applied to the text object.
Finish controls in Final Cut Pro Use the Finish controls, in the Material section of the 3D Text section of the Text inspector, to create the effect of a layer of finish (such as polish, enamel, and so on) added to the surface of the 3D title. Depending on the option you choose in the Finish pop-up menu, different parameter controls become available. • Finish: A pop-up menu to choose a finish type: Polish, Enamel, Brushed, Textured, or Custom Specular.
When Finish is set to Brushed • Type: A pop-up menu to choose a brush pattern: Linear, Circular, or Overlapping Circular. • Reflectivity: A slider to adjust the brightness of reflections that appear in the surface of the object. This value can be set above 100% to create a high dynamic range (HDR) type effect. • Glossiness: A slider to adjust how dull or sharp reflections are. A setting of zero creates a blurry reflection, and a setting of 100 creates a sharp, mirror-like reflection.
• Intensity Image: A checkbox selected by default for certain material presets (such as those in the Grunge category) that use a built-in image as an “intensity map” in a Custom Specular finish layer. An intensity map makes brighter areas of the image reflect more light, and darker areas reflect less light. An intensity map creates the effect of a pattern or smudge on the object’s surface that dynamically modifies or limits the reflectivity of the object.
• Shininess Image: A checkbox selected by default for certain material presets (such as those in the Grunge category) that use a built-in image as a “shininess map” in a Custom Specular finish layer. A shininess map controls how sharp or mirror-like the object appears. Note: The Shininess Image controls in Final Cut Pro are available for a limited set of material presets only. However, you can assign a custom image as a shininess map in Motion, an Apple app designed to work with Final Cut Pro.
• Anisotropic: A checkbox that, when selected, activates a set of controls that limit the Custom Specular effect to a particular pattern or direction (as opposed to the default method, which disperses the specular effect in many directions at once). This allows you to distort the highlights created by lighting styles and scene lights. Click the disclosure triangle to reveal the following controls: • Geometry: A pop-up menu to choose whether the anisotropic effect is linear or cylindrical.
When Distress is set to Scratches • Type: A pop-up menu to choose a scratch pattern. • Depth: A slider to adjust the apparent depth of the scratches. • Placement: A group of controls (available when you click the disclosure triangle) to set how the scratch pattern is applied to the text object. See Placement controls in Final Cut Pro. When Distress is set to Stains • Type: A pop-up menu to choose a stain pattern. • Opacity: A slider to adjust the transparency of the stain pattern.
When Distress is set to Perforated • Type: A pop-up menu to choose a perforation pattern. • Depth: A slider to adjust the apparent depth of the perforation pattern. • Placement: A group of controls (available when you click the disclosure triangle) to set how the perforation pattern is applied to the text object. See Placement controls in Final Cut Pro. When Distress is set to Wrinkles • Type: A pop-up menu to choose a wrinkle pattern. • Depth: A slider to adjust the apparent depth of the wrinkles.
Placement controls in Final Cut Pro Many material layers include graphic images (with fixed dimensions) that are applied to the 3D title—for example, the pattern of a fabric or the wrinkles of a distress layer. In the Material section of the Text inspector, the controls for each of these layers include a set of Placement controls you can use to define the way the image is mapped onto the text object.
• Side Placement: A pop-up menu to choose how the mapped image or texture is applied to the sides of the text object. Choose one of the following options: • Normal: The image or texture is mapped onto the front and the sides of the text object in the same direction. • Turn 90°: The image or texture is mapped onto the front of the text object; the same image is mapped onto the sides of the text object, but is rotated by 90 degrees.
You can create variations of the patterns Final Cut Pro uses to place textures, effects, and images onto text objects in your 3D titles. In some cases you may want the placement of the applied pattern to vary among the characters in your titles. The Random Seed feature is effectively a random-pattern generator for this purpose. • Randomize: A pop-up menu to choose whether to apply the randomness to just the sides, just the front and back, or all facets.
Adjust 3D text lighting in Final Cut Pro All 3D titles in Final Cut Pro have a set of built-in options that simulate basic lighting conditions, so you can create natural-looking scenes quickly and easily. Modify the lighting style 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3.
4. In the Lighting section of the 3D Text section, click the Lighting Style pop-up menu and choose a lighting style. Tip: In the case of the Backlit option, default environmental light will cause some illumination to fall on the front surface of the title. To create an effect where the front of the object appears entirely unlit (like the Backlit preview sphere), deselect the Environment checkbox. 5. Drag the Intensity slider to increase or decrease the amount of illumination.
The following examples illustrate a few selected lighting styles using the default Soft Box Above lighting environment set to 80% intensity. For information about lighting environments, see Change the 3D text lighting environment in Final Cut Pro. For a detailed list of all 3D text lighting controls, see Lighting controls in Final Cut Pro. Control how 3D titles cast shadows In the real world, complex objects often cast shadows on parts of themselves.
1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. In the Lighting section of the 3D Text section of the Text inspector, select the Self Shadows checkbox. Note: If Lighting Style is set to Off, the Self Shadows checkbox is hidden. With self-shadows enabled, one part of a 3D title casts a shadow on another part of the same title (depending on the light source position). Although this effect can add realism to a text object, in some cases it may add unwanted or distracting shadows. 3.
Set the lighting environment for a 3D title 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3. Click the Text button at the top of the inspector. Tip: Double-click the top bar of the inspector to switch between half-height view and full-height view. 4.
Modify the appearance of a reflected environment 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. In the Lighting section of the Final Cut Pro Text inspector, click Show next to the Environment section to show the Environment controls. 3. Adjust the following controls: • Intensity: Adjust the brightness of the reflected image. • Rotation: Change the angle at which the environment image appears reflected in the 3D title. Tip: By default, environments rotate around the Y axis.
• Medium Right: Creates a soft, flat light illuminating the text object from the right. • Above: Illuminates the text object from above. • Backlit: Illuminates the text object from behind. Note: By default, environmental light causes additional illumination to fall on the front surface of the text object. To create a backlighting effect where the front of the text object appears entirely unlit, deselect the checkbox for the Environment controls to disable environment lighting.
Add 3D text glows or shadows in Final Cut Pro You can apply standard glow and drop shadow effects to 3D titles just as you would to 2D titles. However, the results always appear in only two dimensions. Add a glow effect to a 3D title 1. Select a 3D title in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3.
Add effects Intro to effects in Final Cut Pro You can easily add special effects to video, audio, and photos in your projects. Final Cut Pro provides several kinds of effects and controls: • Transitions: Add an effect between clips to control how they change from one to the next. See Intro to transitions in Final Cut Pro.
• Onscreen controls: Customize many of your effects using onscreen controls. See Intro to onscreen controls in Final Cut Pro. • Video animation: Vary effect settings as a clip plays. See Intro to video keyframing in Final Cut Pro. You can add effects to any clips in the timeline.
How transitions are created in Final Cut Pro Transitions require overlapping video from the clips on each side of the edit point. A onesecond transition requires one second of video from the end of the left clip and one second of video from the start of the right clip. When you apply a transition to an edit point, Final Cut Pro attempts to use additional video from each of the clips to create the overlap. These additional (unused) sections of clips are called media handles.
The illustration below shows a transition created without media handles. The two clips are made to overlap, and the transition is placed over the overlapping region. This is effectively a ripple edit, and the total duration of your project decreases. This same option is available for audio crossfades. See Create an audio crossfade using the Modify menu. To learn how to set the default duration for transitions, see Set the default transition in Final Cut Pro.
2. Choose Edit > Add [transition name] (or press Command-T). The name of the menu item changes depending on the current default transition setting. The default transition is applied to the selected edit point. To change the default transition, see Set the default transition in Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro creates a cross dissolve transition at an edit point using media handles. If the video clip has attached audio, a crossfade transition is applied to the audio.
Copy a transition to other edit points using the Edit menu 1. Select a transition in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). 2. Using the Select tool, click the edge of a clip (an edit point) in the timeline, then choose Edit > Paste (or press Command-V). If you copy a transition to an edit point that already has a transition, the existing transition is overwritten.
Delete transitions in Final Cut Pro You can easily delete a transition, restoring the edit point to a simple cut. 1. Select one or more transitions in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Press Delete. The selected transitions are removed, and their edit points are converted to simple cuts. You can also choose Edit > Undo to remove the transition and return the clips to their original length. Adjust transitions in the Final Cut Pro timeline You can adjust a transition’s duration and move it in the timeline.
Move a transition Moving a transition actually rolls the edit under the transition, adding content to one underlying clip while removing content from the other clip. The overall duration of the project is not affected. You can move a transition only if the clip that is being extended has sufficient media handles. 1. Select a transition in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Drag the transition trim icon in the upper-center area of the transition.
Trim a clip under a transition The transition includes icons that make it easy to trim the left or right clip without affecting the transition. 1. Select a transition in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Drag one of the trim icons in the upper-left or upper-right area of the transition. Note: You may need to zoom in on the timeline to make the trim icons appear.
In the above example, which uses the Circle transition, you can drag the white circle in the viewer to position the circle wipe’s center, and the diamond-shaped handle to set the border width (in this case, its softness). 2. If the inspector is not already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. The Transition inspector shows the other parameters available for you to adjust.
Adjust transitions with multiple images in Final Cut Pro Several transitions include areas that are filled with still images from the clips on either side of the transition. The example below shows the Pan Far Right transition (one of the Bulletin Board transitions). The areas are numbered and correlate to numbered points (handles) in the timeline. 1. Select a transition with numbered points in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2.
Modify Final Cut Pro transitions in Motion Many of the transitions in Final Cut Pro were created using Motion, an Apple app designed to work with Final Cut Pro. You can open these transitions in Motion, make modifications, and save the changes as a new transition that appears in the Transitions browser. Important: To modify a transition in Motion, you must have Motion 5 installed on your computer. 1. Click the Transitions button in the top-right corner of the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2.
Adjust built-in effects Intro to built-in effects in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro includes several video effects that are part of each timeline clip and directly accessible from the viewer—all you need to do is select the effects and start making adjustments.
1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To access the Transform controls, do one of the following: • Click the pop-up menu in the lower-left corner of the viewer and choose Transform (or press Shift-T). • Control-click in the viewer and choose Transform. The Transform onscreen controls appear in the viewer. 4.
5. Use the Transform controls in the Video inspector as follows: • Position X and Y: Move the image left and right (X) and up and down (Y). • Rotation: Rotate the image around its anchor point. • Scale: Change the image’s size. Note: When you increase the video image size with the Scale parameter, some peripheral areas of the image may fall outside of the boundary of the visible program. Click the Overscan button at the top of the viewer to reveal areas outside of the viewer frame.
1. In Final Cut Pro, create a new project or open an existing project. 2. In the timeline, select one or more clips whose aspect ratio does not match the project aspect ratio. For example, you might have a horizontal or widescreen clip from an HD project that you want to use in a vertical project for a social media app or website. 3. Choose Modify > Smart Conform. Final Cut Pro analyzes the content of the selected clips and then intelligently reframes each clip.
Trim the edges of the video frame in Final Cut Pro Trim controls allow you to independently trim each of the image edges, creating a window look. This effect, often used along with the Transform effect, is commonly used on a clip placed over a primary storyline clip, which becomes the background of the trimmed clip. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3.
You can animate the effect and have it appear over a background. See Work with built-in effects in Final Cut Pro. Crop clips in Final Cut Pro The Crop effect makes it easy to remove unwanted areas of the image. The cropped image automatically expands to fill the screen. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3.
You can also adjust each edge of the image individually using the Left, Right, Top, and Bottom parameters in the Crop section of the Video inspector. Note: Although you can use these controls to change the crop window’s aspect ratio, the final image still matches the original image’s aspect ratio, with additional content being cropped out so that the final image fits the original aspect ratio. 6. To apply the crop and have the cropped image fill the screen, click Done.
Adjust the Ken Burns effect 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To access the Ken Burns controls, do one of the following: • Click the pop-up menu in the lower-left corner of the viewer and choose Crop (or press Shift-C). • Control-click in the viewer and choose Crop. 4. Click the Ken Burns button at the bottom of the viewer.
Customize the smoothness of a Ken Burns animation By default, a Ken Burns animation performs both smoothing operations (Ease Out and Ease In), but you can customize the effect. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip with the Ken Burns effect enabled. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3.
Skew a clip’s perspective in Final Cut Pro You can use the Distort effect to skew or otherwise distort the image. The Distort effect allows you to create a skewed look or add a 3D perspective to the image by dragging each corner and edge of the video frame independently of the others. Note: The Distort effect can change and animate the shape of the video, but it does not affect the position. To animate the video so that it moves to a different position, use the Transform effect. 1.
5. When you’re finished adjusting the effect, click Done. You can animate the effect and have it appear over a background. See Work with built-in effects in Final Cut Pro. Work with built-in effects in Final Cut Pro Following are ways you can work with built-in effects. Turn off or reset a built-in effect on a single clip 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip with the enabled built-in effect. 2.
Animate built-in effects When you animate a built-in effect, you modify the effect’s settings at two or more points in time and set keyframes at these points. When the clip plays, the video changes smoothly between the keyframes, creating an animated effect. This applies to all built-in effects except the Ken Burns effect, which has a different workflow. See Pan and zoom clips in Final Cut Pro. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2.
7. Adjust the effect’s controls to set the end position. In the example shown below, the position of the video frame was moved by dragging the center circle down and to the right. A keyframe is automatically added and appears as a white handle on the red motion path line. Additionally, for Transform effects, a line showing the image’s path appears. See Resize, move, and rotate clips in Final Cut Pro. 8. To finish, click Done in the upper-right corner of the viewer.
3. To access the Transform controls, do one of the following: • Click the pop-up menu in the lower-left corner of the viewer and choose Transform (or press Shift-T). • Control-click in the viewer and choose Transform. 4. In the viewer, Control-click any individual handle and choose an option: • Convert the keyframe to a smooth keyframe: Choose Smooth. Bezier handles appear, and you can drag the handles to control the curved shape of the path. • Convert the keyframe to a corner point: Choose Linear.
5. Use the Transform onscreen controls to move the image to the upper-right corner. A keyframe is automatically added, and a red line appears showing the animation’s path so far. 6. Move the timeline playhead to the end of the clip. 7. Use the Transform onscreen controls to move the image to the bottom center. A keyframe is automatically added, and the red line extends to this new point. 8. To jump between the keyframes, click the white squares along the red line.
Composite effects over a background Often, Transform, Trim, and Distort effects result in the image being less than full size, with the empty areas filled with black. You can replace the black with a background by placing the transformed clip over a background clip (also known as compositing). In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Add a clip to the timeline as a connected clip, then add the effect to that clip.
Remove built-in effects in Final Cut Pro You can remove built-in effects from clips, either individually or all at once. Remove selected built-in effects from one or more clips You can remove selected effects and attributes from multiple timeline clips at once. 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Choose Edit > Remove Attributes (or press Shift-Command-X). The Remove Attributes window appears, with the clip’s current effects and attributes selected. 3.
Add and adjust clip effects Intro to clip effects in Final Cut Pro In addition to the built-in effects, Final Cut Pro includes a wide variety of video effects that you can apply to your project’s video clips. Many of the effects modify the look of your video, from adding a blur or glow to severe distortions. Some effects overlay camcorder or timecode graphics. There are also effects for keying one video clip over another and for creating areas of transparency in a clip (masking).
Add video effects in Final Cut Pro You add video effects to clips in your project using the Effects browser. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then click the Effects button in the top-right corner of the timeline (or press Command-5). 2. In the Effects browser, select an effect. You can do any of the following to help make your selection: • Filter the list of effects that appear: Type text in the Effects browser search field to search for an effect by name.
Add the default video effect in Final Cut Pro You can set a default video effect and quickly add it to your project clips using the Option-E keyboard shortcut or a menu command. Final Cut Pro comes with the default video effect set to the Color Board color correction effect, but you can change the default effect to any video effect in the Effects browser, including custom video effects presets.
Adjust effects in Final Cut Pro Most effects have one or more parameters that you can adjust using the Video or Audio inspector, the viewer, or the Video Animation or Audio Animation editor. You can also control how the effect is applied to the clip—whether the parameter values are fixed for the duration of the clip or change over time. Adjust an effect in the inspector and viewer 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip with the effect you want to adjust. 2.
Adjust an effect in the Video Animation editor Many effect parameters can be adjusted in the Video Animation editor. Additionally, you can set these parameters to change over time, allowing you to change the appearance of the effect. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip with the video effect you want to adjust. 2. Choose Clip > Show Video Animation (or press Control-V). The effect appears as one of the animations in the Video Animation editor above the clip in the timeline.
Show the audio effects applied to a clip 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip with the audio effects you want to show. 2. Choose Clip > Show Audio Animation (or press Control-A). Each audio effect applied to the clip appears as an animation in the Audio Animation editor. You can click the effect’s checkbox to turn the effect off and on.
Note: Clip effects in the Keying and Masks categories in the Effects browser do not have the built-in effect masking tools described in this section. Add a shape mask to a video effect in Final Cut Pro You can define the area of a video effect, including a color correction, using the powerful shape-masking tool. In the example below, you can apply an effect (such as Gaussian) to everything outside or inside the mask shape that you define.
6. In the Effects section of the Video inspector, move the pointer over the effect name and click the Apply Effect Masks button . 7. Click the pop-up menu that appears and choose Add Shape Mask. The onscreen controls appear in the viewer, superimposed over the video image. By default, the shape mask is set to a partially feathered circle in the center of the frame. The Shape Mask parameter appears in the effect’s section of the Video inspector. 8. Use the onscreen controls to adjust the mask shape.
To show or hide the mask’s controls, click the Shape Mask Onscreen Controls button to the right of the shape mask name in the mask list. For more information about onscreen controls for shape masks, see Create simple shape masks in Final Cut Pro. Note: At any time, you can view the mask alpha channel by clicking View Masks (next to the effect name). The mask’s alpha channel appears in the viewer.
5. In the Effects section of the Video inspector, move the pointer over the effect name and click the Apply Effect Masks button . 6. Click the pop-up menu that appears and choose Add Color Mask. The Color Mask parameter appears in the same section of the Video inspector, and the pointer changes to the eyedropper tool. 7. In the viewer, position the eyedropper on a color in the image that you want to isolate, then drag to select the color. As you drag, two concentric circles appear.
9. To adjust the color mask edges, drag the Softness slider. Tip: To view the mask alpha channel while adjusting the Softness slider, hold down the Command key. 10. Do one of the following: • View the mask’s alpha channel: Click the View Masks pop-up menu and choose Black and White. The mask’s alpha channel appears in the viewer. White indicates fully opaque mask areas, black indicates areas outside the mask, and levels of gray indicate transparent mask areas.
Combine multiple effect masks in Final Cut Pro When defining the area of a clip effect, including a color correction, you may find that it’s impossible to create the mask shape you need using only one mask. For example, when masking a shape with a hole in it, you need at least two masks—one set to Add to mask the overall object, and a second set to Subtract to cut out the hole. You can set masks to interact in different ways using mask blend modes.
8. To change how a mask interacts with other masks applied to the effect, click the popup menu next to the mask name and choose a blend mode: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Add: Applies the effect to the area inside the mask shape selection. If two or more masks are set to Add, the masks are merged. • Subtract: Removes the effect from the area inside the mask shape, including areas that overlap with other masks.
• Intersect: Applies the effect to any area inside the mask shape that overlaps with other masks set to either Add or Intersect. Note: At any time, you can invert all masks for a given effect. See Invert effect masks in Final Cut Pro. Reorder masks The order in which you apply shape and color masks can affect the final output. The Add, Subtract, and Intersect modes operate sequentially, starting at the top of the mask list in the Video inspector.
For an example of how you might use shape masks set to the Intersect blend mode to isolate one area of a color mask, see Add shape masks to a color mask in Final Cut Pro. Invert effect masks in Final Cut Pro In most cases, you use the built-in masking capability of a video effect, including a color correction, to limit the effect to a specific area or color. However, you can also invert your mask to exclude a specific area or color from the effect. 1.
7. To make the mask alpha channel visible, click the View Masks pop-up menu (next to the effect name) and choose Black and White. The mask’s alpha channel appears in the viewer. White indicates fully opaque mask areas, black indicates areas outside the mask, and levels of gray indicate transparent mask areas. Note: You can also view the color contents of the mask. See Ways to view masks in Final Cut Pro. 8.
Animate an effect shape mask in Final Cut Pro You can use keyframes to animate an effect shape mask so that it follows the movement of an onscreen object. 1. In Final Cut Pro, add a shape mask to a video effect. 2. In the timeline, move the playhead to the frame where you want the shape to begin moving. 3. In the viewer, position the shape mask at its starting position. 4.
When you’ve added all the keyframes, you can play the clip to see the shape mask move between them. For more information about working with keyframes, see Intro to video keyframing in Final Cut Pro. Note: You can apply and animate multiple shape masks on a clip. You can view and edit individual shape masks in the Video Animation editor just as you would any other effect parameter. See Add video effect keyframes in Final Cut Pro.
Change video and audio clip effect order using the Video Animation or Audio Animation editor 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline that has multiple video or audio clip effects applied, then do one of the following: • View the video effects: Choose Clip > Show Video Animation (or press Control-V). • View the audio effects: Choose Clip > Show Audio Animation (or press Control-A). 2. In the Video Animation editor or Audio Animation editor, drag the effects to change their order.
Copy selected clip attributes to another clip 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then choose Edit > Copy (or press Command-C). 2. Select the clip or clips to which you want to apply the attributes, then choose Edit > Paste Attributes (or press Shift-Command-V). 3. Do any of the following: • Apply all video or all audio attributes from the source clip: Select the Video Attributes or Audio Attributes checkbox.
Save video effects presets in Final Cut Pro You can save any combination of video effects and video effect parameter settings as a video effects preset, which appears in the Effects browser and functions like any other video effect. You can create an effects preset from any combination of built-in effects and clip effects.
7. If you made any keyframe adjustments to the source clip, select either Maintain Timing or Stretch to Fit. If you select Stretch to Fit, Final Cut Pro adjusts the keyframes in time to match the duration of any clip to which you apply the preset. 8. Click Save. The new video effects preset appears in the Effects browser category you chose, ready to be applied to clips in the timeline. To apply the preset to a clip, see Add video effects in Final Cut Pro. Share a video effects preset 1.
Keyframes are always pasted beginning at the location of the playhead or skimmer, and a specific parameter must be selected before you choose the Paste command. If the playhead or skimmer is not currently over the selected clip, no keyframes are pasted. Note: Pasted keyframes replace any keyframes already applied to the destination parameter within the time range of the pasted keyframes. Keyframes outside the time range being pasted are not affected.
Copy or move keyframes from one parameter to another 1. In the Video Animation or Audio Animation editor in Final Cut Pro, select the keyframes you want to copy. Shift-click to select multiple keyframes, or drag a selection rectangle around the keyframes you want to select. 2. Do one of the following: • Duplicate the keyframes: Choose Edit > Keyframes > Copy (or press Option-Shift-C). • Move the keyframes: Choose Edit > Keyframes > Cut (or press Option-Shift-X). 3.
Add the Noise Reduction effect 1. Select the clip with video noise in the Final Cut Pro timeline, and position the playhead so that the clip appears in the viewer. 2. Click the Effects button in the top-right corner of the timeline (or press Command-5). 3. In the Effects browser, select the Basics category in the list of Video effects on the left, then select the Noise Reduction effect. For 360° clips, select the 360° category, then select the 360° Noise Reduction effect.
Remove or turn off effects in Final Cut Pro You can remove effects that you’ve applied to clips, or you can turn off the effects but retain their settings. There are several ways to remove effects from clips. You can remove effects from individual clips right in the timeline or by using the Video or Audio inspector, or you can remove all effects from a clip selection.
