Apple Final Cut Pro X User Manual

Final Cut Pro X

User Guide

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10 Chapter 1: What’s new in Final Cut Pro? 10 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.6? 11 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.3? 12 What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.1?

13 Chapter 2: Final Cut Pro basics 13 What is Final Cut Pro? 14 Final Cut Pro workow overview 15 Final Cut Pro interface overview 17 Media les and clips 18 Events and projects

19 Chapter 3: Import media 19 Importing overview 20 If it’s your rst import 20 Import from connected cameras 20 Import from le-based cameras 24 Import spanned clips 26 Import from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch 28 Import from a digital still camera 29 Import from tape-based cameras 30 If your camera or device isn’t recognized 31 Import from other applications 31 Import from Motion 32 Import from iMovie 32 Import from iPhoto and Aperture 33 Import from iTunes 34 Import from devices 34 Import from a hard disk 36 Access media on an archive or disk image 37 Organize les while importing 39 Import while recording 40 About memory cards and cables 41 Supported media formats 43 Import and adjust REDCODE RAW video les

45 Chapter 4: Analyze media 45 Analyzing media overview 45 Video and still-image analysis options 46 Audio analysis options 47 Analyze your media 48 View analysis keywords on clips

51 Chapter 5: Organize your media 51 Events and clips overview 52 Organize events 52 Create a new event 52 Rename an event 53 Merge or split events 53 Copy or move clips between events 54 Copy or move events 55 Sort events 56 Delete clips or events 57 Organize clips 57 View and sort clips 61 Rename clips 62 Rate clips as Favorite or Rejected 64 Add keywords to clips 67 Add or edit clip notes 68 Organize clips by roles 68 Find clips in the Event Browser 71 Save searches as Smart Collections 72 Organize Keyword and Smart Collections

73 Chapter 6: Play back and skim media 73 Playback and skimming overview 74 Play back media 76 Skim media 78 Play back and skim media in the Event Viewer 78 View playback on a second display 79 View playback on an external video monitor 80 About background rendering

81 Chapter 7: Create and manage projects 81 Create a new project 82 Preview and open a project 83 Modify a project’s name and properties 86 Organize projects in the Project Library 89 Save projects

90 Chapter 8: Edit your project 90 Editing overview 90 Select clips and ranges 90 About selections and lmstrips 91 Select one or more clips 93 Select a range 96 Manage multiple range selections in event clips 99 Add and remove clips 99 Adding clips overview 99 Drag clips to the Timeline 100 Append clips to your project 100 Insert clips in your project 103 Connect clips to add cutaway shots, titles, and synchronized sound eects 108 Overwrite parts of your project

Contents 4

109 Replace a clip in your project with another clip 111 Add and edit still images 113 Create freeze frames 114 Add clips using video-only or audio-only mode 115 Remove clips from your project 116 Solo, disable, and enable clips 117 Find a Timeline clip’s source clip 117 Arrange clips in the Timeline 123 Cut and trim clips 123 Trimming overview 123 Cut clips with the Blade tool 126 Extend or shorten a clip 132 Make roll edits with the Trim tool 134 Make slip edits with the Trim tool 136 Make slide edits with the Trim tool 138 Show detailed trimming feedback 139 View and navigate 139 Zoom and scroll in the Timeline 141 Adjust Timeline settings 143 Navigate within your project 144 Navigate using timecode 145 Use the Timeline Index to view, navigate, and search your project 149 Work with markers 149 Markers overview 149 Add and remove markers 150 Edit, move, and navigate to markers 152 Manage chapter markers and their thumbnail images 154 Correct excessive shake and rolling shutter issues

157 Chapter 9: Edit audio 157 Audio overview 158 Audio editing basics 158 About audio waveforms 159 About audio channels and audio components 159 Ways to view audio clips 163 View audio waveforms at the audio sample level 164 View and correct audio levels 165 Solo and mute audio clips 166 Add audio 166 Add music and sound 166 Record audio 168 Edit audio clips or audio components 168 Audio editing overview 169 Congure audio channels 172 Adjust volume 174 Fade audio in or out 177 Pan audio 180 Multichannel audio editing examples 186 Use roles to organize clips and export audio les 187 Add and adjust audio eects 187 Add audio eects

Contents 5

189 Adjust audio eects 192 Adjust audio eects using keyframes 199 Audio tools and techniques 199 Enhance audio 202 Sync audio and video automatically 203 Match audio equalization settings 203 Preserve pitch when retiming clips

204 Chapter 10: Add transitions, titles, eects, and generators 204 Transitions, titles, eects, and generators overview 205 Add and adjust transitions 205 Transitions overview 205 How transitions are created 206 Set transition defaults 207 Add transitions to your project 209 Delete transitions from your project 209 Adjust transitions in the Timeline 211 Adjust transitions in the Transition inspector and Viewer 212 Adjust transitions with multiple images 213 Create specialized versions of transitions in Motion 213 Add and adjust titles 213 Titles overview 213 Add titles to your project 215 Adjust titles 218 Remove titles from your project 218 Find and replace text in your project 219 Adjust built-in eects 219 Built-in eects overview 220 Resize, move, and rotate clips 221 Trim clips 222 Crop clips 224 Pan and zoom clips with the Ken Burns eect 225 Skew a clip’s perspective 226 Work with built-in eects 231 Add and adjust clip eects 231 Clip eects overview 231 Add eects to your project 232 Adjust eects in Final Cut Pro 234 Change clip eect order 235 Copy eects and attributes between clips 236 Turn o or remove an eect from a clip 237 Create specialized versions of the video eects in Motion 237 Add generators 237 Generators overview 238 Use a placeholder 239 Use a timecode counter 239 Use a shape 240 Use a background 241 Create specialized versions of the generators in Motion 241 About themes 242 Use onscreen controls

Contents 6

242 Onscreen controls overview 242 Show or hide onscreen controls 243 Onscreen control examples 247 Use the Video Animation Editor 247 Video animation overview 247 Adjust video eects using keyframes 253 Adjust eect curves using fade handles or keyframe animation

257 Chapter 11: Advanced editing 257 Group clips with compound clips 257 Compound clips overview 259 Create and break apart compound clips 263 Manage compound clips 265 Add storylines 268 Fine-tune edits with the Precision Editor 271 Create split edits 275 Make three-point edits 275 Three-point editing overview 277 Three-point edit examples 281 Try out clips using auditions 281 Auditions overview 282 Create auditions to try out clips 283 Add and remove clips in auditions 284 Use auditions to try out clips in your project 287 Retime clips to create speed eects 287 Retiming clips overview 288 Change clip speed 292 Reverse or rewind clips 294 Create instant replays 294 Create a hold segment 295 Reset retimed clips to play at normal speeds 296 Conform frame sizes and frame rates 299 Use roles to manage clips 299 Roles overview 300 View and reassign roles 303 Create custom roles and subroles 305 View clips by role in the Timeline 307 Use roles to export media stems 307 Use XML to transfer projects and events 308 Edit with multicam clips 308 Multicam editing overview 309 Multicam editing workow 310 Import media for a multicam edit 311 Assign camera names and multicam angles 312 Create multicam clips in the Event Browser 316 Cut and switch angles in the Angle Viewer 324 Sync and adjust angles and clips in the Angle Editor 330 Edit multicam clips in the Timeline and the Inspector 332 Multicam editing tips and tricks

Contents 7

334 Chapter 12: Keying and compositing 334 Keying 334 Keying overview 334 Use chroma keys 343 Use luma keys 348 Finalize the key 351 Compositing 351 Compositing overview 352 Use alpha channels 354 Use Compositing settings

355 Chapter 13: Color correction 355 Color correction overview 356 Analyze and balance color automatically 356 Color balance overview 356 Analyze a clip for color balance 357 Balance a clip’s colors 358 Match color between clips automatically 359 Adjust color manually 359 Manual color correction overview 359 Color correct the whole image 361 Target a specic color using a color mask 363 Target specic areas using shape masks 366 Add shape masks to a color mask 367 Apply multiple color corrections 368 Add a transition between color corrections 368 Save and apply color correction presets 369 Turn iMovie adjustments on or o 369 Turn ARRI Log C processing on or o 370 Measure video levels 370 Video scopes overview 370 Use the video scopes 371 Waveform Monitor display options 374 Vectorscope display options 375 Histogram display options

377 Chapter 14: Share your project 377 Sharing projects overview 378 Share projects, clips, and ranges 383 Modify share attributes 386 Export your project using Compressor 387 Status of shared projects 387 Shared project status overview 388 Visit, announce, and view the location of shared projects 389 Remove shared projects

Contents 8

390 Chapter 15: Manage media les 390 Media management overview 390 Where your media and project les are located 392 Manage your media les 392 View a clip’s information 393 Relink clips to media les 397 Transcode media les 400 View background tasks 401 Delete render les to free up disk space 402 Manage your events and project les 402 Before you move or copy events and projects 402 Consolidate a project’s media les 403 Back up projects, your Project Library, and events 406 Edit your project on a dierent computer 410 Use SAN locations for events and projects 411 Create and manage camera archives 414 Solutions to common media management issues 414 Alert icons 416 Common media management issues

417 Chapter 16: Preferences and metadata 417 Preferences and metadata overview 417 Final Cut Pro preferences 417 Change preference settings 418 Editing preferences 419 Playback preferences 420 Import preferences 422 Destinations preferences 427 Work with destinations 432 Work with metadata 432 Display and change clip metadata 433 Modify metadata views 435 Batch rename clips

438 Chapter 17: Keyboard shortcuts and gestures 438 Keyboard shortcuts and Multi-Touch gestures overview 438 Keyboard shortcuts 452 Multi-Touch gestures 452 Customize keyboard shortcuts 452 View keyboard shortcuts in the Command Editor 455 Modify keyboard shortcuts in the Command Editor 456 Export and import command sets in the Command Editor

458 Glossary

Contents 9

What’s new in Final Cut Pro?

What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.6?

Final Cut Pro 10.0.6 includes numerous new features and enhancements, detailed below.

Advanced multichannel audio editing

Final Cut Pro automatically groups audio channels into audio components according to how the

channels are congured for the clip. You can now expand the audio portion of clips to view and

edit audio components down to the individual channel level. You can edit audio components in a variety of ways, including any of the following:

•

Adjust volume or pan.

•

Disable or delete ranges within an audio component to quickly edit out unwanted sounds.

•

Apply and adjust audio eects.

•

Add or remove audio components in a multicam clip.

For more information, see Audio editing overview on page 168.

Streamlined sharing and export

Sharing your nished work is easier and more exible in Final Cut Pro 10.0.6. Destinations—sets of precongured export settings—allow you to quickly publish a project or clip to a sharing

website, export it for viewing on iPad or iPhone, or burn it to a disc. Final Cut Pro comes with a variety of destinations, and you can also modify destinations and create new destinations.

The simplied and streamlined sharing workow includes these enhancements:

•

Simplied and consolidated menus that you can easily populate with customized destinations

•

Reusable destination bundles that allow you to share to multiple output formats and locations at once

•

Automatic sharing of project and clip metadata, with the ability to customize the metadata that is shared

•

Support for multiple accounts at video-sharing websites such as YouTube

•

Faster sharing and export using the GPU and background processing

•

Sharing of a selected range in a project in the Timeline or in a clip in the Event Browser

For more information, see Sharing projects overview on page 377.

Unied import

Simplied and easier to use, the new unied Media Import window provides one place to go for all your importing needs. Final Cut Pro 10.0.6 oers dedicated areas for connected cameras and devices, both le-based and tape-based, as well as a new Favorites section, where you can add frequently used folders for le import from your hard disk or an external drive. Other new import

features include list view to see multiple columns of metadata, multiple range selections within

individual clips from le-based cameras, and complete archive-management tools.

For more information, see Importing overview on page 19.

Dual viewers

The Event Viewer is a separate video display that appears next to the main Viewer so you can compare shots to match action and color. With the Event Viewer and the Viewer open, you can display two clips at the same time: one from the Event Browser and one from the Timeline, each with its own video scope display.

For more information, see Play back and skim media in the Event Viewer on page 78.

Native REDCODE RAW (R3D) support

Final Cut Pro 10.0.6 provides native support for REDCODE RAW (R3D) les. You can now import RED les directly, make nondestructive RAW settings adjustments, and save those adjustments

as metadata, all within Final Cut Pro. This allows you to take advantage of the full latitude and

dynamic range contained in the REDCODE RAW source les.

For more information, see Import and adjust REDCODE RAW video les on page 43.

Improved range selections

Start and end points in clips in the Event Browser now stay in place when you click elsewhere. You can also create multiple range selections in one or more clips.

For more information, see Select a range on page 93 and Manage multiple range selections in

event clips on page 96.

Other notable features

•

Chapter markers and chapter marker thumbnails allow you to prepare chapters and their representative poster frame images directly within Final Cut Pro for output to DVD, Blu-ray

disc, iTunes, QuickTime Player, and Apple devices.

•

The new Paste Attributes window is a powerful way to transfer specic eects and other

settings between clips.

•

You can now add freeze frames quickly and easily with a single keyboard shortcut.

•

Titling is signicantly improved, including support for the new title markers feature in Motion.

•

Flexible connection points improve manual control over connected clips as you slip, slide, or move clips in the primary storyline.

•

New compound clip architecture makes compound clips easier to reuse in multiple projects and provides improved performance.

•

You can now import and export MXF les using third-party plug-ins. For a list of supported media les, see Supported media formats on page 41.

•

Final Cut Pro 10.0.6 provides improved support for anamorphic media.

What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.3?

Final Cut Pro 10.0.3 includes major new features and enhancements, detailed below.

Multicam editing

You can now use multicam clips to edit footage from multicamera shoots or other synchronized

footage in real time. Working with multicam clips in Final Cut Pro is a exible and uid process.

While the active angle plays in the Viewer, you can also view all angles playing simultaneously in the Angle Viewer and easily cut and switch between them. You can create multicam clips from diverse media sources and modify existing multicam clips during the editing process.

For more information, see Multicam editing overview on page 308.

Chapter 1 What’s new in Final Cut Pro? 11

A/V output

You can now connect your computer to an external video monitor for audio and video (A/V)

output. In addition to showing you how video and audio look and sound on an NTSC/PAL or HD

broadcast monitor, this feature also allows you to test output with more sophisticated devices such as vectorscopes and waveform monitors.

A/V output is available only with OS X Lion v10.7.2 or later and requires compatible third-

party video interface hardware and software. FireWire DV devices are not supported. For more

information, contact the device manufacturer or go to the Final Cut Pro X Resources webpage at

http://www.apple.com/nalcutpro/resources.

For more information, see View playback on an external video monitor on page 79.

Manual relinking of clips to media les

Now you can manually relink event clips and project clips to media les. Manual relinking gives you more control over your post-production workow.

For more information, see Relink clips to media les on page 393.

Other notable features

•

Layered graphics les, such as Adobe Photoshop (PSD) les, can now be edited so that each

layer appears as a connected clip in the Timeline.

•

Advanced Keyer controls are now available.

•

Keyframing controls are improved in the Video and Audio Animation Editors.

What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.1?

Final Cut Pro 10.0.1 includes a number of new features, enhancements, and changes. The most

signicant features are introduced below.

Roles

You can use the new roles metadata labels to organize clips in your events and projects, control

the appearance of the Timeline, and export separate video or audio les (also known as media

stems) for broadcast delivery, audio mixing, or post-production. For example, you can export

roles as media stems in a combined, multitrack QuickTime le, or as separate audio or video les. During the export process you can assign mono, stereo, or surround output for your

audio channels.

For more information, see Roles overview on page 299 and Destinations preferences on page 422.

Storage area network (SAN) locations

You can now add network volumes as storage locations for events and projects. When you remove SAN locations in Final Cut Pro, other users on the network can work with the events and projects stored on those locations.

For more information, see Use SAN locations for events and projects on page 410.

XML export and import

Final Cut Pro now supports XML import and export so that you can transfer your project and

event information to and from systems and third-party applications that don’t recognize Final Cut Pro projects and events.

For more information, see Use XML to transfer projects and events on page 307.

Chapter 1 What’s new in Final Cut Pro? 12

Final Cut Pro basics

What is Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro X is a revolutionary application for creating, editing, and producing the highest-

quality video. Final Cut Pro combines high-performance digital editing and native support for virtually any video format with easy-to-use and time-saving features that let you focus on storytelling.

In Final Cut Pro, you can:

•

Edit everything from uncompressed standard-denition video to HDV, DVCPRO HD, and uncompressed high-denition video—as well as le-based formats such as AVC-Intra, AVCHD, and XDCAM HD.

