Apple Final Cut Pro 5 User Manual

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Apple Final Cut Pro 5 User Manual

Final Cut Pro 5

User Manual

Volume I

Interface, Setup,

and Input

Apple Computer, Inc.

© 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the “keyboard” Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws.

Apple, the Apple logo, AppleWorks, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, FireWire, Mac, Macintosh,

Mac OS, PowerBook, Power Mac, QuickTime, and Shake are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Cinema Tools, Exposé, Finder, iPhoto, LiveType, and Xsan are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

.Mac is a service mark of Apple Computer, Inc.

FileMaker is a trademark of FileMaker, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

Production stills from the films “Koffee House Mayhem” and “A Sus Ordenes” provided courtesy of Refuge Films. “Koffee House Mayhem” © 2004 Jean-Paul Bonjour;

“A Sus Ordenes” © 2004 Eric Escobar. http://www.refugefilms.com

Contents

Preface

9

Final Cut Pro 5 Documentation and Resources

 

9

Getting Started

 

9

User Manual

 

10

Onscreen Help

 

11

Apple Websites

Part I

 

An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

Chapter 1

15

About the Postproduction Workflow

 

15

The Industry Workflow

 

16

The Postproduction Workflow

Chapter 2

21

Video Formats and Timecode

 

21

About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing

 

22

Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro

 

23

Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro

 

23

Video Format Basics

 

25

About Timecode

Chapter 3

27

Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences

 

27

The Building Blocks of Projects

 

32

Working With Projects

 

35

About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files

 

37

Filenaming Considerations

Part II

 

Learning About the Final Cut Pro Interface

Chapter 4

43

Overview of the Final Cut Pro Interface

 

43

Basics of Working in the Final Cut Pro Interface

 

45

Using Keyboard Shortcuts, Buttons, and Shortcut Menus

 

48

Customizing the Interface

 

51

Undoing and Redoing Changes

3

 

52

Entering Timecode for Navigation Purposes

Chapter 5

53

Browser Basics

 

53

How You Use the Browser

 

54

Learning About the Browser

 

55

Working in the Browser

 

59

Using Columns in the Browser

 

60

Customizing the Browser Display

Chapter 6

71

Viewer Basics

 

71

How You Can Use the Viewer

 

72

Opening a Clip in the Viewer

 

73

Learning About the Viewer

 

75

Tabs in the Viewer

 

77

Transport (or Playback) Controls

 

78

Playhead Controls

 

80

Marking Controls

 

81

Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus

 

84

Playhead Sync Pop-Up Menu

 

85

Recent Clips and Generator Pop-Up Menus

Chapter 7

87

Canvas Basics

 

87

How You Use the Canvas

 

88

Opening, Selecting, and Closing Sequences in the Canvas

 

89

Learning About the Canvas

 

90

Editing Controls in the Canvas

 

92

Transport (or Playback) Controls

 

93

Playhead Controls

 

95

Marking Controls

 

96

Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus

 

96

Playhead Sync Pop-Up Menu

Chapter 8

97

Navigating and Using Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas

 

97

Navigating in the Viewer and Canvas

 

104

Working With Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas

Chapter 9

109

Timeline Basics

 

109

How You Use the Timeline

 

111

Opening and Closing Sequences in the Timeline

 

112

Learning About the Timeline

 

122

Changing Timeline Display Options

 

131

Navigating in the Timeline

 

133

Zooming and Scrolling in the Timeline

4

Contents

 

 

Chapter 10

139

Customizing the Interface

 

139

Changing Browser and Timeline Text Size

 

139

Moving and Resizing Final Cut Pro Windows

 

141

Using Screen Layouts

 

144

Ways to Customize Keyboard Shortcuts

 

153

Working With Shortcut Buttons and Button Bars

Part III

 

Setting Up Your Editing System

Chapter 11

159

Overview of Setting Up

 

159

The Setup Process

 

160

Connecting Video and Audio Input and Output to Your Computer

 

160

Connecting an External Video Monitor and Audio Speakers

 

161

Choosing an Easy Setup to Configure Final Cut Pro

 

161

Choosing a Scratch Disk Location for Captured and Render Files

Chapter 12

163

Designing Your Editing System

 

163

Components of a Final Cut Pro DV Editing System

 

164

Video and Audio Input and Output Devices

 

165

Video Interfaces

 

166

Audio Interfaces

 

168

Device Control Interfaces

 

168

Scratch Disks

Chapter 13

169

Connecting DV Video Equipment and Specifying Initial Settings

 

169

Connecting Your Camcorder

 

170

Opening Final Cut Pro and Choosing Your Initial Settings

 

175

What Is FireWire?

