Final Cut Express HD Getting Started Apple Computer, Inc. © 2005 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Apple. Your rights to the software are governed by the accompanying software license agreement. The Apple logo is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Use of the "keyboard" Apple logo (Option-Shift-K) for commercial purposes without the prior written consent of Apple may constitute trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate. Apple Computer, Inc., is not responsible for printing or clerical errors. Apple Computer, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014-2084 408-996-1010 www.apple.com Apple, the Apple logo, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, FireWire, iMovie, iTunes, Mac, Macintosh, Mac OS, PowerBook, Power Macintosh, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Finder and iDVD are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. AppleCare is a service mark of Apple Computer, Inc. Helvetica is a registered trademark of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, available from Linotype Library GmbH. Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies. Mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the performance or use of these products. 1 Contents Preface 7 7 8 12 12 13 13 14 16 17 18 21 25 28 32 33 33 35 39 40 46 49 50 54 55 57 59 60 62 66 An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD What Is Final Cut Express HD? Editing Your Movie With Final Cut Express HD Final Cut Express HD Onscreen Help Apple Websites Setting Up Final Cut Express HD Connecting Your Camera Choosing Your Initial Settings Tip for Optimizing Performance Getting to Know Your Editing Environment Organizing Your Clips in the Browser Working With Clips in the Viewer Working With Clips in the Canvas Working With Clips in the Timeline Tool Palette Capturing Your Video Making a New Project and Saving It Working in the Capture Window Determining How Much Disk Space You Need Capturing Capturing Tip Basic Editing Before You Begin Opening Your Project Adding a Clip to Your Sequence Adding a Storyboard of Clips to a Sequence Locking Tracks Using the Razor Blade Tool Deleting Clips From a Sequence Assigning Destination Tracks Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 3 68 Chapter 5 75 75 76 79 82 86 89 89 90 91 94 96 99 109 109 111 114 115 115 117 118 119 121 121 122 123 124 128 130 132 133 133 135 136 139 141 Most Commonly Used Edits Editing With Audio About Linked Clips Resyncing Clips Adding Music Using the Voice Over Tool Editing With Audio Tips Fine-Tuning Your Edit Where You Can Perform Trim Edits About the Tool Palette Doing a Ripple Edit Doing a Ripple Delete Doing a Roll Edit Tips on Editing Adding Transitions About Adding Transitions Adding a Transition to the Center of a Cut Adjusting a Transition Deleting a Transition Copying and Pasting a Transition Adding Effects Applying a Filter to a Clip and a Range of Clips Adjusting a Filter Disabling a Filter Removing a Filter Filter Tips Creating Titles and Credits Creating Opening Titles Using Lower-Thirds Creating Rolling Credits Tips for Making Terrific-Looking Titles Sharing Your Movie Exporting for DVD Exporting for the Web Making a Videotape Importing an iMovie Project Importing Stills Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Appendix A Appendix B 4 Contents Appendix C Appendix D 143 145 145 150 151 155 Preparing for Your Next Project Solutions to Common Problems and Customer Support Solutions to Common Problems AppleCare Support Glossary Index Contents 5 An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD Final Cut Express HD provides a professional-level environment in which to edit video, mix audio, and add effects together to create any kind of video program you can imagine. The last few years have seen a revolution in the use of personal computers for editing video. Until recently, editing video projects would have required an array of professional editing equipment. These projects can now be completed at home using a personal computer and readily available consumer video equipment. A personal computer with a fast processor and enough memory can now serve as a workstation for capturing, organizing, and editing video. The finished movie can be played back on videotape, burned on a DVD, or distributed over the Internet. For hobbyist digital video editors, this development allows unprecedented opportunities for increasing their creative control over their video projects. Now, using Final Cut Express HD, video editors, including those with no professional video editing training or experience, can create high-quality, polished digital video projects on their personal computer. What Is Final Cut Express HD? Final Cut Express HD is a flexible video editing tool; when combined with a Macintosh computer and FireWire, Final Cut Express HD can be used to capture footage from nearly any DV camcorder. Final Cut Express HD is also a standard QuickTime application, so you can import and export a wide variety of video, audio, graphics, and animation file types. This flexibility makes Final Cut Express HD well suited for projects ranging from family videos to feature-length independent films. The only limit is your creativity. Preface 7 Editing Your Movie With Final Cut Express HD If you're just beginning to learn how to edit video with Final Cut Express HD, the following flow chart illustrates the basic workflow of desktop video editing. There are five main steps to video editing­shooting, capturing, editing, adding