Final Cut Pro X Editing basics
NM3230
ORGANIZATION
-
File New
Project
-your edit version
(called sequences in other editing platforms)
Event
-the different scenes from the dailies you have shot (or general footage)
-FCP automatically creates a folder with the current date, expecting dailies
Library
-can contain multiple events
TIMELINE
-
FCP X uses a magnetic timeline all clips are magnetic by default
Uses a primary storyline
You can move through your footage via
(i)
Playhead
(ii)
Skimmer
ORGANIZATION
-
Favorites
Reject selection
Keywords
A smart collection can be created around useful Keywords
E.g. A roll /interviews, B roll / cutaways, etc
You can create new smart collections to organize your video/audio
ORGANIZATION
-
Favorites
Reject selection
Keywords
A smart collection can be created around useful Keywords
E.g. A roll /interviews, B roll / cutaways, etc
You can create new smart collections to organize your video/audio
CLIP APPEARANCE
-
Change clip appearance to include both waveform and picture ideally
FOOTAGE AND PROJECT TIMELINE
Import Media (Video / Audio/ Photographs)
-import media button on left bar
-or drag and drop (file will appear in Event folder according to date)
Importing Audio
-or use music icon on right bar (connected to iTunes)
FOOTAGE AND PROJECT TIMELINE
Importing Footage
I sets In Point
O sets Out Point
Playing footage
J play backwards
Space Bar start/ stop playing footage
K pause
L play fowards
Moving within selection
Shift-I brings playhead to front of selection
Shift-O brings playhead to back of
selection
FOOTAGE AND PROJECT TIMELINE
Bringing Footage into Timeline
Q Connects to Primary Storyline (B-roll)
good for interviews
W Inserts at Playhead
E Inserts at End
Other commands
Command + Z Undo
Command + Shift + Z - Redo
SYNCING VIDEO WITH AUDIO
-Create an event / folder where you can place your A audio source and your video
-Preferably your video is shot with the camera mic, so that FCP X can perform the
synchronization
-Select both clips, and then right click synchronize clips
-you can deselect the camera mic audio from the video clip in the inspector window
-tweak with your clapperboard/clap sync
-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s7o-038pik
FOOTAGE AND PROJECT TIMELINE
Other tips
N snapping
(snaps playhead to closest shot, will turn yellow when snapped)
S Turn skimming on/off
Shift S keep skimming on , but turn the skimming noise off
(if the scrubbing sound when skimming is annoying)
Command-4 showing/hiding Inspector screen
(to access more control/ to show detail e.g. Transitions, titles)
ZOOM
-for fine tuning
-either use trackpad if youre on a laptop
-or use the zoom slider
(bottom left of screen)
BLADE / SPLICING
-after splicing, you can shift the shots in the timeline appropriately
-Shift-Command-B to blade all
JOIN BLADED CLIPS
-after having separated it with blade tool
-select clips to be joined first
RE-TIMING SHOT AFTER BLADE / SPLICING
-after splicing, you can speed up/slow down the spliced shots
-select shot, then
modify
retime
TRIMMING
Ripple trim/edit
-trims to left or right of the shot
Roll trim/edit
-you can also trim the two sides of a shot
simultaneously while maintaining shot
length
Others
-you can also use trim start (of skim bar),
trim end, trim to playhead
PRECISION EDITOR
-to fine tune trimming, open Precision Editor
-double click edit point, or control-E
-shows footage on either side to trim
-only works on the primary storyline
-does not trim only audio clips
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoazZ1bFYi4
MOVING CLIPS AROUND USING SELECTION AND
POSITION TOOLS
-to prevent magnetic timeline, use position
tool (P)
-this leaves an empty slug when you move
your shot
MARKERS
-key (M)
-used to mark important cuts in video or
audio (e.g. For synchronizing beats)
-if you are using snap (N) then it will snap to
the marker
-highlight the clip first before marking
-remove markers by right clicking on them,
then deleting them
EFFECTS
-lay over various effects for video and audio
-drag and drop the effect you want over the video/audio clip
-play around with this to get a feel of whats available
TRANSITIONS
-most popular transitions
(i)
Cross dissolve (Command-T)
(ii)
Fade to color (black)
TITLES
-more popular effects : fade
-click on inspector (command -4) to customize titles
-lay over video if needed
COLOR CORRECTION
-Best to correct the entire initial scene first instead of individual shots post-edit
-Balance color
-tells FCP to do what it wishes
-Match color
-good for 2 camera shoots, to match lighting
-does not work for shots that are lit differently
-Color Board
-allows you to change saturation and hue
PHOTOGRAPHS
-when using photographs as B roll
-use the crop button to adjust the photo to the desired size
-you can also use the Ken Burns effect to create a slow track-in movement
FREEZE FRAME
-freeze frame a moment by moving
playhead to the moment you want to
freeze
-then edit add freeze frame
-you can adjust length later
AUDIO METER
-
Bring up audio meter (long vertical
bar on right) by clicking on smaller
audio meter beside time code
Absolute dB this cannot exceed 0dB
Absolute dB this cannot exceed 0dB
Relative dB (in selection) this is relative to what
was recorded, it can exceed 0 dB, so long as
Absolute dB does not go above 0
AUDIO
Detaching audio from video clip
-detach audio from video with preexisting footage
Right click on clip, detach audio
Changing volume (dB)
-Hover cursor over the audio clip till you
see the dB reading come up
-you can then shift it up or down
Fade audio in/out at end of audio clip
-watch out for small ball where you can
shift left or right to indicate when volume
fades in/out
AUDIO
Varying audio level within selection
-create in and out points on primary
storyline track, then vary dB
OR
-create keyframes in audio track
-click on option + left mouse button
*Audio must NOT exceed 0 dB during final
export
DISABLE SELECTIONS
-V key
-probably one of the more useful hotkeys
-allows you to enable/disable video and audio
segments so you should test the edit with
different options
-disabled segments indicated with darker color
EXPORTING YOUR VIDEO
-File Share Master file (default)
EXPORTING YOUR VIDEO
-Export highest quality master file
EXPORTING YOUR VIDEO
-Export mp4 for class screening
Other FCP X commands
Shift-Z
-Zoom to fit
-General overview of Timeline
-be careful not to hit command-Z which is redo..
/ (slash)
-play selected segment
-select segment first, and then hit /
Command-6
-Go to color board
Shift Delete
-FCP X uses magnetic timeline and closes gaps immediately
-but to prevent this, hit shift- delete
Option-W
-Add slug (black) to your timeline
Other FCP X commands
Join clips
-after having separated it with blade tool
-select clips to be joined first
General FCP X commands
Importing Footage
I sets In Point
O sets Out Point
Space Bar plays footage
Bringing Footage into Timeline
Q Connects to Primary Storyline (B-roll)
W Inserts at Playhead
E Inserts at End
Other Commands
Command + Z Undo
Command + Shift + Z Redo
Editing
B Blade (cut / splice)
Delete key deletes selected clip
A Arrow (normal cursor)
Shift + F Show Clip in Browser
Z Zoom (click where to zoom into timeline)
Control + Shift + S Detach Audio
V Disable clip
Period (.) Nudge one unit to the right
M Mark
Comma (,) Nudge one unit to the left
Thank you.
