Apple released Final Cut Studio (3) on July 23, 2009. This is a quick look at the announcement and an exclusive interview with Richard Townhill, Director of Video Application Marketing for Apple, about the new software suite.
When I was writing my first book on Final Cut Pro a few years ago, I developed a nine-step editing workflow that answered the question: “What should I be doing right now?” However, over the years, I’ve learned more and Apple has released new software, so this nine-step process has become a bit outdated. Today I want to revisit and update it. Especially for editors that are new, or just getting back into the industry, my hope is that in following these steps, you’ll have a better way to keep track of what you should be doing “right now.”
The issue of converting to ProRes is addressed along with a walk-through of the pros and cons of the different version.
As you know, most versions of Final Cut Pro are tied to work best with certain versions of QuickTime. However, as time passes, it gets harder and harder to remember all the different permutations. Here’s a quick link to a website that has the answers.
With the release of Final Cut Pro 7, we got a new export menu option – Send. In this article, I take a first look at the differences between Share, Send, and Export; and explain which one to use.
With FCP 5’s support for HDV, you need to change the size of images you import. Here are new scan numbers you should use.
Apple changed the algorythms FCP uses for scaling and rotation for FCP 5. This explains what the changes are, how to use them and how to convert to the new settings.
Preference settings have changed in FCP 5. This article shows you how to optimize your setting to get the most from your editing system.
JPEGs are highly compressed, which means they often show blockiness or other image artifacts. However, they tend to have smaller file sizes. TIFFs are uncompressed with great image quality. However, their file sizes tend to be lots bigger. All things being equal, I recommend using TIFFs.
Final Cut is not, generally, used for live recording. However, in this article, discover how one reader uses it for live recording and simultaneous playback.
Here is a ten-step, tested technique to convert DVCProHD sequences into HDV. This would a good way to archive HD sequences if you don’t have a DVCProHD sequence to tape.
Without a doubt, the question I get asked the most is “what should I buy?” This article explains all the different gear you may need for your editing sytem along with links to companies and products to consider. This isn’t a commercial, rather it’s a tutorial on what you need to know to make some good investments.
What do you do when your client requests a video that’s almost 13,000 pixels wide? (Well, after panicking a bit first…) Steve Sebban took on this task for a museum. Since then, I’ve heard from other editors who need, or use, this technique for the chasing lights around the edges of stadiums. Fortunately, Final Cut Pro makes this easy… if you ignore render times.
Having problems capturing 24 fps video from the DVX camera? This article tells you what you need to know.
Creating a single layer DVD is relatively easy. But a dual-layer DVD requires that we pay attention to where the switch occurs between the two layers — called the Dual-Layer Break Point. This article explains what it is, how to find it, and what you need to know to successfully create a dual-layer DVD.
NTSC video, unlike PAL and HD, has two different timecode systems — drop-frame and non-drop-frame. This article describes what they are and when you need to worry about them.
In this technique, I want to show you how to use clip distortion to create an interesting opening title sequence. Distortion, also called “corner pinning,” allows us to change the shape of the frame from a rectangle to a parallelogram, then modify it using keyframes so it changes over time.
The default video transition in Final Cut Pro is a 30 frame cross-dissolve. This article shows you how to change it.
Final Cut’s text tools are pretty limited in the design department. But here is a simple way to make your closing credits look much more interesting without a lot of work.
What do you do when you have locked yourself out of your own computer? Well, besides screaming and yelling… This short article shows you the backdoor you can use to get access to a computer you are locked out of.