Turn off a clip effect 1. Select one or more clips with an effect in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Clip > Show Video Animation (or press Control-V) to view video effects, or choose Clip > Show Audio Animation (or press Control-A) to view audio effects, then deselect the effect’s checkbox. • Select the effect in the Video or Audio inspector, then deselect the effect’s checkbox. The effect no longer affects the video or audio.
3. Modify the effect’s project. See the Motion User Guide. 4. Choose File > Save As (or press Shift-Command-S), enter a name for this new effect (referred to as a Template in Motion), assign it to a category (or create a new category), choose a theme (if needed), and click Publish. If you choose File > Save, the effect is saved using the same name, with “copy” appended to its end.
Add placeholders in Final Cut Pro Generated placeholders are useful when you want to fill a gap in the project with a clip that provides a hint about the final content. You can set placeholder clips to represent a wide variety of standard shots, such as close-ups, groups, wide shots, and so on. 1. Drag the playhead in the Final Cut Pro timeline to the point where you want to add the placeholder clip. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Insert Generator > Placeholder (or press Option-Command-W).
Add the default generator in Final Cut Pro You can set a default generator and quickly add it to your project using a keyboard shortcut or a menu command. Final Cut Pro comes with the default video generator set to Placeholder, but you can change the default to any generator. Add the default generator to your project 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, move the playhead to the frame where you want to add the default generator. 2. Choose Edit > Insert Generator > [generator name] (or press Option-Command-W).
1. If the Titles and Generators sidebar isn’t already shown in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Go To > Titles and Generators (or press Option-Command-1). • Click the Titles and Generators button in the top-left corner of the Final Cut Pro window. 2. Select the Elements category in the Titles and Generators sidebar, locate the Timecode generator, and add it to the timeline as a connected clip, so that it’s over the primary storyline and any other clips or storylines.
Add shapes in Final Cut Pro You can use the Shapes generator to add a shape—such as a star, a diamond, an arrow, or a heart—above the primary storyline. You can then animate the shape. 1. If the Titles and Generators sidebar isn’t already shown in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Go To > Titles and Generators (or press Option-Command-1). • Click the Titles and Generators button in the top-left corner of the Final Cut Pro window. 2.
7. To change the shape’s size, position, and rotation, use the Transform or Distort built-in effect. Using these effects also makes it possible to animate the shape. For example, you can have an arrow follow a person across a room. 8. To make the shape partially transparent, select it in the timeline and adjust its Opacity setting in the Video inspector. To open the Video inspector, click the Video button at the top of the inspector.
4. Do one of the following: • Browse all generators: Click Generators in the sidebar to display the generators in the browser. • Browse a single category of generators: Click a category below Generators in the sidebar. To view the generators categories, click the Generators disclosure triangle. 5. Select the background clip in the timeline. 6. If the Generator inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4).
Modify Final Cut Pro generators in Motion Many of the generators were created using Motion, an Apple app designed to work with Final Cut Pro. To further customize a generator, you can open it in Motion, make modifications, and save the changes as a new file that you can access from the Titles and Generators sidebar. Important: To modify generators in Motion, you must have Motion 5 installed on your computer. 1.
Use onscreen controls Intro to onscreen controls in Final Cut Pro Many effects, transitions, and other items use onscreen controls, superimposed over the video in the viewer, to make it easier to adjust a variety of parameters. In many cases, these onscreen controls duplicate controls in the inspectors, although in some cases the controls are unique and provide the only way to adjust a particular parameter.
Final Cut Pro onscreen control examples Following are a few examples of the onscreen controls you might use while working with clip effects and transitions. Many other clip effects and transitions use the same or similar controls—these examples are intended to provide general information about using the onscreen controls. Keep the following in mind while going through these examples: • The examples assume that you’re familiar with applying clip effects to clips in the timeline.
Example: Apply a Droplet effect 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Effects browser and drag the Droplet effect to a clip in the timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To adjust the effect’s onscreen controls, do any of the following: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Position the effect: Drag the center circle. • Set the effect’s outer limit: Drag the outer circle. • Set the effect’s inner limit: Drag the inner circle.
Example: Apply a Prism effect 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Effects browser and drag the Prism effect to a clip in the timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To adjust the direction of the effect, drag the arrow. Because the effect has no center setting, the circle in the center can’t be dragged.
Example: Apply a Scrape effect 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Effects browser and drag the Scrape effect to a clip in the timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To adjust the effect’s onscreen controls, do any of the following: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Position the effect: Drag the center circle. • Set the effect’s direction: Drag the rotation handle.
Example: Apply a Center transition 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Transitions browser and drag the Center transition to an edit point in the timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To adjust the transition’s onscreen controls, do any of the following: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Position the transition: Drag the center circle. • Set the transition’s direction: Drag the arrow.
Example: Apply a Star transition 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Transitions browser and drag the Star transition to an edit point in the timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To adjust the transition’s onscreen controls, do any of the following: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Position the transition: Drag the center circle. • Set the number of points on the star: Drag the longer handle.
Example: Apply a Zoom & Pan transition 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Transitions browser and drag the Zoom & Pan transition to an edit point in the timeline. 2. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 3. To adjust the transition’s onscreen controls, do any of the following: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Set the transition’s start point: Drag the green circle. • Set the transition’s end point: Drag the red circle.
Animate video effects Intro to video keyframing in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can create simple changes to video over time, such as fading the video from invisible to visible at the beginning of a movie. Or you can make sophisticated and precise adjustments over time to many individual parameters of video effects, transitions, motion paths, and so on. You use keyframes and fade handles in the Video Animation editor to change effects over time.
Add keyframes 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select a clip in the timeline, then choose Clip > Show Video Animation (or press Control-V). • Control-click a clip in the timeline and choose Show Video Animation. Each effect in the Video Animation editor has a separate area for adding keyframes. Some effects have more than one parameter and allow you to add keyframes to individual parameters separately.
4. Do one of the following for each effect: • In the Video Animation editor: Option-click (or press Option-K) at a point on the horizontal effect control where you want to add the keyframe. Keyframes for the parameter you chose appear as white diamonds; keyframes for other effect parameters appear gray. When you choose to view all parameters in the Video Animation editor, keyframes appear as white diamonds for all parameters.
Add keyframes automatically across a selected area If an effect appears in the Video Animation editor with a disclosure button, you can use either the Select or Range Selection tool to add keyframes automatically across a selected area. 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select a clip in the timeline, then choose Clip > Show Video Animation (or press Control-V). • Control-click a clip and choose Show Video Animation. 2.
4. Drag across the area in the Video Animation editor where you want to adjust the effect. Tip: To deselect the range, click anywhere in the timeline background. 5. Adjust the effect within the range by dragging the effect’s horizontal control up or down. Keyframes are automatically created along the adjustment points within the range.
Adjust keyframes in the Video Animation editor You can move keyframes left or right in the Video Animation editor. If an effect appears with a disclosure button in the Video Animation editor, you can expand the effect view and move keyframes up or down to change the parameter value, and you can also fade video effects in or out or change the shape of the effect curve between keyframes. See Adjust effect curves in Final Cut Pro. 1. Select a keyframe in the Final Cut Pro Video Animation editor. 2.
Adjust keyframes in the Video inspector For many effects, you adjust the parameter value of individual keyframes using the Video inspector. When you move the playhead in the timeline, arrows appear next to the Keyframe button in the Video inspector to indicate which side of the playhead has keyframes. To go to the previous keyframe, click the left arrow. To go to the next keyframe, click the right arrow.
View only one effect at a time in the Video Animation editor You can collapse the Video Animation editor to view only one effect at a time. This can be useful if you have multiple effects applied to a clip and want to preserve screen space. 1. In Final Cut Pro, choose Clip > Solo Animation (or press Control-Shift-V). 2. In the Video Animation editor, click the triangle next to the displayed effect’s name and choose an effect.
• Increase the relative values by 1: Press Option-Up Arrow. • Decrease the relative values by 1: Press Option-Down Arrow. • Move the keyframes earlier in time by 1 frame: Press Comma (,). • Move the keyframes later in time by 1 frame: Press Period (.). Tip: You can also modify any two keyframes simultaneously by selecting the line segment between them and then performing any of the steps above.
Adjust effect curves in Final Cut Pro Some effects in the Video Animation editor include fade handles, which allow you to adjust how long it takes for an effect to fade in or out. For example, you can use fade handles to adjust how long it takes for an opacity effect to fade in, how long it takes to fade up from black, or how long it takes to fade to black. You can also move keyframes up or down to create a curve for the effect parameter and change the curve shape (interpolation) between keyframes.
Change an effect using keyframes 1. In the Final Cut Pro Video Animation editor, click the disclosure button for an effect to expand it. Note: If an effect doesn’t have a disclosure button, you can’t move keyframes up or down. 2. Do any of the following: • Add a keyframe: Option-click (or press Option-K) at a point on the effect control where you want to add the keyframe.
Change the curve shape (interpolation) between keyframes 1. In the Final Cut Pro Video Animation editor, click the disclosure button for an effect to expand it. Note: If an effect doesn’t have a disclosure button, you can’t move keyframes up or down. 2. Command-drag the line horizontally between the keyframes to create a curve. 3. Control-click the line between keyframes and choose a curve option. • Linear: Maintains a constant rate of change over the duration of the fade.
Advanced editing Use roles to manage clips and organize the timeline Intro to roles in Final Cut Pro Roles are metadata text and color labels that you assign to clips in the browser or the timeline. When you import clips (video, audio, or still images), Final Cut Pro analyzes existing clip metadata and automatically assigns one of five default color-coded roles (Video, Titles, Dialogue, Music, and Effects) to each clip.
You can use roles in the following ways: • Organize clips with roles and subroles: You can create subroles within a role to further organize your clips, and you can create custom roles to add to the default set. To get the maximum benefit from roles (including organizing the timeline or exporting media stems), make sure your clips have the correct role assignments early in the editing process. See View and reassign roles in Final Cut Pro and Create custom roles in Final Cut Pro.
• Custom roles and subroles are specific to a library. This means that a custom role that you create for one library is not automatically available in another library. However, if you copy or move clips between libraries, any custom roles and subroles assigned to those clips are also available in the destination library. • Changing a role within a compound clip or multicam clip affects every instance of that clip throughout the library.
4. Scroll down to the Audio Configuration section. Note: You can drag the top edge of the Audio Configuration section to reveal all of its contents. 5. To change the role assignment for an audio component, click its Roles pop-up menu and choose a different subrole. For more information about audio components, see Audio channels and components in Final Cut Pro. Assign roles using the shortcut menu 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2.
Assign roles in the browser 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser in list view, select one or more clips. 2. In the Roles column, click the assigned subrole for a clip to see a menu listing the available subroles. If the Roles column isn’t visible in the browser, Control-click a column heading and choose Roles. 3. To change the role assignment for the selection, choose a different subrole from the menu. Assign roles in the Info inspector 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2.
4. In the Info inspector, click the Video Roles or Audio Roles pop-up menu to see the available subroles. 5. To change the role assignment for the selection, choose a different subrole from the Video Roles or Audio Roles pop-up menu. Assign roles in the timeline index 1. To open the timeline index in Final Cut Pro, click Index in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press Shift-Command-2). 2. Click the Clips button at the top of the timeline index to open the Clips pane. 3.
5. To change the role assignment for the selection, click the assigned subrole and choose a different subrole. Note: If you change a clip’s role assignment while audio lanes are shown in the timeline, the clip moves vertically in the timeline to its new audio lane. See Organize the Final Cut Pro timeline with audio lanes. Create custom roles in Final Cut Pro You can create custom roles and subroles in addition to the five default roles (Video, Titles, Dialogue, Music, and Effects).
Create custom roles 1. To open the role editor in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose Modify > Edit Roles. • In the Roles pane of the timeline index, click Edit Roles. • Control-click a clip and choose either Assign Audio Roles or Assign Video Roles, then choose Edit Roles from the submenu. • With a clip selected in the browser or the timeline, open the Info inspector, then click either the Video Roles pop-up menu or the Audio Roles pop-up menu and choose Edit Roles. 2.
Create custom subroles Subroles allow you to organize clips and components within a role. For example, you could create a Foley Effects subrole within the Effects role, or a Spanish Subtitles subrole within the Titles role. 1. To open the role editor in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose Modify > Edit Roles. • Control-click a clip and choose either Assign Audio Roles or Assign Video Roles, then choose Edit Roles from the submenu.
3. Type a name for the new subrole. The new subrole appears below its parent role in roles lists throughout Final Cut Pro. When you assign subroles to clips in the timeline, the subroles also appear in the timeline index. Change the name of a custom role or subrole 1. In the role editor in Final Cut Pro, move the pointer over the name of a custom role or subrole. To show subroles, click Show to the right of the role name. 2. Select the name of the role or subrole, then enter the new name.
Merge custom subroles You can merge a subrole with another subrole (in any role in your library). Any clips in the library that were assigned the original subrole are assigned the merged subrole instead. 1. In Final Cut Pro, open the role editor. 2. Move the pointer over the role with the subroles you want to merge, then click Show Subroles. 3. Move the pointer over one of the subroles you want to merge. A handle (three horizontal lines) appears at the right end of the subrole. 4.
Assign audio roles during import in Final Cut Pro By default, when you import media clips (video, audio, or still images), Final Cut Pro analyzes existing clip metadata to assign one of five default roles to the video and audio components of each clip: Video, Titles, Dialogue, Music, or Effects. (Specifically, Final Cut Pro assigns a subrole of one of the default roles to each video or audio component.
Create custom roles automatically during import using iXML metadata Final Cut Pro can use the iXML metadata tags in an audio channel to create custom subroles and assign them to audio components during import. For example, during production, a sound recordist might enter “Boom mic” and “Jessie lav mic” on the recording device to identify the audio channels of a recording.
Change role colors or names in Final Cut Pro Roles have distinct colors that let you instantly recognize clips by role in the browser and the timeline. You can change the color of a role and, by extension, the color of the clips it’s assigned to. You can also rename roles and subroles, within certain basic guidelines. Note: Clips with video and audio take the color of the audio role. Change a role’s color 1.
Organize the timeline with roles and subroles Organize the Final Cut Pro timeline with audio lanes With a few clicks, you can arrange audio clips into audio lanes in the timeline, based on their role assignments. Audio lanes appear as separate, visually distinct layers in the timeline. This view organizes audio clips visually and provides reference points that make editing easier and more efficient.
1. In Final Cut Pro, open the Roles pane of the timeline index by doing one of the following: • Click the Index button in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press ShiftCommand-2), then click Roles at the top of the timeline index. • Choose View > Timeline Index > Roles. 2. Do one of the following: • Show an audio role in a separate lane: In the Roles pane, click the Audio Lane button to the right of a role. Audio clips with that role assigned appear in a separate lane in the timeline.
To help you keep track of the current timeline organization, a diamond-shaped change indicator appears in the Index button in the top-left corner of the timeline whenever you change any roles settings from their default states. These roles changes include showing roles and subroles in separate audio lanes, focusing the timeline on a specific role, and turning off roles or subroles.
Separate audio lanes appear in the timeline for each subrole in the role or roles. Text labels appear at the left side of the audio lanes, identifying each role and subrole. In the timeline index, subroles appear in a list below the parent role. To return to the default clip view for a role, click the role’s Show Subroles button again. Tip: When audio components are shown in audio lanes, you can make roll edits between adjacent components. You don’t need to create a connected storyline.
1. To open the Roles pane of the timeline index in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Click the Index button in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press ShiftCommand-2), then click Roles at the top of the timeline index. • Choose View > Timeline Index > Roles. 2. In the Roles pane, click the Focus button concentrate on.
1. To open the Roles pane of the timeline index in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Click the Index button in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press ShiftCommand-2), then click Roles. • Choose View > Timeline Index > Roles. 2. To reorder roles or subroles, drag them up or down in the Roles pane. For information about viewing subroles, see Edit components in audio lanes in Final Cut Pro.
1. To open the Roles pane of the timeline index in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Click the Index button in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press ShiftCommand-2), then click Roles at the top of the timeline index. • Choose View > Timeline Index > Roles. 2. In the Roles pane, select the checkboxes next to the roles or subroles you want to turn on, and deselect the checkboxes next to the roles or subroles you want to turn off.
Work with audio roles in compound clips in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can create several different types of clips with varying degrees of complexity. In many cases, clips can have multiple audio components, including the following clip types: • Compound clips • Multicam clips • Synced clips In Final Cut Pro 10.3, compound clips, multicam clips, and synced clips generate role components based on the audio role assignments within the clip.
Manage role components in compound clips You can use role components in compound clips to make changes to an entire role at once. For example, a typical project has clips with various Dialogue subroles assigned, some clips with Effects subroles, and perhaps a clip with a Music subrole. If you wrap the entire project in a compound clip, the resulting compound clip has role components for Dialogue, Music, and Effects. You can apply volume changes and effects to the role components to complete your mix.
5. To choose whether role components are based on roles or subroles, click the “Show Components as” pop-up menu and choose an option. When the “View components as” pop-up menu is set to Subroles, as in the example below, each role component is based on a subrole found in the compound clip, not on a parent role. Note: Changing this view with the pop-up menu also changes how the components are displayed in the timeline when you show expanded audio components for the compound clip.
Manage role components in multicam clips Every angle in a multicam clip creates a set of role components according to the subrole assignments contained within the angle. For example, if there are five audio components in angle A, but they’re all assigned to the Dialogue-1 subrole, Final Cut Pro displays a single role component named Dialogue-1 for angle A. If the role assignments of clips inside an angle change, the role components generated by that angle are updated automatically. 1.
In many ways, you can work with role components as you would with standard audio components. For example, you can: • Skim over an individual role, or play it back using the Space bar or the J, K, and L keys. See View and listen to an audio component. • Remove a role from a multicam clip by deselecting its checkbox in the Audio Configuration section of the Audio inspector. See Enable or disable an audio component.
4. Scroll down to the Audio Configuration section. Note: You can drag the top edge of the Audio Configuration section to expand it and reveal all of its contents. In the example below, the Audio Configuration section shows two role components representing the contents of the synced clip: Storyline (the clip in the primary storyline) and Connected (all the connected clips synced to the primary storyline). You can’t change role assignments in this view.
Add audio effects to clips with multiple audio components When you apply effects to whole clips that have multiple audio components, Final Cut Pro automatically mixes the audio down to the main audio roles. The appearance of the clips may change, depending on whether the audio components have different parent roles or the same parent role.
Add, adjust, and share captions Intro to captions in Final Cut Pro Captions is a general term for timed text—visible lines of text that are synced with video and audio media. Captions are most often used for subtitles (translations of the dialogue in foreign-language movies and TV shows) or closed captions (transcriptions of a program’s audio for people who are deaf or hard of hearing or for display on muted devices). Captions are also used for karaoke, scrolling news items, and teleprompters.
Caption formats Final Cut Pro supports the following industry standards for captions: • CEA-608 (also known as EIA-608): A caption standard for broadcasts and web video. The CEA-608 caption standard features a variety of position, formatting, color, and animation options. CEA-608 captions can be imported or exported as tracks embedded in a media file or as separate files. • iTT (iTunes Timed Text): A format for delivering caption content to the iTunes Store, YouTube, and Vimeo.
Step 1: Choose a caption format In Final Cut Pro, choose whether to create CEA-608, iTT, or SRT captions. The format you choose depends on the intended use of your project and the target audience. Broadcasters, streaming services, and government regulators each have their own delivery specifications. Step 2: Create a caption role Create a caption role for the chosen format and a subrole for each language version.
Create captions in Final Cut Pro You can create captions in Final Cut Pro—for example, to deliver your project with subtitles or closed captions. In Final Cut Pro, captions are assigned special caption roles. To create a new set of captions, you first choose a caption format (CEA-608, iTT, or SRT), then you create a caption role specific to that format and a subrole for each language version. Captions are always connected clips. Captions can also be connected to other connected clips.
5. To add another language subrole, move the pointer over the caption role in the Captions pane, click the Language button, then choose a language from the pop-up menu. The new language subrole appears in the list below the role. To delete a caption role or a language subrole, move the pointer over the role or subrole, then click the Delete button (–) to the left of the role or subrole name. 6. Click Apply. The caption roles and subroles you created are now available to any project in the library.
3. Type text for your caption in the caption editor. For information about adjusting a caption’s text style, see Format caption text in Final Cut Pro. 4. Do any of the following: • Create additional captions: Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each new caption. • Edit a caption’s text: Double-click the caption in the timeline (or select it and press Control-Shift-C), then enter your changes in the caption editor.
• Adjust a caption’s duration: Drag its start point or end point. See Arrange and trim caption clips in the timeline. You can also use powerful trimming techniques with caption clips. See Cut clips in two in Final Cut Pro and Extend or shorten clips in Final Cut Pro. • Adjust a caption’s sync with the clip it’s connected to: Drag the caption left or right in the timeline. (When you drag a caption clip, it overwrites adjacent captions.
Import captions directly into a project in the timeline 1. Open an existing project in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Choose File > Import > Captions. 3. In the dialog that appears, navigate to the file you want to import, and select the file. The file must be a valid CEA-608, iTT, or SRT caption file. CEA-608 files have the filename extension .scc, iTT files have the filename extension .itt, and SRT files have the filename extension .srt. 4.
Show or hide captions in Final Cut Pro You can use the Roles pane of the timeline index to show or hide captions in the viewer and the timeline, and to change the active language subrole (the language version that appears in the viewer). You can use the Captions pane of the timeline index to view, navigate, and search captions in your project. Show or hide captions in the viewer 1.
To stop displaying captions in the viewer, deselect the Captions checkbox. Show or hide captions in the timeline 1. To open the Roles pane of the timeline index in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Click the Index button in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press ShiftCommand-2), then click Roles at the top of the timeline index. • Choose View > Timeline Index > Roles. The Roles pane appears, with a list of caption roles at the top.
Change the active language You can change which caption language version is displayed in the viewer by changing the active language. Only one language version appears in the viewer at a time. 1. To open the Roles pane of the timeline index in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Click the Index button in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press ShiftCommand-2), then click Roles at the top of the timeline index. • Choose View > Timeline Index > Roles.
View, navigate, and search captions The Captions pane of the timeline index lists the captions in the active language subrole in chronological order. (To change the active language subrole, see Change the active language.) Note: If you don’t see the Captions pane, it means you haven’t yet added captions to your project. See Create captions in Final Cut Pro. 1. To open the Final Cut Pro timeline index, click Index in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press Shift-Command-2). 2.
Edit caption text in Final Cut Pro You can edit the text of your captions directly in the timeline using the caption editor, or you can enter changes in the inspector. 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Double-click a caption in the timeline or the timeline index (or select it and press Control-Shift-C). The caption editor opens, showing the caption text. • Select a caption in the timeline and open the inspector.
Adjust and arrange captions in Final Cut Pro You use the powerful timeline editing tools in Final Cut Pro to adjust the timing and arrangement of captions in your projects. Arrange and trim caption clips in the timeline You control the timing of captions by arranging and trimming them in the timeline. In many cases, you can move and trim caption clips just as you would other types of clips. Caption clips are always connected clips.
Split multiple-line captions You can quickly split any caption with multiple lines into a series of single-line captions. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select one or more captions that have multiple lines. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Captions > Split Captions (or press Control-Option-Command-C). • Control-click the captions you want to split, then choose Split Captions.
Join caption clips in the timeline You can combine multiple captions in the timeline into one caption. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select two or more adjacent caption clips. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Captions > Join Captions. • Control-click the captions you want to join, then choose Join Captions. The selected caption clips are replaced with a single caption clip that contains the text from the selected captions.
1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the overlapping caption clips. Tip: To select all the captions in a language subrole, select any caption, then press Command-A. To select everything in the timeline, press Command-A again. 2. Choose Edit > Captions > Resolve Overlaps. The clips are trimmed so that they no longer overlap. Format caption text in Final Cut Pro You can change the style and formatting of caption text using the inspector.
