Workshop Objectives Become familiar with the Final Cut Pro workspace, basic editing, capturing footage, using tools, exporting to tape, or QuickTime. Learn effective workflow and file management strategies. Glossary Non-Linear Editing (NLE) Video editing process that uses a computer vs. linear editing which is compiling footage from one tape directly onto another. Non- Linear systems store footage on a hard disk rather than on a tape. This allows for immediate access to all audio and visual content at any time and allows the editor to make infinite changes. Media Content elements such as video, sound, and still images. Scratch Disk - The designated folder to store all the contents (source media) of a Final Cut Project. Logging - The process of collecting detailed information about the position of clips you want to capture, in preparation for capturing them from a tape. Capture The Process of digitizing audio, video, or both, by recording it into the computer from a tape. This process can only be done in real time. Sequence - Video, audio and still images arranged in a timeline. Import - The process of bringing external source media files into Final Cut Pro. Export Converting a sequence into a separate video file or other digital format. This also refers to the process of copying footage from Final Cut back onto a tape. Final Cut Pro is... A Non-linear editing tool. Non-destructive: the Final Cut Pro project file is a play list, or set of instructions pointing to media files. When you play back an edited sequence it only looks like it s been edited together. Final Cut Pro is actually assembling clips as they are being played back. Getting Started 1. Create a folder in the User Drive labeled with your name. 2. Make sure the DV deck is turned on, and the input is set to DV. 3. Launch Final Cut in the Dock. Set your Scratch Disk 1. A dialog box will open asking to Set Your Scratch Disks. 2. Click the Set button, browse to your folder and select it. 3. Click Choose to make it the default location to store all your content. 4. Change the scratch disk folder at any time under the Final Cut Pro menu under System Settings. Create a new project 1. Select New Project from the File menu. 2. Select Save Project As from the File menu. 3. Navigate to one of the User Drives and create a new folder with your last name as the title, then click Save. 4. In the Browser, make sure the name of your project is the active tab. Last Modified 4/12/2011 SZ 1
Window Descriptions Browser - Organize and access source materials such as video, audio, still images etc Viewer - Acts as the source monitor. Modify individual clip in & out points, filters, and motion effects Canvas - Acts as the program monitor. Displays the content arranged in the timeline. Timeline -Displays a chronological view of a sequence of video and audio clips Log and Capture -select and capture clips from source tape footage Note: Change the way FCP arranges its windows by going Window > Arrange and selecting from the various options including custom layouts. The recommended layout is MML. viewer canvas browser timeline File Management File types and locations A Project file is the smallest file and the most important item. A project file is the recipe or set of instructions telling Final Cut how to arrange all of the content. A Clip is the actual video file stored on the computer as a QuickTime movie. These are large files (4.5 minutes digital video ~ 1 GB) Proper Saving Techniques 1. Project folders should be saved to the User Drive in a folder labeled with your last name. 2. Keep all files for a project within the project folder. In your project folder create subfolders for: Stills, Additional Video and Audio. 3. Note: FCP creates folders for your project automatically when you set your Scratch Disk. 4. At the end of a work session back up the entire project folder on a porto-drive, personal hard drive, or server. 5. Once all the content for a projected has been collected and backed up, all that needs to be done is to copy the latest project file. Last Modified 4/12/2011 SZ 2
Remember: Drive space is limited If you care about your work save it in at least two different locations (server local drive) Anyone can delete files from a server, or computer at any time Files are deleted regularly to free up space on the drives, and are always erased at the end of the quarter from all lab machines and temporary storage servers File sizes and drive space DV Resolution @ 3.6 MB / second 1 minute = 216 MB 3 minutes = 648 MB (one cd s worth) 5 minutes = 1.2 Gig 20 minutes = 4.3 Gig (one DVD-R disc) 30 minutes = 6.5 Gig Helpful tips Cut down on wasting file space by capturing only the footage that will actually be used. Do not capture an entire tape. Decide what is necessary during the logging process by capturing short clips. Save often, Command + S. Final Cut can crash and lose all recent changes. Logging and Capturing There are three different methods of getting footage into Final Cut from a tape: Capture Clip - Define a start point (In) and an end point (Out), and have the computer cue the tape and only capture the footage between the set in and out points. Capture Now - Capturing on the fly. Whatever is being played through the deck will be captured until you press the Escape key. Batch Capture Just like Capture Clip except that you log multiple clips at one time even from different tapes (reels). Final Cut does all the work of capturing. If you lose all your files you can recreate your entire project just from the original source tapes and project file. Log/ Batch Capture 1. Go to File > Log and Capture. 2. Name the reel with the same title that is labeled on the tape. Reset the reel for each separate tape that will be used. 3. Navigate through the tape using the JKL keys on the keyboard. J = rewind, K= pause L = fast forward. Cue the tape to where you want to start capturing footage and set an In Point by clicking the Mark In button. Cue up the tape to where you want to end capturing footage and click the Mark Out button to set the Out Point. REMEMBER TO ADD SOME BUFFER TO THE IN AND OUT POINTS! Later, during editing, some additional footage may be needed for transitions. 4. Click Log Clip. When prompted, descriptively name the clip and include additional info (scene/shot/take) as desired. Once a clip is logged it will appear as a clip icon in the Browser. The red slash on the icon means that the in and out point information is recorded, but the actual DV footage has not yet been captured into the computer. Last Modified 4/12/2011 SZ 3
