Advanced Editing in FCP

Module 1
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 1
 Topics covered in this Module:
 Creating a still frame

 Exporting a still frame to Photoshop and

modifying it
 Making a constant speed change to a clip

 Making a Fit-to-fill edit

 Creating Variable Speed change

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 1 – Constant Speed change
 A Constant Speed change:
 Affects both Audio and Video
 Always changes the duration of the clip

 Always changes the duration of the timeline

 Always plays from the In to the Out point

 A variable speed change does none of these things

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 1 – Variable Speed changes
 A Variable Speed change:
 Affects only Video
 Never changes the duration of the clip

 Never changes the duration of the timeline

 Plays from the In, but is unstable after that

Variable speed changes are “funky” and “aesthetic”

rather than scientifically precise
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 2 – Working with Text
 Tips for creating Better Text:
 Explain Action and Title Safe

 Creating Text in Final Cut Pro

 Full screen
 Lower Thirds

 Scrolling Credits

 Lower third text crawl

 Using BORIS 3D for titling

 Creating a 3D title

 Creating a credit scroll

 Getting to know Live Type

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 2 – Working with Text
 Tips for creating Better Text:
 Remember Video has Low Resolution

 Don’t use text smaller than 24 points

 Avoid highly ornate or curly fonts

 Avoid fonts with thin lines ( ex: Pixel font )

 Sans Serif fonts look better than Serif fonts in Video

( example of sans serif: Arial, Verdana, Tahoma )

 Make sure there is good contrast between the text and the

background
 Always add a Drop Shadow – Good drop shadow settings
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 3 – Motion Templates
 Selecting a Template:
 Using a template

 Understanding Drop zone and Text blocks

 Changing a template

 Replacing a template

 Individually
 In a sequence

 in the entire project

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 4 – UsingVideo Generators
 A Video Generator:
 is a video file created by FCP like Bars & Tone, Gradients,

Colors, Time Code etc

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 4 – Using Video Generators
 Bars & Tone:
 If outputting to a Analog format like Betacam or Digital Betacam, then

set your tone level to 0 dB

If outputting to DV or HDV, then set the level to -12 dB and if,

 outputting to a professional format like DVC Pro or HDCAM, then set

the level to -20 dB

 Slug:

 A slug can also be obtained from the generator menu ( the box with

‘A’ on it ) and it’s default duration can be changed from the user
preferences. By default all generators are a minute long, although you
can change this duration.
Always use a generator in the middle of a sequence, otherwise when

shifting the sequence, a clip or more can go out of synch

 Gradients:

 Two kinds of gradients – Linear and custom ( from Render Menu )

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 4 – Using Video Generators
 Time Code:
 Although Time Code is strictly speaking, a filter, we can

club it under the generic term of Generators as the Time

Code or TC is actually generated from the computer.
 Two ways of adding Time Code into a shot.

 Time Code of each individual clip Vs Time code of the full

film
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Using Compositing Modes
 Composite Modes:
 What is a Composite Mode

 Why are they used ?

 Principle Categories

 Creating special categories

 Creating Special effects

 Blending Textures

 Beauty Shots

 Enhancing Landscapes

 Travel Mattes

 Assigning Keyboard Short cuts

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Using Compositing Modes
 Composite Modes:
 The process of creating a new image by combining

multiple images is called Compositing

 A Composite Mode ( Photoshop calls it a “Blend Mode” )

Combines pixels between stacked video clips based upon

their numerical values. For example Luminance, Color or
Transparency.
Composite Modes are used when you want to retain the
texture of both tracks in the final composited image.
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Using Compositing Modes
 Principal Mode Categories:
 Composites based on Luminance

Screen
Overlay

Multiply

 Composites based on Color

Subtract
Difference

 Composites based on Transparency

Travel Matte Alpha – Alpha determines which pixels are opaque,
which pixels are transparent, and those in between.
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Using Compositing Modes
 Principal Mode Categories:
 Composites based on Luminance

Screen
Overlay

Multiply

 Screen combines pixels based on their lightest value

 Multiply combines pixels based on their darkest value

 and Overlay combines pixels on both the lightest and the

darkest value.
 Be careful about the “Add” transfer mode since it

multiplies the luminance value and very often for video this
might result in an “overbright” picture
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Using Compositing Modes
 Enhancing Beauty:
 A good way of enhancing beauty is to use a combination of

the transfer ( Color compositing ) modes and the use of

Gauusian blur
 First, duplicate the clip and put it on another track

 Apply a Gaussian Blur between 10 and 30 pixels

 Apply screen mode to the top clip

Enhancing Landscapes:

 A good way of enhancing Landscapes is to use a gradient

clip on top of the sunset or sunrise with an “Overlay” mode

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Using Compositing Modes
 Travelling Matte:
 A good way of getting moving text inside a sequence of

text is to use a “Travel Matte”. This needs 3 or 4 layers.

 One moving or still background

 One layer of text with alpha

 Another layer of text for the drop shadow and

 A fourth layer which acually “cuts a hole” in the text. This

is the layer on which the matte is applied

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Using Compositing Modes
 Keyboard shortcuts for Compositing Modes:
 As you will be using Compositing Modes frequently, it is a

good idea to set up “Keyboard shortcuts”. To do this,

 select “customize: from the Keyboard layout from the

“Tools” menu.
 go to the Shift + Option ( or any other combination which

does not have the number keys used ) section

 unlock the keys layout

 Type in “Mode” to get to all the compositing modes

 Assign the shortcuts to the number keys, in the order of

popularity – i.e screen, multiply and overlay in first 3 etc.

