User manual APPLE FINAL CUT EXPRESS HD

Final Cut Express HD User Manual K Apple Computer, Inc. © 2006 Apple Computer, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. Apple, the Apple logo, DVD Studio Pro, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, FireWire, iDVD, iMovie, Mac, Macintosh, Mac OS, PowerBook, Power Mac, QuickTime, Soundtrack, TrueType, and Xsan are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Cinema Tools, Finder, LiveType, and Pixlet are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. AppleCare is a service mark of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Adobe, After Effects, Photoshop, and PostScript are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and/or other countries. Helvetica is a registered trademark of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG, available from Linotype Library GmbH. OpenGL is a registered trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc. Production stills from the films "Koffee House Mayhem" and "A Sus Ordenes" provided courtesy of Refuge Films. "Koffee House Mayhem" © 2005 Jean-Paul Bonjour; "A Sus Ordenes" © 2005 Eric Escobar. http://www.refugefilms.com 1 Contents Preface 25 25 25 26 Final Cut Express HD Documentation and Resources Getting Started Onscreen Help Apple Websites Part I Chapter 1 29 29 30 35 35 36 36 36 39 39 43 47 49 An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD About the Post-Production Workflow The Industry Workflow The Post-Production Workflow Video Formats and Timecode About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD Video Format Basics Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences The Building Blocks of Projects Working With Projects About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Filenaming Considerations Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Part II Chapter 4 55 55 57 59 63 64 Learning About the Final Cut Express HD Interface Overview of the Final Cut Express HD Interface Basics of Working in the Final Cut Express HD Interface Using Keyboard Shortcuts, Buttons, and Shortcut Menus Customizing the Interface Undoing and Redoing Changes Entering Timecode for Navigation Purposes 3 Chapter 5 65 65 66 67 69 70 79 79 80 82 83 84 85 87 88 90 91 91 92 93 94 95 96 98 99 101 101 108 111 111 113 114 123 127 128 Browser Basics How You Use the Browser Learning About the Browser Working in the Browser Using Columns in the Browser Customizing the Browser Display Viewer Basics How You Can Use the Viewer Opening a Clip in the Viewer Learning About the Viewer Tabs in the Viewer Transport (or Playback) Controls Playhead Controls Marking Controls Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus Recent Clips and Generator Pop-Up Menus Canvas Basics How You Use the Canvas Opening, Selecting, and Closing Sequences in the Canvas Learning About the Canvas Editing Controls in the Canvas Transport (or Playback) Controls Playhead Controls Marking Controls Zoom and View Pop-Up Menus Navigating and Using Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas Navigating in the Viewer and Canvas Working With Timecode in the Viewer and Canvas Timeline Basics How You Use the Timeline Opening and Closing Sequences in the Timeline Learning About the Timeline Changing Timeline Display Options Navigating in the Timeline Zooming and Scrolling in the Timeline Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 4 Contents Chapter 10 135 135 135 137 139 Customizing the Interface Changing Browser and Timeline Text Size Moving and Resizing Final Cut Express HD Windows Using Screen Layouts Working With Shortcut Buttons and Button Bars Part III Chapter 11 145 145 146 146 150 151 153 153 153 154 156 157 161 161 162 163 167 167 Setting Up Your Editing System Connecting Your Equipment Connecting Your Camcorder Connecting an External Video Monitor and Audio Speakers Opening Final Cut Express HD and Choosing Your Initial Settings What Is FireWire? What Is Device Control? Determining Your Hard Disk Storage Options Working With Scratch Disks and Hard Disk Drives Data Rates and Storage Devices Determining How Much Space You Need Choosing a Hard Disk Types of Hard Disk Drives External Video Monitoring Using an External Video Monitor While You Edit Connecting DV/FireWire Devices to an External Monitor Using Digital Cinema Desktop Preview About the Display Quality of External Video Troubleshooting External Video Monitoring Problems Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Part IV Chapter 14 171 171 172 174 174 175 175 178 178 178 179 Capturing and Importing Capturing Your Footage to Disk Overview of the Capturing Process Overview of the Capture Window Transport Controls Jog and Shuttle Controls Marking Controls Capture Tab Capture Buttons Preparing to Capture Organizing and Labeling Your Tapes Logging Your Tapes Contents 5 180 180 181 185 187 188 188 189 189 191 192 192 193 194 195 196 196 Chapter 15 199 199 200 203 204 207 207 208 208 210 210 211 211 212 213 214 Choosing a Filenaming Scheme Determining How Much Disk Space You Need Capturing Individual Clips in the Capture Window Using Capture Now Adding Markers to Clips in the Capture Window Marker Controls in the Capture Window Setting Markers Recapturing Clips Using Capture Project About the Additional Items Found Dialog Finding Your Media Files After Capture Where Are Captured Media Files Stored? Consolidating Media Files to One Folder Modifying a Media File's Reel Name Property Avoiding Duplicate Timecode Numbers on a Single Tape Logging Tapes with Duplicate Timecode Numbers Avoiding Multiple Occurrences of the Same Timecode Number on a Single Tape Importing Media Files Into Your Project What File Formats Can Be Imported? Importing Media Files About Importing Video Files About Importing Audio Files Working With HDV About HDV HDV Formats Supported by Final Cut Express HD About MPEG-2 Compression HDV Apple Intermediate Codec Editing Workflow Connecting an HDV Device to Your Computer Choosing an Easy Setup Capturing HDV Video to the Apple Intermediate Codec Editing Video Using the Apple Intermediate Codec Outputting HDV to Tape or Exporting to a QuickTime Movie HDV Format Specifications Chapter 16 6 Contents Part V Chapter 17 219 219 220 221 222 225 227 228 228 231 233 235 235 238 251 251 254 257 Organizing Footage and Preparing to Edit Organizing Footage in the Browser Using Bins to Organize Your Clips Creating New Bins Opening Bins in the Browser Opening Bins in a Separate Window or Tab Moving Items Between Bins Sorting Items in the Browser Using Column Headings Searching for Clips in the Browser About Search Options Searching for Items in the Browser Manipulating Items in the Find Results Window Using Markers Learning About Markers Working With Markers Creating Subclips Learning About Subclips Manually Breaking Large Clips Into Subclips Automatically Creating Subclips Using DV Start/Stop Detection Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Part VI Chapter 20 261 262 262 262 262 263 265 265 266 266 267 268 269 270 270 271 272 Rough Editing Working With Projects, Clips, and Sequences Working With Projects Working With Multiple Projects in the Browser Choosing Whether the Last Previously Opened Project Opens on Launch Viewing and Changing the Properties of a Project Backing Up and Restoring Projects Learning About the Different Types of Clips Types of Clips Sequences as Clips Viewing and Changing the Properties of a Clip Changing Clip Properties in the Browser Viewing and Changing Clip Properties in the Item Properties Window Changing the Properties of Affiliate Clips Creating and Working With Sequences Creating and Deleting Sequences Opening and Closing Sequences Duplicating a Sequence Contents 7 272 273 273 Chapter 21 275 275 275 276 278 278 278 280 280 281 281 283 283 284 285 286 288 289 289 290 291 296 297 298 300 301 303 305 305 306 308 309 309 310 311 311 313 Copying a Sequence Into Another Project Nesting a Sequence Basic Sequence and Timeline Settings The Fundamentals of Adding Clips to a Sequence Creating a Rough Edit Basic Steps Involved in a Rough Edit How Clips Appear in the Timeline Undoing and Redoing Actions Overview of Ways to Add Clips to a Sequence Methods for Adding Clips to Sequences Determining What Parts of Clips You Want in Your Sequence Preparing a Sequence Order in the Browser Sorting to Create a Sequence Order Visually Storyboarding in the Browser Setting Edit Points for Clips and Sequences About In and Out Points Learning About the Out Point Inclusive Rule Things to Keep in Mind When Setting an Out Point Setting Clip In and Out Points in the Viewer Specifying an Edit Point Using