Format the text in CEA-608 captions 1. Select one or more CEA-608 caption clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. To open the Caption inspector, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. The Caption inspector appears, showing caption text formatting controls for the CEA-608 format. 3.
6. To set the style of transitions between captions, click the Display Style pop-up menu and choose an option: • Pop-On: No transition (a simple cut between captions). • Paint-On: Starting with the topmost line of text, each line of text in the caption is revealed from left to right, one at a time. • Roll-Up: Each line of text in the caption is revealed at the bottom of the screen using the Paint-On style, and is then animated upward to make room for the next line of text.
Format the text in iTT captions 1. Select one or more iTT caption clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. To open the Caption inspector, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. The inspector appears, showing caption text formatting controls for the iTT format. 3.
6. To place captions at the top or bottom of the video frame, click a Placement button. For certain languages with vertical writing, the iTT format allows vertical text on the left and right margins, as well as up to four regions of text on the screen at the same time (top, bottom, left, and right). At the bottom of the Caption inspector, you can view information about the selected caption or captions: • Timing: Displays start and end times and duration if you selected a single caption.
The inspector appears, showing caption text formatting controls for the SRT format. 3. If you selected a single caption and want to format just a portion of it, select the portion of the caption text that you want to format in the Caption Text field. 4. To change caption text to the bold, italic, or underline style, click a Formatting button. 5. To change the color of caption text, click the Text Color color well to open the Colors window, or click the down arrow to open a pop-up color palette.
Add multiple text fields to CEA-608 captions You can split a CEA-608 caption into multiple fields. For example, if two people are speaking at the same time, you can create a text field for each speaker. Each caption can have up to four fields, and you can format each field independently of the others. CEA-608 captions are limited to four lines, but you can distribute the lines in any combination.
5. To position the new text field in the video frame, click a Placement button. 6. Use the text formatting controls in the Display section to adjust the look of the text in the new field. See Format the text in CEA-608 captions. 7. To add additional text fields, repeat steps 3 through 6. To remove a text field, click the pop-up menu to the far right of the Caption Text heading for that field, then choose Remove Text Field.
Create multilingual captions in Final Cut Pro The easiest way to create captions for a project in multiple languages is to duplicate a finished set of captions and then translate the captions in the duplicate set. This way, you can place the captions and set their timing once, and then reuse that initial work as many times as necessary. 1. In Final Cut Pro, complete the captions for the entire project in the first language subrole. For instructions, see Create captions in Final Cut Pro. 2.
4. To translate the duplicate captions, double-click a caption (or select it and press Control-Option-C), then type the translation in the caption editor. 5. Do any of the following: • Navigate between captions: Click the arrows on either side of the caption editor (or press Command-Right Arrow or Command-Left Arrow). Note: When the caption editor is open, many single-key keyboard shortcuts (such as J, K, L, I, O, and Space bar) are interpreted as text characters rather than as shortcuts.
Create duplicate captions in another format This conversion method retains a copy of the captions in the original format and is a good way to quickly add languages in a new format. 1. Select the captions that you want to convert. Tip: To select all the captions in a language subrole, select any caption, then press Command-A. To select everything in the timeline, press Command-A again. 2.
Export captions with Final Cut Pro You can export captions as separate “sidecar” files with your finished media files, or, if your captions are in the CEA-608 format, you can embed them directly in the output media file. You can export captions as separate files directly from the File menu. You can also export or embed captions using Final Cut Pro share destinations that include options for exporting captions.
In addition, the Save Current Frame, Image Sequence, and HTTP Live Streaming destinations allow you to burn in captions so they’re permanently visible, but they don’t support exporting captions as separate files or embedding captions.
The following example shows how a project in the timeline could be simplified using compound clips: Compound clips have the following characteristics: Final Cut Pro User Guide • You create compound clips in the browser or in the timeline. • Every compound clip in the timeline has a “parent” compound clip in the browser.
• When you edit the contents of any compound clip, you are in fact editing the parent compound clip from the browser. Any changes you make to the compound clip are inherited by all of its child clips. For example, if you delete a title clip from the contents of a parent compound clip, the title clip is deleted from all child clips. You can create an independent compound clip from an existing compound clip.
The way clips are grouped within the compound clip depends on where you selected the clips: • Final Cut Pro User Guide If you selected clips in an event: Final Cut Pro creates a new compound clip in the event (in addition to the selected clips) and places duplicates of the selected clips in the new compound clip horizontally, in the order in which you selected them. (For more information about creating a compound clip in the browser, see Create an empty compound clip, below.
• If you selected clips in the timeline: Final Cut Pro places the selected clips in the new compound clip exactly as they are laid out in the timeline. The new compound clip inherits the frame size and frame rate of the current project. Create independent compound clips from existing compound clips 1. Select one or more compound clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Choose Clip > Reference New Parent Clip.
Create an empty compound clip You can create new, empty compound clips and then add clips to them. Each compound clip can be considered a mini project, with its own distinct project properties. 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select an event to which you want to add the compound clip. 2. Choose File > New Compound Clip. In the window that appears, type a name for the compound clip in the Name field. 3. To further customize settings for your compound clip, click Use Custom Settings.
Edit compound clips in Final Cut Pro You can open up compound clips and edit their component parts in a separate timeline, and you can easily navigate up and down a series of compound clip levels. You can also open and edit a compound clip from within an event. Note: When you edit the contents of a compound clip (for example, by trimming or adding effects to clips within the compound clip), you are in fact editing all instances of that compound clip, including the parent compound clip in the browser.
Navigate compound clip levels using menu commands You can navigate up or down one or more levels of a compound clip. 1. Open a compound clip in Final Cut Pro. 2. Do any of the following: • Move forward (down one level): Choose View > Timeline History Forward, or press Command-Right Bracket (]). • Move back (up one level): Choose View > Timeline History Back, or press CommandLeft Bracket ([). Navigate compound clip levels using the arrow buttons In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: 1.
To allow the new clip material to appear in your Final Cut Pro project, do one of the following: • Reduce the total duration of the other clips inside the compound clip. For example, you could trim one or more clips inside the compound clip. • Close the compound clip to navigate up one level, then extend the total duration of the parent clip (the “outside shell” of the compound clip) in the timeline. For more information, see Intro to trimming in Final Cut Pro.
Working with multicam clips in Final Cut Pro is a flexible and fluid process. At any time, you can add angles to or remove angles from a multicam clip, and you can easily adjust the sync between angles. You can also group unrelated footage together for real-time montage editing (such as for music videos). For example, if you’re editing a music video, you could add several angles of abstract visuals and cut to those angles at specific places in the music.
Final Cut Pro multicam editing workflow The process for creating a multicam project is outlined below. The procedures are presented in rough chronological order, but you can rearrange the order to suit your workflow. Step 1: Shoot an event with multiple cameras and record appropriate sync information A multicamera shoot uses multiple cameras to record the same subject or event from different angles and distances.
Step 5: Cut and switch between angles in the angle viewer After you create a multicam clip, you can watch all angles simultaneously in the angle viewer while switching or cutting to different angles in real time. You can cut and switch video and audio at the same time or independently. For example, you can use the audio from angle 1 while switching the video between angles 1 to 4.
Add camera names and angles in Final Cut Pro The Camera Angle and Camera Name properties are flexible metadata tags that you can use to organize your multicam workflow. Although you can assign metadata to clips at any time, it makes the most sense to assign the Camera Angle and Camera Name tags before you use the clips to create multicam clips. The Camera Angle tag can help you determine and track which clips appear in which angles.
Create a multicam clip automatically 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser, select the clips you want to include in the multicam clip. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose File > New > Multicam Clip. • Control-click the selection and choose New Multicam Clip. 3. If the multicam automatic settings aren’t shown in the window that appears, click Use Automatic Settings in the lower-left corner of the window. The multicam automatic settings appear.
Final Cut Pro creates a new multicam clip in the event you chose and places duplicates of the selected clips in the new multicam clip. Create a multicam clip with custom settings 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser, select the clips you want to include in the multicam clip. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose File > New > Multicam Clip. • Control-click the selection and choose New Multicam Clip. 3. In the window that appears, type a name for the multicam clip in the Multicam Clip Name field. 4.
7. If the multicam custom settings aren’t shown, click Use Custom Settings. The custom settings appear. Note: The automatic settings are shown by default, but if the last multicam clip you created used custom settings, those settings are shown. 8. Click the Angle Assembly pop-up menu and choose how the angles in the multicam clip are created: • Automatic: Final Cut Pro creates the angles automatically.
Tip: At any time, you can change the Content Created date and time of your source clips in the browser. Just select one or more clips and choose Modify > Adjust Content Created Date and Time. 10. Click the Angle Synchronization pop-up menu and choose how angles are synced in the multicam clip: • Automatic: Final Cut Pro syncs the angles automatically (using one or more of the following methods). • Timecode: Final Cut Pro syncs the angles based on the timecode recorded in the clips.
• First Marker on the Angle: Final Cut Pro uses the first marker in each angle as the sync point. Tip: With this method, you can use the first marker to define a region that can be fine-tuned with the “Use audio for synchronization” option (described above). In other words, you don’t need to place the marker exactly—just close enough so that the automatic audio sync feature can sync the angles the rest of the way. 11.
Cut and switch camera angles in Final Cut Pro After you create a multicam clip, you can watch all angles simultaneously in the angle viewer while switching or cutting to different angles in real time. This allows you to cut an entire movie as if it were live, and then fine-tune your edits in the timeline just as you would for any other project. The angle viewer is both a display and an interactive interface for making quick cut and switch decisions as you play back your multicam clips and projects.
2. Use the skimmer or the playhead to play back a multicam clip in the browser or the timeline. The angle viewer appears in the upper part of the Final Cut Pro window. Cut and switch angles in the angle viewer You can cut and switch angles “on the fly” (while playing back your project), or you can skim to specific points in the timeline and then cut and switch. You can also use a combination of those two methods. 1.
4. In the angle viewer, move the pointer over the angle that you want to switch to. As you move the pointer over the angles in the angle viewer, the pointer changes to the Blade tool, indicating that a cut (and switch) will occur when you click. 5. Do one of the following: • Cut and switch: Click the angle you want to switch to. (Or press any number key to cut and switch to the corresponding angle of the current bank. For example, press 5 to cut and switch to angle 5 of the current bank.
Switch video or audio separately By default, Final Cut Pro switches the video and audio of a multicam clip at the same time, but you can set Final Cut Pro to switch the video and audio separately. 1. To open the Final Cut Pro angle viewer, choose View > Show in Viewer > Angles (or press Shift-Command-7). 2. To change the switch mode, do one of the following: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Enable video and audio switching: Click the left switch mode button in the top-left corner of the angle viewer.
3. Do one of the following: • Cut and switch: Click an angle in the angle viewer. • Switch: Option-click an angle in the angle viewer. If you selected the video-only or audio-only switch mode, blue highlighting indicates the active video angle and green highlighting indicates the active audio angle. Tip: With audio-only switching enabled, you can add audio components from inactive angles to the active angle or remove audio components from the active angle.
View and navigate banks of angles Depending on the angle viewer display setting you choose, you can show 2, 4, 9, or 16 angles at once. These sets of angles are known as banks. You use the bank switcher to display and navigate banks of angles in a multicam clip. 1. To open the Final Cut Pro angle viewer, choose View > Show in Viewer > Angles (or press Shift-Command-7). 2. Position the skimmer or the playhead over a multicam clip in the browser or the timeline.
If the number of angles in your multicam clip exceeds the current angle viewer display setting, Final Cut Pro creates additional banks and displays them as separate grids of squares. Here are a few examples of different angle bank combinations: Three banks of 4 angles each. The last angle in the third bank is the active angle, and the third bank is the currently displayed bank. One bank of 16 angles. The last angle is the active angle. One bank of 9 angles and another bank of 7 angles.
1. To open the Final Cut Pro angle viewer, choose View > Show in Viewer > Angles (or press Shift-Command-7). 2. To choose a display option, do one of the following: • Display timecode for the clips in each angle: Click the Settings pop-up menu in the top-right corner of the angle viewer and choose Timecode. (Choose Timecode again to turn off the timecode display.) • Display the names of the clips in each angle: Click the Settings pop-up menu and choose Display Name > Clip.
Final Cut Pro User Guide • Adjust the size of the angle viewer and the main viewer: Drag the boundary between them. • Make the angle viewer a vertical column: Drag the boundary to the left, then drag the border between the viewer and the timeline downward to expand the viewer quadrant vertically. (This vertical column view is available only in the 2 Angles and 4 Angles views.
Sync and adjust camera angles in Final Cut Pro You can open multicam clips in the angle editor to adjust the sync and the angle order, set the monitoring angle (the angle you see in the viewer when the multicam clip is playing back in the angle editor), or add or delete angles. You can also edit the individual clips inside a multicam clip (similar to how you can edit the contents of a compound clip).
Set video and audio monitoring in the angle editor In the angle editor, you can set any one angle to be the monitoring angle. This is the angle you see in the viewer when the multicam clip is playing back in the angle editor. You can also monitor the audio of any number of angles at once. You use the monitoring angle to sync angles in the angle editor. The monitoring angle is not the same thing as the active angle (which you see in the timeline).
3. To turn on audio monitoring for an angle, do one of the following: • Click the Audio Monitor button once. (To turn off audio monitoring, click the button again.) • Click the pop-up menu next to the angle name and choose Monitor Audio. (To turn off audio monitoring, choose Monitor Audio again.) • Press Shift-A while skimming the angle. (To turn off audio monitoring, press Shift-A again.) The monitoring settings don’t affect any of your active angles.
3. Locate the corresponding sync point in one or more angles that you want to sync to the original angle. To simplify this process, you can add markers at the sync points, to guide you visually and to provide snap points. 4. Drag the clips left or right in the rows of the angle editor so that the sync points align vertically. If an angle contains more than one clip, you can easily select all clips in the angle so that you can move them all at once.
You can then drag the clips left or right to move them all by the same amount. Automatically adjust the sync of a multicam clip The instructions below describe two automatic methods for syncing angles in a multicam clip. 1. To open the Final Cut Pro angle editor, do one of the following: • Double-click a multicam clip in the browser. • Control-click a multicam clip in the browser or the timeline, then choose Open in Angle Editor. 2.
Adjust the order of angles in a multicam clip You can adjust the order in which angles appear in the angle viewer and the angle editor. Note: If you’ve already started a multicam edit on a multicam clip in the timeline, changing the angle order does not affect which angle is chosen for each cut and switch edit. 1. To open the Final Cut Pro angle editor, do one of the following: • Double-click a multicam clip in the browser.
You can also copy and paste clips in the angle editor. Clips are pasted sequentially as overwrite edits, and in the monitoring angle only. To close the angle editor and return to the timeline, choose View > Timeline History Back, or press Command-Left Bracket ([). Edit multicam clips in Final Cut Pro You can switch multicam clip angles directly in the timeline or the Info inspector, without having to open the angle viewer. Multicam clips generally function just like standard clips in the timeline.
In the case of video-only or audio-only cuts and switches, the edit point can be mixed (with both gray and white dotted lines). For example, when you cut and switch video only, you see a gray dotted line for the video and a white dotted line for the audio.
Switch angles in the inspector Switching angles in the inspector allows you to switch angles for multiple selected multicam clips at once. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more multicam clips that you want to switch. 2. Open the Info inspector. 3. In the Info inspector, do one of the following: • Switch the video angle: Click the Active Video Angle pop-up menu, then choose the angle you want to switch to.
Multicam editing tips in Final Cut Pro The following tips can help you streamline your Final Cut Pro multicam workflow: • Set the date, the time, and the time zone on your camcorder or recording device before you shoot footage for your multicam project. This provides useful information to Final Cut Pro during the automatic multicam clip creation process (see Create multicam clips in Final Cut Pro). Note: At any time, you can change the Content Created date and time of your source clips in the browser.
Add storylines in Final Cut Pro Storylines are sequences of clips connected to the primary storyline (the main sequence of clips in the timeline). Storylines combine the convenience of connected clips with the precision editing capabilities of the primary storyline. You can use storylines for the same purposes as connected clips—for example, creating cutaways, compositing titles and other graphics, and adding sound effects and music.
Create or break apart storylines You can quickly create storylines from existing connected clips. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select two or more connected clips. 2. Choose Clip > Create Storyline (or press Command-G). A gray border appears around the clips, indicating a storyline. Note: If the original connected clips are not contiguous, Final Cut Pro inserts a gap clip to fill the space between the clips.
You can also create a storyline by holding down the G key as you drag a clip to a connected clip so that their edges touch: 3. To convert a storyline back to its component clips, do one of the following: • Select the storyline (by clicking the gray border), then choose Clip > Break Apart Clip Items (or press Shift-Command-G). • Drag the storyline into the primary storyline. Select and move storylines You can select or move entire storylines as if they were standard clips or compound clips.
• Move a storyline by dragging it: Click the gray border at the top of the storyline, then drag the storyline left or right to connect it to a different point along the primary storyline. • Move a storyline with timecode values or keyboard shortcuts: Use the same techniques you would use with standard clips. See Arrange clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline.
2. Double-click the edit point you want to trim in the timeline. The precision editor appears, presenting an expanded view of your outgoing and incoming shots. The edit point is represented by a vertical line in the center of the precision editor. The outgoing clip and the clips before it appear in the top part of the storyline. The incoming clip and the clips after it appear in the bottom part.
3. To adjust the edit point, do any of the following: • Move the edit line in the center of the precision editor by dragging its handle left or right. Moving the entire edit line performs a roll edit. • Drag the end point of the outgoing clip or the start point of the incoming clip. This performs a ripple edit. Note: You can drag the edit line or individual edit points to the extent that there are media handles available.
• Skim over and click the outgoing clip or the incoming clip at any point. The clip’s edit point is adjusted to the frame you click. This is the equivalent of a ripple edit. You can also enter a timecode value to adjust the edit point numerically. If you select either the end point of the outgoing clip or the start point of the incoming clip, a ripple edit is performed. Otherwise, a roll edit is performed. 4.
Try out clips using auditions Intro to auditions in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can organize related clips into sets, called auditions, from which you can choose one clip to use. You can create an audition composed of different clips to try out multiple takes, or you can create an audition composed of multiple versions of the same clip to preview different effects. An audition’s filmstrip displays the currently selected clip, called the pick.
Create auditions in Final Cut Pro You can create auditions in the browser and then add them to the timeline, or you can create auditions directly in the timeline. When you create auditions in the timeline, you can either group related clips or group multiple versions of the same clip (for example, to try out multiple effect treatments or lower-third titles). Create auditions in the browser 1. In Final Cut Pro, select the clips you want to include in the audition. 2.
Break apart an audition You can break apart an audition to convert its contents to individual clips in the timeline. (This option is not available for auditions in the browser.) 1. Select an audition in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Choose Clip > Break Apart Clip Items (or press Shift-Command-G). The audition selected in the timeline is replaced with the individual items that made up the audition. You can also break apart compound clips, storylines, and standard clips.
Add clips to an audition in the timeline In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Add a new clip to an audition and maintain the current clip in the timeline as the pick: Drag a clip from the browser to the audition in the timeline, then choose Add to Audition. • Add a new clip to an audition and make the clip you’re adding the pick: Drag a clip from the browser to the audition in the timeline, then choose Replace and Add to Audition.
Review clips within an audition in the timeline 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the audition containing the clips you want to review, then open it by choosing Clip > Audition > Open (or pressing Y). 2. In the Audition window, select the pick and press the Space bar (or press ControlCommand-Y) to play it. 3. To play an alternate clip in the viewer, select a clip to the right or left of the pick (or press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key).
4. When you decide on the clip you want to use, make sure it’s selected, then click Done. 5. If you’re sure of your decision and want to finalize the audition, choose Clip > Audition > Finalize Audition (or press Option-Shift-Y). The audition is dissolved, leaving the pick in the timeline. The clip selected as the pick retains any keywords or markers assigned to the audition.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 until you’ve applied all the effects you want to try out. 9. To review the effects, select clips in the Audition window (you can select the clip to the right or left of the pick). Tip: To quickly move through alternate clips, press Control-Option-Left Arrow to move your selection left, or Control-Option-Right Arrow to move your selection right. 10. When you decide on the effect you want to use, select the clip with that effect in the Audition window and click Done. 11.
Retime clips to create speed effects Intro to retiming clips in Final Cut Pro You can adjust a clip’s speed settings to create fast-motion or slow-motion effects. You can also reverse a clip, rewind a segment of a clip, apply variable speed effects (also called speed ramping) to a clip selection, and create instant replays and jump cuts. By default, Final Cut Pro maintains the audio pitch of any speed adjustment, but you can turn off this feature to accentuate the speed effect.
Constant speed changes usually alter the duration of a clip. By default, if a constant speed change causes the duration of a clip to become longer or shorter, all clips coming after it ripple forward or backward. If you change the speed to 50 percent, your clip becomes twice as long, and subsequent clips are moved to the right; if you change the speed to 200 percent, the clip becomes half as long, and subsequent clips ripple left.
• Apply a manual speed setting: Click the Retime pop-up menu and choose Show Retime Editor (or press Command-R) to display the retime editor above the selection in the timeline, then drag the retiming handle. If you drag the retiming handle to the right, the speed of the selection decreases, the duration of the selection increases, and the bar above the timeline selection turns orange.
Apply a constant speed change without rippling the sequence You can also create speed changes that don’t cause the downstream clips to ripple. In this case, if you slow down a clip (which ordinarily makes the clip longer), the clip remains at its current length but a shorter piece of the action is seen.
Turn off Preserve Pitch for retimed clips By default, Final Cut Pro is set to preserve the audio pitch of a clip that has been retimed. However, if you want to accentuate the retiming adjustment’s effect by allowing the pitch to change in accordance with the retiming adjustment, you can turn this feature off. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a range, a whole clip, or a group of clips whose speed you want to change. 2. Apply the speed change. 3.
Smooth out a slow-motion clip with video quality presets To smooth out the apparent motion of a clip playing back in slow motion, you can apply frame blending or optical flow analysis to the retimed clip. Note: Final Cut Pro 10.2 or later uses an advanced optical flow algorithm that can accommodate a wide range of source footage. Any new projects created with Final Cut Pro 10.2 or later will benefit from these improvements (if they include an optical flow video quality setting).
Apply a preset variable speed change You can apply preset variable speed effects that break your clip into multiple speed segments automatically. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select either a range within a clip or a whole clip to which you want to apply a speed ramp effect. 2. Do one of the following: • Ramp the speed down: Click the Retime pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Speed Ramp > to 0%. • Ramp the speed up: Click the Retime pop-up menu and choose Speed Ramp > from 0%.
4. In the Speed Transition window, click the Source Frame Edit button. A filmstrip icon appears over the end frame of the speed segment. 5. To change the end frame, drag the filmstrip icon left or right. As you drag, the viewer displays the current end frame. Create custom variable speed changes You can manually divide a clip into segments and assign each segment its own speed setting. 1.
Add speed transitions in Final Cut Pro When two adjacent speed segments are set to play at different speeds, you can control how smoothly the video switches between playback speeds. When there’s no transition between the segments, playback shifts suddenly from one speed to another. By adding a transition between the segments, you can create a more gradual, or ramped, effect. You can also control how quickly that transition takes place.
2. Click the Retime pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Speed Transitions, so that there’s a checkmark next to the menu item. Transitions are added to the boundaries between speed segments. Remove transitions from all speed segments in a clip 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip that has speed transitions. 2. Click the Retime pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Speed Transitions, so that the checkmark next to the menu item is removed.
