Apple FINAL CUT PRO 5.1.4 Information

Late-Breaking News About Final Cut Pro 5

This document provides updated information about Final Cut Pro 5 and covers these topics:

Late-Breaking News About Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 (p. 2)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.1.3 (p. 2)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 (p. 2)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.1.1 (p. 17)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.1 (p. 18)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.0.4 (p. 22)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.0.3 (p. 30)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.0.2 (p. 33)

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.0 (p. 36)

Corrections to Final Cut Pro Documentation (p. 40)

This document may be updated as versions of Final Cut Pro are released or new information becomes available. You can check for updated information by choosing Help > Late-Breaking News when Final Cut Pro is open.

For the latest information about product updates, tips and techniques, and qualified third-party devices, visit the Final Cut Pro website at

http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro and the Final Cut Pro support

site at http://www.apple.com/support/finalcutpro.

For the latest support information from AppleCare, choose Final Cut Pro Support from the Final Cut Pro Help menu. To receive automatic notification about new support issues, use Safari to bookmark the AppleCare Final Cut Studio RSS page at

feed://docs.info.apple.com/rss/fcp.rss. See Safari Help for more information about

configuring RSS feeds.

There is no late-breaking information about Final Cut Pro 5.0.1. Final Cut Pro 5.0.1 is a worldwide version of the Final Cut Pro 5.0 software and documentation.

Late-Breaking News About Final Cut Pro 5.1.4

Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 is a maintenance release that resolves the following issues.

FxPlug Plug-ins with Custom User Interface Elements

FxPlug plug-ins that have custom user interface elements now work as expected.

Importing XML Files

Importing XML files with missing <pathurl> elements now works as expected.

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.1.3

Final Cut Pro 5.1.3 is a maintenance release that resolves performance and other issues.

Render File Compatibility

Render files created on both PowerPC-based and Intel-based Macintosh computers now work properly on either type of computer.

Keyboard Layout Issues Resolved

Final Cut Pro 5.1.3 adds several commands to the default keyboard layout that were missing in the previous version.

Issues with Keyframed Parameters in Nested Sequences Resolved

Final Cut Pro 5.1.3 resolves cases in which keyframed parameters did not work as expected in nested sequences.

Previous Release Information About Final Cut Pro 5.1.2

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 addresses effects compatibility issues and video format compatibility, and resolves long-standing issues with video scope performance and audio output. For updated information about format support, choose HD and Broadcast Formats from the Final Cut Pro Help menu.

Note:

The Download Only option in Software Update is disabled for the Final Cut Pro 5.1.2

software update package.

HDV Format Support and Easy Setups

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 includes native support and corresponding Easy Setups for the following HDV formats:

720p24 and 720p25 (JVC GY-HD100 ProHD camcorder)

1080p24 and 1080p25 (Canon XL H1 HDV camcorder); also called

1080F24

and

1080F25

DVCPRO HD 720p25 and 1080pA24 Support

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 updates compatibility with DVCPRO HD camcorder devices by adding two new Easy Setups:

DVCPRO HD 720p25:

footage imported from Panasonic P2 cards. Final Cut Pro does not support DVCPRO HD 720p25 capture from or output to tape.

DVCPRO HD 1080pA24:

1080p24 footage with advanced pulldown (2:3:3:2) to and from tape. This format uses the same advanced pulldown technique as NTSC 24p. The footage on tape is actually recorded at 29.97 interlaced frames per second (fps), but Final Cut Pro removes redundant fields, resulting in a 23.98 fps progressive scan QuickTime movie on your scratch disk.

This Easy Setup is used for native editing of DVCPRO HD 720p25

This Easy Setup is used to capture and output DVCPRO HD

Panasonic P2 Support

Compatibility issues with Panasonic P2 camcorders have been resolved. For more information, see the Panasonic P2 chapter in the HD and Broadcast Formats document, available from the Final Cut Pro Help menu.

Sony XDCAM HD Editing Support

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 supports native editing of XDCAM HD. Ingest and export of XDCAM HD video requires additional software from Sony. You can find out more about the XDCAM and XDCAM HD formats at http://www.sony.com/xdcamhd.

For a thorough explanation of how to use XDCAM HD with Final Cut Pro:

In Final Cut Pro, choose Help > HD and Broadcast Formats and refer to the chapter about XDCAM HD.

See http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/markets/10014/docs/

FCP_XDCAMHD_whitepaper.pdf.

Real-Time Support for MPEG IMX at 30 Mbps

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 solves an issue that allows real-time playback and effects support for MPEG IMX at 30 Mbps (this includes both NTSC and PAL standards).

