Intro to Editing FCP

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Set Up
1) Hard Drive Location
2) Setting Scratch Disks

II. Layout
1) Broswer
2) Viewer
3) Timeline
4) Canvas

III. Controlling Final Cut Pro
1) Screen Space
2) Time Code
3) Keyboard Shortcuts

IV. Log & Capture
1) Organizing
2) Logging
3) Capturing

V. Building a Rough Cut
1) Moving footage to the Timeline
2) Working with footage on the Timeline
a. The Hierarchy
b. The Tool Bar
3) Graphics
a. Text
b. Wireframe
c. Graphics

VI. Final Cut
1) Audio
2) Voice Over
3) Visual Transitions
4) Filters
5) Paste Attributes
6) Rendering

VII. Exporting
1) Types of Output
a. Aspect
B. Format
C. Compression
2) How to Output

Introduction to Editing with Final Cut Pro

I. SET UP
Final Cut Pro (FCP) video projects can include many types of media, such as video files, sound files, render files, still images, and a project file. In order to keep video projects organized, you must direct Final Cut to keep all files in a specific place.

1) Hard Drive Location
Create a new folder, preferably on an external hard drive. Name the folder with the name/lede/slug for your project.

2) Setting Scratch Disks
As projects become more complicated, or as you move between editing stations, or between video projects, you will want to be sure that all the required media have been kept together and that

Inside FCP, click on the title bar at the top of the screen where it reads: Final Cut Pro. Choose System Settings.

On this screen you will have to set 4 values to direct to the folder you created in the previous step. The 4 values are: Capture Scratch (at the very top), Waveform Cache, Thumbnail Cache and Autosave Vault.



II. LAYOUT
Final Cut is organized into 4 basic windows.

1) Browser
The Browser is a list of all of the elements included in a video project. This list can include video media, audio tracks, graphics, voice over, sequences, etc. The Browser includes information such as the length of the clip, the type of video, audio rates and frame rates. Files can be organized in the Browser inside of folders called Bins. Bins can be organized by tape/reel, character, location, media type, etc.

2) Viewer
The Viewer is the place where you can watch video files selected from the Browser. As with all of Final Cut, take special note of the tabs at the top of the screen. Later, these tabs will become useful, especially in dealing with filters, audio editing and effects.

3) Timeline
The Timeline is a graphical representation of your video project. Video and audio elements are displayed in a linear way, but they can be manipulated by grabbing, dragging, copying, pasting, trimming and by many other methods.

The timeline is arranged in a hierarchy. Video clips higher on the track will take priority over those below; this does not apply to audio which is, by default, mixed equally. This will become especially important when working with graphics or when mixing audio (ex. Interview or voice-over audio with natural sound).

4) Canvas
Playback on the timeline will be viewed in the canvas.















III. CONTROLLING FCP

1) Screen Space
Be aware of which screen you intend to work in. The bar at the top of the screen will be highlighted for the active screen.

Video can be reviewed by scrolling the playhead. The playhead is a yellow triangle that can be moved or can jump anywhere on the timeline.

2) Time Code
The camera will automatically generate time code onto the tape as you record. Time Code (TC) is organized into Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames. As you enter the Log & Capture process, TC will become very important.

3) Keyboard Shortcuts
FCP is rich with keyboard shortcuts. To begin, it is useful to know the following key commands:

A) Undo is Command – z
B) Play/Pause is Space Bar
C) Rewind/Play/Forward is J/K/L
D) Mark In / Mark Out is I/O
E) Move Forward / Backward 1 Frame is Left/Right arrow
F) Move Forward / Backward 1 Second is Shift – Left arrow / Shift Right arrow.






IV. LOG & CAPTURE
Logging and Capturing is a process in which you identify parts of the tape by their time code. Final Cut can then import the files into the hard drive and prepare them for the editing process.

1) Organizing
To begin logging & capture, create a new bin in your Browser (File – New – Bin). Label the bin Tape 1 (or 2, or 3, and so on). Right click the bin and choose, Set Logging Bin. Now your footage will go into the specific folder, and will stay organized inside the Browser.

