Make It Big—Part 1
Contents
1. 3 EDITION FINAL CUT STUDIO ON THE SPO TIME SAVING TECHNIQUES FOR USING FINAL CUT PRO AND THE STUDIO APPLICATIONS Richard Harrington Abba Shapiro Robbie Carman COVER PAGE COMING FROM PRODUCTION Acquisitions Editor Paul Temme Associate Acquisitions Editor Dennis McGonagle Publishing Services Manager George Morrison Project Manager Kathryn Liston Assistant Editor Chris Simpson Marketing Manager Rebecca Pease Layout Richard Harrington and Meredith Lydon Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive Suite 400 Burlington MA 01803 USA Linacre House Jordan Hill Oxford OX2 8DP UK Copyright 2008 Elsevier Inc All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic mechanical photocopying recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier s Science amp Technology Rights Department in Oxford UK phone 44 1865 843830 fax 44 1865 853333 E mail permissions elsevier com You may also complete your request online via the Elsevier homepage http elsevier com by selecting Support amp Contact then Copyright and Permission and then Obtaining Permissions Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written Elsevier prints its books on acid free paper whenever possible Lib2. Choose a location for the layout maybe a USB thumb drive discussed in a previous tip Before you click OK notice the format pull down at the bottom of the dialog box When it says Fixed Aspect Layout FCP will remember the exact size of the layout when you save it If you open a Fixed Aspect Layout on your laptop it will be HUGE If you change this pull down to Auto Aspect Layout FCP will attempt to keep the window arrangement the same as it is Save As Perfect Layout now when opened on screens with different resolutions by Where 7 Window Layouts changing the size of windows This is the option to choose if you find yourself opening up window layouts on different monitors all the time Fixed Aspect Layout v Auto Aspect Layout Cancel Save NIONIDONId NIONIDONId 10 Custom Views in the Audio Mixer If you re using the Audio Mixer you know that it can be a pretty powerful tool Like many things in Final Cut Pro the Audio Mixer is customizable Let s see how Launch the Audio Mixer by choosing Tools gt Audio Mixer or Option 6 The Audio Mixer shows you the controls for all the tracks you have in your project but if you take a closer look on the top of the bar of the Audio Mixer there are four view buttons Using these buttons you can create up to four custom views Why do this Well maybe in view 1 you want to see all of your tracks in view 2 just your dialog tracks in
3. If you do that it eliminates the copy to the drive step and eliminating steps is good Gee I Really Wish Something about Final Cut Pro bother you Really wish something were different Well Apple does listen you just need to know the secret knock Choose Help gt Feedback Fill in your comments and submit don t expect a phone call but the comments DO get read Lock Down Part 1 Want to preserve a video track Then lock it Hold down F4 and then type a track number using the top row of number keys You can lock tracks V1 V9 For audio locking use F5 and a number key This is a great way to avoid accidental edits Lock Down Part 2 Need to work on one video track without affecting any others Hold down the Option key and click on your desired track s lock wo I icon All other video tracks will i be locked To unlock all tracks igs simply hold down Option and click the lock icon again This trick also works on audio tracks Global Lock Down Need to lock all your video or audio tracks Simply press Shift F4 to lock video tracks or Shift F5 to lock all audio tracks Repeat the key combo to unlock all tracks GR 01 06 14 23 ks S Er d NI SNIS9N1d TA New Way to Ingest In the past few years tapeless acquisition and post production have really taken off One really popular tapeless format is Panasonic s P2 Capable of shooting DV all the w
4. 34 Effects are more than dragging and dropping Learn how to control your effects for professional results We ll also show you some of the best tricks of the trade 4 A Cut Above Building Better Transitions 58 They say it s all in the details Transitions are one of those details that can make or break a show Learn to create commercial quality transitions 5 Fixing It in Post Using Color Correction You Need It 72 We ll show you how to save a shot create a mood and keep it all broadcast legal 6 Living Large Working in an HD World 98 In this chapter we ll focus on a lot of big picture HD issues and techniques to help make your move to HD an easy one and you d better move quick 7 Type Oh Creating Titles That Work 118 We ll harness Generators Motion LiveType and Photoshop to build titles that impress your clients 8 One Click Wonders Using Buttons and Keyboard Shortcuts 134 There are two kinds of editors fast and underemployed Every second counts when you re rushing to make a deadline 9 Sounds Good Enhancing and Troubleshooting Audio 152 Sound is more than half the picture We ll fix audio problems improve the mix and use other applications you already own for creative solutions 10 Still Life Designing and Importing Graphics 188 Learn how to move seamlessly between graphics and video applications 11 Master of Your Domain Controlling the Timeline 208 The Timeline is the blueprint for your p
5. Final Cut Pro s interface after all you paid good money for a Baby Grand so learn to play it well CHAPTE NI ONIS9N1d 05 00 01 00 03 00 Odeo DOOU P o0 AAAA Q orotat Or Ka Da Desktop amp Screen Saver Show Ail fo M Computer Name a La Flurry l T Abstract a Beach 4 Cosmos e l Forest ow Tienes Arteork mj Hamre Pania jel ASS Visualizer s LAA Sacchi J C Use random screen saver Options Tex SLT preen saver R i Eo Shee her HotComers _ Better Bins Get Dynamic with Interfaces One of the coolest features of Final Cut Pro is the dynamic resizing of the interface You can now quickly adjust the size of windows using dynamic resizing Clicking between two windows or at the intersection of multiple windows allows you to drag and resize all windows You no longer have to resize one window at a time Need more space in the Timeline Just grab the top edge and pull upward Want to see more in the Viewer Grab the edge and pull to the right It s simple to quickly change the size of a window and view exactly what you need a Ta ees Neits a MO el Footage C Stills Ee Dscnoes3ips DSCHOSEO tiF DECHOAEE Ai E oscrog72 tt few ncnia MATETE DSENDEZ SAIL EE Flugging tn Want to open a bin without eating up more window space You can hold down the Option key and double click O0 00 10 00 0 01 0000 OOOTTHOG O001