 

176

What Is Device Control?

Chapter 14

179

Determining Your Hard Disk Storage Options

 

179

Working With Scratch Disks and Hard Disk Drives

 

180

Data Rates and Storage Devices

 

181

Determining How Much Space You Need

 

183

Choosing a Hard Disk

 

184

Types of Hard Disk Drives

Chapter 15

191

Connecting Professional and Non-DV Equipment

 

191

Why Use Third-Party Interfaces?

 

192

Choosing a Video Interface

 

194

Connecting Professional Video Devices

 

201

Choosing an Audio Interface

 

204

Connecting Audio Devices

Contents

5

 

 

 

206

Establishing Device Control

 

206

Synchronizing Equipment With a Blackburst Generator

Chapter 16

209

External Video Monitoring

 

209

Using an External Video Monitor While You Edit

 

211

Connecting DV/FireWire Devices to an External Monitor

211Previewing Standard Definition Video on an External Monitor

212Previewing High Definition Video on an External Monitor

213Choosing Playback and Edit to Tape Output Settings

216 Using Digital Cinema Desktop Preview

220Compensating for Video Latency by Specifying a Frame Offset

221About the Display Quality of External Video

221Troubleshooting External Video Monitoring Problems

222Controlling When External Video Output Is Updated

Part IV

 

Logging, Capturing, and Importing

Chapter 17

225

Overview of Logging and Capturing

 

225

What Are Logging and Capturing?

 

226

Ways to Log and Capture Footage in Final Cut Pro

 

229

Learning About the Log and Capture Window

 

235

Are You Ready to Log and Capture?

Chapter 18

237

Logging Clips

 

237

The Importance of Logging

 

238

Benefits of Logging

 

239

Preparing to Log

 

242

Monitoring Video and Audio While Logging

 

243

Entering Logging Information and Logging Clips

 

257

Avoiding Duplicate Timecode Numbers on a Single Tape

 

259

Additional Sources for Logging Information

Chapter 19

261

Capturing Your Footage to Disk

 

261

Before You Capture

 

262

Different Ways to Capture Footage

 

262

Batch Capturing Clips

 

263

Before You Batch Capture

 

264

Learning About the Batch Capture Dialog

 

266

Batch Capturing Selected Clips

 

268

Stopping and Restarting the Batch Capture Process

 

269

About the Additional Items Found Dialog

 

270

Capturing Clips as You Log (Capture Clip)

 

271

Capturing Entire Tapes (Capture Now)

6

Contents

 

 

 

272

Capturing an Entire Tape Using Capture Now

 

273

Automatically Creating Subclips Using DV Start/Stop Detection

 

276

Capturing Footage Without Device Control

 

276

Capturing Footage That Doesn’t Have Timecode

 

277

Using a Non-Controllable Device for Capture

 

278

Recapturing Clips

 

278

Recapturing Subclips

 

278

Recapturing Merged Clips

 

279

Capturing Footage With Timecode Breaks

 

279

The Importance of Avoiding Timecode Breaks

 

280

How to Avoid Capturing Clips With Timecode Breaks

 

283

Using the Media Manager After Capturing

Chapter 20

285

Capturing Audio

 

285

About Capturing Audio

 

287

Capturing Audio-Only Media Files

 

287

Capturing Multiple Audio Channels

 

292

Adjusting Analog Audio Levels for Capture

 

294

Capturing Audio From an Audio Deck Using Device Control

 

296

Capturing From an Audio Device Without Device Control

 

296

Capturing Synchronized Audio Independently From Video

Chapter 21

299

Working With Batch Lists

 

299

What Is a Batch List?

 

300

Creating a Batch List

 

303

Importing a Batch List

Chapter 22

305

Importing Media Files Into Your Project

 

305

What File Formats Can Be Imported?

