Multimedia
Blogs
Forum
Affordable HD
Whitepapers
Newsletters
Events
Advertisers
Blogcast
MillimeterThe Secrets of Final Cut Pro
Mar 26, 2004 12:00 PM, By Stephen Porter
Chris Phrommayon |
Sessions devoted to this popular application offer tips and tricks on video editing, audio production, and media management
When Apple's Final Cut Pro first hit the market in 1999, its low price quickly made it a favorite among video editors, and its user base grew rapidly. But because many FCP users have tried to learn the program on their own, they often aren't fully aware of all the program's capabilities.
"When you teach yourself a program like Final Cut Pro, inevitably you aren't going to learn everything it can do, or you may teach yourself how to do things inefficiently," says Chris Phrommayon, Technical Chair of the "Final Cut Pro Editing" track at the NAB Post|Production World Conference. "What we try and do is teach people a better way to do things."
 Several sessions will focus on FCP’s new audio production tools. |
The FCP track features 14 different sessions that will be offered over the course of four days. Phrommayon says many of those sessions deal with techniques and topics that aren't documented or aren't documented very well. "Oftentimes, the manual will tell you that a certain button performs a certain function, but it doesn't tell you why you'd want to use it. That's what these sessions do."
In addition, a number of sessions are devoted to some of the new features that were added last summer to version 4.0 of the software. According to Phrommayon, the newest version of FCP makes it easier for users to customize the software with their own keyboard shortcuts. Apple also added a significant number of new audio mixing capabilities to the program, and it bundled with the software new applications for text animation and audio production. All of those topics will be covered extensively.
One session that Phrommayon expects will be particularly popular is "Advanced Motion Graphics in Final Cut Pro," which will be offered on Saturday, April 17, at 10:15 a.m. Although FCP's motion graphics capabilities aren't well documented, Phrommayon says the program's advanced keyframing of filters and motion parameters gives users the power to design exciting effects without having to depend on third-party compositing products. In this session, he says, attendees will learn how to enhance their videos through creative use of nesting, and they'll learn how distortion techniques can add new dimension to images. They'll also find out about helpful timesaving tricks and shortcuts for applying multiple transitions and saving animated filter combinations.
"One example I show," says Phrommayon, "is how to create a wiggle effect. This effect makes text or graphics jitter on the screen. Most editors don't realize that such an effect is possible to create in Final Cut Pro and would most likely use something like After Effects. But by combining various techniques that are usually unrelated, the same visual effect can be achieved without having to depend on other products."
Similarly useful tips will be shared in such sessions as "Power Trimming Techniques in Final Cut Pro," "Color Correction in Final Cut Pro," and "Master the Media Manager in Final Cut Pro."
Back to Table of Contents
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.