effects, and sharing. This book describes how to do the last four. Shoot Connecting Your Camera Capture Making a New Project Capturing Video Organizing Your Clips Editing Your Sequence Fine-Tuning Adding Music Edit Adding Transitions Effects Creating Effects With Filters Creating Titles and Credits Exporting for DVD Share Exporting for the Web Outputting to Videotape The following steps outline a typical Final Cut Express HD work session. You won't always proceed in a strict linear order, and you may choose to overlap some steps. For example, you may decide to reedit a clip after you've added an effect to it, or you may shoot and capture completely new footage to add a different ending to your nearly complete movie. Note: This book is not intended to be a complete guide to editing. Common editorial terms and ideas are discussed in a general way, as appropriate to their use with the application. If you are interested in learning more about the application or more in-depth editing techniques, refer to Final Cut Express HD Help. 8 Preface An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD Step 1: Shoot Making good videos begins with good camera work. Although this book does not teach the finer points of shooting video, you need to be aware of some basic issues while shooting your footage and recording your audio. Final Cut Express HD is a robust and powerful digital video editing tool; however, it is not designed to correct video that was improperly shot or audio that was improperly recorded. The following list is a series of tips on shooting good video: · Use a tripod. Tripods add stability to your shot, allowing your viewers to focus on your subject instead of your camera motion. · Avoid zooming to get closer to your subject, especially when the camera is handheld. · · · · · · · · · · Magnifying the image with a zoom lens also magnifies camera movements, potentially giving your viewer motion sickness. Never use digital zoom. Turn this feature off on your camcorder. Digital zoom makes pixels bigger on the screen, resulting in a blockier, lower resolution image. Avoid auto-focus. Learn to focus your camera lens manually so you control the image instead of the camera. Avoid bright lights behind your subject (called backlighting), since this often results in unwanted silhouetting. Be cautious when shooting reflective surfaces. For example, eyeglasses and car mirrors can cause overly bright highlights and often reveal the camera operator in the shot. Plan your shots in advance. Consider image composition and how your shots may work together during the editing process. Scripting and storyboarding can be useful ways to organize your shooting. Think about image composition and frame your shots. Pay attention to headroom­ too little will smash actors' heads against the top of the frame; too much will lose them at the bottom. Avoid using the on-camera microphone­use an external microphone instead. Built-in microphones tend to capture the sounds of the camera and the camera operator instead of the subject of the scene. Leave at least one minute of black (recorded with no audio or video) at the beginning and end of your tape, where tapes receive the most wear and tear. Pull the record tab to prevent recording over your tape as soon as you've finished shooting. Always label your tapes as soon as you remove them from the camcorder. This is the number 1 organizational rule of motion picture editing. Sorting through piles of unlabeled tapes for a particular scene is an editor's worst nightmare. On feature films, there is one person dedicated to labeling film and tape reels as soon as they leave the camera. Preface An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD 9 Step 2: Set up Thanks to the development of FireWire, setting up Final Cut Express HD is easy. You simply connect your camera (via FireWire) to your computer, turn on your camera, set it to VTR mode, and open Final Cut Express HD. When you open Final Cut Express HD, the application recognizes the type of camera you have and knows how to control it. Unless you upgrade your system or change components, such as the DV camcorder, you should only have to set up your system once. Important: Verify that all of your cables are securely connected between your computer, camera, and speakers, but never force a cable into a connection that doesn't fit. Step 3: Capture Capturing is the process of digitally copying the video from the DV tape in your camcorder to the hard disk on your computer. After creating a new project, you capture your video using the device control capabilities of Final Cut Express HD and your DV camcorder. (Device control is technology that allows Final Cut Express HD to control a DV camcorder.) Final Cut Express HD makes capturing easy by allowing you the flexibility of capturing individual clips or an entire tape. Step 4: Edit After you've captured the clips that will go into your finished program, it's time to begin editing with Final Cut Express HD. You do most of your editing in the Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline; however, you organize your captured clips in the Browser. The basics of editing involve organizing clips in the Browser; editing clips into your sequence using the Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline; fine-tuning your edits using the Final Cut Express HD editing tools; adding transitions such as cross dissolves to your edits; and adding music tracks to your sequence. Final Cut Express HD provides other tools to perform