 

306

Importing Media Files

 

310

About Importing Video Files

 

313

About Importing Audio Files

 

316

Importing Still Images and Graphics

 

316

Importing Numbered Image Sequences

Chapter 23

321

Using Color Bars for Video Calibration

 

321

Using Color Bars

 

322

Calibrating Brightness and Color on Analog Equipment

 

323

How Digital Video Levels Are Measured in Final Cut Pro

 

325

Measuring Analog Video During Output

 

325

Using the Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope

 

330

Outputting Accurate DV Black Levels Using FireWire

 

330

Using an External Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope to Calibrate Analog Video Levels

 

331

Calibrating Video Monitors With Color Bars

Contents

7

 

 

Final Cut Pro 5

Documentation and Resources

Preface

You can use Final Cut Pro to create movies of any budget, style, and format. Final Cut Pro comes with both printed and onscreen documentation to help you learn how.

This preface provides information on the documentation available for Final Cut Pro, as well as information about Final Cut Pro resources on the web.

Final Cut Pro comes with several types of documentation to help you learn more about movie editing and how to use the application:

ÂFinal Cut Pro 5 Getting Started

ÂFinal Cut Pro 5 User Manual

ÂFinal Cut Pro onscreen help

Getting Started

The Final Cut Pro 5 Getting Started book provides an overview of the application and explains the basics of editing in Final Cut Pro. If you are new to Final Cut Pro and want to start using the application right away, read this book first.

User Manual

The Final Cut Pro 5 User Manual provides comprehensive information about the application and is organized into several volumes:

ÂVolume 1—Interface, Setup, and Input: Explains the basics of the Final Cut Pro interface and the elements of a project, and provides instructions for setting up your editing system, capturing footage to your computer, and importing files.

ÂVolume 2—Editing: Discusses each part of the video editing process, including organizing your footage, creating a rough edit, and fine-tuning your edit using advanced trimming techniques. Also includes instructions for multicamera editing using powerful new multicamera editing tools.

9

ÂVolume 3—Audio Mixing and Effects: Provides instructions for mixing audio and enhancing your video using the elaborate effects capabilities of Final Cut Pro. Topics include adding transitions and filters, creating motion effects, compositing and layering, creating titles, and color correcting your footage. Also covers real-time playback and rendering.

ÂVolume 4—Media Management and Output: Provides information about managing projects and media files, exchanging projects between editing systems, and outputting completed projects. Also contains detailed explanations of settings and preferences and information on video formats, frame rate, and timecode.

Note: The four-volume user manual is also available onscreen; see the next section, “Onscreen Help.”

Onscreen Help

Onscreen help (available in the Help menu) provides easy access to information while you’re working in Final Cut Pro. An onscreen version of the Final Cut Pro 5 User Manual is available here, along with other documents in PDF format and links to websites.

To access onscreen help:

m In Final Cut Pro, choose an option from the Help menu.

Onscreen User Manual

The onscreen version of the user manual is helpful if you do not have immediate access to the printed volumes.

To access the onscreen user manual:

m In Final Cut Pro, choose Help > Final Cut Pro User Manual.

Working With High Definition and Broadcast Formats

The Working With High Definition and Broadcast Formats document covers how to use high definition formats (such as DVCPRO HD and HDV) and broadcast video formats (such as Sony Video Disk Units and Panasonic P2 cards) with Final Cut Pro.

To access the Working With High Definition and Broadcast Formats document: m In Final Cut Pro, choose Help > HD and Broadcast Formats.

Information About Known Issues and Third-Party Hardware and Software

For information about issues with third-party hardware and software and other known issues, you can read the Late-Breaking News section of the onscreen help.

To access Late-Breaking News:

m In Final Cut Pro, choose Help > Late-Breaking News.

10

Preface Final Cut Pro 5 Documentation and Resources

 

 

Information About New Features

For information about features that have been added or enhanced since the last version of Final Cut Pro, you can read the New Features section of the onscreen help.

To access the New Features document:

m In Final Cut Pro, choose Help > New Features.

Apple Websites

There are a variety of discussion boards, forums, and educational resources related to Final Cut Pro on the web.

Final Cut Pro Websites

The following websites provide general information, updates, and support information about Final Cut Pro, as well as the latest news, resources, and training materials.

