Edit without Tears with Final Cut Pro E-Book

Bruce G. Macbryde

• Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 788

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Edit Without Tears with Final Cut Pro is your essential guide to overcoming challenges in video editing using Final Cut Pro, simplifying complex procedures and workflows and providing a structured approach for efficient and impressive video editing. This book will change how you approach editing, guiding you to create professional-grade videos with ease and confidence.
Throughout the book, you'll enhance your efficiency and speed, while also learning unique workflows for common tasks. The comprehensive coverage spans planning video narratives, crafting preliminary edits and refining them, improving audio quality, setting up and editing multicam sequences, leveraging the inspector's controls, and working with both built-in and third-party plugins. You’ll then advance to animating objects using keyframes, utilizing color scopes for advanced color correction, and troubleshooting common issues confidently.
By the end of this Final Cut Pro book, you’ll have developed an efficient editing style, unlocking the full power of this video editing software for your creative endeavors.

Leseprobe

Edit without Tears with Final Cut Pro

Elevate your video editing skills with professional workflows and techniques

Bruce G. Macbryde

Edit without Tears with Final Cut Pro

Copyright © 2024 Packt Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing or its dealers and distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this book.

Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

Group Product Manager: Rohit Rajkumar

Publishing Product Manager: Nitin Nainani

Book Project Manager: Sonam Pandey

Senior Editor: Rakhi Patel

Technical Editor: Simran Udasi

Copy Editor: Safis Editing

Language Support Editor: Safis Editing

Proofreader: Safis Editing

Indexer: Subalakshmi Govindhan

Production Designer: Prashant Ghare

DevRel Marketing Coordinators: Anamika Singh and Nivedita Pandey

First published: March 2024

Production reference: 1140224

Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

Grosvenor House

11 St Paul’s Square

Birmingham

B3 1RB, UK.

ISBN 978-1-80461-492-1

www.packtpub.com

This book is dedicated to my wife, Sandra. I also would like to thank all my friends who have been subjected to my incessant chatter about my research for the book. A special thanks to Elizabeth and Mark for the use of their stylish wedding video footage.

– Bruce G. Macbryde

Contributors

About the author

Bruce G. Macbryde is an independent trainer for Final Cut Pro with over 20 years of experience, from the original release of the legacy version of the software in 1999 through to the update to Final Cut Pro X in 2011, and now the current version, 10.7. Bruce gained a marketing certificate from TAFE NSW in 1984. After receiving this qualification, he was employed by TAFE as a tutor of marketing and marketing research courses for several years. He was a contributor to articles in Australian Computing magazine while working as an importer of IT at the time of the introduction of the Macintosh to Australia, in 1984. During a seven-year spell in Wellington, New Zealand, he established ECONET, an official Apple reseller, while also teaching courses in Adobe Photoshop, PageMaker, Illustrator, and commercial Microsoft software packages within the New Zealand polytechnic system. On his return to Sydney, he was employed as NSW sales manager for the Australian Authorized Apple distributors, from 1998 to 2004. He was later employed by Apple-authorized resellers as a training manager for Final Cut Pro and other Apple-developed software from 2004 to 2009. In 2004, he established Wedding Media Productions as a wedding video business in Sydney, Australia. He is a YouTube creator on his VideoTutors channel, with over 500 published video tutorials.

About the reviewer

Ravin Apte is a seasoned video editing and post-production trainer with an impressive three decades of experience in educational TV program production. As an Apple-certified trainer for FCP X and a DaVinci Resolve 18-certified trainer, Ravin brings a unique blend of technical expertise and creative insight to his teaching approach. His proficiency extends to training both undergraduate and postgraduate students at leading media training institutes.

Ravin has made significant contributions to the educational field as a cameraman for numerous national and international award-winning educational TV programs. Ravin invented a computer-controllable lighting system for TV studios, a groundbreaking achievement that earned him an Indian patent in 1995.

Table of Contents

Preface

Prologue

Part 1: Planning

1

It’s All about the Media

Technical requirements

The Users folder

The definition of a video file

Aspect ratio

Bit rate

Bit depth

Resolution

Where Final Cut Pro libraries are stored

Why use an external disk for libraries?

Camera footage

Photos/stills

Music

The library concept

The plug-in folders

Video formats

LOG video

The HDR format

RAW video

Interlaced video

ProRes

H.264/H.265

Which video format is best for which purpose?

Audio formats

Second monitors

Having different windows on each display

Types of disks

How much storage is enough?

Summary

2

Organizing Media

Understanding libraries and events

When and why to log clips

Favorites

The rating as a favorite method

The adding to favorites method

How to use Favorites

Understanding Keyword Collections

Creating Keyword Collections

Adding shortcuts to Keyword Collections

Smart Collections

What is a Smart Collection?

Adding a Smart Collection

What are folders?

Templates

Creating templates

Using the Search functionality

Filtering method 1

Colored lines on browser clips

Analyzing for people

Markers

Removing media from categories

Browser filters

The filters

Sorting the browser

The Open Clip view

Using the Open Clip function

Shortcuts for media actions

Transcoding media

Exploring clip and library information

A method of exploring clip information

Exploring Settings/Preferences

Summary

3

Planning the Video Story

A story is a journey

What are the types of stories?

Why classify stories?

What are the types of plots?

What you should remember when planning a story

Knowing your target audience

Planning the edit with the target audience in mind

Creating storyboards

Planning for different types of videos

Documentary videos

Interviews

Wedding videos

Social media videos

Instructional videos

Summary

4

Pre-Editing a Rough Cut

The steps from importing to rough cut

Steps in video post-production

Who does what?

The browser or the timeline

Initial assembly or rough cut

Ingesting the media

Setting up media folders in the Finder

Importing media directly

Logging

Categorizing the clips

Grading the clips

What are projects?

Adding clips to the project

Connected clips

Three-point edits

The timeline

The skimmer and playhead

Timecode

The timeline index

Roles

The initial assembly

Assembling audio- or image-focused videos

Don’t over-edit!

