Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 3 11
Rewind a range selection or clip
 1 In the Timeline, select a range, a whole clip, or a group of clips whose contents you want 
to rewind.
 2 Choose Rewind from the Retime pop-up menu in the toolbar (shown below), and choose a 
speed from the submenu.
The selection is duplicated, added to the end of the original selection, and then reversed 
according to the speed choice. An additional duplicate of the Timeline selection follows the 
reversed section and plays back in forward motion at the selection’s original speed.
 3 If you want to adjust the speed of the rewound section or the sections that precede and follow 
the rewound section, drag the section’s retiming handle to the left to increase the speed or to 
the right to decrease it.
Drag a retiming handle to change the speed.
 4 Play the clip back to review the rewind effect.
Create instant replays
You can apply an instant replay to a range selection within a clip or a whole clip. Final Cut Pro 
duplicates the range or clip, appending the duplicated frames to the end of the selection as a 
new segment. You can then modify the speed of the new segment to achieve the instant replay 
effect you’re looking for.
Create an instant replay
 1 In the Timeline, select a range or a whole clip whose contents you want to use to create an 
instant replay.
 2 Choose Instant Replay from the Retime pop-up menu in the toolbar.
A duplicate of the range or clip is appended to the end of the selection and plays back in 
forward motion at the selection’s original speed. (By default, the instant replay is set to play back 
at 100 percent speed.)
67% resize factor         
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 312
 3 If you want to adjust the speed of the instant replay segment, drag the retiming handle to the 
left to increase the speed or to the right to decrease it.
Original clip(now a segment)Instant replay segment set to a manual slow-motion setting
Drag the retiming handle to 
change the speed of the instant replay segment.
 4 To see the instant replay effect, play back the original selection and the instant replay segment.
Create jump cuts at specified frames
To compress time in a long clip without playing the clip at fast speed, you can create jump cuts 
to periodically skip over a specific number of frames. For example, if you have a 10-second shot 
of a person walking down a hallway, rather than playing the entire 10 seconds, you can create 
jump cuts every two seconds that skip 30 frames each, so the action happens in twice the time.
Speed up a clip with jump cuts
 1 In the Timeline, select the clip that you want to speed up, and add a marker at each frame where 
you want a jump cut to occur.
 2 Choose Jump Cut at Markers from the Retime pop-up menu in the toolbar (shown below), and 
choose a number of frames from the submenu.
67% resize factor     
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 313
You can skip 3, 5, 10, 20, or 30 frames.
Create a hold segment
In Final Cut Pro, you can hold on a particular frame to create a still image, temporarily stopping 
the action onscreen. By default, Final Cut Pro adds a 2-second still frame, called a hold segment, at 
the location of the skimmer or playhead, but you can change the duration of the hold segment 
at any time.
Alternatively, you can create separate freeze-frame clips in Final Cut Pro. One key difference 
between freeze frames and hold segments is that hold segments remain part of the original 
clip and their duration can be adjusted within the clip. For more information, see  Create freeze 
frames
 on page 11 3 .
Important:  Adding a hold segment to a clip increases its duration.
Create a still-image hold segment
 1 In the Timeline, do one of the following: 
 •Select the clip with the frame you want to hold, and move the skimmer or playhead to 
that frame.
 •Select a range within a clip in the Timeline.
 2 Choose Hold from the Retime pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press Shift-H).
If you selected a clip, a 2-second hold segment is added to the clip at the position of the 
skimmer or the playhead.
If you selected a range, a hold segment is created for the duration of the range. The frame used 
as the still frame is the first (leftmost) frame in the range.
67% resize factor     
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 314
 3 If you want to adjust the duration of the hold segment, drag the segment’s retiming handle to 
the right to increase the duration, or to the left to decrease it.
Drag the retiming handle to change the duration 
of the hold segment.
 4 To see the effect of the hold segment, play back the clip in the Timeline.
Reset retimed clips to play at normal speeds
You can reset a range selection or a clip to play back at normal (100 percent) speed at any time. 
Resetting the speed removes any directional effects and Holds applied to the selection at the 
same time.
