Ultimately yr’s FCP X World in London, individuals had been dazzled by watching London-based business editor Thomas Grove Carter of Trim Editing minimize collectively an Audi business dwell. The pace with which he performed the edit was mesmerizing.
The feedback had been filled with inquiries about particular keyboard shortcuts and the philosophy behind his enhancing method. Editors need to know the way he’s capable of minimize so quick.
However FCP X, with its magnetic timeline and the highly effective instruments packed into its browser, is constructed for lightning-paced reducing—you simply need to know learn how to use it!
As I see it, there are two standout strategies concerned in Thomas Grove Carter’s course of:
- Mastery of three-point enhancing (and its keyboard shortcuts)
- Mastery of FCP X’s browser-based system of group and labeling
The magic formulation for pace is the mixture of the 2. However earlier than we deep dive into these two strategies, let’s evaluate what makes FCP X an NLE like no different—as a result of, regardless of the preliminary uproar, it’s the redesign from FCP 7 to FCP X that makes all this potential.
FCP X has two distinctive qualities (properly, a lot more, however we’re involved about these) that separate it from different NLEs.
Magnetic Timeline
FCP X’s magnetic timeline does away with conventional tracks—a large redesign from FCP 7 that was initially an enormous upset to video editors.
However the magnetic timeline has one unimaginable energy over conventional track-based NLEs—it retains every thing in sync.
No Clip Collisions
Collisions occur when a clip you’re transferring round bumps up towards one other clip on the identical monitor. FCP X does away with tracks, and so there are not any extra collisions. The clips merely transfer out of the best way and make room in your timeline, whereas staying in sync. Under, the decrease VO audio clip has moved right down to make room for the upper monitor because it’s moved to the left.
Related Clips
In FCP X, clips on the timeline are positioned in relationship to different clips. For instance, when you’ve got video of an interview as your main storyline and use a join edit to chop a shot of B-roll into the timeline over the interview topic, that B-roll shot will “join” itself to the first storyline. For those who transfer the underlying clip of the interview topic, the B-roll shot will transfer with it. Under, the highest clip is linked to the underlying clip.
What this all means is which you could make any kind of edit—join, insert, overwrite—and by no means have to fret about by chance transferring different clips out of sync.
For a good deeper take a look at the magnetic timeline, try How the Magnetic Timeline Keeps You Focused on the Story.
For a lot of editors who’ve already developed their very own bin-based group strategies, FCP X’s key phrase and metadata tagging is usually a tough promote. However these prepared to make the preliminary funding in rethinking their undertaking setup uncover that somewhat work upfront ends saves a ton of time in the long term.
Put merely, FCP X encourages you to prepare and edit your footage within the browser, earlier than you ever contact the timeline. This methodology occurs to be a match made in heaven for three-point enhancing.
[I’m going to assume most of you know what 3-point editing is. Click here to jump down to a “refresher course,” then hit your browser’s back button to jump back here. Otherwise, read on to see how using 3-point editing and FCP X’s browser to boost your editing speed.]
They key to mastering three-point enhancing is to apply till it turns into second nature. When you’ve carried out sufficient primary and back-timed edits, you’ll intuitively know which keyboard shortcuts to hit to make the proper edit each time.
Strive difficult your self to construct out a whole meeting utilizing the method. Once more, somewhat funding upfront will yield nice returns, particularly in comparison with two of the most typical options:
Drag and Drop
Many editors mistakenly think about drag and drop enhancing a neater shortcut, each as a result of it doesn’t have the training curve related to three-point enhancing, and since it’s a extra tactile approach to edit. However frequently shifting your consideration backwards and forwards between deciding on clips within the browser and trimming clips is counterproductive.
Copy/Paste
Even worse than dragging and dropping is copy/paste enhancing. This type entails creating timelines filled with selects, or clips you want and need to use later, after which switching backwards and forwards between these timelines and your main edit timeline whereas copying and pasting clips as wanted.
That is merely some of the ineffective methods of working—along with on a regular basis spent shuffling between a number of timelines, this methodology requires you to always scrub via string-outs on the lookout for the precise shot, reasonably than merely labeling the shot within the browser in order that you already know precisely learn how to discover it.
