… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1387: Calculating Clip Positions

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Final Cut simplified how clips are positioned, making effects easier to calculate.

Repositioning clips in Final Cut is easier due to how it determines clip position.

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I discovered this tip while researching a recent PowerUP webinar introducing Apple Motion 5.5.

All NLEs determine position using pixel coordinates. Where those coordinates start is called the 0,0 position.

Final Cut sets the 0,0 position at the exact center of a project. The significant benefit to this approach is that you can instantly center a clip, regardless of its size, by entering 0,0 in Video Inspector > Transform > Position.

NOTE: Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro determine clip positions in a sequence from its upper left corner.

By defining the center as 0,0, the position of the center doesn’t change even when the project size changes. Final Cut’s approach also makes the math of moving clips much easier, because when you move a clip, you are moving it from it’s center, not the upper left corner.

For example, when creating a “quad split” image (see screen shot), where each image is scaled 50%, the center of each frame moves by the same amount, but in different directions:

  • Top left: -320, 180
  • Top right: 320, 180
  • Bottom left: -320, -180
  • Bottom right: 320, -180

The only difference is the sign (positive or negative), the pixel values are all the same.

NOTE: This positioning scheme also means that if something is off-center, it is easy to center simply by entering 0,0 as the position coordinates.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1386: Drop Zone Secret

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

When adding clips to a drop zone, where you click the skimmer determines the In.

Drop zones displayed in the Video Inspector.

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I discovered this tip while researching a recent PowerUP webinar introducing Apple Motion 5.5.

One of the Motion effects I created for this webinar involved combining multiple drop zones into a single “quad split,” where four different images were combined into one.

NOTE: The benefit of creating this as a Motion template is how easily it can be reused, rather than create each effect uniquely in Final Cut.

What I didn’t know till this week was that when you add a video clip to a drop zone, where you click the skimmer (Shortcut: S) in the Browser clip determines the In of the video.

In the past, Final Cut would use the actual start of the video clip. Now, with the Skimmer setting the In, you can use any segment of a clip that you prefer.

Very cool – and a huge time-saver.


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… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1385: Hidden Dissolve Options In Final Cut Pro

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Check out the creative dissolve options by looking in the Video Inspector.

Dissolve settings (top), default dissolve (middle), and Sharp dissolve (bottom).

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Normally, when we need a dissolve in Final Cut, we select the edit point, type Cmd + T, adjust the timing and move on. However, there is a wealth of creative options if you know where to look. Specifically, in the Video Inspector.

Select a dissolve, then look in the Inspector. You’ll find a dozen different creative settings for a dissolve. The default is Video, but, surprisingly, that is also the most modest. (See the screen shot.)

Each of these settings uses different combinations of blend modes, vignettes and color settings to change the look of even the most ordinary of transitions.


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