Final Cut Pro

Introduction of Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is a sophisticated video editing program made by Apple. It is the editing software of choice for multimedia journalists using Apple computers, and is comparable to Adobe's Premiere video editing program. Final Cut Pro does not make a version for Windows. It is a module of the Final Cut Studio product. The software allows users to log and capture video onto a hard drive (internal or external), where it can be edited, processed, and output to a wide variety of formats.

Final Cut Pro provides non-linear, non-destructive editing of any QuickTime compatible video format including DV, HDV, P2 MXF (DVCProHD), XDCAM, and 2K film formats. It supports a number of simultaneously composited video tracks (limited mainly by video format and hardware capability); up to 99 audio tracks; multi-camera editing for combining video from multiple camera sources; as well as standard ripple, roll, slip, slide, scrub, razor blade and time remapping edit functions.

Final Cut Pro X: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does it overwrite Final Cut Pro 7?

A: No. All of the Final Cut Studio applications are moved to a Final Cut Studio folder in your Applications directory.

Q: Can I still purchase Final Cut Studio if I need it?

A: Not directly from Apple. I'm sure third-party resellers still have it in stock, but probably not for very long.

Q: Is there Motion and audio content like in previous versions?

A: Yes, but it is not installed by default. You need to launch Final Cut Pro X and go to Final Cut Pro > Download Additional Content.

IMPORTANT: Even if you don't need the content, I recommend doing this so that you have access to Final Cut Pro X's codecs.

Q: Should I also buy Compressor 4?

A: I would recommend it because Export to QuickTime Movie only offers a handful of codecs and options. To have control over the files you are exporting from FCPX, you definitely need Compressor 4.

Q: Can I open old Final Cut Pro projects in FCPX?

A: Not directly. You can import FCP 7 XML files via 7toX but be aware that not everything can be transferred across.

Q: Can I import or export XML?

A: Yes, in FCPX 10.0.1 or higher. Note that XML does not contain all of the contents of a project or event so it is not considered a suitable backup or replacement.

Q: Can I export EDLs or marker lists?

A: No.

Q: Can I import layered Photoshop files?

A: Yes, in FCPX 10.0.3 or higher.

Q: Can I capture from tape?

A: Yes, but only through Firewire, which limits it to DV, HDV and DVCPROHD capture. It's very basic and there's no way to customize it so I would recommend using another application to capture from tape.

Q: Can I output to tape?

A: No.

Q: Can I use my old Final Cut Pro 7 plugins in Final Cut Pro X?

A: No.

Q. Can I export a QuickTime movie with chapter markers?

A: No, but we have a workaround here.

Q: Does Final Cut Pro X have native R3D or XDCAM support?

A: No.

Q: Can FCPX work natively with H.264 and DVCPROHD from P2 cards?

A: Yes.

Q: How do I change where my render files are stored?

A: Render files are stored in the project directory so you need to move the project to a different drive. To do this, click the film strip icon in the bottom left corner to open up the Project Library, then drag the project to another drive. Only HFS+ drives will be displayed in this list - you cannot copy to Xsan, AFP, NFS or SMB volumes. (Thanks to Shamol Majumder for the tip)

Q: How do I reconnect media?

A: Go to File > Import > Files and browse for the original media files. If the files are already in the project, they will be reconnected.

There are two caveats: firstly, there is no way to reconnect to a different file (such as if you were replacing a temp VFX shot with the finished one) and secondly, it will always copy the file to your Final Cut Events folder even if you tell it not to. The latter would appear to be a bug.

Q: Can I export a reference (non-self-contained) QuickTime movie?

A: No.

Q: Can I output to a broadcast monitor?

A: FCPX 10.0.3 has a broadcast output feature however this is currently considered beta quality.

Q: How do I output OMFs / AAFs to Pro Tools?

A: Purchase X2Pro which offers AAF output from FCPX.

Q: Can you split the interface across multiple monitors?

A: To a limited extent. In the Window menu there are two options: Show Events on Second Display and Show Viewer on Second Display.

Q: Is there an Autosave Vault?

A: FCPX saves all changes as you make them and autosave now replaces the regular save function. However, there is no autosave vault where you can go back to a previous version, only a single project backup that occurs every 15 minutes (with FCPX 10.0.3 and higher).

To regain autosave vault functionality and the ability to revert to a previous version in case of project corruption or undesired changes, use Pro Versioner.

Q: Is there an audio mixer?

A: No. There is no mixer and no way to keyframe audio in realtime.

Tips: There's been a little bit of confusion over this statement. I'm not saying you can't keyframe audio at all, just not in realtime while your timeline is playing.

Q: Does FCPX support Euphonix control surfaces?

No. This thread quotes an Avid representative:

"As of this moment, no - Apple has not integrated EuCon support into FCPX. They have the option to do so, but would need to do the work on their end to support EuCon. Whether or not that will happen is unknown - given the nature of FCPX, my guess is that it's intentionally been left out. "

Q: Can I run Final Cut Pro X and Final Cut Pro 7 at the same time?

A: No, FCP X detects that FCP 7 is running and asks you to quit.

Q: Can I park the playhead on an individual field?

A: Yes! This is a feature long overdue for FCP.

Q: Why do DV files imported from iMovie play without audio?

A: iMovie creates raw DV files without track information or other metadata. FCPX is expecting the files to contain information on the structure of tracks. To fix this, you must rewrap the .dv files as QuickTime movies. To do this, open them in QuickTime Player 7, go to File > Save As and choose the option to save as a self-contained movie.

Q: Does Final Cut Pro X recognize Xsan, NFS, AFP and SMB volumes?

A: These volumes do not appear in the Event Library, however you can still import files from them by going to File > Import > Files.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to deselect the option to copy files to Final Cut Events folder otherwise all of the media will be copied to your local disk.

FCP X will then add a symbolic link to the remote media on your local hard drive. Be aware that render files will be stored in the same location as the project file. To move the project, drag it to another drive in the Project Library. This can only be an HFS+ drive so you cannot store it on an Xsan volume.

Update: FCPX still doesn't see SAN locations automatically but you can now use File > Add San Location to add one manually.

Q: Does Final Cut Pro X work with ExFAT volumes?

A: Apparently not, but the workaround for Xsan volumes listed above may solve the issue for people experiencing this problem.

(ExFAT is a new cross-platform file system that is much better than FAT32 for transferring files between Mac and PC.)

Q: Can I store projects or events on different drives?

A: Projects will be stored on the local disk by default. To change this, click the film canister icon in the bottom left corner to open up the Project Library. You can then drag the project to any supported drive in the list. (Thanks to Shamol Majumder for the tip.)

Events can be stored on external disks by going to File > Import > Files, selecting Create New Event and choosing the name of the disk under Save To. You can change the location of an existing event by going to File > Move Event.