As you import additional media, including video files, create new bins to help keep the browser organized. This becomes especially important as the number of assets in a project, or the length of the project increases.

2) Logging
Open the Log & Capture window (File – Log & Capture).

Enter the number of the tape for your project in the field marked “Reel.”

Use the key commands, or the playback buttons on the bottom of the screen to navigate around the tape.

To log the tape, navigate through your footage and identify the clips you want to import (aka digitize, aka capture) into FCP.

As you review the tape, mark in points and out points (using timecode) of usable footage. In points will appear in the lower left field, out points in the lower right.

To log a single clip, mark the in, the out, and then press “Log Clip” on the lower right corner of the Log & Capture window.

Give the clip a succinct, easily identifiable name. Try to keep clips longer than 30 seconds, but shorter than 10 minutes.


3) Capturing
A) If you are using Final Cut Pro, you can log the whole tape and then go back to automatically batch the clips you’ve identified.

To do this, press, Batch. In the new window, choose All Clips in Logging Bin. Select OK. In the next window choose Continue.

B) In Final Cut Express you will need to capture each clip individually. Choose Capture Clip. Follow the same process.

C) You can also batch footage in real time. To do this, enter a title in the Description Field. Press Play, and then press Capture Now. To end Capture Now, press Escape.











V. BUILDING A ROUGH CUT
1) Moving footage to the Timeline.
There are many ways to move media to the timeline, and many more ways to manipulate media once it’s there.

Basically, your job now is to select the clips you want to use and choose the specific moments you want to appear in your video. Once the clips are on the Timeline, they can be moved as objects. They can be selected by clicking and dragging, by selecting several clips at once, or by using key commands.

One strategy for building a rough cut is called: Three Point Editing.

Select the clip you want to bring down from the Browser and view it in the Viewer. Using the playhead at the bottom of the Viewer (the yellow triangle on a white strip), review the clip and select the portion that you want to move down to the timeline. Mark an In and Out at the portions you want to use.




You can move this selection to the Timeline by pressing Insert (F9 or the Yellow Button on the lower left corner of the Browser) or Overwrite (F10 or the Red Button on the lower left corner of the Browser).



By default, the clip will appear on the Timeline beginning wherever the playhead rests.



You can change this by setting an In point or an Out Point on the Timeline (creating three edit points).

Alternatively, you can set an In point and an Out point on the Timeline, and just an In point on the Viewer. In this example, the two In points will match up, and the clip be placed on the Timeline based on the timing of the sequence, rather than the timing of the original clip.


2) Working with footage on the Timeline.
Once you’ve built a rough cut on the Timeline, it’s time to refine your edit.

A) Hierarchy
Clips can also be moved on top of or below each other. Video clips work in a hierarchy. The clip on top is the clip that will be seen. (This can be changed by adjusting the opacity of a video clip.)

Audio clips play simultaneously – the hierarchy does not apply to audio.

B) The Toolbar
The Toolbar includes many useful tools. It’s usually located to the lower right of your screen, next to your audio monitors.

Almost all Toolbar icons contain multiple tools. If you hold down an icon secondary tools will appear. Click the one you want to use.

.
1. Selection Tool (Arrow) – The Arrow is your default tool. It’s used to select, highlight and more clips. Keep in mind that, after using any other tool on the toolbar you will need to return to using the arrow. The key command for the arrow tool is A, and because you will use this tool so often, it’s a good one to add to your repertoire.

2. Edit Selection Tool – The Edit Select is an advanced tool used for adjusting trim and cue points of clips on the Timeline.

3. Track Select Tool – The Track Select allows you to choose all clips to the left or right of an arrow. By default it is set to choose all clips on one track. If you hold down the button you can select the icon with two arrows. This will allow you to choose all media on all tracks to the left or right of any point on the Timeline.



4. Roll Tool – Roll allows you to change the In and Out points of a clip once it’s on the Timeline. This will not affect other clips on the Timeline. This is especially useful if you realize, for example, that a selection inserted to the timeline begins at the wrong place on the original media, and that it should begin earlier or later.

