Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

							 Chapter 4    Analyze media 51
Video and still-image analysis options
Final Cut Pro provides video and still-image analysis options that can automatically balance color 
in video and detect people and shot angles in video or still images. You can analyze video during 
import, or analyze video clips in the Browser after import. Analysis keywords are added to clips or 
clip ranges based on the results of the analysis.
Final Cut Pro provides these video and still-image analysis options:
 •Analyze for balance color: Analyzes video clips to detect color balance and contrast. Color is 
automatically balanced when you add the clip to the Timeline. You can turn automatic color 
adjustments on and off at any time.
 •Remove pulldown: Analyzes video clips and removes pulldown patterns.
Important:  This option is available only when importing from a tape-based camera or device.
 •Find people: Analyzes video clips and still images for the number of people present and shot 
types. After analysis, any of the following keywords are added to the clips or clip ranges: One 
Person, Two Persons, Group, Close Up Shot, Medium Shot, and Wide Shot.
Note:  If you’re analyzing to find people, it’s recommended that you also select the “Create 
Smart Collections after analysis” checkbox so that you can easily locate clips with “find people” 
analysis keywords.
 •Consolidate find people results: Consolidates all of the “find people” analysis keywords into one 
shot type keyword and one people keyword for every 2-minute segment of video. The shot 
type keyword chosen is the one for the widest shot type, and the people keyword chosen is 
the one representing the most people. For example, if a video segment contains Medium Shot, 
Wide Shot, One Person, and Group keywords, the segment’s analysis keywords are reduced to 
Wide Shot and Group during consolidation.
 •Create Smart Collections after analysis: Creates a Smart Collection for each keyword applied 
when analyzing video clips and still images for the presence of people. The Smart Collections 
are listed alphabetically in a People folder inside the event in the Libraries list.
When you drag a media file from the Finder to a Final Cut Pro event or the Timeline, the import 
begins automatically, without displaying a window of import options. You can set automatic 
import options in the Final Cut Pro Import preferences pane.
Audio analysis options
Final Cut Pro provides automatic analysis options that can fix common audio problems, analyze 
and group audio channels, and remove silent channels. You can analyze audio during import, or 
analyze video clips with audio issues in the Browser or in the Timeline. 
Final Cut Pro provides these audio analysis options:
 •Analyze and fix audio problems: Analyzes the audio for hum, noise, and loudness. Final Cut Pro 
automatically fixes problems that are considered severe (marked in red) and flags problems 
that are considered moderate (marked in yellow). For more information, see Enhance audio
 on 
page 2 01 .
 •Separate mono and group stereo audio: Audio channels are analyzed and grouped as dual 
mono or stereo, depending on the results of the analysis. Automatically corrected audio 
channels are marked as Autoselected. For more information about audio channels, see 
Configure audio channels
 on page 171.
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							 Chapter 4    Analyze media 52
 •Remove silent channels: Audio channels are analyzed, and silent channels are automatically 
removed. Clips that have had channels removed are marked as Autoselected. For more 
information about audio channels, see Configure audio channels
 on page 171.
When you drag a media file from the Finder to a Final Cut Pro event or the Timeline, the import 
begins automatically, without displaying a window of import options. You can set automatic 
import options in the Final Cut Pro Import preferences pane.
Analyze your media
You can analyze clips during the import process, analyze clips in the Browser after import, or set 
Final Cut Pro to analyze clips automatically when they are dragged to a Final Cut Pro event or 
the Timeline.
Analyze clips during import
 1 Do one of the following:
 •To import a file from a compatible camcorder or camera, iPad, iPhone, iPod, or other device: 
Connect the device to your computer, turn on the device, and choose File > Import > Media 
(or press Command-I). In the window that appears, select the file you want to import, and click 
the Import button.
 •To import a file from a tape-based camcorder: Connect the camcorder to your computer, turn 
on the camcorder, and set it to VTR or VCR mode. Then choose File > Import > Media (or press 
Command-I) and click the Import button.
 •To import a file from a memory card: Insert the memory card into the card slot on your Mac or 
into a card reader that’s connected to your computer, and choose File > Import > Media (or 
press Command-I). In the window that appears, select the file you want to import, and click 
the Import button.