I usually see editors doing this after they’ve synced their media on the timeline (usually in the event that they’ve used PluralEyes that imported an XML again into the NLE) reasonably than combining the synced audio and video right into a single clip. When you relegate your self to working from synced timelines, you’ve misplaced all skill to simply arrange and label your footage. Consider it or not, many individuals edit entire movies this manner! I significantly shudder on the thought.
For those who’re on the lookout for directions on syncing your footage, check out Why DaVinci Resolve is the Ultimate (Free) Tool to Sync Clips, A Deep Dive Into the Hidden Audio Tools of FCP X, or in the event you’re working in Premiere, Best Practices for Batch Syncing Audio in Adobe Premiere.
Each drag and drop and duplicate/paste strategies contain making the vast majority of your edit selections as soon as the clip has already been minimize into the timeline. This fixed shift in focus backwards and forwards from the browser to the timeline turns into a simple distraction and a time-suck.
With three-point enhancing, you’ll shortly end up making exact edit after edit, with out leaving the browser window. It’s merely a simpler approach to work.
By now, you’ll have seen that the final ideas of three-point enhancing apply to all NLEs. It doesn’t matter what software program you’re employed in, embrace it and also you’ll end up reducing a lot sooner.
However for the reason that method relies on making edit selections earlier than your clips make their means into the timeline, FCP X’s litany of browser-based organizational instruments make it particularly efficient. The sooner you possibly can pull up the precise clip, the sooner you possibly can edit.
Under is a roundup of the FCP X options that completely pair with three-point enhancing. Since we’ve coated many of those instruments intimately in earlier articles, I’ll supply hyperlinks to extra in-depth information the place acceptable.
Favoriting/Rejecting Clips
Ranking clips as favorites or rejected is a straightforward approach to broadly declutter and arrange your browser.
In case your clips comprise sections that you simply don’t like or would possibly by no means need to use in a undertaking—as a result of they’re blurry, or a crewperson is within the shot, for instance—you possibly can mark them as rejected.
For sections which might be significantly good that you already know you’ll need to think about later, you possibly can mark them as favorites.
Simply mark an in- and out-point on the clip within the browser, or use the vary selector, and hit delete to reject, or F to favourite.
You’ll discover that the rejected portion(s) of your clip will now have a pink bar over them, whereas the favorited parts can have a inexperienced bar.
If you’re able to dive into enhancing, you possibly can select from a wide range of filters within the dropdown menu on the prime proper of the browser to solely present the clips you’re at the moment taken with.
Selecting Favorites will solely present clips marked as favorites, whereas selecting Conceal Rejected, will present all clips, whereas hiding the parts of the clips you’ve rejected, and so forth.
Key phrases
Keyboards are extremely highly effective and versatile and assist flip your footage right into a searchable database!
What makes them completely different than bins in Premiere or Avid? You may tag clips (and even parts of clips) with as many key phrases as you need. Which means you possibly can tag a clip each as “BROLL,” and extra particularly, as one thing like “Magnificence Photographs.”
In a bin-based NLE, you possibly can have that clip in both the “BROLL” bin OR the “Magnificence Photographs” bin, however not each, until you make a reproduction of the clip.
To use key phrases shortly, first hit cmd+Okay to carry up the key phrase shortcut editor. Right here, you possibly can map widespread key phrases to keyboard shortcuts which you could apply to your footage on the fly. Put merely, key phrases make sorting via bins for clips a activity of the previous.
As a result of you possibly can specify a key phrase for a selected vary of a clip, they will help you instantly see the place to set your out and in factors when making three-point edits into the timeline.
To discover the complete scope of what you are able to do with key phrases in FCP X, try Edit Faster and More Efficiently with FCP X’s Metadata.
Filtering, Search, & Sensible Collections
The sooner you possibly can find and mark the clips you need to minimize into the timeline, the sooner three-point enhancing turns into.
