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

Lisa Brenneis

نسخه متنی -صفحه : 192/ 129
نمايش فراداده

  • Using Motion Properties to Change a Clip's Appearance

    In Final Cut Express, when you want to make a clip's image larger or smaller, tilted or skewed, opaque or transparent, you adjust the clip's motion propertieseven if the clip's not moving. Not very intuitive, is it?

    As long as you're not animating the clip (changing the size and shape of the clip's image over time), you don't need to add any motion keyframes. Simply open the clip and adjust the clip's default motion properties settings. FCE offers two ways to modify a clip's motion properties: by adjusting the controls and entering numerical values on the clip's Motion tab in the Viewer, or by using the Tool palette's image modification tools to manipulate the clip's image directly in the Canvas wireframe overlay. When you're going for precision and consistency, you'll probably end up working both numerically and graphically.

    All operations described in this section can be performed in both places. Start each operation by following the general setup procedure for each respective mode; the setup tasks are described in the sections that follow.

    Pressin', Clickin', and Draggin': Using Keyboard Shortcuts with Wireframes

    Many of the scaling and positioning tools have keyboard modifierskeys you press as you drag the tool on the wireframe handles in the Canvas or in the Viewerthat you can use to create complex alterations to a clip.

    • Option: Use this key to force automatic rendering while you drag the clip.

    • Shift: Use this key to enable nonproportional scaling (modification of a clip's aspect ratio while scaling). You can use the Shift and Option keys together.

    • Command: Use this key to rotate and scale the clip simultaneously. You can use the Command and Option keys together.

    To set up for motion properties adjustment in the Canvas Wireframe mode:

    1.

    In the Timeline, select the clip you want to reposition (Figure 15.9 ). If you are working with a layered composition, be sure to choose the layer you want to affect.

    Figure 15.9. In the Timeline, select the clip you want to reposition.

    2.

    From the Tool palette, choose the appropriate image modification tool for the motion property you want to adjust. Refer to the key to wireframe handles and tools in Figure 15.6.

    3.

    If the Canvas's Image+Wireframe mode is not already activated, press W to turn it on.

    The outline of the wireframe overlay appears on the selected clip's image (Figure 15.10 ).

    Figure 15.10. Press W to activate Image+Wireframe mode, and the wireframe overlay appears on the selected clip's image.

    To set up for motion properties adjustment on the Viewer's Motion tab:

    1.

    Double-click the clip in the Timeline or the Browser to open it in the Viewer.

    2.

    In the Viewer, click the Motion tab.

    Positioning clips

    Clips start out positioned at the center of the Canvas or the Viewer. You can reposition a clip's center point by dragging it to a new position in the Canvas or in the Viewer, or you can specify new center point coordinates on the clip's Motion tab. You can position a clip partially or completely outside the sequence frame.

    To adjust a clip's center point using Wireframe mode:

      Figure 15.11 ).

      Figure 15.11. Click anywhere in the clip's wireframe and then drag the wireframe to a new position.

    • To adjust a clip's center point on the Viewer's Motion tab:

    Follow the setup steps for the Motion tab mode described earlier; then

    do one of the following:

      Figure 15.12 ) (located to the left of the Center value field) and then specify new center coordinates by clicking the new center location in the Canvas (Figure 15.13 ) or on the Video tab of the Viewer.

      Figure 15.12. Click the Point Select button, which is located to the left of the Center value field.

      Figure 15.13. Click a new center location in the Canvas to specify new center coordinates.

    Scaling clips

    A clip placed in a Final Cut Express sequence plays at the same frame size at which it was captured, regardless of the sequence frame size. A clip whose native size is smaller than the sequence frame size appears in the center of the sequence frame; a clip whose native size is larger than the sequence frame size shows only the portion of the clip that fits inside the sequence frame dimensions.

    You can adjust the scale of a clip to change its frame size (for the current sequence only). If you want to create a media file of your clip at a different size that does not need to be rendered before it can be played back, you should export a copy of the clip at the frame size you need.

    To scale a clip in Wireframe mode:

    1.