PCI Express Card Compatibility

When using a Mac Pro computer, there are restrictions concerning which slot you can install a PCI Express card into. For more details, see the documentation for the Expansion Slot Utility included with the Mac Pro computer.

Changing Broadcast WAVE Audio File Timecode to Drop Frame

When you import Broadcast WAVE files into Final Cut Pro, the timecode within the file is always interpreted as non-drop frame timecode.

To modify the timecode of a Broadcast WAVE file to drop frame:

In the Browser, select the audio clip whose timecode you want to modify.

Choose Modify > Timecode, then choose Drop Frame from the Format pop-up menu.

Select Previous and Next Tab Commands

In Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, you can move through the tabs of the active window using the following keyboard shortcuts:

Select Previous Tab:

Select Next Tab:

These commands appear in the Tools category within the Button List window. Choose Tools > Button List (or press Option-J) to open the Button List window.

Command-[

Command-]

Managing and Revealing Master Clips

In previous versions of Final Cut Pro, affiliate clips shared data with a master clip stored in the Browser. If you deleted the master clip, a dialog would appear requesting confirmation that you wanted to break the master-affiliate clip relationship. If you clicked OK, all of the affiliated clips would become independent.

In Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, deleting a master clip no longer breaks the relationship between affiliated clips. Instead, the master-affiliate clip relationship still exists even when the master clip in the Browser is deleted. No dialog appears when you delete a master clip.

Also, when you open an older project in Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, master clips are no longer created in the Browser. To create master clips for your sequence clips, you can use the Create Master Clips command described below.

To create one or more master clips from independent sequence clips:

Select one or more independent sequence clips and drag them from the sequence to the Browser.

Master clips are created for each independent clip dragged to the Browser.

To create master clips for one or more selected sequences in the Browser:

Select one or more sequences in the Browser. If no sequences are selected, Final Cut Pro behaves as though all sequences are selected.

Choose Tools > Create Master Clips.

If one sequence was selected, a bin named after the sequence is created, containing master clips for each independent clip in the sequence. If multiple sequences were selected, a bin named after the project is created, containing master clips for each independent clip in the selected sequences.

To create a new master clip in the Browser using the Reveal Master Clip command:

In the Timeline, select (or move the playhead over) an affiliate sequence clip that no longer has a master clip in the Browser.

Choose View > Reveal Master Clip (or press Shift-F).

A dialog appears asking if you want to create a new master clip.

Click OK to create a new master clip in the Browser.

A master clip for all affiliated clips is created in the Browser.

To make all clips in a sequence independent:

Select a sequence in the Browser, then choose Modify > Make Sequence Clips Independent.

Multiclip Master Clips and Project Size Reduction

Multiclips now have a master-affiliate relationship that allows angle information to be shared among multiple instances of a multiclip. This relationship significantly reduces the file size of projects that contain a large number of multiclips.

In previous versions of Final Cut Pro, every instance of a multiclip was completely independent. In Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, the first instance of a multiclip is considered a master multiclip. Copies of this clip, created by duplicating the multiclip in the Browser or editing it into a sequence, are considered affiliate multiclips.

However, when you perform an operation on a multiclip that affects its angle structure, such as adding, deleting, or rearranging the order of multiclip angles, the modified multiclip loses its affiliation with the original master multiclip, and a new master multiclip is automatically created.

Note:

The new master multiclip does not automatically appear in the Browser, but if you attempt to reveal the master multiclip for a multiclip whose angles you just restructured, Final Cut Pro asks if you want to create a master multiclip in the Browser.

To reveal an affiliate multiclip’s master multiclip in the Browser:

Select a multiclip in a sequence or in the Browser.

Choose View > Reveal Master Multiclip.

The master multiclip appears in the Browser, selected. If the multiclip has no master multiclip, Final Cut Pro asks if you want to create one.

Click OK to create a new master multiclip in the Browser.

The new master multiclip is selected in the Browser.

Note:

You cannot make multiclips in a sequence independent. Multiclips in a sequence are always affiliated with a master multiclip.

Video Scopes Issues Fixed

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 corrects the following issues in the Video Scopes tab that occurred in previous versions of Final Cut Pro:

Not every line of video was analyzed.

Video scopes did not update in real time during playback.

Video scopes updated slowly while the playhead was scrubbing.

To open the Video Scopes tab:

Choose Tools > Video Scopes (or press Option-9).

Full-Line Video Analysis

In previous versions of Final Cut Pro, the video scopes analyzed half the pixels of 16 lines of video. In Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, you can choose three levels of accuracy from the Real Time Effects (RT) pop-up menu in the Timeline:

All Pixels:

the Video Scopes tab. The word “all” appears in the lower-right corner of the Video Scopes tab.

