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Final Cut Pro X Cookbook
Final Cut Pro X Cookbook

Final Cut Pro X Cookbook: Edit with style and ease using the latest editing technologies in Final Cut Pro X! with this book and ebook.

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Final Cut Pro X Cookbook

Chapter 1. Importing Your Media

In this chapter, we will cover:

  • Importing from a tapeless video camera

  • Importing MTS, M2TS, and M2T files

  • Importing DSLR video

  • Importing music from iTunes and GarageBand

  • Importing still images

  • Importing from a tape-based camera

  • Importing and working with layered Photoshop files

  • Importing iMovie projects

  • Importing Final Cut Pro 7 projects

  • Working with your already organized media

  • Relinking media files

Introduction


Most artists have it easy—a painter grabs a brush, some paint and goes straight for the canvas. A writer grabs a pen and paper (or keyboard) and starts writing. A graphic artist grabs a tablet and starts drawing. If only it were that easy for video editors!

Well before an editor can start doing any actual work, we've got to spend a good amount of time getting organized and importing our media. The act of importing is simply the process of bringing our media inside FCPX and making the program aware of its existence. It's very similar to dragging a song file into iTunes—the song file already existed in some capacity, but by dropping it into iTunes, we're making iTunes aware that it exists. The same goes for FCPX in most cases.

Unlike the digital music world, however, which only has a small handful of file formats, the digital video world has dozens, and the process for importing these different media types can vary greatly. And, to top it all off, we have many options to consider as to how we want FCPX to process and handle that media as it is imported!

FCPX can import many kinds of media, but there are many factors that must be considered before doing so to determine the best workflow for a project, and where there's a will there's a way—even if FCPX can't immediately import certain file types or projects from other programs, this chapter will help explain workarounds to do the impossible!

Importing from a tapeless video camera


Chances are, if you've bought a video camera in the last few years, it doesn't record to tape; it records to some form of tapeless media. In most consumer and prosumer cameras, this is typically an SD card, but could also be an internal drive, other various solid-state memory cards, or the thankfully short-lived trend of recordable mini DVDs. In the professional world, examples include Compact Flash, P2 cards (usually found in Panasonic models), SxS cards (many Sony and JVC models, Arri Alexa), or some other form of internal flash storage.

How to do it...

  1. 1. Plug your camera in to your Mac's USB port, or if you're using a higher-end setup with a capture box, plug the box into likely your FireWire or Thunderbolt box. If your camera uses an SD card as its storage medium, you can also simply stick the SD card into your Mac's card reader or external reader. If you are plugging the camera directly in, turn it on, and set it to the device's playback mode. If FCPX is running, it should automatically launch the Import from Camera window. If it does not, click on the Import from Camera icon in the left of the toolbar. You will see thumbnails of all of your camera's clips. You can easily scrub through them simply by passing your mouse over each one.

  2. 2. You can import clips one at a time by selecting a range and then clicking on Import Selected... or you can simply highlight them all and click on Import All... . To select a range, simply move your mouse over a clip until you find the point where you want to start and hit I on your keyboard. Then scrub ahead until you reach where you want the clip to end and hit O.

  3. 3. Whether you chose to select one, a few, or all your clips, once you click on the Import button you will arrive at the Import options screen. Choose what event you want your clips to live in, choose if you want to transcode the clips, and select any analyses you want FCPX to perform on the clips as it imports them. Click on Import. FCPX begins the import process. You can close the window and begin editing immediately!

How it works...

The reason you can edit so quickly, even if you're importing a massive amount of footage, is thanks to some clever programming on Apple's part. While it might take a few minutes or even longer to import all the media off of your camera or memory card, FCPX will access the media directly on the original storage device, until it has finished its import process, and then switch over to the newly imported versions.

There's more...

Creating a camera archive

Creating a camera archive is the simplest and best way to make a backup of your raw footage. Tapeless cameras often store their media in really weird-looking ways with complex folder structures. In many cases, FCPX needs that exact folder structure in order to easily import the media.

A camera archive essentially takes a snapshot or image of your camera's currently stored media and saves it to one simple file that you can access in FCPX over and over again. This of course also frees you to delete the contents of the memory card or media drive and reuse it for another shoot.

In the Camera Import window, make sure your camera is selected in the left column and click on the Create Archive button in the bottom left corner. The resulting window will let you name the archive and pick a destination drive. Obviously, store your archive on an external drive if it's for backup purposes. If you were to keep it on the same drive as your FCPX system and the drive fails, you'd lose your backup as well!

The process creates a proprietary disk image with the original file structure of the memory card. FCPX needs the original file structure (not just the video files) in order to properly capture from the card. By default, it stores the archive in a folder called Final Cut Camera Archives on whatever drive you selected.