The rough cut

Adding scratch music

Placeholders

Alternatives to placeholders

Duplicating projects

Summary

Part 2: Editing

5

Refining the Rough Cut

Understanding the remove, replace, and add actions

Using the to-do marker

Using the audition feature to replace clips

Understanding the timeline view tools

Ripple edits

Roll edits

Slip edits

Slide edits

What is pacing?

Consider these conventions

Tools that aid pacing

What is the Total Running Time (TRT)/picture lock?

Summary

6

Fixing and Enhancing the Audio

Understanding audio in the browser

Reading the audio meters

Audio in the timeline

Sub-frame audio fine-tuning

Audio filters

Expanded audio

Fixing audio vocal problems

Ambient background noise

Voices with variable volume levels

Wind noise

Echoes

Distorted voices

Ums and ahs, coughs, and sniffs

Suggestions for correcting audio

Settings for the audio meters

Simple methods to increase low volume

Loop playback

Removing room noise

Removing high and low frequencies

Sweetening male and female voices

Reducing the music

Using XML files

Exporting with audio-only roles

Audio tips and tricks

Summary

7

Titles, Effects, and Generators

What are titles?

Animated titles

Adding text to a title

What are generators?

Backgrounds

Elements

Solids and textures

What are effects?

Effects categories

What are transitions?

Two categories of transition

What are Plug-ins?

Problems with Plug-ins

Summary

8

Setting Up and Editing Multicam

What is multicam?

What events use multiple cameras?

How multiple cameras are synchronized

Suggestions for filming to suit multicam editing

Audio

The two-minute rule

Color balance

Settings before multicam editing

Importing and categorizing media

Creating a new multicam clip

Manual multicam synchronization

Multicam angle timeline adjustments

Fixing audio and video mismatches

Adjusting the angle viewer

Actions in the multicam angle timeline

Audio synchronization

Global adjustments

Audio levels

Color matching

Editing the multicam project

Setting up angles

Switching angles

Correcting the angle

Stabilization

Multicam audio

Simulating a multicam shoot from one camera’s footage

Summary

9

Project Workflows – Pace and Structure

Interviews

Pre-editing

Cutting

Restoring removed clips

Hiding jump cuts

Removing fillers

Audio in sync

Conferences and seminars

One long event

Short, independent videos

Weddings

Organizing media

Synchronizing cameras

Full-length movies and documentaries

Pacing

Continuity editing

Parallel editing (cross-cutting)

J and L cuts

Social media videos

Family holiday movies

Cutting to a beat

General techniques

Cutting angles with a green screen

Adding adjustment layers

Storing callouts

Storing titles and corporate intros

Using workspaces

Collapsing clips into connected storylines

Summary

Part 3: Using the Inspector

10

The Inspector Controls

The four main tabs of the inspector

The Video inspector

Section 1 – Effects

Section 2 – Transform

Sections 3 and 4 – Crop and Distort

Sections 5 and 6 – Stabilization and Rolling Shutter

Section 7 – Spatial Conform

The Color inspector

Color Board

Color Wheels

The Audio inspector

Audio Enhancements

Audio Analysis

Pan

Effects

Audio Configuration

Save Audio Effects Preset

The Information inspector

Project information

Library information

Export information

The Titles inspector

The Text inspector

Text division

Position division

The Face checkbox

The Generator inspector

The Transition inspector

Summary

11

Using Built-In Plug-Ins

An explanation of plug-in terminology

Plug-ins – general knowledge

Built-in plug-ins

Using built-in titles

Using built-in generators

Using built-in effects

Using built-in transitions

Creating custom plug-ins from built-in plug-ins

Summary

12

Using Third-Party Plug-Ins

Free plug-ins

Andy’s plug-ins

BretFX Power Tools Lite

Purchasable plug-ins

Lock & Load Stabilize

PaintX

Keyper

Neat Video noise reduction

Titles plug-ins

Audio correction plug-ins

Eric Lenz

Captionator

Workflow extensions

LUTs

Uninstalling plug-ins

Manually uninstalling plug-ins

Summary

13

Using Keyframes to Animate Objects in Final Cut Pro

What is a keyframe?

Audio keyframing

Keyframing in the inspector

Keyframe conventions

Keyframing in the viewer

Adding new keyframes

Selecting linear or smooth curves

Viewer keyframe controls

Keyframing video animation

Ken Burns on steroids

Summary

14

Understanding the Principles of Color

Color theory

Color classification

Color values

The color wheel

Color wheels in Final Cut Pro

Color Board

Color wheels

Highlights wheel

Color harmony

Common color schemes

Color schemes for non-designers

Online color calculators

Monitoring color accuracy

Color-accurate monitors

Monitor calibration

Color correction and grading

Adjusting temperature, tint, and hue

Subtractive model of color mixing (CMYK model)

Using HSL tuning for color grading

Automatic color correction controls in Final Cut Pro

Summary

15

Using Color Scopes for Advanced Color Correction

Displaying the scopes

Waveformmonitor

Vectorscope

Histogram

The Video Scope menu

Scopes workflow in Final Cut Pro

Step 1 – exposure correction

Step 2 – saturation control

Step 3 – color balance

Color curves

Luma curve

All color curves – RGB

The eyedropper

Hue and saturation curves

HUE vs HUE

HUE vs SAT

HUE vs LUMA

LUMA vs SAT

SAT vs SAT

ORANGE vs SAT

Color and shape masks

Summary

Part 4: Outside Final Cut Pro

16

Your Job Role – Collaboration

Understanding the job roles in video production

The production team

The postproduction editing team

Exploring the industries that require video editors

Corporate

Social media

Movies and TV

Documentary

Commercials

Trailers

Should you be a freelancer?

