Using Final Cut Pro

Software and Hardware Overview
• Nondestructive and nonlinear editing
• DV requires 3.6MB of storage per second, 216MB per minute, 1GB per 5 minutes
• Controlling video devices (connect and set camera to vtr before opening FCP)
• Firewire cameras, drives
• Headphones

Optimizing Computer Performance
• Settings:
Easy Setup
For NTSC Standard 4:3:
DV-NTSC, 48kHz/16 bit, 29.97 fps, 720 x 480 pixels
For NTSC Widescreen 16:9 (Canon ZR800):
Go to A/V Settings
Sequence preset: DV NTSC, 48kHz/16 bit
Capture preset: DV NTSC 48kHz Anamorphic
Device Control: FireWire NTSC
Video Playback: Apple FireWire NTSC 720 x 480
Then go to Easy Setup and choose NTSC, 29.97
• Set scratch disks to save all files to one place

Final Cut Pro Features
• Menus, Shortcuts, and Controls

Basic Shortcuts:
Ctrl-V = split clip at playhead
Cmd-+/- = zoom in and out of window
Shift-Z = fit to window
Ctrl-Click = shortcut menus
Cmd-A = select all
Cmd-X = cut
Cmd-Z = copy
Cmd-V = paste
Shift-Click = select multiple items
Home key = go to beginning of sequence
Cmd-C then Option-V = paste attributes
Ctrl-U = return viewers + keyboard to normal

• Editing and Effects Windows
The Browser: window where you organize and access all of your media source material
The Viewer: your source monitor, allows you to view video and audio clips, mark edit points, and add/control effects
The Canvas: monitor where you view playback of edited sequences (linked to the Timeline)
The Timeline: displays edited sequences as clips arrayed on multiple video and audio tracks along a time axis
The Tool Palette: contains editing tools for cutting and moving clips (similar to Photoshop)
A = Selection tool
B = Razor Blade tool
BB = Razor Blade All tool
R = Roll tool, keeps duration, only moves edit point
RR = Ripple tool (direction of tail = direction of edit), changes duration, deletes frames from clip
S = Slip tool, changes in & out w/out changing duration
SS = Slide tool, moves clip intact, changing duration of 2 clips on either side
P = Pen tool (for keyframes) – hold down Optn key, will change tool to Pen
C = Crop tool (use in Canvas)
D = Distort tool (use in Canvas)


Capturing Media
• Log and Capture
• Batch Capturing Clips
• File Naming — .bin, .seq, each folder/drive/partition should not contain the entire name of another f/d/p
• Selecting a Logging Bin
• Logging and Capturing

The Viewer
• Working with Clips
• Navigating with Timecode
• Setting In and Out Points

Editing in FCP
• Creating a sequence
• Basic Editing
Insert edit: inserts clip at the In point, and moves media to the right to make room for the new source clip
Overwrite edit: the source clip overwrites sequence clips past the sequence In point with no time shift in the existing sequence
Replace edit: replaces the contents of a sequence clip with source clip (uses position of viewer playhead)
Fit to Fill edit: the speed of the source clip adjusts to fill the duration specified by the sequence In and Out points
Superimpose edit: source clip is placed on a new track above the target track, starting at the sequence In point
Transition edits: the source clip is inserted into the sequence with the default transition at the source clip's head
• Deleting clips from a sequence
Lift: removes selected material leaving a gap (shortcut: Command-X)
Ripple Delete: removes the selected material and closes the gap (shortcut: Shift-Delete)
• Performing Edits in the Timeline + Canvas
J-K-L keys = rewind-stop-play
Q = toggle between Viewer and Canvas
Optn-X = delete in & out points
==> = insert edit
⇓ = overwrite edit
⇓⇑ = arrow keys, jump from edit to edit
⇔ = arrow keys, go frame to frame
+15 = 15 frames forward
-15 = 15 frames back
1. = 1 second (period = 2 zeros)
Shft-Z = fit to timeline
Snapping = (green button upper rt. side of Timeline) playhead snaps to nearest edit point
Shft-I/O = go to In/Out
Optn-I/O = delete In/Out
Optn-X = delete In/Out
Generally – Shift = Forward, Option = Back
Shft-G = search for gaps (lock audio/non-changing tracks first)
When green L appears in Canvas, first/last frame
Shft-Delete = ripple delete (deletes clip, and moves clips forward to remove gap)
Fit to Fill = stretches clip out to fit duration
Replace edit = replaces w/same duration
Sprocket holes = working on clip from timeline, NOT browser
F key = match frame
Shft-F = find in Browser
Shft-N = make freeze frame (go back 1 frame before inserting)

Transitions
• Adding Transitions
Must have handles for transitions (recommend 2 sec.)
Buttons – change center of dissolve
Can change default transition in Browser
• Can copy & paste

Sending Project to Tape or DVD
• Exporting
• Printing to Video

Working with Audio
• Importing Audio Files
-FCP likes 48k, 16 bit, stereo AIFF files – convert in iTunes
• Editing Audio Files
- If title is underlined, linked
Optn-L = to link/unlink
-You never want your audio over or close to 0, should be -12, dialogue -6, ceiling -3
-Use keyframes to adjust sections of audio
-Optn-K/Shift-K to go back and forth between keyframes
-You must be exactly on the keyframe to adjust it, otherwise FCP makes a new one
-Select track>Edit>Remove Attributes will delete all keyframes
-Reset also wipes out all keyframes

Working with Images
• Importing Still Images
-User Preferences> Still/Freeze Duration (default is 10 sec.)
• Importing Photoshop files
-Master size on Photoshop: 720 x 534 72dpi
-After adjustments, change Image Size to 720 x 480 and import into FCP

Creating Titles
• Use Generator Menu for text and colors
• For Scrolling text, * = center point
• Option-P = preview in RT

Technical Resources
• The Final Cut Pro Help Menu in Final Cut Pro — this is the entire FCP manual in PDF format, easy to search and relatively well written for a software manual
• http://www.apple.com/support/finalcutpro — for apple technical support and discussion boards
• http://www.nycfcpug.com — The New York City Final Cut Pro Users Group, free to join and a good resource for technical questions