Timecode Setting In and Out Points to Include a Whole Clip Reviewing Your Edit Points Setting Sequence In and Out Points in the Canvas or Timeline Options for Setting Sequence In and Out Points Setting Sequence In and Out Points Setting In and Out Points to Match a Clip or Gap Setting In and Out Points Based on a Selection in the Timeline Navigating to In and Out Points Moving In and Out Points Clearing In and Out Points Working With Tracks in the Timeline Adding and Deleting Tracks Adding Tracks Deleting Tracks Specifying Destination Tracks in the Timeline Understanding Source and Destination Controls Setting Destination Tracks Changing Source and Destination Control Connections Disconnecting Source and Destination Controls Resetting Destination Tracks to the Default State Chapter 22 Chapter 23 8 Contents 314 315 316 316 318 Chapter 24 321 321 322 323 326 329 329 329 330 332 333 333 335 336 338 339 346 348 348 350 352 353 355 355 356 357 357 358 360 363 364 365 367 Locking Tracks to Prevent Edits or Changes Disabling Tracks to Hide Content During Playback Customizing Track Display in the Timeline Resizing Timeline Tracks Creating a Static Region in the Timeline Drag-to-Timeline Editing Overview of the Drag-to-Timeline Editing Process Dragging Clips to the Timeline Doing Simple Insert and Overwrite Edits in the Timeline Automatically Adding Tracks to Your Sequence While Dragging Three-Point Editing Understanding Three-Point Editing Overview of the Three-Point Editing Process Different Ways to Do Three-Point Editing About Edit Types in the Edit Overlay Performing the Different Types of Edits Performing an Insert Edit Performing an Insert With Transition Edit Performing an Overwrite Edit Performing an Overwrite With Transition Edit Performing a Replace Edit Superimposing Clips Three-Point Editing Examples Example: Editing a Specific Clip Into Your Sequence Example: Editing a Clip Into a Gap in Your Sequence Example: Backtiming a Clip Into Your Sequence Example: Editing a Clip With No Specified In or Out Points Into Your Sequence Finding and Selecting Content in the Timeline Understanding What's Currently Selected Identifying Selections in the Timeline How Selections Are Prioritized in the Timeline Direct Methods for Selecting Content in a Sequence An Introduction to the Selection Tools Selecting Clips Selecting a Range of Timeline Content Selecting All Clip Items on a Track Selecting All Items on All Tracks Forward or Backward Selecting or Deselecting All Clips in a Sequence Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Contents 9 367 369 370 Chapter 27 373 373 375 375 376 378 380 380 382 385 385 386 387 391 391 395 396 397 397 398 401 402 402 404 405 406 406 408 409 411 411 413 Finding and Selecting Based on Search Criteria Selecting a Vertical Range Between In and Out Points Using Auto Select to Specify Tracks for Selections Arranging Clips in the Timeline Snapping to Points in the Timeline Moving Items Within the Timeline Moving by Dragging Moving Clips Numerically Performing Shuffle Edits Copying and Pasting Clips in the Timeline Copying Clips by Option-Dragging Copying, Cutting, and Pasting Clips in the Timeline Deleting Clips From a Sequence Deleting With a Lift Edit (Leaving a Gap) Deleting With a Ripple Edit (Leaving No Gap) Finding and Closing Gaps Cutting Clips and Adjusting Durations Performing Basic Cut Edits Changing the Duration of Clips in the Timeline Opening Sequence Clips in the Viewer to Change Durations Linking and Editing Video and Audio in Sync Linked Sync Relationships Between Video and Audio Clips When Linked Clips Are Moved Out of Sync Understanding Sync Relationships Between Multiple Linked Audio Items Linking and Unlinking Video and Audio Clip Items in the Timeline Linking Video and Audio Clip Items Unlinking Video and Audio Clip Items Selecting Individual Clip Items While They Are Linked Getting Clip Items Back in Sync Moving a Clip Into Sync Slipping a Clip Item Into Sync Moving or Slipping All Clip Items Into Sync at Once Establishing a Different Sync Relationship Between Linked Clip Items Marking a Clip as In Sync Learning About Linking Behavior in Audio Channel Pairs Chapter 28 Chapter 29 10 Contents Chapter 30 415 415 416 417 418 419 421 425 425 427 428 431 431 432 432 434 435 435 435 436 436 438 438 440 441 442 442 444 444 446 446 449 Split Edits Learning About Split Edits How Split Edits Look in the Viewer and Canvas Setting Up Split Edit Points in the Viewer Setting Up a Split Edit While Playing a Clip Modifying and Clearing Split Edits Split Edit Examples Audio Editing Basics The Goals of Audio Editing Using Waveform Displays to Help You Edit Audio Learning About the Audio Controls in the Viewer Editing Audio in the Viewer Opening Audio Clips in the Viewer Viewing Audio Tracks in the Viewer Zooming In or Out of the Waveform Display Area Scrolling Through a Zoomed-In Audio Clip Using the J, K, and L Keys to Hear Subtle Details Turning Off the Audio Scrubbing Sounds About Setting Edit Points for Audio Dragging an Audio Clip to the Canvas, Browser, or Timeline Trimming Audio Clips in the Viewer Editing Audio in the Timeline Timeline Audio Display Options Zooming In and Out of Waveforms in the Timeline Moving Audio Items From One Track to Another at the Same Frame Using Audio Transitions to Smooth Audible Changes Creating or Separating Stereo Pairs Working With Audio at the Subframe Level Subframe Synchronization of Audio and Video Examples of Ways to Easily Edit Audio Example: Replacing Unwanted Audio With Room Tone Example: Fixing Awkward Audio Cuts in the Timeline Chapter 31 Part VII Chapter 32 453 453 453 455 456 457 Fine-Tuning Your Edit Performing Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Edits About Trimming With Slip, Slide, Ripple, and Roll Tools Sliding Clips in the Timeline Performing Slide Edits by Dragging Performing Precise Slide Edits Numerically Slipping Clips in the Timeline Contents 11 458 459 461 462 466 468 468 470 471 Chapter 33 477 477 479 480 481 482 482 483 483 485 486 487 491 493 493 495 496 500 501 501 501 504 504 505 507 507 508 509 509 510 510 Performing a Slip Edit Using the Slip Tool Performing Precise Slip Edits Numerically Using the Ripple Tool to Trim an Edit Without Leaving a Gap Performing Ripple Edits About Ripple Edits and Sync Relationships of Clip Items on Other Tracks Doing Ripple Edits on Multiple Tracks at Once Asymmetrical Trimming With the Ripple Tool Using the Roll Tool to Change Where a Cut Occurs Rolling the Position of an Edit Between Two Clips Learning About Trimming Clips What Is Trimming? Controls That Affect Trim Edits Selecting Edits and Clips to Trim Tools for Selecting Edit Points Selecting Single Edit Points Selecting Multiple Edit Points Trimming Clip In and Out Points Trimming With the Selection Tool Extending and Shortening Clips in the Timeline Trimming Clips in the Viewer Precision Editing Using Timecode Understanding Alert Messages When Trimming Trimming Clips Using the Trim Edit Window Learning About the Trim Edit Window Opening and Closing the Trim Edit Window Controls in the Trim Edit Window Using the Trim Edit Window Playing Incoming and Outgoing Clips in the Trim Edit Window Dynamic Trimming Trimming an Edit in the Trim Edit Window Reviewing and Playing Back Your Edits in the Trim Edit Window Slipping a Clip in the Trim Edit Window Listening to Audio While Trimming Adding Transitions Learning About Transitions Common Types of Transitions Using Transitions in Your Sequences How Transitions Appear in the Timeline Having Handles at Edit Points Aligning a Transition in the Timeline Chapter 34 Chapter 35 12 Contents 511 511 512 513 515 516 516 517 517 517 519 519 520 520 524 Chapter 36 525 525 532 532 536 539 539 540 540 544 547 551 551 552 553 553 554 554 555 555 556 Adding Transitions Adding Transitions With Clips You Add to the Timeline Quickly Adding the Default Transition to Clips in Your Sequence Adding Transitions to Clips in Your Sequence Moving, Copying, and Deleting Transitions Moving a Transition to Another Edit Point Copying and Pasting Transitions Deleting Transitions Modifying Transitions in the Timeline Changing the Duration of a Transition in the Timeline Changing the Alignment of a Transition in the Timeline Changing an Edit Point After Adding a Transition Replacing Transitions Video Transitions That Come With Final Cut Express HD Using After Effects Transitions Refining Transitions Using the Transition Editor Using the Transition Editor Applying a Modified Transition Directly to a Sequence in the Timeline Trimming Transitions and the Surrounding Clips Previewing and Rendering Transitions