How much work from a client

Type of work

The schedule

Balancing time

Intensity of work

Financial reward

The risk/comfort factor

Collaboration between remote video editors

Sending proxy and XML files

Collaborating at the same premises

Collaborating on Dropbox

Collaborating with LucidLink

VPN access to a centralized local server

Using SNS EVO with Final Cut Pro

Collaboration software

Summary

17

Supporting Software Applications for Final Cut Pro

Apple applications that support Final Cut Pro

Motion 5

Compressor

QuickTime

Preview

Keynote

iTunes and Photos

Non-Apple applications that support Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Library Manager

CommandPost

VLC

Handbrake

Audacity

Pixelmator Pro

Miscellaneous applications

Summary

18

Troubleshooting Final Cut Pro

Updating macOS and Final Cut Pro

The spinning beach ball

Fixing problems

The easy fixes

Quitting Final Cut Pro and restarting the computer

Deleting the render files

Resetting your Final Cut Pro preferences

Copying to a new project

The harder fixes

Fixing a faulty effect, transition, or title

Locating a corruption

Clearing export error messages

A Final Cut Pro library won’t open

Trying another user account

Trying the library on another computer

Reinstalling Final Cut Pro

Booting into recovery mode

Relinking missing media

Consolidating media

Final Cut Pro quitting unexpectedly

Summary

19

Backing Up and Archiving Libraries

Working with Final Cut Pro backups

Preparing to archive a library

Consolidation

Motion Content

Cache

Relinking

Deleting render data

Further reducing the library size

Archiving the library

Indexing archives

Final Cut Library Manager

NeoFinder

Maintaining archive devices

Summary

Index

Other Books You May Enjoy

Preface

This book is about Apple’s Video editing application, Final Cut Pro, and is current for version 10.7 of the software. Final Cut Pro is unique among the leading non-linear editing applications in employing a magnetic timeline that ensures the fastest editing experience. The software is also at the leading edge of collaboration with the Mac operating system, particularly offering the fastest rendering and export times, working together with Apple silicon chips.

Special attention has been paid to ensuring that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of publication, including new features that became available with the 10.7 release of Final Cut Pro, such as the scrolling timeline, more efficient Roles functionality, and updated object tracking.

The book is broken into four parts to follow the logical order of how an editor will approach the creation of a video. Firstly, by progressing the original idea in the Planning process, then the cutting operation in Editing. The procedure continues by adjusting Color, Audio, and Effects when using the Inspector. Finally, looking outside Final Cut Pro with the use of supporting software and methods of collaboration with other editors.

Who this book is for

The book is aimed at intermediate-level Final Cut Pro editors who are familiar with Final Cut Pro and are looking to speed up their workflow while gaining more knowledge to produce higher-quality videos more efficiently.

You will be numbered among creative professionals, freelance video editors, YouTube content creators, graphic designers, and especially production houses. You will be looking to produce output for professional-level publications for dramas, documentaries, product commercials, and promo videos, as well as for vlogs for social media. You need to have a macOS operating system to use Final Cut Pro. You should also have an understanding that editing is removing material, leaving just that which is necessary to tell the story.

What this book covers

Chapter 1, It’s All About the Media, covers media formats where media is stored on a Mac computer so that it can be easily accessed if Final Cut Pro loses connection to the media.

Chapter 2, Organizing Media, looks at the paramount importance of knowing where to quickly access media. When an actual edit is progressing, it is important to know how to access extra media quickly without breaking the creative flow of the editing process.

Chapter 3, Planning the Video Story, covers planning – just as you need to plan a journey (otherwise, you won’t know where you are going), a video requires similar planning to produce a structure for the clips that tell the story.

Chapter 4, Pre-Editing a Rough Cut, addresses the first step – removing unwanted footage. The pre-edit assembles the media into a coherent list of clips ready for the rough cut.

Chapter 5, Refining the Rough Cut, deals with taking the clips from the pre-edit stage to near final assembly by filling gaps left out of the pre-edit. The length of the clips is adjusted to allow for the pace of the final edit.

Chapter 6, Fixing and Enhancing the Audio, looks into fixing and enhancing audio. Audio is more important than the video itself – your audience will put up with substandard video much longer than bad audio. The ear is much more discerning than the eye.

Chapter 7, Titles, Effects, and Generators, looks at the modification of titles to suit your projects. Some titles are provided with the software and others can be purchased. The use of effects and generators adds extra flair to assembled clips to give them character.

Chapter 8, Setting Up and Editing Multicam, explores multicam, which offers the ability to combine the footage from multiple cameras to be edited as a single video stream.

Chapter 9, Project Workflows – Pace and Structure, delves into how workflows assist with the speed and ease of edits that are of a similar nature. The use of templates, duplication, and compound clips speeds up the editing of similar material.

Chapter 10, The Inspector Controls, looks at how the Inspector is the key to defining the look of the edit. If things can be adjusted, the Inspector is the place to go.

Chapter 11, Using Built-In Plug-Ins, explores the use of the Titles, Effects, and Generator plug-ins supplied with Final Cut Pro.

Chapter 12, Using Third-Party Plug-Ins, looks at third-party plug-ins. There are thousands of plug-ins offered by a multitude of developers. Some are useful, some are important, and some are just fluff.

Chapter 13, Using Keyframes to Animate Objects in Final Cut Pro, tackles the animation of clips with keyframes to move an image within the screen.

Chapter 14, Understanding the Principles of Color, looks at color – integral to how light is seen.

Chapter 15, Using Color Scopes for Advanced Color Correction, explores how to view color as a graph or waveform to match standards, and not just trust your eye to judge what is on your screen.

Chapter 16, Your Job Role – Collaboration, looks at how your job role will define the style of video you create and work with other editors.

Chapter 17, Supporting Software Applications for Final Cut Pro, introduces apps that will assist you with how you use Final Cut Pro.

Chapter 18, Troubleshooting Final Cut Pro, offers a defined workflow to solve issues that can occur when Final Cut Pro encounters problems.

Chapter 19, Backing Up and Archiving Libraries, explores procedures to back up and archive projects and original footage when the edit is completed.

To get the most out of this book

As this book is aimed at intermediate editors, there is a certain amount of basic knowledge of macOS, video editing, and the use of Final Cut Pro that’s assumed. If you have not previously used a Mac or Final Cut Pro, you may need to review Final Cut Pro, Efficient Editing, Second Edition by Iain Anderson first.