detailed editorial tasks, manage files, and specify preferences and settings to customize Final Cut Express HD to how you work. Step 5: Effects When you're satisfied with the arrangement of the clips in your project, it's time to apply effects and filters such as a blur or a tint to the clips. Once you're happy with the effects you've applied, it's time to add titles. Now your project is complete. Step 6: Share When your project is complete, you'll want to show people your movie. Final Cut Express HD provides you with a variety of output options for your completed project. If you want to use your camcorder to view the completed project on your TV, you can transfer your project back to DV tape using the Print to Video command. If you want to make a DVD, you can use the export to iDVD feature. You also have the option of distributing your edited video project on the web. 10 Preface An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD Moving From iMovie to Final Cut Express HD The Apple entry-level DV editing application is iMovie. It allows you to create simple edited digital movies with some of the most popular features found in Hollywoodstyle releases, without having to know any technical details about the process. The interface and feature set are configured to make the process nearly foolproof. Eventually, however, you'll find yourself requiring features beyond those that iMovie offers. The tools in Final Cut Express HD allow you to expand your digital editing creativity. Final Cut Express HD gives you access to a wide range of professional features such as the following: · Support for multiple projects and sequences, allowing you to edit in multiple projects at once and copy elements from one sequence to another. · Support for multiple video and audio tracks, making it easy to create video composites and audio mixes. · Support for voiceovers. You can record voiceovers directly into the Timeline using the Voice Over tool. Additionally: · Final Cut Express HD is a nondestructive editor, which means making edits and adding transitions does not affect the original video on your computer's hard disk. This means you can experiment with edits and transitions without having to commit to them permanently. · Final Cut Express HD comes with over 200 transitions, filters, and effects. You can preview many of them without rendering due to the software-based, real-time architecture of Final Cut Express HD. (Rendering involves processing video and audio with any applied effects, such as transitions or filters. Effects that aren't realtime must be rendered in order to be played back properly. Once rendered, your sequence can be played in real time.) · Final Cut Express HD offers several workflows and work styles for editing digital video projects, including advanced media management and the drag-and-drop method used within iMovie. These capabilities, along with its ability to import iMovie projects, make Final Cut Express HD easy to learn while still providing the advanced features you need. See "Importing an iMovie Project" on page 139. Preface An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD 11 Final Cut Express HD Onscreen Help Final Cut Express HD Help is a comprehensive resource for information about Final Cut Express HD. It allows you to access information directly onscreen while you're working in Final Cut Express HD. Background information, details, and steps are described at greater length in Final Cut Express HD Help than they are in this book. Throughout this book, you will see references to Final Cut Express HD Help for additional detailed information. To access onscreen help: Choose Help > Final Cut Express HD Help. Tip: Click the How to Search link on the Final Cut Express HD Help homepage for tips on searching Final Cut Express HD Help. Final Cut Express HD Help also contains information about issues with third-party hardware and software and known bugs. This information is found in the Late-Breaking News section of Final Cut Express HD Help. To access late-breaking news: Choose Help > Late-Breaking News. m m Apple Websites There are a variety of discussion boards, forums, and educational resources related to Final Cut Express HD on the web. Final Cut Express HD Websites The following websites provide general information, updates, and support information about Final Cut Express HD, as well as the latest news, resources, and training materials: · http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress · http://www.info.apple.com/usen/finalcutexpress · http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/resources.html · http://www.apple.com/software/pro/training/ts_fcpexpress.html · http://www.apple.com/software/pro/training/dvdcd.html Apple Service and Support Website The Service and Support Website provides software updates and answers to the most frequently asked questions for all Apple products, including Final Cut Express HD. You'll also have access to product specifications, reference documentation, and Apple and third-party product technical articles: · http://www.apple.com/support 12 Preface An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD 1 Setting Up Final Cut Express HD 1 Setting up Final Cut Express HD is as simple as connecting your DV camcorder to your computer with a FireWire cable. The following sections describe how to connect your camera and the initial settings you need to specify so you can begin working in Final Cut Express HD. Connecting Your Camera The following illustration demonstrates how to connect