5. Slip Tool – Slip allows you to change the edit point between two clips on the Timeline. This tool changes the Timeline.

6. Razor Blade Tool – The Blade allows you to make a cut on the Timeline. This can be used in many ways. The most direct use is to easily remove unwanted parts of a clip from the Timeline. Make a cut on the clip, on the Timeline. You will see red arrows on the place where the cut has been made. Engage the Selection Tool (Arrow) and choose the unwanted part of the clip. Press delete.



7. Zoom-In Tool – This tool allows you to see more or less of the timeline. This tool can be especially useful if you want to make specific changes to the timeline. Engage the tool and choose the area on the Timeline where you want to zoom in. If you hold down this tool you will find the Zoom Out tool (magnifier with a minus sign). The shortcut for this tool is Z; the shortcut for the Zoom Out is ZZ. The key command for zooming can be used in place of the tool. Press Command –Plus (+) to zoom in, or Command-Minus (–) to zoom out.

8. Crop Tool – Crop tool and Distort Tool are especially useful when dealing with graphics. Ideally, use the crop tool when they are in the Viewer (i.e. before they are moved to the Timeline/Canvas).

9. Pen Tool – The Pen tool is useful for making changes on the Timeline to your video’s opacity, or to the audio levels on a Timeline. The Pen Tool can also be used to adjust filters and characteristics of the media found inside the Motion tab. (More on this the Graphics section (V. 3.) and in the Filters section (VI. 4.).









3) Graphics
Graphics can be text (either as a slate with text on a blank / black background, or as a graphic on screen to identify a character, reporter, location of the origin of third-party media).

ALL GRAPHICS MUST BE RENDERED BEFORE FINAL EXPORT.
THIS INCLUDES ALL TEXT.
FOR MORE ON RENDERING, GO TO SECTION VI. 5.

A) Text
To place text on the Timeline, click on the button with the letter A at the bottom right corner of the Viewer.




Choose Text – Text.

The words Sample Text will appear in the Viewer. Click on the “Controls” tab at the top of the Viewer




Inside this window, you can adjust the text, font and font size.



Text can then be inserted into the Timeline in the same way that a video clip would be inserted. Once there, it can be manipulated as a video clip would be.

Lower Thirds are a special type of text that appears at the bottom of the screen to identify a subject.



You can build lower thirds in 2 and a half steps:
1. The simplest way to create a lower third is to choose the lower third text template. Once open, adjust the text using the Control tab in the Viewer just as you did with normal text.



2. Set an In point on the Timeline where you want the Lower Third to appear. Move the Destination Cue to a track above your video. For example, if your video is on Video Track 1 (V1) move the Destination Cue (v1) to Video Track 2 (V2).



Now, press the Overwrite button and the text will appear on V2. The Lower Third effect takes special advantage of the Hierarchy concept discussed above. The graphic must be on a higher track than the video so that both the text and the picture appear on the Canvas.



3. If your Lower Thirds are difficult to see because they appear against a bright background, the easiest solution is to add a drop shadow to the Text. (There is a Drop Shadow used on the example above – it’s the black outline to the letters.)

To add a Drop shadow, double click the text element on the Timeline. When it appears in the Viewer, choose the Motion tab. Select the Drop Shadow radio box. If you press the arrow next to Drop Shadow, you can adjust the qualities of the Drop Shadow.




B) Wireframe
If you want to move the Text or any graphics, you will need to engage the Wireframe view. This button is found at the top of the Viewer and the Canvas.


Choose Image+Wireframe. This will allow you to grab and manipulate the location of a Text or Graphic element on the screen. Click the text or Graphic you want to adjust on the timeline.

Once engaged, double-click the Text/Graphic you want to adjust on the Timeline and it will appear in the Canvas. Once there, you can grab it and drag it to other places on the screen. You can also grab at the edges of a clip and increase or decrease the size of the Text/Graphic.




C) Graphics
Still images can be imported to the Browser and brought into the Timeline just like a video clip. Be aware that still images must fit the frame, or else they will have to be adjusted. Use the Wireframe method described above to adjust the size of a graphic.

