Final Cut Pro 7: Visual QuickPro Guide

Final Cut Pro 7: Visual QuickPro Guide

by Lisa Brenneis
Released September 2009
Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
ISBN: 9780321684424

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Newly updated for Final Cut Pro 7, this Visual QuickPro Guide is hands-down one of the most sought out books on Apple's non-linear editing system. An undisputed master of the digital video medium, Lisa Brenneis once again demystifies the complexities of the program with her straightforward approach that uses tasked-based, step-by-step instructions and loads of visuals and time-saving tips. Busy professionals and newcomers alike will appreciate that they can quickly find and learn tasks specific to their needs, benefiting from the award-winning Visual QuickPro style. Topics covered include essential editing tasks and media-management strategies, transitions, effects and filters, rendering options, and much more. It includes coverage of new features such as the new speed tools, iChat theater support, and additional export options via the new Share menu, for delivering content to multiple devices including iPhone, iPod, and MobileMe. This is a must-have reference for anyone wanting to learn to use Final Cut Pro, whether they are new to the program or are upgrading.

Table of contents

  1. Table of Contents (1/3)
  2. Table of Contents (2/3)
  3. Table of Contents (3/3)
  4. Introduction
  5. Chapter 1: Welcome to Final Cut Pro
    1. Your First Final Cut Pro Project: Start to Finish
      1. What Is Nonlinear, Nondestructive Editing?
    2. Final Cut Pro 7: Only Available in Final Cut Studio
    3. Touring Your Desktop Post-Production Facility
      1. Useful features
      2. Menus, shortcuts, and controls
      3. Customizable interface
      4. Onscreen help
    4. Editing and Effects Windows
      1. The Browser
      2. The Viewer
      3. The Viewer’s Effects tabs
      4. The Canvas
      5. The Timeline
      6. The Tool palette
      7. The Tool Bench
    5. Input and Output Windows
      1. Log and Capture
      2. Log and Transfer
    6. Media Management Tools
      1. Media Manager
      2. Other media management tools
      3. Import and export options
  6. Chapter 2: Installing and Setting Up
    1. System Requirements
      1. Real-Time System Requirements
      2. HDV: HD for the Masses
      3. Real-Time Effects: More Hardware Options
      4. What’s the Difference Between DV and Digital Video?
    2. Hardware Selection and Connection
      1. Monitor Video on a Computer Display
      2. FCP Protocol: Disk Names
      3. Storage Strategy for Final Cut Pro
      4. Connecting video devices
      5. About Apple FireWire
      6. FireWire Cables: Handle with Care
      7. Connecting an external NTSC or PAL video monitor
      8. FCP Protocol: Controlling External Video Output
    3. Controlling Video Devices with Final Cut Pro
    4. Installing Final Cut Pro
      1. Where to install FCP?
      2. Setting Up for Multiple Projects and Users
    5. Optimizing Performance
      1. The Bottom Line: Running FCP on a “Base-Case” Mac
    6. Troubleshooting
  7. Chapter 3: Presets and Preferences
    1. Accessing Settings and Preferences
      1. Modifying the Settings of an Existing Item
      2. Finding Additional and Third-Party Presets
    2. Using Easy Setups
      1. How to choose an Easy Setup
      2. Easy Setups to Go
    3. Using Audio/Video Presets
    4. Specifying Sequence Settings
      1. Specifying video processing settings for a Sequence preset
