Book Image

Final Cut Pro Efficient Editing

By : Iain Anderson
Book Image

Final Cut Pro Efficient Editing

By: Iain Anderson

Overview of this book

Final Cut Pro (also known as FCP, previously Final Cut Pro X) is Apple’s efficient and accessible video editing software for everyone, offering powerful features that experienced editors and novices will find useful. FCP is the quickest way to transform your raw clips into a finished piece, so if speed is important, make this a key tool in your editing arsenal. Final Cut Pro Efficient Editing is a comprehensive best practice guide for all editors. You’ll not only learn how to use the features but also find out which ones are the most important and when you should use them. With the help of practical examples, the book will show you how typical footage can be assembled, trimmed, colored, and finessed to produce a finished edit, exploring a variety of techniques. As you progress through the book, you’ll follow a standard editing workflow to get the feel of working on real-world projects and answer self-assessment questions to make sure that you’re on track. By the end of this Final Cut Pro book, you’ll be well versed with the key features of this app and have all the tools you need to create impressive edits.
Table of Contents (20 chapters)
1
Section 1: Importing and Organizing
7
Section 2: Rough Cut to Fine Cut
13
Section 3: Finishing and Exporting

Playback shortcuts

The spacebar (play/pause) is a great shortcut to start with, and as it's the largest key on the keyboard, it's easy to hit. But you'll need to know about a few more keys too because just starting and stopping playback isn't enough. To review a lot of footage, you might need to play it back much faster than normal. Conversely, when you need to be specific about the exact frame you want, you might want to play it back much slower. All that and more is coming right up.

Basic shortcuts

J, K, and L are the three keys you should mash firmly into your brain:

  • L plays forward.
  • K pauses.
  • J plays backward:
Figure 4.15: J, K, L: the keys you want to use every day

Figure 4.15: J, K, L: the keys you want to use every day

These keys work in the Viewer, in the Timeline, and even in QuickTime Player — they're probably the most important shortcuts you'll learn today. You can use these with your left or right hand, in combination with a mouse or...