FCP X has 3 ways to seek for media:
Use the Filter pop-up menu to shortly filter clips by how they’re marked in these broad classes—Favorites, Rejected, Unused, or No Rankings or Key phrases. You should use the Filter pop-up on the Occasion degree or on the Key phrase degree to assist broaden or slender your search.
Use the Filter window to carry out complicated searches for clips and initiatives based mostly on customized combos of standards together with clip or undertaking title, ranking, media kind, used media, extreme shake, key phrases, the presence of individuals, format info, date, roles, and merchandise kind (audition, synced clip, compound clip, multicam clip, layered graphic, or undertaking). For those who’ve performed the work tagging and ranking your footage, then the Filter window turns into an indispensable and simply searchable database—with the precise mixture of standards you possibly can immediately find any shot or group of photographs that you simply want.
Third, use the browser search bar to shortly discover clips or initiatives by title, and any notes utilized in record view, akin to customized favourite markings. You may mix the search bar with filtering for much more fine-tuned outcomes.
Sensible Collections
Sensible Collections are saved search standards on the Library or Occasion degree which you could come again to at any time.
By default, every new library comprises sensible collections that will let you filter your clips by audio solely, video solely, undertaking timelines, or stills.
Even higher, by utilizing the Filter window, it can save you your search outcomes to create a customized Sensible Assortment utilizing nearly any search standards you’d like. Under, I’m looking for clips tagged each as “SC01 – Strolling the Canine and VFX,” and which might be marked as favorites—I’m on the lookout for all of the favorited VFX photographs that belong in SC01.
Let’s take the search a step additional. If we’re on the lookout for solely the SC01 VFX photographs that we haven’t already used within the minimize, we will add one other filter for “unused”—we’ll see simply the photographs that haven’t already been minimize into the timeline.
Even higher, FCP X will mechanically add any new clips matching the outlined search standards to saved Sensible Collections once you tag newly imported media. It’s also possible to replace the search standards for a Sensible Assortment at any time by double clicking on it and including or eradicating filters within the Filter window.
It’s a reasonably highly effective characteristic!
For extra on Sensible Collections and learn how to arrange customized filters, try Edit Faster and More Efficiently with FCP X’s Metadata.
Vary Selector
Choosing a spread is basically simply one other time period for setting an out and in level. As we’ve detailed, ranges are helpful to tag or price parts of your clips, which end in coloured marker strains on the prime of the clip.
These marker strains present clips marked as favourite (inexperienced) or rejected (pink), or clips with customized key phrases (blue), or evaluation key phrases (purple).
For those who command-click any of these coloured markers on a clip within the browser, you’ll mechanically choose that vary within the clip, which suggests you’ve instantly set two of your three edit factors.
Within the clip proven above, command-clicking both of the 2 blue marker strains (these are two completely different key phrases) or the inexperienced marker line (a favorited portion) will mechanically choose that vary inside your clip.
For those who like working in record view, one other approach to considerably pace up deciding on a spread you’ve already rated or tagged is to twirl open the clip within the browser, which reveals an inventory of all of the clip’s marked ranges. To twirl open all clips within the browser, hit cmd+A to pick all, after which hit the precise arrow on the keyboard. The shut them, hit the left arrow.
Click on on any of those rankings or tags and also you’ll mechanically choose the vary within the clip, setting two of your three edit factors.
Even in the event you’re already conversant in the instruments listed above, think about now the way you would possibly use them along with three-point enhancing.
For instance, some of the time-consuming features of an edit will be pulling selects—or the photographs you already know you’ll need to use—and getting all of them into the timeline. All of the options mentioned above will let you label, categorize, and set in- and out-points in your footage. That’s greater than half the work of reducing collectively an meeting along with your selects.
Even higher, you possibly can return and reference the organizational work you’ve performed at any time. Which means that reasonably than having a timeline filled with magnificence selects that you want to open and duplicate/paste from each time you need to discover a clip, you possibly can merely search your footage for the clips you’ve labeled “magnificence” to immediately see all that you need to work with. You may even additional refine your search by on the lookout for favorited clips, or simply the favorited clips that you simply haven’t already used.
