Final Cut Pro X Certification Lesson 6

Lesson 6: Fine-Tuning the Rough Cut

Apple Pro Training Series

Final Cut Pro XInstructor: Sam

Edsall

Preparing the Project

Start up the FCP External Drive:Find your APTS FCP X drive and double click to start it up.

Preparing the Project

Load ‘em up:In the Project Library drag the Lesson 6 folder onto APTS FCP X.

Open the folder and close all the other lessons.

Renaming Clips

Duplicating the Project

Make a copy:Two-finger click the ‘Zero to Hero’ project, and from the shortcut menu choose ‘Duplicate Project’

Do you need to duplicate the media, too? No.

Select ‘Duplicate Project Only’ and deselect ‘Include Render Files’

Duplicating the Project

Name the copy:Select the duplicate project and rename the project ‘Zero to Hero_V2’

Open this project into the Timeline.

Press Shift Z to fit all the project clips into the timeline.

Removing Clip Selections & Adding

Gaps

Removing Clip Selections & Adding

Gaps

Remove a Range from a Clip

Skim to the first red marker and zoom into that area.

With the skimmer on the first red marker, press I to set an In point.

FCP assumes you want the Out point at the end of the clip. In this case, that is correct.

Press Delete to perform a ripple delete.

Removing Clip Selections & Adding

Gaps

Remove a Range from More than One

ClipFrom the Tools pop-up menu select the Range tool or press R.

Play the first part of Tony Schumacher clip and set a marker (press M) just before he begins his line, “Nobody wakes up”

Snap the Range pointer to the red marker and drag to your blue marker.

Press Delete.

Lifting Content

Lifting ContentSet the view to show the audio.

Play the first part of the Tony Pedregon clip.-- he stalls before making his point.

Skim to just after he says, ‘the breed.’

Press B for the blade tool and cut the clip at this location.

Skim to just after he says, ‘drag racer is’ and click again at this spot.

Lifting ContentPress A for the selection tool.

Click the middle Tony click to select and press Shift-Delete.-- the middle clip is replaced with a gap

Gaps

Selection Tool vs. Position Tool

Lifting ContentIn the Tools pop-up menu select the Position tool or press P.

Drag the second Tony clip to the left about halfway though the gap clip and release.

Play the clips in this configuration.

Making a Point with a Pause

Dramatic PauseSelect the Selection tool – A

Play the Antron Brown clip.

Position the play head after he says, ‘take the Wally home’

Choose Edit > Insert Gap-- shortcut Option W-- the remaining storyline opens to allow for a new clip-- 3-second gap is placed at the play head location.

Trimming

Trimming

TrimmingIn the Project Library open the Delicious Peace_rough project and duplicate.

Rename the project ‘Delicious Peace Done’ and load the project.

Play though the VO7 point.-- the VO finishes before 60 seconds, but the clips run past this point.-- we will trim some clips to get this spot closer to 60 seconds.

Have a Look AroundWith the skimmer a little bit past the VO7 clip, press Command + to zoom in a few times to find the ‘workers relaxing’ clip.

2-finger click on the clip and choose Open in Timeline from the shortcut menu.-- the marked portion of the project clip is highlighted in milky white-- media handles are darkened on either side.

Make a TrimTo return to the project, click the left History arrow-- shortcut Command [

Find the ‘woman picks beans’ clip above VO_09 and zoom in.--notice how the woman looks up at the end.

Move the pointer to the end of that clip and select the End edit point.

Drag left until the numerical timecode field reads about -2:00

Make a TrimClean up the edit:

Select the end of VO_09 and trim it left just enough to fit VO_08 back up with the others.

Check your audio edit with ‘play around’ (Shift ?)

Creating a Storyline

Create a StorylineShift Z so you can see the whole project.

Draw a rectangle to select all of the VO clips.

2-finger click (CTRL click) one of the VO clips and choose ‘Create Storyline’ from the shortcut menu.

Nudging an Edit Point

Nudge an Edit PointSelect the end of the ‘Woman picks beans’ and press the , and . Keys to nudge the clip to just before she looks up from the Viewer.

Checking Your Edit

Play Around the Edit Point

Select FCP > Preferences and change the Pre-roll and Post-roll settings to 3.0 seconds.

Press Shift / to play around the edit point.

Set up for Detailed Trimming

In Preferences select the Editing tab.

Make sure ‘Show detailed trimming feedback’ is turned on.-- allows you to see both clips at the edit point you are trimming

Trimming IndicatorsMove your pointer to the next clip ‘man picks beans’ and click on the Start edit point.

Drag the edit point left and right. Notice the indications about the changes you make.

Press Command Z to undo.

Trimming Indicators

Using the Play head as a Trim Marker

Skim though the ‘man picks beans’ clip and find where the man starts to lower the beans into the bucket.