    Follow the setup steps for Wireframe mode presented earlier.

    2.

    Drag a corner handle to scale a clip while maintaining its proportions (Figure 15.14 ).

    Figure 15.14. Dragging a corner handle scales a clip while maintaining its proportions.

    Tips

    • Smooth your keyframes with Bézier curves when you animate scale. Curve type keyframes produce a change in the rate of scale at the beginning and the end of the scaling animation, making the movement less mechanical. To learn how to convert a keyframe to a Bézier curve type, see "To refine a motion keyframe" later in this chapter.

    • When you're scaling a clip, it's easy to drift away from the clip's original aspect ratio, but not easy to find the control that resets your clip to its native proportions. Go to the clip's Motion tab and scroll down to the Distort controls. That's where you'll find the Aspect Ratio parameter. Reset the value to 0, and you'll restore height:width sanity to your scaled clip.

    FCE Protocol: Center Point vs. Anchor Point vs. Origin Point

    All three types of pointsthe center point, anchor point, and origin pointare used to define position, but each serves a different purpose:

    Center point: Establishes the clip's position inside the Canvas area. The center point's default position (0,0) is the same as the anchor point's.

    Anchor point: Establishes the pivot point for a clip's movement inside the Canvas area. Rotation and Scale properties and motion paths are all based on the anchor point. The anchor point's default position (0,0) is the same as the center point's.

    Origin point: Appears on the Motion tab for text generators and establishes the positioning of text elements placed inside the clip.

    To scale a clip on the Viewer's Motion tab:

    Follow the setup steps for Motion tab mode presented earlier; then

    do one of the following:

      Figure 15.15 ).

      Figure 15.15. Adjust the Scale slider on the Motion tab to scale the clip.

    • Enter a percentage in the text field located to the right of the slider; 100 percent is equal to the clip's native size.

    Rotating clips

    Rotation is an important part of modern video effects (as you know if you've watched a TV commercial break recently).

    A clip rotates around its anchor point. The default anchor point location matches the clip's center point, but you can rotate a clip around a different pivot point by changing the location of the anchor point. You can position a clip at the edge of your sequence frame and rotate your clip partially or completely outside the Canvas, so it appears on the screen for only a portion of its rotation. You can also rotate a clip up to 24 revolutions in either direction or use the Rotation control to angle a clip as part of a static composition.

    To adjust a clip's rotation angle in Wireframe mode:

    Follow the setup steps for Image+Wireframe mode presented earlier; then

    do one of the following:

      Figure 15.16 ).

      Figure 15.16. To rotate a clip in Wireframe mode, drag in an arc around the clip's center point.

    • Click a border edge and then drag farther away from the clip's center point to get more precise control over the rotation.

    • Hold down the Shift key while dragging to constrain the rotation positions to 45-degree increments.

    • Drag around the clip multiple times without releasing the mouse to specify a number of rotations.

    To adjust a clip's rotation angle on the Viewer's Motion tab:

    Follow the setup steps for the Motion tab mode described earlier; then

    do one of the following:

      Figure 15.17 ); the red needle indicates the number of complete revolutions.

      Figure 15.17. Drag the rotation control dial needle to set a rotation position. The black hand indicates the current angle of the clip, and the small red hand indicates the total number of rotations forward or backward that have been specified.

    • Enter a new value in the text box.

      The clip realigns at the new rotation angle for the selected frame.

    Animating Clip Motion with Keyframes" later in this chapter).

    Cropping clips

    You can crop a clip either by dragging with the Crop tool or by specifying the number of pixels to crop from the borders. Use the Edge Feather option to create a soft border at the crop line.

    When you use the Crop tool to remove part of a clip's image, the selected parts are hidden, not deleted. You can restore the cropped sections to view by clicking the Reset button next to the Crop controls on the Viewer's Motion tab.

    To crop a clip in Wireframe mode:

    1.

    Follow the setup steps for the Image+Wireframe mode presented earlier; then select the Crop tool from the Tool palette.

    2.

    Do one of the following:

    • Drag from the edges of the clip to hide elements in the image (Figure 15.18 ).

