Final Cut Pro HD | H•O•T Hands-On Training [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

1.

Start Final Cut Pro if it isn't running already. If you have an open project, choose File > Close Project. You don't need to save changes.

2.

Create a new project by choosing File > New Project. You will only use this for this exercise, so you don't need to save it.

3.

Start by importing just one file. Choose File > Import > Files. Navigate to the HOT DVD /image/library/english/13914_Media/Snowboard folder.

Chapter 9," Text, Titles, and Graphics," goes into all the details you need to know to create video graphics. For now, you need to know only how to import them into your Final Cut project. There are two types of graphics: single-layer images (such as scans) and multilayer (such as Photoshop PSDfiles).

9.

With either type of graphics, though, the process is the same. Choose File > Import > Files and navigate to HOT DVD /image/library/english/13914_Media/Graphics/Canoe.tif and click Choose.

(By the way, TIFF is an excellent format to use for single-layer graphics. Final Cut supports others, but I've never had a problem with TIFF.)

Chapter 9, you'll learn how Final Cut works with LiveType projects to create some amazing animated text. However, whether it's a scanned image, Photoshop file, or LiveType project, you import them all exactly the same way File > Import > Files.

Chapter 7," AudioThe Secret to a Great Picture.")

However, try to avoid 32K sample rate audio files, which is often the default audio setting on some low-end consumer cameras. Switch the audio setting to 16-bit, or 48K (depending on the menu) to avoid audio problems in Final Cut.

Another problem to avoid is using MP3 or AAC files inside Final Cut. Both MP3 and AAC files are significantly compressed, and do not play back wellat all! You'll hear this in detail in Chapter 7.

12.

However, the process of importing audio is the same as all other formats. Choose File > Import > Files. (When you've learned more about how to use Final Cut, import these two versions of the same audio file and compare the quality of an AIF to an MP3.)

13.

That ends this exercise. Choose Final Cut Pro HD> Quit and don't save changes. You'll be working with all of these files later in the book.

NOTE | Cheap Importing Tricks

It wouldn't be Final Cut if there weren't some tricks you can use for importing. Here are two tips that speed up importing:

Ctrl+click in the gray area of the Name column in the Browser and choose Import > Files.

Move some windows around within Final Cut so you can see the Desktop underneath FCP. Locate a file or folder that has something you want to import and drag it directly from the Finder into the Browser.

Both of these tricks making importing faster and easier. Keep in mind, and this is really important, that you are not importing any media into Final Cut. You are only creating a pointer inside Final Cut that points to where this media is stored on your computer. If you move this file, you'll need to reconnect it. If you delete it from the hard disk, it's gone.