For information about Final Cut Pro, go to:

 http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro

To get more information on third-party resources, such as third-party tools, resources, and user groups, go to:

 http://www.apple.com/software/pro/resources/fcpresources.html

For information on the Apple Pro Training Program, go to:

 http://www.apple.com/software/pro/training

To provide comments and feedback to Apple about Final Cut Pro, go to:

 http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html

Apple Service and Support Website

The Apple Service and Support website provides software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products, including Final Cut Pro. You’ll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple and third-party product technical articles:

 http://www.apple.com/support

Preface Final Cut Pro 5 Documentation and Resources

11

 

 

Part I: An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

I

 

Find out how Final Cut Pro fits into the moviemaking

 

process and learn about fundamental concepts of

 

digital video editing and the basic elements of

 

a Final Cut Pro project.

Chapter 1

About the Postproduction Workflow

Chapter 2

Video Formats and Timecode

Chapter 3

Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences

About the Postproduction

1

Workflow

No matter what your project, Final Cut Pro is the cornerstone of your postproduction workflow.

This chapter covers the following:

ÂThe Industry Workflow (p. 15)

ÂThe Postproduction Workflow (p. 16)

The Industry Workflow

Before you start editing, it’s helpful to consider how postproduction fits into the overall moviemaking workflow. Even though no two movie projects follow exactly the same steps, there is a common workflow that almost every project adheres to. From conception to completion, the basic steps to complete a film or video project are described below.

Step 1: Scripting

Scripting is where the movie is conceived and written.

Step 2: Preproduction

This is where budgeting, casting, location scouting, equipment and format selection, and storyboarding take place.

Step 3: Production

Production is where you create your footage, capturing performances using video or film cameras, as well as audio recorders. Lighting, cinematography, acting, and directing all come together to create the elements used to tell your story or deliver your message. For practical reasons, scenes are usually shot out of order, which means they have to be properly arranged during editing.

15

Step 4: Postproduction

Postproduction is where you organize and assemble your production footage, putting scenes in proper order, selecting the best takes, and eliminating unnecessary elements. Production sound is synchronized (with the picture), edited, sometimes rerecorded, and mixed. Music is composed and added. Footage is color-corrected and special effects are created. The final movie is output to tape, film, or some other high-quality media format.

Step 5: Distribution

Distribution is when you release a movie for viewing. This may involve theater screenings, video and DVD releases, festival submissions, or web delivery.

The Postproduction Workflow

The postproduction phase begins with the raw source footage and ends with a completed movie, ready for making distribution copies. As technology evolves, postproduction continues to proliferate into an increasing variety of jobs and tasks. Where there was once a single editor who was responsible for the majority of the postproduction process, there may now be a whole special effects team, an audio department, a colorist (responsible for color correction), and a number of assistant editors keeping track of all the footage. Final Cut Pro is at the heart of the postproduction pipeline, allowing you to organize and assemble media from multiple sources into a finished product.

16

Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

 

 

I

Here is an overview of the basic Final Cut Pro postproduction workflow. As you begin your project, remember that there are no hard and fast rules for editing. Different editors have different working styles and, given the same source material, no two editors will cut the same finished program. The workflow described here offers just one example of how you might approach a typical project.

Industry Workflow

Final Cut Pro

Postproduction Workflow

Scripting

Planning

Preproduction

Setting Up

Production

Logging

and Capturing

 

Postproduction

Editing

Distribution

Mixing Audio

 

Adding Effects

 

Outputting

Chapter 1 About the Postproduction Workflow

17

 

 

Step 1: Planning

Planning is where you choose your basic workflow, such as offline and online editing (for projects with a lot of media) or editing the uncompressed footage (for shorter projects with quick turnaround times), choose input and output formats, and plan for equipment requirements (such as hard disk space), timecode and sync requirements, special effects shots and color correction, audio mixing requirements, and so on.

Planning for postproduction primarily means preparing for each of the upcoming postproduction phases: choosing input and output formats; acquiring your original footage, music, and graphics; deciding on a logging and capturing method; choosing an editing strategy; and planning the scope of effects you will be adding so you can determine how much time and support you will need to dedicate to them.