      Figure 15.18. Drag from the edges of the clip to crop out elements in the image.

    • Shift-drag to constrain the clip's aspect ratio as you crop.

    • Command-drag to trim both horizontal edges or both vertical edges simultaneously.

    • Use Option in combination with Shift and Command to force rendering while you perform a crop operation.

    To crop a clip on the Motion tab:

    1.

    Follow the setup steps for the Motion tab mode described earlier; then open the Crop control bar by clicking the expansion triangle on the left (Figure 15.19 ).

    Figure 15.19. Open the Crop controls by clicking the Crop expansion triangle.

    2.

    To crop the clip from a specific side,

    do one of the following:

    • Drag the slider for that edge to a new value (Figure 15.20 ).

      Figure 15.20. Crop a clip by dragging the slider for the side you want to crop and setting it to a new value.

    • Enter a new value in the corresponding text field.

    3.

    To soften the cropped edges of the clip,

    do one of the following:

    • Adjust the Edge Feather slider to specify the width of the feathered edge.

    • Specify a value in the Edge Feather text field.

    Distorting a clip's shape

    Use the Distort tool to make independent adjustments to each corner point of a clip's wireframe, or use the Viewer's Motion tab to numerically specify

    x,y coordinates for the location of each corner point.

    To distort the shape of a clip in Wireframe mode:

    1.

    Follow the setup steps for the Wireframe mode presented earlier; then select the Distort tool from the Tool palette (Figure 15.21 ).

    Figure 15.21. Select the Distort tool from the Tool palette.

    2.

    To distort the clip's image,

    do one of the following:

    • Drag a corner handle of the clip's wireframe (Figure 15.22 ).

      Figure 15.22. Drag a corner handle of the clip's wireframe to distort it.

    • Shift-drag to change the perspective of the image.

    To distort a clip on the Viewer's Motion tab:

    1.

    Follow the setup steps for the Motion tab mode presented earlier; then open the Distort control bar by clicking the expansion triangle.

    2.

    To specify new locations for the corner points,

    do one of the following:

    • Enter new values for the corner points you want to move.

    • Adjust the Aspect Ratio parameter to change the clip's height:width ratio, relocating all four corner points. A clip's original aspect ratio has a value of zero.

    Adjusting opacity

    Final Cut Express clips start out 100 percent opaque (Figure 15.23 ). If you superimpose a clip over another clip in the base track of your sequence, the background image will be completely hidden until you adjust the opacity of the superimposed clip to less than 100 percent, making it semitransparent (Figure 15.24 ).

    Figure 15.23. The title is 100 percent opaque and completely obscures the background.

    Figure 15.24. The superimposed title with opacity set to less than 100 percent appears semitransparent.

    Layering multiple, semitransparent images is a basic compositing technique, and one you may be familiar with if you have ever worked with Adobe Photoshop.

    You can adjust a clip's opacity on the Viewer's Motion tab or with the opacity clip overlay in the Timeline.

    To set a clip's opacity on the Viewer's Motion tab:

    1.

    Follow the setup steps for the Motion tab mode described earlier; then open the Opacity control bar by clicking the triangle.

    2.

    To set the opacity level,

    do one of the following:

    • Use the slider control.

    • Enter a value between 0 and 100 in the Opacity text field (Figure 15.25 ).

      Figure 15.25. Type a value between 0 and 100 in the Opacity text field.

    Setting a clip's opacity in the Timeline

    Working with Keyframes in the Timeline" in Chapter 14.

    Use the Modify > Levels command to adjust opacity levels for a group of Timeline clips in a single operation.

    To adjust opacity levels on a group of clips:

    1.

    In the Timeline, select a group of clips whose levels you want to adjust (Figure 15.26 ).

    Figure 15.26. Select a group of Timeline clips whose opacity levels you want to adjust.

    2.

    Choose Modify > Levels.

    3.

    In the Opacity Adjust dialog box,

    do one of the following:

    • Choose Relative from the pop-up menu. Adjust each clip's opacity relative to its current level by specifying a percentage value (Figure 15.27 ).

