Final Cut Pro User Guide

Final Cut Pro User Guide for Mac

• Welcome
• What’s new
• Get started
  • What is Final Cut Pro?
  • Intro to the Magnetic Timeline
  • What are libraries?
  • Final Cut Pro workflow
  • Final Cut Pro interface
  • Subscribe to Apple Creator Studio
    • What is Apple Creator Studio?
    • Subscribe
    • Download new content
  • Download a demo project
• Import and analyze media
  • Intro to importing media
  • If it’s your first import
  • Import from connected cameras
    • Import from file-based cameras
    • Import spanned clips
    • Import from iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
    • Import from digital still cameras
    • If your camera isn’t recognized
  • Import from devices
    • Import from your Mac or storage device
    • Import from an archive or disk image
  • Organize files during import
  • Import from other apps
    • Import from Image Playground
    • Import from iMovie for macOS
    • Import from iMovie for iOS or iPadOS
    • Import from Final Cut Pro for iPad
    • Import from Final Cut Camera
    • Import from Photos
    • Import from Music
    • Import from Apple TV
    • Import from Motion
    • Import from GarageBand and Logic Pro
    • Import using workflow extensions
  • Record into Final Cut Pro
  • Memory cards and cables
  • Supported media formats
  • Import third-party formats with media extensions
    • Import using media extensions
    • Import Sony X-OCN files
  • Import and adjust RAW media
    • Adjust ProRes RAW camera settings
    • Import REDCODE RAW files
    • Import Canon Cinema RAW Light files
  • Analyze media
    • Intro to analyzing media
    • Video analysis options
    • Audio analysis options
    • Analyze your media
    • View analysis keywords
• Play back and organize media
  • Play back and skim media
    • Intro to playback
    • Play media
    • Skim media
    • Play media in the event viewer
    • Compare two video frames
    • Play media on an external display
    • Zoom in to the viewer
    • Control playback quality
    • Use overlays in the viewer
    • Background rendering
    • Play back slow-motion clips
  • Organize your library
    • Intro to libraries
    • Organize your projects, events, and media
      • Create a new event
      • Rename items
      • Merge and split events
      • Move items between events
      • Duplicate projects and clips
      • Delete items from libraries
    • View and sort items in the browser
      • Intro to browser views
      • Customize browser views
      • Sort and group items in the browser
      • Hide clips in the browser
      • Create and share column sets
    • Organize clips
      • Rate clips
      • Add keywords
      • Add clip and project notes
      • Organize clips by roles
      • Lines marking event clips
    • Find items using search, keywords, and Smart Collections
      • Find clips and projects
      • Create Smart Collections
      • Organize Smart Collections
    • Restore a library
• Edit your project
  • Intro to editing
  • Create and manage projects
    • Create a new project
    • Open and close projects
    • Modify a project’s settings
    • Create square or vertical versions of a project
    • Final Cut Pro project settings
    • Save and back up projects
    • Copy a project to another Mac
  • Select clips and ranges
    • Selections and filmstrips
    • Select clips
    • Select ranges
    • Set multiple ranges in the browser
  • Add and remove clips
    • Intro to adding clips
    • Drag clips to the timeline
    • Append clips to your project
    • Insert clips
    • Connect clips
    • Overwrite clips
    • Replace clips
    • Add still images
    • Create freeze frames
    • Add only a clip’s video or audio
    • Remove clips from projects
    • Solo or disable clips
    • Find a project clip’s source clip
  • Make three-point edits
    • Intro to three-point editing
    • Three-point editing guidelines
    • Three-point edit examples
  • Arrange clips in the timeline
  • Cut and trim clips
    • Intro to trimming
    • Cut clips in two
    • Extend or shorten clips
    • Make roll edits
    • Make slip edits
    • Make slide edits
    • Create split edits
    • Show a two-up display in the viewer
  • View and navigate
    • Scroll in the timeline
    • Zoom in to and out of the timeline
    • Adjust timeline clip appearance
    • Snap to items in the timeline
    • Navigate your project
    • Navigate using timecode
    • View source and project timecode