Remove individual speed transitions To add transitions between some speed segments in a clip and not others, you must turn on Speed Transitions in the Retime pop-up menu and then remove the transitions you don’t want. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip that has speed segments. 2. Click the Retime pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Speed Transitions, so that there’s a checkmark next to the menu item. Speed transitions are added to all speed segments in the clip. 3.
4. Deselect the Speed Transition checkbox in the Speed Transition window, then click anywhere outside the window to dismiss it. The transition is removed. Change the duration of a speed transition After a speed transition is applied, you can change its duration. The shorter the transition, the more quickly the speed ramps from one value to another. The longer the transition, the slower the ramp. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip that has a speed transition. 2.
Reverse or rewind clips in Final Cut Pro In addition to changing the speed of a clip in Final Cut Pro, you can also add directional effects: • Reverse: Reverses the order of frames in the clip, so that the last frame plays first. • Rewind: Appends a duplicate of a range selection or clip as a segment, rewinds the duplicated segment at 1x, 2x, or 4x speed, and then plays the original clip segment again in forward motion at normal speed. Reverse a clip 1.
Rewind a range selection or clip 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a range, a whole clip, or a group of clips whose contents you want to rewind. 2. Click the Retime pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Rewind, then choose a speed from the submenu. The selection is duplicated, added to the end of the original selection, and then reversed at the speed you chose.
Create instant replays in Final Cut Pro You can apply an instant replay to a range selection within a clip or to a whole clip. Final Cut Pro duplicates the range or clip, appending the duplicated frames to the end of the selection as a new segment. You can then modify the speed of the new segment to achieve the instant replay effect you’re looking for. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a range or a whole clip whose contents you want to use to create an instant replay. 2.
Speed up a clip with jump cuts in Final Cut Pro To compress time in a long clip without playing the clip at fast speed, you can create jump cuts to periodically skip over a specific number of frames. For example, if you have a 10-second shot of a person walking down a hallway, rather than playing the entire 10 seconds, you can create jump cuts every 2 seconds that skip 30 frames each, so the action happens in a fraction of the time. 1.
Create hold segments in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can hold on a particular frame to create a still image, temporarily stopping the action onscreen. This is called a hold segment. By default, a hold segment is added as a 2-second still frame at the location of the skimmer or playhead, but you can change the duration. Alternatively, you can create separate freeze-frame clips in Final Cut Pro.
Reset speed changes in Final Cut Pro You can reset a range selection or a clip to play back at normal (100 percent) speed. Resetting the speed also removes any directional effects (reverse and rewind) and hold segments applied to the selection. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a range, a whole clip, or a group of clips whose speed you want to reset. 2. Click the Retime pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Normal 100% (or press Shift-N).
Choose a method of conforming frame size You can choose how Final Cut Pro modifies the frame size of a clip to match the project’s frame size settings. For example, you can have Final Cut Pro change the frame size of the clip to fit within the longest dimension of the project’s frame dimensions, fill the entire frame of the project (which usually results in cropping), or leave the clip’s frame size as is. 1.
Choose a method of conforming frame rate When a clip’s frame rate differs from the project’s frame rate, Final Cut Pro employs a frame-sampling method to change the clip’s frame rate to match that of the project. You can choose which frame-sampling method Final Cut Pro uses to modify the clip’s frame rate. The method you choose depends on how important it is to eliminate visual stuttering and artifacts. 1.
• Floor: The default setting. Final Cut Pro rounds down to the nearest integer during its calculation to match the clip’s frame rate to the project’s frame rate. • Nearest Neighbor: Final Cut Pro rounds to the nearest integer during its calculation to match the clip’s frame rate to the project’s frame rate. This setting reduces artifacts at the expense of visual stuttering. Rendering is required. • Frame Blending: Creates in-between frames by blending individual pixels of neighboring frames.
4. Click the Metadata View pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner of the Info inspector and choose Settings. 5. Select the Deinterlace checkbox. Note: Selecting the Deinterlace setting causes the frame rate of the selected clips to double. For example, if the original interlaced clips have a frame rate of 29.97 fps, the deinterlaced clips have a frame rate of 59.94 fps. Keep this in mind when you choose the video and audio settings for your project.
Export XML from Final Cut Pro You can export events, projects, and libraries as XML files. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a library, or select one or more events, projects, or clips that you want to export as XML files. To export the project currently open in the timeline, click in the timeline to make it active. 2. Choose File > Export XML. 3. In the window that appears, enter a name for the XML file in the Save As field. 4.
How 360° video is recorded and displayed 360° footage is recorded using multiple cameras or a dedicated 360° camera with multiple “fisheye” lenses, with each lens recording a different but overlapping camera angle. Before 360° footage is imported into Final Cut Pro, the different camera angles must be stitched together to create a single seamless 360° image. Some 360° cameras do this step automatically; others require that you stitch the camera angles together using special software.
Types of 360° video: Monoscopic versus stereoscopic There are two types of 360° video: monoscopic (2D) and stereoscopic (three-dimensional, or 3D). In each case, viewers can navigate to any part of the full 360° scene. • Monoscopic 360° video is a flat 2D rendering that can be viewed on any screen. Viewers can navigate monoscopic 360° video in any direction, but there’s no real depth perception; viewing monoscopic video is like looking around with only one eye open.
Check settings for imported 360° clips 1. Import the 360° video clips into Final Cut Pro. 2. Select a 360° clip in the browser. 3. Do one of the following: • Open the Info inspector, then make sure the 360° Projection Mode pop-up menu is set to Equirectangular. • Switch the browser to list view, then scroll to the right side of the browser and make sure the clip’s 360° Mode column is set to Equirectangular. If your 360° media is not equirectangular, you can assign other settings to organize your media.
360° Mode settings The 360° Mode setting indicates the type of projection used to display the clip in the Final Cut Pro viewer and 360° viewer. • None: A standard clip (no 360° characteristics). • Equirectangular: A 360° clip with equirectangular projection—similar to a world map that depicts the globe as a two-dimensional (2D) rectangle. • Fisheye: A clip shot with a 180° fisheye lens. • Back-to-Back Fisheye: A 360° video clip shot with two 180° fisheye lenses facing in opposite directions.
4. In the browser, locate one of the 360° video clips that you imported. Make sure the clip has the 360° video properties that you want in your new project. See Check settings for imported 360° clips. 5. Add the clip to the new (empty) timeline. If the clip properties match a built-in preset, Final Cut Pro sets the project properties to match the properties of the clip you added. After you create your 360° project, you edit your 360° clips in the timeline the same way you edit standard clips.
Navigate 360° video clips in the 360° viewer 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select a 360° clip in the browser, then position the playhead in the clip. • Add a 360° clip to a 360° project in the timeline, then position the playhead in the clip. See Create 360° projects in Final Cut Pro. The equirectangular image appears in the viewer. 2. Choose View > Show in Viewer > 360° (or press Option-Command-7).
3. If you wish, play back the clip. 4. To navigate within the clip, drag in any direction in the 360° viewer, or do any of the following: • Look up: Press Control-Option-Command-Up Arrow. • Look down: Press Control-Option-Command-Down Arrow. • Look left: Press Control-Option-Command-Left Arrow. • Look right: Press Control-Option-Command-Right Arrow. • Roll clockwise: Press Control-Option-Command-Right Bracket. • Roll counterclockwise: Press Control-Option-Command-Left Bracket.
View stereoscopic 360° clips in the 360° viewer When working with stereoscopic 360° media in the 360° viewer, you can show the views for both the left and right eyes simultaneously. These special view options in the 360° viewer allow you to objectively assess the parallax and alignment of stereoscopic sources. 1. Select a stereoscopic 360° video clip in the Final Cut Pro browser. Be sure to confirm the stereoscopic settings for the clip. 2. View the clip in the 360° viewer. 3.
View 360° video clips with a VR headset 1. Connect a VR headset to your Mac. Using a VR headset with Final Cut Pro requires macOS High Sierra 10.13 or later. Important: For more information about setting up your VR headset, see the Apple Support article Use a VR headset with Final Cut Pro and Motion, the Final Cut Pro Technical Specifications page, and the documentation that came with your headset. 2.
Note: The settings described in this topic affect the orientation of output media files you export from a project. For information about temporary playback and navigation in the 360° viewer, see View and navigate 360° video in Final Cut Pro. Change the 360° orientation using the Video inspector 1. In Final Cut Pro, create a 360° project. 2. Add a 360° clip to the timeline, then select the clip. 3. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 4.
Change the 360° orientation using the onscreen control 1. In Final Cut Pro, create a 360° project. 2. Add a 360° clip to the timeline, then select the clip. 3. Position the playhead over the clip in the timeline so that the clip’s video is displayed in the viewer. 4. To show the Reorient onscreen control, do one of the following: • Click the pop-up menu in the lower-left corner of the viewer and choose Reorient. • Control-click in the viewer (not the 360° viewer) and choose Reorient.
Use the Horizon guidelines to realign the image When you make orientation changes in a 360° video clip (particularly when adjusting the Tilt and Roll parameters), you might lose track of the horizon line. You can show Horizon guidelines in the viewer to help you realign, recenter, or level the image—for example, to align the horizon on the x-axis. • In Final Cut Pro, click the View pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the viewer, then choose Show Horizon in the Overlays section.
Add 360° titles and generators in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro includes titles and generators that are specially designed for use in 360° projects. 360° titles are always projected correctly into the equirectangular projection, so the depth, lighting, and shading of 3D text appear as they would in a standard project. You adjust 360° titles using Reorient controls (rather than the 360° Transform controls that you use to adjust standard titles in a 360° project).
Add standard clips to 360° projects in Final Cut Pro You can include rectilinear clips and titles in a 360° project—for example, you might want to place a logo or a title within the 360° equirectangular projection. When you add a standard title (a title not optimized for 360° video) to a 360° project, the title looks “flat” in the viewer but appears as if it is pasted on the inside of the 360° sphere in the 360° viewer.
1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Add a standard clip: Import the rectilinear media, then add one or more rectilinear clips to your 360° project. See Intro to adding clips in Final Cut Pro. • Add a standard title: Choose Window > Go To > Titles and Generators (or press Option-Command-1), then select any category below Titles in the sidebar (other than the 360° category) and add a title to your project. To change the text of the title, see Edit title text. 2.
8. Depending on the coordinate system you chose, adjust the following position parameters: If you chose Spherical: • Latitude: Rotate the clip plane up or down around the center. • Longitude: Rotate the clip plane left or right around the center. • Distance: Move the clip plane closer to or farther from the center. • Scale: Change the clip’s size (without affecting the distance or parallax). If you chose Cartesian: • X Position: Move the clip plane on the x-axis.
4. If the Video inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 5. Click the Video button at the top of the inspector. 6.
Add the 360° Patch effect in Final Cut Pro You can use the 360° Patch effect to cover up (patch) a portion of a 360° clip with pixels from another location in the 360° sphere. The 360° Patch effect is typically used to hide the tripod or camera support by cloning an area of the ground near the camera. You use the source controls to specify where in the image you want to copy the patch from, and the target controls to specify where to paste the patch.
6. In the Video inspector, click the Patch Region pop-up menu and choose a general area of the 360° sphere to work on. You can choose Nadir (Bottom), Zenith (Top), Front, Back, Left, or Right. 7. Select the Setup Mode checkbox. The area of the image you chose in the Patch Region pop-up menu appears in the viewer, with onscreen controls for the patch source and target areas. 8. Drag the red (target) control over the area you want to patch (cover up). 9.
Create a separate clip with only the 360° Patch image By default, the 360° Patch effect is composited onto the 360° image as a permanent change in the output media file. You can isolate the patch image in a separate connected clip, which is particularly useful if you need to color correct the patch in isolation from the rest of the 360° image. 1. Apply the 360° Patch effect to a clip in your 360° project. 2. Duplicate the clip, then connect the duplicate clip above the original clip in the timeline.
Add the Tiny Planet effect in Final Cut Pro You can use the Tiny Planet mapping setting on 360° clips in a standard rectilinear project. The entire 360° sphere is converted to a stereographic projection (mapped onto a flat plane), creating the effect of a tiny planet. In contrast, the Normal mapping setting shows a standard image (a portion of the 360° image) in the viewer in a rectilinear project, and the full equirectangular image in the viewer in a 360° project.
1. In Final Cut Pro, create a 360° project. 2. In the Video inspector, scroll down to the Orientation section, then click the Mapping pop-up menu and choose Tiny Planet. 3. To modify the tiny planet effect, do one of the following: • Adjust the parameter controls in the Orientation section of the Video inspector. • Click the Orientation button in the Orientation section of the inspector, then drag in the viewer to adjust the Orientation parameters.
360º video tips in Final Cut Pro The following tips can help ensure success in your Final Cut Pro 360° video workflow: • Make sure your 360° media is compatible with Final Cut Pro. • Your 360° media must be formatted for equirectangular projection. See Intro to 360° video in Final Cut Pro. • For a list of supported cameras, see the Apple Support article Cameras supported by Final Cut Pro. • Make sure your Mac meets the recommended system requirements for 360º video.
Keying, masking, and compositing Keying Intro to keying in Final Cut Pro Keying is creating areas of transparency based on color or lightness values in an image. Keying is commonly performed on subjects photographed against a blue or green background, but keys can be based on any color (color or chroma keying), or on a specific range of lightness values (luma keying). Keying allows you to composite (combine) a foreground clip and a background clip into one video image.
This type of keying is accomplished using one of two keyer effects in Final Cut Pro: • Keyer: This general-purpose chroma-keying effect is optimized for blue- or greenscreen keying but can key any range of color you choose. See Use chroma keys in Final Cut Pro. • Luma Keyer: This effect is designed to generate mattes based on the image’s lightness—you choose to remove the white or black areas and whether the gray areas should be partially transparent. See Use luma keys in Final Cut Pro.
Apply the chroma key effect 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, add the foreground clip (the chroma key clip with the color you want to remove) to the primary storyline. 2. Drag the background clip (the clip you want to superimpose the chroma key clip over) so that it’s connected below the foreground clip in the primary storyline. For more information about connected clips, see Connect clips in Final Cut Pro. 3.
Adjust the chroma key effect 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the foreground clip with the Keyer effect, then open the Video inspector. Controls for modifying and improving the Keyer effect appear. 2. If the Select tool is not the active tool, choose it from the Tools pop-up menu above the timeline (or press A). 3.
• Refine any difficult areas, such as hair and reflections: Click the Edges thumbnail image in the Video inspector, draw a line across the difficult area in the viewer (with one end in the area to keep and the other in the area to remove), and drag the line’s handle to adjust the edge softness. You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to work directly in the viewer: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Make a Sample Color adjustment: Draw a rectangle while holding down the Shift key.
4. To help fine-tune the key, use the View options: • Composite: Shows the final composited image, with the keyed foreground subject over the background clip. This is the default view. • Matte: Shows the grayscale matte, or alpha channel, that’s being generated by the keying operation.
Make advanced chroma key adjustments The following controls are available for use in difficult keying situations or for fine-tuning specific problems: • Color Selection: These controls are meant to be used after you begin creating a key using automatic sampling or the Sample Color and Edges tools. (However, you can skip those tools and create a key using Manual mode, described below.
• Graph: Provides two options to set how the adjustable graphs in the Chroma and Luma controls are used to fine-tune a key: • Scrub Boxes: Select to limit the Chroma and Luma controls to adjusting softness (edge transparency) in the matte you’re creating. In this mode, you can’t manually adjust tolerance (core transparency), which is determined by the Keyer effect’s automatic sampling, plus any Sample Color rectangles you’ve added in the viewer.
• Luma: Drag the adjustable handles in this grayscale gradient to modify the isolated range of the luma channel (the range of brightness and darkness) that also helps define the keyed matte. The upper handles (which appear only in Manual mode) adjust the tolerance (core transparency) of the luma channel’s contribution to the key. The lower handles adjust the softness (edge transparency) of the luma channel’s contribution to the key. The Graph mode governs which handles are adjustable.
3. Click Matte Tools to reveal the following controls: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Levels: Use this grayscale gradient to alter the contrast of the keyed matte, by dragging three handles that set the black point, white point, and bias (distribution of gray values between the black point and white point). Adjusting the contrast of a matte can be useful for manipulating translucent areas of the key to make them more solid (by lowering the white point) or more translucent (by raising the black point).
4. Click Spill Suppression to reveal the following controls: • Spill Contrast: Use this grayscale gradient to adjust the contrast of the color being suppressed, using the Black and White point handles (and corresponding sliders). Modifying spill contrast can reduce the gray fringing surrounding a foreground subject. The Black point handle (on the left side of the gradient control) lightens edge fringing that is too dark for a successful composite.
5. Click Light Wrap to reveal the following controls: • Amount: Use this slider to control the overall light wrap effect, setting how far into the foreground the light wrap extends. • Intensity: Use this slider to adjust gamma levels to lighten or darken the interaction of wrapped edge values with the keyed foreground subject. • Opacity: Use this slider to fade the light wrap effect up or down.
When you play the clip, the Sample Color and Edges settings smoothly change from one sample point to the next. For even greater control, you can add keyframes for most of the other settings in the Keyer section of the Video inspector. For more information about working with keyframes, see Intro to video keyframing in Final Cut Pro. Note: Keyframes for the chroma and luma graphs in the Color Selection controls appear only in the Video inspector and not the Video Animation editor in the timeline.
3. Select the foreground clip in the timeline, then click the Effects button in the top-right corner of the timeline (or press Command-5). 4. In the Effects browser, select the Luma Keyer effect. Tip: Type “keyer” in the Effects browser search field to quickly find the Luma Keyer effect. 5. Do one of the following: • Drag the effect to the timeline foreground clip you want to apply the effect to. • Double-click the effect thumbnail to apply the effect to the selected clip.
5. To adjust the softness of the edges, adjust the Luma Rolloff control. Higher values make the edges harder, removing any partial transparency; lower values take advantage of any anti-aliasing or softness the edges might have. 6. To help fine-tune the key, use the View options: • Composite: Shows the final composited image, with the keyed foreground subject over the background clip. This is the default view.
1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip with the Luma Keyer effect. 2. Open the Video inspector. The Effects section of the Video inspector shows the parameters available for adjusting the Luma Keyer effect. 3. Click Matte Tools to reveal the following controls: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Fill Holes: Increasing this parameter value adds solidity to regions of marginal transparency within a key.
• Black, White, Bias: Click the Levels disclosure triangle to reveal sliders for the Black, White, and Bias parameters. These sliders, which mirror the settings of the Levels handles described above, allow you to keyframe the three Levels parameters (using the Add Keyframe button to the right of each slider). Keyframing the Black, White, and Bias parameters may yield a better key, one that adapts to changing blue-screen or green-screen conditions.
Finalize a key in Final Cut Pro Quite often your foreground image has objects that you don’t want to appear in the composited output. These could be production items like microphone booms and light stands or the edges of the chroma key backdrop. Additionally, you might need to resize or reposition the foreground object to better fit with the background. As a final step, you can use the color corrector to adjust the foreground so that it matches the look of the background.
4. Click the Effects button in the top-right corner of the timeline (or press Command-5). 5. In the Effects browser, double-click a mask effect to apply it to the selected foreground clip. Tip: Type “mask” in the Effects browser search field to quickly find the various mask effects. See Intro to masking in Final Cut Pro. 6. Adjust the edges of the mask to crop out the objects you want to remove.
7. Apply the appropriate keyer effect to the foreground clip. The foreground is composited over the background. Use Transform to position the foreground image You can use the Transform effect to reposition a keyed foreground image.
1. Select the foreground clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Click the pop-up menu in the lower-left corner of the viewer, choose Transform, and move the image to the position you want. You can also resize the image. 3. When you’ve finished repositioning the foreground image, click Done in the viewer. Masking Intro to masking in Final Cut Pro When you draw shapes to create areas of transparency in an image, you are masking that image.
The following mask effects are available in the Masks category of the Effects browser. Add them to any clip in the timeline just as you would add any other clip effect. With the exception of Draw Mask, all of the following mask effects are considered “simple masks,” with relatively straightforward masking controls. • Draw Mask: Draw a complex custom mask using control points and spline drawing methods to adjust shape and curvature.
5. To apply the mask effect to the clip selected in the timeline, do one of the following: • Drag the effect to the timeline clip. • Double-click the effect thumbnail in the Effects browser. The Shape Mask onscreen controls appear in the viewer, superimposed over the video image. The Shape Mask parameters appear in the Effects section of the Video inspector. By default, the Shape Mask is set to a partially feathered ellipse shape in the center of the frame. 6.
Create complex masks Intro to complex masks in Final Cut Pro With the Draw Mask effect, you can draw complex masks using splines. Splines are vectorbased curves that allow for complex, customized shapes. There are two spline drawing methods: Final Cut Pro User Guide • Bezier splines: Bezier splines are good for drawing shapes for illustration. The controls used to manipulate Bezier splines are similar to those found in many other drawing and compositing apps.
You can also draw masks with linear control points, which are connected by straight lines. Linear control points are also known as corner points. You can convert control points between linear (corner) points and smooth (Bezier) points at any time. Note: By default, the Draw Mask is set to draw with Bezier shapes. If you prefer to draw your mask with linear or B-Spline shapes, you can adjust this setting in the Video inspector before you get started.
6. In the viewer, click to add a control point. A red dot with a white center (indicating a selected control point) appears where you clicked. 7. To add points to further define the shape, do one of the following: • Click to make a linear corner point. • Drag to make a curved Bezier point, adjusting it to the shape you want. Press Shift while making a curved point to constrain its tangents to 45-degree angles.
8. Continue adding more control points in the viewer to create your detailed mask shape. Red lines appear in the viewer, connecting the control points. 9. To complete the initial mask shape, click the original control point. The area outside the mask shape is filled with solid black, representing the transparent area. If you added a background clip using connected clips, the background image shows through this transparent area. 10.
Create a complex mask by converting a Shape Mask You can refine the contours of a Shape Mask by converting it to a Draw Mask with editable control points that allow you to adjust shape and curvature. 1. Add a Shape Mask effect to a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. The Shape Mask onscreen controls appear in the viewer. 2. Do one of the following: • Click Convert to Points at the bottom of the Shape Mask section of the Video inspector.
3. To adjust the mask, do any of the following: • Visually manipulate the mask in the viewer: Drag the control points in the viewer. • Show or hide onscreen controls and control points in the viewer: Click the Draw Mask Onscreen Controls button in the Draw Mask section of the Video inspector. • Make precise numeric adjustments, including keyframing: Modify the mask settings in the Draw Mask section of the Video inspector.
3. Apply a mask to the connected clip. Tip: To get a better view of your mask as you create it, you can temporarily disable the other clip by selecting it and pressing V. To reenable the clip, press V again. 4. Apply a mask to the original clip. The two mask shapes are effectively merged. 5. To add any additional masks, repeat steps 2 and 3. Edit complex masks Intro to editing complex masks in Final Cut Pro Complex masks are defined by Bezier splines and B-Splines, which are built with control points.
Add mask control points in Final Cut Pro You draw the shape of your complex mask by adding and adjusting control points. The default drawing shape type is Bezier, but you can change the shape type before creating the mask if you want to draw with a linear or B-Spline shape instead. Set the shape type to Bezier, linear, or B-Spline It’s best to set the shape type in the Video inspector before you create your mask. Changing the type in the middle of drawing your mask may radically alter the shape. 1.
Delete control points from a Draw Mask If a mask has more control points than are necessary, you can delete points to make it easier to edit. This can be helpful if you animate the mask later on. 1. In the Final Cut Pro viewer, select the control points to delete. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Edit > Delete. • Control-click the selected points and choose Delete Point. • Press Delete. The mask shape is updated in the viewer. If you remove points from a closed mask, the mask remains closed.
