Final Cut Pro 7: Visual QuickPro Guide

Working with Default and

Favorite Transitions

You can specify one video and one audio

transition to be used as default transitions.

The default transitions are available from the

Effects menu, from the edit point’s shortcut

menu, and as keyboard commands. A transi-

tion edit, available in the Canvas edit overlay,

automatically includes your default transition

at the time you perform the edit. A default

transition can be a transition you have

already modified within a sequence.

You can also designate a transition (or any

other type of effect) as a Favorite. Favorite

effects appear in the Favorites bin on the

Effects tab in the Browser and are available

from the Effects menu. Using Favorites is an

easy way to save a transition’s settings so

you can reproduce the effect later. You can

build up a small group of favorite transitions

for a particular project. When you’re ready

to bang out a string of identical transitions,

you can promote one of your Favorites to a

default transition and get busy.

Defaults and Favorites can speed up the

work of constructing those quick-cut mon-

tages your producer is so fond of.

To set the default transition:

◆

On the Effects tab of the Browser, Control-

click the effect you want to designate as

your default transition; then choose Set

Default Transition from the shortcut

menu (Figure 13.10).

The default transition appears on the

Effects tab with a line under its name

(Figure 13.11).

✔ Tip

■

Any customized transition in your

Favorites bin can be set as the default

transition.

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Chapter 13

Working with Default and Favorite Transitions

Figure 13.10 Use the shortcut menu to set the default

transition. FCP’s default video transition is a 1-second

cross dissolve, but you can select your own default.

Figure 13.11 The default transition’s name is underlined.

To clear the default transition:

◆

Choose Effects > Clear Default

(Figure 13.12).

To apply the default transition:

Do one of the following:

◆

Select the edit point where you want

to place the transition; then choose

Effects > Default ‘name of the current

default transition.’

◆

Option-Control-click the edit point; then

choose Add Transition ‘name of the cur-

rent default transition’ from the shortcut

menu (Figure 13.13).

◆

Select the edit point; then press

Command-T.

✔ Tip

■

Pressing the Option key while selecting

an edit point allows you to restrict your

selection to just the audio (or just the

video) edit point by overriding linked

selection.

To create a Favorite transition by

saving its settings:

◆

In the Transition Editor or the Timeline,

click and drag the transition icon to the

Favorites bin on the Effects tab in the

Browser (Figure 13.14).

Or do the following:

1.

In the Timeline, double-click the transi-

tion you want to make a Favorite.

The transition opens in the Transition

Editor window.

2.

Choose Effects > Make Favorite Effect;

or press Option-F.

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Creating Transitions

Working with Default and Favorite Transitions

Figure 13.12 Choose

Effects > Clear Default.

Figure 13.13 Control-click the edit point; then choose

Add Transition ‘name of the current default transition’

from the shortcut menu.

Figure 13.14 Dragging a modified transition from the

Timeline to the Favorites bin, located on the Effects

tab of the Browser.

To create a Favorite transition before

changing its settings:

1.

On the Effects tab in the Browser, double-

click the transition (Figure 13.15).

The transition opens in the Transition

Editor.

2.

Adjust the transition’s settings in the

Transition Editor; then use the drag

handle to drag the modified transition

into the Favorites bin (Figure 13.16).

3.

In the Favorites bin, rename the new

transition (Figure 13.17).

✔ Tip

■

You can also select a transition in the

Browser and choose Duplicate from

the Edit menu. A copy of the transition

appears in the Favorites folder and the

appropriate Favorites submenu of the

Effects menu (you’ll find separate

Favorites submenus for each class of

audio and video effects).

To delete a Favorite transition from

the Favorites bin:

◆

In the Favorites bin, select the transition

you want to delete; then press Delete.

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Chapter 13

Working with Default and Favorite Transitions

Figure 13.15 Double-click the transition you want

to customize to open it in the Transition Editor.

Figure 13.16 Adjust the transition settings in the

Transition Editor, and then drag the customized

transition into the Favorites bin.

Figure 13.17 Rename your modified

transition in the Favorites bin.