6. Get It Right from the Start Even Forgetful People Can Be Efficient Tooltips Give Psychic Powers Batting Lefty Foreshadowing Using Pre roll A Dupious Achievement Give Me a Break Timecode That Is How to Miss FedEx CYA The Autosave Vault You Do He Do She Do Undo Hear More in Real Time In a Vacuum Trimming with Audio Make More Room for Final Cut Studio Keep It Safe in Motion Limit Real Time Video Avoiding the Capture Blues Seeing Red Sequence Settings Give Your Eyes a Break Got a Broadcast Monitor Then Use It Calibrating Your Monitor How to Close a Project Fast Get to the Good Stuff More Than Meets the Eye When You Don t Want Your PALs Around Look Before you Dig Capture Settings Streamline Your Presets How to Kill a Hard Drive Danger Danger Aww Shut Up MacBook Pro Users Reclaim Your F Keys Auto Conform Sequence What Happens with Auto Conform Where d My Stuff Go CHAPTER Setting Yourself Up for Success User Settings for Best Performance Preferences preferences preferences These are the settings that turn an off the lot car into a supercharged racing machine User settings not only make Final Cut Studio work better and faster they make it work better and faster for you They tune the engine to your style of driving lt 9 One of the beauties of Final Cut Pro is that it s plug and play You can literally edit DV right out of the box What s
7. view 3 just natural sound tracks and in view 4 music and effects That sounds great but how do you actually choose which tracks get assigned to each view The trick is the black circles next to each track in the track visibility area Note If your track visibility area is not being shown click the disclosure triangle next to the top of the first track strip First select the view you d like to edit Next using the black circles next to each track in the track visibility area select which tracks you want in this view A black filled in circle will include that track in the view while an empty circle indicates that track will not be part of the view A Window to the World One window layout that many find confusing is the Multiple Edits layout While we agree that at first it can be a little hard to figure out which window is which this layout is really powerful for comparing edits to your current playhead position as well as to see what you have loaded in the Viewer To load this view choose Window gt Arrange gt Multiple Edits Oh boy What did we get into here There are all sorts of windows displaying things Take a deep breath let s break it down e The window layouts from left to right excluding Timeline and Browser are the Viewer a Frame Viewer that shows the previous edit relative to the current location of our playhead in the Timeline the Canvas which shows our current playhead location and a Frame Vi
8. 0 and F11 which Final Cut Pro uses for Insert Overwrite and Replace Edit Launch the System Preferences from under the Apple menu Click on the Expos icon in the first row Hold down the Control key and click on the drop down menus under Keyboard Change All windows to Control F9 F9 Application windows to Control F10 F10 Desktop to Control F11 F11 and Dashboard to Control F12 4F12 Edit away like you used to the feature is there when you need it Aar Dashboard amp Expos Show All ai o Eip re allows you bo remipaorarily fee all your open winkdows af once 0 you can easily cick on any window to bring it te the front You can set a Dashboard shortcut to show ior hide the Dashboard Anime Siper Le merr FFA H N Disable Screen Save A k Fj _ Start Screen Saver 4 et det me dpm te TL Allwindowa Fo Application windows F10 Deektop FII z E a8 Dashboard F12 F mime chortcut choices pirsa e Shii Carool Goian of Conard heyi NI ONIS9N1d NI ONIS9N1d Nv y 2 Window Layouts Perfect Layout i Track Layouts Plugins J Keyboard Layouts Final Cut Pro Prof Cache Final Cut Pro Obj Cache Final Cut Pro 6 0 Prefs Custom Settings Column Layouts Button Bars Yv nh a an Ws BRUIR GR v V v a y Vue Final Cut Pro User Manual Release Notes New Features HD and Broadcast Formats Final Cut Pro Support
9. 00 00 AOOR1COD ONDLUONO G0 00 30 01 Nor ser a bin s icon to open it as a tab in its parent window This helps keep your interface lean and clean save Your Monitors This one comes from first hand experience Screensavers serve a greater good than entertainment though we still see those Flying Toasters from time to time in our dreams You ll want to set your screensavers to trigger automatically 30 minutes of inactivity is probably enough time to stare at the screen Otherwise you can get monitor burn that leaves a ghosted image on the screen Make It Big Part 1 Depending on your work style you may like to make your tracks taller or shorter Tall tracks are great when you are looking at your audio waveforms Shorter tracks are helpful when you re trying to composite multiple layers Previous versions of Final Cut shipped with four preset track heights but now you can change them individually Click on the thin gray line between tracks and grab You can now drag and size the height of each track individually Make It Big Part 2 Hold down the Option key and you can size all of your video or audio tracks at once Hold down the Shift key and you can size all tracks at once The First Thing You Should Do Save No Save As We admit sometimes we get a little excited when we sit down to edit It s time for the magic to happen all of the preproduction and production is about to come together into ou
