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

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