Step 2: Setting up

In this phase, you set up your editing system by installing and connecting the hardware you need, as well as configuring your software. For example, before logging and capturing, you need to connect the video and audio from your camcorder or VTR (video tape recorder) to your computer. You also need to make sure that the correct presets are chosen within Final Cut Pro, so that Final Cut Pro knows what video and audio formats you are capturing and what kind of device control you’re using. (Device control allows Final Cut Pro to remotely control video and audio devices.)

Depending on the format and device you are using, setup can be fairly simple (as it is with DV formats) or more complex. For example, if you are working with an uncompressed video format, you need to install a third-party video interface in your computer, as well as a serial port adapter to communicate with the deck.

See Chapter 12,“Designing Your Editing System,” on page 163 for more information.

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Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

 

 

I

Step 3: Logging and capturing

Logging is the process of identifying which shots on tape you want to capture to your hard disk for editing. While you log, you can add scene and shot descriptions, logging notes, and markers. Logging also helps you become familiar with your footage before you begin editing.

Capturing means transferring source media from your video camcorder or deck to your computer’s hard disk, which creates media files. You can capture media files at any time, although most footage should be captured before you start editing.

The order in which you log and capture your footage is up to you. There are several possible workflows, depending upon your work style, the needs of your project, and the availability of footage. You can log all or most clips before batch capturing them (in an automated way), or log and then capture each clip individually. You can also log clips after capturing your footage to a hard disk.

Final Cut Pro allows you to capture video and audio from a wide variety of sources, if you have the appropriate hardware. See Chapter 17,“Overview of Logging

and Capturing,” on page 225 for more information.

Step 4: Editing

The editing process involves taking the video and audio you’ve captured, along with any music or graphics you’ve imported, and arranging these raw materials into a final edited sequence of clips. Most editors start with a rough cut, where they quickly arrange all of the clips for a movie in sequence. Once that’s finished, they work on finetuning, subtly adjusting the edit points between clips and refining the pacing of each cut. Basic audio editing and synchronizing are also part of this process, as well as adding transitions, such as fades and dissolves.

Often, the type of project you’re working on determines your method of editing. For example, documentary editing, in which the script often evolves in parallel with the editing, is quite different from commercial television and film editing, in which there is already a finished script to provide an order for clips.

Chapter 1 About the Postproduction Workflow

19

 

 

Step 5: Mixing audio

Once your movie is edited and the picture is “locked,” meaning the duration of the movie is fixed and you no longer intend to change any of the edits, you can begin working more extensively on your audio. This involves:

ÂCleaning up the dialogue with more detailed audio editing, balance audio levels, and equalization

ÂAdding sound effects, music, and voiceover on additional audio tracks in the sequence

ÂMixing the levels of all the different clips together to create a balanced sound mix

You can use Final Cut Pro for each of these processes. For more information, see

Volume III, Chapter 1,“Overview of Audio Mixing.”

Note: You can also sweeten your audio with another audio application, perhaps even at another facility. To export your movie audio, see Volume IV, Chapter 11,“Exporting Audio for Mixing in Other Applications.”

Step 6: Adding effects

Creating effects tends to be more time-consuming than cuts-only editing, so it’s good to focus on basic edits first and work on effects when the timing of your project is finalized. Effects are any enhancements you want to make to your footage, such as color correction, special transitions, animation, still or motion graphics, multilayered images (compositing), and titles. Final Cut Pro has a wide variety of video and audio filters, each with parameters that you can keyframe to adjust over time in your sequence, as described below.

Step 7: Outputting

Once editing is finished, effects are added, and the final audio mix is complete, you can output your movie to videotape or film. You can also export to a QuickTime format for web delivery or use in a DVD-authoring application, such as DVD Studio Pro.

If you need to finish your project on a different editing workstation, you can export your project to an interchange file format such as EDL or Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format. You may need to output on another system if you work with uncompressed video, do lots of real-time effects processing, or require specialized video monitoring. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 12,“Importing and Exporting Final Cut Pro XML.” You can also refer to Volume IV, Chapter 5,“Offline and Online Editing.”

20

Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

 

 

Video Formats and Timecode

2

 

 

 

Before you begin editing, you need to decide what video format you will capture, edit, and output. The format you choose determines your postproduction workflow.