Sequence to Sequence Editing Methods for Editing Clips From One Sequence to Another Opening More Than One Sequence at a Time Copying Clips From One Sequence to Another Nesting Sequences Editing the Content of One Sequence Into Another Without Nesting It Matching Frames Working With Sequence Clips in the Viewer Opening a Sequence Clip in the Viewer Switching Between the Viewer, Canvas, and Timeline Using the Viewer to Adjust Sequence Clip In and Out Points Using the Viewer to Adjust Motion and Filter Parameters Matching Frames Between Sequence and Master Clips Matching a Frame in the Canvas to Its Master Clip Matching a Frame in the Canvas to Its Media File Matching a Frame in the Viewer to a Sequence Clip in the Canvas or Timeline Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Contents 13 Chapter 39 557 557 557 558 558 Working With Timecode About Timecode in Final Cut Express HD Displaying Timecode Affected by Speed Changes Clip Time Versus Source Time Changing Global Timecode Display Options Part VIII Chapter 40 561 561 562 565 567 567 568 569 570 572 572 574 574 576 576 577 579 579 580 581 582 584 584 585 586 588 589 590 Audio Mixing Overview of Audio Mixing Audio Finishing Features in Final Cut Express HD Overview of Audio Sweetening in Final Cut Express HD Making the Final Mix Setting Up Audio Equipment Choosing External Audio Monitoring Components Choosing an Audio Interface Choosing Speakers and an Amplifier for Monitoring Setting Up a Proper Audio Monitoring Environment Audio Cables, Connectors, and Signal Levels About Balanced Audio Signals Microphone, Instrument, and Line Level Audio Connectors Configuring External Audio Monitors Connecting Speakers to Your Editing System Setting Monitoring Levels and Muting System Sound Effects Audio Fundamentals What Is Sound? Fundamentals of a Sound Wave Frequency Spectrum of Sounds Measuring Sound Intensity Signal-to-Noise Ratio Headroom and Distortion Dynamic Range Stereo Audio Digital Audio Sample Rate Bit Depth Chapter 41 Chapter 42 14 Contents Chapter 43 593 593 593 594 595 596 597 598 598 598 600 600 601 601 605 607 607 608 608 609 610 610 611 623 623 624 627 631 636 639 639 640 640 642 643 644 645 Audio Levels, Meters, and Output Channels About Audio Meters Average and Peak Audio Levels Average Versus Peak Audio Meters Analog Versus Digital Meters About Audio Meters in Final Cut Express HD Avoiding Audio Clipping Setting Proper Audio Levels Setting Levels for Capture What Reference Level Should You Use for Mixing? Outputting Bars and Tone at the Head of Your Tape Stereo Versus Dual Mono Audio Mixing Audio in the Timeline and Viewer Adjusting Audio Levels in the Timeline Changing Audio Levels in the Viewer Panning Audio in the Timeline and Viewer Panning Audio in the Timeline Changing the Pan of Audio in the Viewer Changing Pan for an Entire Clip Copying, Pasting, and Removing Audio Attributes Adjusting Clip Levels and Pan Using Keyframes Tools for Adjusting Keyframes Creating, Modifying, and Deleting Keyframes in the Viewer Using the Voice Over Tool About the Voice Over Tool Setting Up Your Computer to Record Voiceover Controls in the Voice Over Tool Defining the Recording Duration and Destination Track Recording a Voiceover Using Audio Filters About Audio Filters Overview of Audio Filters Equalization (EQ) Filters Compression Expansion Noise Reduction Filters Echo and Reverb Filters Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Contents 15 647 648 650 651 Chapter 47 653 653 654 654 658 660 Working With Audio Filters Applying Filters to an Audio Clip Modifying and Removing Filters Making Real-Time Audio Filter Adjustments Tips for Better Audio Learning to Describe Sound Accurately Efficiently Using the Frequency Spectrum Tips for Cutting Dialogue Tips for Cutting Music Organizing Your Tracks Part IX Chapter 48 663 663 664 666 667 673 673 674 675 676 689 689 690 695 697 707 707 708 709 710 719 719 720 721 722 723 724 Effects Video Filters Different Ways to Use Filters Applying a Filter to a Clip Applying Multiple Filters to Clips Viewing and Adjusting a Filter's Parameters Displaying Filter Bars in the Timeline Enabling and Rearranging Filters Copying and Pasting a Clip's Filters Removing Filters From Clips Video Filters Available in Final Cut Express HD Changing Motion Parameters Creating Motion Effects in the Viewer Adjusting Parameters in the Motion Tab Using Cartesian Geometry to Position Clips Examples Using Motion Settings Creating Motion Effects in the Canvas Choosing a Wireframe Mode Manipulating Images in the Canvas Zooming In to the Canvas Using Wireframe Handles to Transform, Scale, and Rotate Adjusting Parameters for Keyframed Effects Animating Motion Effects Using Keyframes How Keyframing Works Determining the Number of Keyframes to Use Keyframing Tools in Final Cut Express HD Setting Keyframes Adjusting and Deleting Keyframes Chapter 49 Chapter 50 16 Contents 725 731 731 732 734 735 735 736 737 738 740 743 Chapter 51 745 745 746 747 748 749 751 751 752 752 755 755 757 759 759 760 761 769 775 775 776 776 777 780 780 781 782 792 Moving Between Keyframes Adjusting All Opacity Keyframes of a Clip Smoothing Keyframes With Bezier Handles Understanding Bezier Handles and Curves Smoothing Keyframes Creating Keyframed Motion Paths in the Canvas What Are Motion Paths? Creating Motion Paths Adding, Moving, and Deleting Keyframes in Motion Paths Creating Curved Motion Paths Using Bezier Handles Controlling Speed Along a Motion Path Moving an Entire Motion Path in the Canvas Reusing Effect and Motion Parameters Copying and Pasting Specific Clip Attributes About the Paste Attributes Dialog Copying and Pasting Clip Attributes Removing Attributes From a Clip Applying Filters Across Multiple Tracks at Once Changing Clip Speed Speed Basics How Changing Speed Affects a Clip's Duration Performing a Fit to Fill Edit Speed Settings Frame Blending and Reverse Speed Making Speed Changes Working With Still Images and Photographs Using Still Images and Graphics in Your Sequences Creating Freeze Frame Stills From a Video Clip Considerations Before Creating and Importing Stills Changing the Duration of Still Images Compositing and Layering Introduction to Compositing and Layering Methods of Compositing Different Ways to Layer Clips in the Timeline Adjusting Opacity Levels of Clips Working With Composite Modes How Composite Modes Affect Images Applying Composite Modes to Clips Composite Modes in Final Cut Express HD Using Travel Mattes to Hide or Reveal Parts of a Clip Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Contents 17 794 794 796 797 798 799 799 801 802 803 804 Chapter 55 805 805 805 806 807 808 808 810 813 822 822 824 824 827 827 828 829 830 830 831 832 832 833 835 836 837 837 837 838 844 Working With Layered Photoshop Files What Happens When You Import a Multilayered Photoshop File Using Video and Graphics Clips With Alpha Channels Types of Alpha Channels Recognized in Final Cut Express HD Working With Clips That Have Alpha Channels Importing Clips With Alpha Channels Changing a Clip's Alpha Channel Type Changing Canvas and Viewer Background Colors Temporarily Excluding Clips From Playback or Output Temporarily Disabling a Single Clip Soloing Clips in Multitrack Sequences Keying, Mattes, and Masks Ways to Layer and Isolate Elements in Clips What Are Mattes and How Can You Use Them? What Is Keying and How Can You Use It? What Are Masks and How Are They Used? Using Keying to Isolate Foreground Elements Shooting Footage That Keys Well Overview of Compositing Using the Chroma Keyer Filter Working With the Chroma Keyer Filter Using Mattes to Add or Modify Alpha Channels Matte Filters Available in Final Cut Express HD Using Masks to Replace or Modify Alpha Channels Mask Filters Available in Final Cut Express HD Color Correcting Clips What Is Color Correction? Why Color Correct Your Footage? Color Correction Starts During Your Shoot Measuring and Evaluating Video Luma (Luminance) Chrominance (Chroma) Whites Illegal Broadcast Levels The Color Correction Process Looking at the Picture Using the Color Corrector Filter The Color Corrector Filter General Controls Color Balance Controls The Color Corrector Filter Controls Hue Matching Controls in the Color Corrector Chapter 56 18 Contents Chapter 57 849 849 850 851 853 855 855 856 856 857 858 862 Using Built-in Generated Clips What Is a Generator Clip? Different Ways to Use Generators in Your Sequence Graphical Video and Audio Generators Available in Final Cut Express HD Creating and Adding Generated Clips to Sequences Creating Titles How You Can Use Titles in Your Project Installing and Choosing Fonts Making