book

Final Cut Pro® Portable Genius

Name: Final Cut Pro® Portable Genius
Author: GeniusDV
ISBN: 9780470387603

by GeniusDV

October 2008

Intermediate to advanced

271 pages

5h 4m

English

Wiley

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Copyright
About the Author
Credits
Acknowledgments
Introduction
What is Final Cut Pro?For those new to Final Cut ProExperienced Final Cut Pro users
1. What Should My Mac Preferences Be?
1.1. Check Your Mac OS X Preferences1.1.1. Configuring the Energy Saver1.1.2. Exposé settings1.1.3. Turning off the Dashboard1.1.4. Configuring the Mighty Mouse1.1.5. Disabling software updates1.1.6. Adjust Spotlight settings for finding media and sound elements1.1.7. Configuring the character map1.1.8. Using a MobileMe account1.1.8.1. Configuring the iDisk1.1.9. Configuring the Dock1.2. Hardware Configuration1.2.1. Video-editing keyboard1.2.2. Research storage options1.2.2.1. Cable length limitations1.2.2.2. Shielding on cables1.2.3. FireWire devices1.2.4. USB devices1.2.5. Serial ATA devices1.2.6. What are some critical camera settings?1.2.6.1. Audio bit rate1.2.6.2. Video frame rate1.3. Final Cut Studio Installation Options1.4. Troubleshooting Final Cut Pro Hardware Problems1.4.1. Check your cables1.4.2. Deleting the Final Cut Pro preferences file1.4.3. Rebuilding permissions
2. What Are the Critical Final Cut Pro Preferences?
2.1. Working with Multiple User Accounts2.2. User Preferences2.2.1. Levels of undo2.2.2. Real Time audio mixing2.2.3. Audio playback quality2.2.4. Opening last project on application launch2.2.5. Configuring AutoSave2.2.6. Abort capture on dropped frames2.2.7. Timecode breaks2.2.8. Still freeze duration2.2.9. Configuring audio outputs2.3. System Settings2.3.1. Setting the scratch disks2.3.2. Limiting capture time2.3.3. Using external editors2.4. Audio/Video Settings2.5. Using Easy Setup2.6. Customizing the Interface2.6.1. Button wells2.6.2. Keyboard layout
3. How Do I Ingest Media into Final Cut Pro?
3.1. Capturing Media3.1.1. Log and Capture tool3.1.2. Logging3.1.2.1. Creating a batch list file3.1.2.2. Batch-capturing logged files3.1.2.3. Capture Now3.1.3. Capturing without deck control3.1.3.1. DV Start/Stop Detection3.1.3.2. Log and Transfer tool3.1.3.3. Ingesting media3.2. Importing Media3.2.1. Importing files recorded in FCP format3.2.2. Importing audio3.2.2.1. Audio sample-rate conversion3.2.2.2. Converting with iTunes3.2.2.3. Converting audio with QuickTime Pro3.2.3. Working with MPEG files3.3. Managing Media3.4. Storage Requirements
4. Which Editing Technique Fits My Style
4.1. Editing Workflow4.1.1. Using the Add Edit feature4.1.2. How to slip content4.1.3. The snapping feature4.1.4. Overwrite vs. insert editing4.1.5. Managing the Timeline4.1.5.1. Zoom slider bar4.1.5.2. Zoom function4.1.5.3. Fit to Window4.1.6. Moving clips around4.1.7. Closing gaps4.1.8. Using the track forward and backward tools4.1.9. Managing track heights4.1.10. Working with multiple sequences4.2. Creating a Montage4.2.1. Rearranging clips using the swap edit function4.2.2. Applying multiple transitions between all your clips4.3. Trimming with the Option Key
5. How Do I Use Final Cut Pro as a Professional Sound and Mixing Tool?
5.1. Mixing Audio Levels5.2. Adjusting the Levels in the Timeline5.2.1. Using the audio mixer5.2.2. Using the Pen tool5.2.2.1. Adjusting the levels of multiple clips5.2.2.2. Adjusting audio in the viewer5.2.3. Using audio filters5.2.3.1. Adding volume5.2.3.2. Compressor/Limiter filter5.2.4. Using the Voice Over tool5.3. Understanding Soundtrack Pro5.3.1. Using Soundtrack Pro to build music and sound effects5.3.2. Adding sound effects and scoring music5.3.3. Installing additional music or sounds5.3.4. Adjusting audio levels in Soundtrack Pro5.3.5. Using Soundtrack Pro filters5.3.6. Removing noise5.3.7. Using the frequency spectrum view5.3.8. Normalization5.3.9. Detecting common problems