To import graphics, choose File – Import – Files. Select the graphic you want. Final Cut can deal with most graphic formats, such as Jpegs, PNGs and Tiffs.

VI. FINAL CUT
1) Audio
Making sure that your audio is well-balanced and moves smoothly between cuts is very important to the editing process.

A) Transitions
As an editor, your job is to hide the edit points. Because rough audio edits are an easy way to call attention to cuts, make sure to apply audio transitions to rough edits, and to the start and end of a piece.



Click the edit point between two clips so they are highlighted as above. To apply the audio transition, choose Effects -> Default – Cross Fade (+3db).



Be ware that the audio transition doesn’t now incorporate unwanted audio to the Timeline (such as a partial phrase, if you’re editing a soundbite). To reduce the length of an audio cross fade, double click on the transition and a duration window will appear. Reduce the time from the default 00:00:01:00 (1 second) to something shorter, such as 00:00:00:10 (10 frames).

B) Levels
To adjust audio levels, turn on the Clip Overlays. The button is in the bottom left corner of the Timeline and looks like a Mountain / Valley graph.



You will notice the appearance of pink lines (levels) over the audio tracks and black lines (opacity) over the video tracks. Hover over the pink lines and drag them up or down. They are, by default, set to 0db. Try to keep the levels consistent (use the audio level monitor next to the Timeline to double check).

For more on audio, see the Audio Production section.
C) Natural Sound
When editing, beware of sections with dead sound. If you create a portion of a sequence where there is voice over or text, be sure to include some natural (or environmental) sound. This can be anything from a background hum (if your video takes place in an office) or the sound of a breeze (if you are shooting outdoors).

The Natural Sound can be stripped from the video (using techniques referred to above) and run on a lower audio track, such as A3/A4. Make sure to lower the audio of the Nat Sound so it doesn’t interfere or overwhelm.

D) Linked Audio
By default, most audio is linked. This means if you click on one of the tracks, be it V1, A1 or A2, you will have selected the whole clip. To unlink a clip, select the clip and choose Modify -> Link. You can also choose the icon on the top right corner of the Timeline (it looks like a diagonal rectangle).





E) Stereo Pairs
Some audio, such as much tracks, will be created as a stereo pair. This means that the left channel (-1) will be mixed to the left, and the right channel will be mixed to the right (1).



In general, we want clips mixed in mono, not stereo. This means that both the right and left channel should play down the center (mixed at 0). This is more of a problem with soundbites and speech than music.



You can tell that a clip is a stereo pair by the pair of dark green, vertical triangles between A1 and A2. You can also tell that a clip is a stereo pair if you hear it on one channel of your headphones and not the other; or if you see that your levels on your audio monitors are uneven.



To turn off stereo pairs, choose the clip and choose Modify ->Stereo Pair. The clip will still be mixed in stereo, so you must now click A1 and open it in the Viewer. Under Pan, choose 0, instead of -1. Repeat for the clip on A2 (mix to 0).



If you have several clips that must be changed, you can use the Paste Attributes function described below to change the Pan of more than one clip at a time. See Section VI-6 for more.


2) Voice Over
Recording Voice Over requires the narrator to deliver information in a clear, concise and engaging manner. When delivering narration, be sure to be expressive and project your voice. Be ware not to explode on pronouncing hard letters, such as B’s P’s and D’s.

Some say it helps to bring your heart rate up, so feel free to do some jumping jacks or push-ups before recording. Others say it helps to record early in the morning, when most people’s voices are very deep and rich. Finally, if you find that your audio has too much echo, try draping a towel or t-shirt over your head to create a small space between the mic and yourself.

There are two ways to record voice over. Chose the method you find easiest:

A) Record to a Camera
Recording using a camera will yield high quality audio. Make sure to use a lavalier microphone and to check your sound using headphones. If you like, you can leave the lens cap on the camera as you record onto a tape.

Once you’ve recorded the voice over track, you can use the steps outlined above for Log & Capture (Section IV). Before you log the track, open the Log & Capture window. Choose the Clip Settings tab in the upper right corner. Uncheck the Video Box. When you log and capture the footage, you will now bring in the audio, but not the video. This is useful because it will help save space on your hard drive.