Reset a range or a clip to play forward at 100 percent
 1 In the Timeline, select a range, a whole clip, or a group of clips that you want to reset to their 
original speed.
 2 Choose Normal 100% from the Retime pop-up menu in the toolbar (or press Shift-N).
Conform frame sizes and frame rates
Final Cut Pro manages project settings automatically. This means you can work with multiple 
media types with differing frame sizes (also referred to as resolution) and frame rates in the same 
project. When you add the first video clip to your project, Final Cut Pro automatically sets the 
format, frame size, and frame rate for the entire project based on the properties of that first clip 
(or, more precisely, on the properties of the clip’s source media file). 
You can modify the project’s settings at any time, and you can control, on a clip-by-clip basis, 
how Final Cut Pro conforms an individual clip’s frame rate and frame size to match the project 
settings. All of the project information in this section applies equally to compound clips, which 
can have their own distinct project settings.
You can add interlaced clips to progressive (non-interlaced) projects and progressive clips to 
interlaced projects. To add an interlaced clip to a progressive project, see the instructions below. 
Final Cut Pro accepts progressive clips in interlaced projects automatically.
67% resize factor     
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 315
Here are things to keep in mind when working with multiple formats and frame sizes:
 •Choose video and audio project properties based on how you intend to share your final movie 
with your audience. For example, if you’re editing a project with mixed-format media and you 
intend to share it as 1080p HD, you should set your project’s video properties to 1080p HD.
 •If you’re unsure of the final distribution format, the most important decision you can make 
before creating your project is choosing your project’s frame rate. It’s easy to change the 
format and the frame size of your project at any time, but changing the frame rate can cause 
all the edit points in your project to shift in time.
 •If you have a clip that matches the video and audio properties of the format in which you 
intend to share your project, add this clip to your project first. Final Cut Pro automatically 
creates matching project settings. This saves you time by preventing you from having to 
change your project settings later.
Tip:  If the first clip you add to a project is an audio clip or a still-image clip, Final Cut Pro 
prompts you to choose the video properties for your project. Cancel the edit, add a video clip 
whose source media file has the video properties you require for your project, and then add 
the non-video clip to your project.
Choose a method of conforming frame size
You can choose how Final Cut Pro modifies the frame size of a clip to match the project’s frame 
size settings. For example, you can have Final Cut Pro change the frame size of the clip to fit 
within the longest dimension of the project’s frame dimensions, fill the entire frame of the 
project (which usually results in cropping), or leave the clip’s frame size as is.
 1 Add a clip to the Timeline with a frame size that doesn’t match the current project’s frame size 
(resolution) settings.
 2 Select the clip in the Timeline.
 3 To open the Video inspector, click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below), and click 
the Video button at the top of the pane that appears.
 4 Choose a method of conforming frame size from the Type pop-up menu in the Spatial Conform 
section of the Video inspector.
 •Fit: The default setting. Fits the clip within the project’s frame size setting without cropping the 
clip’s video. Black bars appear on the sides of the frames that don’t match the project’s frame 
size (resolution). In the case of a standard-definition (SD) clip in a high-definition (HD) project, 
Final Cut Pro scales up the SD clip to fit the HD project’s frame size. In the case of an HD clip in 
an SD project, Final Cut Pro scales down the HD clip to fit the SD project’s frame size.
67% resize factor     
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 316
 •Fill: Makes the clip’s video fill the project’s frame size. In the case of an SD clip in an HD project, 
Final Cut Pro scales up the SD clip to fit the HD project’s frame size. Cropping occurs along the 
clip’s longer dimension to allow the shorter dimension to fill the screen. In the case of an HD 
clip in an SD project, Final Cut Pro scales down the HD clip to fit the SD project’s frame size. 
Cropping occurs along the clip’s shorter dimension to allow the longer dimension to fill the 
screen. 
 •None: Leaves the clip’s frame size unchanged. If the clip’s frame size is larger than the project’s 
frame size, the clip appears cropped. If the clip’s frame size is smaller than the project’s frame 
size, black bars surround the clip.