6. Which Title Tool Should I Use?
6.1. Understanding Alpha Channels6.2. Introducing LiveType6.2.1. LiveType preferences6.2.2. Working with backgrounds and textures6.2.2.1. Importing looping backgrounds6.2.3. LiveFonts vs. standard fonts6.2.4. Understanding timing6.2.4.1. Sequence timing6.2.4.2. Random timing6.2.5. Using LiveFonts for special effects6.2.5.1. Writing in fog6.2.5.2. Adjusting glow color6.2.6. Using the Character Palette6.2.7. Using LiveType for motion graphics compositing6.2.7.1. Using full motion video in LiveType6.2.7.2. Text on a curve6.2.7.3. Exporting from LiveType6.3. Boris Title 3D6.4. Building Titles in Photoshop6.5. Improving the Quality of Graphics and Titles
7. How Can I Use Final Cut Pro for High-End Effects Compositing?
7.1. Installing Third-Party Effects7.2. Creating Freeze Frame Effects7.3. Slow Motion Effects7.3.1. Constant speed motion effects7.3.2. Creating a speed change special effect7.3.3. Variable speed motion effects7.3.3.1. Playing clips in reverse with variable motion7.3.4. Creating a smooth motion graph7.4. Understanding Composite Modes7.4.1. The Travel Matte—Alpha composite mode7.4.2. The Travel Matte—Luma composite mode
8. Can I Use Final Cut Pro to Produce Complex Motion Effects?
8.1. Working with the Motion Tab8.1.1. Adding a drop shadow8.1.2. Changing clip opacity8.2. Adding Motion with Keyframes8.2.1. Using Image+Wireframe mode8.2.2. Plotting keyframes8.2.3. Working with Bezier curves8.2.4. Saving motion favorites8.2.5. Organizing motion favorites8.3. Copying and Pasting Motion Attributes8.4. Working with Multiple Video Layers8.5. Simulating the Ken Burns Effect
9. How Many Ways Can I Use Filters?
9.1. Tricks within the Video Filters Tab9.1.1. Changing or trimming a filter area9.1.2. Using the Toggle Clip Keyframes feature9.2. Copying and Pasting Filter Attributes9.3. Saving and Configuring Your Favorite Filters9.3.1. Building filter packs9.3.2. Mapping favorite effects to shortcut keys or buttons9.3.3. Toggling the Auto Select function9.3.4. Why the order of stacked filters is important9.4. Duplicating Video Layers9.5. Color Correction9.5.1. Adjusting blacks, mid, and white values9.5.2. Adjusting playhead sync for color-correcting multiple clips9.5.3. Pleasantville effect9.6. Understanding Nesting9.7. Chroma Keying9.8. Rendering Shapes9.8.1. Using shapes as masks9.8.2. Working with Boris vector shapes9.8.3. Rendering backgrounds9.9. Working with Master Templates
10. How Can I Maximize the Output of My Final Cut Pro Product?
10.1. Final Cut Pro Sequence Settings10.2. Working with Anamorphic 16×9 Media10.3. Working with QuickTime10.4. Exporting for DVD Production10.5. Using Apple Compressor10.5.1. Sending files directly from Final Cut Pro to Compressor10.5.1.1. Using preset settings within Compressor10.5.1.2. Using Compressor frame controls to increase quality10.5.1.3. Eliminate repetitive tasks using droplets10.5.2. MPEG playback component for QuickTime10.6. Adding Chapter Points10.7. Adding Compression Markers10.8. Output Settings for the Web10.8.1. How to make your iPod videos look fantastic10.8.2. Important export settings for iPhone video clips10.9. Output to Tape
11. How Can I Benefit from Media Management
11.1. Organizing Media11.1.1. Managing the main media folder11.1.2. Using the Mac OS X Finder11.1.3. Managing clips in the Browser window11.1.3.1. Renaming clips11.1.4. Using subclips in the Browser window11.2. Using the Render Manager11.3. Using the Media Manager11.3.1. Consolidating media11.3.1.1. Recompressing media11.3.2. Moving media with the Media Manager11.3.3. Creating offline media11.4. Target Mode11.5. Archiving Media

Content preview from Final Cut Pro® Portable Genius

Chapter 7. How Can I Use Final Cut Pro for High-End Effects Compositing?

Final Cut Pro provides some fantastic effects-compositing tools. The catch is learning what type of effects Final Cut Pro is good at. With certain effects, you may be better off passing them into Apple Motion. This section focuses on practical effects that you can create directly within the Final Cut Pro interface.

Installing Third-Party Effects
Creating Freeze Frame Effects
Slow Motion Effects
Understanding Composite Modes

Installing Third-Party Effects

Final Cut Pro supports a variety of third-party effects. Better yet, there are individuals who have written free plug-ins that you can download and use. One such Web site is www.mattias.nu/plugins/. This site provides a set of plug-ins called Too Much Too Soon (see figure 7.1).

Note

I recommend installing any third-party effects in the following location: Mac HD

Figure 7.1. The Too Much Too Soon plug-ins installed.

To keep all your plug-ins organized, you can place the entire folder inside the Plugins folder.

Creating Freeze Frame Effects

Creating a freeze frame is quite easy: Park over any frame within a sequence and press Shift+N. This places a freeze frame of the clip into ...

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