Lesson 7: Customizing FCP

Apple Pro Training

Series

Final Cut Pro 7

Instructor: Sam Edsall

Preparing the ProjectIn Final Cut Pro, open FCP7

Book Files > Lessons > Lesson

7 Project.

An Offline Files dialog will

appear.

Reconnecting Media

• FCP looks for the media file in the same location it was first captured or imported into the project

Offline clips

• When the media file has been removed, moved or renamed

How does it go offline?

Reconnecting Media

• Offline Files window opens asking if you want to reconnect to your files if you need them

• Offline clips have a red slash through them

• Offline clips in the Timeline appear white with red and black

What happens?

Reconnect Files Window

• If you know where they are you can direct the search here and speed up reconnecting

Search Single Location

• Allows you to look for the missing file manually

Locate

• Does an automatic search of your drives

Search

Reconnect MediaGet connected:

In the Offline Files window select

‘Reconnect’

Reconnect Media

Get connected:

In the Reconnect Files

window select ‘Locate’

Reconnect Media

Get connected:

Navigate to the FCP7 Book

Files > Media > Quest >

Quest Clips folder.

Click the AQE Trailer SVO

022509- 2 file and then

click Open.

Reconnect Media

Save your Project:

Once all the clips have

been reconnected, save

your project as something

else.

Playing Multiple Formats

• Most projects are shot and edited in one format

Most of the time

• Project will incorporate more than one format

• HD show with SD mini-cams or use archival footage

Sometimes

• FCP can play multiple formats in one sequence

No big deal

Playing Multiple Formats

Try it out:

In the Timeline, click the Show Reel sequence tab and play this

sequence.

Three formats: HDV, Apple ProRes 422 ( LT) , Apple ProRes 422 (

Proxy

Two frame rates: 23.98 and 29.97 fps.

Checking Clip FormatHave a closer look:

Click off all the clips so nothing is

selected.

Control click on ‘sham slam’.

From the shortcut menu choose

‘Item Properties > Format’

Check out the settings then close

the window.

Clip vs. Sequence Settings

• Even though the sequence may have different clip formats, the sequence itself is only one format

• You decide what format the project should be

• Usually the format of most of your clips

One, with many

Checking Sequence Format

Have a closer look:

With the ‘Show Reel’ sequence tab active, select ‘Sequence > Settings’

The sequence setting is HDV 1080i60, the same as the ‘sham slam’

clip.

Checking Sequence Format

Have a closer look:

In the Timeline, Control-

click the first Leverage

video clip, Eliot reacts- 2,

and choose Item Properties

> Format.

-- Apple ProRes 422 ( LT)

format

-- Video rate is 23.98 fps

-- Frame size is 960 x 720.

Changing Sequence Settings

• Can be done anytime with the Sequence > Settings menu

• Shortcut Command 0

No problem

Lets make some changes:

Press Command 0 to bring

up the Sequence Settings

window.

Changing Sequence Settings

Making some changes:

Click on Timeline Options

tab.

In the ‘Starting Timecode’

field enter ‘2:00:00:00’ for 2

hours.

Working with Master Clips

• A clip that has a direct link to the original media file on your hard drive

The Master

• When the clip is edited to the Timeline or copied to another bin

• Related to the master clip, but not the master clip itself

The Affiliate

Name Changes

If the master clip is renamed, all affiliate clips will also be renamed to follow the master clip name

If the affiliate clip is renamed, all instances of that clip INCLUDING the master clip will be renamed

If the master clip has subclips and your change a subclip name, the master clip name does not change

Master ClipMaking some changes:

Click on the ‘Show Reel’

sequence and select the ‘sham

slam’ clip.

Select View > Reveal Master Clip

This opens the bin where the clip

came from in the Browser.

The sequence clip in the Timeline

is an affiliate of the master clip in

the Browser.

Master ClipMaking some changes:

Click in the name area of

the ‘sham slam; clip. And

change the name to ‘whales

tails’.

Notice the name changes to

the clip in the Timeline and

also to the 1st clip in the

‘Believe News’ sequence.

Working with Master Clips

• Once you change a clip name in the project, you can change it back to its media file name

Change me back

• Control click and choose Rename > Clip to Match File

How it’s done

Change Me BackMaking some changes:

Control click on ‘whales

tails’ in the Browser.

Choose Rename > Clip to

Match File

Clip name returns to ‘sham

slam’

Finding the Media File

• Look directly at the media file location and see what other files might exist for the project

Take me to your leader

• Select the clip and choose View > Reveal in Finder

• Control click the clip

How its done

Finding Media FilesHave a look:

In the Browser, select the

‘jump at stage’ clip.

Choose View > Reveal in

Finder. (Can also Control

click)

Looking here you can see if

there are other files you

could use that were not

imported into your project.

Finding the Media File

• ‘Revealing in Finder’ will tell you which master clip the subclip came from

Where did that subclip come from?

• Select the subclip and choose ‘Reveal in Finder’

Same procedure

Finding Media FilesFind the source:

In the Browser, select the

‘trainer on belly’ subclip.

Choose View > Reveal in

Finder. (Can also Control

click)

The Finder opens with ‘J

and L circle’ selected.

Finding Match Frame

• Put your play head on the spot you want to check and press F

• Final Cut will load the clip from the Browser and match the frame

Where did that shot come from?

Finding Match FrameIn the Timeline, position the playhead at the first frame of

the whale cu feeding clip.

Press F to search for the matching frame in the master clip

from the Browser.

Browser Columns

• You can choose what Browser columns you want and in what order

What do you want to see?

• Highlighted column is the sorted column

• Down/Up arrow = descending or ascending

How it’s sorted

Sorting ColumnsSort it out:

In the Browser, close all open bins, and reveal the contents

of the Believe News bin. To enlarge the window to see

more columns, click the Browser’s zoom button.