•

Play back and skim resolution-independent media up to 1920 x1080, 2K, 4K, and even 5K resolution. You can also play your video full screen or on a second display.

•

Assemble clips with ease using the Magnetic Timeline, which uidly adjusts clips around the

clip you’re dragging to eliminate gaps, collisions, and sync problems.

•

Edit quickly with the complete set of professional editing and trimming tools. Fine-tune edits with the inline Precision Editor.

•

Have Final Cut Pro analyze your video and nondestructively x common problems such as

camera shake, excess hum, or loudness. You can also have Final Cut Pro detect the presence of people or the shot type, and automatically apply keywords such as One Person or Wide Shot.

•

Organize your media using Keyword Collections, which automatically group clips based on keywords, and Smart Collections, which automatically group clips based on criteria you specify.

•

Try out clips in your project using auditions—sets of alternate takes, eects, or text

treatments—and then choose the best clip for the edit.

•

Create compound clips to group any combination of clips, and nest clips within other clips.

•

Use connected clips and storylines to add cutaway shots, superimposed titles, and sound

eects to your project. Connected clips and storylines always stay in sync.

•

Add special eects to video, audio, and photos, and adjust them using keyframes and onscreen controls. You can also change clip speed to create fast-motion or slow-motion eects.

•

Automatically balance and match color, or use the color correction tools to precisely control the look of any clip in your project.

•

Publish your project directly to websites such as YouTube and Facebook, or send your project to iTunes for syncing with Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

FinalCutProworkowoverview

To give you an idea of the possibilities, the overall process for putting together a movie with Final Cut Pro is described below. You don’t have to do every step, and you might do others that

aren’t listed. The workow isn’t necessarily linear. You could, for example, go all the way through editing and adding eects, and then import more new media for your project.

Import your media into Final Cut Pro

To use Final Cut Pro, you need to transfer your media (video, audio, and still images) from your recording device to your computer or an external disk. You can import media from many kinds

of cameras and other devices, or from other applications such as iMovie.

Organize your media

Final Cut Pro automatically organizes your imported media into events. An event is like a folder that contains all the media recorded on a certain date. In Final Cut Pro, your media appears as

clips, which link to the media les stored on a disk. You can reorganize your clips by creating or

renaming events and moving clips between events. For example, you could create an event for

all the media shot for a specic client.

As you review your footage, you can easily rate clips as Favorite or Rejected. These ratings make

it easier to focus on your best footage. Final Cut Pro also oers other useful organizing tools, such

as Keyword Collections and Smart Collections.

Create a project and add clips to it

Your project is the movie you create using clips from your events and from the Final Cut Pro media browsers. Start creating your movie by adding clips to the Timeline. You make all

your edits in the project; your original media les remain untouched (this is known as

nondestructive editing).

Arrange and edit your clips

Now your movie can really begin to take shape. To assemble a rough cut, rearrange and trim

clips in the Timeline. You can also try out dierent clips using auditions. Use connected clips and storylines to add cutaway shots, titles, background music, and sound eects to your project.

Create compound clips to group any combination of clips and nest clips within other clips. You can simplify a complicated project by creating a separate compound clip for each major section.

Add eects and transitions

Add special eects from the ample collection of video and audio eects in the Final Cut Pro

media browsers. Give your movie titles and credits, and apply video or audio transitions. Adjust

clip speed settings to create fast-motion or slow-motion eects.

To further polish your project, you can ne-tune cuts and transitions with the Precision Editor, keyframe video and audio eects, correct color, and composite motion graphics.

Chapter 2 Final Cut Pro basics 14

Share your movie

Viewer: Play back

Event Browser: Access all

Event Browser: View and sort

Event Library: Select an event

When your project is nished, you can publish your movie right from Final Cut Pro to the web, or

send it to iTunes, iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Apple TV. You can also burn a disc to give to others.

FinalCutProinterfaceoverview

The Final Cut Pro window has three main areas:

the source media you import.

Magnetic Timeline: Edit your

movie in this area.

clips and projects.

Organize media in the Event Library and Event Browser

All your imported media is available in the Event Library. (An event is like a folder that contains clips.)

When you select an event in the Event Library, its clips appear in the Event Browser on the right.

to view its media on the right.

the clips in the selected event.

You can reorganize your media however you like at any time, and you can use the Event Library

and the Event Browser to manage, rate, sort, and add keywords to your imported media. For more information, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

Chapter 2 Final Cut Pro basics 15

Play back clips and projects in the Viewer

Resolution-independent playback:

Dual viewers: Display event clips

Toolbar: Perform

Connected clips: Add titles and

The Viewer is where you play back your video, including clips and projects with up to 1920 x 1080, 2K, 4K, and even 5K resolution. You can play back events, projects, or individual clips in fullscreen view or on a second display. With the Event Viewer, a separate video display that can be shown next to the main Viewer, you can display two clips at the same time: one from the Event Browser and one from the Timeline. For information about ways to play media, see Play back

media on page 74.

and project clips side by side.

Onscreen controls:

Adjust effects such as

Transform, Crop, and Distort.

Play back video files up to 5K.

Full-screen playback:

Play your video full screen,

or on a second display.

You can also use onscreen controls, superimposed over the video in the Viewer, to adjust settings

for a wide array of eects and transitions.

Edit your project in the Magnetic Timeline

The bottom portion of the Final Cut Pro window contains the Timeline, where you create your movie by adding and arranging clips and making all your edits. The Timeline in Final Cut Pro

“magnetically” adjusts clips to t around clips that you drag into place. If you drag clips out of place, the surrounding clips close up to ll the space.

A Final Cut Pro project holds all of the information for your nal movie, including your editing

decisions and links to all the source clips and events. For more information about editing your project, see Adding clips overview on page 99 and Arrange clips in the Timeline on page 117.

common tasks by clicking a button.

Primary storyline: Add and

arrange clips to construct your movie.

cutaway shots. In the Magnetic Timeline, everything stays in sync.

Audio clips: Add music

and sound effects as connected clips.

Chapter 2 Final Cut Pro basics 16

Medialesandclips

After you import media into Final Cut Pro, clips representing the source media les appear in the

Event Browser. A large event may hold many clips.

Media les are the raw materials you use to create your project. A media le is a video, audio, still-image, or graphics le on your hard disk that contains footage transferred from a camcorder or recording device or originally created on your computer. Media les can contain multiple video and audio components. Because media les—especially video les—tend to be quite

large, projects that use a lot of footage require one or more high-capacity hard disks.

Clips represent your media, but they are not the media les themselves. The clips in a project simply point to (link to) the source media les on your hard disk. When you modify a clip, you are not modifying the media le, just the clip’s information in the project. This is known as nondestructive editing, because all of the changes and eects you apply to clips in Final Cut Pro never aect the media itself. Trimmed or deleted pieces of clips are removed from your project only, not from the source clips in your Event Library or from the source media les on your

hard disk.

Media files on your hard disk

Toy1.mov

Event clips

Project 1

Toy1

Project 2

Project 3

Toy1

Chapter 2 Final Cut Pro basics 17

Eventsandprojects

In Final Cut Pro X, you use events to collect and organize media. Events are like folders that

contain unedited media imported from a camera or some other source.

You use projects to edit and construct movies and share them with your audience. A project is a record of the work you do in the Timeline and the editing decisions you make. When you add a clip from an event to a particular project, you create a link between the source event clip and

the corresponding project clip (and, by extension, between the event and the project). However,

neither the event nor the source clip is contained within the project. You can use that event clip in other projects, and your project can use clips from other events.

The illustration below shows the relationship between events and projects: Final Cut Pro X keeps

track of the links between project clips and their source event clips, but projects and events remain independent.

Event

Project

Event

Project

Chapter 2 Final Cut Pro basics 18

Import media

Importingoverview

Importing media into Final Cut Pro is the rst step toward making your movie. With Final Cut Pro,

you can:

•

Import from a le-based (tapeless) camera or device

•

Import from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

•

Import from a tape-based camcorder or device

•

Import from iMovie

•

Import from iPhoto and Aperture

•

Import from iTunes

•

Import from a hard disk

•

Import from a camera archive

During import, you assign your media to an event. You can also transcode your media and analyze your media for a variety of issues, such as color balance, the presence of people and shot type, and audio problems.

When you import clips (video, audio, or still images), Final Cut Pro assigns one of ve default roles to the video and audio components of each clip: Video, Titles, Dialogue, Music, and Eects. For

more information, see View and reassign roles on page 300.

If you want to quickly back up your media (instead of taking the time to import it), you can create an archive.

Ifit’syourrstimport

The rst time you open Final Cut Pro, it contains no media, no projects, and a single event. Buttons appear in the Event Browser to help you quickly import events from iMovie, media from your

hard disk or a connected external storage device, or media directly from a connected camera.

Import media into an empty event

m To import events from iMovie: Click the Import iMovie Events button and follow the instructions

for importing iMovie events.

m To import les from a connected camera or from a hard disk: Click the Import Media button and

follow the instructions for importing les from a connected le-based camera, from a hard disk,

from a tape-based camera, or from a camera archive.

Importfromconnectedcameras

Import from le-based cameras

File-based camcorders and cameras can record video, audio, and still images. These kinds of

devices, which record to ash-based storage media, hard disk drives (HDD), and so on, usually

connect to your computer via a USB cable. Some devices have removable memory cards that you can insert into your computer instead.

If your le-based device provides a clip-spanning feature, you can import all of the media as one

spanned clip.

To check whether your camera is compatible with Final Cut Pro, go to the Final Cut Pro X

Supported Cameras webpage at http://help.apple.com/nalcutpro/cameras.

Import from a le-based camcorder, camera, or device

1 Do one of the following:

•

Connect your camcorder, camera, or device to your computer, using the cable that came with the device, and turn it on.

If you’re using a camcorder, set it to PC Connect mode. (The name of this transfer mode may

be dierent on your device.) Your camcorder may automatically go into “connect” mode if you

turn it on in playback mode while it’s connected to your computer. For more information, see the documentation that came with your camcorder.

Note: Connecting a DVD camcorder to your Mac can cause the DVD Player application to

open. If that happens, simply close DVD Player.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 20

•

Playback controls

Remove the memory card from your camcorder or device and insert it into the card slot on

your Mac (if it has one) or into an external card reader.

For more information about memory cards, see About memory cards and cables on page 40.

2 To open the Media Import window, do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).

•

Click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar.

3 If necessary, select your camcorder, camera, or device from the Cameras section on the left.

The Media Import window displays all the media on your device. In this window you can preview

the media by either playing it using the playback controls or skimming it by moving the pointer

forward or backward over a lmstrip.

The media on the

device appears here.

Change the way clips appear

using these controls.

Note: Most modern digital cameras can shoot still images and video interchangeably. In many cases, the video clips and still images in those cameras appear side by side in the

Media Import window.

4 Do any of the following:

•

To change which device to import from: Click the device in the Cameras section.

•

To change the way the clips appear: Click the Clip Appearance button in the bottom-right

corner of the Media Import window.

•

To switch between lmstrip view and list view: Click the List View and Filmstrip View buttons at the bottom of the Media Import window. (Connected le-based cameras and camera

archives only.)

Note: When you select a clip in list view, a lmstrip for the selected clip appears at the top of the Event Browser. The lmstrip is fully interactive, allowing access to start and end points,

markers, and keywords.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 21

•

To sort clips in list view by data such as duration, creation date, rating, keyword, and so on: Click the column headings at the top of list view. For more information about list view, see Import

from a hard disk on page 34.

•

To add folders of frequently used media to the Favorites section: Drag them from list view.

To remove a folder from the Favorites section, Control-click the folder and choose Remove from Sidebar in the shortcut menu.

•

To automatically close the Media Import window when the import begins: Select the “Close window after starting import” checkbox.

•

To add a folder to the list view by dragging: Drag the folder from the Finder to the list view and browse its contents in list view.

5 Do one of the following:

•

To import all clips: Click Import All.

•

To import only some of the clips: Select each clip you want to import by Command-clicking each clip, and click Import Selected (the Import button changes its name).

Tip: To select several clips located together, you can drag around the clips to enclose them with the selection rectangle.

•

To import portions of clips: Drag inside the lmstrip to select the range that you want, and click

Import Selected. You can also select multiple ranges in each clip. For more information, see

Select a range on page 93.

Tip: You can also select a clip, press the Space bar to play the clip, and press either I to set a start point or O to set an end point.

6 In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in the

Event Library:

•

To add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld; then choose the disk where you want to store the event from the

“Save to” pop-up menu.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

7 If you want to organize your media, create optimized or proxy media, analyze the video, or

analyze the audio, select the relevant checkboxes.

If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later (if necessary) in the Event Browser.

8 Click Import.

By default, the Media Import window closes when you click Import. You can begin working with

your clips in the Event Browser. Final Cut Pro imports your media in the background.

If you selected any options in the previous step, Final Cut Pro transcodes and optimizes the

les after the import process is complete. You can view the progress of the import and other

background tasks in the Background Tasks window.

9 When background tasks are completed, disconnect the camcorder, camera, or device.

You can create an archive from your le-based or tape-based camera or device. For more

information, see Create and manage camera archives on page 411.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 22

Reimport a clip

Two situations warrant reimporting a clip:

•

If the clip was not completely imported: If you cancel or quit Final Cut Pro before an import is

nished, a Camera icon appears on the bottom-left corner of the clip. This icon indicates that Final Cut Pro is using the media on the camera for playback (instead of using the QuickTime le that was created during import).

Camera icon

To play a clip with a Camera icon, Final Cut Pro locates the media on either a connected camera or in a connected, available camera archive. (See Access media on an archive or disk

image on page 36 for more information.) If Final Cut Pro can’t locate the media in one of those

locations, the clip will go oine and display the Missing Camera alert icon.

•

If the clip’s source media le is not available: If a clip’s source media le is moved or deleted, or the volume it is located on is disconnected from the computer, a Missing File icon is displayed

on the clip. To restore the clip, you can reimport it.

See Alert icons on page 414 for more information about alert icons.

When you reimport a clip, Final Cut Pro automatically connects to the necessary camera or camera archive. There is no need to manually mount a camera archive before reimporting.

1 Do one of the following:

•

Connect the camera that contains the clip to your computer, and turn it on. This will bring the clip online, but the clip will still display the Camera icon in the lower-left corner.

•

Insert the memory card that contains the clip in your computer or connected card reader.

See About memory cards and cables on page 40 for more information.

•

Make sure the camera archive that contains the clip is located in one of the Final Cut Pro

camera archives.

See Create and manage camera archives on page 411 for more information.

2 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:

•

To reimport one clip: Select the clip in the Event Browser.

•

To reimport all clips in an event: Select the event in the Event Library.

3 Choose File > Import > Reimport from Camera/Archive.

The clip or clips are reimported.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 23

Import spanned clips

Some le-based camcorders or devices that have more than one memory card slot can record

one shot over multiple memory cards. The resulting shot is called a spanned clip.

A good way to import a spanned clip into Final Cut Pro is to attach your camera or card reader to your local system and create a camera archive for each memory card. You can store the camera archives on your local system or on an external storage device until you are ready to import the spanned clip. (Even if you are importing the spanned clip immediately, it’s useful to make the camera archive so you have a backup of the footage that makes up the spanned clip.) Then, when you’re ready to import, you can mount all of the camera archives and import the spanned clip.

Create a camera archive for each memory card

1 Connect your camcorder or camera to your computer and turn it on, or connect your card

reader and memory card to your computer. If you’ll be saving the camera archives to an external storage device, connect that as well.

2 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).

•

Click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar.

The Media Import window appears.

3 Select a memory card to archive from the list of cameras on the left.

4 Click the Create Archive button at the bottom-left corner of the window.

5 In the “Create Camera Archive as” eld, type a name for the archive.

6 Choose a location to save the archive from the Destination pop-up menu, and click OK.

Note: To protect your media, it is recommended that you save your archive to a disk or partition

dierent from the one where you store the media les used with Final Cut Pro.

7 Repeat steps 3 through 6 to create camera archives for each of the memory cards that contain a

portion of the spanned clip.

The camera archives appear in the Camera Archives list in the Media Import window.

See Create and manage camera archives on page 411 for more information about creating camera archives.

Import a spanned clip

1 If your camera archives are stored on an external storage device, make sure that it is connected

to your local system.

2 Choose File > Import from Camera.

The Media Import window appears, showing all camera archives on your local system (and on

any connected external storage devices) in the Camera Archives section on the left.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 24

3 Select each camera archive that makes up the spanned clip.

These camera archives

Final Cut Pro mounts all of the camera archives. If all portions of the spanned clip are available, all the mounted camera archives show a clip with the same duration. An icon indicating that the spanned clip is complete appears on the spanned clip.

contain all portions of the spanned clip.