Sure Titles Fit on TV Screens Text Generators Available in Final Cut Express HD Creating and Adding a Title Clip Other Options for Creating and Adding Titles Chapter 58 Part X Chapter 59 865 865 866 870 871 871 872 873 873 876 876 877 877 878 879 879 882 883 883 885 887 888 889 889 890 Real Time and Rendering Using RT Extreme Introduction to Real-Time Processing Using RT Extreme How Many Effects Can Be Played in Real Time? Available Real-Time Effects Display Quality and Accuracy of RT Extreme Using Real-Time Controls in Final Cut Express HD About Render Status Bars Identifying Which Effects Can Be Processed in Real Time Setting Real-Time Playback Options Real-Time Audio Mixing in Final Cut Express HD Improving Real Time Audio Performance Rendering What Is Rendering? Reasons for Rendering Render Indicators in Final Cut Express HD About Render Status Bars in the Timeline About Item-Level Render Bars The Rendering Process Rendering Effects in Sequences Commands for Rendering Effects Rendering One or More Sequences Rendering Part of a Sequence Rendering Audio Items in a Sequence Using the Mixdown Command Temporarily Disabling Rendering Chapter 60 Contents 19 891 892 893 894 895 Auto-Rendering While You Are Away From Your Computer Changing Settings in the Render Control Tab Preserving Render Files Tips for Avoiding Unnecessary Rendering Reducing Render Time Part XI Chapter 61 899 899 900 901 901 902 903 903 903 904 906 907 907 908 909 911 911 915 916 921 921 922 922 923 925 926 928 929 929 Project Management and Settings Media Management What Is Media Management? Reasons to Manage your Media What You Need to Know to Manage Your Media Media Management Steps in Final Cut Express HD Strategies for Media Management Backing Up and Restoring Projects Backing Up and Restoring Projects Using the Revert Project Command Using the Autosave Feature Restoring Autosaved Projects Opening a Project File After Your Computer Is Unexpectedly Powered Off Archiving Completed Projects Creating an Archive of a Finished Project Updating Projects From Previous Versions of Final Cut Express HD Elements of a Final Cut Express HD Project About Clips, Media Files, and Sequences About Icons and Project Elements in the Browser Clip Properties Working With Master and Affiliate Clips Using Master and Affiliate Clips How Master Clips Connect to Media Files Identifying Master Clips Creating Master and Affiliate Clips Breaking the Relationship Between an Affiliated Clip and Its Master Independent Clips Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Modify Master-Affiliate Relationships Finding a Clip's Master Clip Master-Affiliate Relationships With Subclips and Freeze Frames Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 20 Contents 930 930 931 931 Chapter 65 933 933 934 935 942 945 945 946 950 951 952 952 952 953 953 955 956 957 Master-Affiliate Clip Properties Master Clip Properties Affiliate Clip Properties Media File Properties Reconnecting Clips and Offline Media About the Connections Between Clips and Media Files How the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Can Be Broken Reconnecting Clips to Media Files When Final Cut Express HD Reconnects Your Clips Choosing Settings and Preferences Changing User Preferences General Tab Editing Tab Timeline Options Tab Render Control Tab Locating and Trashing the Preferences File Changing System Settings Scratch Disks Tab Search Folders Tab Memory & Cache Tab Playback Control Tab External Editors Tab Chapter 66 Part XII Chapter 67 961 961 962 963 965 965 966 966 966 968 970 Output Preparing to Output to Tape Output Requirements How to Output to Tape in Final Cut Express HD Setting Up Your Editing System to Output to Tape Printing To Video and Output From the Timeline Different Ways You Can Output Video From the Timeline Printing to Video Automatically Recording With Print to Video Using the Print to Video Command Recording From the Timeline Outputting to VHS Tape Chapter 68 Contents 21 Chapter 69 971 971 974 977 979 979 980 980 980 983 984 989 991 991 992 993 995 995 996 997 1005 1007 1009 1009 1010 1012 1015 1015 1016 1017 1018 1021 Exporting Sequences for DVD The DVD Creation Process Adding Chapter and Compression Markers to Your Sequence Exporting QuickTime Movies for iDVD Learning About QuickTime What Is QuickTime? The QuickTime Suite of Software Applications QuickTime for Media Authoring The QuickTime Movie File Format How Final Cut Express HD Uses QuickTime for Import, Export, and Capture Formats Supported by QuickTime How Do You Export the Files You Need? Exporting QuickTime Movies About the Export QuickTime Movie Command Choosing the Type of QuickTime Movie to Export Exporting a QuickTime Movie File Exporting QuickTime-Compatible Files About the Export Using QuickTime Conversion Command Types of QuickTime-Compatible File Formats Exporting a QuickTime Movie File for Web Distribution Exporting a DV Stream Exporting an AVI File Exporting Still Images and Image Sequences Determining the Image Format for Still Image Export Exporting a Single Still Image Exporting Image Sequences Exporting Audio for Mixing in Other Applications Ways You Can Finish Your Audio Organizing Your Audio Clips for Multi-Track Export Exporting Audio Tracks to Individual Audio Files Preparing to Export Audio Tracks as Audio Files Exporting Audio Tracks as Individual Audio Files Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 22 Contents Part XIII Appendix A 1025 1025 1026 1026 1027 1028 1030 1031 1033 1034 1035 1037 1037 1040 1042 1042 1043 1043 1044 1044 1044 1045 1047 1047 1048 1049 1050 1052 1052 1055 1056 1059 1059 1063 1064 1064 1066 1067 Appendixes Video Formats Characteristics of Video Formats Storage Medium Tape Size, Cassette Shape, and Tape Coating Video Standards Type of Video Signal Aspect Ratio of the Video Frame Frame Dimensions, Number of Lines, and Resolution Pixel Aspect Ratio Frame Rate Scanning Method Color Recording Method Video Sampling Rate and Color Sampling Ratio Video Compression Types of Video Signals and Connectors Composite S-Video Component YUV (Y´CBCR) and Component RGB FireWire (Also Called IEEE 1394a or i.LINK) FireWire 800 (Also Called IEEE 1394b) SCART A Brief History of Film, Television, and Audio Formats Frame Rate and Timecode What Is Frame Rate? Understanding Flicker and Perceived Frame Rate Frame Rate Limits: How Many Frames per Second Is Best? Choosing a Frame Rate What Is Timecode? About Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame Timecode Timecode on Tape Comparison of Various Timecode Formats Working With Anamorphic 16:9 Media About Anamorphic 16:9 Media Recording Anamorphic Video Capturing Anamorphic Media Viewing and Editing Anamorphic Media Rendering Items That Contain Anamorphic Media Exporting Anamorphic Video to a QuickTime Movie Appendix B Appendix C Contents 23 Appendix D 1069 1069 1070 1075 1077 1107 Solving Common Problems Resources for Solving Problems Solutions to Common Problems Contacting AppleCare Support Glossary Index 24 Contents Final Cut Express HD Documentation and Resources You can use Final Cut Express HD to create movies of any budget, style, and format. Final Cut Express HD comes with both printed and onscreen documentation to help you learn how. This preface provides information on the documentation available for Final Cut Express HD, as well as information about Final Cut Express HD resources on the web. Final Cut Express HD comes with several types of documentation to help you learn more about movie editing and how to use the application:  Final Cut Express HD Getting Started  Final Cut Express HD onscreen help Getting Started The Final Cut Express HD Getting Started book provides an overview of the application and explains the basics of editing in Final Cut Express HD. If you are new to Final Cut Express HD and want to start using the application right away, read this book first. Onscreen Help Onscreen help (available in the Help menu) provides easy access to information while you're working in Final Cut Express HD. An onscreen version of the Final Cut Express HD User Manual is available here, along with other documents in PDF format and links to websites. To access onscreen help: m In Final Cut Express HD, choose an option from the Help menu. Preface 25 Onscreen User Manual The Final Cut Express HD User Manual provides comprehensive information about the application. To access the onscreen user manual: m In Final Cut Express HD, choose Help > Final Cut Express HD User Manual. Information About New Features For information about features that have been added or enhanced since the last version of Final Cut Express HD, you can read the New Features section of the onscreen help. To access the New Features document: m In Final Cut Express HD, choose Help > New Features. 