Click just before this action to set the play head.

Drag the Start point to the right and snap it to the play head.

Using the Play head as a Trim Marker

Trimming Shortcuts

Skim the ‘dark beans ground’ clip.

Press Command = (+) to zoom in on the clip.

Move the skimmer inside the Start point and press Option [

Press Command Z to undo.

Practice Some Trim Shortcuts

Move the skimmer inside the End point to just before the zoom out

Press Option ] to trim the End point.

Press Command Z to undo.

Practice Some Trim Shortcuts

Move the skimmer inside the Start point to just before the zoom out and set an In point.

Skim to just before the fast zoom out and set an Out point.((can also use the range tool))

Press Option \ to trim the head and tail material of the clip.

Press Command Z to undo.

Practice Some Trim Shortcuts

Extend Edit

Skim to the end of the ‘xylophone music’ clip and click its End point.

Skim to the end of the VO_07 clip.

To shorten the music clip to this location, press Shift X

Extend Edit

The Trim Tool

Zoom in to the first 2 clips of the map.

Select the Trim tool from the tools pop-up toolbar or select T.

Select the End point of the ‘map of Africa’ clip and trim right 1½ seconds.

Trim Edit with the Trim Tool

Filmstrip = media start point on Map of incoming

Uganda clip

MWF

Roll Edit with the Trim Tool

Select the edit point between the two map clips with the trim tool.

Drag the edit right 15 frames then back 15 frames.

Notice the changes in the Viewer when you do this.

Roll Edit with the Trim Tool

End point of outgoing

clip

Start point of incoming

clip

Play the ‘grind stone’ and ‘woman sweeps coffee’ clips and zoom into that area.

Roll the edit point left until each clip shows the woman’s hand on the grinding stone-- about -22 frames

Roll Edit with the Trim Tool

Slip Edit with the Trim Tool

Zoom into the 3rd to the last clip ‘workers relaxing’-- we will slip the contents so we can see that woman in red

Move the trim tool over the middle of the clip so you see the slip icon.

Drag left until you first see the red shirted arm. Then drag left another 2 seconds and release.

Slip Edit with the Trim Tool

New start point of clip

New end point of clip

Shift Z to zoom out, then zoom into the ‘man picks beans’ clip.

Move the trim tool right as far as possible on the clip.-- bring the man’s smile into the shot.

When you see the red start point, you’ve reached the media start point and can’t go further.

Slip Edit with the Trim Tool

Slide Edit with the Trim Tool

Skim to the ‘making coffee’ clip.

Press Shift / to play around that area.-- we will move this slide this clip left until the woman sweeps the beans 3 times.

Using the Viewer as a guide, press option and slip the clip left until the woman sweeping beans has completed three sweeps.

Slide Edit with the Trim Tool

Trimming with Precision

In the project library folder open the ‘Fairly Legal_rough’ project, make a duplicate and load that into the timeline.

Audio is important to see when trimming so increase the size of the audio waveforms in the clips with the Clip appearance button.

Trimming with Precision

Double-click the edit point between the 1st two clips 4A-1_110(A) and 4B-3_110(A) clips to open the precision editor

--shortcut – select the edit point and press Control E

Trimming with Precision

Trimming with Precision

Trimming with Precision

Selecting what to View

Zoom in and play through the edit.

The judge says ‘detritus of justice’ twice. We will keep the line on Kate’s camera, but trim it off on the wide shot.

On the outgoing clip find the spot right after ‘other’ but before ‘detritus of justice’

Trimming with Precision

Select the outgoing clip at this point and drag it right to the edit point.

On the incoming clip move the hand to the spot just after ‘other’ but before ‘detritus of justice’

Click with the hand tool. The edit updates at the hand position.

Trimming with Precision

Rolling with Precision

Rolling with Precision

Click on the edit line handle to prepare to roll.

Drag the edit line handle left about 15 frames so the Viewer shows Kate holding the book in her arm.

Play the new edit.

Rolling with Precision

Rolling with Precision

Two-finger click the the second clip 4B-3_110(A) and choose ‘Expand Audio/Video’-- shortcut – Control S

Select the first clip and do the same thing.

Rolling with Precision

Select the trim tool (T) and select the edit point between these two clips.

Drag right until in the Viewer you see a good match between Kate’s actions so she’s holding the book closed in each frame.

Press Shift \ to play around the edit.

Shortcuts:

Homework Assignment:

Your job is to fix the rest of this scene using the trim, roll and precision editor so the dialogue flows smoothly.

Share as an Apple iPhone and save as (your name) Lesson 6.m4v to iTunes U.

Lesson 6: Fine-Tuning the Rough Cut

Apple Pro Training Series

Final Cut Pro XInstructor: Sam

Edsall