This icon indicates that all

portions of the spanned

clip are available.

This clip represents the complete spanned clip.

If one or more camera archives are missing, an icon appears on the spanned clip to indicate which part of the spanned clip is available—the beginning, middle, or end. You can select each

camera archive to see the dierent icons.

Indicates that all portions of the spanned clip are available.

Indicates that the beginning portion of the spanned clip is available.

Indicates that the middle portion of the spanned clip is available.

Indicates that the end portion of the spanned clip is available.

4 Click Import All to import the spanned clip.

Important: If the camera archives that make up the spanned clip are not all available, you can

import each camera archive separately. Each portion of the spanned clip will be imported into Final Cut Pro as a separate clip.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 25

5 Choose how you want to organize the imported media in the Event Library:

•

To add the imported media to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld; then choose the disk where you want to store the event from the

“Save to” pop-up menu.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

6 If you want to organize your media, transcode your media, analyze the video, or analyze the

audio, select the relevant checkboxes.

If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later (if necessary) in the Event Browser.

7 Click Import.

Final Cut Pro imports your media in the background. If you selected any options in the previous

step, Final Cut Pro transcodes and optimizes the les after the import process is complete. You

can view the progress of the background tasks in the Background Tasks window.

8 To begin working with your clips, close the Media Import window so you can access the

Event Browser.

Import from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Importing media from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is the same as importing it from a le-based

camcorder, camera, or device.

Import from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

1 Connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer using the Dock Connector to USB

cable that came with it. (If another application opens, close it.) Then turn on your device and unlock it.

2 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).

•

Click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar.

The Media Import window appears.

3 If necessary, select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from the Cameras section on the left.

The Media Import window displays all the media on your device. In this window you can preview

the media by either playing it using the playback controls or skimming it by moving the pointer

forward or backward over a lmstrip.

You can also do any of the following:

•

To change which device to import from: Click the device in the Cameras section.

•

To change the way the clips appear: Click the Clip Appearance button in the bottom-right

corner of the Media Import window.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 26

•

To switch between lmstrip view and list view: Click the List View and Filmstrip View buttons at the bottom of the Media Import window. (Connected le-based cameras and camera

archives only.)

Note: When you select a clip in list view, a lmstrip for the selected clip appears at the top of the Event Browser. The lmstrip is fully interactive, allowing access to start and end points,

markers, and keywords.

•

To sort clips in list view by data such as duration, creation date, rating, keyword, and so on: Click the column headings at the top of list view. For more information about list view, see Import

from a hard disk on page 34.

•

To add folders of frequently used media to the Favorites section: Drag them from list view.

To remove a folder from the Favorites section, Control-click the folder and choose Remove from Sidebar in the shortcut menu.

•

To automatically close the Media Import window when the import begins: Select the “Close window after starting import” checkbox.

•

To add a folder to the list view by dragging: Drag the folder from the Finder to the list view and browse its contents in list view.

4 Do one of the following:

•

To import all clips: Click Import All.

•

To import only some of the clips: Select each clip you want to import by Command-clicking each clip, and click Import Selected (the Import button changes its name).

Tip: To select several clips located together, you can drag around the clips to enclose them with the selection rectangle.

•

To import portions of clips: Drag inside the lmstrip to select the range that you want, and click

Import Selected. You can also select multiple ranges in each clip. For more information, see

Select a range on page 93.

Tip: You can also select a clip, press the Space bar to play the clip, and press either I to set a start point or O to set an end point.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 27

5 In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in the

Event Library:

•

To add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld; then choose the disk where you want to store the event from the

“Save to” pop-up menu.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

6 If you want to create optimized or proxy media, analyze the video, or analyze the audio, select

the relevant checkboxes.

If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later (if necessary) in the Event Browser.

7 Click Import.

By default, the Media Import window closes when you click Import. You can begin working with

your clips in the Event Browser. Final Cut Pro imports your media in the background.

If you selected any options in the previous step, Final Cut Pro transcodes and optimizes the

les after the import process is complete. You can view the progress of the import and other

background tasks in the Background Tasks window.

8 When background tasks are completed, disconnect the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Import from a digital still camera

You can import video and still images from digital still cameras. The steps below describe how to import video and still images directly into Final Cut Pro. You can also import your photos into Aperture or iPhoto and access them through the Photos Browser in Final Cut Pro.

To check whether your camera is compatible with Final Cut Pro, go to the Final Cut Pro X

Supported Cameras webpage at http://help.apple.com/nalcutpro/cameras.

Import still-image clips and video clips from a digital still camera

1 Connect your camera to your computer using the cable that came with the camera, and turn

it on.

If your camera doesn’t appear on the left side of the Media Import window (either in the

Cameras or Devices section), remove the camera’s memory card and insert it into the card slot on

your Mac (if it has one) or into an external card reader.

2 In the Finder, locate the DCIM folder inside the camera folder, and then locate the still-image or

video les. The les may be in the DCIM folder, or in a folder one or two levels down. Devices and le structures vary by model and manufacturer.

3 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I) and follow the instructions in Import

from a hard disk on page 34.

•

Drag the les from the Finder into an event or Timeline in Final Cut Pro. The les will be imported using the import settings you congured in Import preferences. See Import from a

hard disk on page 34.

After import, you may have separate audio les that you want to use to replace the video’s audio

track. To do this, you can automatically synchronize the video and audio clips.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 28

Import from tape-based cameras

You can import media from a tape-based camcorder or tape-based device. To determine which clips you want to import (rather than importing all of them), you can view them using Final Cut Pro before you import them.

Final Cut Pro supports tape-based import of the following formats: DV (including DVCAM, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO50), DVCPRO HD, and HDV.

To check whether your camera is compatible with Final Cut Pro, go to the Final Cut Pro X

Supported Cameras webpage at http://help.apple.com/nalcutpro/cameras.

Import media from a tape-based camcorder or device

1 Connect the camcorder to your computer using the cable that came with it, and congure your

device for remote control over FireWire, if necessary.

Note: For best results when importing from a tape-based camcorder, it is recommended that you import the video using the same camcorder that you used to record it.

2 Turn on the camcorder and set it to VTR or VCR mode. (This mode may have a dierent name on

your camera. For more information, see the documentation that came with your camcorder.)

3 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).

•

Click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar.

The Media Import window appears.

4 If you have multiple devices connected to your computer, choose the device you want to import

from in the list of cameras on the left.

The Media Import window displays the image from the current position of the tape.

5 Use the playback controls (or use the J, K, and L keys) to set your tape to the point where you

want to begin importing, and click Import.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 29

6 In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in the

Event Library:

•

To add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld; then choose the disk where you want to store the event from the

“Save to” pop-up menu.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

7 If you want to transcode your media, analyze the video, or analyze the audio, select the

relevant checkboxes.

If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later (if necessary) in the Event Browser.

8 Click Import.

Final Cut Pro begins importing immediately from the current location on the tape. It will

continue to import (and save the resulting media le to the event you specied) until one of the

following occurs:

•

It reaches the end of the tape.

•

The hard disk you are importing to is full.

•

You stop the import session by clicking Stop Import or Close (to close the Media Import window).

The video plays as it’s being imported. It takes as long to import the video as it takes to watch it at normal speed.

9 When the section of video you want to import has been imported, click Stop Import. Then use

the import controls to set your video to a point where you want to begin importing again, and repeat steps 5 through 7. If you selected any options in step 6, Final Cut Pro transcodes

and optimizes the les after the import process is complete. You can view the progress of the

background tasks in the Background Tasks window.

10 When you’re done importing, click Close to close the Media Import window.

You can also create an archive from your tape-based device, recording everything on the tape from beginning to end and saving the captured clips as an archive. For more information, see

Create and manage camera archives on page 411.

If your camera or device isn’t recognized

If you’ve connected your camera or device to your computer but the Media Import window

doesn’t open, or Final Cut Pro can’t control your device, there are several things you can do to try to establish the connection.

Check your equipment and system

1 Make sure that you’re using the correct equipment conguration:

•

Your camcorder or camera must be compatible with Final Cut Pro. For a list of

compatible devices, go to the Final Cut Pro X Supported Cameras webpage at

http://help.apple.com/nalcutpro/cameras.

•

Your device must be connected properly to your computer.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 30

•

Your camcorder must be set to the correct output mode. On some camcorders, this is called VTR or VCR mode, but not all camcorders use the same terminology, so check the documentation that came with your device. On some camcorders you must set the output

to DV mode or HDV mode, depending on whether the content is standard (DV) or high denition (HDV).

•

If you’re connecting a tape-based camcorder to your computer, you should be using a FireWire cable (also called IEEE 1394, or i.LINK), not a USB cable.

See About memory cards and cables on page 40 for more information.

•

If you’re importing video clips from a still camera or other ash memory device, make sure the le format of your video is MPEG-2, MPEG-4, or AVCHD, all of which are compatible with

Final Cut Pro.

•

If your still camera is not supported by Final Cut Pro, try importing the media as les, using a card slot on your Mac computer or an external card reader.

See Import from a hard disk on page 34 for more information.

•

If you’ve enabled Fast User Switching, make sure no one else is trying to use the camcorder

from a dierent account at the same time.

2 If you still can’t import media after checking the items above, try the following:

•

Turn the device o and on again.

•

Disconnect the cable from both the device and the computer, and then reconnect it.

•

Quit and then reopen Final Cut Pro.

•

Restart your computer.

•

Try using a dierent cable.

•

Try using a dierent computer with Final Cut Pro installed.

•

If you’re using a le-based camcorder, use the Finder to copy the mounted volume to a local disk. Then open the les in Final Cut Pro in the same way that you open an archive.

Note: When you see red frames and a yellow alert triangle in a Timeline or event, Final Cut Pro is alerting you that part of your project or event is missing. For more information, see Alert icons on page 414.

Importfromotherapplications

Import from Motion

You can build and modify video eects, titles, transitions, and generators in Motion 5 for use in Final Cut Pro. When you save a template in Motion, it is “published” and becomes available in its

respective media browser in Final Cut Pro.

See the information about Final Cut Pro X templates in Motion Help at

http://help.apple.com/motion.

For more information, see the following:

•

Create specialized versions of transitions in Motion on page 213

•

Create specialized versions of the video eects in Motion on page 237

•

Create specialized versions of the generators in Motion on page 241

Chapter 3 Importmedia 31

Import from iMovie

You can import any of your existing iMovie projects and your iMovie Event Library into

Final Cut Pro.

Note: If you want to import an iMovie trailer project, you rst need to convert it to a standard iMovie project. For more information, choose Help in iMovie ‘11 and search for “Convert a trailer

to a project.”

Important: iMovie projects and clips from the iMovie Event Library are not automatically

analyzed during import because they retain their original analysis results from iMovie. You can override iMovie analysis by analyzing your clips in Final Cut Pro after import. For more

information, see Analyze your media on page 47.

Import an iMovie project

1 In Final Cut Pro, choose File > Import > iMovie Project and locate your existing iMovie project,

typically found in the Movies folder on your hard disk.

2 Click Import.

The project opens in the Timeline and any associated events appear in the Event Library.

Import your iMovie Event Library

1 In Final Cut Pro, choose File > Import > iMovie Event Library.

2 Read the message that appears and click OK.

The events in your iMovie Event Library appear in the Final Cut Pro Event Library.

Import from iPhoto and Aperture

When you import photos and video clips from iPhoto or Aperture into Final Cut Pro, the media is

imported using the import settings you dened in Import preferences. For more information, see

Import from a hard disk on page 34.

Import photos and video clips from iPhoto or Aperture

1 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:

•

Choose Window > Media Browser > Photos.

•

Click the Photos button in the toolbar.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 32

2 If necessary, navigate to the iPhoto or Aperture section of the Photos Browser.

3 To use one or more photos or video clips in your project, drag the items from the Photos Browser

to an event icon in the Event Library or a project in the Timeline. To select multiple clips, you can

Command-click them or drag a selection rectangle around them.

You can also drag photos and video clips from iPhoto or Aperture directly to an event in the

Event Library or a project in the Timeline, without using the Photos Browser.

Import from iTunes

You can import music and sound from your existing iTunes library into Final Cut Pro.

Import music and sound from iTunes

1 In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:

•

Choose Window > Media Browser > Music and Sound.

•

Click the Music and Sound button in the toolbar.

2 In the Music and Sound Browser, choose iTunes from the pop-up menu at the top.

Tip: If the folder you’re looking for doesn’t appear, you can add it to the source list by dragging it

from the Finder or desktop to the Music and Sound Browser.

3 In the list that appears, nd the music or sound you want:

•

To search for an item: Type text in the search eld. To lter your search, click the Filter button

and choose a lter.

•

To preview an item: Double-click the item, or select the item and click the Play button .

•

To select more than one item: Command-click each item.

4 Drag the sound le or les to the Timeline.

Note: For better import and playback performance, Final Cut Pro automatically transcodes

all MP3 audio les to WAV audio les and retains the original MP3 les for future use. For information about where to nd original and transcoded media les, see Where your media and

project les are located on page 390.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 33

Importfromdevices

Import from a hard disk

You can import media—video, audio, still images, and graphics les—from your computer’s hard

disk, a connected external storage device, a memory card inserted in your computer’s card slot

or a card reader, or a network attached volume. You can import media using the Media Import window or by dragging les from the Finder.

When you drag media from the Finder into Final Cut Pro, the media is imported using the organize, transcode, and analysis settings you set in Final Cut Pro preferences. If you don’t want

to use the Media Import window to manage your import, and if you want to always use the same organize, transcode, and analysis settings, importing by dragging les into Final Cut Pro is a

good option. See Import preferences on page 420 for information on the Import preferences.

Note: Some le-based devices allow you to copy the recorded media (with its original directory

structure) to a folder on your computer’s hard disk via the Finder. To import media copied in this way, see Access media on an archive or disk image on page 36.

Import media from a hard disk using the Media Import window

1 If the media you want to import is on an external storage device or memory card, connect the

device to your computer and turn it on.

2 To open the Media Import window, do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).

•

Click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar.

3 In the Devices section on the left side of the Media Import window, select your computer’s

hard disk or the connected external storage device or memory card from which you want to import media.

4 Use the list view at the bottom of the window to navigate to a le or folder and select it. (When

you import from a hard disk, lmstrips are visible for individual selected clips only.)

Chapter 3 Importmedia 34

Tip: Command-click to select multiple les or folders to import.

Add favorite import folders.

Play back the selected clip.

Skim the selected clip.

Click a column heading to sort items by that category.

Navigate to the files and folders.

5 Do any of the following:

•

To preview the selected clip: Play it using the playback controls or skim it by moving the pointer

forward or backward over the lmstrip.

•

To change which hard disk to import from: Select the hard disk in the Devices section or select the location in the Favorites section.

•

To sort clips in list view by data such as duration, creation date, rating, keyword, and so on: Click the column headings at the top of list view.

•

To add folders of frequently used media to the Favorites section: Drag a folder from the list on the right to the Favorites section on the left.

To remove a folder from the Favorites section, Control-click the folder and choose Remove from Sidebar in the shortcut menu.

•

To automatically close the Media Import window when the import begins: Select the “Close window after starting import” checkbox.

•

To add a folder to the list view by dragging: Drag the folder from the Finder to the list view and browse its contents in list view.

6 When you're ready to import, click Import Selected.

7 In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in the

Event Library:

•

To add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld; then choose the disk where you want to store the event from the

“Save to” pop-up menu.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

8 To have Final Cut Pro copy your media les and add them to the event folder that you specied,

select the checkbox.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 35

9 If you want to organize your media, create optimized or proxy media, analyze the video, or

analyze the audio, select the relevant checkboxes.

If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later (if necessary) in the Event Browser.

10 Click Import.

By default, the Media Import window closes when you click Import. You can begin working with

your clips in the Event Browser. Final Cut Pro imports your media in the background.

If you selected any options in the previous step, Final Cut Pro starts to transcode and optimize

the les after the import process is complete. You can view the progress of the import and other

background tasks in the Background Tasks window.

If you imported media from an external device and you chose to have Final Cut Pro copy the

media les to the Final Cut Events folder (rather than just refer to them in their original location),

you can disconnect the device when the background tasks are completed.

Note: For information about restoring events and projects from backups, see Back up projects,

your Project Library, and events on page 403.

Import media by dragging from the Finder

Do one of the following:

m Select a le, Command-click to select multiple les, or select a folder of les, and drag the le or

les from the Finder to the event.

The clip or clips appear in the event.

m Select a le, Command-click to select multiple les, or select a folder of les and drag the le or

les from the Finder to a Keyword Collection.

The clip or clips appear in the event, and the keyword is automatically added to the clip or clips.