Software/hardware covered in the book

Operating system requirements

Final Cut Pro 10.7

macOS Sonoma or later

LucidLink v2.5

SNS (Studio Network Solutions) EVO

PostLab 22.1.11

Motion 5.6.7

Quicktime 10.5

Compressor 4.6.6

Preview 11.0

Keynote 13.2

Photos 9.0

Music (iTunes) 1.4.1.29

Final Cut Library Manager 3.97

CommandPost 1.4.22

VLC 3.0

HandBrake 1.6.1

Audacity 3.0

Pixelmator Pro 3.4.3

Please refer to the eBook copy of the book for color images.

Conventions used

There are a number of text conventions used throughout this book.

Code in text: Indicates code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles. Here is an example: “As an example, if you type clip, all the media that includes the word clip in the name will be filtered and displayed in the browser window.”

Bold: Indicates a new term, an important word, or words that you see onscreen. For instance, words in menus or dialog boxes appear in bold. Here is an example: “Select the Event tab you want to add to, then from the File menu, select New |Smart Collection.”

Tips or important notes

Appear like this.

Get in touch

Feedback from our readers is always welcome.

General feedback: If you have questions about any aspect of this book, email us at [email protected] and mention the book title in the subject of your message.

Errata: Although we have taken every care to ensure the accuracy of our content, mistakes do happen. If you have found a mistake in this book, we would be grateful if you would report this to us. Please visit www.packtpub.com/support/errata and fill in the form.

Piracy: If you come across any illegal copies of our works in any form on the internet, we would be grateful if you would provide us with the location address or website name. Please contact us at [email protected] with a link to the material.

If you are interested in becoming an author: If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, please visit authors.packtpub.com

Share Your Thoughts

Once you’ve read .NET MAUI Projects, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Please click here to go straight to the Amazon review page for this book and share your feedback.

Your review is important to us and the tech community and will help us make sure we’re delivering excellent quality content.

Download a free PDF copy of this book

Thanks for purchasing this book!

Do you like to read on the go but are unable to carry your print books everywhere?

Is your eBook purchase not compatible with the device of your choice?

Don’t worry, now with every Packt book you get a DRM-free PDF version of that book at no cost.

Read anywhere, any place, on any device. Search, copy, and paste code from your favorite technical books directly into your application.

The perks don’t stop there, you can get exclusive access to discounts, newsletters, and great free content in your inbox daily

Follow these simple steps to get the benefits:

Scan the QR code or visit the link below

https://packt.link/free-ebook/978-1-80461-492-1

Submit your proof of purchaseThat’s it! We’ll send your free PDF and other benefits to your email directly

Prologue

Film and video editing may be your chosen profession, but more importantly, you could find that it is your passion, and you will be cognizant of this when you can’t stay away from the editing suite. Even to the point that you are tempted to miss family gatherings and festive events.

If the above sounds like you, then welcome to the club – this book is truly for you.

No matter what Non-Linear Editing (NLE) software you use, you will be a die-hard convert to film and video editing. This book is about Final Cut Pro and since you are a professional, you need to be familiar with different NLE software, as work can come from various sources and different editing houses will demand that you are familiar with their preferred NLE software.

So, no matter whether you are an out-and-out Final Cut Pro-only user or work with other NLE software such as Avid, Resolve, or Premiere, you need to know how to edit in Final Cut Pro without tears.

Who this book is for

This book is aimed at intermediate-level Final Cut Pro editors familiar with Final Cut Pro and looking to speed up their workflows while gaining more knowledge to produce higher-quality videos more efficiently.

Numbered among creative professionals, freelance video editors, YouTube content creators, graphic designers, and especially production houses, you will be looking to produce output for professional-level publications, dramas, documentaries, product commercials, and promo videos, as well as for vlogs for social media. You need to have a macOS operating system to use Final Cut Pro, and an understanding that editing is removing material, just leaving that which is necessary to tell the story.

You need to be familiar with the basic concepts of video editing, particularly having an understanding of the principle that editing is removing unwanted material rather than just adding bells and whistles. You should also have an understanding of media formats and how and where macOS stores files.

Editors who have learned Final Cut Pro by self-taught osmosis will be enlightened by the easy-to-understand principles of efficient workflows that this book introduces. This book will help anyone who feels confused by the terminology used by Final Cut Pro and is mostly only using a part of the program’s functionality because of a fear of getting it wrong when attempting to use more efficient methods.

You will have the classic tug-of-war between the left-brain demand for logical thinking as opposed to the right-brain desire for creativity and will be looking for practical ways to employ both skills for perfect video production. You will have experienced the normal challenge of knowing where to start. This book provides workflow processes that will provide that leg up.

The book provides unique workflows for a wide range of common procedures, needed to produce a well-paced video.

The communication of efficient workflows is a major objective of this book. It will change how you approach the editing process, from a piecemeal approach to a structured way of working, with the benefit of knowing exactly what is happening and why.

By the end of this book, you will be a more efficient editor, editing faster than you did before reading the book. You will adapt the way you use Final Cut Pro to suit your job role.

What this book covers

This is a list of the chapters in the book and a short explanation of what you will learn in each chapter:

Part 1: Planning

Chapter 1, It’s All About the Media

This chapter should be used as a reference to understand the makeup of video files and where they are located on the computer.

Chapter 2, Organizing Media

Knowing where to access media quickly is paramount. In this chapter, you will learn that while the actual edit is progressing, it is important to know how to access extra media quickly without breaking the creative flow of the editing process.

Chapter 3, Planning the Video Story

As an editor, you will need to plan a journey. Otherwise, the outcome is unlikely to be controlled. A video requires planning, as does a literary composition, to produce a structure for the clips to tell the story.

Chapter 4, Pre-Editing a Rough Cut

This chapter shows that removing unwanted media is the first step. The pre-edit assembly gathers the best media into a coherent list of clips ready for the rough cut. It involves labeling scenes, and rating clips.

Part 2: Editing

Chapter 5, Refining the Rough Cut

The rough cut takes the clips from the pre-edit stage to the near-final flow of clips by adjusting the pre-edit for the story to make more sense. The length of the clips is refined to allow for the pace of the final edit.

Chapter 6, Fixing and Enhancing the Audio

This chapter will teach how audio is more important than the video itself. The audience will put up with substandard video much longer than bad audio. The ear is much more discerning than the eye.