Choose a method of conforming frame rate
When a clip’s frame rate differs from the project’s frame rate, Final Cut Pro employs a frame-
sampling method to change the clip’s frame rate to match that of the project. You can choose 
which frame-sampling method Final Cut Pro uses to modify the clip’s frame rate. The method you 
choose depends on how important it is to you to eliminate visual stuttering and visual artifacts.
 1 Add a clip to the Timeline with a frame rate that doesn’t match the current project’s frame 
rate settings.
 2 Select the clip in the Timeline.
 3 To open the Video inspector, click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below), and click 
the Video button at the top of the pane that appears.
 4 Choose a method of conforming frame rate from the Frame Sampling pop-up menu in the Rate 
Conform section of the Video inspector.
Note:  If the selected clip has the same frame rate as the project frame rate settings, the Rate 
Conform section does not appear in the Video inspector.
 •Floor: The default setting. Final Cut Pro truncates down to the nearest integer during its 
calculation to match the clip’s frame rate to the project’s frame rate.
 •Nearest Neighbor: Final Cut Pro rounds to the nearest integer during its calculation to match 
the clip’s frame rate to the project’s frame rate. The Nearest Neighbor option reduces artifacts 
at the expense of visual stuttering. Rendering is required.
 •Frame Blending: Creates in-between frames by blending individual pixels of neighboring 
frames. Slow-motion clips created with Frame Blending appear to play back more smoothly 
than those created with the Floor or Nearest Neighbor setting. This setting provides better 
reduction of visual stuttering, but you may see some visual artifacts. Rendering is required.
 •Optical Flow: A type of frame blending that uses an optical flow algorithm to create new 
in-between frames. Final Cut Pro analyzes the clip to determine the directional movement 
of pixels, and then draws portions of the new frames based on the optical flow analysis. 
Choosing the Optical Flow option results in better reduction of visual stuttering, and 
Final Cut Pro spends a significant amount of time to fix visual artifacts.
67% resize factor     
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 317
Add an interlaced clip to a non-interlaced (progressive) project
Some video formats use an interlaced scanning method that divides a video frame into two 
fields, each consisting of alternating odd and even lines that are scanned at different times. 
If you want to add an interlaced clip to a progressive project, you can have Final Cut Pro 
deinterlace the clip so that it plays at full resolution, free of the alternating jagged lines 
associated with interlaced clips in progressive projects.
 1 Do one of the following:
 •In the Browser, select the interlaced clips you want to add to a progressive project.
 •In the Timeline, select interlaced clips you’ve added to a progressive project.
 2 To open the Info inspector, click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below), and click the 
Info button at the top of the pane that appears.
 3 In the Info inspector, choose Settings View from the Metadata View pop-up menu.
 4 Select the Deinterlace checkbox.
Note:  Selecting the Deinterlace setting causes the frame rate of the selected clips to double. For 
example, if the original interlaced clips have a frame rate of 29.97 fps, the deinterlaced clips will 
have a frame rate of 59.94 fps. Keep this in mind when you choose the video and audio settings 
for your project.
Tip:  To confirm the absence of interlacing artifacts, you can press the Left Arrow and Right Arrow 
keys to step through the clips in the Timeline one frame at a time.
 5 To display full-resolution frames during playback, choose Better Quality from the Viewer Options 
pop-up menu in the upper-right corner of the Viewer.
The clips now play back and function as progressive clips. Depending on your specific computer 
configuration, background rendering may be necessary.
Adjust anamorphic footage
Some video camcorders and recording devices shoot at a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio but record 
the data using a 4:3 aspect ratio. Sometimes the metadata tag specifying 16:9 playback in the 
video file is missing or set incorrectly. In Final Cut Pro, you can set this tag so that the video plays 
correctly with a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.
Note:  This option applies only to (and appears only with) standard-definition (SD) formats.
 1 In the Browser or the Timeline, select the SD clips whose anamorphic setting you want to adjust.
 2 To open the Info inspector, click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below), and click the 
Info button at the top of the pane that appears.
 3 Choose Settings View from the Metadata View pop-up menu at the bottom of the Info inspector.
 4 In the Anamorphic Override pop-up menu, choose Widescreen.
The clips now play back and function with the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio.