Important: If you have the “Import folders as Keyword collections” Import preference selected, a

Keyword Collection is created for each folder name, and the les inside the folder are assigned

that keyword.

m Select a le or Command-click to select multiple les and drag the le or les to a project in

the Timeline.

The clip or clips appear in the Timeline, and in the project’s default events folder.

The le or les are imported using your default import settings.

Access media on an archive or disk image

If you’ve created a camera archive, you can use the media in the archive in two ways:

•

You can connect to the camera archive, making the media available to Final Cut Pro. Although

all available camera archives are always listed in the Media Import window, you can’t use any

of the media in an archive until you connect to the camera archive.

•

You can import the media from the archive, or import media from disk images previously

archived with the Final Cut Pro Log and Transfer window in Final Cut Pro 7 or earlier. When you

do this, copies of the media are created on your local disk.

Note: Some le-based devices allow you to copy the recorded media (with its original directory

structure) to a folder on your computer’s hard disk via the Finder. To import media copied in this way, follow the instructions below.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 36

Import media from an archive or disk image

1 To open the Media Import window, do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).

•

Click the Import Media button on the left end of the toolbar.

2 Do one of the following:

•

To mount a camera archive: In the Camera Archives section on the left side of the Media Import

window, select a camera archive to connect to it.

Note: To disconnect the camera archive, click the Eject button.

Camera archive

•

To mount a disk image: In the Devices section on the left side of the Media Import window,

select your computer’s hard disk or the connected external storage device or memory card from which you want to import media. Then use the list at the bottom of the window to navigate to the disk image and select it.

The archive (or disk image) is connected to Final Cut Pro and its media is displayed in the Media

Import window.

3 To import the media, see Import from le-based cameras on page 20.

Organize les while importing

You can choose how to organize your media when you import it into Final Cut Pro.

•

Copy les to Final Cut Events folder: This option duplicates the media les and places the copy in the Final Cut Events folder on your computer. If you’re importing media from a dierent disk or volume, or if you want to keep a copy of all the media les that have been imported into

Final Cut Pro in the same location (in the Final Cut Events folder), select this checkbox.

If you import les with this checkbox deselected, Final Cut Pro creates reference les (le aliases) that simply point to the source media les without copying them. When you back up events and projects that use these les, Final Cut Pro copies the reference les only (not the source media les). If, after you back up your project or event, you want to replace the reference les with the actual source media les, select the events and choose File > Organize

Event Files.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 37

•

Import folders as Keyword Collections: If you have folders of les that have meaningful folder

names, selecting this option creates a keyword for each folder name and applies the keyword

to all the les in the folder during import. Additionally, a Keyword Collection is created for

each keyword.

After import, these clips will have “B-roll” and “Callaway” keywords.

After import, these clips will have “Interviews” and “Callaway” keywords.

Organize your les during import

1 To import a le, choose File > Import > Files and navigate to the le you want to import.

2 In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in the

Event Library:

•

To add the imported media to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld; then choose the disk where you want to store the event from the

“Save to” pop-up menu.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

3 Select one or both of the organize options (explained above).

4 If you want to transcode your media, analyze the video, or analyze the audio, select the

relevant checkboxes.

If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later (if necessary) in the Event Browser.

5 Click Import.

Final Cut Pro imports your media in the background. If you selected any options in the previous

step, Final Cut Pro transcodes and optimizes the les after the import process is complete. You

can view the progress of the background tasks in the Background Tasks window.

6 To begin working with your clips, close the Media Import window so that you can access the

Event Browser.

Copy all external media les used by an event to its event folder

1 Select the event in the Event Library.

2 Choose File > Organize Event Files.

3 In the window that appears, click Continue.

Final Cut Pro duplicates the media les and places the copy in the Final Cut Events folder on

your computer.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 38

Importwhilerecording

You can record video directly into Final Cut Pro using your computer’s built-in camera or an external iSight camera.

Record live video and audio into Final Cut Pro

1 Do one of the following:

•

To record using the built-in camera: Click the Import Media button in the toolbar.

•

To record using an external iSight camera: Connect the iSight camera to your computer with a

FireWire cable, and click the Import Media button in the toolbar.

2 In the Cameras list on the left side of the Media Import window, select the camera you want to

import from.

A live video image from the camera appears in the Media Import window.

3 Click Import.

The Event Settings window appears.

4 Choose how you want to organize the imported media in the Event Library:

•

To add the imported media to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld; then choose the disk where you want to store the event from the

“Save to” pop-up menu.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

5 If you want to organize your media, create optimized or proxy media, analyze the video, or

analyze the audio, select the relevant checkboxes.

If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later (if necessary) in the Event Browser.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 39

6 When you’re ready to begin recording, click Import.

The camera begins recording immediately.

7 When you want to stop recording, click Stop Import.

A new video clip is created. You can click Import to begin recording again. You can repeat this process as many times as necessary.

Tip: It’s also possible to capture live video from some video camcorders over a FireWire cable

using QuickTime X. For more information, see QuickTime Player Help.

About memory cards and cables

To import media from your recording device to your computer, you need to remove the memory card from your device and insert it into either your computer or a memory card reader. You can also connect your device directly to your computer using the appropriate cable. Then you can

import the media on the memory card or device using the Media Import window. For more

information, see Import from a hard disk on page 34 and Import from le-based cameras on page 20.

•

Memory cards: Many le-based camcorders and devices record media on a removable memory

card. You can connect a card reader to your computer and use that to transfer the contents of

your memory card onto your computer. Some Mac computers feature an SD (Secure Digital) or SDXC (SD extended capacity) card slot that allows these computers to read and write data to SD media inserted in the slot. If your Mac has a card slot, you can remove the card from the camera, insert the card into your Mac, and then import the les.

For more information, go to http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3553.

You can also connect your device to the computer using a FireWire or USB cable. The kind of cable you need depends on the kind of device you’re using:

•

USB device: You use a USB cable for le-based camcorders, digital still cameras that record

video, and iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The USB cable should have at least one connector

that plugs into your Mac (at the top in the illustration below). The other end of the USB cable, which plugs into your recording device, might look dierent (on the bottom in the

illustration below).

Chapter 3 Importmedia 40

•

FireWire device: For most camcorders that record to tape, you use a FireWire cable with a 6-pin

connector on one end that plugs into your Mac (at the top in the illustration below) and

a 4-pin connector on the other end that plugs into your camcorder (on the bottom in the illustration below).

Or you might have a FireWire 800 cable, with a dierent end that plugs into your camcorder

or computer.

•

Thunderbolt device: Devices that use Thunderbolt I/O technology use a connector that plugs

into the mini display port on your Mac and looks like the connector below.

If your device didn’t come with a cable and you’re not sure what kind of device you have, you can check the logo near the cable ports on your device to see if it matches the USB or FireWire logo, both shown above. Otherwise, check the documentation that came with your device.

Note: Not all Mac computers include a FireWire port. Check your system conguration to conrm that your Mac includes FireWire support before attempting to connect a standard (DV) or HDV camcorder.

To check whether your camera is compatible with Final Cut Pro, go to the Final Cut Pro X

Supported Cameras webpage at http://help.apple.com/nalcutpro/cameras.

Supportedmediaformats

You can import and work with the following video, audio, and still-image formats in Final Cut Pro:

Video formats

•

Apple Animation codec

•

Apple Intermediate codec

•

Apple ProRes (all versions)

•

AVC-Intra

•

AVCHD (including AVCCAM, AVCHD Lite, and NXCAM)

•

DV (including DVCAM, DVCPRO, and DVCPRO50)

•

DVCPRO HD

•

H.264

•

HDV

•

iFrame

•

Motion JPEG (OpenDML only)

Chapter 3 Importmedia 41

•

MPEG IMX (D-10)

•

REDCODE RAW (R3D)

•

Uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2

•

Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2

•

XAVC

•

XDCAM HD/EX/HD422

•

QuickTime formats

Audio formats

•

AAC

•

AIFF

•

BWF

•

CAF

•

MP3

•

MP4

•

WAV

Still-image formats

•

BMP

•

GIF

•

JPEG

•

PNG

•

PSD (static and layered)

•

RAW

•

TGA

•

TIFF

Container formats

•

3GP

•

AVI

•

MP4

•

MXF

•

QuickTime

Chapter 3 Importmedia 42

ImportandadjustREDCODERAWvideoles

You can import and work with REDCODE RAW (R3D) les in Final Cut Pro.

RAW format video les require some additional steps before and after import.

After the R3D RAW les are imported, you can make nondestructive color correction adjustments

directly within Final Cut Pro.

Import REDCODE RAW (R3D) les

1 Install the appropriate plug-in.

In order for Final Cut Pro to recognize the R3D RAW les, you must download and install the

corresponding plug-in. For more information, go to http://www.red.com.

2 Import the media.

Important: When you import the media, make sure to deselect the “Create optimized media”

and “Create proxy media” options, because any transcoding work done during import will be discarded if you adjust the RAW settings in the next step.

For more information about importing media, see Import from le-based cameras on page 20 and Import from a hard disk on page 34. For more information about transcoding media, see

Transcode media les on page 397.

Note: If you are importing les from the RED ONE camera, it is recommended that you import the R3D RAW les only. The RED ONE camera typically generates a set of up to four QuickTime reference movie (.mov) les for each R3D RAW le. If you select both the R3D le and the reference movies during the import process, Final Cut Pro imports the R3D le only. If you need to import a reference movie, select only the reference movie, not the R3D le.

3 Adjust the RAW settings (with Final Cut Pro or with an external application such as

REDCINE–X PRO).

You can apply a nondestructive “one-light” color correction to the R3D RAW clips immediately

after import, to give your footage a more nished look for editing and review.

If you have a professional production with sophisticated color correction needs, you can revisit

these RAW settings during the nishing stage. For more information, see “Adjust RED RAW

settings,” below.

4 If you like, generate optimized or proxy media from the R3D RAW les.

For more information, see “Transcode clips after import” in Transcode media les on page 397.

Note: If you do generate optimized or proxy media, be sure to set Final Cut Pro preferences accordingly. For more information, see Playback preferences on page 419.

5 Add the R3D RAW clips to your project and edit as you would any other clips.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 43

Adjust RED RAW settings

You can adjust REDCODE RAW (R3D) les using the RED RAW Settings window.

Metadata about REDCODE RAW (R3D) les can be stored in two locations:

•

Internal (embedded) settings: This is metadata information recorded by the camera and

embedded in the R3D RAW le. It always remains with the le. These camera settings can be superseded by settings in the external RMD le, but they are never overwritten. You can revert to these camera settings by deleting any existing RMD le or by choosing Original Camera

Settings from the Revert To pop-up menu in the RED RAW Settings window.

•

External RMD le: This is an external metadata le with the le extension .RMD. This le is created by Final Cut Pro, REDCINE-X PRO, or similar software applications. If you adjust RED RAW settings in Final Cut Pro and an RMD le already exists, the existing le is overwritten

when the changes are saved. The embedded camera settings remain intact.

1 Install the appropriate plug-in.

In order for Final Cut Pro to recognize the R3D RAW les, you must download and install the

corresponding plug-in. For more information, go to http://www.red.com.

2 In the Event Browser or the Timeline, select the clip or clips you want to adjust.

Note: Compound clips cannot be adjusted.

3 Do one of the following:

•

Choose Window > Show Inspector (or press Command-4).

•

Click the Inspector button in the toolbar.

4 Click the Info button at the top of the pane that appears.

5 In the Info inspector, click the Modify RED RAW Settings button.

If the Modify RED RAW Settings button does not appear, choose Show File Status from the Action

pop-up menu at the bottom of the Info inspector.

6 In the RED RAW Settings window, adjust the settings.

Your changes are saved nondestructively to an external metadata le with the le extension .RMD, overwriting any existing RMD metadata le. Unlike video eects that are applied to a clip, these adjustments are associated with the le (via the RMD metadata le). Any changes you

make to these settings are applied to all copies of the selected clip or clips.

Note: Final Cut Pro supports the RED ROCKET card, a PCI card that provides a signicant boost

in performance.

For more information about REDCODE RAW (R3D) les and the RED ROCKET card, go to

http://www.red.com.

Chapter 3 Importmedia 44

Analyze media

Analyzingmediaoverview

You can have Final Cut Pro analyze your media and automatically correct common problems

it may nd in your video, still images, and audio. For example, you can stabilize shaky video,

balance color, and remove excess hum or loudness.

You can also analyze clips to identify their contents. Analysis can detect the number of people in a shot and identify if the shot is a close-up, medium, or wide shot. This is helpful if you need to

quickly nd a certain type of clip while viewing footage or editing a project. For complete lists of

the video and audio analysis options, see Video and still-image analysis options on page 45 and

Audio analysis options on page 46.

You can analyze media during the import process or after you import the media into Final Cut Pro. You can also set Final Cut Pro to automatically analyze clips you drag directly to the Final Cut Pro Timeline from the Finder.

After certain types of analysis, keywords are automatically added to clips or clip ranges to describe the results of the analysis. For example, a clip range with shaky video is assigned the Excessive Shake keyword. In the Event Browser, clips with analysis keywords have a purple line at the top. (Clips with keywords you add manually have a blue line at the top. For more information, see Add keywords to clips on page 64.)

Videoandstill-imageanalysisoptions

Final Cut Pro provides automatic video and still-image analysis options that can nd and

correct shaky video, automatically balance color in video, and detect people and shot angles in video or still images. You can analyze video during import, or analyze video clips in the Event Browser after import. Analysis keywords are added to clips or clip ranges based on the results of the analysis.

Final Cut Pro provides these video and still-image analysis options:

•

Analyze for stabilization and rolling shutter: Analyzes video clips and adds the Excessive Shake analysis keyword to clips or clip ranges with excessive shake, rolling shutter, or both. If a clip

has an Excessive Shake keyword, you can x the shaking after you add the clip to the Timeline

by turning on Stabilization and Rolling Shutter corrections. See Correct excessive shake and

rolling shutter issues on page 154. If a clip doesn’t have stabilization-related issues, the Steady

Shot analysis keyword is added.

Note: If you’re analyzing for stabilization problems, it’s recommended that you also select the “Create Smart Collections after analysis” checkbox so that you can easily locate clips with the Excessive Shake keyword.

Important: Analysis for stabilization and rolling shutter is available only after import. For more

information, see Analyze your media on page 47.

•

Analyze for balance color: Analyzes video clips to detect color balance and contrast. Color is automatically balanced when you add the clip to the Timeline. You can turn automatic color

adjustments on and o at any time.

•

Remove pulldown: Analyzes video clips and removes pulldown patterns.

Important: This option is available only when importing from a tape-based camera or device.

•

Find people: Analyzes video clips and still images for the number of people present and shot types. After analysis, any of the following keywords are added to the clips or clip ranges: One

Person, Two Persons, Group, Close Up Shot, Medium Shot, and Wide Shot.

Note: If you’re analyzing to nd people, it’s recommended that you also select the “Create Smart Collections after analysis” checkbox so that you can easily locate clips with “nd people”

analysis keywords.

•

Consolidate nd people results: Consolidates all of the “nd people” analysis keywords into one

shot type keyword and one people keyword for every 2-minute segment of video. The shot type keyword chosen is the one for the widest shot type, and the people keyword chosen is

the one representing the most people. For example, if a video segment contains Medium Shot,

Wide Shot, One Person, and Group keywords, the segment's analysis keywords are reduced to Wide Shot and Group during consolidation.

•

Create Smart Collections after analysis: Creates a Smart Collection for each keyword applied when analyzing video clips for image stabilization problems or analyzing video clips and still images for the presence of people. The Smart Collections are listed alphabetically in a People

folder inside the event in the Event Library.

When you drag a media le from the Finder to a Final Cut Pro event or the Timeline, the import

begins automatically, without displaying a window of import options. You can set automatic import options in the Final Cut Pro Import preferences pane.

Audioanalysisoptions

Final Cut Pro provides automatic analysis options that can x common audio problems, analyze

and group audio channels, and remove silent channels. You can analyze audio during import, or analyze video clips with audio issues in the Event Browser or in the Timeline.

Final Cut Pro provides these audio analysis options:

•

Analyze and x audio problems: Analyzes the audio for hum, noise, and loudness. Final Cut Pro

automatically xes problems that are considered severe (marked in red) and ags problems

that are considered moderate (marked in yellow). For more information, see Enhance audio on page 199.

•

Separate mono and group stereo audio: Audio channels are analyzed and grouped as dual mono or stereo, depending on the results of the analysis. Automatically corrected audio channels are marked as Autoselected. For more information about audio channels, see

Congure audio channels on page 169.