10. Final Cut Pro on the Web Apple Training Centers Feedback Create Support Profile Bring It With You One issue that freelance editors come across all the time is making the machine they re using on any given day feel like theirs We re not talking about a dirty keyboard we re talking about Final Cut Pro settings Many people realize that in FCP you can create custom keyboard layouts window layouts column layouts Timeline track layouts and button bars but many people don t realize how easy it is to take these custom settings from place to place The first step is knowing where these files are stored e By default FCP stores custom settings in User gt Library gt Preferences gt Final Cut Pro User Data In this folder you ll find subfolders for window layouts etc e To take these layouts with you simply attach a drive a USB thumb drive works well and copy the subfolders onto your drive e When you arrive at your next editing gig simply load your custom settings by choosing the appropriate window to load them i e Window gt Arrange gt Load Window Layout Navigate to your thumb drive and choose the file that matches what you want One thing to note is that even though FCP likes to save these files by default in the folder listed above you don t have to save your settings there When you create a custom setting you can choose any location to save the new file including in this example the USB thumb drive
11. Ji praet M fender AT egmanii Conn ES 17 SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLAS 18 oe Auto Outputs _ Prompt for settings on New Project prompt for settings on New Sequence l Auto Render _ _ _ Start Render after 15 minutes Render Open Sequences e Render RT Segments Mphow Tooltips F Bring all windows to the front on activation Open last project on application launch Get It Right from the Start Using Presets If you re working with multiple formats and resolutions this is a critical preference It s easy to create a new sequence and have it set up improperly for the media you are working on So under User Preferences check the Prompt for settings on New Sequence checkbox and Final Cut Pro will ask you to set your sequence settings each time you create a new sequence You ll want to pick the preset that matches the primary media format of your Timeline If you know you ll only work with one type of sequence you can uncheck Prompt for settings on New Project Even Forgetful People Can Be Efficient Auto Render This feature is made for long client phone calls unexpected staff meetings or alien abductions Even if you forget to render Final Cut Pro can automatically render your work for you Simply check the Auto Render box on the General tab of the User Preferences panel Tell Final Cut Pro how long to wait and which sequences to render You can also choose whether to
12. Set Custom Layout 2 CU Audio Mixing Color Correction Dual Sereen Color Correction Dual Sereen Editing Dual Screen Multiple Edits Multiple Edits Standard jl Twa Up Restore Window Layou i Ser Custam Layout 1 ae Set Custom Layout 2 U Audio Mixing Color Correction Dual Screen Color Correction Dual Sereen Editing Dual Screen Multiple Edits Multiple Edits Standard Al Two Up Save Window Layout Restore Window Layout COU That s the Spot You ve perfectly configured your windows Every palette is exactly where you want it The Timeline has just enough room and you ve got the audio meter exactly where it should be Now save that window arrangement Long term storage Choose Window gt Arrange gt Save Layout This setting is stored by default in your Window Layouts folder Final Cut Pro also has custom layouts at the bottom of the list with a new keyboard shortcut automatically assigned Nowcall up your Button List Tools gt Button List or Option J and type the word window Grab the Window Layout button and drag it to a convenient button well Note that the Custom layout is an alphabetized list Number your layouts when saving them Editing 1 Effects 2 Compositing and so on Short term storage Still testing the layout to make sure you like it You can save it temporarily in one of two custom positions Hold down the Option key and choose Window gt Arrang
13. Tatas taneg el a aa P al iay pii ote Byen inira 2 Gowbdr Click the Winda Tithe Bar Wadewthade m Ciri the Minkmire Burman Mmnimere Ta merk E Conrad imi Goub Click thi Window Tithe Bar Mahe Tigitigaiaiie Cominand Dede Clack be Windi Title Bi Make Traneparent Pest Canes oe a Minimite To Pik Bess the Command W Key Twice Mate Wintiew ia Ua Tey F E Pathe Canmol Ai Rey Thre Minig i i Pace OS X Child Proof Windows No More Miss the ability to roll a window up The window shade feature of OS 9 was a nice way to keep a window open but out of the way allowing you to quickly jump into your Finder without having to hide Final Cut Pro or minimize a window Until Apple decides to put this feature back there s a great alternative WindowShade X from Unsanity com is a reasonably priced option that allows you to collapse windows As a bonus it also can make windows transparent or minimize them in place Our favorite feature is the ability to disable the Minimize to Dock option This will prevent you from accidentally banishing a bin or window when you click its title bar Time on Your Side Are you the decisive type Know exactly what you want Then this shortcut is for you It s possible to specify the exact duration for a shot quickly Mark an In point by pressing I in the Viewer Press Tab the duration field is now highlighted Type in the desired duration but omit any colons or semicolon
14. a Video and Audio path for the Simulator and click OK To invoke click the Simulator button and use the virtual controls on the Simulator window keke aro s _ Audio Scrubbing 15 iv Snapping n External Video Refresh A V Devices Video Playback Audio Playback Show Multiclip Angles gt Single Frames SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLAS SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLAS 26 Calibrating Your Monitor Using Color Bars While it s not quite a user setting you ll want to get your monitor calibrated from the get go Otherwise you ll make bad decisions regarding color and exposure Color bars are used to calibrate the monitor but the bars have to come from a source that is known to be accurate You can use a Color Bar generator which is a specialized piece of test equipment that few people actually own Fortunately there are other sources of accurate color bars You could use taped color bars but you would have to be sure that they were recorded correctly and that the playback deck is also calibrated Recorded color bars are not recommended as a source of bars because there is no easy way to be sure the source of the bars and the deck are accurately calibrated Fortunately we do have a ready reference Final Cut Pro and most NLEs can produce color bars using the Color Bar generator which can be selected from the Generators menu in the Viewer window The color bars generated in Final Cut Pro are an accura
