Visual QuickStart Guide [Electronic resources] : Final Cut Express HD for Mac OS X

Lisa Brenneis

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Working with Default and Favorite Transitions

Final Cut Express offers one default video transitiona 1-second cross-dissolve (Figure 13.9 )and one default audio transitiona 1-second cross-fade (Figure 13.10 ). The default transitions are available from the Effects menu, the edit point's shortcut menu, and as keyboard commands. A transition edit, available in the Canvas edit overlay, automatically includes the default transition at the time you perform the edit. You can also designate a transition (or any other type of effect) as a Favorite by dragging the effect from the Browser, Viewer, or Timeline and placing it in the Favorites folder on the Effects tab in the Browser. Using Favorites is an easy way to save a transition's settings so you can reproduce the effect later. You can build up a small group of favorite transitions for a particular project.

Figure 13.9. FCE's default video transition is a 1-second cross-dissolve.

Figure 13.10. The default audio transition is a 1-second +3dB cross-fade.

To apply the default video transition:

Do one of the following:

Figure 13.11. Control-click the edit point; then choose Add Transition 'Cross Dissolve' from the shortcut menu.

Select the edit point; then press Command-T.

To apply the default audio transition:

Do one of the following:

Figure 13.12. Control-click the edit point; then choose Add Transition 'Cross Fade (+3dB)' from the shortcut menu.

To create a favorite transition by saving its settings:

Figure 13.13. Dragging a modified transition from the Timeline to the Favorites folder, located on the Effects tab of the Browser.

To create a favorite transition before using it in a sequence:

On the Effects tab in the Browser, double-click the transition (Figure 13.14 ).

Figure 13.14. Double-click the transition you want to customize to open it in the Transition Editor.

The transition opens in the Transition Editor.

Adjust the transition's settings in the Transition Editor; then use the drag handle to drag the modified transition into the Favorites folder (Figure 13.15 ).

Figure 13.15. Adjust the transition settings in the Transition Editor and then drag the customized transition into the Favorites folder.

In the Favorites folder, rename the new transition (Figure 13.16 ).

Figure 13.16. Rename your modified transition in the Favorites folder.

To delete a favorite transition from the Favorites folder:

About transition edits

There are two types of transition edits: Insert with Transition and Overwrite with Transition. A transition edit automatically places your default transition at the head of the edit. When using either of the transition edit types, you'll need enough footage in your source clip to create the transition. Each source clip will need additional frames equal to half of the transition's duration.

To perform a transition edit:

Set the sequence In point by positioning the Timeline playhead where you want the edit to occur (Figure 13.17 ).

Figure 13.17. The Timeline playhead, positioned at the selected edit point; the playhead position will be used as the sequence In point.

In the Viewer, set source In and Out points to define the part of the source clip you want to add to the sequence (Figure 13.18 ).

Figure 13.18. Set source In and Out points in the Viewer. Be sure to leave at least 15 extra frames at the beginning of your clip to accommodate the transition.

Drag the clip from the Viewer to either the Insert with Transition or the Overwrite with Transition edit overlay in the Canvas (Figure 13.19 ).