This chapter covers the following:

ÂAbout Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing (p. 21)

ÂVideo Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro (p. 22)

ÂAudio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro (p. 23)

ÂVideo Format Basics (p. 23)

ÂAbout Timecode (p. 25)

About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing

In the past, video editing was a time-consuming process. With linear editing, video editors had to edit everything onto a tape sequentially, one shot after another, from the beginning to the end. If you wanted to insert a series of shots in the middle of your edit, you had to reedit everything forward from that point.

Final Cut Pro lets you do nonlinear, nondestructive editing. Unlike traditional tape-to- tape editing, Final Cut Pro stores all of your footage on a hard disk, allowing you to access any frame of your footage instantaneously. Without the constraints of linear editing, you are free to combine shots in different orders and change their durations until you arrive at the exact sequence you want. Video and audio effects, such as scaling, position, rotation, speed changes, and multiple layers can also be applied and played back in real time. No matter how you process your footage, the underlying media is never touched. This is known as nondestructive editing, because all of the changes and effects you apply to your footage never affect the media itself.

21

Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro

Long before editing begins, the most basic decision you need to make is which format to shoot with. The format you choose affects the equipment needed for editorial work, as well as how the finished product will look.

Final Cut Pro uses QuickTime technology, allowing you to use almost any digital video format available. This flexibility ensures that your Final Cut Pro editing system always works with the latest video formats.

ÂDV editing: Final Cut Pro supports DV video natively, using your computer’s built-in FireWire port for capture and output. DVCAM, DVCPRO, DVCPRO 50, and DVCPRO HD are also natively supported. Therefore, your system requires no additional hardware to edit DV material on your computer. You can capture, edit, and output the exact same data that is recorded on tape, resulting in no quality loss.

ÂBroadcast and high definition video formats: Final Cut Pro supports the latest broadcast and high definition video formats With appropriate equipment, you can capture, edit, and output uncompressed SD and HD formats such as Digital Betacam, D5-HD and HDCAM.

ÂProject interchange: Support for project interchange formats allows Final Cut Pro to integrate into existing broadcast and postproduction systems. Final Cut Pro is compatible with formats such as EDL, OMF, and the Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 10,“Importing and Exporting EDLs.” You can also refer to Volume IV, Chapter 11,“Exporting Audio for Mixing in Other Applications.” For information on the Final Cut Pro XML Interchange Format, see Volume IV, Chapter 12,“Importing and Exporting Final Cut Pro XML.”

ÂQuickTime-compatible files: Because Final Cut Pro uses QuickTime technology, almost any QuickTime-compatible file format can be imported and exported. This allows you to import files created in video editing, motion graphics, and photo editing applications. For a list of all formats that you can import, see Volume IV, Chapter 17, “Learning About QuickTime.”

Using Multiple Video Formats

You may find it necessary to use source material from a variety of formats in your project (for example, Betacam SP and DV-format video clips). If so, be aware that in Final Cut Pro, clips with settings that don’t match your sequence settings (such as image dimensions or frame rate) need to be rendered before they can be played back. To avoid time-consuming rendering, try to use the same video format throughout your project, or convert footage that doesn’t match by exporting media in the proper format, or transferring to the proper tape format prior to capture.

22

Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

 

 

I

Offline and Online Editing

Final Cut Pro allows you to edit low-resolution copies of your media until you are ready to finish at high quality. For example, you can edit your movie on a PowerBook using low-resolution footage and then reconnect your project clips to high-resolution media for finishing and output. For more information, see Volume IV, Chapter 5,“Offline and Online Editing.”

Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Pro

You can use a variety of audio with Final Cut Pro including audio files captured from tape, imported from audio CDs, or provided by musicians and sound designers. Final Cut Pro is compatible with audio files with sample rates as high as 96 kHz and a bit depth of 24 bits. You can work with most audio devices, such as audio CD players, DAT machines, digital multitrack recorders, or audio from videotape. For more information, see Chapter 20,“Capturing Audio,” on page 285 and “About Importing Audio Files” on page 313.

Video Format Basics

Most video formats are described by the following characteristics:

ÂStandard

ÂImage dimensions and aspect ratio

ÂFrame rate

ÂScanning method

For a more thorough explanation of video formats, see Volume IV, Appendix A, “Video Formats.”

Chapter 2 Video Formats and Timecode

23

 

 

Video Standards

A number of video standards have emerged over the years. Standard definition (SD) video formats have been used for broadcast television from the 1950s to the present. These include NTSC, PAL, and SECAM, regional video standards, with each used in certain countries and regions of the world.