15. arn new tricks every day and we still smile and say Wow We wanted to pass that excitement along As much as we love this program we can t teach everywhere we can t answer the phone every night at 3 a m our families would kill us and we can only get across so many tips in the time allotted to us at conferences So we wrote a book The idea was to give the reader the cream off the top of the milk just the good stuff Final Cut Pro is a great program with tons of features and shortcuts the problem is separating the cream from the skim milk If you read every tech document on the web perused every page of the manual attended all of the Apple certification courses and hung out with all the other FCP uber geeks not to mention the Final Cut Pro people at Apple you d have a bounty of knowledge trust us we have and we do But you have a life a job and no time to dig to find those gems If you re impatient on a deadline or just can t stand to look at another Getting Started with Final Cut Pro book this book is for you We ve used Final Cut Pro from the beginning in fact we ve got more than 40 years combined experience with nonlinear editing and 50 years of hands on Apple usage And we ve distilled that knowledge into this book giving you the best tidbits and secrets we have All we ask is that you tell your friends about this book and that when you win your first Oscar Emmy or make your first million d
16. ay up to 1080p it s one cool format Apple recognized this format and built the Log and Transfer window although Log and Transfer does support other tapeless formats RiP a le MI ONIDONAA It s called Log and Transfer because you re simply just transferring digital files from disk to disk This is unlike tape based media that you have to capture into a file on disk i e Log and Capture To launch Log and Transfer choose File gt Log and Transfer or Shift Commandt 8 Overall the Log and Transfer window operates like the Log and Capture window The big difference of course is how it ingests the media Unlike Log and Capture where you have a few options for how to get the footage on to disk with Log and Transfer you simply log your clip and then click Add Clip Selection to the Queue to begin the transfer to your scratch disk A Bit of Scale Maybe you get stuck bringing a lot of work home on the weekends Never happened to us Yeah right At work perhaps you use a big 30 Cinema Display but at home you re working off your laptop You re already hip to saving custom window layouts but when you get on your laptop and load your favorite layout it s gigantic and set up for your work monitor The one thing you might be missing is changing the format of your custom window layouts Here s how to do it Arrange your windows as you see fit Choose Window gt Arrange gt Save Window Layout
17. e gt Set Custom Layout Now when you return you will find the Custom Layouts have been set Move the Dock The Dock was not designed for use with Final Cut Pro Seems gt Show All like it s always popping up and getting in the way In its default position bottom of the screen it can eat away valuable monitor space that you could use for your Timeline But like most things in OS X there s a preference that can be changed Goto the Apple menu and choose System Preferences and click the Dock button Dock al Dock Size Small Large v Magnification Min flac Position on screen Left Bottom Right Minimize using Scale Effect E Tell the system that you want to automatically hide and show the Dock This will put the Dock away when it s not in use Animate opening applications Ww Automatically hide and show the Dock Change the Dock s position Placing the Dock on the left or right side of the screen will allow you to have more screen real estate for your Timeline When the OS Guys Don t Talk to the Pro App Guys A great feature in OS X called Expos allows you to quickly see all of your open windows or hide everything to get to the desktop We find this feature very useful in applications like Photoshop or Word when we have a bunch of documents open but it s a bear in FCP when all of your windows start flying around the screen To make things worse Expos uses F9 F1
18. ent is standing over your editing system I just pushed a few buttons really It s okay if the Autosave Vault feature is turned on This great feature will back up your project automatically You tell it how often to save how many versions to save and how many total projects can be archived This is a great way to cover yourself against unexpected events If things ever go wrong simply choose File gt Restore Project This way you can quickly access time stamped versions of your project After restoring a project immediately select the Save Project As command and revert to the original name Otherwise the Autosave Vault feature will start building a new project folder for the project with a name such as FCP Tips_O8_12_ 08_0241 Use this the next time a producer pulls a 180 degree turn on you and wants to go back three hours in time You Do He Do She Do Undo General If you ve got RAM you might as well use it Final Cut Pro supports up to 99 levels of undo Your safety net just got bigger But remember more undos will cut into your performance so find a good balance that works for you and your machine Hear More in Real Time Editing Labels Timeline Options Render Contra Levels of Undo 10 actions List Recent Clips 10 entries Real time Audio Mixing 8B tracks While you can mix sample rates in your Timeline it is taxing on your system Switching your audio playback quality to the Low setting w