Deselect control points In the Final Cut Pro viewer, do one of the following: • Shift-click selected points. • Shift-drag a selection rectangle over selected points. Select or deselect every control point on a mask In the Final Cut Pro viewer, do one of the following: • Select all of a mask’s control points: Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A). • Deselect all of a mask’s control points: Choose Edit > Deselect All (or press ShiftCommand-A).
Move mask control points in Final Cut Pro You can move control points in the viewer to change the shape of your mask. Drag selected control points • Select control points on a mask in the Final Cut Pro viewer, then drag the points to a new position. As you drag selected control points, the rest of the mask stretches or curves to accommodate the change. Note: When you drag a control point, the point’s name and coordinates are displayed at the top of the viewer.
Move control points using the Video inspector You can make precise adjustments to the position of any control point using controls in the Video inspector. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip containing the mask you want to modify. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3. Click the Video button at the top of the inspector. 4.
4. In the Draw Mask section of the Video inspector, click the Transforms disclosure triangle to open the Transforms controls. 5. Adjust the Position, Rotation, and Scale parameters to precisely define the shape, size, and position of your mask. Move a mask edge You can change a mask shape by dragging its edges. 1. In the Final Cut Pro viewer, click any edge of a mask. The control points on either end of the line are selected. 2. Drag the line segment.
In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Adjust the length of a tangent handle: Drag the handle. You can adjust the length of each tangent handle independently even when the tangent handles are locked to 180 degrees. • Break the relationship between opposing tangent handles: Option-drag either tangent handle. After this relationship is broken, adjustments to one tangent handle have no effect on the other, and you can rotate both tangent handles freely.
Edit B-Spline control points in Final Cut Pro Editing control points in B-Spline shapes is similar to editing control points in Bezier shapes. In fact, the steps for selecting, moving, adding, deleting, and locking control points are almost exactly the same. The main difference in editing the two types of shapes lies in how you manipulate and adjust curves. The simplest, and usually fastest, way to manipulate B-Spline curves is to move B-Spline points closer to or farther from one another.
1. In the Final Cut Pro viewer, Command-drag selected B-Spline control points. A handle appears indicating the adjustment you’re making. Note: After the handle appears, you can modify the curve without using the Command key. 2. Do any of the following: • Make the curve progressively sharper: Drag away from the point. • Make the curve progressively looser: Drag toward the point. • Switch between three progressively sharper degrees of curvature: Command-click the handle.
5. To create the starting shape of your animated mask, do one of the following: • Adjust the onscreen controls in the viewer. • Adjust the mask controls in the Video inspector. 6. To add keyframes for the starting shape of your animated mask, do one of the following in the Video inspector: • Add a keyframe for a single parameter: Move the pointer over the area to the right of the parameter you want to animate, then click the Keyframe button that appears.
If you’re animating a Draw Mask, you can keyframe its control points numerically in the Video inspector. To reveal these parameters, click the Control Points disclosure triangle at the bottom of the Draw Mask section of the Video inspector. See Mask controls in Final Cut Pro. Mask controls in Final Cut Pro The Shape Mask and Draw Mask controls appear in the Video inspector. You use these controls to adjust how the mask is drawn and how each mask operates upon an image.
• Falloff: A slider that controls how “steep” the feathering is. Higher values result in feathering that’s pushed farther inward, so the edge of the feathering effect is more transparent. Lower values result in the “core” of the feathering effect being pushed farther outward, so the edge of the feathering effect is less transparent. • Transforms: A set of controls for adjusting the position, rotation, and size of your mask effect. To show the controls, click the Transforms disclosure triangle.
• Fill Opacity: A slider that adjusts the opacity of the image inside the mask selection. • Invert Mask: A checkbox that, when selected, reverses the mask—swapping its solid and transparent areas. • View: A pop-up menu that switches between the original image and the masked image (with its transparent areas). • Feather: A slider that feathers (softens) the edges of the mask. Positive feathering values soften the mask from its edge outward.
Compositing Intro to compositing in Final Cut Pro There are times when you need to combine two clips to create an image with bits of both. Compositing refers to combining parts of two or more video clips into a single image.
Use alpha channels in Final Cut Pro Alpha channels provide an easy way to composite one image over another. You can create still images and video clips that have alpha channels using an app such as Motion, an Apple app designed to work with Final Cut Pro. Alpha channels can be thought of as having a built-in keyer—when you use the key effects, you’re creating a mask that’s used in the same way that a clip with an alpha channel is used for compositing.
This is what the final composite looks like over a background clip. Use a clip with an alpha channel 1. Position the playhead in the Final Cut Pro timeline where you want to add the alpha channel clip. 2. Select the clip with the alpha channel in the browser, then choose Edit > Connect to Primary Storyline (or press Q). 3. To see the composited clips, position the playhead within the clip that was just added above the primary storyline.
Use Compositing settings in Final Cut Pro The Compositing settings provide a wide variety of options for combining two images. You can make a simple adjustment to evenly combine two images, or you can choose from settings that use the video content to determine how to combine the images. Use the Opacity adjustment 1. Position the playhead in the Final Cut Pro timeline where you want to add a clip above the primary storyline. 2.
Color correction Intro to color correction in Final Cut Pro In any post-production workflow, color correction is generally one of the last steps in finishing an edited program. There are a number of reasons to color correct your footage: • Balance all the shots in a scene to match. • Correct errors in color balance, exposure, and white-balance. • Make sure that key elements in your program, such as skin tones, look the way they should. • Achieve a look, such as making the scenes warmer or cooler.
In Final Cut Pro, you can: • Automatically balance colors: With one click, neutralize any color casts and maximize image contrast. See Intro to balancing color in Final Cut Pro. • Automatically match a clip’s color and look: With two clicks, make one or more clips match the color look of any clip that you choose. See Match color between clips in Final Cut Pro.
Manual white balance You can set the color balance of a clip by sampling a part of the image that should be pure white. See Manually white-balance clips in Final Cut Pro. Match color You can ensure that multiple clips have the same look. See Match color between clips in Final Cut Pro. Analyze a clip for color in Final Cut Pro To automatically balance a clip’s color, Final Cut Pro uses a single frame from the clip as a reference and calculates a correction for it that is then applied to the entire clip.
Analyze color balance for clips in the browser When you analyze the color balance of clips in the browser, any clips that were analyzed during import are skipped. 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro browser. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose Modify > Analyze and Fix. • Control-click one of the selected clips and choose Analyze and Fix. 3. In the window that appears, select “Analyze for balance color” in the Video section, then click OK.
• After you’ve applied a color balance correction (using one of the methods above), select or deselect the Balance Color checkbox in the Effects section of the Video inspector. Manually white-balance clips in Final Cut Pro White-balancing an image removes color casts and ensures that white objects in the image appear white. Whether or not the camera operator remembered to set the white balance in the camera, it’s easy to quickly correct the white balance of your video footage in Final Cut Pro. 1.
6. In the viewer, click or drag over an area that should be pure white. The entire clip’s color is adjusted to turn the pixels you selected into white. Tip: When using the eyedropper, don’t sample an area that’s overexposed, such as a light source or a shiny highlight. Instead, select a properly exposed area of your picture that’s white, such as a well-lit white shirtsleeve or white wall.
The viewer changes to display the frame under the timeline playhead on the right and the frame the pointer is over on the left. 3. Skim any clip in the timeline or the browser to find a frame with the color look you want to match, then click to preview that look applied to the selected clip. You can click a variety of clips until you find the look you want. Tip: You may want to import a still image that has the look you want, even if it’s not related to your project, so that you can match its color. 4.
Make advanced color corrections with color correction effects Intro to color correction effects in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro includes powerful manual color correction tools that you can use to accomplish a wide variety of color correction and enhancement effects. You use the tools by applying a color correction effect and then adjusting the effect’s controls in the Color inspector.
Color wheels You can use four color wheels (Global, Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights) to adjust color in your video clips. You can also adjust a clip’s brightness and saturation levels using sliders on the sides of the color wheels. See Use color wheels in Final Cut Pro. Color curves You can use the color curves to adjust the components of individual color channels in an image, as well as the luma channel. See Use color curves in Final Cut Pro.
Hue and saturation curves The six hue and saturation curves provide the maximum control and precision for color correcting your projects. See Use hue and saturation curves in Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro manual color correction workflow The traditional process for color correcting a project is outlined below, in rough chronological order.
Step 1: Color correction starts during your shoot The process of determining the overall look of your video begins when your scenes are lit and shot during production. To have the maximum amount of control over your clips in post-production, you need to start out with footage that has been exposed with your end goals in mind right from the beginning. Color correction in post-production is no substitute for good lighting.
Step 4: Add additional color corrections as needed It’s important to remember that you don’t have to do everything with a single application of a color correction effect. For example, if you can’t get the colors in both the dimly lit areas and the highlights of your clip right with a single effect, focus only on the dimly lit area. You can then adjust the highlights with a second application of a color correction effect.
Add color corrections in Final Cut Pro The first step in adjusting a clip’s color manually is adding a color correction effect to the clip. You can apply multiple color corrections to a clip to target specific issues. For example, you could apply one color correction that mutes a bright orange shirt and a second one that enhances the green in the lawn. Add a color correction 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip you want to correct. 2.
• Add a color correction effect from the Color category of the Effects browser. The color correction effects are: • Color Board • Color Wheels • Color Curves • Hue/Saturation Curves Tip: If you frequently add a particular color correction effect, you can speed up your workflow by setting it as the default color correction. Then just select a timeline clip and press Command-6 to start adjusting the effect in the Color inspector.
Additional color correction effects are named incrementally (for example, Color Wheels 2, Color Wheels 3, and so on) and appear in the pop-up menu at the top of the Color inspector. You can switch to a different correction by choosing it in the pop-up menu. The additional color correction effect also appears in the Effects section of the Video inspector, beneath the original color correction effect.
Switch to a different color correction 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip that has multiple color corrections. 2. Click the pop-up menu at the top of the Color inspector, then choose a different color correction. After you apply a color correction effect, you can copy it to another clip or group of clips. See Copy effects between clips in Final Cut Pro. You can also combine multiple color correction effects into a single effects preset and then copy it to other clips.
Reset or turn off color corrections in the Color inspector 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip with color corrections you want to reset or turn off. 2. If the Color inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Click the Enhancements pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Show Color Inspector. • Choose Window > Go To > Color Inspector (or press Command-6). • In the Video inspector, click the Color Inspector button effect you want to reset or turn off.
Use the Color Board in Final Cut Pro You can adjust a clip’s tint, saturation, and exposure with great precision using the Color Board. First you add the Color Board color correction effect to the clip, and then you adjust its settings in the Color inspector. To provide objective, precise information as you color correct a clip, use the video scopes and other video measurement tools (see Intro to measuring video in Final Cut Pro).
3. Click the pop-up menu at the top of the Color inspector, then do one of the following: • Add a new instance of the Color Board effect: Choose Color Board from the Add Correction section at the bottom of the menu. For more details and methods, see Add color corrections in Final Cut Pro. • Correct a Color Board effect already applied to the clip: Choose the Color Board effect you want to correct from the Corrections section at the top of the menu. Color Board controls appear in the Color inspector.
Tip: If you want to color correct the next or previous clip in the timeline, press Command-Right Arrow or Command-Left Arrow to move the playhead to the next or previous clip and select it. These shortcuts select clips in the same role only, so you can quickly move between video clips and skip over clips not suited for color correction (such as music or titles). After you apply a color correction, you can copy it to another clip or group of clips. See Copy effects between clips in Final Cut Pro.
To provide objective, precise information as you color correct a clip, use the video scopes and other video measurement tools (see Intro to measuring video in Final Cut Pro). The vectorscope shows the distribution of color in your image on a circular scale and is particularly useful for working with color wheels. The angle of distribution of red, green, and blue in the color wheels corresponds to the angles of those colors in the vectorscope.
4. Click the View pop-up menu at the top of the Color inspector and choose a display option: • All Wheels: Displays all four color wheels at once. The Global color wheel adjusts the whole clip image; the other color wheels adjust only the shadows, midtones, or highlights. • Single Wheels: Displays one large color wheel at a time. Click a button at the top of the Color inspector to select the wheel to display. 5.
Tip: If you want to color correct the next or previous clip in the timeline, press Command-Right Arrow or Command-Left Arrow to move the playhead to the next or previous clip and select it. These shortcuts select clips in the same role only, so you can quickly move between video clips and skip over clips not suited for color correction (such as music or titles). After you apply a color correction, you can copy it to another clip or group of clips. See Copy effects between clips in Final Cut Pro.
A color curve is like an interactive histogram that is tilted at a 45-degree angle. The different tonal ranges of the image (the shadows, midtones, and highlights) are distributed along the curve. You can click the curve to create control points, then drag the control points up or down to increase or decrease the intensity of the color for a given tonal range.
Color Curves controls appear in the Color inspector. The effect also appears in the Effects section of the Video inspector. Tip: To switch the inspector between full-height view and half-height view, doubleclick the top bar of the inspector. 4. Click the View pop-up menu at the top of the Color inspector and choose a display option: • All Curves: Displays all four color curves at once. The default color curves are Luma, Red, Green, and Blue. • Single Curves: Displays one large color curve at a time.
6. To adjust a color channel, click a curve to set a control point, then drag it up to increase the intensity of the color or down to decrease the intensity. To constrain the control point to vertical or horizontal movement, hold down the Shift key as you drag. To make fine adjustments, hold down the Option key as you drag. Adjusting the image with a single control point affects most of the midtones as well as some shadows and highlights.
7. To narrow the tonal range for your adjustments, add more control points. The default diagonal line for each curve indicates the original state of the image. Wherever the curve diverges from the diagonal line, the image is altered. Wherever the curve touches the diagonal line, the values of the image at that tonality are the same as in the original image. For example, to prevent any change to the shadows, you could add a control point to pin the curve to the diagonal line in the shadows area. 8.
Use hue and saturation curves in Final Cut Pro The six hue and saturation curves provide the maximum control and precision for color correcting your projects. You can adjust the hue, saturation, and brightness of any color in your project. Additionally, you can adjust the saturation for a range of brightness or a range of saturation in a clip. You can also adjust the saturation of a specific color at any point in its range of brightness.
Note: Because you can apply multiple color correction effects to a clip, you’re not required to follow all of the steps below, nor the order of those steps. For example, you might adjust the overall contrast with the Color Curves effect and adjust a color tint with the Color Wheels effect. Or you could achieve the same results with multiple instances of the same effect. For a summary of the color correction effects, see Intro to color correction effects in Final Cut Pro.
Adjust the hue, saturation, or brightness of a color 1. Follow the instructions in Add and set up a Hue/Saturation Curves color correction, above. 2. In the Color inspector, click the eyedropper for the curve that you want to use. • Hue vs Hue: Change a color (hue) in the image. • Hue vs Sat: Change the saturation of a color in the image. • Hue vs Luma: Adjust the brightness of a color in the image. 3. In the viewer, click or drag over the color in your clip that you want to adjust.
4. Drag the middle control point to adjust any of the following (depending on which curve you’re using in the Color inspector): • Hue vs Hue: Change the hue in the selection. Drag the control point up or down to rotate through the various hues around the perimeter of the color wheel.
• Hue vs Luma: Adjust the brightness of the selected color. Drag the middle control point up to increase the brightness, or down to decrease the brightness. Add or adjust control points as needed. To make fine adjustments, hold down the Option key as you drag a control. Hold down the Shift key as you drag to constrain the control point to vertical or horizontal movement only.
Three control points appear on the curve in the Color inspector. The middle control point represents the level of luma (brightness) you selected with the eyedropper. The two outer control points constrain the selection to a narrow range of brightness. Note: You can also create control points by clicking the curve, but the eyedropper method is generally more precise. 4. Drag the middle control point up to increase the saturation, or down to decrease the saturation.
Adjust the saturation within a range of saturation The Sat vs Sat curve allows you to create special looks by selecting and adjusting a range of saturation within the video clip’s original saturation. You can increase the saturation of areas with low saturation, or you can desaturate oversaturated areas to make them safe for broadcast. In the example below, the saturation is increased in a region of low saturation in the original image. 1.
6. To adjust the saturation for a different range of saturation, click the curve to add control points, and adjust them as needed. Use the left end of the curve to adjust regions of low saturation, the middle section to adjust regions of medium saturation, and the right end of the curve to adjust highly saturated regions. Drag a control point up or down to increase or decrease saturation for that region of saturation.
You can also change the color of a curve by clicking its name (at the top left of the curve) and then clicking or dragging in the color wheel to select a color. 4. Click the curve to add control points, then drag them up or down to increase or decrease the saturation of the selected color. To make fine adjustments, hold down the Option key as you drag a control. Use the left end of the curve to adjust shadows, the middle section to adjust midtones, and the right end of the curve to adjust highlights.
Tip: If you want to color correct the next or previous clip in the timeline, press Command-Right Arrow or Command-Left Arrow to move the playhead to the next or previous clip and select it. These shortcuts select clips in the same role only, so you can quickly move between video clips and skip over clips not suited for color correction (such as music or titles). After you apply a color correction, you can copy it to another clip or group of clips. See Copy effects between clips in Final Cut Pro.
7. Click the Type pop-up menu and choose one of the following: • 3D: Creates a color mask that lets you add or remove surrounding colors by dragging the Softness slider. • HSL: Creates a color mask that lets you adjust hue, saturation, and luma values independently. For more information about each mask type, see Edit color masks in Final Cut Pro. 8. In the viewer, position the eyedropper on a color in the image that you want to isolate, then drag to select the color.
Edit color masks in Final Cut Pro A color mask is defined by a specific color range, so only areas in your video clip that contain colors within the range are part of the mask. The illustration below shows an example of a color range selection in a 3D color model. In Final Cut Pro, you can adjust the range of colors included in a color mask—for example, to add or remove colors as the subject moves or the scene changes.
4. In the Color Mask section of the inspector, click the eyedropper to enable it (the eyedropper turns blue). 5. Do any of the following: • Make a new single-color selection: Position the eyedropper on a color you want to include in the mask, then click once. • Add color shades: Hold down the Shift key, position the eyedropper on a color you want to add to the mask, then drag to select the range of color.
Edit an HSL color mask with hue, saturation, and luma controls 1. In Final Cut Pro, add an HSL color mask to a clip in the timeline, then select the clip. 2. Position the playhead in the timeline so that the clip appears in the viewer. 3. If the Color inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Go To > Color Inspector (or press Command-6). • Click the Enhancements pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Show Color Inspector. 4.
Ways to view masks in Final Cut Pro You can display the precise area of a mask in the viewer as a black-and-white alpha channel image or as a color image, showing the actual color contents of the mask. Changing the viewing mode helps you see which areas of the image are being affected (by a color correction, for example). 1. Add a clip to your Final Cut Pro project, then select the clip in the timeline. 2. Do one of the following: • Add an effect to the clip, then add a mask to the effect.
6. Do one of the following: • View the alpha channel in black and white: Click the View Masks pop-up menu and choose Black and White. The mask’s alpha channel appears in the viewer. White indicates fully opaque mask areas, black indicates areas outside the mask, and levels of gray indicate transparent mask areas. • View the visible areas of the masked image in color: Click the View Masks pop-up menu and choose Color. The colors inside the mask appear in the viewer. Gray indicates areas outside the mask.
You can add multiple shape masks to define multiple areas, and you can also animate the shapes with keyframes so that they follow a moving object, or follow an area while a camera pans. For information about animating shape masks, see Animate an effect shape mask in Final Cut Pro. For information about working with keyframes, see Intro to video keyframing in Final Cut Pro and Add video effect keyframes in Final Cut Pro. 1. Add a color correction to a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then select the clip.
7. Adjust the onscreen controls to specify which part of the video image is affected by the color correction. • Position the shape: Drag the center. • Adjust the shape’s width or height: Drag any of the four handles at the 90-degree points (top, bottom, left, or right) of the inner circle. You can hold down the Shift key while dragging to force all sides to scale proportionally. • Control the roundness of the shape: Drag the handle to the left of the inner circle’s top handle.
8. Do one of the following: • Apply a color correction to the shape area: Click Inside. • Apply a color correction to everything except the shape area: Click Outside. You can make corrections to both the inside and outside areas of the mask—each area effectively has its own complete set of color correction controls. For example, you could click Inside and enhance the shape’s area, and then click Outside to change everything else.
Example: Add shape masks to a color mask in a color correction effect 1. Add a color correction to a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then select the clip. 2. Position the playhead in the timeline so that the clip appears in the viewer. 3. If the Color inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Go To > Color Inspector (or press Command-6). • Click the Enhancements pop-up menu below the viewer and choose Show Color Inspector. 4.
To invert the mask selection, see Invert effect masks in Final Cut Pro. 7. Add a shape mask to the same color correction. Both masks appear in a list at the bottom of the Color inspector. By default, the shape mask appears at the top of the list, set to the Add blend mode. The color mask’s blend mode is changed to Intersect. (In Intersect mode, only the area inside the mask shape that overlaps with other mask shapes is affected.) 8. Click the Shape Mask Onscreen Controls button appear in the viewer.
10. Add additional shape masks as needed to further isolate the area. 11. To correct color in the area isolated by the masks, adjust the controls of the color correction effect in the Color inspector. For more information about the manual color correction effects, see Intro to color correction effects in Final Cut Pro. Remove a color or shape mask in Final Cut Pro 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select a clip that has a color mask or shape mask you want to remove. 2.
High dynamic range (HDR) Additionally, some newer imaging devices can display extra levels of brightness in each color component (red, green, and blue) in a way that more closely reproduces how the human eye perceives contrast. These high-dynamic-range (HDR) displays typically process video at 10 bits per color component rather than 8 bits.
Nearly all devices and formats support capture in the Rec. 709 color space. Some devices and formats can also capture in the DCI-P3 and Rec. 2020 color spaces, which include a much wider gamut of colors. Generally, your working color space should match your output color space (the color space you’re required to deliver the project in). If you’re exporting to multiple output color spaces, your working color space should match the output color space with the largest gamut.
3. Click Modify at the top of the Library Properties inspector. 4. Select one of the following in the window that appears: • Standard: Set the working color space to linear RGB with Rec. 709 color primaries, the color space that previous versions of Final Cut Pro have used. Rec. 709 is the current standard for HDTV projects, including HD cable, Blu-ray discs, and most streaming video today. • Wide Gamut HDR: Set the working color space to linear RGB with Rec.
3. In the Project Properties inspector, click the Modify button in the top-right corner. 4. In the window that appears, click the Color Space pop-up menu and choose one of the following: • Standard - Rec. 709: Choose this option to set your project to use the Rec. 709 color space, the current standard for HDTV projects, including HD cable, Blu-ray discs, and most streaming video today.
Color correct HDR video with Pro Display XDR and Final Cut Pro On a system with a Pro Display XDR, Final Cut Pro provides the maximum color and brightness accuracy in HDR video playback. This makes the Pro Display XDR the ideal professional reference monitor for critical work such as HDR color correction. The A/V Output feature allows you to send video and audio from your Mac to an external video monitor.
View HDR video in the Final Cut Pro viewer In Final Cut Pro 10.4.7 or later, you can choose how to view HDR video in the viewer. The available options depend on the capabilities of your display and which version of macOS you’re using. On systems with macOS Catalina 10.15 or later, you can view HDR video in the viewer with tone mapping applied, which compresses bright image content and reduces the apparent dynamic range of the video to fit the viewable range of your display. On systems with macOS Mojave 10.
Convert or adjust HDR clips in Final Cut Pro You can use the HDR Tools effect to convert wide-gamut HDR video clips from one color space to another or to set the maximum brightness of a clip. For example, you might use the HDR Tools effect on any of the following kinds of wide-gamut HDR source clips: • MOV or MXF files that were encoded directly using the HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) or PQ (Perceptual Quantizer) standard.