All Pixels Except Top & Bottom:

nine lines, which are reserved for signals such as closed captioning. The word “most” appears in the lower-right corner of the Video Scopes tab.

Select Pixels (Fastest):

versions of Final Cut Pro. This is also the mode used during real-time playback.

Important:

playhead is paused or scrubbing; real-time video scopes updating always uses the Select Pixels (Fastest) option.

The lower-right corner of the Video Scopes tab indicates the Scope Display option selected in the RT pop-up menu.

Every pixel of every video line is analyzed and pixel values are displayed in

Displays every line except the top nine and bottom

This mode has the same accuracy as the video scopes in previous

The accuracy level you choose here affects video scopes when the

Using Video Scopes in Real Time

Depending on the format of your video and the processing capabilities of your computer, the Video Scopes tab can update in real time using the same level of quality available in previous versions of Final Cut Pro.

To enable real-time updating in the Video Scopes tab:

Open a sequence in the Timeline window.

In the Timeline, choose Playback Scopes Live from the RT pop-up menu.

Note:

Using the Playback Scopes Live option requires additional processing power. Enabling this option could result in a red render bar in the Timeline. Also, the Video Scopes tab may not update in real time with some formats. For example, playing back an HDV multiclip requires significant processing power, so the Video Scopes tab may not update in real time in this situation.

Video Scopes Restrictions and Performance

The following list describes limitations when using video scopes in Final Cut Pro:

For the Playback Scopes Live option:

Your editing system requires an AGP or PCI Express graphics card. Some older PCI graphics cards may not have enough processing power to update the Video Scopes tab in real time.

You must be using a supported real-time format. For a list of formats that Final Cut Pro can process in real time, choose Final Cut Pro > System Settings, then click Effect Handling.

The View pop-up menu in the Video Scopes tab must be set to Current Frame (referring to the Canvas) or Viewer. Options such as Current Frame w/o Filters and Previous Edit disable the Playback Scopes Live option.

Video scopes accuracy:

You can analyze all video lines only when playback is stopped or when scrubbing. The Playback Scopes Live option updates the Video Scopes tab using the Select Pixels (Fastest) option. For more information, see “Using Video Scopes in Real Time” on page 7.

FxPlug Support

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 supports FxPlug, an image-processing plug-in architecture developed by Apple. FxPlug makes it possible for any plug-in developer to develop hardwareaccelerated effects using technologies such as OpenGL, CoreGraphics, and CoreImage. Processor-based effects are also supported. For more information about developing FxPlug plug-ins, go to http://developer.apple.com/appleapplications/fxplugsdk.html.

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 supports two plug-in interfaces: FxPlug and FXScript (the original Final Cut Pro plug-in format). Third-party After Effects filters do not function in Final Cut Pro on Intel-based Macintosh systems because Adobe does not officially support this format. FxPlug filters must be Universal Binary versions to work on Intel-based Macintosh systems.

Loading Video Filters

When Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 opens, it searches the default Motion FxPlug folder for plug-ins:

/Library/Application Support/ProApps/Internal Plug-Ins/FxPlug/

Note:

FxPlug plug-ins are included when you select Motion as part of the Final Cut Studio installation process. If your computer or graphics card does not support Motion, these plug-ins are not installed. You should not install filters in this folder yourself.

Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 also searches the following folders if they are present on your system (they are typically created when installing third-party software):

/Users/

username

/Library/Plug-Ins/FxPlug/

If you install an FxPlug plug-in and it does not appear in the Effects tab, try the following:

Choose Effects > Effect Availability > All Effects.

Make sure the plug-in is installed in one of the folders that Final Cut Pro searches for plug-ins when opening (see above for a list of installation locations).

If you installed the plug-in while Final Cut Pro was open, quit Final Cut Pro and then open it again.

Managing Video Filters

There are many FxPlug effects that are equivalent (or nearly equivalent) to existing FXScript effects. Generally, the names and controls of equivalent FxPlug and FXScript effects are identical or vary only subtly. To keep track of FxPlug and FXScript effects in Final Cut Pro, you can select which effects are displayed in both the Effects tab and the Effects menu by indicating that they are

preferred effects.

For example, there is a Gaussian Blur FXScript filter included with Final Cut Pro and a Gaussian Blur FxPlug filter included with Motion as part of Final Cut Studio. By enabling the preferred property for only one of these filters, you can control which Gaussian Blur plug-in is displayed in the Effects tab and the Effects menu.

Note:

Preferred effects are not the same as favorite effects. Preferred effects simply indicate which plug-ins you want to display in the Effects tab; favorite effects are saved instances of effects with particular settings you use frequently.