19. even better is how flexible and scalable it is You can work with DV SD HD film 24p internal drives external drives PAL NTSC the list goes on But all that flexibility means you need to configure your system Beyond hardware configuration there are even more options to set How do you want Final Cut Pro to modify graphic files How often should it save a backup copy Do you want your Motion projects to back themselves up What s the default number of audio tracks in a new sequence You can customize hundreds of settings This chapter will help you fine tune your NLE system s performance and ensure fewer headaches down the road User Preferences _ enii eal g Ce Level of Unde 10 actions _ Prompt for sermngs Gn New Project Lar Recent Chee 10 entries i Prompt for settings on Nin Sequennt Rial time Audio Mixing track E Syne audio captute to video source Ff preen Audio Payback Quality Loe faster F Repent dropped Names during play buat Limi real tiene video to 10 Mans Abert ETT PTV on deopped frames abort capture on dropoed frames Show Toonnps On timecode break Make New Clin E E Bring all window to the Proar on activation i Warn when importing non npiimized metha F Open last prejeti on apolecanen launch Grower Taer Sai Smali O itis F auone Vai E Au Perier aE ES Save a copy every Z minutes Start Render afte 45 minutes Keep at mot 40 copied ger project fender Open Sequences E Maree of
20. ewer that shows the next edit relative to the current location of our playhead in the Timeline e As you navigate the Timeline you ll notice that the Canvas window updates as it normally would and the Frame Viewers on either side of the Canvas window update automatically showing the previous and next edits respectively e If you find yourself doing a lot of color correction this is one of the best views you can use It is also particularly useful for trying to match the flow of action between a group of shots es m 20009 net Ee reana __ O AmA Aam TH x a MACAE NI NI DSNATd NI ONIS9N1d 12 Keys to the Locks If you find yourself needing to lock and unlock tracks often remember you can customize your keyboard layout We suggest mapping the toggle track locks to a Function Key combo For example try mapping Toggle Track Lock V1 V8 to Option F1 F8 You can then map Toggle Track A1 A8 to Option Command F1 F8 This will significantly speed up your Timeline editing ability Here or There It s important to realize the difference between working with Browser clips and Timeline clips This is critical when creating titles When you generate a title you should immediately cut it SAMPLE TEXT into the Timeline and then reload it into the Viewer by double clicking it in the Timeline That way you can see how your modifications look against the final image You can do the same with filter
21. he Browser and Timeline Select the Browser or Timeline window Choose View gt Text Size and specify Small Medium or Large Alternately you can contextual click in the Browser and choose a text size Got a Broadcast Monitor Then Use It All of the major applications in Final Cut Studio support the use of an external video monitor However each application is a little different in how you set it up and not all applications will support every configuration of hardware cards or decks Be sure the hardware is powered on and properly connected before launching an application Final Cut Pro Choose Final Cut Pro gt Easy Setup Pick the profile that matches your hardware Choose View gt External Video gt All Frames Command F12 If you have more than one device you can specify it by choosing View gt Video Playback gt and choosing the device Color Choose the Setup Room by pressing Command 1 Locate the Video Output menu toward the right edge Note Color currently does not support FireWire monitoring of any kind including DVCPRO HD and AJA IO devices Motion Choose Motion gt Preferences and click the Output tab Select an Output path based on your active hardware Soundtrack Pro Choose Soundtrack Pro gt Preferences and click the Video Out tab Select a device from the popup menu DVD Studio Pro Choose DVD Studio Pro gt Preferences and click the Simulator tab Choose
22. igned to warn film editors of this problem Video editors can benefit as well Think of this as a dummy switch When enabled dupe detection alerts you if you ve used a particular shot already in your Timeline by placing a red bar at the bottom of the clip This can be useful when cutting B roll into a long format show If you have duplicate frames in a transition look for white dots to the leftand or right of the transition Give Me a Break Timecode That Is Oops bump bang pardon me excuse me ah sorry If DV tapes could talk this is how many people s tapes would sound filled with huge chunks of timecode and control track breaks The Make New Clip on Timecode Break feature works well but it can only do so much Sometimes you need to go to plan B or C If you only need to grab a clip or two try Capture Now If your tape is really hosed get a 4 pin to 4 pin FireWire cable borrow a second camera and CLONE your bad tape onto a new one Create a new master with continuous timecode and no control track breaks The trick here is to start recording the new master first so that the camera generates new timecode instead of cloning the bad timecode Still Freeze Duration 00 00 10 00 Preview Pre roll 00 00 03 00 00 00 02 00 Preview Post roll a big beri in g ala 8 x Show Video Filnstr ips Show Audio Waveforms 1 A2 a Show Through Edits Show Clp Labee aj
