Final Cut Pro (FCP)

FCP

Final Cut Pro X

ENROL NOW

History of FCP

Final Cut Pro is a popular video (creating, editing, and producing) production tool run on Mac computers. The fully rewritten Final Cut Pro X was introduced by Apple in 2011. FCP has a long history starting from 1999. The completely revamped version of FCP hit on the market in 2011 with the name FCP X. Now many filmmakers and producers recommend and use this software as their core engine in film production.

User Interface

workflow

Import your media
Organize your media
1. Event - Final Cut Pro automatically organizes your imported media into events. An event is similar to a folder that can hold your media files.
Create a project
1. project is the movie you create using the media from your events
2. TimeLine
Editing your movie
1. In this phase, you will trim, cut, add media files, add text, audio, effects, transitions, fast and slow motions to your movie
2. Nondestructive editing
Export your movie

Libraries

A library contains multiple events and projects in the same location. It is the root of your folder structure or top-level container in FCP to manage the media.
The library in FCP is denoted by 4 Stars.
The library tracks all your media files, your editing decisions, and the associated metadata.
You can have multiple libraries open at the same time, and you can easily copy the contents between libraries.
Create a library.
You can rename a library.
You can open and close libraries as needed.
All your events can be seen when you expand your library.

Creating Libraries
- Organize your work in the library
- A library can contain multiple events and projects in the same location
- Media that you import into a specific library is stored inside the library and is referred to as managed media.
- Media can also be imported or copied to any location on a connected storage device and linked to the library as external media.
- Render files, optimized files, proxy files, and analysis files are all considered generated media

Event

An event is similar to a folder that can hold projects as well as dozens of audio-video image files.
The event resides under a library.
Events will help you to organize your imported media
By default, all events are stamped with the date that you import your media
Use Control +N to create a new Event

Import Media

File>Import>Media or Command+I or Import Media button

Preview the files, Sort it based on date, size etc.
Import Clips to Existing event or Create a new event
- Copy to Library - Copy the source files into the library
- Leave files in place - Link the source files to their original location where they are in. (symlinks)
- Add keyword while importing. Keywords can be added from finder Tags or folders. Keywords will be created for a number of people present in your shorts.
  - Clips with keywords you add manually or keywords imported from Finder tags or folder names have a blue line at the top
  - clips with analysis keywords have a purple line at the top
- Transcoding is the process of converting the media to different formats for better performance and playback.

analyze media

You can have Final Cut Pro analyze your media (video, audio, and still images) and automatically correct common problems.
Analysis can detect the number of people in a shot and identify whether the shot is a close-up, medium, or wide shot. Then keywords will be created automatically.
Select the video and audio analysis options that you want to apply while importing

Analyzing after import

Choose the file and reveal it in the browser
In the browser, Control-click the clip, then choose Analyze and fix. Then follow the onscreen instructions
The files which are analyzed have a purple line on the clip. To view the keyword, go to View>Browser>Skimmer info or Control+Y. Then skim the clip in the browser to see the keyword.

playback and skim media

Two tools to preview and playback media

Playhead- Marks the current position. Move the playhead by dragging (Called scrubbing). Playhead appears as a light gray vertical line. You don't hear audio while scrubbing
Skimmer-lets you preview the clips without affecting the playhead position. Skimmer appears as a red vertical line as you move over clips. Freely mover any clips without affecting playhead.

Enable or disable skimmer by S key
The skimmer has priority over playhed.
To play a project or clip, press the Space bar or click the play button in the viewer
Press Control-Shift-I to play from the beginning of a clip or a project
Press Slash(/) key to select a range and play
Audio skimming - You can enable or disable it under the view menu. or Shift + S
Shift+I moves your skimmer to start or beginning.
Control+Y for Skimmer Info

J,K, and L - Magic Keys

J=Move through reverse Speeds
K=Pause
L=Move through forward speeds

Can control the speed up to 32x
Move the playhead one frame at a time: Hold down the K key, and press J or L.
Looping play back-View > Playback > Loop Playback or press Command-L

Full-screen view-View > Playback > Play Full Screen or press Shift-Command-F or Click the Play Full Screen button. You can still use the JKL keys to control the speed. To leave full screen press escape key

Use clip skimming for individual clip by Option-Command-S or View>Clip Skimming. This is useful if you have multiple audio clips stacked on timeline, and if you want to listen only to a particular clip

Event viewer

Event viewer is a separate video display, with this you can display two clips at the same time, one from the browser and one from timeline

To enable or disable event viewer-choose Window > Show in Workspace > Event Viewer or press Control-Command-3

Comparison viewer

To compare any two frames of video side by side

To enable or disable Comparison viewer-choose Window > Show in Workspace > Comparison Viewer or press Control-Command-6.
Saved and Timeline modes

Control playback quality

Better Quality: To display full-resolution video frames in the viewer. This setting may decrease playback performance for high-quality, large-frame-size video.
Better Performance: To display video at reduced resolution. Good option for for very large media files.