your DV camcorder to the FireWire port on your computer, so that you can capture video (transfer the video from your camcorder to your computer) and output your program back to DV tape. 6-pin connector to computer Computer DV camcorder in VTR mode FireWire 4-pin connector to camcorder To set up a DV system using FireWire device control (the technology that allows Final Cut Express HD to control your camcorder), you need the following equipment: · Your computer and display · A DV device, such as a DV camcorder or deck · A 4­to­6-pin FireWire cable, available at an electronics store or an Apple-authorized retailer 13 Choosing Your Initial Settings The first time you open Final Cut Express HD after installing the software, you're prompted to choose an Easy Setup and a scratch disk (where you'll store your media). Choosing an Easy Setup Final Cut Express HD comes with several predefined Easy Setups based on the most commonly used settings, such as DV-NTSC and DV-PAL. Depending on where you live, you will choose one of these two options. See "The Differences Between NTSC and PAL" on page 15 to find out the setting you need. The Easy Setup you choose applies to all new projects and sequences until you choose another Easy Setup. If you always use the same type of camcorder or video deck, you may never have to change your Easy Setup. If you do change your camcorder or video deck, it's simple to change your Easy Setup. To change an Easy Setup: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > Easy Setup. 2 Choose an Easy Setup from the Setup For pop-up menu. To show all Easy Setups that are currently available, select Show All. Choose an Easy Setup from the Setup For pop-up menu. Select Show All to see a complete list of available Easy Setups. A summary of your selected Easy Setup appears below the pop-up menu. Tip: For best results, choose one of the two main Easy Setups: DV-NTSC or DV-PAL. 3 When you're ready, click Setup. The selected Easy Setup applies to all new projects and sequences. Settings for existing sequences do not change. For additional information about Easy Setups, see Final Cut Express Help, Chapter 4, "Specifying User Preferences, System Settings, and Easy Setups." 14 Chapter 1 Setting Up Final Cut Express HD The Differences Between NTSC and PAL NTSC and PAL are standards for video. NTSC, or National Television Systems Committee, is the television and video standard used in most of the Americas, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. PAL, or Phase Alternating Line, is the television and video standard used in most of Europe, Brazil, Algeria, and China. (SECAM, a video standard based on PAL and used in France, Poland, Haiti, and Vietnam, is not supported by Final Cut Express HD. However, editing work is usually done in PAL and converted to SECAM.) Important: Make sure to choose the Easy Setup that corresponds to your country. The Differences Between Apple FireWire and FireWire Basic Video devices vary greatly in their functionality and adherence to FireWire specifications for device control. For this reason, there are two versions of the FireWire protocol you can use for device control and capture in Final Cut Express HD: · Apple FireWire: This is the default. · Apple FireWire Basic: This is a simplified device control protocol for camcorders and decks that aren't compatible with the full Apple FireWire set. Using this protocol doesn't affect the quality of captured video or audio. To switch to the Apple FireWire Basic Easy Setup: 1 Choose Final Cut Express HD > Easy Setup. 2 Select the Show All checkbox, and choose the appropriate FW Basic Easy Setup for your camcorder or deck from the Setup For pop-up menu. For more information about FireWire technology, go to the Apple FireWire website at http://www.apple.com/firewire. Setting Up Scratch Disks A scratch disk is the disk or disk space you allocate in Final Cut Express HD for digital video capture and editing, as well as for the storage of a project's render files. Final Cut Express HD lets you specify up to 12 scratch disks for storing files. It's best to set these after you set up your hardware but before you start to work in Final Cut Express HD. When you capture or render clips, media files are saved to the first disk in the list. When that disk is full, Final Cut Express HD goes to the next disk in the list until it's full, and so on. Chapter 1 Setting Up Final Cut Express HD 15 m To specify one or more scratch disks and associated settings: Choose Final Cut Express HD > System Settings, then click the Scratch Disks tab. For additional information about scratch disks, see Final Cut Express Help, Chapter 4, "Specifying User Preferences, System Settings, and Easy Setups." Tip for Optimizing Performance In most cases, the default values set in Final Cut Express HD System Preferences will be sufficient for your needs. However, you may choose to change certain settings to accommodate the requirements of your project. · Limit Capture Now To: In the System Settings Scratch Disks tab, change this value from 30 minutes to 62 minutes. This will allow you to capture an entire 60-minute DV tape. 16 Chapter 1 Setting Up Final Cut Express HD 2 Getting to Know Your Editing Environment 2 There are four main windows in Final Cut Express HD: the Browser, Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline. Each window plays an important role in the editing process. If you want to get familiar with the windows and tools in Final Cut Express HD, read through this chapter. If you'd rather jump right in and begin editing, move on to Chapter 4, "Basic Editing," on page 49, and refer back to this chapter as needed. Use the Viewer to preview your clips before you place them in your sequence in the Timeline. Use the Canvas to play back changes you make to your sequence in the Timeline. Use the Browser to organize the source material in your project. Use the Timeline to edit and arrange your sequence. 