23. ill Audio Playback Quality Low faster g allow you more channels of real time audio Don t worry on a Print to _ Limit real time video to 20 MB s Video or Edit to Tape command Final Cut Pro will automatically switch to maximum quality In a Vacuum Trimming with Audio re So you want to be a trimming god or goddess it s essential you set your trimming preferences correctly Otherwise you might as well wear earmuffs and pull a hat over your eyes You now have a choice between a global or a local listen while in the Trim Edit window Choose Final Cut Pro gt User Preferences or press Option Q From the Editing tab choose from the following options Audio Outputs Mi Dynamic Trimming M Trim with Sequence Audio SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLAS _ Trim with Edit Selection Audio Mute Other e Dynamic Trimming This allows you to use your J K L keys for trimming in the Trim Edit window You can now ripple and roll the edit point back and forth e Trim with Sequence Audio This is so you can listen to all sequence audio tracks while trimming e Trim with Edit Selection Audio Mute Others This mutes all audio tracks except those currently selected in the Timeline Click OK 21 SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLAS 22 Apple masier irer Manual Live Type Laer Manual obr Make More Room for Final Cut Studio So you might think we re obsessive but we t
24. iro and Robbie Carman vii Get Dynamic with Interfaces Better Bins Save Your Monitors Make It Big The First Thing You Should Do Save No Save As That s the Spot Move the Dock When the OS Guys Don t Talk to the Pro App Guys Bring It With You Gee Really Wish Lock Down Global Lock Down A New Way to Ingest A Bit of Scale Custom Views in the Audio Mixer A Window to the World Keys to the Locks Here or There Expose Part Deux Clean Your Room OS X Child Proof Windows No More Time On Your Side What s Your Destination Am I Loaded Gear Down Plugging In Mastering Final Cut Pro s Interface So you want to be fast A virtuoso of the Final Cut Pro keyboard A concert pianist doesn t see the piano as a tool but as a conduit for the music In the same way Final Cut Pro is a conduit for your show and your creativity Mastering the interface will keep you from stumbling in the dark hitting the wrong keys and making a lot of noise You have to know what all your tools do where to find them and how to access their power instantly Over time you ll gain confidence with all the controls You want to be able to make the interface disappear which will allow you to reach inside the computer and create Great editors know that the more brainpower they can put toward their edit session not edit system the better their show turns out Practice your scales Don t skimp on learning
25. l time video to 24 MB s M Show Tooltips SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLIS Abort capture on dropped frames A On timecode break Make NewClip MA Warn when impor Abort Capture 7 Warn After Capture Browser Text Size 4 23 SSIDINS Y04 dN ATASUNOA ONILLAS Seeing Red When Sequence Settings Go Wrong If you ve customized your sequence settings and you re getting red bars across nearly he i all your footage you re probably not configured correctly It s likely that the last project you worked on used a different configuration such as Widescreen or Offline RT UO eee ee te a Check your sequence s settings Command O zero Sequence Settings There are a few places to change sequence settings The important detail to remember is which settings you want to change Selecting Final Cut Pro gt User Preferences and going to the Timeline Options tab allows you to modify all future sequences Selecting Sequence gt Settings Command 0 or selecting the Timeline submenu allows you to modify the current sequence only You must have the Canvas or Timeline selected for this command to work Give Your Eyes a Break Adjusting Browser Text Size Whether you re working on a high res monitor we are or just getting a little older us too sometimes it gets a little hard to see things in the Final Cut Pro interface Fortunately you can adjust how large text appears in t
26. ollars you remember us or better yet just smile and thank us at the next NAB DV or Apple trade show Who Is This Book For If you ve edited nonlinear video for a while and feel comfortable editing you can get a lot out of this book If you re a seasoned editor we may help break you of some extremely slow habits and show you some really cool techniques This book will help you move to a higher level If you ve never opened the manual read another Final Cut Pro book or taken a training class don t start here You must learn to walk before you can run If you re a newbie this book may leave you a bit overwhelmed Buy it anyway but read it after you ve had some walking lessons With that said don t try to read the book linearly Shop for ideas jump around a lot and work your way through the chapters you need most We ve left extra space by the tips so you can jot down your own notes If you re a mobile editor this book should fit nicely in your bag Hit a tough spot Just pull the book out when the client leaves the room to check for a new idea or a troubleshooting tip Have a few minutes to kill Read a tip We bet you ll return to the application with some new ideas and new energy If yov re looking for the little sidebars or tips in the margins there aren t any This whole book is filled with more than 500 tips Get reading already you ve got a deadline to make Richard Harrington Abba Shap
27. pua ag Save Track Layout Restore Track Layout al a amp Reduced Small Mediurn Large 19 SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLAS SSIDINS YOd dN 4TASUNOA ONILLAS _ Report dropped frames during playback ynno ETT PTYV on dropped frames Wi Abort capture on dropped frames Mi Autosave Vault 20 Save a copy every 30 minutes Keep at most 40 copies per project Maximum of 25 projects Restore Project Restore Project FCPOTS fcp From Today 1 25 PM re O aw M eee On timecode break Make New Clip How to Miss FedEx Abort on Dropped Frames You re rushing to get a rough cut out to the client for review purposes Maybe you ve rendered everything or you ve taken advantage of Final Cut Pro s ability to output frames without rendering Then 25 minutes into your 30 minute program the Print to Video command aborts because of a dropped frame Yes dropped frames are bad But missed deadlines are worse Disable the Abort ETT PTV on dropped frames checkbox on the General tab of the User Preferences panel when you re making a rushed output on a deadline This will keep the layout from being aborted Restore the dropped frame option when making archival masters of your program CYA The Autosave Vault Ever have a project go bad A file get corrupted Maybe the system crashed OS X never crashes it just has an undocumented close feature Worse you come back from lunch and the cli
