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

1.

Do one of the following:

• Select a clip or sequence in the Browser (Figure 19.24 ).

  Figure 19.24. Select the sequence in the Browser.

• In the Timeline, open the sequence you want to export.

2.

Set In and Out points in your clip or sequence to mark the section you want to include in the exported file. If you want to export the entire item, clear any In and Out points from the item before export.

3.

Choose File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion (Figure 19.25 ).

The Save dialog box opens.

4.

In the Save dialog box, choose an export file format from the Format pop-up menu (Figure 19.26 ). then

do one of the following:

• Choose one of the Export Settings presets from the Use pop-up menu (Figure 19.27 ).

  Figure 19.27. Choose one of the Export Settings presets from the Use pop-up menu. These are the export presets available for the QuickTime Movie export format.

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• Click the Options button to access the full QuickTime settings for the format you have selected. In the settings dialog box (or boxes) that follow, confirm or modify the export format settings and then click OK. Export options will vary according to the format you have selected (Figure 19.28 ).

  Figure 19.28. In the settings dialog boxes, confirm or modify the export format settings and click OK. Export options will vary according to the format you've selected. These are the settings dialog boxes for the MPEG 4 Video codec.

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5.

In the Save dialog box, name your file in the Save As field (Figure 19.29 ) and then select a destination folder.

6.

Click Save.

• The QuickTime Movie format gives you the option of applying QuickTime's suite of video filters, and you can choose from a range of effects and image control filters (check out the Film Noise filter!). Select the filters as you configure your export options, and they will be processed as part of the export operation. You can access the filters by clicking the Filter button in the Movie Settings window (Figure 19.30 ).

  Figure 19.30. Click the Filter button in the Movie Settings window to access a palette of QuickTime filters you can apply as part of your export operation. QuickTime filters are available only in the QuickTime Movie format.

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FCE Alert: Web Video Uses the Whole Video Frame

If you are converting your FCE sequence to a compressed format for Web or CD-ROM distribution, be aware that your exported file will show the entire video frame when viewed on a computer screen.

External video monitors typically don't display the edges of the video frame; that's why you're advised to keep your titles inside the title-safe area. If you have unwanted elements, such as microphones, hovering about the edges of your video frame, you may never have seen them if you've been monitoring your framing only on an external video monitor.

So check your whole video frame by viewing it on your computer monitor. If you do find that your frame has unsightly edges, you can always crop your frame before you export.

1.

In the Canvas or the Viewer, position the playhead on the frame you want to export (Figure 19.31 ).

2.

Choose File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion.

3.

In the Save dialog box, choose Still Image from the Format pop-up menu (Figure 19.32 ); then

do one of the following:

• Choose one of the Still Image presets from the Use pop-up menu.

• Click the Options button to access a complete list of QuickTime still image formats and their settings. In the Export Image Sequence Settings dialog box, select an export format from the pop-up menu at the top of the dialog box (Figure 19.33 ) and then click OK.

  Figure 19.33. Selecting Photoshop as the export format from the pop-up menu in the Export Image Sequence Settings dialog box.

4.

In the Save dialog box, type a name for your still frame in the Save As field and select a destination folder.

5.

Click Save (Figure 19.34 ).

Final Cut Express automatically adds the correct image file extension to the name you typed.

• If you want to export multiple still frames in a batch process rather than exporting them directly (as outlined in this task), you'll first need to use the Modify > Make Freeze Frame command to create FCE still clips. When you're done selecting your freeze-frames, you can use the batch-export feature to convert them all to graphics files in one operation.

• When you export a still frame, ignore the frames-per-second settingsthey don't apply to still-frame export.

1.

Do one of the following:

• Select a clip or sequence in the Browser.

• In the Timeline, open the sequence you want to export.

2.

Set In and Out points in your clip or sequence to mark the section you want to export as a numbered image sequence (Figure 19.35 ). If you want to export the entire item, clear any In and Out points from the item before export.

3.

Choose File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion.

4.

In the Save dialog box, choose Image Sequence from the Format pop-up menu (Figure 19.36 ); then

do one of the following:

• Choose one of the Image Sequence presets from the Use pop-up menu.

• Click the Options button to access a complete list of QuickTime still image formats and their settings. In the Export Image Sequence Settings dialog box, select an export format from the Format pop-up menu and select a frame rate for your image sequence (Figure 19.37 ); then click OK.

  Figure 19.37. Select an export format from the pop-up menu at the top of the dialog box and select a frame rate for your image sequence; then click OK.

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5.

In the Save dialog box, type a name for your still frame in the Save As field and then select a destination folder.

6.

Click Save.

Your image sequence is saved as a series of still graphics in the file format you selected.