FCP X v.10.1: Change Project Settings

Posted on by Larry

Normally, when you create a new project in Final Cut, all your settings are fine. But, every so often, in the middle of an edit, you discover that your project settings are wrong. This article explains what you need to know to change them.

NOTE: Project properties determine the image size, frame rate, and render settings for a Final Cut project. Different projects can each have customized project settings.

THE PROBLEM IS THE DEFAULT

Most of the time, when you create a new project, keep things simple and just give it a name and location.

However, under the hood, when you click the Use Custom Settings button, you discover that Final Cut adjusts the project settings based upon the first clip you edit into the project.

This automatic setting can cause problems when you are shooting a different image size, frame rate, or video format than the one you need to deliver. Or, when you are working with multiple video formats in the same project. In these cases, if you edit the wrong format into the Timeline as your first clip, the project settings change automatically. Worse, Final Cut does not notify you that the project settings were modified.

SEE PROJECT SETTINGS

To discover what your project settings are, select the project in the Browser, then go to Inspector > Info. The project settings are listed at the top of the Info panel. In this example, my project is a 720p 59.94 fps HD project.

CHANGE PROJECT SETTINGS

To change project settings, select the project in the Browser, then do one of the following:

This opens the Info tab in the Inspector. Click the Modify Settings button.

This opens the Custom Project Settings panel, where you can change the project properties. When you configure properties after you’ve created the project, the option to have the product automatically match the format of the first clip is no longer available.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have clips edited into the Timeline, you will not be able to change the frame rate. To alter the frame rate do one of the following:

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