17 Organizing Your Clips in the Browser The Browser is the central storage area where you organize all of the source material you'll use in your project. To organize your media so you can work efficiently, you need to understand the basic organizational elements of Final Cut Express HD--projects, sequences, clips, and bins--and how they relate to the Browser. Project Sequence Clip Bin What Is a Project? A project contains all the clips, sequences, and file references you use while editing your movie. All of these appear in a project's tab in the Browser. Although the source media files for your project are actually stored on your computer's hard disk in a location different from the project file, you use the Browser to help organize and manage the clips and sequences used by your project. My Project Audio clip ABC Still image Sequence Video clip There is no limit to the number of items that can be stored in the Browser. You can have multiple projects open in the Browser at one time. Each project appears in its own tab. 18 Chapter 2 Getting to Know Your Editing Environment What Is a Clip? A clip is the basic unit of media that you use to create sequences in Final Cut Express HD. Clips can be movies, still images, generators, and audio files. A clip is not the actual media file, but a reference to the media file stored on your computer's hard disk. Clips are the building blocks from which all sequences are created. The three kinds of clips you'll see most often are audio, video, and graphics clips, but there are other kinds of clips that can be created within Final Cut Express HD. You can also subdivide a clip into separate pieces, called subclips, to further organize your footage. What Is a Bin? A bin is a folder inside of the project that can contain clips, transitions, effects, and generators. You use bins to organize these elements, sort them, add comments, rename items, and so on. This creates a logical structure for your projects, making your media easier to manage. Bins exist only in project files. Changes you make to the contents of a bin, such as deleting, moving, and renaming clips or renaming the bin itself, have no effect on the original files or folders on your computer's hard disk where the source material is stored. If you delete a clip from a bin, it is not deleted from the disk. Likewise, creating a new bin does not create a new folder on your disk. You can create separate bins for different stages of your project or to separate your original and production footage. You can organize bins hierarchically and open them in their own windows. You can even put bins inside other bins. To add a new bin to a project: 1 In the Browser, click the project tab where you want to add a bin. 2 Do one of the following: · Choose File > New > Bin. · Control-click the Name column, then choose New Bin from the shortcut menu. · Press Command-B A new folder appears in the Browser with Bin [number] highlighted. 3 Enter a name for the new bin. What Is a Sequence? A sequence is a container where you edit together a series of clips to create a new movie. Sequences can be a maximum of four hours in length. A sequence can contain your entire movie, or your movie can be composed of several sequences. You can have multiple sequences within a project; sequences can also be used as source clips and edited into other sequences. You cannot save sequences outside a project, but you can export them as movies or clips. Chapter 2 Getting to Know Your Editing Environment 19 Selecting a Browser View There are two ways to view your media in the Browser: icon view and list view. Icon view allows you to view your media as thumbnails. There are three icon views: Small, Medium, and Large. In list view, the Browser's scrollable columns provide information about your files in an easy-to-access hierarchy. List view also allows you to sort and search for items within the Browser. For more information about list view, see Final Cut Express Help, Chapter 7, "Using the Browser and Managing Projects and Clips." To display Browser items as icons or in a list, do one of the following: Choose View > Browser Items, then choose an option from the submenu. Control-click in the Name column (or any place in the tab other than an icon), then choose a view option from the shortcut menu. Press Shift-H to toggle through all four views. Tip: To view a thumbnail of each clip while remaining in list view, control-click on a column title, and choose Show Thumbnails from the shortcut menu. Note: In this book, the Browser is shown in icon view. m m m Deleting or Removing Items From the Browser You can remove items from the Browser at any time. To delete a clip, sequence, or bin from a project, do one of the following: Select the item, then press Delete. Control-click the item you want to delete, then choose Cut from the shortcut menu. m m Note: Deleting a clip from a project does not delete that clip's source media file from your hard disk, nor does it delete any other associated duplicates of that clip appearing in that project, including sequence clips. 20 Chapter 2 Getting to Know Your Editing Environment