10 Things Every Final Cut Pro User Should Know

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10 Things Every Final Cut Pro User Should Know

Posted 04/22/2009 at 10:47:22pm | by Michael DeLano

The sheer depth of Final Cut Pro features can intimidate new users. Apple's plan was to take the video editing world by storm with their professional editing app. In order to shake Avid from its high horse, Apple had to cram an unbelievable amount of features in there.

We've assembled ten features that will help you master FCP and create the next great movie.

1. Keep Organized

Video files are large, and Final Cut Pro generates a lot of information using these files. If you are not careful, your hard drive will be full and you will need a CSI team to clear out all the capture and render files that have exploded across your system. To help keep David Caruso away from your computer and all its bits, watch the video below to learn how to keep your FCP files organized.

2. Toggle Clip Overlays

So you want to bring down your audio levels, fade out your video, or even super impose one layer of video over another while they both play at the same time? Bold, very bold, we like how you think. Now stop thinking and start layering video.

overlay

In the bottom left corner of the timeline you will find the Toggle Clip Overlays button (Option+W), it looks like a mountain range with a couple of dots on it. When you toggle this button, you will see red lines appear across your audio and a black line across the top of your video. Don’t panic, now you can increase or decrease the overall opacity of the video or volume of the audio with the selection tool, just “grab” the line and move it up or down.

pen

For more precise control and track fading, choose the Pen tool (P) in the Tools Palette. Now when you click on the red line in the audio, or black line in the video, it will create a key frame that you can manipulate. Create a second key frame to the right or left of the first one, drag it down and you have created a fade in or out. If you stack video clips on top of each other and bring down the opacity of the upper clip, you will be able to see through to the lower clip.

3. Snapping

Snapping is simultaneously the best and worst feature in Final Cut Pro. Snapping, does this have anything to do with turtles? Unfortunately, no. When the snapping feature is enabled it pulls your playhead to the nearest edit, or when dragging clips, “magnetically” pulls them together. This helps to avoid flash frames, or tiny spaces between edits. All very helpful, until you want to precisely scrub video near an edit point or trim a frame or two off the end of a clip, suddenly your playhead is a possessed demon with a mind of its own, flying willy nilly toward the nearest edit point.

snapping

What you need is control, and the power to summon or exorcize that demon at will. That power is N, hit N on the keyboard to toggle snapping on and off as needed. You can also switch snapping on and off with the toggle button in the upper right corner of the timeline window. An extra treat for the hard core control freaks, you can toggle snapping on and off while scrubbing or dragging clips in the timeline, just hit N while in the process of dragging, trimming or scrubbing in the timeline.

4. OMG JKL FTW

Like rotary phones, the buggy whip and good episodes of Heroes, VCRs are a thing of the past. Just because the VCR is gone doesn’t mean you don’t need to fast forward and rewind from time to time. To save yourself some mouse clicks and drags, mosey your hand over to that keyboard and feel the magic of JKL. Hitting the J key will start moving “backward” through your footage, if you press it again it will increase the speed you are “rewinding”, keeping hitting it, it will go faster and faster. If you can press the key at 88mph you will go back in time, well, not really, that is a lie.
To move forward, and fast-forward, through your footage you'll use the L key.
The K key brings everything to a grinding halt, just hit it once to stop the madness. In order to play your footage normally press the Spacebar. Pressing the spacebar a second time will pause the footage. These hot keys work within the timeline, canvas or viewer when active. This will also work with the Quicktime player application.

5. Paste Attributes

Just because the iPhone doesn’t have cut and paste yet, doesn’t mean the rest of the world has to suffer. If you are using the same multiple effects on clips through out your project, Final Cut has a secret weapon to help save you a lot of time.

paste

In the timeline, right click or ctrl click on a video or audio clip that you have already applied effects to. In the contextual menu, select copy. Now move to the clip you would like to add the same effects to, and right click (ctrl click), choose the Paste Attributes selection.

attributes

In the window that pops up you will find quite a few helpful choices, you can transfer any of the available attributes from one clip to another by clicking the box next to the option. Hit ok, now your settings have been copied and can be adjusted independently on the new clip.

COMMENTS: 32

TAGS: Final Cut Pro

COMMENTS

How do you guys afford all this mac stuff???
Submitted by lukeforester1 on Mon, 2009-04-27 06:18

Well...?????<3 Mac|Life <3

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What does a "ramen
Submitted by Markweee on Wed, 2009-10-14 23:05

What does a "ramen experience" have to do with design? Better packaging? Curlier noodles? Adding a cute little forky thing to the cheap staple of dorm rooms everywhere? social work degree AND Criminal Justice degree

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I was sitting at a big
Submitted by Markweee on Wed, 2009-10-14 23:06

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Definitely things every FCP should now . . .
Submitted by dddnlb on Mon, 2009-04-27 14:35

. . . but they should already know them. ;-)

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Video for Final Cut
Submitted by claudia163 on Sun, 2009-06-14 03:49

The video does not show up and I can't find it in your code-I think someone goofed up...

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it works for me
Submitted by SomPom on Sat, 2009-10-31 14:34

the video works for me.. try refreshingcancer man

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Michael Delano's Article-Final Cut Pro 10 Tips: Keep Organized
Submitted by petersonck1 on Mon, 2009-06-15 08:36

Subject: Tip #1: "Keep Organized":

Please help me to view the video on best organizing my Final Cut Pro files.