67% resize factor         
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 318
Use roles to manage clips
Roles overview
Roles are metadata text labels that you assign to clips in the Browser or the Timeline, and 
they provide a flexible and powerful way to manage your editing workflow. You can use roles 
in Final Cut Pro to organize clips in your events and projects, control the appearance of the 
Timeline, and export separate video or audio files (also known as media stems) for distribution, 
audio mixing, or post-production.
Selected roleClips assigned a selected  
role appear highlighted.
When you import clips (video, audio, or still images), Final Cut Pro analyzes existing clip metadata 
to assign one of five default roles to the video and audio components of each clip: Video, Titles, 
Dialogue, Music, and Effects. For example, if a source media file has an iTunes “genre” metadata 
tag, Final Cut Pro assigns the Music role to the resulting clip. Final Cut Pro assigns the Video and 
Dialogue roles to clips that contain both video and audio.
You can use roles for the following workflows:
 •Reassign roles: You can view and reassign clip roles in the Timeline Index, the Browser, the Info 
inspector, or the Modify menu. See 
View and reassign roles on page 318. You can also create 
custom roles and subroles to further organize your clips. 
 •View clips by role: In the Timeline Index, you can organize clips by role, turn roles on or off, and 
highlight or minimize clips for viewing in the Timeline. For example, you could easily identify 
all your dialogue clips and play them back in isolation from other audio clips. See  View clips by 
role in the Timeline
 on page 324 .
 •Export media stems: You can export roles as media stems in a combined, multitrack QuickTime 
file, or as separate audio or video files. During the export process you can assign mono, stereo, 
or surround output for your audio channels. See Destinations preferences
 on page 447.
View and reassign roles
You can view and change the roles that are assigned to clips in the Browser, the Timeline Index, 
the Info inspector, or the Modify menu.
Keep in mind the following when using roles:
 •Every clip must have at least one assigned role (clips with audio and video always have one 
audio and one video role). Still images are assigned the Video role by default, but you can 
create a custom (still image) role and assign it to your still images.
 •Video roles can’t be assigned to audio-only clips, and audio roles can’t be assigned to 
video-only clips.
67% resize factor 
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 319
 •Roles can be assigned to audio or video components of a clip, but can’t be assigned to a clip 
range or a portion of a clip.
 •You can view and reassign the role of an audio component in the Info inspector (or by using 
the Modify menu when the clip that contains the audio component is in the Timeline).
 •You can assign different roles to each instance of a clip. For example, if you add a clip from the 
Browser to the Timeline, copy clips between events, or copy clips within the Timeline, each of 
these clip instances (copies) is independent of the others.
View and reassign roles in the Browser
 1 In the Browser in list view, select one or more clips.
Note:  If the Roles column isn’t visible in the Browser, Control-click a column heading and choose 
Roles from the shortcut menu.
 2 In the Roles column, click the assigned role for a clip to see a shortcut menu listing the 
available roles.
 3 To change the role assignments for the selected clips, choose different roles from the 
shortcut menu.
View and reassign roles in the Info inspector
 1 Select one or more clips in the Browser or the Timeline.
 2 To open the Info inspector, click the Inspector button in the toolbar (shown below), and click the 
Info button at the top of the pane that appears.
 3 In the Info inspector, click the Roles pop-up menu to see the available roles.
67% resize factor     
						

							 Chapter 10    Advanced editing 320
 4 To change the role assignments for the selected clips, choose different roles from the Roles 
pop-up menu.
View and reassign roles in the Timeline Index
 1 To open the Timeline Index, click the Timeline Index button in the lower-left corner of the 
Final Cut Pro main window (or press Shift-Command-2).
 2 To open the Clips pane, click the Clips button at the top of the Timeline Index. 
 3 If the Roles column is not visible in the Clips pane, Control-click a column heading and choose 
Roles from the shortcut menu.
 4 Select one or more clips in the Clips pane.
 5 To change the role assignments for the selected clips, click the assigned role and choose different 
roles from the shortcut menu.
View and reassign roles with the Modify menu
 1 Select one or more clips in the Browser or the Timeline.
 2 Choose Modify > Assign Roles, and choose a role from the submenu.
A checkmark appears next to the role you chose.
67% resize factor