Chapter 7, Titles, Effects and Generators

Some titles are provided with the software, others can be purchased. They all can be modified to suit different purposes. The use of plug-ins adds extra flair to the assembled clips to give them a distinctive character.

Chapter 8, Setting Up and Editing a Multicam Edit

In this chapter, you will learn how to manage multicam edits, which offer the ability to combine the footage from multiple cameras so they can be edited as a single video stream and switched for the different camera angles to be added to the edit.

Chapter 9, Project Workflows – Pace and Structure

This chapter shows three examples of workflows that will assist in the speed and ease of edits similar in nature. It will also cover how the use of templates, duplication, and compound clips speeds up the editing process.

Part 3: Using the Inspector

Chapter 10, The Inspector Controls

This chapter demonstrates that the Inspector is the key to defining the look of the edit. If things can be adjusted, the Inspector is the place to go to open the door to a Pandora’s box of effects.

Chapter 11, Using Built-In Plug-Ins

This chapter explores the use of the Titles, Effects, and Generator plugins supplied with Final Cut Pro.

Chapter 12, Using Third-Party Plug-Ins

In this chapter, you will learn that there are thousands of plug-ins offered by a multitude of developers. Some are useful, some are important, and some are just fluff. The chapter shows the ones most needed and some that are just nice to have.

Chapter 13, Using Keyframes to Animate Objects

This chapter shows how clips can be animated to pan as background clips to retain a position onscreen as well as being animated to move within the screen. Keyframes are used for animation as well as advanced techniques to improve on the Ken Burns effect.

Chapter 14, Understanding the Principles of Color

This chapter discusses how color is integral to the way that light is seen. Color is made up of three properties: hue, value, and intensity.

Chapter 15, Using the Color Scopes for Advanced Color Correction

In this chapter, you will learn how color scopes allow colors to be visualized with graphs and waveform. This gives you the ability to match standards and not just trust the eye to judge what is on the screen.

Part 4: Outside of Final Cut Pro

Chapter 16, Your Job Role – Collaboration with Others

This chapter looks at the different types of job roles and which style of video is best for you to concentrate on. The chapter also outlines how different methods of collaboration can assist performance by working with other editors.

Chapter 17, Supporting Software Applications for Final Cut Pro

This chapter provides information on applications, both built-in Apple apps and others, available to download for free. There is a list of a number of paid apps that will assist in the usability of Final Cut Pro.

Chapter 18, Troubleshooting Final Cut Pro

This chapter concentrates on solving the main issues that a user will encounter. There is a defined workflow to solve issues that can occur when Final Cut Pro experiences problems. The workflow is a series of steps that need to be actioned in a set order.

Chapter 19, Backing up and Archiving Libraries

The saying “The Job isn’t done until the paperwork is completed” is rephrased in this chapter to show that when the edit is completed, there are procedures to back up and archive projects along with the original footage.

In my mind, there is no such thing as an expert when it comes to computer technology. There are those who know a little and those who know quite a bit more, but it’s unlikely there is anyone who knows everything. My philosophy when it comes to passing on my knowledge of Final Cut Pro comes down to the way that the information is presented and how it is explained with down-to-earth examples. Hence my motto, borrowed from Albert Einstein: If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t know it yourself.

This book is for editors at an intermediate level and explains how to take your Final Cut Pro editing to the next level. The content is not just about Final Cut Pro; as noted above, it will also be of real value to users of other NLE software. An added benefit of this book is upscaling your knowledge of film and video editing in general. Throughout the book, I will refer to and explain editing terminologies and methodologies.

These explanations of methodology will be particularly perceptible in Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 as these loosely come under the topic of cinematography.

Cinematography is simply visual storytelling. It encompasses all the historical arts of storytelling techniques of songs, plays, and folk tales, developing into books, and in today’s world, where images are key, it embraces film and video.

In the broadest terms, cinematography, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is “the art and technology of motion-picture photography. It involves such techniques as the general composition of a scene; the lighting of the set or location; the choice of cameras, lenses, filters, and film stock; the camera angle and movements; and the integration of any special effects.”

The creation of footage is beyond the scope of this book, but it deals with how to combine images created by the camera and relate them to each other.

A video incorporates a succession of still images, and these are called frames. They are played back so quickly that we see them as one continuous moving picture. This group of frames is known as a clip. The speed of the playback is expressed as frames per second (fps). The relationship between the clips is the key to editing. Clips are placed next to each other on purpose so that they shape the story. This is where Final Cut Pro’s magnetic timeline achieves distinction.

With the magnetic timeline, the B-roll is connected to the clip in the main timeline, so stays related to the main timeline clip throughout the edit, rather than moving down the timeline as it would in track-based NLE software. I will explain this in detail in Chapter 5, Refining the Rough Cut.

A video is not just visual. Audio is an integral part of any video. Audio is more important to retaining an audience’s attention than the images themselves. Our ears are more discerning about bad audio than our eyes are about dubious images. We will see more about that in Chapter 6, Fixing and Enhancing the Audio.

Editing is a process of removing unwanted clips too. In fact, the definition of “edit” is to cut. Some may think this is easy. That’s until you are confronted with some original footage, particularly if you were the cameraperson, who seems just too good to leave out. The real skill is to ruthlessly cut, only leaving the clips that progress the story, no matter how compelling or visual the unnecessary clips are.

A good editor’s motto should be Less is more.

Once the editor has cut the video to a minimum of clips, it’s time to embellish those clips with effects that will color correct, sweeten the audio, or customize the video to give it a unique flavor. Chapters 10 to 13 will cover these topics.

The most important skill in editing a video is to remain acutely aware of the audience who will be viewing the end result. If you take nothing more away from reading this book, please cement in your mind the personification of who will be viewing the video.

Now that you know what the book is all about, let’s get started with the chapters.

Part 1:Planning

Part 1 covers the initial information needed before the editing process begins, such as video formats and where media is stored on a Mac computer. Part of the planning process is to assemble the media into an organized list, allowing the media to be readily available to the editor in the second part, which focuses on the editing process.