28. r latest masterpiece New project check Tapes loaded and labeled check Start to capture WaAIT The problem is that Final Cut Pro assigns clips to a folder on your drive based on the project name Without a project name your clips will get stored in the ever deadly Untitled folder ALWAYS choose Save As from the File menu as soon as you create a new project This way your clips will have a project association and get stored in the right place WISE F UJELI Save Project 5 Save All XES Revert Project Restore Project Import e Save Project As S NI ONIS9N1d NI ONIS9N1d a a 1 i i i i vi a i 1 iF j i i un pi j Ftit a WANA METI T I DEERE pisi I i Laat 7 EEE LET Ii POL PERL Pat BVT ELa Baa oe ee HIEI G PETT wes PE en ETI j UFEN UI Send Behind Lif Tool Palette J P Viewer Bl w Canvas a s Timeline KI Audio Meters a s Browser a4 Effects 5 Favorites xe Export Queue Browser Timeline Plugging In in FCPS Tips Canvas Plugging in in FCP4 Tips Viewer DSCNOBBOA in FCPS Tips Viewer DSCNOSGO 0f in FCPS Tips Browser Timeline Flugging in in FCP4 Tips Canvis Mugging In in FERS Tips Send Behind Arrange a v Tool Palette af Viewer Zl v Canvas 2 Timeline 3 Audio Meters 4 Browser a4 Effeces x4 Favorites 2G Export Queue Save Window Layout Set Custom Layout 1 L
29. rary of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Application submitted British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 978 0 240 81007 2 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www books elsevier com 0809101112 10987654321 Printed in the United States Working together to grow libraries in developing countries www eclseviencom wwwbookaidvorg wwwisabre ore ELSEVIER ROOK AID international Sabre Foundation Dedication This book is dedicated to my wife Meghan our children Michael and Colleen and our family Richard Harrington This book is dedicated to my children Daniel and Ian and my family Abba Shapiro To my parents John and Marcia for supporting me in my dream to do what I do To my beautiful wife Catherine for her undying support and to Jason Osder for his help throughout Robbie Carman Contents 1 Plugging In Mastering Final Cut Pro s Interface 1 The first step to becoming a faster editor is knowing the interface like the back of your hand which you ll see a lot of while editing 2 Setting Yourself Up for Success User Settings for Best Performance 16 Out of the box Final Cut Pro is a fast application But like a race car engine a little tweaking gets you to the finish line quicker with fewer pit stops 3 Notching It Up Taking Effects to the Next Level
30. render real time segments we usually do Tooltips Give Psychic Powers Want to quickly learn the name and shortcuts for your tools That s why Tooltips are there Just hover over an unknown button and you ll often discover its name and keyboard shortcut If this isn t working check the Show Tooltips box on the General tab of the User Preferences panel Batting Lefty Customizing the Keyboard J K L editing is the most useful shortcut for fast editing But a lot of lefties find it fatiguing to drive right handed harness Final Cut Pro s mappable keyboard Go to Tools gt Keyboard Layout gt Customize Option H and unlock your keyboard Now drag the J K and L keys to A S and D respectively While you re there set W and E to be In and Out respectively and then edit away Foreshadowing Using Pre roll We usually find that Final Cut Pro shows too much Preview Pre roll When trim ming on the fly or reviewing an edit point Pre roll allows you to review what happens before an edit Simply choose the Editing tab of the User Preferences window and modify the default preference of 5 00 We usually find that two or three seconds is adequate And hey every second counts when trying to meet a deadline A Dupious Achievement Dupe Detection Dupe detection has its origins in film editing If you repeat a shot you need to duplicate that clip because the physical film can t be in two places at once Dupe detection is des
31. roject We ll teach you how to build a show more efficiently 12 Multiple Camera Angles Getting Results with Multiclips 230 When executed properly a multicamera shoot can save enormous time in the post production process That is if you do things right 13 Crisis Management Troubleshooting and Recovery Techniques 244 It s inevitable that things go wrong usually just before deadline We ll show you quick fixes to get you back on track 14 The Finish Line Learning Advanced Finishing Techniques 264 We ve done some reverse engineering to create some tips that will wow your viewers or just make the job go more smoothly 15 A Place for Everything Media Management and Backup 282 Video projects are never done they only run out of time or money Changes always happen so be ready for them 16 Out of the Box Exporting and Publishing Your Program 300 Put the show on tape CD or DVD or even prepare it for a website 17 Integration No App is an Island 322 Sometimes it s good to come together and collaborate Learn to use Apple s Pro and even consumer products to get more done yi Introduction Why did we write this book We love this application We use it ourselves almost every day to edit and to create programs for our clients We teach Final Cut Pro classes give lectures and consult one on one And you know what makes us feel really good When people learn a new trick or tip smile and say Wow We still le
