Video:Final Cut Pro: Intro to Final Cut
with Nick RichardsFinal Cut Pro is the preferred editing software for a lot of people and has become the industry standard in a lot of sectors. This video from About.com will give you an overview of using Final Cut Pro.See Transcript
Transcript:Final Cut Pro: Intro to Final Cut
Hi, I'm Nick and today for About.com, I'm going to give you a brief introduction to Final Cut Pro X.
Basic Functions of Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is one of the most popular and professional editing applications available. The look and feel of FCPX has been revolutionised from the ground up, and new and powerful features have been added to FCP's armory, which will appeal to both professionals and consumers alike.
Working with clips is simple thanks to the range of tools at your disposal. The blade tool is used to cut a clip into smaller segments, while the trim tool allows you to adjust edit points as well as alter clip in and out points, without having to leave the timeline. Of course, you can manipulate clips in any number of ways, depending on how creative you want to be! Parameters such as size, rotation and distortion can all be altered down to the exact frame.
Other Tools Included in Final Cut Pro
FCPX also offers powerful features such as color correction and effects. Color correction allows you to precisely manipulate the color, saturation and exposure of a clip, whereas effects are pre-built and can be applied to a clip at the click of a button. Also built into FCPX are transitions, generators and text effects, so there's a lot to play around with!
One of the most powerful tools is the retiming effect, which allows you the manually adjust the speed of a clip to suits your needs.
New Editing Features in Final Cut Pro X
New features in this version of Final Cut include background rendering, which enables you to continue working without being interrupted and keywords. Keywords allows you to assign tags to clips, making categorisation much more convenient. Other options include favouriting and rejecting clips and smart collections.
Drawbacks of Final Cut Pro
One of the major drawbacks of FCPX is the lack of export options built into the software, although this can be rectified by purchasing Compressor 4. In general, customisation options as a whole are limited, although keyboard shortcuts can be personalised to match your preferences. It's also worth mentioning that FCPX is an Apple application only, so PC users won't have the option of using it.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg, but Final Cut Pro X is a powerful application that can be used to edit simple or complex videos, exactly how you want them. For more Final Cut tips and tricks, visit us at compute.About.com.