ÂNTSC (National Television Systems Committee): The television and video standard used in most of the Americas, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.

ÂPAL (Phase Alternating Line): The television and video standard used in most of Europe, Brazil, Algeria, and China.

ÂSECAM: A video standard that is based on PAL and used in countries such as France, Poland, Haiti, and Vietnam. SECAM is not supported by Final Cut Pro. However, editing work is usually done in PAL and converted to SECAM for broadcasting.

Important: When you are specifying your initial settings, make sure you choose an Easy Setup that corresponds to your country’s video standard. (An Easy Setup is a collection of settings that determines how Final Cut Pro works with your editing system.) For more information, see “Opening Final Cut Pro and Choosing Your Initial Settings” on page 170.

Originally, all these formats were analog. Analog video uses a signal that consists of a constantly varying voltage level, called a waveform, that represents video and audio information. Analog signals must be digitized, or captured, for use by Final Cut Pro. VHS and Betacam SP are both analog tape formats.

More recently, digital standard definition video formats were introduced, as well as digital high definition (HD) video formats. Most consumer camcorders today record standard definition digital video (such as DV), and professional cameras may record SD or HD digital video.

Image Dimensions and Aspect Ratio

The horizontal and vertical pixel dimensions of your format determine the frame size and aspect ratio. For example, standard definition (SD) NTSC video is 720 pixels wide and 480 pixels tall. High definition video is either 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080, and is usually referred to by the vertical dimension and the frame rate (for example 720p60 or 1080i30).

The aspect ratio of a video frame is the width with respect to the height. Standard definition video has an aspect ratio of 4:3, while high definition uses 16:9.

Note: You may notice that 1280/720 or 1920/1080 is equivalent to 16:9, while 720/480 is not equivalent to 4:3. This is because standard definition digital video uses pixels that are rectangular, not square. For more information, see Volume IV, Appendix A,“Video Formats.”

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Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

 

 

I

Frame Rate

The frame rate of your video determines how quickly frames are recorded and played back. The higher the number of frames per second (fps), the less noticeably the image flickers on screen. There are several common frame rates in use:

Â24 fps: Film, certain high definition formats, and certain standard definition formats use this frame rate. This may also be 23.98 fps for compatibility with NTSC video.

Â25 fps: Standard definition PAL

Â29.97 fps: Standard definition NTSC

Â59.94 fps: 720p high definition video frame rate. This can also be 60 fps.

For more information, see Volume IV, Appendix B,“Frame Rate and Timecode.”

Scanning Method

Video frames are composed of individual lines, scanned from the top of the screen to the bottom. Lines may be scanned progressively (one line at a time), or interlaced (every other line during one scan, and then the alternate lines on a subsequent scan). Standard definition video uses interlaced scanning, while high definition formats may use either interlaced or progressive scanning. For more information, see Volume IV, Appendix A,“Video Formats.”

About Timecode

Timecode is a signal recorded with your video that uniquely identifies each frame on tape. When you capture video or audio in Final Cut Pro, you also capture the timecode signal, which is displayed in Final Cut Pro when you play back your clips. Timecode allows you to recapture your footage from tape and always get the same frames. Final Cut Pro uses SMPTE timecode (developed by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) which is represented in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames, using the following format:

SMPTE timecode

01:32:15:28

Hours Minutes Seconds Frames

In Final Cut Pro, timecode is used for synchronization between video and audio clip items, project interchange (such as Edit Decision Lists), and recapturing clips from tape. When you play clips, Final Cut Pro displays the media file timecode. Timecode also allows you to navigate through your sequences, and see how long your edit is.

For more information about timecode, see Volume II, Chapter 25,“Working With Timecode.”

Chapter 2 Video Formats and Timecode

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About Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame Timecode

With the exception of timecode used with NTSC video, all video formats use non-drop frame timecode, which simply counts at the frame rate of the video itself. For example, PAL video runs at 25 fps, and it uses 25 fps timecode.

When working with NTSC video, you have the option to use drop frame timecode to compensate for the fact that NTSC video has a frame rate of 29.97 fps, while the timecode runs at 30 fps. Timecode can only be represented by whole numbers, so drop frame timecode periodically skips numbers so that the timecode count and the amount of actual time passed stays in sync. This way, the timecode count matches the the number of hours, minutes, and seconds that it takes for your video footage to play. NTSC video can use either drop frame or non-drop frame timecode.