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. For information about Final Cut Express HD, go to:  http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress To get more information on third-party resources, such as third-party tools, resources, and user groups, go to:  http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/resources.html For information on the Apple Pro Training Program, go to:  http://www.apple.com/software/pro/training To provide comments and feedback to Apple about Final Cut Express HD, go to:  http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutexpress.html Apple Service and Support Website The Apple 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 26 Preface Final Cut Express HD Documentation and Resources Part I: An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I Find out how Final Cut Express HD fits into the moviemaking process and learn about fundamental concepts of digital video editing and the basic elements of a Final Cut Express HD project. Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 About the Post-Production Workflow Video Formats and Timecode Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 1 About the Post-Production Workflow 1 No matter what your project, Final Cut Express HD is the cornerstone of your post-production workflow. This chapter covers the following:  The Industry Workflow (p. 29)  The Post-Production Workflow (p. 30) The Industry Workflow Before you start editing, it's helpful to consider how post-production fits into the overall moviemaking workflow. Even though no two movie projects follow exactly the same steps, there is a common workflow that almost every project adheres to. From conception to completion, the basic steps to complete a film or video project are described below. Step 1: Scripting Scripting is where the movie is conceived and written. Step 2: Preproduction This is where budgeting, casting, location scouting, equipment and format selection, and storyboarding take place. Step 3: Production Production is where you create your footage, capturing performances using video or film cameras, as well as audio recorders. Lighting, cinematography, acting, and directing all come together to create the elements used to tell your story or deliver your message. For practical reasons, scenes are usually shot out of order, which means they have to be properly arranged during editing. 29 Step 4: Post-Production Post-production is where you organize and assemble your production footage, putting scenes in proper order, selecting the best takes, and eliminating unnecessary elements. Production sound is synchronized (with the picture), edited, sometimes rerecorded, and mixed. Music is composed and added. Footage is color-corrected and special effects are created. The final movie is output to tape, film, or some other high-quality media format. Step 5: Distribution Distribution is when you release a movie for viewing. This may involve theater screenings, video and DVD releases, festival submissions, or web delivery. The Post-Production Workflow The post-production phase begins with the raw source footage and ends with a completed movie, ready for making distribution copies. As technology evolves, postproduction continues to proliferate into an increasing variety of jobs and tasks. Where there was once a single editor who was responsible for the majority of the postproduction process, there may now be a whole special effects team, an audio department, a colorist (responsible for color correction), and a number of assistant editors keeping track of all the footage. Final Cut Express HD is at the heart of the postproduction pipeline, allowing you to organize and assemble media from multiple sources into a finished product. 30 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I Here is an overview of the basic Final Cut Express HD post-production workflow. As you begin your project, remember that there are no hard and fast rules for editing. Different editors have different working styles and, given the same source material, no two editors will cut the same finished program. The workflow described here offers just one example of how you might approach a typical project. Final Cut Express HD Post-Production Workflow Industry Workflow Scripting Planning Preproduction Setting Up Production Logging and Capturing Post-Production Editing Distribution Mixing Audio Adding Effects Outputting Chapter 1 About the Post-Production Workflow 31 Step 1: Planning Planning is where you choose your basic workflow, such as offline and online editing (for projects with a lot of media) or editing the uncompressed footage (for shorter projects with quick turnaround times), choose input and output formats, and plan for equipment requirements (such as hard disk space), timecode and sync requirements, special effects shots and color correction, audio mixing requirements, and so on. Planning for post-production primarily means preparing for each of the upcoming post-production phases: choosing input and output formats; acquiring your original footage, music, and graphics; deciding on a logging and capturing method; choosing an editing strategy; and planning the scope of effects you will be adding so you can determine how much time and support you will need to dedicate to them. Step 2: Setting up In this phase, you set up your editing system by installing and connecting the hardware you need, as well as configuring your software. For example, before logging and capturing, you need to connect the video and audio from your camcorder or VTR (video tape recorder) to your computer. You also need to make sure that the correct presets are chosen within Final Cut Express HD, so that Final Cut Express HD knows what video and audio formats you are capturing and what kind of device control you're using. (Device control allows Final Cut Express HD to remotely control video and audio devices.) Step 3: Capturing and importing Once you've set up your editing system, you need to sort through your raw footage and then transfer it to your computer's hard disk for editing. Capturing is the process of getting source media from your video camcorder or deck onto your computer's hard disk. You can use the device control capabilities of Final Cut Express HD and your DV camcorder to do this. (Device control allows Final Cut Express HD to control a DV camcorder through a FireWire connection.) Final Cut Express HD allows you the flexibility of capturing individual clips or an entire tape. You can also import QuickTime, audio, and graphics files, such as a music track from a CD, a still image, or a layered Photoshop file. You can import files at any time during your project. For example, if someone is creating an elaborate graphics file for an opening sequence, you may be in the midst of editing before the finished file is ready to import. 32 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I Step 4: Editing The editing process involves taking the video and audio you've captured, along with any music or graphics you've imported, and arranging these raw materials into a final edited sequence of clips. Most editors start with a rough cut, where they quickly arrange all of the clips for a movie in sequence. Once that's finished, they work on finetuning, subtly adjusting the edit points between clips and refining the pacing of each cut. Basic audio editing and synchronizing are also part of this process, as well as adding transitions, such as fades and dissolves. Often, the type of project you're working on determines your method of editing. For example, documentary editing, in which the script often evolves in parallel with the editing, is quite different from commercial television and film editing, in which there is already a finished script to provide an order for clips. Step 5: Mixing audio Once your movie is edited and the picture is "locked," meaning the duration of the movie is fixed and you no longer intend to change any of the edits, you can begin working more extensively on your audio. This involves:  Cleaning up the dialogue with more detailed audio editing, balance audio levels, and equalization  Adding sound effects, music, and voiceover on additional audio tracks in the sequence  Mixing the levels of all the different clips together to create a balanced sound mix You can use Final Cut Express HD for each of these processes. For more information, see "Overview of Audio Mixing" on page 561. Note: You can also sweeten your