The Effects tab displays three columns for identifying and keeping track of effects:

Effect Class:

Shows the kind of plug-in installed. When this property is empty, the effect

is an FXScript plug-in. If the effect is an FxPlug plug-in, the word “FxPlug” is displayed.

Preferred: Shows if an effect is preferred or not. You can turn this property on and off by clicking in the column next to the effect. You can also turn this property on or off for multiple effects by selecting them, Control-clicking in the Preferred column next to any of the selected effects, and then choosing Yes or No from the shortcut menu.

Â Description: Shows a brief description of the effect (if it contains one). FxPlug

plug-ins contain descriptions but FXScript plug-ins do not.

To choose which effects are displayed in the Effects tab and the Effects menu:

1 Choose Window > Effects (or press Command-5) to open the Effects tab.

2 If you want, click in the Preferred column next to any effects you want to display.

3 Choose Effects > Effect Availability or Control-click in an empty area of the Effects tab,

then choose one of the following menu items:

Â Only Recommended Effects: Shows a list of effects recommended by Apple,

minimizing duplicate FXScript and FxPlug filters. In most cases, the FXScript plug-in is recommended.

Â Only My Preferred Effects: Shows only effects whose Preferred property is turned on.

You can use this option to display a customized list of your installed plug-ins.

Â All Effects: Shows all installed plug-ins.

You can also add buttons to the Browser button bar to show recommended effects, preferred effects, or all effects. Note that these three buttons work together as a single unit and you can only select one button at a time. You can open the Button List window by choosing Tools > Button List.

Note: Preferred effects settings are not affected if you delete your Final Cut Pro preferences file.

The following list shows Motion FxPlug plug-ins that closely match the behavior of existing FXScript plug-ins in Final Cut Pro, but whose names are slightly different:

FXScript (Final Cut Pro) FxPlug (Motion)

Basic Border Simple Border

Brightness and Contrast Brightness

Brightness and Contrast Contrast

Blue and Green Screen Blue Green Screen

Spill Suppressor - Blue Spill Suppressor - Green

Gamma Correction Gamma

Spill Suppressor

Note: In Final Cut Pro 5.1.2, three additional video filter bins appear in the Effects tab and Effects menu: Glow, Tiling, and Time.

Identifying Video Filters in the Filters Tab of the Viewer

You can identify FxPlug plug-ins in the Filters tab of the Viewer by moving the pointer over the filter name and then waiting until a tooltip appears. FxPlug plug-ins are identified with the word “FxPlug” after the filter name.

Identifying Video Effects in the Find Results Window

If you use the Find command to search for effects, keep in mind that the Find Results window does not display the Effect Class column, which helps to distinguish between FXScript and FxPlug plug-ins. If you see duplicate filters in the Find Results window after using the Find command, you can identify each effect by selecting it in the Find Results window and then clicking Show in Browser. Final Cut Pro displays the selected filter in the Effects tab, where you can identify the effect by looking in the Effect Class column.

Moving Projects Between Systems

If you have a project that uses particular FxPlug plug-ins, you need to install those plug-ins on each machine where you want to open the project. If you open a project on a system that does not have the necessary FxPlug plug-ins installed, Final Cut Pro warns you that plug-ins are missing, although it does not specify which ones.

Note: When sending sequence clips from Final Cut Pro to a Motion project, effects are not preserved.

When moving projects from one system to another, be aware that the capabilities of each computer’s graphics card may be different, limiting which FxPlug plug-ins you can render at high resolution and high-precision YUV quality. For more information, see “Real-Time Playback and Rendering,” next.

Real-Time Playback and Rendering

Unlike FXScript plug-ins, whose performance improves only with increased RAM and CPU processing power, many FxPlug plug-ins achieve high performance by processing effects with your computer’s graphics card. Upgrading your graphics card or switching to a system with a better graphics card can improve FxPlug plug-in performance.

Using very high-resolution clips or turning on high-precision rendering in your sequence settings may exceed the capabilities of older graphics cards. In these circumstances, Final Cut Pro displays one of the following warnings:

Â Rendering the effect in high-precision requires a graphics card with more

capabilities: Your graphics card does not support high-precision rendering.

Â The effect cannot be rendered in a sequence of this size with the current graphics

card: Your graphics card supports high-precision rendering, but the dimensions of

the sequence containing clips with applied FxPlug filters are too large for the graphics card.

Â The effect cannot render this media at full resolution. The media will be scaled in order to

render: Your graphics card has enough memory to store the sequence dimensions,

but the clip with an applied FxPlug filter is too large for the graphics card.