•

Remove silent channels: Audio channels are analyzed, and silent channels are automatically removed. Clips that have had channels removed are marked as Autoselected. For more information about audio channels, see Congure audio channels on page 169.

When you drag a media le from the Finder to a Final Cut Pro event or the Timeline, the import

begins automatically, without displaying a window of import options. You can set automatic import options in the Final Cut Pro Import preferences pane.

Chapter 4 Analyze media 46

Analyze your media

You can analyze clips during the import process, analyze clips in the Event Browser after import, or set Final Cut Pro to analyze clips automatically when they are dragged to a Final Cut Pro event or the Timeline.

Note: Analysis for stabilization and rolling shutter is available only after import.

Analyze clips during import

1 Do one of the following:

•

To import a le from a compatible camcorder or camera, iPad, iPhone, iPod, or other device:

Connect the device to your computer, turn on the device, and choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). In the window that appears, select the le you want to import, and click

the Import button.

•

To import a le from a tape-based camcorder: Connect the camcorder to your computer, turn

on the camcorder, and set it to VTR or VCR mode. Then choose File > Import > Media (or press

Command-I) and click the Import button.

•

To import a le from a memory card: Insert the memory card into the card slot on your Mac or into a card reader that’s connected to your computer, and choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). In the window that appears, select the le you want to import, and click

the Import button.

•

To import a le located on your hard disk or a connected external storage device: Choose File >

Import > Media (or press Command-I). In the window that appears, select the le you want to

import, and click the Import button.

•

To import from an archive: Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). In the window

that appears, select a camera archive from the list on the left, click Open Archive, select the

les you want to import, and click the Import button.

2 In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in the

Event Library:

•

To add the imported media to an existing event: Select “Add to existing Event,” and choose the event from the pop-up menu.

•

To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim

Wedding”) in the text eld. Use the “Save to” pop-up menu to choose the disk where you want

to store the event.

To learn more about events, see Events and clips overview on page 51.

3 Select any of the video and audio analysis options that you want to apply.

For descriptions of the video and audio analysis options, see Video and still-image analysis

options on page 45 and Audio analysis options on page 46.

Final Cut Pro will analyze the les in the background, after the import process is complete.

4 Click Import.

The import may take a while, depending on the options you selected in step 3. You can see the status of all the background processes currently running in the Background Tasks window.

Chapter 4 Analyze media 47

Analyze clips after import

1 In the Event Browser, Control-click one or more clips and choose “Analyze and Fix” from the

shortcut menu.

Tip: To quickly nd a clip used in the Timeline, Control-click the clip and choose “Reveal in Event

Browser” from the shortcut menu.

2 In the window that appears, select any or all of the video analysis and audio analysis options that

you want to apply, and click OK.

The transcoding process may take a while, depending on the analysis options you selected. You can see the status of all the background processes currently running in the Background Tasks window.

Automatically analyze media les when they are dragged to an event or the Timeline

1 Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences.

2 In the Preferences window, click Import and select each of the video and audio analysis options

that you want to apply.

When you’re nished, close the Preferences window.

3 To import one or more les, select a le (or Command-click multiple les) in the Finder and drag

the selection to an event or the Timeline.

Viewanalysiskeywordsonclips

If you analyzed media to nd shaky footage or people, analysis keywords such as Excessive

Shake, One Person, Close Up Shot, and so on are automatically added to clips or clip ranges. Clips or ranges with analysis keywords are marked with a purple line in the Event Browser.

A clip with a purple line has one or more analysis keywords.

You can view a clip’s analysis keywords in several locations in Final Cut Pro.

Chapter 4 Analyze media 48

View keywords in the Skimmer Info window

The analysis keywords are

1 Choose View > Show Skimmer Info (or press Control-Y).

2 Skim the clip in the Event Browser.

Keywords, including analysis keywords, are displayed in the Skimmer Info window when you hold the pointer over the clip.

To turn o Skimmer Info, choose View > Hide Skimmer Info (or press Control-Y).

View keywords in list view in the Event Browser

1 Click the List View button.

2 To see a clip’s keywords, click the disclosure triangle next to the clip.

listed next to the purple gear.

Chapter 4 Analyze media 49

View the contents of a Smart Collection

Medium Shot Smart Collection

If you chose to create Smart Collections after analysis, clips that have analysis keywords are

automatically grouped in Smart Collections within the event in the Event Library. A Smart

Collection is created for each analysis keyword and placed in either a People folder or a Stabilization folder, depending on the type of analysis.

m In the Event Library, select an analysis keyword Smart Collection inside a People folder or

Stabilization folder in an event.

The clips with that analysis keyword appear in the Event Browser. For example, if you select the

Medium Shot Smart Collection, all the clips in the event that have the Medium Shot keyword

appear in the Event Browser.

These clips contain the Medium Shot analysis keyword.

Chapter 4 Analyze media 50

Select an event

The Event Browser displays

Organize your media

Eventsandclipsoverview

When you import video, audio, and still images, or record directly into Final Cut Pro, the source

media les (your raw footage) appear as clips in one or more events in the Event Library. An

event is similar to a folder that can hold dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of video clips,

audio clips, and still images. Each event in the Event Library refers to a folder on your hard disk that contains the original source media les, any render les related to your media, and a database le that keeps track of where everything is.

When you select an event in the Event Library, the media it contains appears as clips in the Event

Browser. You select clips or portions of clips in the Event Browser to work with them. You can sort clips in the Event Browser by creation date, as well as by date imported, reel, scene, clip duration,

and le type.

in the Event Library.

When you import video into a new event, you name the event. By giving your events meaningful names, such as “Smith Wedding 2011,” you can organize all of your media so that it’s readily

accessible. By default, Final Cut Pro lists the events in the Event Library by the date they were recorded. You can organize the Event Library in other ways, and you can also hide the Event Library to give yourself more room to work. The Event Library is also the home for Final Cut Pro

Keyword Collections and Smart Collections which provide a powerful way to organize your video

editing projects using keywords and persistent search lters.

the clips in the selected event.

Organizeevents

Create a new event

After importing your source media les into Final Cut Pro, you may nd that you need to create additional events to organize your media. For example, after importing media shot for a specic client, you may decide to split the media into events dened by the location the media was shot

in; or split the media by the time of day it was shot, such as morning, afternoon, and evening.

Create a new event in the Event Library

1 If you don’t see the Event Library, click the Event Library button at the bottom-left corner of the

Event Browser.

2 Choose File > New Event (or press Option-N).

A new event appears in the Event Library.

3 Type a name for the event and press Return.

4 Move clips from other events into the new event, as necessary.

Rename an event

Change an event’s name

As your project evolves, you may nd that you want to rename an event so that it more accurately reects the clips it contains.

1 In the Event Library, select the event whose name you want to change.

2 Do one of the following:

•

Click the event’s name and type a new name.

•

Press Return and type a new name.

Important: Renaming an event also renames the event’s folder on the hard disk where your

source media is located.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 52

Merge or split events

You can merge (combine) two or more events in the Event Library (for example, if the media they contain is very closely related). You can also split a single event into multiple events if you nd an

event is getting unmanageable.

Merge multiple events

1 In the Event Library, do one of the following:

•

Drag one or more events that you want to combine to a new event.

•

Select the events you want to combine, and choose File > Merge Events.

2 In the Merge Events window that appears, type a new name for the event.

3 Choose the disk where you want to store the event’s source media les from the Location

pop-up menu, and click OK.

Final Cut Pro merges the selected events into a single event in the Event Library. The source media les for all the clips are moved into the merged event folder on the hard disk and stored

in the location you chose from the pop-up menu.

Split an event into multiple events

1 Create the new events you need.

2 Move the clips you want to separate out from the original event to the new events.

The source media les for all the clips are moved into the event folders on disk corresponding to the newly created events in the Event Library.

Important: If you disconnect the disk where your merged or split events are stored, you will

not be able to access the events or their source media les from within Final Cut Pro until you

reconnect the disk.

Copy or move clips between events

You can copy and move clips from one event to another. When you copy a clip from one event

to another, the corresponding le is duplicated on disk. When you move a clip from one event to another, the corresponding le is moved from one event folder to the other on disk.

Note: When you import media into Final Cut Pro, you have the option to select the “Copy les to Final Cut Events folder” checkbox, which duplicates the source media les on your hard disk. If you import les with this checkbox deselected, Final Cut Pro creates reference les (aliases) that simply point to the source media les without copying them. When you copy or move clips between events, Final Cut Pro copies or moves the reference les only (not the source media les). If, after you have copied or moved the clips, you want to replace the corresponding reference les with the actual source media les, select the events and choose File > Organize Event Files. For more information about les and clips, see Media les and clips on page 17.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 53

Copy clips from one event to another

1 In the Event Library, select the event that contains the clips you want to copy.

2 In the Event Browser, select the clip or clips you want to copy.

3 Do one of the following:

•

If both events are on the same hard disk: Option-drag the clips from one event to the other by

rst starting to drag and then holding down the Option key as you drag.

•

If the events are on separate hard disks: Drag the clips from one event to the other.

Move clips from one event to another

1 In the Event Library, select the event that contains the clips you want to move.

2 In the Event Browser, select the clip or clips you want to move.

3 Do one of the following:

•

If both events are on the same hard disk: Drag the clips from one event to the other.

•

If the events are on separate hard disks: Command-drag the clips from one event to the other.

The event to which you copy or move the clips may be re-sorted in the Event Library. It will be

listed below the year in which its most recent clip was recorded.

If you copy or move a large clip from an event stored on one hard disk to an event stored on

another, the move may take a few minutes as the source media les are copied or moved from

disk to disk.

Copy or move events

You can easily copy or move an event from your computer to a hard disk or from one hard disk to another. This is useful if you want to work with your event on another computer that has Final Cut Pro installed or free up space on your computer’s hard disk.

Copy an event

1 Make sure another hard disk is connected to your computer.

2 Choose Group Events by Disk from the Action pop-up menu below the Event Library.

The connected disk drive’s icon and name appear in the Event Library.

3 Select an event in the Event Library.

4 Do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Duplicate Event (or press Command-D).

•

Drag the event to the external drive’s icon.

5 In the Duplicate Event window, type a name for the new event.

6 To store your les in a second location, choose it from the Location pop-up menu.

7 Click OK.

Final Cut Pro makes a copy of the event at the location you chose. It also makes copies of the

source media les and places them in a new event folder. Keep in mind that copying an event with large source media les can take several minutes.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 54

Move an event

1 Make sure another hard disk is connected to your computer.

2 Choose Group Events by Disk from the Action pop-up menu below the Event Library.

The connected disk drive’s icon and name appear in the Event Library.

3 Select an event in the Event Library.

4 Do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Move Event.

•

Command-drag the event to the drive’s icon.

5 To store your les in a second location, choose it from the Location pop-up menu.

6 Click OK.

Final Cut Pro moves the event to the location you chose. It also moves the event folder that

contains the source media les. Keep in mind that moving an event with large source media les

can take several minutes.

Important: If you disconnect the disk containing the event you moved, you will no longer

have access to the event or its source media les from within Final Cut Pro until you reconnect

the disk.

Sort events

In the Event Library, you can view your events in a number of ways, including by the disk they’re

stored on and the date when they were recorded.

Sort events by storage location or date

m To view events by the hard disk where they’re stored: Choose Group Events by Disk from the Action

pop-up menu below the Event Library.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 55

m To view events by the date they were recorded: Choose Group Events by Date from the Action

pop-up menu, and choose an option from the submenu.

Show event date ranges

Final Cut Pro can display the date ranges for the source media les within each event.

m Choose Show Date Ranges in Event Library from the Action pop-up menu .

Sort events by most recent

m Choose Arrange Events by Most Recent from the Action pop-up menu .

Delete clips or events

You can delete unwanted clips from an event, and you can delete an entire event in order to free up space on your hard disk. When you delete a clip from an event or an entire event, Final Cut Pro moves the source media to the Trash.

Note: The Event Library must contain at least one event.

Delete clips from an event or an entire event

1 In the Event Library, select the event you want to delete or delete clips from.

2 Do either of the following:

•

To delete clips from the event: Select the clips you want to remove, and choose File > Move to

Trash (or press Command-Delete).

•

To delete the entire event: Choose File > Move Event to Trash (or press Command-Delete).

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 56

The selected clips’ source media les, or the event and all its associated source media les, are moved to the Finder Trash. To permanently delete the source media les from your hard disk,

empty the Trash.

WARNING: After the Trash is emptied, the deleted clips or event and all their source media les

cannot be restored.

Organizeclips

View and sort clips

You can display your clips in the Event Browser in two views:

•

Filmstrip view: Displays the clips in the selected event as a connected series of thumbnail images. Filmstrip view is useful when you want to visually locate your clips.

•

List view: Displays a list of your clips with associated le information. Use this view when you

want to view or sort clips by data such as duration, creation date, rating, keyword, and so on.

When you select a clip in list view, a lmstrip for the selected clip appears at the top of the Event Browser. The lmstrip is fully interactive, allowing access to start and end points, markers,

and keywords.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 57

Switch between lmstrip and list views

Do one of the following:

m Click the Filmstrip View button in the bottom-left corner of the Event Browser.

m Click the List View button in the bottom-left corner of the Event Browser.

Customize lmstrip view

m To adjust the time represented by each thumbnail in a clip’s lmstrip: At the bottom-right corner of

the Event Browser, drag the Duration slider.

Slider set to 5 seconds

Slider set to 30 seconds

Adjusting the Duration slider expands and contracts the amount of detail shown in each clip’s

lmstrip. The longer each thumbnail’s duration, the fewer thumbnails each clip displays, and the

more clips are displayed in the Event Browser.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 58

m To adjust the lmstrip height: At the bottom-right corner of the Event Browser, click the Clip

Appearance button and drag the Clip Height slider.

m To turn audio waveforms on and o: At the bottom-right corner of the Event Browser, click the Clip

Appearance button and deselect the Show Waveforms checkbox in the window that appears.

When audio waveforms are on, they appear at the bottom of each clip’s lmstrip, increasing the

height of all clips in the Event Browser.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 59

Customize list view

m To choose what type of information is displayed in list view columns as well as customize the columns

themselves: In the Event Browser, Control-click a column heading, and choose a category option from the shortcut menu.

m To rearrange columns in list view: In the Event Browser, drag a column heading to move the

column to a new position.

m To sort clips in list view by a category: Click a column heading in the Event Browser to sort clips by

that category.

m To view a clip’s rating and keywords in list view: Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the

clip’s name.

Keyword

Rating

If a disclosure triangle appears to the left of a clip in list view, it means a rating, keyword, or both have been applied to that clip.

Sort clips in the Event Browser

You can sort clips in the Event Browser into an order that makes it easier to visually locate them.

1 In the Event Library, select the event whose clips you want to sort.

2 Do one or both of the following:

•

To group clips by category: Choose Group Clips By from the Action pop-up menu below

the Event Library, and choose a category from the submenu. Choose to set the sort order as

Ascending or Descending from the same submenu.

•

To set the sort order of the clips in the event without grouping them: Choose Arrange Clips

By from the Action pop-up menu below the Event Library, and choose a category from

the submenu.

Note: You can both group clips and set their sort order (arrangement) independently.

Reset the sort order in the Event Browser to its default state

1 In the Event Library, select the event that contains the clips whose sort order you want to reset.

2 Choose Group Clips By > None and Group Clips By > Ascending from the Action pop-up menu

below the Event Library.

3 Choose Arrange Clips By > Content Created and Arrange Clips By > Ascending from the Action

pop-up menu.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 60

Rename clips

Clips button

You can rename clips in the Event Browser, the Timeline Index, or the Info inspector at any time.

Renaming a clip aects only that instance of the clip. For example, if you add a clip from the

Event Browser to the Timeline, copy clips between events, or copy clips within the Timeline, each of these clip instances (copies) is independent of the others and can have its own name.

Important: Renaming a clip in Final Cut Pro does not rename the clip’s source media le on disk.

Rename a clip in the Event Browser

m To rename a clip in lmstrip view: Select a clip’s name, and type a new name.

m To rename a clip in list view: Select a clip’s name, press Return, and type a new name.

Rename a clip in the Timeline Index

1 To open the Timeline Index, click the Timeline Index button in the lower-left corner of the

Final Cut Pro main window (or press Command-Shift-2).

2 Click the Clips button at the top of the Timeline Index.

3 Click the Name eld for a clip, and type a new name.

Rename a clip in the Info inspector

1 Select a clip in the Event Browser or the Timeline.

2 To open the Info inspector, click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below), and click the

Info button at the top of the pane that appears.