Later when you need to reimport from a camera archive, simply open the Camera Import window again, and if you don't see your needed archive under Camera Archives on the left, click on Open Archive... and find it in the resulting window.

To import all or not to import all

If you've got the time, there's nothing to stop you from looking at each and every clip one at a time in the Import from Camera window, selecting a range, and then importing that one clip. However, that's going to take you a while as you'll have to deal with the settings window every time you click on the Import button. If you've got the storage space (and most of us do today), just import everything and worry about weeding out the trash later.

But what about XYZ format?

There are two web pages you should bookmark to keep up to date.

One is www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/. This web page lists most of the formats FCPX can work with. Expect this list to grow with future versions.

The second site is help.apple.com/finalcutpro/cameras/en/index.html. This web site lets you search camera models for compatibility with FCPX.

Just because a format isn't listed on Apple's specs page, doesn't mean it's impossible to work with. Many camera manufacturers release plugins which enhance a program's capabilities. One great example is Canon (www.canon.com), who released a plugin for FCPX allowing users to import MXF files from a wide variety of their cameras.

Importing MTS, M2TS, and M2T files


If you've ever browsed the file structure of a memory card pulled from an AVCHD camera, you'll have seen a somewhat complex system of files and folders and almost nothing resembling a normal video file. Deep inside you're likely to find files with the extension .mts, .m2ts, or .m2t (on some HDV cameras). By themselves, these files are sitting ducks, unable to be read by most basic video playback software or imported directly by FCPX. But somehow, once you open up the Import from Camera window in FCPX, FCPX is able to translate all that apparent gobbledygook from the memory card into movie files. FCPX needs that gobbledygook to import the footage. But what if someone has given you a hard drive full of nothing but these standalone files? You'll need to convert or rewrap (explained in the following section) the clips before heading in to FCPX.

Getting ready

There are a number of programs out there that can tackle this task, but a highly recommended one is ClipWrap (http://www.divergentmedia.com/clipwrap). There is a trial, but you'll probably want to go ahead and buy the full version.

How to do it...

  1. 1. Open ClipWrap. Drag-and-drop your video files (ending in .mts, .m2ts, or .m2t) into the main interface.

  2. 2. Set a destination for your new files under Movie Destination.

  3. 3. Click on the drop-down menu titled Output Format. You can choose to convert the files to a number of formats including ProRes 422 (the same format that is created when you select the Create optimized media option in FCPX). A faster, space-saving option, however, is to leave the default setting, Rewrap (don't alter video samples):

  4. 4. Click on Convert. When the process is done, you will have new video files that end in .mov and can be directly imported into FCPX via File | Import | Files.

How it works...

In the previous exercise, we chose not to transcode/convert the video files into another format. What we did was take the video and audio stream out of one container (.mts, .m2ts, or .m2t) and put it into another (QuickTime, seen as .mov). It may sound crazy at first, but we basically took the birthday present (the video and audio) out of an ugly gift box that FCPX won't even open and put it into a prettier one that FCPX likes.

There's more...

Other alternatives

ClipWrap is far from the only solution out there, but it is definitely one of the best. The appendix of this book covers the basics of Compressor, Apple's compression software which can't convert raw AVCHD files in most cases, but can convert just about any file that QuickTime can play. The software company, iSkySoft, (www.iskysoft.com) makes a large number of video conversion tools for a reasonable price. If you're looking for a fully featured video encoding software package, look no further than Telestream Episode (www.telestream.net) or Sorenson Squeeze (www.sorensonmedia.com). These two applications are expensive, but can take just about any video file format out there and transcode it to almost anything else, with a wide variety of customizable settings.

Rewrapping or transcoding

As mentioned in step 3 in the previous section, we could have chosen to transcode to ProRes 422 instead of rewrapping. This is a totally fine option, just know the differences: transcoding, takes much longer, it takes up much more file space, but on the plus side, it is Final Cut Pro X's favorite format (because it's native to FCPX, made by Apple for Apple) and you may save time in the actual editing process by working with a faster more efficient codec once inside FCPX. If you chose to rewrap, you still have the option to transcode when you import into FCPX.

Importing DSLR video


With each passing day, more and more advanced enthusiasts, prosumers, and even some professionals are turning toward digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) still cameras for their video-making needs. DSLRs offer a few unique features at a reasonable price range that typically cost thousands more in dedicated video cameras. Two of these most prominent features include interchangeable lenses, as well as much greater control over depth-of-field than most low-to-mid-range video cameras offer. DSLR video does come with its own set of drawbacks, however. Many models offer vastly inferior on-board microphones, limited non-stop recording time, and little to no stabilization options. If you go the DSLR route, FCPX is perfectly suited to work with your camera's media as the majority of DSLRs create ready-to-edit H.264 files. And as your DSLR is NOT an actual video camera, we bypass the Import from Camera window entirely!