5. Select the logged clips in the Browser. Click Batch in the Log and Capture window. A dialog box will open asking to capture all items, or only the selected clips. Add Handles (1 second is recommended ) to set a length of time to capture extra footage at the start and end of each clip. 6. Click Continue. Final Cut will now cue the tape to the first clip, and will capture clips in real time. Press escape to stop a batch capture at any time. If capturing from multiple tapes a prompt will ask to insert additional tapes. ALERT: Make sure you close the log and capture window when you are finished Basic Editing in Final Cut Pro Begin Editing Basic terms Playhead shows the location of the currently displayed frame within a clip. In Point first frame of an edited section of a clip (identified by a blue marker pointing to the right). Out Point last frame of an edited clip (another blue marker pointing to the left) In the Browser, with each new project, FCP will create a new sequence (timeline) called Sequence 1. 1. Double-click one of the captured clips in the Browser. The clip now appears in the Viewer. 2. In the Viewer adjust the In and Out points by moving the Playhead, and press i to mark the In point, and press o to mark the Out point 3. Move the modified clip into the Timeline by clicking and dragging it directly into the Timeline. 4. The clip s video track and two audio tracks appear in the Timeline. 5. Playback edits by clicking on the Timeline, or Canvas. Press Home on the keyboard, and press the Space Bar to play. Mahvalus! Now try this 1. Set in and out points on a clip. 2. Click and drag the clip to the timeline to Overwrite the first clip(the cursor arrow will point down). 3. Drag another clip into the timeline and this time Insert the clip (cursor arrow points to the right). Trimming clips in the timeline 1. Click and drag two clips from the Browser directly into the Timeline. 2. Hold the cursor over the out point of the last clip it will turn into a trim tool. 3. Click and drag to the left to shorten the clip, or drag to the right to make it longer. 4. Trim the in point of the same clip (click and drag to the right), leaving a gap. 5. Select the gap and press the Delete key. 6. Select the first clip and press the Delete key. 7. Use the Razor Blade tool (keyboard shortcut = B) to slice a clip in half. 8. To repair the cut, click on the cut, and press the delete key. Clips that are cut can always be re-grown. Last Modified 4/12/2011 SZ 4
Tool Palette Selection tools Edit, Group and Range tools Track selection tools Roll and Ripple Edit tools Slip/Slide item tools Razor Blade tools Zoom, Hand, Scrub Video tools Crop, Distort tools Pen tools Rendering When a video clip or audio track has been modified with filters, or transitions, sometimes the computer is not fast enough to process the changes in real time. To playback the affected audio, and/or video, Final Cut must generate a new video/audio clip that redraws each adjusted frame. Render files are large and can be deleted to free up space. These files can always be re-created later. Render video/audio clips by selecting them in the Timeline and choose Render Selection from the Sequence Menu. Or make a selection in the Timeline and press Command + R on the keyboard. Option + R renders the entire sequence. Importing Clips, Audio & Stills Final Output >>>>>> 1. Go to File > Import > Files Print to Video 1. Set the DV Deck input to DV. 2. Select File > Print to Video (Control + M) 3. In the Print to Video window add color bars, slates, black and countdown leaders as needed to the head of the program. Always put at least 30 seconds of leader on your tape and at least 30 seconds of black at the end. 4. Check the box at the bottom that says automatically start recording 5. Click OK. The deck will automatically start recording, and the program will play 3 seconds later. Export QuickTime Movie 1. Select File > Export QuickTime Movie (Command + E). 2. Leave the settings at Current Settings. 3. Choose to export both audio and video, or one, or the other. 4. Check the box Make Movie Self Contained. 5. Name the movie and save into your folder. Last Modified 4/12/2011 SZ 5
Share 1. Select File > Share (Shift+ Command + E). 2. Starting at the top drop down menu choose to save into your folder on the User Drive. 3. From the file type drop down menu select the destination type that you want to output to: a. DVD Burns a basic DVD, checking the Create DVD box will pop open a submenu to adjust the settings and will ask for a writeable disc. b. YouTube Publishes a YouTube compatible file that will retain the same dimensions as your source video. Check the box to enter your YouTube account information and have it publish content directly. c. Apple ProRes 422 Exports a high quality large file maintaining your sequence dimensions. d. Quicktime H.264 Exports a lower quality file maintaining your sequence dimensions that is good for playing back on the internet. Export Image Sequence 1. Select File > Export > QuickTime Conversion. 2. Create a new folder and label it Still Image Sequence and name the file. 3. In the dialog box that appears under Format choose Still Image Sequence 4. Under Use set to JPEG 29.97 5. Click on Options and select 30 FPS. 6. Click on Options again to modify color setting and compression. 7. Use Photoshop, or another image editor to edit and print. Summary of Final Cut Pro Workflow 1. Log and Capture clips 2. Edit sequence(s) 3. Apply Filters (transitions, titles, etc.) 4. Render All 5. Print to Video (or Edit to Tape), Export to QuickTime, Share or Image Sequence 6. Clean up: Once your project is completed and you re ready to archive the project it s a good idea to do the following: Save the Project file, batch list and any titles, stills, or sounds to a reliable back-up medium (hard drive, data DVD s etc) Delete render files and any unused clips Last Modified 4/12/2011 SZ 6