3 In the Name section of the Info inspector, click the Name eld and type a new name.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 61

Rate clips as Favorite or Rejected

Favorite

Rejected

If your clips contain sections that you don’t like or that you might never want to use in a project—because they’re blurry, for example—you can mark them as Rejected. You can easily rate the clips you like and the clips you don’t like as you review them. When you’re ready to make a project or play your clip for your client, you can focus on your best footage by choosing to display only those clips you marked as Favorite. You can also delete your rejected clips’ source

media les to free up space on your hard disk.

Rate clips

1 In the Event Browser, select a range, a clip, or multiple clips you want to rate.

2 Do one of the following:

•

If you like the selection: Press the F key or click the Favorite button in the toolbar.

In the Event Browser, a green line appears at the top of frames you’ve marked as Favorite.

•

If you don’t like the selection: Press the Delete key or click the Reject button in the toolbar.

A red line appears at the top of frames you’ve marked as Rejected.

Note: If you chose Hide Rejected from the Filter pop-up menu at the top of the Event Browser,

clips marked as Rejected disappear from view.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 62

Remove ratings from clips

Clips with all

1 Make sure the clips you want to work with appear in the Event Browser.

You might need to choose a new option, such as All Clips, from the Filter pop-up menu at the top-left corner of the Event Browser so that all the clips you need to access are visible.

Choose All Clips to show all the clips in the event regardless of rating.

2 In the Event Browser, select the clips whose rating you want to remove, and press the U key or

click the Clear Rating button in the toolbar.

The green or red line at the top of the clips disappears.

ratings removed

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 63

Add keywords to clips

Keyword

A blue line indicates that

You can apply keywords to your clips to help you quickly locate the clips you need to compose your movie. After you apply a keyword to a clip or clip range, the clip or range is marked with a blue line in the Event Browser. (Clips that have analysis keywords, which are automatically applied after certain types of analysis, are marked with a purple line. For more information, see

Analyzing media overview on page 45.)

Additionally, when a keyword is applied to a clip or clip range, a Keyword Collection appears in

the Event Library. A Keyword Collection contains pointers (aliases) to clips tagged with a specic

keyword. For example, if you apply the keyword “Nicholas” to all clips containing Nicholas, you

can then select the Nicholas Keyword Collection in the Event Library to view all clips containing

the “Nicholas” keyword in the Event Browser.

Collections

a clip has keywords.

You can apply one or more keywords to a range within a clip, a whole clip, or a group of clips in an event.

Apply keywords using the Keyword Editor

1 In the Event Browser, select a range or one or more clips to which you want to add keywords.

2 To open the Keyword Editor, click the Keywords button in the toolbar.

3 At the top of the Keyword Editor, type the keyword or keyword phrase you want to apply to the

selection, and press Return.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 64

Type a keyword or keyword phrase, and press Return.

4 Repeat step 3 for each keyword or keyword phrase you want added to the selection.

A blue line appears at the top of the selection in the Event Browser, indicating that keywords have been applied to it.

5 When you’re nished adding keywords, close the Keyword Editor.

Assign keywords using keyboard shortcuts

To add keyword phrases to your clips using keyboard shortcuts, you must rst assign keywords

and keyword phrases to the keyboard shortcuts.

1 If the Keyword Editor isn’t open, click the Keywords button in the toolbar.

2 In the Keyword Editor, click the disclosure triangle to the left of Keyword Shortcuts.

3 Type a keyword or phrase in each shortcut eld, and press Return.

To reassign a keyboard shortcut, select the shortcut text in the eld and type the new keyword.

Enter keywords or a keyword phrase here to assign them to keyboard shortcuts.

4 To use a keyboard shortcut, select a range or one or more clips to which you want to add

keywords, and press Control and the corresponding number key (1 through 9).

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 65

View keywords applied to clips

m To quickly identify clips that have keywords: Select an event in the Event Library.

Clips that have one or more keywords appear in the Event Browser marked with a blue line at the top.

m To view all keywords applied to a clip: Choose View > Show Skimmer Info (or press Control-Y), and

skim the clip in the Event Browser.

You can also view a clip’s keywords by selecting the clip in the Event Browser and clicking the Keywords button in the toolbar. The keywords applied to the clip are shown in the Keyword Editor.

m To view all the clips that have a specic keyword: Select a Keyword Collection in the Event Library.

The clips with that keyword appear in the Event Browser.

Remove all keywords from a selection

1 In the Event Browser, select a range or one or more clips from which you want to

remove keywords.

A blue line at the top of the clips indicates the portions of the clips that have keywords applied.

2 Choose Mark > Remove All Keywords (or press Control-0).

Remove a subset of keywords from a selection

1 In the Event Browser, select a range or one or more clips from which you want to remove

specic keywords.

A blue line at the top of the clips indicates the portions of the clips that have keywords applied. Each keyword assigned to a clip is also shown in list view.

2 Click the Keywords button in the toolbar to open the Keyword Editor, select the keyword or

keywords you want to remove, and press Delete.

Select the keyword or keywords that you want to remove from the selection, and press Delete.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 66

Add or edit clip notes

Clips button

As you review your clips, you can add and edit notes about them in the Event Browser or the

Timeline Index. You can quickly nd your clips by entering the note text in the search eld in the Event Browser or the Timeline Index, or the Text eld in the Filter window.

Note: You can add notes to each instance of a clip. For example, if you add a clip from the Event Browser to the Timeline, copy clips between events, or copy clips within the Timeline, each of these clip instances (copies) is independent of the others.

Add or edit clip notes in the Event Browser

1 Click the List View button in the bottom-left corner of the Event Browser.

2 Select the clip for which you want to add or edit notes.

Note: Notes are applied to the whole clip, not to range selections.

3 Click the Notes eld for the clip, and type or edit the notes for that clip.

Add or edit clip notes in the Timeline Index

1 To open the Timeline Index, click the Timeline Index button in the lower-left corner of the

Final Cut Pro main window (or press Command-Shift-2).

2 To open the Clips pane, click the Clips button at the top of the Timeline Index.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 67

3 If the Notes column is not visible in the Clips pane, Control-click a column heading and choose

Notes from the shortcut menu.

4 Click the Notes eld for the clip, and type or edit the notes for that clip.

Enter notes for a clip here.

Organize clips by roles

You can organize clips by roles, which are metadata text labels assigned to clips.

When you import clips (video, audio, or still images), Final Cut Pro automatically assigns one of

ve default roles to the video and audio components of each clip: Video, Titles, Dialogue, Music, and Eects. You can also create custom roles and subroles and assign them to clips.

You can view and reassign roles in the Event Browser, the Timeline Index, or the Info inspector. For example, you could easily identify all your dialogue clips and play them back in isolation from other audio clips. See View and reassign roles on page 300.

Find clips in the Event Browser

In Final Cut Pro, you can search for media in two ways:

•

Quickly lter clips by marking: Use the Filter pop-up menu in the Event Browser to quickly locate individual clips by rating, or the absence of ratings and keywords.

•

Search by a combination of criteria using the Filter window: Use the Filter window to perform complex searches for clips, also known as a weighted search. You can use a wide variety of criteria to search with, including clip name, rating, media type, excessive shake, keywords, the presence of people, format information, and date.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 68

Filter clips quickly by rating

Use the Filter pop-up menu in the Event Browser to quickly nd clips by rating.

1 In the Event Library, select one or more events you want to search.

2 Choose an option from the Filter pop-up menu at the top of the Event Browser.

•

All Clips: Shows all clips in the event.

•

Hide Rejected: Shows all clips or range selections except those you’ve rated Reject.

•

No Ratings or Keywords: Shows only the clips or range selections without ratings or keywords.

•

Favorites: Shows only the clips or range selections you’ve rated Favorite.

•

Rejected: Shows only the clips or range selections you’ve rated Reject.

Search for clips by a combination of criteria

The Filter window allows you to combine multiple search criteria. For example, you can search for video clips that contain the text “exterior” in their metadata.

1 In the Event Library, select the event or folder you want to search.

2 Click the Filter button at the top of the Event Browser.

3 In the Filter window, choose search criteria, or rules, from the Add Rule pop-up menu.

Add Rule pop-up menu

•

Text: Find clips by their name or any notes applied to them in list view using text. You can add

multiple Text rules to search by more than one word or phrase, as well as eliminate specic

words and phrases from the search.

•

Ratings: Find clips based on the rating (Favorite or Reject) assigned to them.

•

Media Type: Find clips whose source media les are of a specic type, such as video, audio,

or stills.

•

Stabilization: Find video clips that Final Cut Pro has identied as having excessive shake.

•

Keywords: Find clips by any of the keywords that you’ve assigned to them. You can select one or more keywords to search for.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 69

•

People: Find clips that Final Cut Pro has identied as having people in them.

•

Format Info: Find clips using format information, such as video frame rate or scene number.

•

Date: Find clips by either the date the clip’s media le was created or the date the media was

imported into Final Cut Pro.

•

Roles: Find clips by their assigned roles.

To remove a rule, click the Remove button to the right of the rule. To exclude a rule from your search without removing it, deselect the checkbox to the left of the rule.

4 Further rene your search by choosing items from the pop-up menus for the rules you’ve added.

5 Do one of the following:

•

To specify that a clip must match at least one of the criteria or keywords: Choose Any from the pop-up menu in the upper-left corner of the Filter window.

•

To specify that a clip must match all the criteria and keywords: Choose All from the pop-up menu.

The clips that match the search criteria are displayed in the Event Browser, and icons indicating the search status appear to the right of the Filter button at the top of the Event Browser.

If you wish, you can save your search results as a Smart Collection, which gathers clips automatically based on the search criteria.

Clear a weighted search

m Click the Reset button to the right of the search status icons in the upper-right corner of the

Event Browser.

Tip: If clips still appear to be missing from view, make sure to choose either All Clips or Hide

Rejected from the Filter pop-up menu in the upper-left corner of the Event Browser.

Search for clips by clip name and notes

You can use the search eld to quickly nd clips by name and any notes (applied in list view)

without having to open the Filter window.

1 In the Event Library, select one or more events you want to search.

2 In the search eld, enter the clip’s name or notes applied to the clip you’re looking for.

Conduct a lter and search workow

Performing a weighted search and then ltering the clips in the Event Browser by rating is a powerful way to quickly nd clips. This is also the best method of nding specic clips that you

haven’t rated and comparing them against the clips you have rated.

1 In the Event Library, select the event or folder you want to search.

2 Search for clips using a combination of search criteria as described in the “Search for clips

by a combination of criteria” steps above. However, do not apply a ratings lter using the

Filter window.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 70

3 Use the Filter pop-up menu, as described in the “Filter clips quickly by rating” steps above, to

quickly lter the clips by rating.

4 Repeat step 3 until you nd the clips you’re looking for.

Save searches as Smart Collections

When you search for clips in an event using the Filter window, you can save your results by creating a new Smart Collection that gathers clips matching the search criteria. Anytime a new clip that matches the Smart Collection’s search criteria is brought into the event, the new clip is automatically added to the Smart Collection.

Clips that appear in Smart Collections are not duplicates. Smart Collections lter clips in an event to help you focus on the clips you need to use for a specic task.

Create a Smart Collection based on search criteria

1 In the Event Library, select an event.

2 Use the Filter window to search for clips based on specied criteria.

3 In the Filter window, click the New Smart Collection button.

A new, untitled Smart Collection appears in the Event Library.

4 Type a name for the Smart Collection, and press Return.

When you add clips to the event that match the Smart Collection’s search criteria, they’re automatically added to the Smart Collection.

Change the contents of a Smart Collection

1 In the Event Library, double-click the Smart Collection whose contents you want to change.

The Filter window for the Smart Collection appears.

Smart Collection

2 Revise the search criteria in the Filter window.

3 When you’re nished specifying search criteria, close the Filter window.

Note: Modifying a clip’s ratings or keywords in such a way that it no longer matches a Smart

Collection’s search criteria results in the clip no longer appearing in the Smart Collection.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 71

Delete a Smart Collection

m In the Event Library, select the Smart Collection you want to delete, and choose File > Delete

Smart Collection (or press Command-Delete).

The Smart Collection is removed from the Event Library, but its associated clips (the clips that appeared in it) are unaected.

Organize Keyword and Smart Collections

You can organize Keyword Collections and Smart Collections in the Event Library with folders.

Organize collections with folders

1 In the Event Library, select the event containing the collections you want to organize, and choose

File > New Folder.

2 Type a name for the new folder that appears within the event.

3 Select the Smart Collections and Keyword Collections you want to organize, and drag them into

the new folder.

You can show and hide the contents of the folder by clicking the disclosure triangle to the left of the folder’s name.

Chapter 5 Organizeyourmedia 72

Playhead

Play back and skim media

Playbackandskimmingoverview

Final Cut Pro makes it easy to view and listen to your media, whether it’s located in the Event

Browser, the Project Library, or the Timeline. Its dynamic previewing capabilities let you nd what

you need quickly without being distracted from the task at hand.

You use two tools to preview and play back media in Final Cut Pro:

•

The playhead marks the current position in the Timeline or the Event Browser. You can move the playhead by dragging it or clicking another area of the Timeline or Event Browser. You use the playhead to scrub, or play back from its current position.

The playhead appears as a gray vertical line that is xed in place unless you move it or

click elsewhere.

•

The skimmer lets you preview clips in the Timeline, Event Browser, or Project Library, without aecting the playhead position. You use the skimmer to skim, or freely move over clips to play back at the position and speed of the pointer.

The skimmer appears as a pink vertical line as you move the pointer over the area you’re skimming. If you have snapping turned on, the skimmer turns orange when it snaps to a position.

Skimmer

When skimming is turned on, you can skim to see what’s in other clips, but still keep your

playhead position in the Timeline. If both the playhead and skimmer are present in the same clip, the skimmer becomes the default position for playback or editing.

When skimming is turned o or the skimmer is not present in a clip, the playhead assumes the

default position.

Play back media

Yellow border

Skimmer

You can play back projects and clips in Final Cut Pro. Playback options include playing from the

beginning, playing from a certain point, looping playback, and playing at dierent speeds. You

can also play back video in full-screen view.

Whether Final Cut Pro uses proxy media or your original or optimized media during playback is determined by the playback setting you select in the Final Cut Pro Editing preferences. See

Playback preferences on page 419 for more information.

Play back video and audio clips

m To play a project or clip from the beginning: Select the project or clip and choose

View > Playback > Play from Beginning (or press Shift-Control-I).

m To play a section of a project, selected clips, or a frame range from the beginning: Select the

project, clips, or all or part of a clip, and choose View > Playback > Play Selection, or press the Slash (/) key.

When you select a clip or a portion of a clip or project, the selected area is marked with a yellow border.

m To play a project or clip from a specic point: In the Event Browser or the Timeline, click a point in

a project or within a clip where you want to begin (or move the playhead to the point in the Timeline), and either press the Space bar or click the Play button in the Viewer (or press L).

The clip or project begins playing at the skimmer or playhead position.

m To play around the playhead or skimmer: Choose View > Playback > Play Around, or press Shift-

Question Mark (?).

m To stop playback: Press the Space bar.

Chapter 6 Play back and skim media 74

Use the J, K, and L keys for playback

forward speeds

reverse speeds

You can use the J, K, and L keys on your keyboard to play through a project or clip. Playback

begins at the location of the playhead (on a project) or the skimmer (on a clip). You can also use

the J, K, and L keys to control a video playback device.

Moves through

Pause

Moves through

You can use these keys to speed playback up to 32x normal speed.

m To begin forward playback at normal (1x) speed: Press L.

m To begin reverse playback at normal (1x) speed: Press J.

m To pause playback: Press K.

m To double the current playback speed: Press L or J twice.

m To immediately reverse the playback direction: Press J to play in reverse, or press L to play forward.

m To move the playhead one frame at a time: Hold down the K key, and press J or L.

m To move the playhead at 1/2x speed: Hold down the K key while holding down J or L.

When you use keyboard shortcuts to control a device (like a camcorder or camera), the speed of

forward (L) and reverse (J) playback may dier depending on your video equipment.

Play back media in a loop

You can turn on looping so that a project (or any portion of it) plays in a continuous loop.

1 To turn on looping, do one of the following:

•

Choose View > Playback > Loop Playback (or press Command-L).

•

Click the Loop Playback button.

2 Do one of the following:

•

To loop your entire project: Press the Space bar.

•

To loop a portion of your project: Select a range or a clip in the Timeline, and choose View > Playback > Selection, or press the Slash (/) key.

Chapter 6 Play back and skim media 75

Play video in full-screen view

Skimmer

1 Select or open a project in the Project Library or open a clip in the Event Browser, and position

the playhead where you want the video to begin.

2 Do one of the following:

•

Choose View > Playback > Play Full Screen (or press Command-Shift-F).