How to do it...

  1. 1. Connect your DSLR to your Mac via USB or simply insert the camera's card into a memory card reader.

  2. 2. Select File | Import | Files... .

  3. 3. Locate your storage device for your camera's media, likely located in the DEVICES list in the left side column of the Import Files window.

  4. 4. Once selected, find the folder with the media. This is usually a folder labeled DCIM. Select your following import settings to your liking and click on Import:

How it works...

As you can see, the process is very straightforward, and even easier than importing from a regular video camera! The part that often confuses new FCPX users is why we don't go to the Import from Camera window. A DSLR is a camera, right? Well, the Import from Camera window is strictly used for dedicated video cameras. A DSLR is a still camera that happens to also be able to record video. The individual files it creates (H.264) are immediately ready for import into FCPX and do not require being processed/transcoded.

There's more...

Transcoding H.264

As always, when you import files into FCPX, you have the option of transcoding. If H.264 is readily accepted by FCPX, why transcode to ProRes? Well, while H.264 is a space-efficient video codec, it's not particularly edit-friendly. It takes a lot more processing power to modify and render H.264 files as they are heavily compressed. If you're creating a very simple or short project with H.264 files that is simply a series of cuts with maybe a few transitions and a title or two, you're probably fine to save time and skip the transcoding process. However, if your project is going to become more involved with lots of extras, including effects and color correction, take the time to transcode upfront. You'll save yourself a lot of time in the editing process and your computer will thank you for not stressing it out!

See also

To better understand transcoding options in FCPX, read the Creating optimized and proxy media recipe.

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Key benefits

  • Edit slick, professional videos of all kinds ñ music videos, promos, documentaries, even feature films
  • Add hundreds of built-in animated titles, transitions, and effects without complicated keyframing
  • Learn tons of time-saving workflows to tricky, yet common editing scenarios
  • Fix common (and uncommon) sound and image issues with a click or two of the mouse
  • A guide with a great range of tools for editors of every skill level

Description

As technology becomes more and more accessible and easier to use, we are expected to do more in less time than ever before. Video editors are now expected to be able not only to edit, but create motion graphics, fix sound issues, enhance image quality and color and more. Also, many workers in the PR and marketing world are finding they need to know how to get viral videos made from start to finish as quickly as possible. Final Cut Pro X was built as a one-stop shop with all the tools needed to produce a professional video from beginning to end.The "Final Cut Pro X Cookbook" contains recipes that will take you from the importing process and basic mechanics of editing up through many of FCPX's advanced tools needed by top-tier editors on a daily basis. Edit quickly and efficiently, fix image and sound problems with ease, and get your video out to your client or the world easily.No program gets you from application launch to the actual editing process faster than FCPX. After covering the basics, the book hits the ground running showing readers how to produce professional quality videos even if video editing isn't your day job.The recipes inside are packed with more than 300 images helping illustrate time-saving editing tools, problem-solving techniques and how to spice up your video with beautiful effects and titles. We also dive into audio editing, color correction and dabble in FCPX's sister programs Motion and Compressor!With more than 100 recipes, the Final Cut Pro X Cookbook is a great aid for the avid enthusiast up to the 40-hour-a-week professional. This book contains everything you need to make videos that captivate your audiences.

Who is this book for?

If you've been toying around with iMovie and want more power or you've taken FCPX for a whirl and simply can't find the fastest, most efficient workflow, this book will help! Veteran editors will find just as much useful info as FCPX is radically different than its predecessor, Final Cut Pro 7.

What you will learn

  • Import media from tons of different sources
  • Organize your media the way you want with keywording and Favorites
  • Learn about tons of editing tools to save you time during the editing process
  • Add professional, non-cheesy animated titles and transitions to enhance your videos look
  • Edit videos in beat to your soundtrack
  • Make your images whiz around the screen with easier-than-ever keyframing
  • Isolate, fix, or remove certain colors with advanced color correction tools
  • Export to DVD, Blu-Ray, YouTube, Apple devices and more without leaving the program!
  • Edit multicamera projects together with an all-new multicam tool
  • Remove backgrounds with the brand new easy-to-use Keyer
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Publication date : Oct 05, 2012
Length: 452 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781849692960
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Table of Contents

10 Chapters
Importing Your Media Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Customizing Your Workflow Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Basic Editing Mechanics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Enhancing Your Editing Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Sweetening and Fixing Your Sound Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Practical Magic a.k.a Useful Effects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Titles, Transitions, and Generators Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Get Your Movie to Move Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Altering the Aesthetics of Your Image Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Getting Your Project Out of FCPX Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