    • View your project in the timeline index
    • Show clips with duplicate ranges
  • Work with markers
    • Intro to markers
    • Add and remove markers
    • Edit and move markers
    • Add chapter markers
  • Edit to the beat
  • Detect and restore edits
  • Correct shaky video
• Edit audio
  • Intro to audio
  • Audio editing basics
    • Audio waveforms
    • Audio channels and components
    • Ways to view audio clips
    • Zoom in to audio waveforms
    • View and change audio levels
    • Solo and mute audio clips
  • Add audio
    • Add music and sound
    • Record voiceovers
    • Access external audio files
  • Edit audio clips or audio components
    • Intro to audio editing
    • Configure audio channels
    • Adjust volume
    • Fade audio in and out
    • Crossfade audio
    • Pan audio
    • Multichannel audio editing examples
  • Add and adjust audio effects
    • Add audio effects
    • Remove audio effects
    • Add the default audio effect
    • Adjust audio effects
    • Save audio effects presets
    • Keyframe audio effects
  • Audio tools and techniques
    • Enhance audio
    • Sync audio and video
    • Match audio
    • Preserve pitch in retimed clips
    • Monitor mono or dual mono audio
• Add titles
  • Add and adjust titles
    • Intro to titles
    • Add titles
    • Add the default title
    • Adjust titles
    • Position and animate titles in Final Cut Pro for Mac
    • Text inspector controls
    • Apply preset text styles
    • Modify titles in Motion
    • Find and replace text
  • Add and adjust 3D titles
    • Intro to 3D titles
    • 3D titles workflow
    • Add 3D titles to a project
      • Add 3D titles
      • Convert text to 3D text
    • Rotate and move 3D titles
      • Rotate titles in 3D space
      • Move titles in 3D space
    • Modify basic 3D text attributes
      • Adjust basic 3D text settings
      • Modify depth and edges
      • 3D Text controls
    • Modify surface appearance
      • Intro to materials
      • Add preset materials
      • Modify materials
      • Work with material layers
      • Add a light-emitting material
      • Save modified materials
      • Add materials to 3D text facets
    • Material controls
      • Intro to Material controls
      • Substance controls
      • Paint controls
      • Finish controls
      • Distress controls
      • Emit controls
      • Placement controls
    • Change lighting style
      • Intro to 3D text lighting
      • Adjust 3D text lighting
      • Change the lighting environment
      • Lighting controls
    • Add glows or shadows
  • Add, adjust, and share captions
    • Intro to captions
    • Create closed captions
      • Closed captions workflow
      • Create closed captions
      • Import closed captions
      • Show or hide closed captions
      • Edit closed caption text
      • Adjust and arrange closed captions
      • Format closed caption text
      • Create multilingual closed captions
      • Convert closed captions to another format
      • Export closed captions
    • Generate subtitles automatically
• Add effects
  • Intro to effects
  • Add and adjust transitions
    • Intro to transitions
    • How transitions are created
    • Add transitions and fades
    • Quickly add a transition with a keyboard shortcut
    • Set the default duration for transitions
    • Delete transitions
    • Adjust transitions in the timeline
    • Adjust transitions in the inspector and viewer
    • Merge jump cuts with the Flow transition
    • Adjust transitions with multiple images
    • Modify transitions in Motion
  • Adjust built-in effects
    • Intro to built-in effects
    • Resize, move, and rotate clips
    • Adjust framing with Smart Conform
    • Trim the edges of the video frame
    • Crop clips
    • Pan and zoom clips
    • Skew a clip’s perspective
    • Work with built-in effects
    • Remove built-in effects
  • Add and adjust clip effects
    • Intro to clip effects
    • Add video effects
    • Add the default video effect
    • Adjust effects
    • Use masks to define the shape of a video effect
      • Intro to effect masking
      • Add an Auto Mask to a video effect
      • Add a Magnetic Mask to a video effect
      • Add a shape mask to a video effect
      • Add a color mask to a video effect
      • Combine multiple effect masks
      • Invert effect masks
      • Animate an effect shape mask
    • Change clip effect order
    • Copy effects between clips
    • Rename effects
    • Save video effects presets
    • Copy and paste keyframes
