Top 10 Updates to Final Cut Pro 10.1

(Editor’s note: I know, I know, the above video is over 90 seconds, but hey, it’s a Top 10 not a tutorial!)

It is no secret that the transition to Final Cut Pro 10 was not a smooth one for most editors.  Many referred to FCPX as iMovie Pro for its’ simplified setup and lack of settings.  So slowly, Apple has been putting the “pro” back in Final Cut Pro and in this latest update to 10.1 more control is back in our hands.  Here’s a list of my 10 favorite features from the update to Final Cut Pro 10.1.

#10 Duplicating Project Timelines as SnapshotsBy holding down Shift + Command + D, you can quickly save a copy of your project that even includes a time-stamp.  It’s now even easier and faster to save versions of your edits.

Link to Duplicating Project Tutorial

#9 Hide Your Browser Window

Have you been aching for more screen real estate?  Now you can have the ultra slimmed down view of just your viewer and your timeline.  Editing has never been so distraction free. Control + Command + 1 and you are living the easy life.

Link to Hiding your Browser Tutorial

#8 Importing Outside Final Cut’s Events Folder

More control equals more power.  You can now completely organize your files however you want them to be organized.  Want to set up a graphics folder or music folder that sits on your drive?  Now you can capture straight to those folders.

Link to Importing to an Outside Folder Tutorial

#7 Creating “Scratch” Libraries

Speaking of more control, how about setting your own scratch drive?  Just like in the good old days you can set a master folder that everything that you capture goes into.  You can set up multiples on a single drive!  The only downside is that strange lavender icon that you can’t double click on.  (Hint: Right click and choose open package contents)

Link to Creating Libraries Tutorial

#6 Open and Close Libraries

With the ability to create a library, you can also close the library.  This doesn’t delete anything, just hides it away.  So now when you plug in a drive while FCP is open, it won’t automatically load every single event that is on that drive.  You will have to go through an extra step of opening the library but the added control makes this a plus.

Link to Opening and Closing Libraries Tutorial

#5 Non-Ripple and Custom Rate Retiming

Now more features are in place for retiming.  By clicking the little down arrow and choosing custom, you are greeted by a host of new options.  The best of these is the ability to retime without pushing everything down your timeline.  Just remove the check mark from “Ripple” and you are in business.  The other key feature is the ability to punch in an exact speed.  This is way more accurate than dragging the edges of the clip!

Link to Non-Ripple Custom Retiming Tutorial

#4 Blade Speed

Now that you can non-ripple retime, you may start messing up your timeline in all sorts of new fun ways, but with blade speed you are again given a new level of control.  Now you can “blade” the retiming.  So without splitting a clip, you can retime a portion of the clip.  Imagine the 300 effect.  Just like the movie about the 300 Spartans, you want to have a clip slowdown, then speed-up, then slowdown again.  Previously, you would have to cut the clip itself.  But now, you can keep the clip intact and cut just the retiming.  This keeps everything together and you will never drop a frame.

Link to Blade Speed Tutorial

#3 Linear Ken Burns

The Ken Burns effect is arguable one of those little preset tricks that FCPX has up it’s sleeve that has sped up my editing time tremendously.  It has arguable been not as effective as it could have been due to the fact that it would always ramp up and down for every. single. clip.  This became problematic if you wanted to cross dissolve between two moving photos.  Now you have more control over the Ken Burns effect.  You can ease in, ease out, or go linear!  They still need to add an offset ending or beginning function but this is still a pretty great little update that was badly needed.

Link to Linear Ken Burns Tutorial

#2 Custom Frame Size

More control.  Real professional settings.  You can now set the frame size to whatever you want!  10 x 10 pixels!  Why not?  Have a client that wants that video set up for a web banner?  Now you can export to the accurate settings!  I’ve been asked numerous times to set something up for the iPad’s vertical resolution and now I can without leaving FCPX.

Link to Custom Frame Size Tutorial

#1 Join Through Edit

It’s back!  It’s taken, what, 2 years for Apple to give us back this feature?  If you’ve split a clip and want it to be rejoined, go up to Trim>Join Clips.

Link to Join Through Edit Tutorial

So those are my favorite new features, but Apple still has a long way to go to woo back professional editors.  How about more export codec settings, Apple?

Check back later for more tutorials and as always please send me your questions!

Adding Organization to Your Libraries in Final Cut Pro X

Hello there!

Let’s talk about organizing our files within the library viewer in Final Cut Pro X.

This tutorial assumes that you have created a library,  imported your footage, and that you are ready to start organizing your clips.  The most basic level of organization begins with keyword collections.  Keywords is like having a soft folder- nothing changes to the file structure to your files outside of Final Cut-the files are categorized and still available in the top folder.

Adding Keywords is easy!  Check out the video above or read on.

Click on the keyword collection icon. 

The icon looks like a key and is found directly below the event browser.  A window pops up on your screen.

Click on a clip and then start typing into the keyword collection window.  Hit “return” to add the keyword.

When you first start adding keywords it will start adding them to your quick keywords.  These can be added to additional clips by clicking on the up arrow and number icon next to the keyword.  You can also push “control + the number associated with the keyword” to add the keyword to the desired clip.

Now your clips are categorized!

Check them out, click on the different keyword collections and you can see just the desired clips that you set for each keyword.

For an advanced tip, you can select an in and out point of your clip (keyboard shortcut of “i” or “o,” respectively) and set those as a keyword collection.

FCPX will add just that selected section into the keyword collection.  You could use this to your advantage by setting a keyword of “Best of” and put in just the good clips.

OK, you’ve organized your clips, but what if you want a further level of organization?  That’s where folders come in!

First click File>New>Folder

A folder is added to your library under your event.  The only thing that can be put into the folders is keyword collections or smart collections.  You cannot individually put clips into the folder.

Drag and drop a keyword collection or smart collection into the folder.

You’ve just organized your files!  Wasn’t that easy?  These few simple steps can save you many minutes down the road of your edit.

As a review, the file organization structure looks like this:

Hard Drive>Libraries>Events>Clips

You can organize it into:

Hard Drive>Libraries>Events>Keyword or Smart Collections>Clips

You can organize it even deeper into:

Hard Drive>Libraries>Events>Folders >Keyword or Smart Collections>Clips

Collections can not exist without Clips.  Folders can only organize Collections.  Clips can not be placed directly into Folders.

While Folders and Collections are optional they can add much more organization to your workflow.

 

Lightbulb-transparent-colorBright Idea!

Use a folder to organize your audio keywords!

Name your folder “Audio Files” and underneath it have the keyword collections of “Music” and “Sound FX.”

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