The identical ideas apply to narrative edits as properly. For me, discovering the proper response photographs will be some of the time-consuming duties of a story edit. Let’s say you’ve got an emotional scene with dialogue between two characters. Whereas selecting the takes with the best-spoken performances is after all essential, selecting the best moments of silence, the place one character is solely reacting or listening to what the opposite is saying, is simply as essential.
With FCP X, whilst you’re watching via your footage, you need to use key phrases to label any portion of a clip you assume is a superb response shot (for instance, “SC01 – Clara Reactions”). Then, once you’re able to fine-tune the edit and ensure you’ve obtained one of the best moments for every character, you possibly can immediately reveal all the potential response photographs, and once more, even filter by those that you simply haven’t used but.
In both of the eventualities above, when you’ve positioned the clip you need, you possibly can then after all use three-point enhancing to chop it in precisely the place you’d like!
To wrap up, let’s evaluate a couple of extra options which might be straightforward to miss, however will help pace up your edit much more.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Personalized keyboard shortcuts make the distinction between knowledgeable and novice editor. The much less your palms want to maneuver round to edit and trim, the higher.
One of the simplest ways to study what will be performed with keyboard shortcuts is to observe others edit. Each time you see them do one thing in a flash that takes you time, ask them how they’re doing it.
For those who don’t have that chance, then open up the command editor (possibility+cmd+Okay) and go searching in any respect the instructions you possibly can customise. For a extra detailed take a look at learn how to create and use keyboard shortcuts, click here.
Contact Bar Shortcuts
For those who’re engaged on a laptop computer with a Contact Bar, you’ve got an entire host of extra shortcuts that mechanically change relying on what activity you’re at the moment performing.
For extra info on what instruments the Contact Bar provides, check out this FCP X Help article.
Multi-Contact Trackpad Gestures
You probably have a multi-touch trackpad, take the time to study the completely different gestures and make use of them within the edit. The much less time you spend actively transferring the mouse pointer round, the sooner you’ll minimize.
Check out the default gestures on this FCP X Help article.
Give it a Strive!
Now that you simply’ve obtained a way of how highly effective a mix FCP X and three-point enhancing makes, return and take one other take a look at Thomas Grove Carter’s demo.
See in the event you can determine when and the way he’s utilizing the instruments outlined right here. For those who take the time to study these strategies, you’ll be amazed at how briskly you possibly can translate your concepts into cuts on the timeline!
With three-point enhancing, you outline three edit “factors” throughout the browser and timeline and let FCP X intuit a fourth, which makes an edit. Let’s break it down.
When you consider it, all edits are based mostly on 4 outlined factors:
- The inpoint of the supply clip
- The outpoint of the supply clip
- These two factors decide the period and what portion of the clip can be minimize into the timeline
- The inpoint in your timeline (the place the supply clip begins)
- And the outpoint in your timeline (the place the supply clip ends)
By defining three of those 4 potential factors, three-point enhancing lets you make exact edit selections within the browser, earlier than reducing any clips into the timeline.
When mastered, three-point enhancing is by far the quickest approach to translate your concepts to the timeline, and it’s a flexible method that I take advantage of for interview, narrative, and business edits alike.
Let’s deep dive into the way it works in FCP X.
Primary Three-Level Edits in FCP X
Visible Instance
For some, three-point enhancing looks like a posh method, particularly when described in phrases.
For those who’re a extra visible learner, or simply need to see it in motion, check out this fast tutorial from Macbreak Studio. They’re utilizing an older launch of FCP X, however the course of stays the identical.
The best approach to carry out a three-point edit is to set in- and out-factors for the supply clip within the browser, after which set an in-point within the timeline utilizing the place of the skimmer or playhead.
First, set in- and out-points or choose a spread for the supply clip within the browser.
Then, within the timeline, set the skimmer or playhead on the location in your timeline the place you need the clip to start out (that is the timeline’s inpoint).
Add the supply clip to the timeline utilizing an overwrite edit (D), insert edit (W), or join edit (Q).
Within the edit above, the supply clip is linked (Q) to the first storyline beginning on the skimmer or playhead and spans the period you set within the browser.