5. Click the Mode pop-up menu in the HDR Tools section of the inspector, then choose one of the following settings. Note: The first three settings in the menu may require further adjustments to the image to fine-tune the look. For best results, arrange the order of the effects so that the HDR Tools effect is applied after your color correction effects. See Change clip effect order in Final Cut Pro. • HDR to Rec. 709 SDR: Apply this generic conversion setting to any HDR clips in Rec.
Export HDR files with Final Cut Pro Directly within Final Cut Pro, you can create high-dynamic-range (HDR) files suitable for certain HDR televisions and displays. Specifically, you can use Final Cut Pro to create HDR10 and HLG movie files. • HDR10 is most commonly used for streaming and for output on Blu-ray discs. • HLG is useful for broadcast and live TV. An advantage of HLG is that you don’t need an HDR TV to view the content.
6. In the HDR Content Light Level Metadata section of the inspector, enter values based on the content of your program and the specifications of the target device. If you’re not sure of the proper values to enter, leave the fields empty. • MaxCLL (Maximum Content Light Level): Enter the level, in nits, of the brightest pixel component in the program.
Export an HLG file 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser, select the project you want to export. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3. Set the color processing for the library to Wide Gamut HDR. 4. Set the project color space to Wide Gamut HDR - Rec. 2020 HLG. 5. Export the file. HDR files require a 10-bit or higher codec, such as Apple ProRes.
• You can fix missing or incorrect color space metadata using the Color Space Override pop-up menu in the Info inspector. See Change a clip’s color space metadata. • You can use guides in the waveform monitor to precisely measure and set video levels. Guides are useful as a quick annotation or reference point. To add a horizontal guide, click once anywhere in the waveform monitor. To remove the guide, drag it off the top or bottom of the waveform monitor.
There are three primary ways to color correct ProRes RAW video in Final Cut Pro: • Use log conversion with built-in camera LUTs: Use the automatic log conversion applied by Final Cut Pro to color correct ProRes RAW video as if it were SDR video. Setting library color processing to Wide Gamut HDR lets you work with ProRes RAW video as if it were HDR video.
3. Click the Metadata View pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner, then choose either General, Extended, or Settings. 4. Click the RAW to Log Conversion pop-up menu and choose an option. As with all video shot with log encoding, Final Cut Pro automatically applies the Camera LUT setting based on metadata in the file that identifies the camera manufacturer. You can view the Camera LUT setting in the Info inspector. 5.
Use log conversion with custom LUT effects You can use a custom LUT effect (instead of a built-in camera LUT) to color correct ProRes RAW video as though it were log video. The LUT effect provides the conversion from log to the output color space. You can purchase and download LUT effects from a variety of sources, or you can create one yourself using inexpensive color correction software or plug-ins. You import and apply LUT effects using the Custom LUT effect in the Final Cut Pro Effects browser. 1.
5. Apply color correction and any other video effects. 6. To open the Effects browser, choose Window > Show in Workspace > Effects. 7. Select the Color category on the left, then double-click Custom LUT to apply the effect to the selected clip. 8. If the Video inspector isn’t already shown, choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector, then click the Video button at the top. 9. In the Custom LUT section of the Video inspector, click the LUT pop-up menu and choose “Choose Custom LUT.
Color correct directly without LUTs You can color correct ProRes RAW video as HDR video, regardless of the library colorprocessing setting. To do this, you change the RAW to Log Conversion and Camera LUT settings to None. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select one or more video clips recorded with ProRes RAW. 2. If the Info inspector isn’t already shown, choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector, then click the Info button at the top. 3.
Apply LUTs in Final Cut Pro A lookup table (LUT) is a set of data that enables a numeric transformation of pixel values to change the way an image looks. A common use of LUTs in video post-production is log conversion. Many modern cameras have a log or wide-dynamic-range recording option that provides more f-stops of exposure latitude in the image. Video footage recorded with this option initially looks “flat.
Apply a camera LUT Some cameras embed metadata in the media file, enabling Final Cut Pro to turn on the appropriate log processing setting automatically. Many cameras do not embed this metadata, and sometimes the metadata may simply be lost if the material is transcoded. You can apply a camera LUT to one or more video clips, or switch to a different camera LUT, using the Info inspector.
• Canon Log2/Cinema Gamut: Uses Canon’s EOS C300 Mark II 3D LUTs that convert Canon Log 2 with Cinema Gamut to Wide DR gamma. • Canon Log3/Cinema Gamut: Uses Canon’s EOS C300 Mark II 3D LUTs that convert Canon Log 3 with Cinema Gamut to Wide DR gamma. • Panasonic V-Log: Uses Panasonic’s Varicam 35 3D LUTs that convert V-Log to V-709/V-2020.
6. Click Open. The custom camera LUT you imported appears in the Custom Camera section of the Camera LUT pop-up menu. If you imported a folder of LUT files, it appears as a submenu in that section of the pop-up menu. To remove imported custom camera LUTs from the Camera LUT pop-up menu, choose Reveal in Finder to open the Camera LUTs folder, drag the LUT files to the Trash, and reopen Final Cut Pro.
6. On the receiving Mac, double-click the ZIP file to decompress it. 7. To import the LUT file, see Import a custom camera LUT. Note: If you copy a library that uses an imported custom camera LUT, you must copy the custom camera LUT as a separate file. If the LUT file is missing from the Camera LUTs folder, a yellow warning button appears next to the Camera LUT pop-up menu. Click the warning button to reimport the custom camera LUT.
Import and apply a Custom LUT effect In contrast to camera LUTs, Custom LUT effects are applied by adding a clip effect to timeline clips. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline. 2. Open the Effects browser, select the Color category on the left, then double-click Custom LUT to apply the effect to the selected clip. See Add video effects in Final Cut Pro. 3. If the Video inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4).
8. Click the Input pop-up menu and choose the color space the LUT converts from. This color space was determined when the custom LUT was created. Note: Camera LUTs and custom LUTs typically include the names of the input (source) color space and intended output (target) color space in the LUT filename. If you’re not sure which color space to choose, see the LUT creator for more information. 9. Click the Output pop-up menu and choose the color space the LUT converts to.
Note: If you copy a library that uses a Custom LUT effect, you must copy the LUT as a separate file. If the LUT file is missing from the Custom LUTs folder, a yellow warning button appears next to the LUT pop-up menu. Click the warning button to reimport the LUT or replace it with a different LUT. Color correction tools and techniques Keyframe color corrections in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can create changes to color correction settings over time.
4. Do one of the following: • In the Video Animation editor: Option-click (or press Option-K) at a point on the horizontal effect control where you want to add the keyframe. Keyframes for individual parameters appear as white diamonds. Keyframes for multiple parameters appear as double diamonds. Because color correction keyframes control all parameters in a given color correction effect, they always appear as double diamonds.
Add transitions between color corrections in Final Cut Pro The most powerful and accurate way to change a color correction over time is to use keyframes to animate the changes. However, there may be times when you want to use a transition instead.
Apply a color correction preset You apply a color correction preset as you would apply any other clip effect from the Effects browser. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, then click the Effects button in the top-right corner of the timeline (or press Command-5). 2. In the Effects browser, select the color correction preset that you saved previously. 3. Do one of the following: • Drag the preset to the timeline clip you want to apply it to.
Final Cut Pro provides the following video measurement tools: • Waveform monitor • Vectorscope • Histogram • Range check overlay Even if your project is not intended for broadcast, using these tools is an important part of your workflow. If the monitors you’re using don’t display color accurately or you’ve been working with the same clips for a while, you can easily get used to seeing a color cast, or blacks that aren’t quite right.
Display video scopes in Final Cut Pro You can show video scopes next to the video image in the viewer and the event viewer. You can also show video scopes in the comparison viewer when you compare video frames. Show video scopes 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Open a video scope in the viewer: Choose View > Show in Viewer > Video Scopes (or press Command-7). • Open a video scope in the event viewer: Choose View > Show in Event Viewer > Video Scopes.
Change video scopes display settings You can display up to four video scopes at the same time and choose from 12 different scopes layouts, including a vertical layout in which scopes appear below the viewer. You can also adjust brightness controls, enable quantitative guides, and display monochrome scopes. 1. Open a video scope in Final Cut Pro. 2. Click the View pop-up menu above the video scopes display and choose display settings. • Choose a video scopes layout: Click one of the 12 layout icons.
Below are some examples of the many possible combinations of video scopes layouts and settings.
Waveform monitor display options in Final Cut Pro The waveform monitor shows the relative levels of luma, chroma, RGB, or luminance (HDR Rec. 2020 PQ clips and projects only) in the clip currently being examined. These values are displayed from left to right, mirroring the relative distribution of the luma and chroma levels in the image. Spikes and dips in the displayed waveforms correspond to light and dark areas in your picture. The waveforms are also tinted to match the color of items in the video.
Final Cut Pro User Guide • RGB Overlay: Combines waveforms for the red, green, and blue color components in one display. • Red: Shows only the red color channel. • Green: Shows only the green color channel. • Blue: Shows only the blue color channel. • Luma: Shows only the luma component of the video. This waveform is available only for Rec. 709, Rec. 2020, and Rec. 2020 HLG clips and projects. • Luminance: Shows only the luminance component of the video. This waveform is available only for Rec.
• Y'CbCr Parade: Presents three side-by-side waveform displays for the separate Y (luma), Cb (blue color difference channel), and Cr (red color difference channel) components. The waveforms are tinted white (for luma), magenta (for Cb), and yellow (for Cr) so that you can easily identify the waveform for each component. • IRE: Displays the video range in IRE units. This is the only measurement unit available for Chroma and Y′CbCr Parade waveforms in the Rec. 2020 PQ color space.
The vectorscope shows you at a glance the hue and intensity of the various colors in your image. After you learn to identify the colors in your clips using the vectorscope, you can more easily see where two images differ and correct them so that they match as closely as possible.
Using the Luma histogram view, you can quickly compare the luma of two shots so that you can adjust their shadows, midtones, and highlights to match more closely. The shape of the graph also helps you determine the amount of contrast in an image. A low-contrast image has a concentrated clump of values nearer to the center of the graph. By comparison, a high-contrast image has a wider distribution of values across the entire width of the graph.
• Red: Shows only the red color channel. • Green: Shows only the green color channel. • Blue: Shows only the blue color channel. Detect out-of-gamut colors in Final Cut Pro You can use the range check overlay in the viewer to quickly highlight color values in your project that exceed the acceptable limits of color space standards. The colors highlighted by the range check overlay are determined by the color space (gamut) setting for your project.
Turn iMovie adjustments on or off in Final Cut Pro When editing a project in iMovie, you can adjust several video attributes, such as exposure, brightness, and saturation. If you import an iMovie project or event that has these adjustments into Final Cut Pro, the adjustments are retained and appear in the Effects area of the Video inspector. Although you can’t modify the adjustments added in iMovie, you can choose whether they are applied to the clip. 1.
Share your project Intro to sharing projects in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro provides a variety of preconfigured export settings, called destinations, that you can use to output your project or clip. For example, you can export a project or clip as a file, export it for viewing on Apple devices such as iPhone and iPad, add it to social media websites, or burn it to a disc. You can also save a frame from your movie or export an image sequence. Each of these options uses a different destination.
Details about each destination in the default set are listed in the table below. Destination Use to DVD Burn your project to a standard-definition (SD) DVD. See Create optical discs and disk images in Final Cut Pro. Export File (default) Export your project as a QuickT ime movie file. See Export final mastering files with Final Cut Pro. Apple Devices 720p Export files for playback on most Apple devices, including iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
Share to Apple devices with Final Cut Pro To export your project to an Apple device such as iPhone, iPad, or iPod, or to play your project on a home theater system using Apple TV, you must send the project to the Apple TV app. (If you’re using macOS Mojave 10.14, you send your project to iTunes.) You can use the default export settings or customize the settings to suit your needs.
The Info pane of the Share window appears, showing the video image on the left and project information on the right. To skim the video, move the pointer over the image. Note: If you’re batch sharing (exporting multiple items), the image is replaced by a list of the items you’re exporting. 4. To modify project or clip attributes, such as the title and description, enter information in the appropriate field. See Change metadata for shared items in Final Cut Pro.
8. To include captions in the export, click Roles at the top of the Share window, then do one of the following: • Embed captions in the output video file: For each video track or file, click the blue Captions button, then click the Embed CEA-608 pop-up menu and choose a language version.
10. When you’re ready to export your project, clip, or range, click Share. If you chose to add the output media file to your Apple TV library, the Apple TV app opens (if it wasn’t open), and the exported file appears in the Home Videos category. You can monitor the progress of the transcode in the Background Tasks window, and you can continue to work in Final Cut Pro while the file is transcoded. When transcoding is complete, a notification appears.
3. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Share > Export File (or press Command-E). • Click the Share button in the toolbar, then click Export File. 4. In the Share window that appears, do any of the following: • Move the pointer over the image to skim the video. If you’re batch sharing (exporting multiple items), the image is replaced by a list of the items you’re exporting. • In the Info pane, view and modify project or clip attributes, such as the title and description.
5. To view or change the Export File destination settings, click Settings at the top of the Share window. The available settings vary based on which format you choose from the Format popup menu. For detailed descriptions of each setting, see Export File and Apple Devices destinations in Final Cut Pro. For information about output file formats, see Export formats supported in Final Cut Pro. Note: If you change the destination’s settings, the changes are saved as the default settings for the destination. 6.
2. If you’re sharing a project that is set to use proxy media for playback, open it in the timeline, then click the View pop-up menu in the top-right corner of the viewer and choose Optimized/Original. This ensures the highest quality in the exported file. When you choose this setting, Final Cut Pro uses optimized media to create the shared file. If optimized media doesn’t exist, the original media is used. For more information about optimized and proxy media, see Control playback quality in Final Cut Pro.
5. Click Settings at the top of the Share window. 6. In the Settings pane, click the Format pop-up menu and choose MXF. 7. Click the “Video codec” pop-up menu and choose a video codec for the MXF file. The available video codecs are determined by the resolution and frame rate of your project. 8. Click Roles at the top of the Share window. 9.
• Add captions to the export: In the Captions section, select the caption formats you want to export, then click the Timing pop-up menu and choose an option: • Relative: Calculate the caption start time by subtracting the project’s start time. • Absolute: Use each caption’s actual start time, regardless of the project’s start time.
Export still images with Final Cut Pro You can save a still-image file of any video frame in your project or in any clip in the browser. 1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline or browser, position the playhead on the video frame you want to export as a still image. 2. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Share > Save Current Frame. • Click the Share button in the toolbar, then click Save Current Frame. Important: The Save Current Frame destination doesn’t appear by default.
4. Click Settings to confirm the export settings or make any necessary adjustments: • Export: Choose an output file type for the still image you’re exporting. • Scale image to preserve aspect ratio: Leave this checkbox selected unless your project uses a non-square pixel format (such as 1440 x 1080) and you want to use the exported still image in another video project with the same non-square pixel properties.
3. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Share > Export Image Sequence. • Click the Share button in the toolbar, then click Export Image Sequence. Important: The Export Image Sequence destination doesn’t appear by default. To add it to your set of destinations and to the Share menu, choose File > Share > Add Destination, then double-click the Image Sequence destination. See Create share destinations in Final Cut Pro and Intro to Destinations preferences in Final Cut Pro. 4.
5. Click Settings to confirm the export settings or make any necessary adjustments: • Export: Choose an output file type for the image sequence you’re exporting. • Scale image to preserve aspect ratio: Leave this checkbox selected unless your project uses a non-square pixel format (such as 1440 x 1080) and you want to use the exported image sequence in another video project with the same non-square pixel properties.
3. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Share > Export for HTTP Live Streaming. • Click the Share button in the toolbar, then click Export for HTTP Live Streaming. Important: The HTTP Live Streaming destination doesn’t appear by default. To add it to your set of destinations and to the Share menu, choose File > Share > Add Destination, then double-click the HTTP Live Streaming destination. See Create share destinations in Final Cut Pro and Intro to Destinations preferences in Final Cut Pro. 4.
8. If you added captions to your project, optionally click the “Burn in captions” pop-up menu and choose a language version. Burned-in captions are permanently visible in the output file and are not the same as embedded captions. 9. Click Next. 10. If you selected a single project, clip, or range, enter a name for the file you’re sharing. 11. Choose a location for the exported files, then click Save. Your selection is transcoded, and the exported segments are saved in folders. An index.
2. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Share > Export File. • Click the Share button in the toolbar, then click Export File. Note: You can also choose another destination you created based on the Export File destination. 3. Click Settings at the top of the Share window, then specify the following settings (available settings depend on your source media): • Format: Choose a mastering format (Video and Audio, Video Only, or Audio Only).
6. To add captions to the export files, do any of the following: • Embed captions in the output video file: For each video track or file, click the blue Captions button, then click the Embed CEA-608 pop-up menu and choose a language version. • Burn captions in to the output video file: For each video track or file, click the blue Captions button, then click the “Burn in captions” pop-up menu and choose a language version.
8. Click Next. 9. If you selected a single project, clip, or range, enter a name for the file you’re sharing. 10. Choose a location for the exported files, then click Save. You can monitor the progress of the transcode in the Background Tasks window, and you can continue to work in Final Cut Pro while the file is transcoded. When transcoding is complete, a notification appears. You can view and locate shared projects in the Share inspector. See View the status of shared items in Final Cut Pro.
Custom presets are stored in /Users/username/Library/Application Support/ProApps/Export Presets/. To access them quickly, click the “Roles as” pop-up menu and choose Reveal User Presets in Finder. Delete custom presets You can delete custom presets that you no longer need. 1. Select a project or clip in Final Cut Pro, then click the Share button in the toolbar and choose Export File. 2. In the Share window, click the Settings button. 3.
Compressor setting You can export to the following using a Compressor setting: • AAC • AIF • AVC-Intra (MXF) • CAF • Dolby Digital (AC3 and EC3) • FLAC • H.264 for Blu-ray streams • Image sequences • MP3 • MPEG-2 • MPEG-4 • QuickTime formats • Third-party plug-ins • WAV For more information, see Share from Final Cut Pro using Compressor. Share on the web with Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro 10.5.
3. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Share > YouTube & Facebook. • Click the Share button in the toolbar, then click YouTube & Facebook. 4. In the Share window that appears, do any of the following: • Move the pointer over the image to skim the video. If you’re batch sharing (exporting multiple items), the image is replaced by a list of the items you’re exporting. • In the Info pane, view and modify project or clip attributes, such as the title and description.
6. In the Settings pane, enter the requested information: • Resolution: Choose a frame size. • Compression: Choose “Better quality” to maximize the quality. Choose “Faster encode” to speed up the encoding. • Export captions: If you added captions to your project, you can choose a language version to include with the video, either as embedded captions or as a separate sidecar file. See Intro to captions in Final Cut Pro.
You can also create a disk image (.img) file that you can copy to an external storage device. You can send the disk image to a disc replication facility or burn it to DVD or Blu-ray disc media at a later time using Disk Utility. Markers are added to the file on the disc at 5-minute intervals, making it possible to use the DVD or Blu-ray player’s remote to skip forward or backward 5 minutes each time you press the Next Chapter or Previous Chapter button.
4. In the Share window that appears, do any of the following: • Move the pointer over the image to skim the video. If you’re batch sharing (exporting multiple items), the image is replaced by a list of the items you’re exporting. • In the Info pane, view and modify project or clip attributes, such as the title and description. See Change metadata for shared items in Final Cut Pro. All of the attributes associated with the project or clip are included in the output file.
• Build type: Choose File to save a disk image (.dmg) file, or Folder to save a set of files in a folder. • Disc template: Choose an available template. • Title: Enter the program title in the Title field. By default, the title is the project name in Final Cut Pro. • Volume name: Enter the filename for the disc. • Color space: This field can’t be edited. The values (Standard - Rec. 709 or Wide Gamut - Rec. 2020) are determined by the color space settings for your project.
Burn a Blu-ray or AVCHD disc, or create a disk image Blu-ray file 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select a project or a clip in the browser. • Select a range in a project in the timeline or in a clip in the browser. Note: To share just a portion of a project, you must make a range selection. A clip selection is not sufficient. You can use the I and O keys to set the range start and end points. 2.
4. In the Share window that appears, do any of the following: • Move the pointer over the image to skim the video. If you’re batch sharing (exporting multiple items), the image is replaced by a list of the items you’re exporting. • In the Info pane, view and modify project or clip attributes, such as the title and description. See Change metadata for shared items in Final Cut Pro. All of the attributes associated with the project or clip are included in the output file.
• Title: Enter the program title in the Title field. By default, the title is the project name in Final Cut Pro. • Volume name: Enter the filename for the disc. • Color space: This field can’t be edited. The values (Standard - Rec. 709 or Wide Gamut - Rec. 2020) are determined by the color space settings for your project. See Use wide-gamut HDR color processing in Final Cut Pro. • When disc loads: Specify the Blu-ray player’s action when the disc is inserted.
Share in email with Final Cut Pro You can create an email message in the macOS Mail app and include your movie as an attachment. 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select a project or a clip in the browser. • Select a range in a project in the timeline or in a clip in the browser. Note: To share just a portion of a project, you must make a range selection. A clip selection is not sufficient. You can use the I and O keys to set the range start and end points. 2.
• Move the pointer over the image to skim the video. If you’re batch sharing (exporting multiple items), the image is replaced by a list of the items you’re exporting. • In the Info pane, view and modify project or clip attributes, such as the title and description. See Change metadata for shared items in Final Cut Pro. All of the attributes associated with the project or clip are included in the output file. Important: By default, the title field lists the project or clip name.
Batch sharing in Final Cut Pro You can export multiple projects, clips, or clip ranges at once, referred to as batch sharing. You select the projects, clips, or ranges in the browser and then share to specific destinations. Note: You can’t mix projects and clips in a batch share. Your selection must contain only projects or only clips. Batch sharing is not available for all destinations.
Mixed caption settings If you selected multiple projects with differing caption settings (for example, different caption formats, different active languages, or captions that are enabled and disabled), you have several options for exporting captions. • You can export CEA-608, iTT, or SRT captions in any selected project as separate “sidecar” files with your finished media files. Final Cut Pro creates a folder for each project to hold the exported caption files.
There are three ways you can use Final Cut Pro and Compressor together: • Use the Compressor Settings destination in Final Cut Pro to apply Compressor settings (either the Apple-supplied setting or custom settings you create). Exporting a project in this way lets you transcode your project using Compressor settings without opening your project in Compressor. You can also create several types of output in a single step using a destination bundle (see Create a bundle of destinations).
4. Do one of the following: • Choose File > Share, then choose the destination you created in step 1 from the submenu. • Click the Share button in the toolbar, then click the destination you created in step 1. 5. In the Share window that appears, do any of the following: • Move the pointer over the image to skim the video. If you’re batch sharing (exporting multiple items), the image is replaced by a list of the items you’re exporting.
Send your projects or clips to Compressor 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select one or more projects or clips in the browser. Note: You can’t mix projects and clips in a batch share. Your selection must contain only projects or only clips. See Batch sharing in Final Cut Pro. • Select ranges in one or more clips in the browser. See Set multiple ranges in the Final Cut Pro browser. • Select a range in a project in the timeline.
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing (SDH): Use for a full translation of all the words spoken in the video, as well as song lyrics and sound effects (owl hooting, scream in distance, and so on). During playback, viewers can turn SDH subtitles on or off. Compressor opens with a new batch that contains the new iTunes Store package, including the iTT captions you configured. If you had CEA-608 captions in your project, they appear in the iTunes Store package as closed captions.
Create a new destination 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose File > Share > Add Destination. • Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences, click Destinations at the top of the window, then select Add Destination in the Destinations list on the left. • Select a clip or project, click the Share button in the toolbar (shown below), then click Add Destination. 2.