•

Click the Play Full Screen button below the Viewer.

The item plays in full-screen view starting at the playhead position.

3 To leave full-screen view, press the Esc (Escape) key.

When you play back clips, the frames under the playhead or skimmer play in the Viewer. If you need to compare two clips at once, you can use the Event Viewer, a separate viewer for playing back event clips only. The Event Viewer appears to the left of the main Viewer. For more information, see Play back and skim media in the Event Viewer on page 78.

Skim media

You can quickly skim your video and audio to preview it, search for a particular shot, or make an edit. When skimming is turned on and you move the pointer forward or backward over a clip in the Event Browser or the Timeline, the content under the pointer plays in the Viewer.

You can also use the Blade, Trim, and Range Selection editing tools to skim clips in the Timeline or in the Precision Editor.

As you’re editing in Final Cut Pro, you may nd skimming distracting when you move the pointer

from one location to another. You can disable all skimming (or just audio skimming).

Skim clips

m Move the pointer forward or backward over a clip in the Event Browser or the Timeline.

The skimmer (a vertical pink line) indicates exactly where the pointer is as you skim, and the corresponding frames are displayed in the Viewer.

Tip: You can also press the Space bar at any time to play forward from the skimmer position.

Chapter 6 Play back and skim media 76

Skim clips with editing tools

You can skim clips when you use the Blade, Trim, and Range Selection tools in the Timeline or in the Precision Editor. The tools behave as skimmers as you move the pointer over a clip.

1 Select a clip in the Timeline or open the Precision Editor.

2 Select either the Blade, Trim, or Range Selection tool from the Tools pop-up menu in the toolbar.

3 Move the tool forward or backward over a clip.

When using an editing tool as a skimmer, you can skim and add markers to clips under connected clips in the Timeline.

Turn skimming on and o

m To turn all skimming on or o: Click the Skimming button, choose View > Skimming, or press S.

m To turn audio skimming on or o: Click the Audio Skimming button, choose View > Audio

Skimming, or press Shift-S.

When skimming is turned on, the skimming buttons appear blue.

Audio skimming is turned off.

Skimming is turned on.

Note: When skimming is turned o, you can still skim with the Blade, Trim, and Range Selection

editing tools.

Skim audio for individual clips or audio components

You can turn on clip skimming to limit audio skimming to an individual clip. This is useful if you have a connected clip in the Timeline and want to skim it without also hearing audio from the clip in the primary storyline.

Important: Audio skimming must also be turned on in order to use this feature.

You can also use clip skimming to skim and listen to an individual audio component when

editing clips that show expanded audio components. If clip skimming is turned o, you hear

combined audio for all components in the clip as you skim.

Tip: To view expanded audio components, select the clip in the Timeline and choose Clip > Expand Audio Components (or press Option-Control-S).

m To turn clip skimming on or o, choose View > Clip Skimming (or press Command-Option-S).

Chapter 6 Play back and skim media 77

PlaybackandskimmediaintheEventViewer

Event Viewer Viewer

Sometimes, you may need two viewers so that you can play back and skim event clips separately from Timeline clips. The Event Viewer is a separate video display that appears next to the main Viewer. With the Event Viewer and the Viewer open, you can display two clips at the same time: one in the Event Browser and one in the Timeline.

You use the Event Viewer to play clips in the Event Browser only. As with the main Viewer, you can show video scopes, color channels, title and action safe zones, and multicam angles (with the Event Viewer set to show angles). Playback and adjustment controls are identical in the Viewer and the Event Viewer. Other viewer-related operations (including onscreen controls and built-in

eects) are done with the main Viewer.

The dual-viewer interface is derived from linear tape-based systems, which included both source and record monitors. The source monitor was for previewing source clips and making selections in them. The record monitor was for playing back the edited program.

Open the Event Viewer

m Choose Window > Show Event Viewer (or press Command-Control-3).

To close the Event Viewer, choose Window > Hide Event Viewer (or press Command-Control-3).

Note: If you’re using video scopes with the Event Viewer, you may nd it convenient to display

the scopes below the video image rather than on the left side (the default). To display scopes

below the video image, choose Vertical Layout from the Settings pop-up menu in the Event

Viewer. For more information, see Use the video scopes on page 370.

Viewplaybackonaseconddisplay

If you have a second display connected to your computer, you can show the Viewer on the second display to play video, or the Event Browser on the second display to view clips in an event, thereby expanding your workspace in the Final Cut Pro main window.

Show the Viewer on a second display

1 Connect a second display (a second computer monitor connected to the PCI video card), and

make sure it is connected to power and turned on.

2 In Final Cut Pro, choose Window > Show Viewers on Second Display.

The Viewer appears on the second display. All Viewer features (including onscreen controls) are now available on the second display.

Chapter 6 Play back and skim media 78

Note: If the Event Viewer is also visible, both viewers appear on the second display.

3 To return the Viewer to the Final Cut Pro main window, choose Window > Show Viewers in the

Main Window.

Show the Event Library and the Event Browser on a second display

1 Connect a second display (a second computer monitor connected to the PCI video card), and

make sure it is connected to power and turned on.

2 In Final Cut Pro, choose Window > Show Events on Second Display.

The Event Library and Event Browser appear on the second display. All event features (including

selection capabilities, markers, keywords, and so on) are now available on the second display.

To return the Event Library and Event Browser to the Final Cut Pro main window, choose Window > Show Events in the Main Window.

Viewplaybackonanexternalvideomonitor

Final Cut Pro includes an A/V Output option to send video and audio from your computer to an external video monitor. In addition to showing you how video and audio look and sound

on an NTSC/PAL or HD broadcast monitor, this feature also allows you to test output with more

sophisticated devices such as vectorscopes and waveform monitors.

A/V output is available only with OS X Lion v10.7.2 or later and requires compatible third-

party video interface hardware and software. FireWire DV devices are not supported. For more

information, contact the device manufacturer or go to the Final Cut Pro X Resources webpage at

http://www.apple.com/nalcutpro/resources.

Play video and audio on an external video monitor

1 Install the video interface hardware and software according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2 Connect an external video monitor to the video interface and make sure it’s connected to power

and turned on.

3 To select an A/V output device, choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences (or press Command-Comma),

click Playback, and choose a device in the Playback preferences pane.

Chapter 6 Play back and skim media 79

4 In Final Cut Pro, choose Window > A/V Output.

Background

The Viewer contents appear on the broadcast monitor. Viewer features (such as onscreen controls and the title-safe and action-safe overlays) can be viewed only in Final Cut Pro.

Note: Video and audio are synced at the video frame (not audio sample) level.

To turn o A/V output, choose Window > A/V Output.

Aboutbackgroundrendering

When you add eects, transitions, generators, titles, and other items that require rendering

before playback, the background render indicator (an orange bar) appears below the timecode in the Timeline.

render indicator

By default, background rendering begins 5 seconds after you stop working and moving

the pointer in Final Cut Pro. Background rendering continues while you work in a dierent

application. You can change this setting in the Final Cut Pro preferences.

Chapter 6 Play back and skim media 80

Create and manage projects

Createanewproject

To create a movie in Final Cut Pro, you rst create a project, which provides a record of your editing decisions and the media you use. Then you add clips to the project Timeline and edit them.

When you create a new Final Cut Pro project, you do the following:

•

Name the project.

•

Specify a default event for the project.

The default event stores media that’s dragged to the project from the Finder or a Final Cut Pro media browser. If you drag media from the Finder to the project’s Timeline, that media is automatically located in the project’s default event.

Optionally, you can also set the starting timecode and dene the video, audio, and render

properties for the project.

After creating your project, you add clips to it from the Event Library.

Note: If you’re creating a project and you haven’t yet imported media into Final Cut Pro, you should do so. See Importing overview on page 19 for information.

Start a project

1 Do one of the following:

•

In Final Cut Pro, choose File > New Project (or press Command-N).

•

Make sure the Project Library is open, and click the New Project button.

2 In the window that appears, type a name for the project in the Name eld.

3 Choose a default event for the project.

If you drag any media les from the Finder directly to the project’s Timeline, or add media to

the project from one of the media browsers, that media is automatically added to the project’s default event.

4 If you want to further customize settings for your project, click Use Custom Settings.

Note: Final Cut Pro shows the Automatic Settings by default, but it will remember the settings you used last, so this step may be unnecessary.

5 If you want your project’s timecode to start at a value other than 00:00:00:00, type a starting

timecode value in the Starting Timecode eld.

6 If you want to make any changes to the project’s video or audio properties, select Custom and

use the pop-up menus.

Unless you have a specic requirement for the project you’re creating, it’s best to leave “Set automatically based on rst video clip” selected.

7 Click OK.

The new project appears in the Project Library with the name you gave it in step 2.

New project

You can now add clips from the Event Browser and begin to edit your project in other ways,

adding titles, special eects, background music, sound eects, and more.

You can change a project’s name, default event, and project properties at any time. See Modify a

project’s name and properties on page 83 for more information.

Previewandopenaproject

If you want to see the contents of a project, you can preview the project before opening it.

Preview a project

1 If the Project Library is not already open, click the Project Library button at the bottom-left

corner of the Final Cut Pro main window.

2 Select a project in the Project Library.

3 To preview a project in the Viewer, select it and do one of the following:

•

To skim the project: Move the pointer over the lmstrip (to the right of the project’s name).

•

To play the project from the skimmer (the pink vertical line): Press the Space bar; press it again to stop playing the project.

Open a project

1 Open the Project Library.

2 Locate the project you want to open and double-click it.

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 82

Modifyaproject’snameandproperties

Properties button

As your project evolves, you may decide you want to rename it or change its properties.

Rename a project

1 If the Project Library is not already open, click the Project Library button at the bottom-left

corner of the Final Cut Pro main window.

2 Select a project, and click the project’s name to highlight it.

3 Type a new name in the project Name eld, and press Return.

Depending on how you have the Project Library organized, the project’s position in the project

list may change after you rename it.

Change a project’s default event and properties

When you create a project, you set the project properties and assign the project a default event to hold media that is dragged directly into the project’s Timeline from a Final Cut Pro media browser or the Finder.

In most cases, Final Cut Pro manages project properties automatically based on the properties of

the rst clip you add to a project, but you can change almost all properties of an existing project.

If you must modify the project properties, choose video and audio project properties based on

how you intend to share your nal movie with your audience.

1 Open the Project Library and select a project.

2 Do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Project Properties (or press Command-J).

•

If the Inspector pane is hidden, click the Inspector button in the toolbar.

Then click the Properties button at the top of the pane.

3 Click the Project Properties button .

Project Properties button

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 83

4 In the window that appears, change the settings as appropriate.

Name

•

Name: Type a name for the project.

Default Event

•

Default Event: Choose the default event for the project.

Starting Timecode

•

Starting Timecode: If you want your project’s timecode to start at a value other than 00:00:00:00, type a starting timecode value.

Drop Frame Timecode

•

Drop Frame: Select the checkbox to turn on drop frame timecode (this option appears only for

29.97 and 59.94 fps media).

In non-drop frame timecode, the timecode counter counts at a consistent rate without dropping any numbers from the count. Non-drop frame timecode is available as a display option for every frame rate.

In drop frame timecode, frames 0 and 1 are skipped the rst second of every minute, unless the minute number is exactly divisible by 10.

Video Properties

•

Format: Choose the video format (a specic method of encoding the video).

•

Resolution: Choose the frame size of the video.

•

Rate: Choose the frames per second (fps).

Note: Unless the Timeline is completely empty, you cannot change the frame rate of an existing project.

Choose a default Event from the pop-up menu.

Change the project’s

video, audio, and render properties.

Audio and Render Properties

•

Audio Channels: Choose whether to present the audio as multichannel surround sound or as stereo.

•

Audio Sample Rate: Choose the audio sample rate for your project (the number of times a signal is measured—or sampled—per second). A higher sample rate produces higher-quality

audio and larger le sizes, and a lower sample rate produces lower-quality audio and smaller le sizes. Which sample rate you choose to work with depends on the source material you’re working with, and the nal destination of your audio.

•

Render Format: Choose the codec to use for your project’s background rendering.

5 Click OK.

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 84

Dene the order in which events are referenced by a project

Properties button

If you have duplicate clips in dierent events, you can dene the order in which Final Cut Pro

looks for the clips.

1 Open the Project Library and select a project.

2 Do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Project Properties (or press Command-J).

•

If the Inspector pane is hidden, click the Inspector button in the toolbar.

Then click the Properties button at the top of the pane.

3 Click the Modify Event References button in the Referenced Events section.

4 In the window that appears, drag the events to set the order in which Final Cut Pro will look

for clips.

5 When you’ve set the order, click OK.

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 85

OrganizeprojectsintheProjectLibrary

All your Final Cut Pro video projects are listed in the Project Library. You can start organizing your

projects by connecting additional hard disks, creating folders to hold projects, and giving your

projects clear and specic names. As your Project Library grows, you can rename, copy, move,

and delete your projects as necessary.

Use folders to sort projects

1 If the Project Library is not already open, click the Project Library button at the bottom-left

corner of the Final Cut Pro main window.

2 Select a disk, folder, or project to which you want to add a folder, and click the New Folder

button at the bottom-left corner of the Final Cut Pro main window.

A new folder called New Folder appears inside the disk or folder you selected, or at the same level as the project you selected.

3 Do any of the following:

•

To rename the folder: Select the folder, click the folder name, and type a new name.

•

To add a project to the folder: Drag the project to the folder.

•

To open or close the folder: Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the folder name.

Copy a project

Copying a project is useful if you want to work on a new version of a project or transfer a copy to another computer.

1 Open the Project Library and select a project.

2 Choose File > Duplicate Project.

3 In the window that appears, choose a location for the duplicated le from the Location

pop-up menu.

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 86

4 Select an option to specify what is duplicated:

•

Duplicate Project Only: Duplicates only the project le.

•

Duplicate Project and Referenced Events: Duplicates the project le, any events referred to by the project le, and all of the media in the referenced events.

•

Duplicate Project + Used Clips Only: Duplicates the project le and the media les for any clips

used in the project.

•

Include Render Files: Select this checkbox to include render les for the clips and projects. If you

want to free up hard disk space, deselect this checkbox.

Choose a location to put the copied project.

Select a duplicate option.

5 Click OK.

Final Cut Pro copies the project to the location you chose using the option you specied. The

project is given an appended name (for example, “Bill’s movie1”), and the project appears in the

Project Library.

Quickly copy a project to a connected external storage device

m Open the Project Library, select a project, and drag the project to another hard disk’s icon in the

Project Library.

Move a project

You can easily move a project to a connected hard disk or another computer. Moving a project le is useful if you want to work on a project using another computer that has Final Cut Pro

installed, or if you want to free up space on your computer’s hard disk.

Important: You cannot undo a project move with the Undo command.

1 Open the Project Library and select a project.

2 Do one of the following:

•

Choose File > Move Project.

•

Hold down the Command key while you drag the project to another hard disk’s icon in the Project Library.

3 In the window that appears, choose where you want to move the project (to a hard disk or

computer) from the Location pop-up menu.

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 87

4 Select an option to specify what is moved:

•

Move Project Only: Moves only the project le.

•

Move Project and Referenced Events: Moves the project le, any events referred to by the project le, and all of the media in the referenced events.

5 Click OK.

Final Cut Pro moves the project to the location you chose using the option you specied. See

Where your media and project les are located on page 390 for information about the default

location of Final Cut Pro projects and events.

Choose a location to which you want to move the project.

Select a move option.

Delete a project or project folder

Deleting a project folder deletes the folder and all of the projects it contains. Your media is not deleted because media is stored in events.

1 Open the Project Library and select a project.

2 Do one of the following:

•

To delete a project: Select the project and choose File > Move Project to Trash (or press

Command-Delete).

•

To delete a folder and any projects the folder contains: Select the folder and choose File > Move

Folder to Trash (or press Command-Delete).

The project or project folder (and the projects the folder contains) is removed from the Project

Library and moved into the Finder Trash.

3 To permanently delete the project or project folder and its les and free up space on your hard

disk, empty the Finder Trash.

WARNING: After the Trash is emptied, the le or folder cannot be restored.

You can also delete a project’s render les. See View background tasks on page 400 for

more information.

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 88

Saveprojects

Final Cut Pro automatically saves all the changes you make as you work on a project, which means you never have to save changes manually. Also, you can undo all of your changes up to the last time you quit and reopened Final Cut Pro by choosing Edit > Undo (or pressing Command-Z).

You can create multiple versions of a project by duplicating it. For more information about duplicating projects, see Organize projects in the Project Library on page 86.