audio with another audio application, perhaps even at another facility. To export your movie audio, see "Exporting Audio for Mixing in Other Applications" on page 1015. Step 6: Adding effects Creating effects tends to be more time-consuming than cuts-only editing, so it's good to focus on basic edits first and work on effects when the timing of your project is finalized. Effects are any enhancements you want to make to your footage, such as color correction, special transitions, animation, still or motion graphics, multilayered images (compositing), and titles. Final Cut Express HD has a wide variety of video and audio filters, each with parameters that you can keyframe to adjust over time in your sequence, as described below. Step 7: Outputting Once editing is finished, effects are added, and the final audio mix is complete, you can output your movie to videotape or film. You can also export to a QuickTime format for web delivery or use in a DVD-authoring application. Chapter 1 About the Post-Production Workflow 33 2 Video Formats and Timecode 2 Before you begin editing, you need to decide what video format you will capture, edit, and output. The format you choose determines your post-production workflow. This chapter covers the following:  About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing (p. 35)  Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD (p. 36)  Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD (p. 36)  Video Format Basics (p. 36) About Nonlinear and Nondestructive Editing In the past, video editing was a time-consuming process. With linear editing, video editors had to edit everything onto a tape sequentially, one shot after another, from the beginning to the end. If you wanted to insert a series of shots in the middle of your edit, you had to reedit everything forward from that point. Final Cut Express HD lets you do nonlinear, nondestructive editing. Unlike traditional tape-to-tape editing, Final Cut Express HD stores all of your footage on a hard disk, allowing you to access any frame of your footage instantaneously. Without the constraints of linear editing, you are free to combine shots in different orders and change their durations until you arrive at the exact sequence you want. Video and audio effects, such as scaling, position, rotation, speed changes, and multiple layers can also be applied and played back in real time. No matter how you process your footage, the underlying media is never touched. This is known as nondestructive editing, because all of the changes and effects you apply to your footage never affect the media itself. 35 Video Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD Long before editing begins, the most basic decision you need to make is which format to shoot with. The format you choose affects the equipment needed for editorial work, as well as how the finished product will look. Final Cut Express HD uses QuickTime technology, allowing you to use almost any digital video format available. This flexibility ensures that your Final Cut Express HD editing system always works with the latest video formats.  DV editing: Final Cut Express HD supports DV video natively, using your computer's built-in FireWire port for capture and output. Therefore, your system requires no additional hardware to edit DV material on your computer. You can capture, edit, and output the exact same data that is recorded on tape, resulting in no quality loss.  QuickTime-compatible files: Because Final Cut Express HD uses QuickTime technology, almost any QuickTime-compatible file format can be imported and exported. This allows you to import files created in video editing, motion graphics, and photo editing applications. For a list of all formats that you can import, see "Learning About QuickTime" on page 979. Using Multiple Video Formats You may find it necessary to use source material from a variety of formats in your project. If so, be aware that in Final Cut Express HD, clips with settings that don't match your sequence settings (such as image dimensions or frame rate) need to be rendered before they can be played back. Audio Formats Compatible With Final Cut Express HD You can use a variety of audio with Final Cut Express HD, including audio files captured from tape, imported from audio CDs, or provided by musicians and sound designers. For more information, see "About Importing Audio Files" on page 204. Video Format Basics Most video formats are described by the following characteristics:  Standard  Image dimensions and aspect ratio  Frame rate  Scanning method For a more thorough explanation of video formats, see Appendix A, "Video Formats," on page 1025. 36 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I Video Standards A number of video standards have emerged over the years. Standard definition (SD) video formats have been used for broadcast television from the 1950s to the present. These include NTSC, PAL, and SECAM, regional video standards, with each used in certain countries and regions of the world.  NTSC (National Television Systems Committee): The television and video standard used in most of the Americas, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.  PAL (Phase Alternating Line): The television and video standard used in most of Europe, Brazil, Algeria, and China.  SECAM: A video standard that is based on PAL and used in countries such as France, Poland, Haiti, and Vietnam. SECAM is not supported by Final Cut Express HD. However, editing work is usually done in PAL and converted to SECAM for broadcasting. Important: When you are specifying your initial settings, make sure you choose an Easy Setup that corresponds to your country's video standard. (An Easy Setup is a collection of settings that determines how Final Cut Express HD works with your editing system.) For more information, see "Opening Final Cut Express HD and Choosing Your Initial Settings" on page 146. Originally, all these formats were analog. Analog video uses a signal that consists of a constantly varying voltage level, called a waveform, that represents video and audio information. Analog formats such as VHS must be digitized, or captured, for use by Final Cut Express HD. More recently, digital standard definition video formats were introduced, as well as digital high definition (HD) video formats. Most consumer camcorders today record standard definition digital video (such as DV) or high definition digital video (such as HDV). Image Dimensions and Aspect Ratio The horizontal and vertical pixel dimensions of your format determine the frame size and aspect ratio. For example, standard definition (SD) NTSC video is 720 pixels wide and 480 pixels tall. High definition video is either 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080, and is usually referred to by the vertical dimension and the frame rate (for example 720p60 or 1080i30). The aspect ratio of a video frame is the width with respect to the height. Standard definition video has an aspect ratio of 4:3, while high definition uses 16:9. Note: You may notice that 1280/720 or 1920/1080 is equivalent to 16:9, while 720/480 is not equivalent to 4:3. This is because standard definition digital video uses pixels that are rectangular, not square. For more information, see Appendix A, "Video Formats," on page 1025. Chapter 2 Video Formats and Timecode 37 Frame Rate The frame rate of your video determines how quickly frames are recorded and played back. The higher the number of frames per second (fps), the less noticeably the image flickers on screen. There are several common frame rates in use:  24 fps: Film, certain high definition formats, and certain standard definition formats use this frame rate. This may also be 23.98 fps for compatibility with NTSC video.  25 fps: Standard definition PAL  29.97 fps: Standard definition NTSC  59.94 fps: 720p high definition video frame rate. This can also be 60 fps. For more information, see Appendix B, "Frame Rate and Timecode," on page 1047. Scanning Method Video frames are composed of individual lines, scanned from the top of the screen to the bottom. Lines may be scanned progressively (one line at a time), or interlaced (every other line during one scan, and then the alternate lines on a subsequent scan). Standard definition video uses interlaced scanning, while high definition formats may use either interlaced or progressive scanning. For more information, see Appendix A, "Video Formats," on page 1025. 