3. Specify settings for the new destination. For descriptions of the controls in each destination, see Intro to Destinations preferences in Final Cut Pro. Here are some tips for setting up various types of destinations: • If you chose a web destination: Enter your user name and password in the window that appears, then click OK. Depending on the destination you’re setting up, you may need to verify your account or your device. To do so, follow the onscreen instructions.
Modify existing destinations Note: You can modify an existing destination’s settings while you’re sharing a project or clip. For information about sharing projects and clips from Final Cut Pro, see Intro to sharing projects in Final Cut Pro. 1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences, then click Destinations at the top of the window. The Destinations pane appears, with a list of destinations on the left. 2.
Create a bundle of destinations Bundles make it easy to create several types of output in a single step. A bundle holds a set of destinations. When you share a project or clip using the bundle, a file is output for each destination in the bundle. 1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences, then click Destinations at the top of the window. 2. Select Add Destination in the Destinations list, then double-click the Bundle destination (or drag it from the area on the right to the Destinations list on the left).
Revert to the set of destinations that came with Final Cut Pro 1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences, then click Destinations at the top of the window. 2. Control-click in the Destinations list, then choose Restore Default Destinations. Any custom destinations are deleted, and the default set of destinations appears. For a list of the default destinations, see Intro to sharing projects in Final Cut Pro. Share destinations between Final Cut Pro users 1.
Change metadata for shared items in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, you can customize the metadata—also called attributes—included with exported files. You can view and modify metadata for a shared project or clip in the Attributes section of the Share inspector. Change metadata to be shared with a project or clip 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a project or clip. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4).
Choose the fields that appear in the Share inspector 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a project or clip. 2. Open the Share inspector. The Share inspector contains a pop-up menu you can use to customize attribute fields. 3. Using the Attributes pop-up menu, do any of the following: • Add an attribute field: Choose the field name (so that there’s a checkmark next to it). Fields with a checkmark are shown in the Share inspector, and the contents of those fields are exported with your project or clip as metadata.
Select the attributes that appear in a Share inspector field You can set the attributes that appear automatically in an attribute field. 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a project or clip. 2. Open the Share inspector, then click the Attributes pop-up menu and choose Edit Share Fields. 3. In the Edit Share Fields window, select an attribute field from the list on the left. The attributes assigned to the selected field appear in the Format field. 4.
View the status of shared items in Final Cut Pro When you share a project, you can monitor the progress of the transcode in the Background Tasks window, and you can continue to work in Final Cut Pro while the file is transcoded. When transcoding is complete, a notification appears. You can view the share history of a project and locate shared projects using the Share inspector.
4. Click the Share button at the top of the inspector. A summary of the project’s or clip’s information appears at the top of the inspector, metadata (or attributes) included with the shared project or clip appears in the middle, and information about where the project or clip has been shared appears at the bottom. Click the shared item’s pop-up menu to access more options. Locate a shared project or clip in the Finder 1. In Final Cut Pro, select the shared project or clip. 2.
Manage media, libraries, and archives Intro to media management in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro provides you with flexible and powerful tools to manage your media files. The first time you open Final Cut Pro, it automatically creates a library file in the Movies folder. You can import media into the library file or have Final Cut Pro access media files in other locations.
The following are some common media management tasks: • Transcoding your source media files to optimized or proxy formats that are high quality and easy to work with. See Create optimized and proxy files in Final Cut Pro. • Backing up your work. See Back up projects and libraries in Final Cut Pro. • Consolidating source media files in one location. See Consolidate projects and libraries in Final Cut Pro. • Locating source media files. See Locate source media files in Final Cut Pro.
1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3. Click the Info button at the top of the inspector. Tip: Double-click the top bar of the inspector to switch between half-height view and full-height view. 4. In the Info inspector, scroll down to view the file information.
Override a clip’s metadata in Final Cut Pro You can use the Info inspector to override information (called metadata) about a clip or group of clips selected in either the browser or the timeline. You can adjust color space information, anamorphic playback, and field order. For more information about managing metadata, including metadata views and naming presets, see Intro to metadata in Final Cut Pro.
Adjust anamorphic footage Some video camcorders and recording devices shoot at a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio but record the data using a 4:3 aspect ratio. Sometimes the metadata tag specifying 16:9 playback in the video file is missing or set incorrectly. In Final Cut Pro, you can set this tag so that the video plays correctly with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. Note: This option is available only for the following formats: standard definition (SD) and ARRI ALEXA 2K 4:3 (2048 x 1536). 1.
4. Click the Field Dominance Override pop-up menu and choose one of the following: • Progressive: The video is displayed in complete frames with all lines sampled at the same instant in time. • Upper First: The video is interlaced and displayed as two separate interleaved fields. The field containing the top line is sampled at an earlier instant in time than the field containing the bottom line. This field order is commonly used for high-definition (HD) video and standard-definition (SD) PAL video.
1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • In the browser or the timeline, select the clips you want to relink. • In the browser, select the projects containing the clips you want to relink. • In the Libraries sidebar, select an event or an entire library containing the clips you want to relink. 2. Do one of the following: • Relink original source media files: Choose File > Relink Files > Original Media. • Relink proxy files: Choose File > Relink Files > Proxy Media.
5. In the window that appears, navigate to one of the files you want to link to, or to the folder that contains it. Text at the bottom of the window indicates how many potential matches to items in your original list were found (based on the filenames only). Note: Final Cut Pro identifies matches based on proximity in the directory structure and related filenames.
7. Click the disclosure triangle next to the analysis results to show a list, with old files on the left and new, matching files on the right. If a file was matched incorrectly, select it in the list and press Delete. The item is placed back in the original list at the top of the Relink Files window. Items with no matches remain in the original list above. To continue to locate matches, select items in the original list and repeat steps 4 through 6. 8.
Consolidate media files for a library, event, project, or clip 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Select a library. • Select one or more events. • Select an event, then select one or more projects in the browser. • Select an event, then select one or more clips in the browser. 2. Choose File > Consolidate [item] Media. 3.
Note: If you have created or customized any Final Cut Pro effects, transitions, titles, or generators in Motion, set the storage location for your Motion content to In Library before starting any copy or move operations between libraries or storage devices. Otherwise, the Motion content is not included in those operations. See Manage Motion content in Final Cut Pro. Regardless, you must manually track and move any third-party (FxPlug) content, because it is not managed within the Final Cut Pro library.
You can create optimized and proxy media during the import process or in the browser, after the media has been imported. You can also create a proxy file for a clip using the Info inspector. After transcoding is complete, the optimized and proxy files are stored in your Final Cut Pro library or in an external location you define. See Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro.
4. Do any of the following: • Create optimized files: Select the “Create optimized media” checkbox. • Create proxy files: Select the “Create proxy media” checkbox, then select the proxy format and frame size. For details about the settings, see the “Transcode” section in Import preferences in Final Cut Pro. Note: If the original camera format can be edited with good performance, the “Create optimized media” option is dimmed.
Create optimized and proxy files when importing by dragging Media you drag from the Finder into an event or the timeline is automatically organized, transcoded, and analyzed based on the import settings you specify in Final Cut Pro preferences. 1. To specify import settings, choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences, click Import, and select the import settings you want to apply to your media. See Import preferences in Final Cut Pro. 2.
4. Scroll down to the bottom section of the Info inspector, then click Transcode Media. 5. In the window that appears, do any of the following: • Create optimized files: Select the “Create optimized media” checkbox. • Create proxy files: Select the “Create proxy media” checkbox, then select the proxy format and frame size. For details about the settings, see the “Transcode” section in Import preferences in Final Cut Pro.
Delete optimized or proxy files You can delete optimized or proxy media files at any time, no matter where they’re stored. Original media files are not deleted, so you can always regenerate optimized and proxy files from the original media. 1. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Delete optimized or proxy files for one or more clips: In the browser or the timeline, select one or more clips. • Delete optimized or proxy files for one or more projects: In the browser, select one or more projects.
Create a proxy-only project for offline editing 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the event that contains your project. 2. In the browser, select the project, then choose File > Copy [item] to Library > New Library. Note: To make a proxy-only version of an event or a library, select it in the Libraries sidebar. 3. Enter a name for the new library, choose a location for it, and click Save. 4.
Manage render files in Final Cut Pro By default, rendering happens in the background in Final Cut Pro, but you can also manually start rendering for a project or a portion of a project. Render files are stored in your Final Cut Pro library or in an external location you define. See Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro. Over time, render files can accumulate and take up storage space.
Delete event render files 1. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select one or more events in the same library. 2. Choose File > Delete Generated Event Files. 3. In the window that appears, select Delete Render Files. 4. Select whether to delete unused render files or all render files, then click OK. Note: If you choose to delete all render files in an event, any project render files in that event are also deleted. Delete render files from a library 1.
2. To view the active tasks in a section, click its disclosure triangle. Pause or resume a background task • In the Background Tasks window in Final Cut Pro, click the Pause button button . or Resume Cancel a background task • In the Background Tasks window in Final Cut Pro, click the Cancel button . Manage libraries Intro to managing libraries in Final Cut Pro You can work with multiple libraries in Final Cut Pro, opening and closing them as needed.
Create a new library in Final Cut Pro You can create new, empty libraries, or you can create libraries from existing events. 1. If the Final Cut Pro Libraries sidebar isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Click the Libraries button in the top-left corner of the Final Cut Pro window. • Choose Window > Go To > Libraries (or press Command-1). 2.
2. Do any of the following: • Open an existing library: Choose File > Open Library, then choose a library from the submenu. You can also double-click a library file in the Finder. • Close a library: Select the library Library. in the Libraries sidebar, then choose File > Close Tip: To open specific libraries when you open Final Cut Pro, Option-click the Final Cut Pro app icon in the Dock, then select one or more libraries in the list and click Choose.
3. Do one of the following: • If the library you want to copy to is present in the Libraries sidebar: Drag the items to the library. If you’re copying an event, drag it to the library icon . If you’re copying clips and projects, drag them to a specific event icon. • If the library you want to copy to is not present in the Libraries sidebar: Do one of the following: • Choose File > Open Library and choose the library from the submenu, then follow the instructions above.
Transfer a Final Cut Pro library to another Mac You can copy a Final Cut Pro library to an external storage device to save space or to edit your project on another Mac. Note: You can’t store your Final Cut Pro library on a storage device that’s used for Time Machine backups. 1. Connect an external storage device to your Mac. 2. In the Libraries sidebar in Final Cut Pro, select the library you want to copy. 3.
Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro You can set storage locations for each of your libraries. You view and define storage locations for media, Motion content, cache files, and library backup files using the Library Properties inspector. You can store these files within the library or in external folders. You can also consolidate (collect all files as managed media) inside the library for easy transport or archiving.
• Cache: Choose the storage location for render files, analysis files, thumbnail images, and audio waveform files. To store files outside the library, choose “Choose,” navigate to a storage location, then click Choose. • Backups: Choose the storage location for library backups. To store backups outside the Movies folder, choose “Choose,” navigate to a storage location, then click Choose. If you don’t want Final Cut Pro to back up your library, choose Do Not Save.
Manage Motion content in Final Cut Pro By default, when you create or customize any Final Cut Pro effects, transitions, titles, or generators in Motion, that content is stored in the Motion Templates folder located in your Movies folder. You can also store Motion content inside a library—for example, to move a project or library to another Mac, or to back up and archive your work. You may also want to store Motion content in the library if you’re working on a project with others and using shared storage.
3. Click Modify Settings at the top of the Library Properties inspector. A window appears with pop-up menus that you can use to set storage locations. 4. Click the Motion Content pop-up menu and choose In Library. 5. Click OK. 6. In the Motion Content section of the Library Properties inspector, click Consolidate. Note: It’s recommended that you also set the media storage location and click Consolidate in the Media section. See Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro.
2. Click the Filter pop-up menu at the top of the media browser for the type of Motion content you want to view, then choose an option: • Installed [items]: View content that came with Final Cut Pro, and any Motion content that is stored in the Motion Templates folder located in your Movies folder. This is the default setting. • [Library name]: Choose any open library to view the custom Motion content stored in that library.
3. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). • Click the Import Media button on the left side of the toolbar. 4. Select your device in the list of cameras on the left side of the Media Import window. 5. Click the Create Archive button at the bottom-left corner of the window. 6. In the “Create Camera Archive as” field, type a name for the archive. 7. Click the Destination pop-up menu and choose a location to save the archive, then click OK.
Archive the media on your tape-based camera or camcorder 1. If you want to save the archive to an external storage device, connect it to your Mac. 2. Connect the camera or camcorder to your Mac using the cable that came with the device, and turn on the device. See Memory cards and cables used with Final Cut Pro. If you’re using a camcorder, set it to PC Connect mode. The name of this transfer mode may be different on your device.
Move or copy a camera archive 1. In the Finder, select the camera archive that you want to move or copy. 2. Do one of the following: • Move the camera archive on your local disk: Drag the camera archive to a new location. • Copy the camera archive on your local disk: Hold down the Option key and drag the camera archive to a new location on your local disk. • Copy the camera archive to an external storage device: Drag the camera archive to a location on the external storage device.
Media files Icon Alert Description Missing File A file is not available in the Finder. You may see this alert if you moved or renamed a file in the Finder, moved an event or a project to a different location, or consolidated a different project’s media. Modified File A media file has been changed by an app other than Final Cut Pro. Missing Proxy File A proxy file created by Final Cut Pro is not in its expected location in the Finder. See Create optimized and proxy files in Final Cut Pro.
Final Cut Pro effects Icon Final Cut Pro User Guide Alert Description Missing Effect An effect in Final Cut Pro is missing. Missing Generator A generator in Final Cut Pro is missing. Missing Title A title in Final Cut Pro is missing. Missing Transition A transition in Final Cut Pro is missing. Missing LUT A LUT in Final Cut Pro is missing. See Apply LUTs in Final Cut Pro.
Solutions to media management issues in Final Cut Pro This section describes common media management issues and solutions. If you can’t relink clips to media files transcoded in Compressor If media files that you transcoded in Compressor are not automatically matched and relinked in Final Cut Pro, it may be because of how the files were named.
If you see an alert indicating that a file is missing You may see a Missing File alert if you move or rename a file in the Finder. 1. In the Finder, change the filename back to the filename used in the Final Cut Pro browser. 2. Quit and reopen Final Cut Pro. The file is relinked to the clip when Final Cut Pro opens. If a clip was not imported correctly If you canceled an import and didn’t import an entire clip, the clip has a camera icon on its bottom-left corner.
Work smarter Final Cut Pro preferences Intro to Final Cut Pro preferences In Final Cut Pro, you can modify preference settings to specify how your source media is imported into the app, how your clips play back, and how you edit your clips in the timeline.
Change Final Cut Pro preference settings A preference modifies how a particular Final Cut Pro feature behaves. Most preference settings can be turned on or off at any time. The following topics describe Final Cut Pro preferences in detail. Open Final Cut Pro preferences • Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences (or press Command-Comma), then click a button at the top of the window to open a preference pane.
Time Display • Time Display: Use this pop-up menu to choose the time mode for Final Cut Pro. Changes to this setting affect the timecode display below the viewer (for the position of the skimmer or the playhead), as well as trimming and navigation operations in Final Cut Pro.
Editing preferences in Final Cut Pro Editing preferences affect editing behaviors in Final Cut Pro. Timeline • Show detailed trimming feedback: Select this checkbox to show the “two-up” display in the viewer for more accurate feedback on an edit point involving two adjacent clips. For example, for a simple ripple or roll edit, this display shows the end point of the left clip and the start point of the right clip.
Playback preferences in Final Cut Pro Playback preferences affect playback and rendering performance in Final Cut Pro. Note: For information about controlling playback quality and performance, including switching between original or optimized media and proxy media, see Control playback quality in Final Cut Pro. Rendering • Background render: Select this checkbox to turn on Final Cut Pro rendering operations when the system is idle.
Playback • Create optimized media for multicam clips: Select this checkbox to automatically transcode multicam clip video to the Apple ProRes 422 codec, which provides better performance during editing and faster render times. • If a frame drops, stop playback and warn: Select this checkbox to have Final Cut Pro warn you when frames are dropped during playback.
Import preferences in Final Cut Pro When you import media into Final Cut Pro using the Media Import window, you can customize your import settings each time you import files. However, if you drag media directly into Final Cut Pro from the Finder, Final Cut Pro uses the import settings you selected in the Import pane of the Final Cut Pro Preferences window.
Keywords • From Finder tags: Creates a Keyword Collection for each Finder tag assigned to the files you’re importing. If the files you’re importing have tags, select this option to keep the tag organization that exists in the Finder. For more information about Finder tags, see macOS Help (available from the Help menu when the Finder is active). Note: For REDCODE RAW files only, Keyword Collections are based on tags assigned to the enclosing folder.
• • Codec: This option allows you to select a codec for your proxy media: Apple ProRes 422 Proxy or H.264. • ProRes Proxy: Creates higher-quality Apple ProRes 422 Proxy files. This option is required for HDR and ProRes RAW source media. • H.264: Creates smaller proxy file sizes. This option is appropriate for SDR projects and source media. Frame Size: This pop-up menu allows you to choose a frame size for the transcoded media (either as a percentage of the original or as maximum pixel dimensions).
Destinations preferences Intro to Destinations preferences in Final Cut Pro You modify share destinations in the Destinations pane of the Final Cut Pro Preferences window. The destinations in the Destinations list (on the left side of the Destinations pane) also appear in the Share submenu of the File menu and in the menu that appears when you click the Share button in the toolbar.
The DVD and Blu-ray / AVCHD destinations include the following settings: • Output Device: Displays your system’s suitable output devices, including optical drives and the computer’s internal disk. You can use your computer’s internal disk to create a disk image (.img) file that you can copy to an external drive or burn to DVD media later. • Layers: Displays the available layers on the destination media. • Automatic: Automatically detects the type of disc you can use.
• Logo image: Click the Add button to select a logo graphic that will be displayed in the upper-right corner of the disc menus. This image will appear on top of the menu background. • Title image: Click the Add button to select a title graphic that will be displayed in the center of the main menu of the disc. This image will appear on top of the menu background. • Preview: Shows a thumbnail preview of the main menu.
Still-image destinations in Final Cut Pro Use these destinations to save a still image of any video frame in your project or to save a set of sequentially numbered still-image files. Note: The Save Current Frame and Image Sequence destinations do not appear by default. To add either of them to the Destinations list, see Create share destinations in Final Cut Pro. The Save Current Frame and Image Sequence destinations include the following settings: • Export: Choose a file type for the exported file.
The Export File and Apple Devices destinations include the following settings: • Format: Lists mastering formats (Video and Audio, Video Only, Audio Only) and publishing formats, including Apple Devices (such as iPhone and iPad), Computer (for playback on Mac and PC), and Web Hosting (such as YouTube or Vimeo). Your choice of format determines the options in the pop-up menus below. Important: When sharing a project or clip, you can change the resolution only for publishing formats.
Compressor Settings destination in Final Cut Pro Use this destination to export a project or clip using settings from Compressor, the professional transcoding app designed to work directly with Final Cut Pro. Note: The Compressor Settings destination does not appear by default. To add it to the Destinations list, see Create share destinations in Final Cut Pro. Exporting a project with a Compressor setting provides many of the benefits of Compressor without requiring you to open your project in Compressor.
Keyboard shortcuts and gestures Intro to shortcuts and gestures in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro provides several ways to increase your efficiency while you put together your project: • Standard keyboard shortcuts: Many common tasks, such as opening a specific window or adding a clip from the browser to the timeline, can be accomplished very quickly by pressing one or more keys. See Keyboard shortcuts in Final Cut Pro.
Editing Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut Adjust the audio volume across all selected clips to a specific dB value Adjust Volume Absolute Control-Option-L Adjust the audio volume across all selected clips by the same dB value Adjust Volume Relative Control-L Add the selection to the end of the storyline Append to Storyline E Add the selected clip to the audition Audition: Add to Audition Control-Shift-Y Create an audition with a timeline clip and a duplicate version of the c
Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut Cut and switch the multicam clip to angle 2 of the current bank Cut and Switch to Viewer Angle 2 2 Cut and switch the multicam clip to angle 3 of the current bank Cut and Switch to Viewer Angle 3 3 Cut and switch the multicam clip to angle 4 of the current bank Cut and Switch to Viewer Angle 4 4 Cut and switch the multicam clip to angle 5 of the current bank Cut and Switch to Viewer Angle 5 5 Cut and switch the multicam clip to angle 6 of the
Action Final Cut Pro User Guide Command Shortcut Insert a freeze frame at the Insert/Connect Freeze Frame playhead or skimmer location in the timeline, or connect a freeze frame from the skimmer or playhead location in the event to the playhead location in the timeline Option-F Insert a gap clip at the skimmer or playhead position Insert Gap Option-W Insert the default generator at the skimmer or playhead position Insert Default Generator Option-Command-W Lift the selection from the storyline an
Action Command Shortcut Temporarily override clip connections for the selection Override Connections Grave Accent (`) Overwrite at the skimmer or playhead position Overwrite D Overwrite from the skimmer or playhead position back Overwrite - Backtimed Shift-D Overwrite at the skimmer or playhead position in the primary storyline Overwrite to Primary Storyline Option-Command-Down Arrow Paste the selection and connect it to the primary storyline Paste as Connected Option-V Insert the Clipboar
Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut For audio/video clips in expanded view, select the left and right edges of the audio edit point Select Left and Right Audio Edit Edges Shift-Backslash (\) Select the left and right edges of the edit point Select Left and Right Edit Edges Backslash (\) For audio/video clips in expanded view, select the left and right edges of the video edit point Select Left and Right Video Edit Edges Control-Backslash (\) For audio/video clips in expanded view, s
Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut Turn on audio/video mode to add the video and audio portion of your selection to the timeline Source Media: Audio & Video Shift-1 Turn on audio-only mode to add the audio portion of your selection to the timeline Source Media: Audio Only Shift-3 Turn on video-only mode to add the video portion of your selection to the timeline Source Media: Video Only Shift-2 Replace the selected captions with abutting single-line captions, one for each line of t
Effects Action Command Shortcut Connect a basic lower-third title to the primary storyline Add Basic Lower Third Control-Shift-T Connect a basic title to the primary storyline Add Basic Title Control-T Add the default audio effect to the selection Add Default Audio Effect Option-Command-E Add the default transition to the selection Add Default Transition Command-T Apply a crossfade to the audio edit point between the selected clips Crossfade Option-T Add the default video effect to the sel
Action Command Shortcut Remove all effects from the selection Remove Effects Option-Command-X Show or hide the retime editor Retime Editor Command-R Set the selection to play at normal (100 percent) speed Retime: Create Normal Speed Segment Shift-N Create a 2-second hold segment Retime: Hold Shift-H Reset the selection to play forward at normal (100 percent) speed Retime: Reset Option-Command-R Show one effect at a time in the Video Animation editor Solo Animation Control-Shift-V Action
Marking Action Final Cut Pro User Guide Command Shortcut Add a caption to the active language Add Caption subrole at the playhead location Option-C (or Control-Option-C if the caption editor is open) Add a marker at the location of the skimmer or playhead Add Marker M Change the browser filter settings to show all clips All Clips Control-C Add a marker and edit the marker’s text Add Marker and Modify Option-M Apply keyword 1 to the selection Apply Keyword Tag 1 Control-1 Apply keyword 2 to
Action Command Shortcut Mark the current selection in the browser as rejected Reject Delete Change the browser filter settings to show rejected clips Rejected Control-Delete Remove all keywords from the browser selection Remove All Keywords From Selection Control-0 Apply Dialogue subroles to the selected clip’s components Roles: Apply Dialogue Role Control-Option-D Apply Effects subroles to the selected clip’s components Roles: Apply Effects Role Control-Option-E Apply Music subroles to th
Organization Action Command Shortcut Create a new event New Event Option-N Create a new folder New Folder Shift-Command-N Reveal the selected clip in the browser Reveal in Browser Shift-F Reveal the open project in the browser Reveal Project in Browser Option-Shift-Command-F Sync the selected event clips Synchronize Clips Option-Command-G Action Command Shortcut Turn audio skimming on or off Audio Skimming Shift-S Play the pick in context in the timeline Audition: Preview Control-C
Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut Move the playhead to the next field in an interlaced clip Go to Next Field Option-Right Arrow Move the playhead to the next frame Go to Next Frame Right Arrow Move the playhead to the next audio Go to Next Subframe subframe Option-Right Arrow Display the previous bank of angles in the current multicam clip Go to Previous Bank Option-Shift-Semicolon (;) Move the playhead to the previous edit point in the timeline Go to Previous Edit Semicolon
Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut Move the playhead to the next marker Next Marker Control-Apostrophe (’) Send 360° video to the connected VR headset Output to VR Headset Control-Option-Command-7 Play around the playhead position Play Around Shift-Question Mark (?) Play forward (press L multiple times to increase the playback speed) Play Forward L Play from the playhead position Play from Playhead Option-Space bar Play full screen from the skimmer or playhead position Play
Action Command Shortcut Go forward one level in the timeline history Timeline History Forward Command-Right Bracket (]) Go to the previous item (in the browser) or the previous edit point (in the timeline) Up Up Arrow While editing a text field, go to the Up previous item (in the browser) or the previous edit point (in the timeline) Control-Up Arrow Share and tools Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut Share the selected project or clip using the default destination Share to Defa
View Final Cut Pro User Guide Action Command Shortcut Depending on the clip name setting, display timeline clips with clip names, role names, or active angle names only Clip Appearance: Clip Labels Only Control-Option-6 Decrease the size of audio waveforms for timeline clips Clip Appearance: Decrease Waveform Size Control-Option-Down Arrow Display timeline clips with large filmstrips only Clip Appearance: Filmstrips Only Control-Option-5 Increase the size of audio waveforms for timeline clips
Action Command Shortcut Zoom the contents to fit the size of the browser, viewer, or timeline Zoom to Fit Shift-Z Turn zooming in to audio samples on or off Zoom to Samples Control-Z Action Command Shortcut Switch to the Anaglyph view in the 360° viewer (stereoscopic only) Anaglyph Control-Option-Command-3 Switch to the Anaglyph Monochrome view in the 360° viewer (stereoscopic only) Anaglyph Monochrome Control-Option-Command-4 Switch to the Anaglyph Outline view in the 360° viewer (stereos
Action Command Shortcut Show or hide the audio meters Show/Hide Audio Meters Shift-Command-8 Show or hide the browser Show/Hide Browser Control-Command-1 Show or hide the comparison viewer Show/Hide Comparison Viewer Control-Command-6 Show or hide the Effects browser Show/Hide Effects Browser Command-5 Show or hide the Transitions browser Show/Hide Transitions Browser Control-Command-5 Show or hide the event viewer Show/Hide Event Viewer Control-Command-3 Show or hide the inspector Sho
Multi-Touch trackpad gestures in Final Cut Pro If your Mac has a Multi-Touch trackpad, you can use the Multi-Touch gestures listed in the table below when working with Final Cut Pro. For more information about Multi-Touch gestures, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Trackpad. Gesture Action Pinch (two-finger): Pinch closed with two fingers to zoom out of the timeline or window. Pinch open to zoom in to the timeline or window.