After I downloaded and installed the latest Flash Player and went to the link: tinyurl.com/c2rif6, the Flash video failed to display on my Safari or Firefox browser.

Thank you, Michael Delano. I enjoyed your fine and well-organized article and found it very useful! :)

Chuck Peterson, petersonck1@att.net

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Missing Video
Submitted by agr8esc on Tue, 2009-06-16 12:28

Having the same problem. Just a big white space below the request to load the latest Flash.Running with Safari Version 4 Public Beta (5528.17) Enjoyed the rest of the article, thanks!Pete MacLachlan

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Missing Video
Submitted by galley on Sun, 2009-06-21 21:33

I'm getting the notice to download the latest Flash player (version 8 or higher), but I already have version 10,0,22,87 installed. What gives?iMac 2008, OS X 10.5.7, Safari 4.0.1 (5530.18)

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Still no video?
Submitted by fotmasta on Wed, 2009-07-01 08:09

Flash player 10
Safari 4
10.4.11

Blank white space. No video.

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Missing Video
Submitted by gingerbiggles on Mon, 2009-07-06 00:38

Fully up to date.

Still no video, just a blank white space. Tried it in Safari and Firefox.

Does anyone in Mac Life read these comments?

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Missing Video
Submitted by mtsuhre on Tue, 2009-07-14 15:11

Nice article, but it sure would be nice to be able to view the video. Downloaded the latest flash player and still no luck. I hope Mac/Life looks into this.

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Missing Video
Submitted by abbaink on Sat, 2009-07-18 19:50

You would think that faster technology would have made everything faster. Faster information, faster downloading, faster websites. Faster corrections. Guess nobody told the print department and the webmaster that the url in the magazine is wrong and the website just shows a blank white place where the video is supposed to be. Can somebody wake those guys up, please? AbbaInk

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Thanks for the awesome 10
Submitted by creek on Mon, 2009-08-31 18:55

Thanks for the awesome 10 Book Reports. These steps really makes my work faster and safer.These will increase the speed you are “rewinding”, keeping hitting it, it will go faster and faster. If you can press the key at 88mph you will go back in time, well, not really, that is a lie. Term Papers
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this video is very
Submitted by lister on Tue, 2009-09-08 02:13

this video is very informative to share in the Buy Essay. I downloaded and installed the latest Flash Player and went to the link: tinyurl.com/c2rif6, the Flash video failed to display on my Safari or Firefox browser.

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Still no video...
Submitted by jack_on_a_mac on Tue, 2009-09-08 19:49

Finally got around to reading my July issue of Mac Life....found the FCP hints. But the video STILL doesn't work? Does anybody read these comments?
---hopefully...soon

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10 Things Every Final Cut Pro User Should Know.....
Submitted by preityroisinha on Thu, 2009-09-10 05:41

The sheer depth of Final Cut Pro features can intimidate new users. Apple's plan was to take the video editing world by storm with their professional editing app. In order to shake Avid from its high horse...

.thanks for sharing your views..
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Regards,

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I have tried it in
Submitted by divider on Sat, 2009-09-12 14:37

I have tried it in firefox..But its displaying blank white space only.No video is coming..Still Very informative blog..Free Online Games.
Regards,

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Thanks - does it work
Submitted by Helenz4 on Sun, 2009-09-27 02:01

Thanks - does it work properly in Firefox yet? ski chalets

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All these 10 aspects-things
Submitted by benhurtisson on Thu, 2009-10-08 01:30

All these 10 aspects-things can be properly used by users. Thanks.
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All of these aspects can be used by all users in world. look more at teaching essay

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I think this is one of the
Submitted by philly387 on Thu, 2009-10-15 20:32

I think this is one of the best tools for a Mac computer. The tips are great as well!
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wow thanks a lot really
Submitted by Bostro on Sat, 2009-10-17 08:35

wow thanks a lot really helpful article thanks
regards,
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I am glad the new iphone
Submitted by philly387 on Sat, 2009-10-17 11:20

I am glad the new iphone does have cut and paste! It does work wonders. Apple did a good job the new 3G S
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Nice article, but it sure
Submitted by emil300 on Thu, 2009-10-22 06:32

Nice article, but it sure would be nice to be able to view the video. Downloaded the latest flash player and still no luck. I hope Mac/Life looks into this.

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Perfect Mac
Submitted by floydsthompson on Fri, 2009-10-23 08:59

Mac and his programs did not cease to amaze! I just started processing home video. These tips will help me. A few more tips I found in this essay

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Being able to just stay
Submitted by philly387 on Mon, 2009-10-26 13:19

Being able to just stay organized would be hard enough. I think walkawaytoday keeps the stuff very organized for everything.

Mac came out with a CD Label Maker I believe last year for their products and I was hoping maybe I could find it. Thanks to me being on a weight loss diet nutrition, I can finally purchase one since I don't need as much food!

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Interface is intuitive
Submitted by russian-girls on Tue, 2009-10-27 01:38

Not very complicated, and new version- hard to confuse new users. Interface is intuitive. Thanks for review function. Russian Girls | Oriflame | Russian Date

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Good Job....This article is
Submitted by real-exams on Mon, 2009-11-16 01:29

Good Job....This article is very informative.

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