This part has the following chapters:

Chapter 1, It’s All About the MediaChapter 2, Organizing MediaChapter 3, Planning the Video StoryChapter 4, Pre-Editing a Rough Cut

1

It’s All about the Media

This chapter covers the foundations that Final Cut Pro is built on. In this chapter, we will see how media is stored within libraries and where it can be accessed in the Finder. You will be introduced to the library structure, which is the foundation of Final Cut Pro’s organizational uniqueness. You will understand the importance of being able to locate and manually install or uninstall plug-ins. Finally, you will gain a thorough understanding of different video formats and how they affect the use of Final Cut Pro. When you have completed this chapter, you will comprehend the individuality of Final Cut Pro’s organizational structure and the importance of using the correct video format.

In this chapter, we will cover the following main topics:

The Users folderThe definition of a video fileWhere Final Cut Pro libraries are storedThe library conceptThe plug-in foldersVideo formatsAudio formatsSecond monitorsTypes of disks

There is no point in knowing all the commands of a software application without knowing how to use them, as well as how they interact with the principles of editing. You will learn about the principles of editing as you progress through this book.

You may feel that this chapter is not essential to get started with your editing in Final Cut Pro, and if that’s the case, jump to the next chapter, Organizing Media. You can use this chapter as a reference, as you will need the information herein at some time during your editing in Final Cut Pro.

As with any structure, there needs to be foundations to build on.

If you are driving a car, you need to know how it functions. Even just knowing how to fill the fuel tank or open the bonnet is better than not knowing anything about the car’s workings, allowing you to be more prepared in an emergency. Even if you don’t know the internal workings of a car, you will be a step closer to fixing things in an emergency.

This same principle applies to computer software that you rely on for productivity; just like with a car, there are times in an emergency when you will need to have a basic idea about how it functions.

Technical requirements

The following are the minimum system requirements that you need to be able to run Final Cut Pro 10.6.8:

macOS 13.4 or later4 GB of RAM (8 GB is recommended for 4K editing, 3D titles, and 360° video editing)A Metal-capable graphics card1 GB of VRAM, recommended for 4K editing, 3D titles, and 360° video editing4.5 GB of available disk space

The Users folder

Because Final Cut Pro is produced by Apple, the application files are deeply integrated into macOS, and many parts of the foundations of Final Cut Pro are spread throughout the Mac system.

I’m not suggesting that you need to know completely where everything is, but there are locations that you will need to access on a Mac to make full use of Final Cut Pro.

The Users folder is the most important location for you to know about. It’s where most of Final Cut Pro’s files are stored – or at least all the files that you need to know about!

Let me give you a little background on how macOS works. All the files that a computer needs are located on the boot disk, which is usually the internal disk – nowadays, that is a solid-state drive (SSD).

To find these files, make sure you are looking in the Finder window. When Finder is selected, the name will appear in the top-left position of the Mac taskbar.

The following screenshot shows the Mac taskbar:

Figure 1.1 – The Mac taskbar

The quickest way to get to Finder is to tap the “Happy Mac” icon in the dock:

Figure 1.2 – The Finder logo from the Mac dock

Once you click on Finder, select the GO menu and then Computer.

This will display all of the disks attached to your computer. From these disks, select Macintosh HD. There, you will see four folders:

ApplicationsLibrarySystemUsers

I would suggest that you treat the Library and System folders as out of bounds. The Applications folder holds all of the applications on the computer. We are only interested in the Users folder, as this is where the Final Cut Pro files are located. As the term implies, this folder contains everything that the computer’s users need.

If you open the Users folder, you will find at least two folders. There is one called Shared and one labeled with a username. If there are other folders, that means there is more than one user set up on the computer.

When you open the username folder, you will find a folder named Movies. The Movies folder is the main folder that is of interest for Final Cut Pro purposes.

Here is the path of the folder for your reference – Macintosh HD | Users | YourName | Movies.

When Final Cut Pro is launched for the first time, by default it will create a library named Untitled in the Movies folder. This Untitled library contains an event named after the date it was created. You can rename this Untitled library and the event name in Final Cut Pro.

Among the files and folders, you may see some Final Cut Pro libraries. These libraries have icons, which are four purple squares with a white star in each:

Figure 1.3 – The library icons

By default, Final Cut Pro initially stores its libraries in the Movies folder. However, they don’t have to be stored there; they can be moved to other locations. In fact, I strongly suggest that you don’t store your Final Cut Pro libraries in this Movies folder. The reason for this will be covered later in this chapter. The convention is to have all Final Cut Pro’s libraries located on fast external disks — SSDs by preference – and the Final Cut Pro application on the internal disk – that is, in the Applications folder.

Within the Movies folder, there are two other folders of interest to Final Cut Pro. They are the Final Cut Backups and Motion Templates folders. All the other folders in the Movies folder are not directly related to Final Cut Pro.

The Final Cut Backups folder is where the application automatically backs up all projects at regular intervals. In practice, this is between every five and eight minutes. You don’t have any input to the duration, so it’s best not to worry about it and let Final Cut Pro look after it for you. You will not notice any system downtime as the backups are processed. Only the editing instructions are backed up, so you always need to have media stored somewhere else. Providing you don’t delete the media, Final Cut Pro will keep the project connected to it.

Backups are saved with the time and date in the filename. You can select a backup and restore it to the browser’s sidebar in Final Cut Pro by selecting File | Open Library | From Backup.

We will look at how to restore backups in Chapter 2.

The Motion Templates folder is where the plug-ins used by Final Cut Pro are located. You will learn more about plug-ins later in the chapter.

As you have seen, the Users folder is where Final Cut Pro locates its support files by default. In the following section, you will be introduced to the different types of files that you will work with in Final Cut Pro.

The definition of a video file

Think of video as being a series of still images with associated audio. Because the images and audio are packaged together, the video file is significantly more complex than a still image or audio file individually.

You will already know the concept of these images moving so fast that they appear to the viewer as moving images. A camera records a set number of frames per second (FPS) along with masses of metadata.

Since the frame rate is a set number of FPS, when it is increased, the smoothness of the video improves, and any blurriness will likely be removed. The downside is that the file size increases in terms of the storage space on the computer.