    • Reduce video noise
    • Remove or turn off effects
    • Modify effects in Motion
  • Add adjustment clips
  • Add generators
    • Intro to generators
    • Add placeholders
    • Add the default generator
    • Add timecode counters
    • Add shapes
    • Add backgrounds
    • Adjust generators
    • Modify generators in Motion
    • Import Live Drawing animations
  • Use onscreen controls
    • Intro to onscreen controls
    • Show onscreen controls
    • Onscreen control examples
  • Animate video effects
    • Intro to video keyframing
    • Add video effect keyframes
    • Modify groups of keyframes
    • Adjust effect curves
• Advanced editing
  • Use roles to manage clips and organize the timeline
    • Intro to roles
    • Guidelines for using roles
    • View and reassign roles
    • Create custom roles
    • Assign audio roles during import
    • Change role colors or names
    • Display roles and subroles in the timeline
      • Organize the timeline with audio lanes
      • Show audio components in audio lanes
      • Focus the timeline on an audio role
      • Reorder audio roles
      • Show video role colors
      • Turn roles on or off
      • Work with audio roles in compound clips
    • Export roles
  • Group clips with compound clips
    • Intro to compound clips
    • Create compound clips
    • Edit compound clips
  • Edit with multicam clips
    • Intro to multicam editing
    • Multicam editing workflow
    • Import media for multicam edits
    • Add camera names and angles
    • Create multicam clips
    • Cut and switch camera angles
    • Sync and adjust camera angles
    • Edit multicam clips
    • Multicam editing tips
  • Add storylines
  • Use the precision editor
  • Try out clips using auditions
    • Intro to auditions
    • Create auditions
    • Add clips to auditions
    • Review clips in auditions
  • Retime clips to create speed effects
    • Intro to retiming clips
    • Change clip speed
    • Create variable speed effects
    • Add speed transitions
    • Reverse or rewind clips
    • Create instant replays
    • Speed up a clip with jump cuts
    • Create hold segments
    • Reset speed changes
  • Conform frame sizes and rates
  • Use XML to transfer projects
  • Change the focus in Cinematic mode video
    • Intro to Cinematic mode video
    • Import Cinematic mode clips
    • Enable Cinematic mode video adjustments
    • Adjust the focus in Cinematic mode clips
    • Adjust depth of field in Cinematic mode clips
  • Edit 360-degree video
    • Intro to 360-degree video
    • Import 360-degree video
    • 360-degree video settings
    • Create 360-degree projects
    • View and navigate 360-degree video
    • Edit a 360-degree project
      • Reorient 360-degree video
      • Add 360-degree video effects
      • Add 360-degree titles and generators
      • Add standard clips to 360-degree projects
    • Add 360-degree clips to standard projects
    • Add the 360-degree Patch effect
    • Add the Tiny Planet effect
    • Share 360-degree clips and projects
    • 360-degree video tips
  • Edit stereo and spatial video
    • Intro to stereo and spatial video
    • Stereo and spatial video editing workflow
    • Record spatial video
    • Import stereo and spatial video
    • Create a stereo video project
    • Preview stereo and spatial video
    • Adjust stereo video properties
    • Edit stereo and spatial video
    • Export or share stereo and spatial video
• Keying, masking, compositing, and tracking
  • Keying
    • Intro to keying
    • Use the Green Screen Keyer effect
    • Use the Luma Keyer effect
    • Finalize a key
  • Masking
    • Intro to masking
    • Create simple shape masks
    • Use the Magnetic Mask
      • Add Magnetic Masks
      • Edit Magnetic Masks
    • Use the Auto Mask
    • Use the Scene Removal Mask
    • Create complex masks
      • Intro to complex masks
      • Create complex masks
      • Use multiple masks
    • Edit complex masks
      • Intro to editing complex masks
      • Add control points
      • Lock and disable control points
      • Move control points
      • Edit Bezier control points
      • Edit B-Spline control points
    • Animate a mask with keyframes
    • Mask controls
  • Compositing
    • Intro to compositing
    • Use alpha channels
    • Change a clip’s opacity
    • Use blend modes
      • Intro to blend modes
      • Choose a blend mode
      • Types of blend modes
  • Tracking
    • Intro to object tracking
    • How does object tracking work?
