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

Lisa Brenneis

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  • Using Real-Time Effects

    Real-time effects take advantage of the G4/5's graphics handling power to compute and display previews of many effects in real time. RT Extreme (RTE), Final Cut Express's software-based effects previewing feature, doesn't require any additional hardware.

    RTE effects are computed on the fly and play back in the FCE program windows.

    RT Extreme: Scalable software-based real time

    RTE's real-time effects previewing may not require extra hardware, but a qualifying G4 and 512 MB of RAM are the minimum system requirements for any RTE functionality. Check the Technical Specifications page of Apple's Final Cut Express web site at www.apple.com/finalcutpro/spec184 for a list detailing which real-time effects are supported on which G4/5 systems.

    If your Mac supports real-time effects, FCE will identify your G4/5 model and display the RTE effects it supports in boldface type, both on the Browser's Effects tab (Figure 18.1 ) and on the Effects menu (Figure 18.2 ).

    Figure 18.1. Real-time effects appear in boldface type on the Browser's Effects tab.

    Figure 18.2. Real-time effects also appear in boldface in the Effects menu. (Select Unlimited RT from the Timeline's RT pop-up menu, and you'll enable additional real-time effects.)

    Rendering indicators" later in this chapter.)

    Like most cutting-edge technologies, RTE effects come with a list of caveats and trade-offs attached, so let's get those out of the way up front.

    • RTE's real-time magic works only on DV and HDV format footage.

    • RTE effects are computed on the fly and play back only in the Canvas and the Viewer and in full-screen Digital Cinema mode. You have to disable your DV FireWire to enable RTE's real-time previewing, so you won't be able to see anything on your external TV monitor while you're enjoying your real-time previews. However, you can purchase and install an extra Radeon video display card in your G4 tower and then route the RTE previews to an external TV monitor via S-video. If you're using a qualifying PowerBook G4, you can use the PowerBook's S-video output to feed your external monitor.

    • Remember that RTE previews are optimized for real-time processing, not resolution. They work great for judging timing and composition, but for critical judgment of color and detail, be sure to render at least a few test frames and view them on your external NTSC or PAL monitor at final output resolution.

    For the official word on FCE's real-time capabilities, see Chapter 33 of Apple's

    Final Cut Express Help PDF.

    To enable real-time effects:

    Do one of the following:

      Figure 18.3 ).

      Figure 18.3. Choose View > Video Out > Canvas Playback to enable real-time effects preview in the Canvas and the Viewer.

      [View full size image]

  • Choose View > Video Out > Digital Cinema Desktop Preview - Main (Figure 18.4 ).

    Figure 18.4. Choosing Digital Cinema Desktop Preview Main from the Video Out menu enables full-screen video monitoring on your computer screen, plus real-time effects previewing. Enabling real-time previewing automatically disables your external video feed.

    [View full size image]

    • Your external video output is disabled and real-time previewing is enabled.