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Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon Empty star icon 3.9
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4 star 37.5%
3 star 12.5%
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1 star 12.5%
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Busy Filmmaker Feb 14, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I've not used a NLE system other than PremierePro. Everything I knew about PP and everything so far that I've learned about FCP X has been through either trial and error or looking at a tutorial or guidebook like this.Unlike a lot of books that assume you already know everything there is to know about the program and then tell you how to do it anyway, this book assumes nothing. The index and the table of contents along with chapter names actually help guide you to exactly what it is you're looking for.Perfect for a self-taught novice to amateur or beyond.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Karl Buehrens Jan 31, 2013
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Wow - Jason Cox has outdone himself on this Final Cut Pro X book! Over 400 pages of helpful instructions, wonderful full-color screen illustrations, and step-by-step breakdowns of very complex processes. Final Cut Pro X is hard to learn, but Jason makes it easy with simple to follow recipes.New user? No worries, Final Cut Pro X concepts are introduced at the beginning of each section. Upgrading from a previous version? Jason carefully provides comparisons between earlier software, primarily Final Cut Pro 7. And, the fact that Jason wrote this book in a cookbook style means that you can either start from the beginning or you can jump right into the section that you want to learn more about. Information is easy to find and put to immediate use.I particularly enjoyed the approach Jason takes in laying out each process; he sets the stage with a section he calls "Getting Ready", where he explains the pre-steps needed. He then walks you through each step of the process. Finally, he completes each section with a great follow-up, discussing related items and uses for each function. Jason even lists many helpful outside resources he's collected over the years.This is a must read for Final Cut Pro enthusiasts. Even seasoned users will get a boost from some of the valuable workarounds in this book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Alberta Mar 10, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This is just the book I have been looking for. Having trained on and used FCP 7 for several years I was finding the transition to X challenging. This book has made all the difference. I can move forward confidently knowing that if I have a problem I will be able to solve it using the book. Easy to understand and use. Only slight issue is that the pictures are very dark but I wouldn't even consider it a drawback.
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mortoni Jan 28, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
Likes:1. The Chapter overviews are very helpful.2. Offers many levels of learning for everyone from the new user, through people who are switching from other editing software, all the way up to the professional video editor.3. Has some great workarounds for what initially appeared to be 'issues', which turned out to be just different ways of working.4. Does everything honestly and thoroughly in depth with a 'helping hand' mentality.5. Understands and pushes the positive aspects of the software....sure, there are missing features in FCPX at present but this book makes the best of what it has to offer.The FCPX Cookbook is full of sensible, easy to follow tips and ways of working that make the movie making process smooth, quick and manageable.Starting with the essential 'importation' of media, the book runs through a myriad of file-types that can be imported.Multi layer PSD files can be brought in as separate layers and stacked as a compound clip.Within the clip the layers can be manipulated and edited at will, a great step for various animated text, image and background projects.As well as explaining how to import the files, the book goes that bit further and offers you advice and practical tips as to how this feature can be used creatively instead of just leaving you to get on with it like the FCPX help menu.One important section of the first chapter explains how to import projects that have been created in FCP7, this a definite bonus that Apple never cover.Using 7toX for Final Cut software, the book helps you through the process, a vital set of instructions to get around one of Apples' greatest omissions from FCPX.Chapter 2 is entitled 'Customising your workflow'. We all work in different ways and have different preferences so it's nice that this book acknowledges this and helps you set up your ergonomic ideal.From the first time, leisure user to the full time, professional editor, FCPX is shown to be a versatile and comprehensive tool.All aspects of the software are explored and the tone of the book is informative without being too 'techy' or dumbed down.I would heartily recommend this book for anyone who either plans to use or is currently using FCPX, it is a great reference book too and should always be kept to hand.Now that FCPX is, at last, stable and feeling more and more 'up for the job' with each update, here is a book that explains all the ins and outs, leaving you to edit, create, backup and innovate.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Vanessa Durand Jan 31, 2013
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
In Final Cut Pro X, Apple redefined the editing process in such a way that editors who start working with it need to keep their mind open. Sometimes this can lead to real frustration. And that's when this COOKBOOK comes in.This COOKBOOK is meant for editors who had previous experience with editing software that's available in the market. The author uses an easy to understand "recipe" format to describe every useful aspect of the editing process, from ingest to export. Each proposed recipe's steps are straightforward so the reader get's to the point and achieves his editing goals. It's "Food for thought", sort of. And as such it is a welcome addition in every editor's library of books he should own.Martin DurandFreelance offline/online video editor
Amazon Verified review Amazon
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What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela