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

NOTE | How Final Cut Handles Multiple Tracks

Final Cut allows up to 99 tracks of video and 99 tracks of audio in each sequence. There are so many that track count is, essentially, unlimited. The highest number of video tracks I've ever used was 32 and, in a different project, I used 21 audio tracks.

Final Cut reads video tracks from the top to the bottom. That is, it displays video on V99 on top of V98 on top of V97 down to V1. Further, if video on a higher-numbered track is full-screen and fully opaque, it totally blocks any video below it. Since you won't be learning about how to change opacity or image size until Chapters 9 and 10, any video that you put on a higher-numbered track now will totally block any underlying clips.

You can take advantage of this in your editing. If I am doing dramatic work, I try to keep all my clips on one track. It makes trimming and editing easier. If I am editing a documentary, corporate training, or news story, I often put my video on two tracks: V1 and V2.

This exercise shows you how.

1.

Start by opening Chapter 06 Project, if it isn't already open. Then, if you did all the work in the last exercise, open the Seq Trimmed 30 sequence. If not, open the Seq Second trim sequence.

2.

Add a second video track by Ctrl+clicking in the gray area above the V1 track and choosing Add Track from the shortcut menu.

3.

By the way, you can delete a track, whether there are clips on it or not, by Ctrl+clicking between the track label (V1, V2, and so on) and the padlock icon and choosing Delete Track from the shortcut menu.

4.

Chapter 8," TransitionsMaking Change Beautiful," you'll add a couple of flashy transitions.Chapter 9," Text, Titles, and Graphics," shows you how to add opening and closing text. And, finally,Chapter 11," Filters and Keying," adds some interesting effects.

But, in terms of editing, you are done.

17.

Save your work. You can keep Final Cut open for the next exercise, but you'll be using a different sequence.

You'll see more examples of using two video tracks for editing inChapter 7," AudioThe Secret to a Great Picture."