Changes you make to a clip in a project do not aect the clip’s source le. Thus, if you’ve made a

lot of changes to a clip but want to start fresh, you can easily restore the clip to its original state

by adding a new copy of the clip (located in the Event Library) to your project.

Chapter 7 Createandmanageprojects 89

Edit your project

Editingoverview

The term video editing refers both to broader stages of a project workow and to very specic manual tasks that you do with clips in a project Timeline.

•

Make selections and add clips to the Timeline: Adding and arranging clips in your project is the fundamental step in creating a movie with Final Cut Pro. You move and reorder clips in the Timeline. See Adding clips overview on page 99, Arrange clips in the Timeline on page 117, and Audio overview on page 157.

•

Cut and trim clips: Final Cut Pro provides a wide variety of tools for adjusting the start and end points of clips in the Timeline and for controlling pacing from one shot to the next. See

Trimming overview on page 123.

•

Further rene and adjust your project: Final Cut Pro provides many advanced editing tools to

nish a highly polished movie with ease. See topics in the advanced editing section.

•

Add eects and color correction: Finishing touches include visual eects and color correction.

See Transitions, titles, eects, and generators overview on page 204 and Color correction

overview on page 355.

Selectclipsandranges

About selections and lmstrips

A fundamental step in editing a video project is choosing what you want to include in your

nal movie. In Final Cut Pro you indicate what clips or portions of clips you want to act on by

making a selection. Final Cut Pro provides a variety of powerful tools for making selections with both speed and precision, including lmstrips, which are connected series of thumbnail images.

Your video clips appear as lmstrips in the Timeline (where you build projects) and in the Event Browser (where your source media is displayed). A single video lmstrip might represent several

seconds of video encompassing hundreds of video frames (individual images). Audio-only clips appear as audio waveforms, showing the change in the audio volume over time.

When you add clips from the Event Browser to a project in the Timeline, you can add one

or more whole clips, or you can add a range within a clip. Then you can ne-tune the clips individually in the Timeline, adding video eects to them, for example, or inserting transitions

between them.

You can adjust the appearance of lmstrips in the Event Browser and the Timeline so that it’s easier to make selections. For example, expanding the width of a lmstrip (by showing shorter

durations per thumbnail) helps you make more precise selections.

Filmstrip expanded in the Event Browser for precise selections

You can also adjust the lmstrip appearance in the Timeline to make it easier to view and select

audio waveforms.

Filmstrip appearance changed for easy viewing and selection of audio waveforms

Select one or more clips

Clips represent your video, audio, and graphics les and allow you to work with your media in Final Cut Pro without changing the les themselves. To add clips to your project, rearrange them, or trim them, you rst need to select them. You can select a single clip or multiple clips at a time.

Selecting multiple clips allows you to move them as a group within your project, or from one event to another. It’s also useful if you’ve made adjustments to a clip and you want to paste the same adjustments onto several other clips.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 91

Select an entire clip

Do one of the following:

m Click the clip once.

m Move the skimmer (or the playhead) over a clip and press X.

Note: This results in a range selection that matches the boundaries of the clip.

m In the Event Browser, press Up Arrow or Down Arrow to move the selection to a neighboring clip.

m In the Event Browser, Option-drag from the start point to the end point of the clip.

m In the Timeline, move the skimmer (or the playhead if skimming is turned o) over the clip you

want to select and press C. This method selects the clip in the primary storyline.

Connected clips and storylines are attached to clips in the primary storyline, and they appear above and below the primary storyline. To select a connected clip or storyline with this keyboard shortcut method, position the pointer on the connected clip and press C. For more information, see Connect clips to add cutaway shots, titles, and synchronized sound eects on page 103 and

Add storylines on page 265.

A yellow border appears around the clip, indicating that it is selected.

Note: A Timeline clip selection (shown above) is dierent from a Timeline range selection, which

has visibly distinct range handles for adjusting the selection start point and end point. All selections in the Event Browser are actually range selections (with adjustable start and end points).

Select multiple clips in the Event Browser or the Timeline

m To select a number of individual clips: Hold down the Command key as you click the clips you want

to select.

Note: Command-clicking an Event Browser clip with preexisting ranges selects the ranges rather than the whole clip.

m To select all clips and ranges in the Event Browser or the Timeline: Click the Event Browser or

Timeline to make it active, and choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 92

m To select multiple clips by dragging: Drag a selection rectangle over the Timeline or event clips you

want to select.

Deselect clips in the Event Browser or the Timeline

m To deselect a single selected clip: Command-click the clip or click outside it (or select a

dierent clip).

m To deselect multiple selected clips: Hold down the Command key and click the clips you don’t

want selected.

m To deselect all clips and ranges: Choose Edit > Select > None (or press Command-Shift-A).

m To deselect all clips and clear all selected ranges in the Event Browser: Press Option-X.

Select a range

Instead of selecting whole clips, you can select a range within any clip in the Timeline or in the Event Browser. In the Timeline, you can also select a range that spans multiple clips. You can trim range selections, mark them with ratings and keywords, and modify them in other ways. You can adjust the range selection start and end points by dragging either side of the selection. You can also create multiple range selections in one or more clips in the Event Browser.

Range handles

Note: This illustration shows a Timeline range selection. Event Browser range selections have straight range handles.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 93

Select a range

Do one of the following:

m In the Event Browser, drag across any clip (lmstrip).

A yellow border appears around the range you selected.

If the lmstrip wraps onto two lines, you can select a range extending over the break simply

by continuing to drag across the break. When you reach the edge, the pointer jumps to the next line.

Tip: In the Event Browser, Option-drag across any clip (lmstrip) with existing ranges to replace

those ranges with a new range.

m In the Timeline, choose Range Selection from the Tools pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press R).

The pointer changes to the Range Selection tool .

Drag the Range Selection tool across one or more clips in the Timeline to select a range. To adjust the range selection start and end points, drag the range handles on either side of the range.

Tip: To temporarily turn on the Range Selection tool, hold down the R key. When you release the R key, the tool reverts to the previously active tool.

Range handles

m Use the I and O keys to set the range selection start and end points. For more information, see

the instructions below.

m In the Event Browser or the Timeline, move the skimmer (or the playhead) over a clip and press X.

Final Cut Pro sets the range selection start and end points at the clip start and end points.

Tip: To use this X key method with connected clips or clips in a connected storyline, position the pointer on the clip and press X.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 94

m Command-click a colored marker line at the top of a clip.

These marker lines can indicate any of the following: Favorite (green), Rejected (red), manually applied keywords (blue), or analysis keywords (purple).

Set a range start point or end point

m To set the start point: Position the skimmer (or the playhead, if skimming is turned o) where you

want the selection to start, and choose Mark > Set Range Start (or press I).

To remove the range start point, press Option-I.

m To set the end point: Position the skimmer (or the playhead, if skimming is turned o) where you

want the range to end, and choose Mark > Set Range End (or press O).

To remove the range end point, press Option-O.

m To set the range start point or end point while a clip or your project is playing back: Press the Space

bar to start playback, and then press the I or O key when you want to set the start or end point.

Tip: In the Event Browser, you can press Command-Shift-I and Command-Shift-O to set multiple ranges during playback.

If you’re using the Blade, Trim, and Range Selection tools in the Timeline or in the Precision Editor, you can use the I and O keys to set selection start and end points in a connected clip or storyline, as well as in clips underneath connected clips and storylines. Move the pointer directly over a clip and press I to set a selection start point or O to set a selection end point.

Extend or shorten the range selection

m To adjust where the range starts or ends: Drag the left or right edge of the yellow selection border.

m To reset the start point or end point for a range within the same event clip or project: Move the

skimmer and press I or O.

Tip: You can also press the I or O key while a clip is playing back.

m To extend or shorten a range within an event clip: Move the skimmer to any frame that you want

the range to begin or end with, and then hold down the Shift key and click (or drag).

m To extend or shorten a range using timecode: Choose Modify > Change Duration (or press

Control-D), and enter a new duration. (This method works with single range selections only.)

The range selection is lengthened or shortened accordingly.

If you require the skimmer and it is not present, you can turn on skimming at any time.

Set multiple ranges in event clips during playback

You can set multiple ranges in clips in the Event Browser during playback.

1 Play back an event clip.

2 While the clip is playing, do either of the following:

•

To add a range start point: Press Command-Shift-I.

•

To add a range end point: Press Command-Shift-O.

Note: To set multiple ranges in the same clip, repeat these keyboard shortcuts while continuing playback.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 95

Set the range selection to match the boundaries of the clip

Selected ranges

Unselected ranges

m Move the skimmer (or the playhead) over a clip and press X.

Final Cut Pro sets a range selection from the start point to the end point of the clip. Any preexisting ranges are removed.

Clear ranges

You can remove one or more ranges from the Event Browser or the Timeline.

Note: This operation does not aect the clip media in either the Event Browser or the Timeline.

m To remove an individual range in an event: Option-click the range.

m To remove a range in the Timeline: Click outside of the range or select a dierent range.

m To clear one or more ranges in the Event Browser or the Timeline: Select the range or ranges and

choose Mark > Clear Selected Ranges (or press Option-X).

Note: Selected ranges have a thick yellow border. Unselected ranges (available only in the Event Browser) have a thin orange border.

m To remove all ranges in an event: Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A) to select all

ranges in the current event, and choose Mark > Clear Selected Ranges (or press Option-X).

Manage multiple range selections in event clips

In the Event Browser, you can set multiple ranges within one or more clips, and you can select and deselect ranges after you set them. For example, you might set multiple ranges in a long event clip, and then deselect some of the ranges before adding all of the selected ranges to the Timeline at once.

Note: Selected ranges have a thick yellow border. Unselected ranges have a thin orange border. Editing commands operate on yellow selections only.

Note: The commands described in this section require the Event Browser to be the active portion of the Final Cut Pro interface. You can make the Event Browser active by moving the pointer over it or clicking it. When the Event Browser is active, its background has a lighter gray color.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 96

Set multiple ranges in an event clip

1 In the Event Browser, select a range within a clip.

2 To set an additional range, do one of the following:

•

Command-drag in a dierent section of the clip.

•

Move the skimmer (or the playhead) to the frame where you want the additional range to start and press Command-Shift-I. Move the skimmer or playhead to the frame where you want

the additional range to end and press Command-Shift-O.

Note: These keyboard shortcuts also work during playback, so you can set additional ranges

on the y.

•

Option-drag over or within existing ranges to replace them with a new range.

•

Command-click a colored marker line at the top of a clip.

These marker lines can indicate any of the following: Favorite (green), Rejected (red), manually applied keywords (blue), or analysis keywords (purple).

The additional range selection appears in the clip.

To remove a range selection, Option-click it.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 97

Select and deselect ranges and clips in an event

Selected ranges

Unselected ranges

You can set, select, or deselect multiple ranges within event clips or within events.

Important: Editing commands operate on yellow selections only. Editing commands ignore

orange (unselected) ranges.

m To select an individual range: Click the range.

m To select or deselect a range: Command-click the range.

m To select all ranges in a clip: Click an area of the clip that has no range.

m To select all ranges and clips in the current event: Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A).

The ranges (and all clips with no ranges) are selected with a yellow border.

m To deselect all ranges and clips in the current event: Choose Edit > Deselect All (or press

Command-Shift-A).

The ranges turn orange.

Remove ranges from clips in an event

You can remove individual ranges, multiple ranges, or all ranges from the current event.

m To remove an individual range in an event: Option-click the range.

m To remove selected ranges in an event: Select the ranges you want to remove, and choose Mark >

Clear Selected Ranges (or press Option-X).

m To remove all ranges in an event: Choose Edit > Select All (or press Command-A) to select all

ranges in the current event, and choose Mark > Clear Selected Ranges (or press Option-X).

Navigate between selections in an event

m To go to the start of the range selection: Choose Mark > Go to > Range Start (or press Shift-I).

Repeat this command to go to the start of the previous range selection, or to the start of the clip.

m To go to the end of the range selection: Choose Mark > Go to > Range End (or press Shift-O).

Repeat this command to go to the end of the next range selection, or to the end of the clip.

m To select the previous clip (or its ranges): Press Up Arrow.

To add to the selection, press Shift–Up Arrow.

m To select the next clip (or its ranges): Press Down Arrow.

To add to the selection, press Shift–Down Arrow.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 98

Addandremoveclips

Connected clip

Adding clips overview

You build a movie project by adding clips to the Timeline in a chronological arrangement. To suit your particular editing style or need, you can choose from a wide variety of tools and techniques for adding clips. You can change the arrangement of the clips in the Timeline at any time.

In Final Cut Pro, you can edit your projects without worrying about maintaining clip connection or synchronization. For example, when you drag a clip into the Timeline, Final Cut Pro

automatically rearranges the Timeline to t each new clip without disturbing your existing work.

This is true for all kinds of clips: video, audio, titles, generators, still images, and so on.

You can use clips from multiple events in a single project. You can also add clips from the Final Cut Pro media browsers and from the Finder. Deleting clips from the Timeline does not

aect clips or les in the Event Browser, the media browsers, or the Finder.

Connected clips and storylines remain attached to, and synchronized with, clips in the primary storyline until you explicitly move or remove them.

Primary storyline

Connected audio-only clip

Drag clips to the Timeline

You can add clips to the Timeline by dragging them from the Event Browser, from a Final Cut Pro media browser (such as the Photos Browser or the Generators Browser), or from the Finder.

Drag clips from the Event Browser or a media browser

1 Do one of the following:

•

2 Drag one or more clips to the Timeline from the Event Browser or a media browser.

Depending on where you drag the clips in the Timeline, your actions may result in an append, an

insert, a connect, or a replace edit. Final Cut Pro automatically adjusts surrounding clips to t in

place around any clips you’ve dragged.

Tip: You can add one clip to your project at a time, or sometimes it’s easier to add a number of clips to the project at once, and then rearrange them in the Timeline.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 99

In the Event Library, select an event containing the clips you want to add to your project.

Open the media browser containing the media you want to add to your project.

Drag les from the Finder

After edit

1 Arrange the windows onscreen so that you can see both the Final Cut Pro main window and the

les in the Finder.

2 Drag the les from the Finder to the Timeline.

Depending on where you drag the clips in the Timeline, your actions may result in an append, an insert, a connect, or a replace edit.

Note: If you add clips to the Timeline from a Final Cut Pro media browser or the Finder, you are

eectively importing the media into the default event associated with the current project. You can congure the default event in the project settings window. In this scenario, Final Cut Pro

applies the default optimization and analysis settings to the new clips. You can set default optimization and analysis processes in Final Cut Pro preferences.

If you add still images to the Timeline, they will have a duration of 4 seconds by default. You can change this default duration in Final Cut Pro preferences.

Append clips to your project

A simple way to add a clip to your project is an append edit, in which you add one or more clips to the end of a project or storyline.

Append clips to your project in the Timeline

1 Select one or more clips in the Event Browser.

2 To add the clips to the Timeline, do one of the following:

•

Choose Edit > Append to End (or press E).

•

Click the Append button in the toolbar.

If there is no selection, the clip appears at the end of the primary storyline in the Timeline. If a storyline is selected, the clip appears at the end of the selected storyline.

Insert clips in your project

An insert edit places the source clip so that all clips after the insertion point are moved forward (or rippled) in the Timeline to make room for the clip being added. No clips are removed from your project. An insert edit makes the project longer by the duration of the inserted clip.

A B CD

Before edit

A B CD

You might use insert edits when you want to add a new shot in the beginning or the middle of your project. You can also use an insert edit to interrupt the action in an existing clip with the action in the newly inserted clip. The action in the original clip then resumes after the inserted clip.

Note: You can use three-point editing to make insert edits. For more information, see Three-point

editing overview on page 275.

Chapter 8 Edityourproject 100

Apple Final Cut Pro X User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.6?

What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.3?

What’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.0.1?

What is Final Cut Pro?

Import spanned clips

Import from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Import from a digital still camera

Import from tape-based cameras

If your camera or device isn’t recognized

Import from Motion

Import from iMovie

Import from iPhoto and Aperture

Import from iTunes

Import from a hard disk

Access media on an archive or disk image

About memory cards and cables

the video and audio analysis options, see Video and still-image analysis options on page 45 and

Analyze your media

Create a new event

Rename an event

Merge or split events

Copy or move clips between events

Copy or move events

Sort events

Delete clips or events

View and sort clips

Rename clips

Rate clips as Favorite or Rejected

Add keywords to clips

Add or edit clip notes

Organize clips by roles

Find clips in the Event Browser

Save searches as Smart Collections

Organize Keyword and Smart Collections

Play back media

Skim media

Select one or more clips

Select a range

Manage multiple range selections in event clips

Adding clips overview

Drag clips to the Timeline

Append clips to your project

Insert clips in your project