38 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD 3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 3 The basic elements in Final Cut Express HD are projects, clips, and sequences. Once you learn what these are and how you can use them, you can begin working in Final Cut Express HD. This chapter covers the following:  The Building Blocks of Projects (p. 39)  Working With Projects (p. 43)  About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files (p. 47)  Filenaming Considerations (p. 49) The Building Blocks of Projects Media files, clips, and sequences are the elements that provide the main foundation for your work in Final Cut Express HD. You use projects and bins to organize these elements in your program. What Are Media Files? Media files are the raw materials you use to create your movie. A media file is a video, audio, or graphics file on your hard disk that contains footage captured from videotape or originally created on your computer. Since media files--especially video files--tend to be quite large, projects that use a lot of footage require one or more high-capacity hard disks. Many media files contain multiple tracks. For example, a typical DV media file has a video track, audio track, and timecode track. In a Final Cut Express HD sequence, you can work with each of these media tracks as separate items, either in sync or separately. Before you can edit in Final Cut Express HD, you need to capture media files from a video deck or camcorder to your hard disk. For more information about capturing media files, see "Capturing Your Footage to Disk" on page 171. 39 What Are Clips? Once you have media files on your hard disk, you need a way of working with them in Final Cut Express HD. A clip is the most fundamental object in Final Cut Express HD. Clips represent your media, but they are not the media files themselves. A clip points to, or connects to, a video, audio, or graphics media file on your hard disk. (For more information on the relationship between media files and clips, see "About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files" on page 47.) Project Clip Clip Clip Media files on your hard disk Clips allow you to easily cut, trim, rearrange, and sort your media without manipulating it directly. You manage and organize your clips in the Browser. The three kinds of clips you'll see most often are video, audio, and graphics clips, but there are other kinds of clips that can be stored within a project, such as a generator clip (a clip whose media is generated within Final Cut Express HD). You can also subdivide a clip into separate pieces, called subclips, to further organize your footage. 40 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I What Are Sequences? A sequence is a container for editing clips together in chronological order. The editing process involves deciding which video and audio clip items to put in your sequence, what order the clips should go in, and how long each clip should be. Sequences are created in the Browser. To edit clips into a sequence, you open a sequence from the Browser into the Timeline. Project Sequence Clip Clip Clip A sequence contains one or more video and audio tracks, which are empty when first created. When you edit a clip into a sequence, you copy the clip's individual clip items to the sequence. For example, if you drag a clip that contains one video and two audio tracks to the Timeline, a video clip item is placed in a video track in the Timeline, and two audio clip items are placed in two audio tracks. In a sequence, you can move any clip item to any track, allowing you to arrange the contents of your media files however you want. Chapter 3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 41 What Are Projects? A project contains all of the clips and sequences you use while editing your movie. Once you create or open a project, it appears as a tab in the Browser. There's no limit to the number of items, including clips and sequences, that can be stored in your project in the Browser. A project file acts as a sort of database for tracking the aspects of your edited movie:  video, audio, and still image clips  comments, descriptions, and notes for all your clips  sequences of edited clips  motion and filter parameters  audio mixing levels  bins, or folders within a project in the Browser, for organizing elements, such as clips and sequences. Project Video clip Audio clip ABC Still image Sequence To start working in Final Cut Express HD, you must have a project open in the Browser. For more information, see Chapter 5, "Browser Basics," on page 65. You can have multiple projects open at the same time, each represented by its own tab in the Browser. Note: A project does not contain any media at all, which keeps it small and portable. Even though project files refer to your media files, the media is not actually stored in the project. By separating the structure of your project from the associated media, your project can easily be archived or transferred to another computer, and it can be opened even if none of the media files can be located. Compared to media files, project files are relatively small and portable. You can make regular backup copies of your project without filling your hard disk. 42 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I What Are Bins? A bin is a folder within a project that can contain clips and sequences, as well as other items used in your project, such as transitions and effects. You use bins to organize these elements, sort them, add comments, rename items, and so on. Bins help you to design a logical structure for your projects, making your clips easier to manage. Project Bin 1 Sequence 1 Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Clip Bin 2 You can create separate bins for organizing clips by movie scene, source tape, or any other category. You can organize bins hierarchically and open them in their own windows. You can even put bins inside other bins. There is no limit to the number of bins you can have in your project, or the number of items you can store in each bin. 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 media files stored on your computer's hard disk. If you delete a clip from a bin, the clip's media file is not deleted from the hard disk. Likewise, creating a new bin does not create a new folder on your hard disk. Working With Projects How you use and organize your projects depends on the scope of your movie as well as your particular organizational style. These factors also affect your decision to use one or more sequences in your project. Chapter 3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 43 Organizing Your Projects Typically, you create a new project file for each movie you work on, regardless of its duration. For example, if you're working on a documentary about a bicycle manufacturing company, you would create a project for it. If you're also working on an industrial training video about how to fix bicycles, that would be a second, separate project. Both projects could conceivably refer to some of the same media, but they are completely independent structures, each with their own clips, bins, and sequences. Very large movie projects, such as feature films and documentaries with high shooting ratios (meaning most of the footage shot during production will not be used in the final movie), may contain thousands of clips. Although the number of clips and sequences you can store in a project is theoretically unlimited, Final Cut Express HD may take longer to search, sort, and update if there are too many clips. If you find that managing your project is becoming difficult, you can always break one project into several for the early editing stages. Using More Than One Sequence in a Project For some projects, it makes sense to use several different sequences within the project. You can use sequences in several ways including:  Sequences as scenes: Break a movie into a series of separate sequences for each scene.  Sequences as versions: Edit different versions of the same movie, with each as its own sequence. Examples are a television commercial with several alternative sound mixes, or a documentary cut to feature film length as well as broadcast television length.  Sequences for special effects: This allows you to separate elaborate effects shots in separate sequences so you can render them separately. Creating and Saving Projects When you create a new project in Final Cut Express HD, a new blank sequence is automatically created and named Sequence 1. You can change the sequence name to better reflect its content or the type of program you'll be working on. The settings for the new sequence are determined by your current Easy Setup. (To check your current Easy Setup, choose Final Cut Express HD > Easy Setup.) Note: When you open Final Cut Express HD for the first time, there are some initial settings you must specify before you can create and save projects. For more information, see "Connecting Your Equipment" on page 145. 