      2. RGB or YCrCb: Choosing a Color Space
    5. Specifying Capture Settings
      1. Specifying QuickTime Settings for Video and Audio Capture
    6. Specifying Device Control Settings
    7. Configuring Audio/Video Output Settings
      1. Configuring different Audio/Video outputs for playback and recording
      2. How to “Trash Your Prefs”
    8. Specifying User Preferences and System Settings
    9. Setting Editing Preferences
    10. Setting Label Preferences
    11. Customizing the Timeline Display
    12. Specifying Render Control Settings
    13. Specifying Audio Output Settings
    14. Setting Scratch Disk Preferences
      1. FCP Protocol: Scratch Disks
    15. Specifying Search Folder Preferences
    16. Specifying Memory & Cache Settings
    17. Specifying Playback Control Settings
    18. Setting External Editors Preferences
    19. Specifying Effect-Handling Preferences
    20. Customizing Final Cut Pro
    21. Creating Custom Screen Layouts
    22. Creating Custom Keyboard Layouts
    23. Creating Custom Shortcut Buttons
  8. Chapter 4: Projects, Sequences, and Clips
    1. Anatomy of an FCP Project
      1. Project item types
    2. About Projects
      1. Using Save As to Protect Your Work
      2. Viewing and setting project properties
    3. Using the Autosave Vault
      1. Setting Autosave Vault location and preferences
      2. Using Autosave to recover from a crash
      3. You Need Backup
    4. Undoing Changes
      1. FCP Protocol: Undoing Changes in Multiple Projects
    5. What’s a Sequence?
      1. Creating a new sequence
      2. Time Stamp for Sequences
    6. Changing the Settings of an Existing Sequence
    7. Working with Multiple Sequences
      1. Nesting and Sequences: A Glossary
      2. Creating nested sequences
      3. FCP Protocol: Selecting Items for Nesting
      4. Making changes to a nested sequence
      5. Copying and pasting from sequence to sequence
      6. Assembling Nested Sequences with Transitions
      7. Editing a sequence into another sequence
      8. FCP 7 Update: Rippling Markers
      9. FCP Protocol: Updating Nested Sequences
    8. About Clips
      1. FCP Protocol: Sequence Clip Terminology
      2. FCP Protocol: Clips and Sequences
      3. Master Clip Identity Travels Across Multiple Projects
      4. FCP Alert: Modify With Care
    9. Viewing and Setting Item Properties
      1. About Timecode Viewing Options
    10. Changing Your Source Timecode
      1. Importing Audio-Only Files with Timecode
    11. Working with Merged Clips
      1. Syncing up clips before merging
  9. Chapter 5: Capturing Video
    1. Anatomy of the Log and Capture Window
      1. Preview section
      2. Log and Capture controls
      3. Logging tab
      4. Capture Settings tab
      5. Clip Settings tab
    2. Setting Up for Capture
      1. On Peachpit.com
      2. Capture Settings: Try These First
    3. Logging Clips
      1. FCP Protocol: What Are Offline Clips?
      2. The Art of File Naming
      3. Selecting a logging bin
      4. Speed Logging Tips
      5. Logging
      6. FCP Protocol: Auto-Incrementing on the Logging Tab
      7. Modifying logged clip data
    4. Capture Clip: Capturing Video with Device Control
    5. Capture Now: Capturing Video without Device Control
      1. FCP Alert: Audio Format Changes
      2. Capturing audio
    6. Capturing HDV Video
    7. Batch Capturing Clips
      1. The Wonders of Batch Recapture
      2. Batch Recapture of File-based Media
      3. Preparing for a batch capture
      4. “Additional Items Found”—What Are Your Options?