Media Play back options

Optimized/Original: To edit with optimized media
Proxy Preferred: To edit with proxy media for playback, if proxy media files are not available FCP uses optimized or original media for playback
- Note: You can use the Info inspector to determine whether optimized or proxy media files exist for a given clip
Proxy Only: To edit with proxy media for playback. This option increases performance but lowers the video quality

Important: If you use proxy media for playback, make sure to switch back to optimized/
original media before sharing your project.

overlays

Video overlays guide you with boundaries to place a text or graphics. This guide appear only in the viewer not in the output files.

Title-safe-Inner 80 % of the screen - Guaranteed visibility
Action-safe overlays-Inner 90% of the screen - You may loose anything outside this boundary in most TV's

Custom Overlays

Organizing THE FILES in your librar

Assiging keywords to each file - Easy Management and it creates the key names under the event (Show it by creating multiple keywords to one file)
Space bar, JKL shortcuts
In point - End point - o, , f for favourite (Same can be done in Mark menu and select favourite ) Green line appears after marking it as favourite --> Show it for two favourite and show them a favourite key created under events
Smart Search - near the search icon somewhere in the middle - It will add a second layer of filtering with the keywords inside favourite
Shift + F - helps to locate the added piece in timeline with the actual one in event folder (12.12-7)
Skimming with the video and audio can be enabled or disabled by a button below the inspector window 18-18-11

Creating project files

Unless other softwares, FCP has a different method of creating project files before we edit it

File -> New Project or Click on New Project

Name

The empty torch created now is Called story line

Understand different method to insert by selecting different insertion buttons or you can dig it into the time one with mouse

Order in the time line can be changed by dragging individual clips towards right or left

AUDIO VIDEO

Select the file in time line and choose the button on right hand side corner to see the audio wave form in time line

Show zoom function to increase or decrease the size of thumbnail in time line (Apple minus and plus)

Adjust the audio levels by adjusting sound level line

Overlaying video clips

Use the first button in insertion to overlay a video clip

When you now move your main clip that is overlaid with another, the ovelayed clip also move along with the main clip. Its is called magnetised time line

Trimming video clips

Show how to trim the video clips with mouse, this is the normal way, advanced is way is coming on the way

Short cut for blade - B

Short cut for arrow = A, same can be taken in left hand side tools, delete a clip by delete key

Z - for magnifying glass to zoom

alt - for zoom out

T - trim tool, (called rolling trim) show the same in tool bar, this is good when we need to keep the time line as constant. say 2 minute song. you still need to trim between the cli using this advanced tool

Slip tool - Use T in one single clip and slim thru the clip .

P for position tool, show the same from tools - It will allow you to move the clips, useful to create a blanks space for some reason.

AUDIO

Voice Over - Window->record voiceover

Show where it is coming in events

show the same in timeline

Trim the audio track

Begenning and end of a clip can fade in and fade out

how to increase or reduce the music? may be at the info you may want a higher sound, and as we begin the voice over, we may want to reduce the music, level. In that case use alt key set points, then with mouse you can up down the volume.

Audio detach - right click on the video ND DETACH

Import.a music track - Drag from a window,

advanced audio

Inspector window - Click o the speaker button after selecting a video in event

you cN CONTROL THE VOLUME LEVERL FROM INSPECTOR WINDOW

Turn on the audio meter - Window--> Show to workspace-->Audio Meters

Go to inspector and turn on or off different tracks. This is useful if you are using one colour mic and another mic fitted in camera. you can turn off the voice from the open mic and choose the there one,

Next case-What if the sound is recorded as stern tracks, you can separate it as two mono tracks in inspector window-Right click on the wave form->Dual mono

How to remove the voice- Switch on the button in inspector-it will analyse, then we can possibly remove the voice in FCP

Video

Overlay video,

Lifiting the video clip or split edit - right click and lift it, So that you can synch it with the audio if needed, say if an interview begins in video, but you don't wanted to show the interview instead u want to show the product at the beginning, this method is useful

Overlaying two videos - inspector window - click on the video button , show opacity, transition, and other controls , switch on and off the effects to see the changes

advanced Video

Adding a marker for different use - Mark->markers->add a mark

Show animation in one clip - 16-16-15, do Show rotation

Titles

Below the file menu, there is a button to see the titles.