When you enable high-precision rendering in your sequence settings, some systems with older graphics cards may be able to play back clips with FxPlug plug-ins in real time, but may not be able to render those clips. Keep in mind that a green render status bar indicates only the real-time playback status of a clip in the Timeline; it does not indicate whether or not it is possible to render that clip. In these cases, disable high-precision rendering in the Video Processing tab of the Sequence Settings window or move your project to a system with a more powerful graphics card.

To improve FxPlug plug-in real-time performance, try the following:

m Hold down the Option key when scrubbing through video clips with filters applied.

This works for both FXScript and FxPlug plug-ins.

m Turn off the Digital Cinema Desktop playback option by choosing View > External

Video > Off.

FxPlug Restrictions and Troubleshooting

When using FxPlug plug-ins with Final Cut Pro, the following restrictions apply:

Â Some plug-ins with custom controls are not supported.

Â Onscreen controls, such as control points in the Viewer and Canvas, are not supported.

Â Effects that result in subtle gradations (such as a Gradient generator or Gaussian Blur

filter) can cause colored vertical banding after rendering. This kind of banding is likely an artifact of rendering in a low-resolution codec (such as DV) and not an issue with the filter. Try setting your sequence settings to an Uncompressed 8- or 10-bit sequence preset instead.

Â FxPlug plug-ins that render in RGB color space may cause clipping, especially when

applied to Y´CBCR clips with high chroma or luma values. This may be particularly noticeable when applying an FxPlug filter to a range of a clip, instead of an entire clip.

Full Frame Bars and Tone Generators for 25 fps (PAL) Formats

The following PAL-compliant Bars and Tone generator clips have been added to Final Cut Pro 5.1.2:

Â Bars and Tone (HD 25p/50i Full Frame)

Â Bars and Tone (PAL Full Frame)

Also, the Bars and Tone (HD 1080i50) generator has been renamed Bars and Tone (HD 25p/50i).

In the Mastering Settings tab in the Edit to Tape window, you can now choose the Full Frame Bars option when the current device control preset has a frame rate of 25 fps (PAL). When you select this option, full-frame bars are output to tape. When this option is not selected, SMPTE bars are output just as in earlier versions of Final Cut Pro.

Note: If the current device control preset does not have a frame rate of 25 fps, this option is unavailable.

Gamma Control for Imported Still Images

Because many graphics applications do not embed gamma information in still-image files, Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 allows you to define the gamma setting of imported still-image clips. You may want to adjust the gamma of an imported still image when:

Â You know its gamma value but Final Cut Pro cannot determine the value

automatically

Â You want to control image brightness, especially when you need to match a still

image to similar-looking video clips

A still-image clip’s Gamma Level property tells Final Cut Pro what brightness curve it should assume the clip has. Final Cut Pro compensates for the Gamma Level property by applying an opposing brightness curve to the still-image clip.

There are two places to adjust still-image gamma:

Â Gamma Level pop-up menu in the Editing tab of the User Preferences window: This pop-up

menu globally determines gamma for still images at the time they are imported.

Â Gamma Level clip property in the Item Properties window or Browser column: You can

adjust the gamma of individual clips in the Browser or in the Item Properties window. This allows you to override the global setting applied by the Gamma Level pop-up menu in the User Preferences window.

To choose the gamma value applied to an imported still-image file:

1 Choose Final Cut Pro > User Preferences, then click the Editing tab.

2 Choose one of the following options from the Gamma Level pop-up menu:

Â Source: Choose this option when you want still images to appear the same as in

previous versions of Final Cut Pro. If you have already adjusted the gamma of your still-image files to work with previous versions of Final Cut Pro, you should choose this option. This option uses QuickTime to interpret the gamma of imported still images.

Â 1.8: Choose this option when importing still-image files created with the

Macintosh operating system or created by an application in which you specified a gamma value of 1.8.

Â 2.2: Choose this option when importing still-image files created with non-Macintosh

operating systems or created by an application in which you specified a gamma value of 2.2.

Â Custom: Choose this option to enter any gamma value you wish in the Custom

number field.

Note: When you adjust the gamma of a still-image clip within Final Cut Pro, the media file is not modified; only the still-image clip in the project is affected.

You can change gamma for the following image formats: BMP, QuickDraw, Targa (TGA), PNG, TIFF, SGI, PlanarRGB, MacPaint, and layered or flattened Photoshop (PSD) files.

If you need to modify gamma for still-image clips after importing, you can adjust the Gamma Level property in the corresponding Browser column or in the Item Properties window. The Gamma Level property is not shared between master and affiliate clips, so changing the gamma for a master clip has no effect on the affiliated clips, and vice versa.

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