32. ry very hard to keep our laptops clean and uncluttered Enter Final Cut Studio with its 59 GB of installed content no that s not a typo it s a good idea to trim Here are two ways you can make space METHOD 1 Do a Spotlight search for PAL or NTSC depending upon which country you live in Chances are you don t need to make content for both Select the files in the Spotlight window and Press Command Delete METHOD 2 Trim those user manuals The Final Cut Studio manuals clock in a 788 MB that s a lot for a few PDFs Right click on each user manual you can choose Show Package Contents Inside there are copies of the manual in several languages Unless you enjoy switching your native tongue toss em Choose Contents gt Resources gt Languages Select the ones you don t want and throw them away The results 788 MB becomes 168 MB Not too shabby for 3 minutes of cleanup work Keep It Safe in Motion Looking to keep your work backed up when building graphics in Motion Don t worry it s simple Choose Motion gt Preferences and click on the Cache tab Check the box next to Use Autosave Vault Specify how often to save and the number of copies to store O Click the Choose button to specify a location Limit Real Time Video Final Cut Pro offers the ability for dynamic playback of content without the need to render The number of real time streams is a combination of several factors incl
33. s Conversely if you drop a filter on an item in the Browser it s available in all future uses of the clip Expos Part Deux If you have a mouse with more than three buttons such maena Displays Network Snup Disk Sofware Uipdare as Logitech Keyspan etc you can map these new Expos keyboard shortcuts right to your mouse Simply open the control panel that you installed when you got your mouse and assign it to say your thumb button Wow now if you need to grab a clip image or project file off your desktop you can Expos your desktop from your mouse grab that file and drop it directly into your browser all without touching your keyboard Clean Your Room Creative people are often messy it s much more fun to create than it is to clean While building an effect or tweaking an audio filter it s not uncommon to tear the Audio Filters or Motion tab off to have greater access to controls But what about when it s time to go on to the next challenge Not to worry just double click to load the next clip into the Viewer All of your tabs restore themselves into their default position Now if our desks could only stay so clean ereenn Satin aes E Ss 2 S SoS Ss ee Se SS l 13 NI ONIS9N1d NI ONIS9N1d 14 gt WindowShade x a Showa al Windowshade x Setimgio Minimize in Fiace Advance CuSParrite tAd mun ngi inr Aaniye hke d Defaubt Settings BITE
34. s for example type 315 for a duration of 3 15 Press Enter The new Out point is marked Note You can reverse this tip by marking the Out point first if its more to your liking What s Your Destination Need to define on which track your video edit will occur Then you need to set its destination Hold down F6 and then type a track number using the top row of number keys You can set tracks V1 V9 For setting an audio s destination use F7 to patch Al and F8 to patch A2 If you want to switch tracks again you will need to press the F key again Laptop users will need to use the fn the F key to get the same results Loaded You re working on a clip in the Viewer but you can t remember if you loaded it from your Browser or the Timeline not a problem Final Cut Pro distinguishes between clips opened from the Browser and clips opened from the Timeline Clips opened from the Browser have a plain scrubber bar those loaded from the Timeline have two rows of dots in the scrubber bar similar to the sprocket holes in a strip of film Gear Down When using filters you ll often want to make fine adjustments You can always switch to numeric entry but most users find the graphic interfaces more intuitive Simply hold down the Command key to gear down The sliders or control points will move much more slowly This tip works in several places including audio Gio NI ONIDS9N1d
35. te reference to use to calibrate the monitor You can feed the output from the NLE to a digital to analog converter or from the outputs of your capture card Be sure that any digital to analog converter adds the necessary setup to the signal if you re using NTSC NTSC and PAL Bars The main difference between the NTSC bars shown and PAL bars is that NTSC bars have blacker than black bars in the black at the bottom right PAL does not have setup so there is no need for these blacker than black bars Note that the white gray in the main bars segment can be 75 or 100 both are correct as long as you know which you are using Once you have a source of color bars you know are accurate then calibration of the monitor is pretty straightforward once you now how All you need to do is follow these simple steps Turn on the monitor and allow it to run for about half an hour to stabilize the temperature Connect the output from Final Cut Pro to the monitor via any converter device or from your capture card
36. uding the speed of your machine disk speed and network connection If you are trying to playback a sequence using the Unlimited RT options and the sequence performs unsatisfactorily you can manually limit the real time data rate Call up the User Preferences window by pressing Option Q Check the box next to Limit real time video to MB s e Thenumber to enter is determined by the number of streams that consistently play well for you and the data rate of the material e Youcan determine the data rate of a clip by looking in the Data Rate column in the Browser For example you could try to play a sequence with five simultaneous video tracks containing DVCPRO HD 720P media if Final Cut Pro warns you that frames were dropped during playback then you then try to play a sequence with four simultaneous video tracks If no frames are dropped you know that your disks are at their limit Since DVCPRO HD 720P at 24 fps has a data rate of 5 8 MB sec you can set the Limit real time video to option and enter 24 MB sec 4 x 5 8 MB sec with a little headroom in the number field Avoiding the Capture Blues Nothing is more frustrating than having a clip abort capture especially if that clip is a long performance piece that you re loading and it bails after only 16 minutes Be sure to select Make New Clip from the On timecode break setting Real time Audio Mixing 8 tracks Audio Playback Quality Low faster P M Limit rea
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