Important: No video frames are dropped when you use drop frame timecode. Only the associated timecode numbers are skipped.

To determine the type of timecode used in Final Cut Pro:

ÂNon-drop frame timecode has a colon (:) between the seconds and frames fields, and no numbers are dropped from the counter.

01:16:59:29, 01:17:00:00

ÂDrop frame timecode has a semicolon (;) between the seconds and frames fields, and two timecode numbers are skipped from the frames counter each minute (except every tenth minute).

01:16:59;29, 01:17:00;02

A clip’s timecode comes directly from its media files. To set sequence timecode, you can use the Drop Frame checkbox in the Timeline Options pane of Sequence Settings. For more information, see “Changing Timeline Display Options” on page 122

How Drop Frame Timecode Works

When you use drop frame timecode, numbers :00 and :01 are skipped at the beginning of each minute, unless the minute number is exactly divisible by 10. The dropped numbers do not appear in the timecode fields in Final Cut Pro because they’ve been dropped and are not on your tape.

If you’re entering timecode to navigate and inadvertently type a timecode number that doesn’t exist in drop frame timecode, Final Cut Pro automatically moves forward to the next available timecode number.

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Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

 

 

Understanding Projects,

3

Clips, and Sequences

The basic elements in Final Cut Pro are projects, clips, and sequences. Once you learn what these are and how you can use them, you can begin working in Final Cut Pro.

This chapter covers the following:

ÂThe Building Blocks of Projects (p. 27)

ÂWorking With Projects (p. 32)

ÂAbout the Connection Between Clips and Media Files (p. 35)

ÂFilenaming Considerations (p. 37)

The Building Blocks of Projects

Media files, clips, and sequences are the elements that provide the main foundation for your work in Final Cut Pro. You use projects and bins to organize these elements in your program.

What Are Media Files?

Media files are the raw materials you use to create your movie. A media file is a video, audio, or graphics file on your hard disk that contains footage captured from videotape or originally created on your computer. Since media files—especially video files—tend to be quite large, projects that use a lot of footage require one or more high-capacity hard disks.

Many media files contain multiple tracks. For example, a typical DV media file has a video track, audio track, and timecode track. In a Final Cut Pro sequence, you can work with each of these media tracks as separate items, either in sync or separately.

Before you can edit in Final Cut Pro, you need to capture media files from a video deck or camcorder to your hard disk. For more information about capturing media files, see Chapter 17,“Overview of Logging and Capturing,” on page 225.

27

What Are Clips?

Once you have media files on your hard disk, you need a way of working with them in Final Cut Pro. A clip is the most fundamental object in Final Cut Pro. Clips represent your media, but they are not the media files themselves. A clip points to, or connects to, a video, audio, or graphics media file on your hard disk. (For more information on the relationship between media files and clips, see “About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files” on page 35.)

Project

Clip Clip Clip

Media files on your hard disk

Clips allow you to easily cut, trim, rearrange, and sort your media without manipulating it directly. You manage and organize your clips in the Browser. The three kinds of clips you’ll see most often are video, audio, and graphics clips, but there are other kinds of clips that can be stored within a project, such as a generator clip (a clip whose media is generated within Final Cut Pro). You can also subdivide a clip into separate pieces, called subclips, to further organize your footage.

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Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

 

 

I

What Are Sequences?

A sequence is a container for editing clips together in chronological order. The editing process involves deciding which video and audio clip items to put in your sequence, what order the clips should go in, and how long each clip should be. Sequences are created in the Browser. To edit clips into a sequence, you open a sequence from the Browser in to the Timeline.

Project

Sequence

Clip Clip Clip

A sequence contains one or more video and audio tracks, which are empty when first created. When you edit a clip into a sequence, you copy the clip’s individual clip items to the sequence. For example, if you drag a clip that contains one video and two audio tracks to the Timeline, a video clip item is placed in a video track in the Timeline, and two audio clip items are placed in two audio tracks. In a sequence, you can move any clip item to any track, allowing you to arrange the contents of your media files however you want.

Chapter 3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences

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