Aligmnetns properly - in inspector window

Generators

Can be used as a background, especially for titles or animations, or show something different from your usual video

Can add multiple generators to timeline and show all of them by adjusting the opacity in inspector window - 18-18-13

Add tires and show animations by adding marks 18-18-11

Effects

Adding effects and filters -Button is below the transform window.

The effects ones applied can be adjusted again in inspector window

Pixalate a video and show masking the face, or blur the face

Audio filters

You can copy all you reflect to another video by copying and paste (Menu Edit->past attributes) in another clip

You can save your preset values for later use also - That option is under the inspector window down right corner - 17-17-18

Transition

Scenario - two clips one might be office and another might be outside. and if you like to set a transition do the following

just below inspector window . there are few tools. the last one with triangle is for transition

add a transition, then adjust the length of transition with mouse . So the transition can be faster or slower

Try placing transition on one clip . it won't allow warning message will come, So we need two clips for mixing. With one clip still we can do that. try it ut and show what difference it make

Note: you need unused meta space to apply the transition in an effective way

Keys and masking

Green Screen

Animation - UFO Flying 21-19

Speed Controls

Editing guides

Choose the best pieces from the shots

Keep the sequence in order

Keep the minimum duration - Should not be too short for the audience may not grasp what you are showing - 3 sec

nd don't make too long too. People will surely distract

Audience yes focus on actors eyes. So make sure the actor leaves the place before you cut. if u cut it in between people will distract

Cut in the middle of the move. Do not cur before or after the move

Overlay interviews

Use mix of wide and close shots , Wide gives geography, but close up detail

Look for the flow

Pan and Zoom - Do not cut in Pan and Zoom before they settle, that will destroy the few Zoz the audience also expecting to move along with that PAN and move, if you cut, they will loose that fow

Do not overly use PAN and Zoom

Do not spoon feed with narration and videos

Keyboard shortcuts

Space Bar = Pause and Play
Option + N = Create a new event
Command+I = Importing media
JKL - faster , Pause slower,
S = Skimmer
Shift+S = Audio Skimming
Control-Shift-I = Play from the beginning of a clip or a projec
Slash(/) = Select a range and play
In point - I
End point - o
F - add it as a favourite
Undo - Command + Z
Redo - Command + Shift + Z
Snapping - N
Command + + = Increase the zooming in timeline
Command + - = Decreese the zooming in timeline
B = Blade tool
A = Arrow tool
Z = Magnifying glass for zoom
Alt = Zoom out
T = Trim tool
P = Position tool
Shift + F - Helps to locate the file in events folder
Control-Y-To enable or disable Keyword info while skimming the clip in browser
Space bar = Play and Pause
Control-Shift-I = To play from the beginning
J=Move through reverse Speeds
K=Pause
L=Move through forward speeds

FAQ

1) Can I replace the symbolic links with the actual source media later?

Yes, File>Consolidate Event files

2) Can I record a video directly into FCP using your computers built-in camera and mic?

Yes, Click the import media button in the toolbar for this option, Choose the camera listed on the left side of the media import window and choose import. Then follow the on screen instructions or actions

3) What are the supported video formats?

• Apple Animation codec
• Apple Intermediate codec
• Apple ProRes (all versions)
• Apple ProRes RAW and Apple ProRes RAW HQ
• AVCHD (including AVCCAM, AVCHD Lite, and NXCAM)
• AVC-ULTRA (including AVC-LongG, AVC-Intra Class 50/100/200/4:4:4, and AVC-Intra LT)
• Canon Cinema RAW Light (requires the camera manufacturer’s plug-in software)
• DV (including DVCAM, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO50)
• DVCPRO HD
• H.264
• HDV
• HEVC (requires macOS High Sierra 10.13)
• iFrame
• Motion JPEG (OpenDML only)
• MPEG IMX (D-10)
• QuickTime formats
• REDCODE RAW (R3D) (requires the camera manufacturer’s plug-in software)
• Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2
• Uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2
• XAVC (including XAVC-S)
• XDCAM HD/EX/HD422
• XF-AVC
• XF-HEVC

• 3GP
• AVI
• MOV (QuickTime)
• MP4
• MTS/M2TS
• MXF

4) What are the supported Audio formats?

• AAC
• AIFF
• BWF
• CAF
• MP3
• MP4
• RF64 (requires macOS High Sierra 10.13)
• WAV

5) What are the supported Image formats?

• BMP
• GIF
• HEIF (requires macOS High Sierra 10.13)
• JPEG
• PNG
• PSD (static and layered)
• RAW
• TGA
• TIFF