Free Tutorials

1189 articles.

Get Started with BorisFX Particle Illusion [v]

Particle Illusion is a free, powerful particle generator that runs on both Macs and Windows with hundreds of presets for 2D or 3D particles. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to get started using it.

Use BorisFX Continuum to Create and Track Multiple Masks and Effects [v]

BorisFX Continuum is the “Swiss Army Knife for visual effects for video editors and motion graphics creatives. In this short video tutorial Larry Jordan shows how to create a complex effect using blurs, color effects and multiple masks, plus Mocha mask tracking in BorisFX Continuum 2022.5 and Final Cut Pro.

Use BorisFX Continuum to Create & Track a Masked Blur Effect [v]

BorisFX Continuum is the “Swiss Army Knife for visual effects for video editors and motion graphics creatives. In this short video tutorial Larry Jordan shows how to create a simple blur effect using masks and Mocha mask tracking in BorisFX Continuum 2022.5 in Final Cut Pro.

Use BorisFX Continuum to Create a Day-for-Night Visual Effect [v]

BorisFX Continuum is the “Swiss Army Knife for visual effects for video editors and motion graphics creatives. In this short video tutorial Larry Jordan shows how to create a simple “Day-for-Night” color effect using Continuum in Final Cut Pro.

Add Vertical Video to a Horizontal Timeline Without Losing Image Quality

Integrating vertical video into a horizontal video timeline is increasingly common. Here’s an illustrated tutorial on how to do it using both Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere Pro.

Audio Design Desk Releases Media Bridge — Plus a Special Offer!

Audio Design Desk is an amazing program. It creates sound environments faster and easier than anything I’ve ever seen. Now they’ve extended it with Media Bridge connecting ADD with sound effects libraries across the web. Learn more!

First Look: Analyze Media with MediaInfo

MediaInfo, published by MediaArea, is a convenient unified display of the most relevant technical data for video and audio files. It is free, available through the MacApp store. Here’s a detailed look at this useful utility.

How to Slow Video to a Still Frame in Final Cut Pro

Here’s an illustrated tutorial on how to slow a video clip from full-speed to a standing stop, then back up to full-speed, while inserting a freeze frame in the middle that can be any duration you want using Apple Final Cut Pro.

Relinking Media in Apple Final Cut Pro

Relinking media in Final Cut has become increasing powerful and flexible. Here’s an illustrated tutorial on how it works, along with advice on where to store media for different Final Cut Pro projects.

Why Video Bit-depth Matters

Video bit depth makes a difference when you are creating effects, color grading or working with HDR material. Here’s an explanation of what bit depth is and when to care about it.

How To Create Retro Film Effects With Final Cut Pro

This illustrated tutorial on creating retro film effects using Final Cut Pro was written by Burkhard Berger.

Put Video Inside 3D Text: A Final Cut Pro Template

This tutorial creates a 3D text template in Apple Motion that allows Apple Final Cut Pro to put moving video inside adjustable, textured 3D text. There are many creative variations on this idea.

What Features Does Apple Final Cut Pro Still Need?

Last week, Apple reassured editors it remained committed to Final Cut. But were they firing up development or simply being nice? This article is an effort to spark a discussion between Final Cut editors on what features they want to see and how important those features are. I encourage you to add your suggestions and comments.

Create Virtual Angles and Montages in a Final Cut Pro Multicam Clip [v]

Multicam recording captures an event using multiple cameras. Multicam editing displays all those angles during the edit. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to create virtual angles in a multicam clip to provide more diversity in shot selection, as well as how to create a montage using multicam in Final Cut Pro.

Add Visual Effects and Color Correction to a Multicam Clip in Final Cut Pro [v]

Multicam recording captures an event using multiple cameras. Multicam editing displays all those angles during the edit. In this short video tutorial, Larry Jordan shows how to add visual effects and color grading to a multicam clip in Final Cut Pro.

Access Multi-track Audio in an FCP Multicam Clip [v]

Multicam recording captures an event using multiple cameras. Multicam editing displays all those angles during the edit. In this short video excerpt, Larry Jordan shows how to handle multi-channel audio in a Final Cut multicam clip.

Apple Responds to Editors’ Petition to Refocus on Final Cut Pro

Apple responds to Final Cut Pro editors’ petition to refocus and intensity marketing and development on Final Cut Pro.

Compare Compression Speed and Quality Using Apple Compressor Single vs. Multi-pass

Based on a reader’s comment, this compares image quality between three different source codecs (ProRes, MPEG-2 and H.264) compressed into H.264 using Apple Compressor. This also illustrates how many CPU and GPU cores were active.

Compare Export Speeds and GPU Use for Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve on an M1 MacBook Pro

This tutorial compares the export speed on an Apple silicon MacBook Pro of Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve; along with how effectively they used CPU and GPU systems.The results surprised me – none of them maxed out the system!

How Many CPU Cores Does Apple Final Cut Pro Use?

How many CPU cores do you need for video editing? This illustrated tutorial looks at how many CPU cores Apple Final Cut Pro uses during import, edit, render, export and multicam. The answer is surprising!