Touch Bar shortcuts in Final Cut Pro If your MacBook Pro has a Touch Bar, you can use familiar gestures like swipe and tap to quickly perform tasks such as scrubbing the timeline, applying an audio fade, selecting tools, or editing text. With the exception of the Control Strip (on the right side of the Touch Bar) and the Esc button (on the left), the contents of the Touch Bar are dynamic—the controls change depending on your current selection within Final Cut Pro and other apps.
Browser with a selection These controls appear in the Touch Bar when the browser is active and something in the browser is selected. You can use these controls to manage and sort your media in the browser. Item Name Description Info Inspector Open the Info inspector for the selected item. Audio Controls Display a set of audio controls in the Touch Bar. See Audio controls, below. Move to Start Move the skimmer or playhead to the start of the selection or clip.
Timeline editing These controls appear in the Touch Bar when the timeline is active. Use these trimming, playback, and navigation controls to streamline your editing workflow. Item Final Cut Pro User Guide Name Description Editing Tools Display a set of editing tools in the Touch Bar. The button shows the active tool. See Editing tools, below. Audio Controls Display a set of audio controls in the Touch Bar. See Audio controls, below.
Editing tools The timeline editing tools appear in the Touch Bar when you tap the Editing Tools button . The default editing tool is the Select tool. You can tap any tool to make it the active tool. When you choose a tool, the pointer changes to the icon for that tool. Item Final Cut Pro User Guide Name Description Close Close the editing tools. Select tool Select items in the timeline. See Select clips in Final Cut Pro.
Audio controls The audio controls appear when you tap the Audio Controls button Item Final Cut Pro User Guide in the Touch Bar. Name Description Close Close the audio controls. Silence Silence the selected clip, range, or audio component. See Silence clips or ranges. Audio Fade In Apply an audio fade-in to selected clips or audio components (available for timeline selections only). See Apply fades using the Modify menu.
Timeline navigation When you tap the Timeline Navigation button , the Timeline Navigation slider appears in the Touch Bar. Use the slider to control what portion of your project is visible in the timeline. Drag the start or end handle, or drag the center of the slider to move the start and end points at the same time. To close the Timeline Navigation slider and return to the timeline editing controls, tap the close button .
Text alignment and appearance These controls appear in the Touch Bar when you tap the Text Appearance button the text editing controls. in Use these controls to adjust the alignment, style, and appearance of text selected in the viewer. Item Name Description Close Close the text appearance controls. Align Text Left Align the selected text to the left. Align Text Center Center the selected text. Align Text Right Align the selected text to the right.
Text kerning When you tap the Text Kerning button in the text editing controls, the Text Kerning slider appears in the Touch Bar. Drag the slider to adjust the space between text characters. Note: For the slider to be available, the insertion point (a blinking bar) must be positioned between text characters in the viewer. To close the Text Kerning slider and return to the text editing controls, tap the close button .
Customize keyboard shortcuts Intro to the Command Editor in Final Cut Pro You can use the Command Editor to view and modify existing shortcuts, create new shortcuts, and save multiple sets of keyboard shortcuts that you can export for others to use. You can also import a set of shortcuts that someone else created. And if you’re more familiar with keyboard shortcuts from other apps, you can use the Command Editor to substitute those shortcuts in place of the default set in Final Cut Pro.
View standard keyboard shortcuts 1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Commands > Customize (or press Option-Command-K). The Command Editor appears. 2. To find keyboard shortcuts in the Command Editor, do any of the following: • Click one or more keys on the virtual keyboard (or click one of the four modifier key buttons at the top of the Command Editor).
When you press any modifier key on your keyboard, or click any modifier key button to select it, the key colors update. Key colors correspond with command groups; for example, editing commands, such as Overwrite (D), are blue. The clickable list of command groups in the bottom-left corner of the Command Editor contains a color key for reference. • Enter a command name, description keywords, or a key name in the search field at the top-right corner of the window.
View shortcuts from a different command set If your system has multiple command sets, you can easily switch between them. See Export or import keyboard shortcuts with Final Cut Pro. In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following: • Choose Final Cut Pro > Commands, then choose a command set from the submenu. The Command Editor window appears, showing the command set you chose. • If you’ve already opened the Command Editor, click the pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the window and choose a command set.
Modify a command set You can add keyboard shortcuts to a command set or reassign keyboard shortcuts. 1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Commands > Customize (or press Option-Command-K). 2. If the command set you want to modify isn’t shown, click the pop-up menu in the top-left corner of the Command Editor and choose a different command set. 3.
Export or import keyboard shortcuts with Final Cut Pro After you save a command set, you may want to export it to create a backup or to share the new set with another user. Exported command sets are saved in a file that can be imported back into Final Cut Pro at a later time. Export a set of custom keyboard shortcuts 1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Commands > Customize (or press Option-Command-K). 2.
Customize the Final Cut Pro interface Arrange the Final Cut Pro main window The main areas of the Final Cut Pro window include the browser, viewer, timeline, sidebar, and inspector. You can show, hide, and resize these areas to suit both your working style and the task at hand, even across multiple displays. Final Cut Pro also comes with a set of predefined workspace layouts, and you can create and save your own custom workspace layouts. See Change the workspace layout in Final Cut Pro.
Show or hide the browser, the timeline, or the inspector In Final Cut Pro, do any of the following: • Show or hide the browser: Click the Browser button in the toolbar (or press ControlCommand-1). The image below shows the Final Cut Pro window with the browser hidden and just the viewer and the timeline showing: • Show or hide the timeline: Click the Timeline button in the toolbar (or press ControlCommand-2). Note: You can’t hide both the browser and the timeline at the same time.
Show or hide the sidebar The sidebar appears to the left of the browser and contains three panes for selecting different types of media: the Libraries sidebar, the Photos and Audio sidebar, and the Titles and Generators sidebar. When you select an item in the sidebar (such as an event containing clips, or a category of sound effects or 3D titles), the item’s contents are displayed in the browser. You can show or hide any of the sidebars.
Use a second display with Final Cut Pro When you connect a second display to your Mac, controls appear that allow you to move the viewer, browser, or timeline to the second display. To view playback on an external video monitor, see Play media on an external display in Final Cut Pro and Color correct HDR video with Pro Display XDR and Final Cut Pro. 1. Make sure that the second display is connected to your Mac and turned on.
The area you chose moves to the second display, and the other areas of the Final Cut Pro window are adjusted on the primary display. To move all areas back to the primary display, click the Secondary Display button.
Change the workspace layout in Final Cut Pro Final Cut Pro comes with a set of predefined workspace layouts that determine the size and location of the main areas of the Final Cut Pro window, including the browser, the viewer, the inspector, and the timeline. If none of the existing workspace layouts meet your needs, you can create and save additional layouts. After you save a custom workspace layout, you can easily share it with others.
Share custom workspace layouts You can easily copy custom workspace layouts to another computer or share them with friends and colleagues. 1. In Final Cut Pro, save a custom workspace layout. See Save custom workspace layouts, above. 2. Choose Window > Workspaces > Open Workspace Folder in Finder. The Workspaces folder, with all the custom layouts you created, opens in the Finder. 3. In the Finder, select the custom layout files you want to share, then choose File > Compress.
Work with metadata Intro to metadata in Final Cut Pro You can view and change the information associated with a clip, referred to as a clip’s metadata. Metadata includes information about a clip’s source media files as well as information you add to a clip, such as notes.
View a clip’s metadata 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button on the right side of the toolbar. 3. Click the Info button at the top of the inspector. Metadata for the selected clip or group of clips is displayed in fields in the Info inspector.
Switch metadata views in the Info inspector You can change the metadata fields shown in the Info inspector. 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2. Open the Info inspector. 3. Click the Metadata View pop-up menu in the bottom-left corner of the Info inspector and choose a metadata view. Note: If you create custom metadata views, they also appear in the pop-up menu. Change a clip’s metadata 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2.
Modify metadata views in Final Cut Pro You can create new metadata views or modify the ones that come with Final Cut Pro. Create a new metadata view 1. Select one or more clips in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2. If the inspector isn’t already shown, do one of the following: • Choose Window > Show in Workspace > Inspector (or press Command-4). • Click the Inspector button in the toolbar. 3. Click the Info button at the top of the inspector. 4.
8. To add a property to the metadata view, select the checkbox to the left of the property. 9. When you’re satisfied with the metadata fields assigned to the metadata view, click OK. The new metadata view is added to the Metadata View pop-up menu in the Info inspector. Modify an existing metadata view You can change the combination of metadata that appears in a metadata view.
Duplicate a metadata view If you want to create a new metadata view that contains most of the metadata fields in an existing metadata view, you can save time by duplicating the existing metadata view and then modifying it. 1. Select a clip in the Final Cut Pro browser or timeline. 2. Open the Info inspector. 3.
3. Click the Info button at the top of the inspector. 4. In the Info inspector, click the Apply Custom Name pop-up menu and choose a naming preset. The clips selected in the browser are renamed. Create a new naming preset If the naming presets that come with Final Cut Pro don’t meet your needs, you can create a new naming preset and customize it. Tip: The easiest way to create a new naming preset is to duplicate an existing one. See Duplicate an existing naming preset, below. 1.
Modify an existing naming preset 1. In the Final Cut Pro browser, select the clips you want to rename. 2. Open the Info inspector. 3. Click the Apply Custom Name pop-up menu and choose Edit. 4. In the Naming Presets window, add naming tokens—metadata elements you can use to create a naming preset—by dragging them from the Clip Info, Date/Time, Format, and Camera areas to the Format field. To remove a naming token, select it in the Format field and press Delete. 5.
Use color and gradient controls Intro to color and gradient controls in Final Cut Pro The color and gradient controls appear in an inspector when you have the option to apply a custom color or gradient to a selected item, such as a title or generator in your project. Use color controls to set the color of objects such as shapes, text, and gradients. Use the gradient editor to to change gradient parameters, such as color, opacity, direction, and so on.
1. In Final Cut Pro, Control-click a color well, or click the adjacent downward arrow. 2. In the pop-up color palette, do one of the following: • Select a color from the spectrum of hues, saturation, and lightness: Click in the top area. • Select a grayscale value: Click in the bottom gradient.
Save a color to the saved swatch area in the Colors window 1. Select a color in the picker or by using the eyedropper. 2. Drag the color from the large swatch to a white square at the bottom of the Colors window. Colors saved in this area remain accessible across applications and restarts. Use expanded color controls in Final Cut Pro Sometimes you need precise numerical control over colors. You might also need to match two colors exactly or adjust a color channel independently.
Change gradient colors in Final Cut Pro You can use the gradient controls to create gradients in titles and generators. Change the colors in a gradient 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a title or generator, then open the inspector. 2. Click the Gradient disclosure triangle to show the gradient editor. 3. To change the color of a color tag in the gradient editor, do one of the following: • Double-click a color tag. The Colors window appears. Use the Colors window to set a color for the tag.
Change the opacity in a gradient 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a title or generator, then open the inspector. 2. Click the Gradient disclosure triangle to show the gradient editor. 3. In the gradient editor, click an opacity tag. The Opacity slider becomes available. 4. Use the Opacity slider or adjacent value slider to change the level of transparency. The gradient reflects the new opacity values. The lower the percentage of opacity, the greater the transparency. Add or remove a color tag 1.
Remove a color or opacity tag from the gradient 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a title or generator, then open the inspector. 2. Click the Gradient disclosure triangle to show the gradient editor. 3. In the gradient editor, drag the tag away from the gradient bar. Reverse gradient direction in Final Cut Pro You can reverse the direction of gradients in titles and generators, or evenly distribute the gradient color and opacity tags. Reverse the gradient color or opacity direction 1.
Move and copy gradient tags in Final Cut Pro You can manipulate tags in the gradient editor to create custom gradients in titles and generators. Move the position of a color or opacity tag 1. In Final Cut Pro, select a title or generator, then open the inspector. 2. Click the Gradient disclosure triangle to show the gradient editor. 3. In the gradient editor, click the color or opacity tag you want to move. 4. Do one of the following: • Drag the color or opacity tag left or right.
Basic gradient controls in Final Cut Pro Before you expand the gradient controls, you see the following in the inspector in Final Cut Pro: • Gradient preview bar: A horizontal bar that displays the currently selected gradient • Disclosure triangle: A control that, when clicked, expands to show the gradient editor Gradient editor controls in Final Cut Pro In Final Cut Pro, use the advanced gradient controls to make precise adjustments to gradients applied to selected items (such as titles and generators
The narrow bottom bar (the gradient bar) controls color in the gradient. Adjust the spread of color across the gradient by dragging one of the small box-shaped color tags horizontally along the bar. Click in the gradient bar to add more color tags. Delete a color tag by dragging it away from the gradient bar. Change the value of a color tag by selecting it and choosing a color from the color well below, or by double-clicking the tag and choosing a color from the Colors window.
• • Start: Value sliders that set the start position of the gradient in the selected object. This parameter affects the gradient as a whole—colors and opacity. Clicking the disclosure triangle stacks the X and Y value sliders vertically instead of horizontally. • X: Controls the X start position of the gradient. • Y: Controls the Y start position of the gradient. End: Value sliders that set the end position of the gradient in the selected object.
Download Final Cut Pro sound effects and Pro Video Formats Final Cut Pro includes free supplemental content and advanced video formats for use in your projects. You can download them after you install Final Cut Pro.
Glossary 4:3 The aspect ratio for standard-definition (SD) broadcast video. The ratio of the width to the height of the visible area of the video frame is 4:3, or 1.33. See also standard-definition (SD). 16:9 A widescreen aspect ratio for video. The ratio of the width to the height of the visible area of the video frame is 16:9, or 1.78. The 16:9 aspect ratio is used for high-definition (HD) video. See also high-definition (HD). AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) Also called MPEG-4 Audio.
Apple ProRes Apple codecs that provide an unparalleled combination of multistream, real-time editing performance, impressive image quality, and reduced storage rates. Apple ProRes codecs take full advantage of multicore processing and feature fast, reduced-resolution decoding modes. All Apple ProRes codecs support any frame size (including SD, HD, 2K, 4K, and 6K) at full resolution. The data rates vary based on codec type, image content, frame size, and frame rate. See also frame rate, resolution.
Apple ProRes RAW The Apple ProRes RAW and Apple ProRes RAW HQ codecs preserve all of the camera sensor’s pristine raw data to deliver extraordinarily high-quality images. ProRes RAW brings to raw video the same great performance, quality, and ease of use that ProRes has brought to conventional video, in a format ideal for HDR content creation.
batch Compressor uses a batch to contain one or more source media files that you want to convert, or transcode, to another format. Each source media file creates its own job. This means that a batch can contain multiple jobs, with each job based on its own source media file. Each job also has at least one setting that defines the format of the transcoded file. See also source media files. batch share A feature in Final Cut Pro that allows you to share multiple projects, clips, or ranges in a single export.
CEA-608 Also known as EIA-608. A caption standard for broadcasts and web video. The CEA-608 caption standard features a variety of position, formatting, color, and animation options. CEA-608 captions can be imported or exported as separate files or as tracks embedded in a media file. CEA-608 caption files have the filename extension .scc.
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 Pro give you precise control over the look of every clip in your project by allowing you to adjust the color balance, black levels, midtones, and white levels of individual clips.
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’s being said in an interview). Often, a cutaway shot is used to eliminate an unwanted visual section of another shot. The audio usually remains continuous during the cutaway, helping to make the edit less noticeable. data rate The speed at which data can be transferred, often described in megabytes per second (MB/sec.) or megabits per second (Mbps).
DVCPRO A standard-definition (SD) digital videotape recorder format that records an 8-bit, 5:1 compressed component video signal using 4:1:1 color sampling (PAL uses 4:2:0). DVCPRO supports two tracks of audio with 16-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling. DVCPRO50 A standard-definition (SD) digital videotape recorder format that records an 8-bit, 3.3:1 compressed component video signal with 4:2:2 color sampling. DVCPRO50 supports four tracks of audio with 16-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling.
event When you import video, audio, and still images, or record directly into Final Cut Pro, the source media files (your raw footage) are stored in events. An event is similar to a folder that can hold dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of video clips, audio clips, and still images, as well as projects. Each event in the library refers to media on your Mac or a storage device, and a database file keeps track of where everything is.
gamma A curve that describes the intensity of an image. Gamma is a nonlinear function often confused with brightness or contrast. Gamma adjustment is often used to compensate for differences between Mac and Windows video graphics cards and displays. gamut The gamut of a particular display device represents the total range of colors that can be displayed on that device. Some types of displays are capable of displaying a greater range of colors than others.
HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma) One of the two supported systems in the ITU-R Rec. 2100 standard for high-dynamic-range (HDR) video. The HLG transfer function relates image signal values to scene-relative light levels and is compatible with standard-dynamic-range (SDR) displays without the need for metadata. HLG was developed by the BBC and NHK broadcasting networks. hue An attribute of color perception, also known as color phase. Red, blue, yellow, and green are all hues.
job Each media file added to a batch in Compressor is a job. Each job has one media file and one or more settings that define the type of file to render. See also batch, source media files. JPEG A popular image file format that lets you create highly compressed graphics files. The amount of compression used can vary. Less compression results in a higher-quality image. keyframe A control that denotes the value of a video or audio effect parameter at a particular point in the project.
luma key An effect used to key out pixels of a certain luma value (or a range of luma values), creating a matte based on the brightest or darkest area of an image. Keying out luma values works best when your clip has a large discrepancy in exposure between the areas that you want to key out and the foreground images you want to preserve—for example, a white title on a black background. See also chroma key, matte.
monoscopic A 360° video file that uses a single projection. This is a flat (two-dimensional) rendering that can be viewed on any screen. You can navigate monoscopic 360° video in any direction, but there’s no real depth perception; viewing monoscopic video is like looking around with only one eye open. MP3 Refers to the MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer 3 compression standard and file format.
offline editing A post-production process in which raw footage is copied and edited without affecting the original camera media (film, tape, or file-based media). After a program has been completed in the offline edit (typically using proxy media at a lower resolution), an online edit is performed to re-create the edit using the original media. opacity The level of a clip’s transparency.
PQ (Perceptual Quantizer) A high-dynamic-range (HDR) transfer function that relates image signal values to absolute light levels produced by a display. PQ is standardized in SMPTE ST 2084 and is one of the two supported transfer functions in the ITU-R Rec. 2100 standard for HDR video. PQ is used in formats such as HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. project A project provides a record of your editing decisions and the media you use. You build your project by adding clips and editing them in the timeline.
replace edit In a replace edit, a source selection replaces a clip in your project in the timeline. In contrast to overwrite edits, replacing works on whole timeline clips only and can change the duration of your project. resolution Also referred to as frame size. Refers to the number of pixels in an image. Resolution is expressed in terms of the width and height of the image in pixels (for example, 640 x 360 pixels).
shortcut menu A menu you access by holding down the Control key and clicking an item on the screen, or by pressing the right mouse button. Sometimes called a contextual menu. shot A segment of continuously recorded video. A shot is the smallest unit of a program. sidebar The sidebar appears to the left of the browser and contains three panes for selecting different types of media: the Libraries sidebar, the Photos and Audio sidebar, and the Titles and Generators sidebar.
source media files The original files (video, audio, and still images or graphics) that you import into Final Cut Pro. A clip you use in Final Cut Pro points to the location where the source media file is stored (either on your Mac, a storage device, or a camcorder, camera, or device). Changes made to clips within Final Cut Pro do not affect the source media files. special effects Visual effects applied to clips and projects, such as motion, compositing, keying, and retiming effects.
sync (synchronization) 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. In Final Cut Pro, connected clips and compound clips help maintain sync in your program. See also compound clip, connected clip. Thunderbolt I/O technology that supports high-resolution displays and high-performance data devices through a single, compact port.
trim After you’ve assembled your clips in rough chronological order in the timeline, you begin to fine-tune the cut points (or edit points) between clips. Any time you make a clip in a project longer or shorter, you’re trimming that clip. In Final Cut Pro, you can use a variety of techniques to trim timeline clips and edit points, including ripple edits, roll edits, slip edits, and slide edits. Trim tool The editing tool that allows you to trim items in the timeline.
waveform monitor A video scope in Final Cut Pro that displays the relative levels of luma and chroma in the clip currently being examined. Spikes and dips in the displayed waveforms correspond to light or dark areas in your picture. See also chroma, luma. white-balance To make adjustments to a video signal being recorded in order to reproduce white as true white.
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