    8. Using DV Start/Stop Detection
      1. What Is Offline RT?
    9. Troubleshooting Tape Capture Problems
    10. About the Log and Transfer Window
      1. Using the Log and Transfer window to import AVCHD footage
      2. About Apple ProRes formats
      3. Setup Checklist For AVCHD File Transfer
  10. Chapter 6: Importing Digital Media
    1. Importing Still Images
      1. FCP Protocol: File Location Is Critical
      2. Setting the default duration for stills
    2. Working with Adobe Photoshop Files
      1. Importing a layered Photoshop file into Final Cut Pro
      2. FCP Protocol: Layered Photoshop Files
      3. FCP Protocol: Updating Multilayer Photoshop Files in FCP
    3. Importing Audio Files
    4. Convert Audio to 48 kHz on Import with iTunes
    5. Importing an iMovie Project
      1. iMovie to FCP: What’s Lost in Translation
  11. Chapter 7: Organizing Clips in the Browser
    1. Anatomy of the Browser
      1. Browser columns
      2. Browser window icons
      3. What Does “Not Set” Mean?
    2. Using the Browser to Organize Your Project
      1. FCP 7 Update: Smarter Tabs
      2. Sorting items
    3. Customizing the Browser Display
    4. Searching for Items in the Browser
      1. Using the Find Results window
      2. Search the Project or Search the Sequence?
    5. Working with Bins
      1. What’s That Little Doodad?
    6. Working with Browser Items
      1. Mouseless Browser Navigation
  12. Chapter 8: Working with Clips in the Viewer
    1. Anatomy of the Viewer
      1. Transport controls
      2. Clip-marking controls
      3. Pop-up selectors
      4. View selectors
      5. Playhead Sync pop-up menu
      6. Timecode navigation and display
    2. Working with Clips in the Viewer
      1. Playing clips
      2. JKL Keys: The Way to Move
      3. FCP 7 Update: Multi-Touch Gestures Support
      4. Other ways to move: jogging, scrubbing, and shuttling
    3. Navigating with Timecode
      1. FCP Protocol: Entering Timecode Numbers
    4. Working with In and Out Points
      1. Other Ways to Set In and Out Points
    5. About Subclips
      1. Marking Shortcuts
      2. FCP Protocol: Subclips Are Master Clips, Too
    6. Using Markers
      1. On the Fly: Working With Markers During Playback
    7. Adjusting the Viewer Display
      1. Changing magnification and window size in the Viewer or Canvas
      2. Wireframes in the Viewer
      3. Viewing overlays
      4. Viewing Title Safe and Action Safe boundaries
      5. Viewing Timecode overlays
      6. Viewing with different backgrounds
  13. Chapter 9: Basic Editing
    1. Basic Editing Overview
    2. Basic Editing Step-by-Step
      1. Many Ways to Make an Edit
      2. FCP Protocol: Three-Point Editing
      3. Specifying target tracks
      4. Moving the playhead
      5. FCP Protocol: Editing Multiple Tracks in Final Cut Pro
    3. Using FCP’s Many Edit Types
      1. Insert edit
      2. About Transition Edits
      3. Overwrite edit
      4. Replace edit
      5. Hate Your Edit? Do Undo
      6. What’s a Backtime Edit?
      7. Fit to Fill edit
      8. Superimpose edit
      9. Deleting clips from a sequence
    4. Performing Edits in the Timeline
      1. Performing split edits
      2. Tips for Quicker Split Edits
    5. Shortcuts for Marking Sequence Edit Points
      1. Locating a Match Frame
    6. Basic Multiclip Editing
      1. On Peachpit.com
  14. Chapter 10: Editing in the Timeline and the Canvas
    1. Anatomy of the Canvas
      1. Editing controls
    2. Using the Canvas Window
    3. Anatomy of the Tool Palette
      1. Selection tools
      2. Edit tools
      3. View tools
      4. Image modifiers
      5. Keyframe tools
    4. Using the Tool Palette
    5. Anatomy of the Timeline
      1. Onscreen controls and displays
      2. Color coding in the Timeline
    6. Customizing Timeline Display Options
      1. Custom track layouts
      2. Timeline scaling and scrolling
      3. Best Zoom Shortcuts
    7. Navigating in the Timeline
      1. Positioning the playhead in a sequence
      2. Keyboard Shortcuts for Navigation
      3. Navigating with timecode in the Timeline
      4. About snapping in the Timeline
      5. Using markers in the Timeline and the Canvas
      6. FCP 7 Update: Smarter Markers
    8. Working with Timeline Tracks
      1. FCP Protocol: Lock vs. Target
      2. Mapping Timeline target track assignments
      3. FCP Protocol: Target Tracks
      4. Dragging Is Different
      5. Making a Timeline track invisible
      6. Preserving Render Files of Invisible Tracks
    9. Working with Items in the Timeline
      1. Selecting items in the Timeline
      2. Selecting items with the track selection tools
      3. Items you can select in the Timeline:
      4. Items you cannot select in the Timeline:
      5. FCP Protocol: Cut, Copy and Paste, and Auto-Select
      6. FCP Protocol: Auto-Select Protocol Summary
      7. Linking clips