    • Track an effect to a moving object
    • Track an image or other clip to a moving object
    • Offset the position of a tracking effect
    • Adjust object tracking
    • Change the tracking analysis method
    • Create motion tracks manually
• Color correction
  • Intro to color correction
  • Quickly balance and match color
    • Intro to balancing color
    • Analyze a clip for color
    • Balance a clip’s colors
    • Manually white-balance clips
    • Match color between clips in the timeline
  • Make advanced color corrections with color correction effects
    • Intro to color correction effects
    • Manual color correction workflow
    • Add color correction effects
    • Remove color correction effects
    • Use the Color Board effect
    • Use the Color Wheels effect
    • Use the Color Curves effect
    • Use the Hue/Saturation Curves effect
    • Use the Color Adjustments effect
    • Use color presets
  • Use masks for color correction
    • Use Auto Mask or Magnetic Mask
    • Add a color mask
    • Edit a color mask
    • Ways to view masks
    • Add a shape mask
    • Add shape masks to a color mask
    • Remove a color or shape mask
  • Wide color gamut and HDR
    • Intro to wide color gamut and HDR
    • Use wide-gamut HDR color processing
    • Use automatic color management and Color Conform
    • Color correct HDR video with Pro Display XDR
    • View HDR video
    • Export HDR files
    • Wide-gamut HDR tips
    • Color correct ProRes RAW video
      • Intro to color correcting ProRes RAW video
      • Use built-in camera LUTs to color correct ProRes RAW video
      • Use custom LUT effects to color correct ProRes RAW video
      • Color correct ProRes RAW video directly without LUTs
  • Apply LUTs
  • Measure video levels
    • Intro to measuring video
    • Display video scopes
    • Waveform monitor display options
    • Vectorscope display options
    • Histogram display options
    • Detect out-of-gamut colors
  • Color correction tools and techniques
    • Keyframe color corrections
    • Add transitions between color corrections
    • Save color correction presets
    • Compare color corrections
    • Turn iMovie adjustments on or off
• Share your project
  • Intro to sharing projects
  • Share to Apple devices
  • Export files
    • Export final mastering files
    • Export MXF files
    • Export still images
    • Export image sequences
    • Export files for HTTP Live Streaming
    • Share roles as files
    • Supported export formats
  • Share on the web
  • Send a video frame to Pixelmator Pro
  • Share in email
  • Share stereo or spatial video
  • Batch sharing
  • Share using Compressor
  • Create share destinations
  • Change metadata for shared items
  • View the status of shared items
  • Speed up exports with simultaneous processing
• Manage media, libraries, and archives
  • Intro to media management
  • Manage your media files
    • View a clip’s information
    • Override a clip’s metadata
    • Locate source media files
    • Relink clips to media files
    • Consolidate projects and libraries
    • Back up projects and libraries
    • Create optimized and proxy files
    • Create a proxy-only project
    • Manage render files
    • View background tasks
  • Manage libraries
    • Intro to managing libraries
    • Create a new library
    • Open and close libraries
    • Copy or move items between libraries
    • Copy or move a library
    • Set storage locations
    • Manage Motion content
  • Create camera archives
  • Common media management issues
    • Alert icons
    • Solutions to media management issues
• Work smarter
  • Final Cut Pro settings
    • Intro to Final Cut Pro settings
    • Change settings
    • General settings
    • Editing settings
    • Playback settings
    • Import settings
    • Destinations settings
      • Intro to Destinations settings
      • Email destination
      • Social Platforms destination
      • Still-image destinations
      • Export File and Apple Devices destinations
      • Compressor Presets destination
      • HTTP Live Streaming destination
      • Bundle destination
  • Keyboard shortcuts and gestures
    • Intro to shortcuts and gestures
    • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Multi-Touch trackpad gestures
    • Touch Bar shortcuts
    • Customize keyboard shortcuts
      • Intro to the Command Editor
      • View keyboard shortcuts
      • Modify keyboard shortcuts
      • Export or import keyboard shortcuts
  • Customize the Final Cut Pro interface
    • Arrange the main window
    • Use a second display
    • Change the workspace layout
    • Use workflow extensions
  • Work with metadata
    • Intro to metadata
    • View and change clip metadata
    • Modify metadata views
    • Batch rename clips
  • Use color and gradient controls
    • Intro to color and gradient controls
    • Color controls
      • Basic color controls
      • Use the pop-up color palette
      • Use the Colors window
      • Use expanded color controls
    • Gradient controls
      • Intro to the gradient editor
      • Change gradient colors
      • Reverse gradient direction
      • Move and copy gradient tags
      • Basic gradient controls
      • Gradient editor controls
  • Download sound effects and Pro Video Formats
• Glossary
• Copyright and trademarks