Right here’s the identical edit, however utilizing the overwrite command. The supply clip overwrites the media within the main storyline.
Lastly, right here’s the identical edit utilizing the insert command. The supply clip is inserted into the first storyline, preserving and sliding all media to the precise of its outpoint ahead in time.
You may see that by setting solely three out of the 4 needed edit factors, you keep exact management of the edit you’re making.
Three-point enhancing can be utilized for supply clips that comprise video solely, each video and audio, or audio solely. Within the examples above, my supply clip does have each video and audio, however I’ve used the keyboard shortcut shift+2 to activate “video solely” enhancing.
You may set these choices with keyboard shortcuts or within the overwrite dropdown within the higher left of the timeline.
Right here’s the identical overwrite edit proven above, however with “All” (video and audio) chosen.
You may see that the audio will get minimize in proper beneath the video and adheres to the identical out and in factors.
The above examples are simply one in every of 4 potential combos of in- and outpoints that end in a three-point edit. The chart beneath particulars the opposite prospects (we’ve been #1).
Varieties of Three-Level Edits
As you possibly can see in #2 above, in the event you repeat the steps for a primary three-point edit, however set a spread inside within the timeline reasonably than within the supply clip, the timeline’s out and in factors decide the period of the clip you narrow in.
This methodology is helpful when you’ve got a wonderfully timed out edit, wish to a music monitor, however have to swap out a shot or two. With an overwrite three-point edit, the timing of the principle storyline gained’t change in any respect.
Word that when you’ve got a spread set within the timeline, it’ll override the location of the skimmer as an in or outpoint.
Edits ensuing from #’s 3&4 are barely completely different. The earlier examples assume that you simply need to make an edit ahead in time from an outlined inpoint, however three-point edits can be back-timed through an outlined outpoint.
Again-timed Three-Level Edit
Backtiming works in the identical means as a primary three-point edit, however the playhead acts as an outpoint within the timeline, reasonably than an inpoint.
First, set in- and outpoints or choose a spread for the supply clip within the browser.
Within the timeline, set the skimmer or playhead on the location the place you need the clip to finish.
Now, we will both make a join edit or an overwrite edit, however we have to use a modifier key (shift) to inform FCP X that we would like the playhead to behave as an outpoint, reasonably than an inpoint.
For back-timed edits, the shortcuts develop into shift+Q for a join edit and shift+D for an overwrite edit.
In both situation, the supply clip is edited into the timeline in order that the outpoint strains up with the playhead.
Right here’s the join edit:
And right here’s the overwrite edit:
Again-timed edits are helpful when the top of a supply clip choice is extra essential than the start.
Let’s say you’re reducing to a music monitor and have to swap out a shot that the shopper doesn’t like. You discover a shot of a chicken touchdown on the bottom that you simply’d like to make use of, however you need the chicken to land on the finish of the shot, a body or two earlier than you narrow out on the beat to the subsequent shot within the timeline.
Set an outpoint within the supply clip (a couple of frames after the chicken lands), then set out and in factors within the timeline that span the size of the shot you’re changing (or use the keyboard shortcut C to pick the present clip) and carry out a back-timed overwrite edit by urgent shift+D.
The outpoint of the shot of the chicken touchdown will now align along with your minimize to the subsequent shot within the timeline and FCP X will backfill the remainder of the shot along with your supply footage.
Word: You can also make three-point edits with a number of clips chosen within the browser—simply choose the clips you need to minimize in, set your playhead or skimmer the place you’d like within the timeline, and carry out the edit. The clips are added to the timeline within the order during which you chose them.
No Patching Crucial
Discover how within the examples above, there was by no means a have to “patch” the supply materials to particular tracks within the timeline, the best way you’d in track-based NLEs like Premiere or Avid.
This can be a results of that magic mixture of no clip collisions and linked clips that come collectively to make the magnetic timeline so distinctive (and three-point enhancing in FCP X really easy).
You may merely minimize your clips into the timeline with none fear of by chance shifting media out of sync or overwriting media you need to maintain.