 Save the keyboard preferences file on your pendrive.
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 5 – Compositing Modes - Summary
Compositing Modes:
 Compositing Modes create different looks by

combining textures, colors or transparency

 All are addressed from the Modify menu or control

clicking a clip
 To speed up using the modes, you can assign

quick keyboard shortcuts

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 6 – Color Correction - Overview
Intro to Color Correction:
 Five Rules of Color Correction

 How to read scopes

 How to correct contrast

 How to automatically correct color for the entire

image
 Using the Broadcast safe filter
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 6 – Color Correction - Overview
5 Rules of Color Correction:
 Never Color Correct without using scopes and ideally, a

color video monitor

 Changing Color has no impact on contrast
 Always set contrast first

 Black levels should be set to 0 %

 White levels should not exceed 100 %

 Equal amounts of Red, Green, and Blue equal

Black, White, or Grey.
 To remove a color, add the opposite color
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 6 – Color Correction - Overview
Skin Tone Guidelines:
 Caucasian skin tone

 45 – 60% gray scale

 Saturation around 2nd Circle

 Asian / Hispanic skin tone

 35 – 50% gray scale
 Saturation between 1st and 2nd Circle

 Black Skin tone

 20 – 45% gray scale
 Saturation around 1st Circle
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 6 – Color Correction – Set up
 Put the playhead on the clip you want to color

correct and select the clip

 Apply the color correction 3-way filter

 Double click the clip to load it into the viewer

 And click the color corrector 3-way tab

 Select window>arrange> color correction

 Set the black level to 0%

 Set the white level to just below 100%

 If necessary, correct the whites

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 6 – Color Correction – Fixing Color
 Always, always adjust the contrast first after
applying the 3-way color corrector
 set the black level to zero – use histogram if

necessary
 set the whites and blacks through the

eyedropper
 Use the Luma check to see that the whites are

not overburning
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 6 – Color Correction – Summary
 Put the playhead in the clip you want to color
correct, and select the clip
 Apply the color correction 3-way filter

 Double click the clip to load it into the viewer,

and click the color correction 3-way tab

 Select Window>Arrange>Color Correction

 Set the white to just below 100%

 If necessary, color correct the whites

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 7 – Nesting
 Nesting is the process of combining other
sequences inside other sequences ( upto 8 levels
deep ) allowing you to treat a group of clips as a
single clip
 Nests can be created from a clip, group of clips or

an existing sequence
 Nests are dynamic, instantly reflecting changes

 However nesting should only be done when you

are working on final resolution

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 7 – Nesting Examples
 Building a show master
 Adding an effect to a group of clips

 Changing the processing order between filters and

motion effects
 Creating special effects

 Burned in timecode

 Wide screen matte

 Extra wide video for a travelling matte

 Use Command+drag to un-nest a nest

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 7 – Nesting Examples
Adding an effect to a group of clips
 Put your group of clips one on top of the other

 go up to Sequence>Nest items or use the

keyboard shortcut, Option+C

 Name the group

 Option+Click the clip, or drag it into the viewer

 Apply the filter or Motion Effect

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 7 – Nesting – Adding Timecode
 Select all of the clips ( Command+A )
 Click Option+C

 Go to timecode reader in the effects Menu

 Drop the reader into the clip

 Option Click clip to load it into the viewer and then

change the timecode overlay settings in the controls

section of the viewer
 You can also do the slug + timecode as shown in the

composite mode settings section

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 7 – Nesting – Filters> Processing Order

 Select a clip and Apply a filter such as Gaussian Blur

 Next go to Motion tab and scale it by 50%

 Notice that although the clip ( the Bird ) is blurred,

the edges are sharp

 Next undo all the filters that you have put

 Now option/Click clip ( to load into viewer )

 Scale the clip and then nest it, giving the nest a name

 Now if you load clip into viewer and apply Gaussian

Blur both the clip and the edges are softened

 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 7 – Nesting – Applying Widescreen Matte
 To make 4:3 Video look like it was shot in 16:9
 Select all the clips and nest it, naming the nest

 Select clip and apply the widescreen matte

 Load the clip into the viewer

 16:9 ratio is 1.78:1 ( explain that later )

 automatically adds letterboxing to it ( you can see the

letterboxing by changing the border color )

 To actually give it the 16:9 aspect ratio, go to Motion tab and

crop the top and bottom by 14.

 This however only gives the illusion of 16:9. When you export

it to a QT movie, the movie is still 4:3. The only way to actually

change it to 16:9 is to crop it in Compressor
 Advanced Editing in FCP
Module 7 – Nesting – Summary
 To Un-nest a sequence, you can either drag it into the timeline
and then double-click the clip to open it in another timeline
 While dragging a clip from the viewer or bin to the timeline,

hold down the Command key as soon as the Nest is over a video
track. The individual clips will show up.
 Use Nests whenever you want to act on them as a single clip

 Only use nests at your final resolution, not as part of an off-

line edit
 If audio is jerky or drops in a nest, use Audio Mix down to

render the audio

 Option + C is keyboard shortcut for nesting

 Command + drag, un-nests a nes