Historically, 30 FPS became the norm for analog TV broadcasts in North America, Japan, and South America. Europe and Africa adopted 25 FPS due to the different frequencies in the mains power supply – 60 Hz and 50 Hz, respectively.

There is another important reason that frame rates should be complied with. Because AC power is set at either 60 or 50 Hz, some light bulbs flicker at those rates, which is not noticed by the human eye. The camera will likely see the flicker if you film at 25 FPS in a 60 Hz area. The frame rate is not evenly divided into 60. Conversely, if you filmed at 30 FPS, then it is evenly divided. This is why the general recommendation is to set the camera’s shutter speed to match the frame rate.

Cameras are set to record at different frame rates for the following reasons:

24 FPS: This gives a classic cinematic look. This was originally chosen by early movie makers as the best frame rate for sound synchronization while using the least possible amount of film, and it has become the classic standard.25/30 FPS: This is the frame rate of choice, depending on the NTSC and PAL area.50/60 FPS: This is better for 4K resolution, as the higher frame rate gives the footage a more detailed and lifelike view and increases the smoothness of the action. Again, this depends on the NTSC and PAL area.120 FPS and above: This is used where slow motion is required along with fast action.

The following sections will explain the components of a video file.

Aspect ratio

An aspect ratio is the size and shape of the outputted video. This is important to consider because it affects how your audience will view the video. The aspect ratio is also critical when you are considering an output for social media, as some platforms prefer vertical or portrait mode videos while others are better suited to square or 16 x 9 aspect ratios.

The aspect ratio is the correlation between the width and the height of the video. An aspect ratio is based on the intended screen size the video will likely be played on. Originally, a video had a ratio of 4:3 – that is, 4 parts wide by 3 parts high, as that was the size of the early TV sets. Now, the frame size is measured in pixels. The principal aspect ratios for video are 16:9, 4:3, 1:1 (square), and 9:16 (vertical portrait mode) for social media. Hollywood films have different aspect ratios, such as 1.85:1 and 2.39:1. Most video projects outside of social media are set at 16:9.

Bit rate

The bit rate or data rate is the amount of data transmitted per second, measured in bits per second (bit/s). The higher the bit rate, the greater the amount of information being transmitted and, generally speaking, the higher the quality of the video signal.

To give an example, the Sony recording format XDCAM EX, in its highest quality mode, has a data rate of 35 megabits per second (mbit/s), which results in about 50 minutes of video per 16-GB SxS card.

Bit depth

The bit depth is the color depth information stored in each pixel of data and determines the number of steps between the minimum and maximum values of a color or grayscale. In an 8-bit RGB image, each pixel has 8 bits of data per color (RGB), so for each color channel, there are 256 possible values. In a 10-bit RGB image, each color channel has 1,024 possible values. A 12-bit video has 4,096 possible values.

ProRes formats, except for ProRes 4444 and 4444 XQ, are 10-bit, with the latter two being 12-bit. AVCHD and H.264 files are 8-bit. HEVC files can be either 8-bit or 10-bit. Low-end cameras tend to shoot in 8-bit images, while professional cameras can shoot at 10-bit or 12-bit.

If a camera has shot in 8-bit, when it’s transcoded to a 10-bit codec for editing, the 10-bit file still only has the 8-bit source material. The advantage of transcoding an 8-bit file to a 10-bit one is that the 10-bit codec has more space for any effects that you may want to add to it. Any of the effects or color work that is done within the new 10-bit video will be processed at 10-bit, likely giving a better result to the whole image, even though it’s only the color corrections or effects that were processed at 10-bit.

Resolution

Resolution is the number of pixels in a single frame of the video. The higher the resolution, the sharper the image. Resolutions include 480, 720, 1080, and 4K. A low resolution may look good on a small screen, such as a mobile phone, but will be significantly blurred when viewed on a full screen.

Now we know what a video file consists of, it will assist you in recognizing how video files are contained in Final Cut Pro’s library structure. It’s now time to find out where those libraries are stored.

Where Final Cut Pro libraries are stored

The storage structure that Final Cut Pro uses revolves around a library. To use an analogy, a town’s public library contains many books and magazines, DVDs, and other things. The town’s library categorizes everything into different sections – for instance, fiction, non-fiction, and sports. Final Cut Pro uses a similar method of categorization to store all of its contents. It uses terms such as events, keywords, and smart folders, which you can give appropriate names so that you have quick access to the contents when you are editing.

A library is a database of all the information required for an edit. It is known as a bundle, which gives you a hint as to its purpose. Libraries contain the media or links to any media stored outside the library. They also store all the metadata and render files, including the projects themselves.

While you are editing, Final Cut Pro libraries keep track of the process of your editing, where the media is categorized, and the rendering of clips.

Think of the library as the top of the hierarchy of everything that’s required to edit a video. It simply contains the sum of everything.

You have the choice of where you can store a library when you create a new one. The industry standard is to have Final Cut Pro libraries on external SSDs and not on the computer’s internal disk. However, if you don’t have any external disk, don’t feel that it is inappropriate to have the libraries located on the internal disk.

In the following subsection, we will see the importance of using external disks for libraries.

Why use an external disk for libraries?

The convention to only have a Final Cut Pro application on the drive with the operating system and the Final Cut Pro library with media files and data files on an external disk originates from when hard disks had spinning media, and it was more practical to share the overhead of the physical movements between the drives.

Now, with the commonplace use of SSDs, there is no need to consider the physical limitations of disk heads flying from place to place as they do on spinning disks. SSDs have no moving parts.

The trade-off is that SSDs have a fixed life. Even though they are not susceptible to mechanical failure, other components are vulnerable to malfunctions. The main issue with SSDs is that they have limited read/write cycles. The more reads/writes you make, the quicker the SSD will wear out. The issue here is that every command you make in the Final Cut Pro library will write data to the database, which is the core of Final Cut Pro. This uses the limited read/write cycles on your internal SSD if you have your library on it. You can’t replace the internal SSD on an Apple M1 or later computer. It is, however, easy to purchase a new external SSD in the event of a failure.

An important advantage of having your libraries, along with all your data, on an external disk is that you can move from one computer to another and simply connect the external disk to whichever computer you are using at the time. This is ideal if you edit on a MacBook in the field and then come back to the studio and your high-end Mac Studio to complete the edit. It’s also a major consideration if you want to move the edit to another editor.