      8. Merged Clips and Linking
      9. Using linked selection
      10. FCP Protocol: Linked Clips
      11. Moving Timeline clips
      12. Finding and closing gaps
      13. FCP Protocol: Gaps and Track Gaps
      14. FCP Protocol: Deleting Items in the Timeline
      15. Copying and pasting clip attributes
      16. Adjusting levels or opacity of multiple clips
      17. Changing the playback speed of a clip
      18. About Ease Presets
      19. Using offline clips
      20. Using duplicate frame detection
      21. Working with keyframes in the Timeline
    10. Searching for Items in the Timeline
  15. Chapter 11: Fine Cut: Trimming Edits
    1. Types of Trimming Operations
    2. Selecting an Edit for Trimming
      1. Tips on Tools
      2. Quick Navigation Keys
      3. All Keys: Mouseless Trimming in FCP
    3. Anatomy of the Trim Edit Window
      1. Audio Monitoring Options in the Trim Edit Window
    4. Using the Trim Edit Window
      1. FCP Protocol: Trimming Error Messages
    5. Trimming Edits in the Timeline (1/2)
    6. Trimming Edits in the Timeline (2/2)
      1. About through edits
    7. Trimming Edits in the Viewer
    8. Ganging Viewer and Canvas
      1. FCP Protocol: Auto Select Behavior with Ganged Playheads
      2. Selecting a gang mode
    9. Correcting Out-of-Sync Clips
  16. Chapter 12: Audio Tools and Techniques
    1. Audio Tracks vs. Timeline Tracks
    2. FCP’s Audio Formats
      1. Modifying audio channel formats
      2. The Browser’s audio format columns
      3. About 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit Resolution
      4. What’s Bit Depth and Sampling Rate Got to Do with My Audio Quality?
    3. Anatomy of the Viewer’s Audio Tab
      1. Onscreen controls and displays
    4. Using the Audio Tab
      1. Scaling and scrolling an audio file
      2. Setting edit points in the Audio tab
      3. Lost in the Waveforms? Audio Tab Editing Tips
      4. Sounds Good: Scrubbing Audio with JKL Keys
    5. Editing Audio in the Timeline
    6. Editing Clips with Multiple Audio Channels
    7. Recording Audio with the Voice Over Tool
      1. Anatomy of the Voice Over tool
      2. On Peachpit.com
    8. Mixing and Finishing Audio
      1. Setting audio levels
      2. FCP Protocol: Measuring Digital Audio in Decibels (dB)
      3. Monitor levels and mixing
      4. Adjusting levels and pan in the Audio tab
      5. Adjusting the pan position
      6. Adjusting stereo spread
    9. Using Audio Peak Detection
    10. Adjusting Audio Filters
      1. Smart Filter Tweaking Tips
    11. Anatomy of the Audio Mixer
    12. Using the Audio Mixer
      1. About Soundtrack Pro
      2. Audio Mixer Tip: Setting Levels Across Edit Points
      3. Other Ways to Set Levels
      4. Why Are My Track Strip Faders Disabled?
      5. How Many Keyframes Do You Want to Record?
  17. Chapter 13: Creating Transitions
    1. Adding Transition Effects
      1. FCP Protocol: Transitions
      2. FCP Protocol: Saving Changes to Modified Transitions
    2. Working with Default and Favorite Transitions
      1. About transition edits
    3. Editing Video Transitions
      1. On Peachpit.com
      2. Editing transitions in the Timeline
    4. Modifying Audio Transitions
      1. FCP Protocol: r u YUV?
  18. Chapter 14: Compositing and Effects Overview
    1. Basic Building Blocks of Effects Creation
    2. Locating and Applying Effects
      1. Onscreen effects controls
      2. Effects Production Shortcuts
      3. Tuning in Effects: Using Dial, Slider, and Point Controls
    3. Using Keyframes
    4. Working with Keyframes in the Viewer’s Effects Tabs
      1. Working with basic keyframe commands
      2. Keyframing Cheatsheet
      3. Smoothing keyframes
      4. Using keyframes to set a single parameter
      5. Setting keyframes with timecode entry
    5. Working with Keyframes in the Timeline
      1. Precision control of a keyframe’s positioning
      2. Keyframe navigation shortcuts
    6. Saving Effects Settings as Favorites
    7. Customizing the Effects Menu Display
      1. Independent Developers of Final Cut Pro Plug-ins
  19. Chapter 15: Motion Effects
    1. Setting Motion Properties
      1. Locating x, y coordinates
      2. Motion Properties Modify an Image or Make it Move
    2. Using Wireframes
      1. Wireframe keyframe indicators
    3. Using Motion Properties to Change a Clip’s Appearance
      1. Using Keyboard Shortcuts with Wireframes
      2. Positioning clips
      3. Scaling clips
      4. FCP Protocol: Center Point vs. Anchor Point vs. Origin Point
      5. Rotating clips
      6. Cropping clips
      7. Distorting a clip’s shape
      8. Adjusting opacity
      9. Setting a clip’s opacity in the Timeline
      10. Adding a drop shadow to a clip
      11. Adding a motion blur effect
    4. Animating Clip Motion with Keyframes
      1. Working with basic motion keyframe commands
      2. The Best Way to Fine-Tune a Motion Sequence: Jump Around