      Figure 15.27. Choose Relative in the Opacity Adjust dialog box to adjust the opacity of all the selected clips by the percentage you specify.

    • Choose Absolute from the pop-up menu; then set an absolute value for all clips' opacity by specifying a percentage value.

    4.

    Click OK.

    Tip

    • Choose Relative to adjust the opacity percentage but maintain the curves of any sculpted opacity levels. Choose Absolute to remove all keyframes and flatten all the opacity levels to the specified percentage value.

    Adding a drop shadow to a clip

    Drop shadows add the illusion of dimensional depth to the 2D television screen (Figure 15.28 ). Titles pop out from the backgrounds, or clips softly float over other clips; complex silhouettes can add a special depth to your sequences. You can add a drop shadow to any clip whose display size is smaller than the sequence frame size.

    Figure 15.28. Drop shadows add depth to a superimposed title.

    You can apply drop shadows to clips that were captured at a smaller frame size and to clips that have been scaled, cropped, moved, or distorted. You can also add a drop shadow to a full-size clip with an alpha channel.

    To add a drop shadow to a clip:

    1.

    Double-click the clip in the Timeline or the Browser to open it in the Viewer.

    2.

    In the Viewer, click the Motion tab; then check the Drop Shadow check box (Figure 15.29 ).

    Figure 15.29. Check the box to enable the Drop Shadow option.

    3.

    To adjust your drop shadow settings,

    do any of the following:

    • Enter Offset settings to specify the shadow's distance from the clip.

    • Enter Angle settings to specify the position of the shadow relative to the clip edge.

    • Enter Softness settings to specify the degree of blending in the shadow's edge.

    • Enter Opacity settings to specify the shadow's degree of transparency.

    4.

    In the Color control bar, click the expansion triangle; then pick a color by

    doing one of the following:

    • Drag the hue, saturation, and brightness sliders to new values.

    • Enter numeric color values in the text fields.

    • Click the eyedropper and click in the Canvas to sample a color.

    • Click the color swatch and use one of the color pickers to choose the desired color (Figure 15.30 ).

      Figure 15.30. Click the color swatch; then choose a color from one of the color pickers.

    Adding a motion blur effect

    The motion blur effect enhances the illusion of movement by compositing the images of adjacent frames (Figure 15.31 ). This is definitely one control to experiment with, particularly for creating interesting, animated, soft-focus background textures. If you're using graphics or stills, you must combine motion blur with other motion effectsscaling, rotation, or motion paths, for exampleto see the motion blur effect, but you can use it to create a lot of action in your composition, even with static elements (Figure 15.32 ).

    Figure 15.31. Motion blur produces soft-focus effects based on movement within your video image.

    Figure 15.32. You can apply motion blur to a static graphic as well, but you must animate the graphic with a motion path first.

    Tip

    • Nest a clip containing an element you want to blur. By increasing the frame size when you nest, you can create a roomier bounding box that will accommodate the larger size of your blurred element.

    To add motion blur to a clip:

    1.

    Double-click the clip in the Timeline or the Browser to open it in the Viewer.

    2.

    In the Viewer, click the Motion tab; then check the Motion Blur check box near the bottom of the tab (Figure 15.33 ).

    Figure 15.33. Check the Motion Blur check box to enable motion blurring.

    3.

    Click the Motion Blur expansion triangle to reveal the controls for blurring motion.

    4.

    Use the % Blur slider or enter a value in the text field. Values range from 1000%, which blurs a frame's image across 10 frames, to 100%, which blurs the image on a single frame.

    5.

    To change the quality of the motion blur, adjust the sample rate by choosing a value from the Samples pop-up menu (Figure 15.34 ).

    Figure 15.34. Specify a number of samples by selecting a value from the Samples pop-up menu. The sample rate changes the quality of the motion blur. Fewer samples creates more visible intermediate steps.

    The sample rate is the number of in-between images FCE calculates when it compares two adjacent frames to calculate motion blur. A low sample rate produces more visible intermediate steps; a high sample rate produces a smoother look but takes longer to render.