A converse factor to note is the considerably faster speed of the internal SSD in the Apple M series of computers. If you have a Silicon Mac, you may be tempted to take advantage of the internal SSD’s speed by storing the Final Cut Pro library on the internal disk. This is tempting indeed but may be not too practical.

The following bullet list shows the differing speeds of common storage devices:

Internal SSD on an M-series Mac: Up to 7,000 Mb/sSSD on Samsung T7: Approximately 1,050 MB/sSSD on Samsung T5: Approximately 500 MB/sHDD: The fastest are up to 140 MB/s

If you do have a Final Cut Pro library on the internal disk, it’s not such an issue if you have a 4 TB disk, but you need to be aware that Final Cut Pro libraries can grow substantially with generated media. If your internal disk is 1 TB or less, you will soon fill it when Final Cut Pro is stored on it.

At the end of the day, the speed of a fast SSD will be enough for most purposes, so using the internal SSD to store libraries will not have any real ongoing advantages.

If you collaborate with other editors, shared disks are a practical way of collaboration. With internet speeds improving all the time, shared Final Cut Pro libraries located online in places such as Dropbox are a viable option and will be discussed in detail in Chapter 19.

Important note

When connecting an external SSD, make sure you use the Thunderbolt 3-4 port when using Thunderbolt SSDs. Be careful that it’s not a USB-C port – the plugs look the same, except the Thunderbolt port has a lightning bolt symbol marked on it.

As mentioned at the beginning of this section, Final Cut Pro puts all of its content into a library by default. The first thing to note is that you can have as many libraries as you like. You have the freedom to decide. However, with freedom comes prudence – don’t get too gung-ho, be a bit conservative with the number of libraries, and develop a pattern that suits your workflow. I’ll cover this in far more detail with suggestions for different types of editing in Chapter 2. Also in Chapter 2, we will see how, on creating a new library, you are able to choose what items are contained in the library.

Even if you have already set the storage location and contents for a library, you will be able to view where it is located and modify the settings while you use Final Cut Pro. Follow these steps to modify the library settings:

Select the library you want to investigate, and then select the Inspector tab at the right of the interface:

Figure 1.4 – The Inspector window

The library icon looks like this:

Figure 1.5 – The Inspector tab icon

Click on the Modify Settings option. When you click this option, a pop-up window will appear with a few options. By default, media is stored within the library.

Figure 1.6 – The pop-up window

Cache refers to the render files that Final Cut Pro uses to smooth the editing process.

Incremental backups are stored in the Final Cut Backups folder in your Movies folder.

You can use these options to modify the locations.

To modify where media is stored, click on the blue icon beside the Media option and then Choose. Then, select a new storage location, and click on Choose again.

This is now a perfect place to segue into the following section on how you store and locate your media, including camera footage, music, and photos.

Camera footage

Camera files come in many different formats, and fortunately, most are recognized by Final Cut Pro when they are imported. You will see more details about the different formats and when and where to use them later in this chapter.

When you do proceed to use Final Cut Pro’s Import window, you can store the camera media in the location of your choice. If you don’t use the Import window and decide to drag the media into Final Cut Pro, it will use the settings you have entered previously in Preferences.

Whether camera files should be part of the Final Cut Pro library or stored independently in different locations outside your library is an important decision. There are implications that can severely affect the amount of storage available on your disks.

Although it’s possible to import media from a camera or a camera card, my suggestion is to avoid importing into Final Cut Pro directly from a camera or camera card. Instead, first, copy the camera files directly to your computer by inserting the camera card into an SD card slot on your computer, or by using an external card reader attached to your computer. The first reason for this is that by copying to your computer, you create a backup of the camera files. You are not relying on the card and you are free to reformat it for use in the camera for a different project.

The second reason is that if, for some reason, the files are not fully imported into Final Cut Pro and you then remove the card from your computer, you will see the dreaded red warning message with a camera icon, indicating that the files were not fully imported:

Figure 1.7 – The red warning message

If you do see this message, the only solution is to import the file from scratch again. Even if you insert the card again, Final Cut Pro may not recognize the partially imported file. Just hope you have not reformatted the card!

Once files are on your computer, you can then more speedily import them into Final Cut Pro. At this point, you can decide whether you want the camera media stored as an integral part of the Final Cut Pro library or kept independently on your computer, as mentioned earlier.

Photos/stills

The following screenshot shows options that allow you to select from photos, music, titles, and generators:

Figure 1.8 – Options to select photos, music, titles, and generators

Because macOS and Final Cut Pro are tightly unified, Final Cut Pro can access the Photos app directly if you click on the following icon:

Figure 1.9 – Directly access music and photos

Photos that are not in the Photos app can still be dragged into Final Cut Pro or imported via the Import window. Final Cut Pro mostly treats stills as a video clip with just one frame, which can be extended to any length in the timeline. When stills are imported, Final Cut Pro automatically categorizes them in a smart folder called Stills.

The format choice for still images makes a big difference in image quality. If the image is postage stamp size, it is not suitable for video; it can’t be resized without pixelization occurring. You need to pass that information to clients when you ask them for their logo. Ask for a PNG of the largest size they can find. Otherwise, a JPG will be OK. Size is what matters, but that said, images can be too large. Final Cut Pro has an upper limit of 4,000 x 4,000 pixels; an image approaching that would slow the whole timeline. If you get an image that is too large, you need to adjust the size. That can simply be done in the default image app on the Mac – Preview. You can use any other application too, such as Photoshop or Pixelmator. It’s still always better to ask for the largest size from your client, as you can always reduce the size but you can’t increase it.

Something to be aware of is that dots per inch (DPI) do not matter in video – it’s all about the pixels. Still images are usually not at an aspect ratio of 16 x 9 but rather 4 x 3. When a still is added to a project’s timeline, Final Cut Pro has a quick solution to fit it into a 16 x 9 window, with the Fill option in the Inspector window under Spatial Conform. It doesn’t change the aspect of the still image but fills the screen, hiding content on each side.