 •To import a file located on your hard disk or a connected external storage device: Choose File > 
Import > Media (or press Command-I). In the window that appears, select the file you want to 
import, and click the Import button.
 •To import from an archive: Choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I). In the window 
that appears, select the archive you want to import from, select the files in the archive you 
want to import, and click the Import button.
 2 In the window tha t appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in your library:
 •To add the imported media to an existing event: Select “Add to existing Event,” and choose the 
event from the pop-up menu.
 •To create a new event: Select “Create new Event” and type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim 
Wedding”) in the text field. Use the “Save to” pop-up menu to choose the disk where you want 
to store the event.
To learn more about events, see Organizing libraries overview
 on page 56.
 3 Select any of the video and audio analysis options that you want to apply.
For descriptions of the video and audio analysis options, see  Video and still-image analysis 
options
 on page 51  and Audio analysis options on page 51.
Final Cut Pro will analyze the files in the background, after the import process is complete.
 4 Click Import.
The import may take a while, depending on the options you selected in step 3. You can see the 
status of all the background processes currently running in the Background Tasks window.
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							 Chapter 4    Analyze media 53
Analyze clips after import
 1 To select the clip you want to analyze, do one of the following:
 •Click the clip in the Browser. ( To select multiple clips, you can Command-click them or drag a 
selection rectangle around them.)
 •Control-click a clip in the Timeline and choose “Reveal in Browser” from the shortcut menu.
 2 In the Browser, Control-click the clip or clips and choose “Analyze and Fix” from the 
shortcut menu.
 3 In the window that appears, select any or all of the video analysis and audio analysis options that 
you want to apply, and click OK.
The transcoding process may take a while, depending on the analysis options you selected. 
You can see the status of all the background processes currently running in the Background 
Tasks window.
Automatically analyze media files when they are dragged to an event or the Timeline
 1 Choose Final Cut P ro > P references.
 2 In the Preferences window, click Import and select each of the video and audio analysis options 
that you want to apply.
For more information, see Import preferences
 on page 444.
When you’re finished, close the Preferences window.
 3 To import one or more files, select a file (or Command-click multiple files) in the Finder and drag 
the selection to an event or the Timeline.
View analysis keywords on clips
If you analyzed media to find people, analysis keywords such as One Person, Close Up Shot, and 
so on are automatically added to clips or clip ranges. Clips or ranges with analysis keywords are 
marked with a purple line in the Browser. 
A clip with a purple 
line has one or more 
analysis keywords.
You can view a clip’s analysis keywords in several locations in Final Cut Pro.
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							 Chapter 4    Analyze media 54
View keywords in the Skimmer Info window
 1 Choose View > Show Skimmer Info (or press Control-Y ).
 2 Skim the clip in the Browser.
Keywords, including analysis keywords, are displayed in the Skimmer Info window when you 
hold the pointer over the clip.
To turn off Skimmer Info, choose View > Hide Skimmer Info (or press Control-Y ). 
View keywords in list view in the Browser
 1 Click the List View button.
 2 To see a clip’s keywords, click the disclosure triangle next to the clip.
The analysis keywords are listed next to the purple gear.
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							 Chapter 4    Analyze media 55
View the contents of a Smart Collection
If you chose to create Smart Collections after analysis, clips that have analysis keywords are 
automatically grouped in Smart Collections within the event in the Libraries list. A Smart 
Collection is created for each analysis keyword and placed in a People folder in the event. 
 mIn the Libraries list, select an analysis keyword Smart Collection inside an event.
The clips with that analysis keyword appear in the Browser. For example, if you select the 
Medium Shot Smart Collection, all the clips in the event that have the Medium Shot keyword 
appear in the Browser.
Medium Shot Smart Collection
These clips contain the 
Medium Shot analysis keyword.
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							  56
Organizing libraries overview
A library contains multiple events and projects in the same location. When you import video, 
audio, and still images, or record directly into Final Cut Pro, the source media files (your raw 
footage) appear as clips in one or more events in the library. An event is similar to a folder that 
can hold projects as well as dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of video clips, audio clips, and 
still images. Each event in the library refers to media on your hard disk, and a database file keeps 
track of where everything is.
As your library grows, you can rename, copy, move, and delete your clips, events, and projects as 
necessary. You can have multiple libraries open at the same time, and you can easily copy events 
and projects between these libraries. You can open and close libraries as needed. For more 
information about managing multiple libraries, see Managing libraries overview
 on page 4 31.
