Blog Archives

OS X 10.5 (Leopard) has a new help system that is very cool and available in just about every application. In this article, Ben Balser describes what you need to know to take advantage of it.

Keyboard shortcuts make work a lot easier. Here are eleven that I recently discovered that I never knew existed; along with a suggestion on how to get keyboard shortcuts that use Function Keys to work on your computer.

Here’s the problem. You have high-definition (HD) 16:9 footage that you need to create a standard-definition (SD) 4:3 full-screen image. This means that you are going to lose some visual information on the sides of your image. What’s the best way to do this? This article explains what you need to know.

I discovered this technique a few months ago and was stunned at how easy it is to change the speed of a clip without have the duration change destroy the organization of the rest of my sequence. This is VERY cool!

Adding DVD chapter markers to a QuickTime movie is reasonably easy. But how do you do this for H.264 compressed video. This article describes what you need to know.

Chapter markers are frequently used in DVD production. However, you can also put them in QuickTime movies to simplify navigation. However, compressing using H.264 makes this process a bit more difficult. But not impossible, as this article explains how to do it.

Chroma-keying, also called blue-screen or green-screen, is the process of making the background transparent so you can insert the foreground into a different shot. It sounds easy, but in practice, its tricky. This is because the chroma-keyer in Final Cut is, to be kind, sub-optimal. In this article, I’ll show you a better way to key — using Motion. Better yet, you don’t need to really know Motion to get great results.

Normally, you can delete one marker or all markers. This article shows you how to delete any arbitrary range of clip markers.

The most common use of color correction is to correct for cameras that didn’t white balance properly. This article gives you a seven-step process to help make your images look great.

Have you ever created a still image, only to see the color or gray scale shift when you imported it into Final Cut Pro? This article explains what’s going on and how you fix it.

This article explains how to create custom column headings in the Browser.

If you’ve ever had to convert a 16:9 sequence into a 4:3 letterbox video, this explains how to do it.

Subclips allow you to break up a longer media file into much more manageable chunks, without needing to recapture. However, creating subclips can be tedious — unless you know this secret technique.

Final Cut does not like, in fact, it HATES, putting compressed audio files (MP3, AC3, AAC) in the Timeline. They sound awful. Instead, you need to convert your compressed audio to AIF before importing them into Final Cut Pro. This technique describes how.

Working with video clips in different aspect ratios (i.e. 4:3 and 16:9) can cause headaches for anyone. In this article, Daniel Rain describes his system of working with a variety of different files in PAL.

The native format of HDV isn’t QuickTime, it’s .M2T. However, FCP can’t play M2T files – it needs to convert them. There are two ways you can do this — using Compressor or using MPEG StreamClip. This article shows you how.

This technique grew out of a classroom discussion looking at all the different ways to copy and paste filters. There’s more than one way — in fact, there are at least five. Here they are.

You may have heard that Final Cut sequences can be customized. But what you may not know is how significantly you can make changes — as long as you don’t want to play the results on a DVD or record them to video tape. In this article, I’ll show you how to change the size of your sequence to any size you want.

There are some really good preference file managers for Final Cut Pro. But, sometimes, you need to create something customized for yourself. In this case, Automator can give you a hand. Don Smith sent in this technique of using Automator to simplify the process of creating FCP preference backups.

With over 650 menu commands, Final Cut has a wealth of options to choose from for controlling the program. However, sometimes, life would be much easier if you could just create a few custom keyboard shortcuts to make your life easier. You can, and this article shows you how.

A sequence dragged into another sequence creates a nest – a single item contained in another. However, sometimes you need to deconstruct all the elements of that first sequence. Here’s a quick tip that explains how.

There’s a hidden diagnostic tool in Final Cut that allows you check to see if your RAID or hard disk is playing back your media files properly. This article describes how to access it.

Philip Roy writes in with a question about saving custom transitions, if only in part, which Larry answers and is later expounded on by Andy Mees.

It’s possible to drag files from the Finder into the Final Cut Browser. But do you want to? In this article, I explain the process and provide reasons both pro and con about doing so.

There are a variety of ways to export a project from Final Cut Pro for a DVD. This article showcases the best way to do it if you are using Final Cut Pro 6.x. (FCP 7 users may want to consider using Share or Send, which this article doesn’t cover.)

A reader asked me how I organize my files when I’m creating a DVD. Well, organization best starts at the beginning of a project, so in this brief article, I outline the folders I create and where I store my files.

By default, DVD Studio Pro creates tracks that support 4:3 video. However, this is easy to change, but hard to find. This short article describes what you need to do to create wide-screen DVDs.

Soundtrack Pro is far better at editing and mixing audio than Final Cut Pro is. While this can make your audio sound a lot better, you still run the risk of knocking your audio out of sync. This article explains more about how to prevent this problem.

One confusing issue new editors need to deal with is getting Final Cut Pro to recognize 16:9 (also called “widescreen,” or “anamorphic”) video. As well, if the editor is a new Mac user, they may also have problems with exported file sizes. This article addresses both these issues.

PPMs are something we never hear about in North America. All our audio is measured in dB. However, in Europe, PPM is THE standard of audio measurement — and Final Cut does not support it natively. This article explains what you need to know, and how to measure audio in PPMs.

Here’s a simple technique you can use to export all the data in the Browser into a format you can read in Excel, Word, or Text Edit.

This technique generated a LOT of responses — how to export a series of still to create a slide show. This technique shows you a couple different ways to create this effect.

MXF is the native format for a variety of HD video formats. However, it is not one that Final Cut Pro currently supports. This short article details what you need to know to get your QuickTime video into MXF format.

There are a variety of ways to export a project from Final Cut Pro for a DVD. This article showcases the best way to do it if you are using Final Cut Pro 6.x. (FCP 7 users may want to consider using Share or Send, which this article doesn’t cover.)

The Grad filter has been used by professional photographers for decades. Now, this same power is available to you inside Final Cut Pro.

Creating a slow-motion clip is easy: Modify > Speed. But what if you want to create a fast-motion clip and your hard disk isn’t fast enough to keep up? This short article explains what you need to know.

Creating favorite filters is just a quick drag away, using this technique.

Tired of recreating the same effects over and over again? Final Cut has a better way – create a Favorite Effect. This article shows you how fast and easy this is.

Have you been mystified by all the different files FCP creates? This article explains what you need to know – and where they are hidden.

Here’s a great technique that not only provides a interesting effect, but teaches you how to use cropping when you are creating effects.

In this article Larry fields a question regarding recommended color space when importing images into FCP.

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.

The default video transition in Final Cut Pro is a 30 frame cross-dissolve. This article shows you how to change it.

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.

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.

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.

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.

As Eric Mittan writes: “My favorite keyboard shortcuts are those that are contextual. The function of the keys in question change in the context of what task is being performed, or what item is selected, or what tool is chosen in order to get a different, if slightly related result.

The best way to archive your project is to organize it before you even start. This article provides a host of tips on getting organized, what to save and how to go about it.

Asymmetric trimming allows you to trim the audio and video in opposite directions at the same time. I’m still not sure if this is a good or bad thing. Here’s how it works.