Sorting ClipsSort it out:

The downward Arrow = sorted from A to Z

To reverse the sort order, click the Name column heading.

Click the heading again to return to the ascending sort

order.

Browser Columns

• Add information to a clip while it’s in the Browser

• Log Note Column

Flag a clip

Browser Columns

Select the ‘_SA_Favorite

Behavior’ clip and scroll to

the Log Note column.

Click in the column and type

in ‘Steve’

Log another clip:

CTRL click ‘S Show Open’

and select ‘Steve’

Browser Columns

• The name column is fixed in place

• The other columns can be moved left or right by dragging them.

Mix it up

Browser Columns

Click the + icon in the Browser window to make it big.

Drag the Good column to the left and release it just after

the Name Column.

Drag the Log Note column left so it follows the Good

column.

Browser Columns

• Control-clicking on a column can add thumbnails of your clips

Adding Thumbs

• Click and drag across thumb to see the clip’s footage

Scrub your Thumbs

Browser Columns

Control-click on the Good

column and select ‘Show

Thumbnail’

Click on a clip and drag

across the thumbnail to

scrub through the clip’s

content.

Finding Stuff

• Help locate clips using name, notes, or various other criteria

• Edit > Find or Command F

The Find Function

Finding Stuff

Reset the layout:

Press Control U to restore

the default layout.

Control click on ‘Thumbnail’

column and choose ‘Logging

Columns’

Close all the Bins in the

Browser.

Finding Stuff

Find Stuff:

Press Command F.

In the Text field type in ‘sham

slam’ and click ‘Find Next’

The Bin where the clip is

opens and the clip is

highlighted.

Finding Stuff

• Select the sequence and Command F to locate clips

Find clips in a Sequence

Finding StuffFind Stuff:

Click the Leverage Promo

sequence tab and make sure the

playhead is at the head of the

sequence.

Press Command- F.

In the Find window, enter sophie in

the Find field and click Find All to

find all the clips that have sophie

in their name.This could come in handy if say you

need to adjust the audio levels of all

these clips at the same time.

Button Bars and Shortcuts

• Setting your own keyboard shortcuts can be done through customizing the keyboard layout

Make your own shortcuts

• Choose Tools > Keyboard Layout > CustomizeHow it’s done

Button Bars and Shortcuts

• Choose the modifier key on the top

• New set of shortcuts appear below

How it works

Make a ShortcutChoose Tools > Keyboard

Layout > Customize

In the lower left, click the lock to

allow changes.

Make a ShortcutWe will make a shortcut to import a folder:

-- import file = Command I

-- let’s make it Shift Command I

On the keyboard click on the shift-cmdkey to highlight them.

Make a ShortcutOpen the File Menu disclosure

triangle to display the commands

and select Import Folder…

Make a ShortcutDrag the Import Folder… icon over

the I key on the keyboard and

release the mouse.

Close the keyboard.

Click File > Import > Folder

-- the new shortcut!

Button Bars

• Extensive list of shortcut buttons you can add to the Browser, Viewer, Canvas and Timeline

• Fast way to get to a menu feature you use frequently

Shortcut buttons

Make a ShortcutClick in the search field at the top

of the commands list and type ‘Bin’

Select the ‘New Bin’ icon and drag

to the Browser between the two

button tabs.

Type Export and add the Export

QuickTime Movie&Export using

QuickTime Conversion to the

Browser

Control-click each new icon and

color code it if you like.

Saving Layouts

• If you like a certain setup for one thing (rough cutting) and another for something else (audio mixing) you can save your layouts

Save a custom layout

• Save Column Layout

• Window > Arrange > Save Window Layout

• Timeline pop-up Save Track Layout

How it’s done

Saving Layouts

Save a Column setting in

your Browser:

In your Browser, drag the

columns in the order you

want.

Control-click on on any

column heading other than

Name and select ‘Save

Column Layout’ and give it a

name.

Saving Layouts

Save a Window Layout

setting:

Arrange the windows the

way you would like them,

complete with your shortcut

buttons.

Choose ‘Window > Arrange

> Save Window Layout’ and

give it a name.

User Preferences

• Set up FCP to your liking

• How many undo’s do you want?

• How often should FCP make a back-up of your project?

• How much do you want to nudge an edit point with the <> keys?

• Want to rename the label colors?

• Lots more

Your own Preferences

Set Some Prefs

General Window:

Change the level of undo’s

from 10 to 30.

In the Autosave Vault save a

copy every 15 minutes for a

total of 30 for each project.

Work in different formats?

Turn on ‘Prompt for settings

on New Project’

Homework AssignmentCreate a custom layout:

Click on Tools > Button List (this is

another way to load shortcuts).

Drag the following shortcuts to the

Browser window from the button

list File Menu.

- New Bin

- Import Files

- Export QuickTime Movie

- Export Using QuickTime

Conversion

Homework AssignmentCreate a custom layout:

Color-code the buttons any way

you wish, but the two export

buttons should be the same color.

Add a spacer between the ‘Add

Bin’ and ‘Import Files’ and another

spacer between the ‘Import Files’

and ‘Export QuickTime Movie’

icons.

Homework AssignmentTake a picture of your custom

layout:

In the Spotlight type ‘Grab’ to open

the Grab utility.

Choose ‘Capture > Selection’ and

select around your new Browser

shortcuts to take a snapshot.

Save the snapshot to your desktop

as (your name Lesson 7)

On Western Online send an Email

to me and attach your picture to

the Email. (no iTunes U this time)

Lesson 7: Customizing FCP

Apple Pro Training

Series

Final Cut Pro 7

Instructor: Sam Edsall