When you select an event in the library, the media it contains appears as clips in the Browser. 
You select clips or portions of clips in the Browser to work with them. You can sort clips in the 
Browser by creation date, as well as by date imported, reel, scene, clip duration, and file type.
Select an event 
in the Libraries list. The Browser displays clips and 
projects in the selected event.
Click the disclosure triangle for a library to 
show or hide its events.
When you import video into a new event, you name the event. By giving your events meaningful 
names, such as “Smith Wedding 2013,” you can organize all of your media so that it’s readily 
accessible. You can organize your libraries in other ways, and you can also hide the Libraries list 
to give yourself more room to work. The Libraries list is also the home for Final Cut Pro Keyword 
Collections and Smart Collections, which provide a powerful way to organize your video editing 
projects using keywords and persistent search filters.
Organize your library
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							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 57
Organize your projects, events, and media
Create a new event
After importing your source media files into Final Cut Pro, you may find that you need to 
create additional events to organize your media. For example, after importing media shot for 
a production, you may decide to split the media into events defined by useful categories—
shooting locations, scenes, episodes, and so on.
Create a new event in your library
 1 If you don’t see the Libraries list, click the button at the bottom-left corner of the Browser.
 2 If you have more than one library, select the library  in which you want to create a new event.
 3 Choose File > New Event (or press Option-N).
 4 In the window tha t appears, type a name for the event, use the Library pop-up menu to choose a 
library to hold the event, and click OK (or press Return).
If you want to include a new, untitled project, you can select the Create New Project checkbox. 
To customize settings for the new project, click Use Custom Settings. For more information, see 
Modify a project’s settings
 on page 89.
The new event appears in the selected library.
 5 Move clips from other events into the new event, as necessary.
Rename clips, events, and projects
You can rename clips in the Browser, the Timeline Index, or the Info inspector at any time. You 
can rename projects in the Browser and in project settings. 
Renaming a clip affects only that instance of the 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 and can have its own name.
As your project evolves, you may want to rename an event so that it more accurately reflects the 
clips it contains. You can rename events in the Libraries list. 
Important:  Renaming a clip in Final Cut Pro does not rename the clip’s source media file on disk.
Rename a clip or a project in the Browser
 m To rename a clip or project in filmstrip view: Click the clip’s or project’s name, and type a new name.
 mTo rename a clip or project in list view: Click the clip’s or project’s name, press Return, and type a 
new name.
You can also rename a project in project settings. For more information, see  Modify a project’s 
settings
 on page 89 .
Rename an event
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event whose name you want to change.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •Click the event’s name and type a new name.
 •Press Return and type a new name.
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Rename a clip 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 Click the Clips button at the top of the Timeline Index. 
Clips button
 3 Click the Name field for a clip, and type a new name.
Rename a clip in the Info inspector
 1 Select a clip 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 Name section of the Info inspector, click the Name field and type a new name.
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							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 59
View and sort clips and projects
You can display your clips and projects in the Browser in two views:
 •Filmstrip view: Displays the clips in the selected event as a connected series of thumbnail 
images. Projects appear as thumbnail images with a superimposed clapboard design. Filmstrip 
view is useful when you want to visually locate your clips and projects. 
 •List view: Displays a list of your clips and projects with associated file and settings information. 
Use this view when you want to view or sort clips and projects by data such as duration, 
creation date, rating, keyword, and so on. When you select a clip in list view, a filmstrip for the 
selected clip appears at the top of the Browser. The clip filmstrip is fully interactive, allowing 
access to start and end points, markers, and keywords.
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Switch between filmstrip and list views
Do one of the following:
 mClick the Filmstrip View button in the bottom-left corner of the Browser.
 mClick the List View button in the bottom-left corner of the Browser.
Customize filmstrip view
 mTo adjust the time represented by each thumbnail in a clip’s filmstrip: At the bottom-right corner of 
the Browser, drag the Duration slider.
Slider set to 5 seconds
Slider set to 30 seconds
Adjusting the Duration slider expands and contracts the amount of detail shown in each clip’s 
filmstrip. The longer each thumbnail’s duration, the fewer thumbnails each clip displays, and the 
more clips are displayed in the Browser.
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