Be sure to turn the Video dialog back on when you finish. If you don’t, the next time you go to capture footage you will only bring in audio.

B) Using the Voice Over Tool
Alternatively, you may record voice over directly into Final Cut using the Voice Over Tool. To open the tool, choose Tools -> Voice Over.

To make the voice over tool work, you will need to plug a microphone into your computer. Although most Macs have a built-in mic, the quality is usually too poor to use for our purposes.

You can plug a mic directly into your mac (Set Sources to Built In Line Input), or plug your camera into the computer and then use the mic attached to the camera (set to DV Audio).

Place an in point on your Timeline and press the record button. The Tool will count down from five and then begin recording directly to your timeline. Be aware that the track tends to be very low in volume so you will need to boost the levels after recording.



To save a voice over track, drag it from the Timeline into the Browser. You will see a message that reads: Creating Master Clips. The voice over will then be available in your Capture Scratch folder.


3) Visual Transitions
Visual transitions include fades in or out of a sequence, cross-dissolves, and dip to black (i.e. fade-in / fade-out between clips). Visual transitions can be useful for cutting between two difficult edit points, such as a jump cut. They can also be used to indicate a passage of time.

Be careful not to overuse visual transitions. As with all additive elements, consider them useful as support, or when something can’t be accomplished with a straightforward cut. Visual transitions can stylistically date a piece (recall the abundances of cube spins and star wipes in early music videos).

To create a visual transition, select the edit point between two clips on the Timeline.




To apply the Cross Dissolve transition, choose Effects -> Default – Cross Dissolve. For other types of transitions, choose Effects -> Video Transitions. Then choose the type of transition you want to use.



Keep in mind: the cross dissolve will grab and display footage from before and after the edit point you’ve chosen. Be careful to make sure that the cross dissolve doesn’t reveal any unwanted footage (such as shaky video, or footage from a separate shot).

To change the length of a cross dissolve, double click the cross dissolve icon on the Timeline. A window will appear in the browser. Enter the new length in the upper left corner.



You can also change the length of a cross dissolve by hovering near the edge of the icon and dragging it to the left or right, depending on how you want to affect the transition’s length.

Cross Dissolves can be used at the start or end of a video and (because they will effectively be a cross dissolve between the clip and nothing) they will function as a Fade In or Fade Out.



4) Filters
Filters have a wide variety of application, including correcting bad color, or adding an effect. To apply a filter to a clip, select the clip on the Timeline. Choose Effects -> Video Filters. Then select the filter you’d like to apply.




To adjust the properties of a filter that has been implemented, double click on the clip on the Timeline. After it appears in the Viewer, choose the Filters Tab. Now you can adjust the filter.




In this example, a Desaturate filter has been applied to make the clip Black and White. If we reduce the amount in the dialog box from 100 to 0, the filter would be effectively turned off and the clip will return to its original, full color appearance.


5) Paste Attributes
While working on a clip, you may change some of its attributes (such as scale, audio levels, playback speed, etc.) or add filters. If you find that you need to make the changes to multiple clips, you can use the Paste Attributes feature.

To begin, make the necessary changes to one of your clips. When you finish, click the clip and Copy (Edit ->Copy or Command-C). Select the other clips you’d like to affect and choose Paste Attributes (Edit -> Paste Attributes or Ctrl-Click / Right-Click -> Paste Attributes).



A dialog box will appear allowing you to choose which attributes should be applied to the clip(s). Select any that are appropriate. Press OK.





6) Rendering
Rendering is the final step in the editing process before exporting.

After affecting a clip in any way whatsoever, you will need to Render the clip. Rendering is a process by which Final Cut creates a full quality frame



You will know if you need to render by checking the bars on the top of the Timeline. If you see a color on the bars, make sure to render.



To Render, Select All and choose Sequence -> Render All (Option-R).



When you finish a clip, be on the lookout for sections that retain a faint green Render bar. Make sure to Render these sections as well by selecting the clip and choosing Sequence -> Render Only.



Intro to Editing using Final Cut Pro by Matt Rivera is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at moose3.com.

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