    5. Creating Motion Paths
    6. Editing a Motion Path
      1. Adjusting motion path curves and corners
      2. Adjusting speed along a motion path
      3. Setting a Single Motion Path for Multiple Clips
    7. Creating Variable Speed Playback Effects
  20. Chapter 16: Filters and Compositing
    1. Using keyframes to animate filters
    2. Useful Filters
    3. Using the SmoothCam Filter
    4. Using Color Correction Filters
      1. About Color: Final Cut Studio’s Latest Addition
      2. Always Be Color Safe!
      3. About image-quality measurement tools
      4. The Color Correction filter suite
      5. Using the Broadcast Safe filter
      6. Monitors and Color Correction
      7. Anatomy of the Color Corrector tab
    5. Compositing
      1. Setting Composite mode
      2. Using alpha channels
    6. Working with Mattes
      1. Travel mattes
  21. Chapter 17: Titles and Generators
    1. Always Be Title Safe!
    2. About Motion
    3. Generating Text
      1. Creating Complex Titles: Other Options
      2. Using Generator Favorites
      3. Text generator options checklist
      4. Tips for Better-Looking Titles
    4. Using Animated Text Generators
      1. Creating scrolls
      2. Creating crawl titles
      3. Creating animated typewriter text
      4. Creating Titles with Boris Calligraphy
  22. Chapter 18: Real Time and Rendering
    1. About Real-Time Playback
      1. RT Extreme: scalable software-based real time
      2. Real-Time Hardware Systems for FCP
      3. Controlling real-time playback quality
    2. Rendering
      1. Setting up image quality of rendered material
      2. Rendering Protocols
      3. Rendering indicators
      4. FCP Protocol: Audio Rendering Options
    3. Using Render Commands
      1. FCP Protocol: Estimating Render Processing Time
      2. Quick Preview Tips
      3. Rendering audio
      4. FCP Protocol: Track Costs
    4. Managing Render Files
      1. FCP Protocol: Render Manager File Tracking
    5. Rendering Strategies
      1. Avoiding unnecessary rendering
      2. Reducing Rendering Time
      3. FCP Protocol: Nested Sequences and Rendering
      4. Preserving render files
  23. Chapter 19: Creating Final Output
    1. Using Tape Output Modes
      1. Output Options For HDV
      2. Setting up for recording to tape
    2. Recording Timeline Playback
      1. Touching Up Your Timeline Playback
      2. Other Export Options
    3. Printing to Video
      1. On Peachpit.com
    4. Editing to Tape
      1. On Peachpit.com
      2. Insert vs. Assemble Editing
    5. Using Share for Automated Output Operations
      1. More Sharing: iChat Theater Preview
    6. Exporting Sequences and Clips
      1. What’s a Reference Movie?
      2. Codec vs. File Format
      3. Exporting a QuickTime movie
      4. FCP Protocol: DVD Chapter Markers
    7. Exporting Other QuickTime Formats
      1. FCP Alert: Web Video Uses the Whole Video Frame
    8. Exporting Audio Files
      1. Exporting audio in OMF format
      2. FCP Protocol: OMF Audio Export
      3. Destination: Pro Tools?
    9. Batch Exporting
      1. On Peachpit.com
    10. Exporting for Soundtrack Pro
      1. Third-Party XML and OMF Interchange Applications
      2. The Send To Command: Final Cut Pro’s Gateway to Final Cut Studio
      3. Where Are My ST(A)P Files?
  24. Chapter 20: Managing Complex Projects
    1. Using Media Management Tools
    2. Using the Media Manager
      1. Setting up for a Media Manager procedure
      2. Media Manager window options
      3. FCP Protocol: Deleting Unused Media in Projects Containing Affiliate Clips
      4. FCP Protocol: Media Manager Operation Processing Order
      5. Copying or moving an entire project and its media
      6. Deleting media from a project
      7. Trimming unused media from a sequence
      8. Creating an offline trimmed sequence
      9. Working with Graphics in Offline RT
      10. Offline RT, Apple ProRes, and media management
      11. Recompressing a project in Offline RT format
    3. Reconnecting Offline Files
      1. FCP Protocol: Broken Links
      2. Reconnecting Online Files
      3. Using the Offline Files dialog box to reconnect
      4. FCP Protocol: Offline vs. Missing Clips
    4. Deleting Media
      1. FCP Protocol: Deleting Media
    5. Project Maintenance Tips
      1. Editing in stages
      2. The Last Mile: Tips for Final Assembly of BIG Projects
  25. Appendix: Keyboard Shortcuts (1/2)
  26. Appendix: Keyboard Shortcuts (2/2)
  27. Index
    1. A
    2. B
    3. C
    4. D
    5. E
    6. F
    7. G
    8. H
    9. I
    10. J
    11. K
    12. L
    13. M
    14. N
    15. O
    16. P
    17. Q
    18. R
    19. S
    20. T
    21. U
    22. V
    23. W
    24. X
    25. Y
    26. Z

Product information

  • Title: Final Cut Pro 7: Visual QuickPro Guide
  • Author(s): Lisa Brenneis
  • Release date: September 2009
  • Publisher(s): Peachpit Press
  • ISBN: 9780321684424