44 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I To create a new project: m Choose File > New Project. A new, untitled project appears in the Browser with an empty sequence. You can name the project when you save it. This is your new project. A new sequence is automatically created when you create a new project. To save a project: 1 Click the project's tab in the Browser 2 Choose File > Save Project (or press Command-S). 3 If you haven't named the project yet, a dialog appears. Enter a name and choose a location for the project, then click Save. To save all open projects: m Choose File > Save All (or press Option-S). If you haven't named a project yet, a dialog appears where you can enter a name and choose a location for the project. Chapter 3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 45 Opening and Closing Projects You can open and work on more than one project at a time. When you finish working and quit Final Cut Express HD, a message appears for each open project, asking if you want to save your changes. The next time you open Final Cut Express HD, all projects that were open at the end of your last session open automatically. You can have multiple projects open at the same time, each represented by its own tab in the Browser. To open a project: 1 Choose File > Open. 2 Locate and select the project file, then click Open. If you created the project in a previous version of Final Cut Express HD, you'll be asked if you want to update your project. For more information, see "Backing Up and Restoring Projects" on page 903. To close a project: 1 Click the project's tab to bring it to the front. 2 Do one of the following:  Choose File > Close Project.  Control-click the project's tab, then choose Close Tab from the shortcut menu that appears.  Press Control-W. Control-click the tab and choose Close Tab. 3 If you've modified the project and haven't saved it, a message asks if you want to save changes to the project. Click Yes to save the project. 46 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I To switch between several open projects: m In the Browser, click a project's tab. To switch between projects, click a project's tab. To close all open projects: m Close the Browser. Any project that has its own window (because you dragged the project's tab out of the Browser) remains open. About the Connection Between Clips and Media Files Clips are not to be confused with the media files you captured to your computer's hard disk. A clip refers to a media file on your computer's hard disk, but the clip is not the media file itself. Clips usually reference all of the content within a media file, but you can also create subclips that reference only part of a media file, or merged clips that refer to several media files at once. A Final Cut Express HD clip refers to its media file via the clip property called Source, which describes the location of the media file in the form of a directory path. For example, the directory path for a clip's media file might look like this: /MyScratchDisk/Capture Scratch/MyProject/MyMediaFile Note: Every file on your hard disk can be located by its directory path. A directory path describes where a file is located within the file and folder hierarchy of the operating system. Chapter 3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 47 To see a clip's Source property: 1 Select a clip in the Browser by clicking it. 2 Choose Edit > Item Properties > Format (or press Command-9). The Item Properties window appears. 3 Look at the directory path in the clip's Source field. 4 If you can't see the complete directory path, you can do one of the following:  Drag the right edge of the column heading to the right to increase the column width.  Move the pointer over the directory path in the Source field, then wait until a tooltip appears showing the complete directory path. Relationship Between Source Tapes, Media Files, and Clips The relationship between source tapes, media files, and clips is described below.  Source tape: An original videotape from your production.  Media file: A QuickTime movie file created by capturing video, audio, and timecode from the source tape to a computer hard disk. This is a copy of the original footage.  Clip: An object in a Final Cut Express HD project that represents a media file on the scratch disk. A clip connects to a media file, but it isn't the media file itself. If you delete a clip, the media file remains intact on the scratch disk. If you delete the media file, the clip remains in the project, but it is no longer connected to its media. You can create clips by importing or dragging media files to the Final Cut Express HD Browser. Reconnecting Clips to Media Files If you modify, move, or delete your media files on disk, the clips in your project lose the connection to the media files and they become offline clips. In this case, the word offline refers to the fact that a clip's media file has become unavailable. 48 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD I An offline clip has a red slash through its icon in the Browser. In the Timeline, an offline clip appears white (when you play back your sequence in the Canvas, offline clips display a "Media Offline" message). To view these clips properly in your project, you need to reconnect the clips to their corresponding media files at their new locations on disk. This reestablishes the connection between the clips and their media files. Offline clips in the Timeline Offline clips in the Browser Final Cut Express HD allows you to reconnect clips to media files in whatever way suits your project. For example, you can work on one project on two different editing systems that both contain the same media files. When you transfer the project from one system to another, you can easily reconnect the project clips to the local media files. For more information on reconnecting offline clips, see "Reconnecting Clips and Offline Media" on page 933. Filenaming Considerations Proper filenaming is one of the most critical aspects of media and project management. When you capture your media files, consider how and where your files may be used in the future. Naming your files simply and consistently makes it easier to share media among multiple editors, transfer projects to other editing systems, move files across a network, and properly restore archived projects. The following sections present several issues to consider when naming project files and media files. Chapter 3 Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences 49 Avoiding Special Characters The most conservative filenaming conventions provide the most cross-platform compatibility. This means that your filenames will work in different operating systems, such as Windows, Mac OS X and other Unix operating systems, and Mac OS 9. You also need to consider filenaming when you transfer files via the Internet, where you can never be certain what computer platform your files may be stored on, even if temporarily. Most special characters should be avoided. Here are some suggested conservative filenaming guidelines for maximum cross-platform compatibility: Avoid File separators Example characters : (colon) / (forward-slash) \ (backward-slash) Reasons You cannot use colons (:) in the names of files and folders because Mac OS 9 (Classic) uses this character to separate directories in pathnames. In addition, some applications may not allow you to use slashes (/) in the names of items. These characters are directory separators for Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, and DOS (Windows) respectively. These characters may not be supported or difficult to work with when exported to certain file formats, such as EDL, OMF, or XML. These characters are often used in scripting and programming languages. White space is handled differently in different programming languages and operating systems, so certain processing scripts and applications may treat your files differently than expected. The most conservative filenames avoid all use of whitespace characters, and use the (underscore) _ character instead. Special characters not included in your native alphabet ¢TM Punctuation marks, parentheses, . , [ ] { } ( ) ! ; " ` * ? < > | quotation marks, brackets, and operators. White space characters such as spaces, tabs, new lines, and carriage returns (the last two are uncommon). 50 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD