Thursday, July 16, 2009
Congratulations!
We saw some extraordinary work today. Thank you all for creating unforgettable images and sounds. I feel lucky to have had the chance to work with each of you.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
DVD Authoring Tutorial
EXPORTING YOUR VIDEO FROM FCP 5.1.2
1. We’re going to export our movie to Compressor because it’s the best encoder, and it will give us the best quality DVD image.
2. In your timeline, get your project to look exactly as you would like it appear on the DVD. Go to Mark IN to mark the start, and Mark OUT to mark the end. Then Render ALL – Both.
3. Go to FILE menu, EXPORT, USING COMPRESSOR
a. Once selected, FCP will launch Compressor itself, and you will see the Control windows come up on the screen.
b. In the BATCH window at the bottom of the screen, will see a box labeled SETTING.
i. Click the pop-up menu box with the arrows on it.
ii. You will see a window appear that lists a number of different encoding options.
iii. If you’re project is under 90 minutes, then I suggest that you use the BEST QUALITY 90 MINUTES OR LESS
1. This provides the highest quality image possible.
2. Feel free to experiment with other codecs, but I have found this to be the only one worth its sale.
iv. Once you select BEST QUALITY, a second window will appear asking which elements of the project you’d like to encode.
1. First select your audio. Usually AIFF
2. Reopen window and select your video, MPEG2
b. Now we must select a destination for the encoded files.
i. Click on the pop-up window labeled Source next to each of the entries we made earlier, AIFF and MPEG2.
ii. From here you will select a folder into which the compressed and encoded files will go. I suggest labeling this folder “YOURNAME_PROJECTNAME_DVDENCODES”
c. Now look up to the right at the window labeled INSPECTOR
i. Check to make sure that you are encoding in the proper format (either NTSC or PAL)
d. Click SUBMIT.
i. This will open another window (BATCH MONITOR), and you will see the progress of your project as it is being encoded.
We can now quit Final Cut Pro.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DVD STUDIO PRO
Plug and Play Disc with no Menu (for festival entry)
1. Launch DVD STUDIO PRO
2. Pull-down WINDOW, CONFIGURATIONS, BASIC
3. I recommend saving your project right away
a. Place it in the same folder as the earlier files, and label it similarly
4. Go to Pull-down menu, FILE, IMPORT, ASSET
a. A pop-up window will appear
b. Find the folder you created while exporting from FCP/COMPRESSOR
c. Select both the AIFF and the MPEG-2 file that you exported (use shift select.)
d. Select IMPORT
5. Go to the tab labeled GRAPHICAL, click on it and press delete.
6. Pull-down WINDOW and select ASSETS
a. Brings up a window with the assets you imported.
b. Shift select these
c. Drop them into the icon labeled TRACK 1
7. In the GRAPHICAL Window, click on the large gray area,
a. To the right (or sometimes left) of that, you will see a window labeled, Disk.
b. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS WINDOW CHANGES AS DIFFERENT PARTS OF YOUR PROJECT ARE SELECTED.
i. Pull-down FIRST-PLAY
ii. Select TRACKS AND STORIES
iii. Select your video project
iv. Select TRACK 1
c. In this window you can also select how the remote reacts when activated. For a Plug and play disc I leave it as not-set.
8. Press the button at the top of the screen labeled SIMULATOR. This will show you how your disc will react once burned and placed in a DVD player.
9. If you are satisfied with the results, insert a blank DVD-R. I recommend using DVD-R’s, as they are the most flexible DVDs to work with.
10. If a pop up box appears, asking you what to do with the disk, click IGNORE.
11. Click BURN, and your disc will be created.
a. Make sure to select the destination folder we created earlier.
b. Remember to save your session.
EXPORTING STILL IMAGES FROM FCP 5.1.2
I. You may want to create a menu for your DVD utilizing a still from your project, or you may want to include a photo gallery of still from your project on your DVD.
a. In order to do this we go back into FCP and choose a frame we want to make a still image of.
b. Once the PLAYBACK head is over the frame, select the pull-down menu FILE, EXPORT, USING QUICKTIME CONVERSION
c. Once the EXPORT window opens, go the format tab, and pull-down to select STILL IMAGE. Directly under that tab, select JPG 29.97
d. Click SAVE (MAKE SURE THIS FILM GOES INTO THE SAME FOLDER AS YOUR ENCODED ASSETS.)
II. These files are exported out of FCP at a very low resolution. (72 D.P.I.) If you were to want to use these files as promotional stills you would have to go into Photoshop and complete the following functions.
a. Resize the image, by changing the D.P.I to at least 300 and setting the print size appropriately (Usually around 4x6)
b. De-interlace the image by selecting FILTER, VIDEO, DE-INTERLACE.
c. Resaving.
III. For use as a DVD file though, the 72 D.P.I. export will work fine as most projectors cannot handle anything higher anyway.
We can now quit Final Cut Pro.
DVD STUDIO PRO
MULTI-TRACK DISKS WITH MENU
I. The process to create a DVD with multiple tracks is similar in many ways to what we have already learned. There are some key differences though.
II. For this disc you will import multiple assets. This can be done all at once, or over a couple of passes through the pop-up windows. You will bring in the AIFF and MPEG-2 file for each of the film/video projects that you wish to include, as well as any still images that you will have as either part of the disc itself or for use as background menus.
III. Launch DVD STUDIO PRO and Pull-down WINDOW, CONFIGURATIONS, Extended.
IV. I recommend saving your project right away
a. Place it in the same folder as the files you exported with Compressor, and label it similarly
V. Go to Pull-down menu, FILE, IMPORT, ASSET
a. A pop-up window will appear
b. Find the folder you created while exporting from FCP/COMPRESSOR
c. Select both the AIFF and the MPEG-2 file that you exported (use shift select.)
d. Select IMPORT
VI. Repeat the steps above to import other any other video and sound assets you would like to include on the DVD.
VII. You can then import the jpeg image you exported from FCP for use as the image on your Menu screen. Import this jpeg as an asset, just as you did with the MPEG-2 file for video and the AIFF file for audio.
VIII. Once you have imported all of the assets you intend to use, you need to create a track icon in the GRAPHICAL VIEW for each menu item.
a. This is accomplished by clicking on the ADD TRACK button at the top of the screen.
b. Once you have one track for each asset that is not being used as a menu item, you can place the Paired-Track Asset Items each into a Track Icon.
c. Also, you can drag and drop the still image you intend to use for your menu into the Menu Icon.
d. Also, it should be noted that for every menu page you intend to have, there needs to be a separate Menu Icon added to the GRAPHICAL view.
IX. Select the grey area between your icons and set your disc menu buttons.
a. In this instance FIRST PLAY should be set to your Menu #1.
b. Go through and set all the buttons to the appropriate functions.
X. Click on the first Menu icon (under the GRAPHICAL TAB) to activate it.
a. You’ll notice new options are available in the right lower hand window (the Menu window).
b. Click on the menu tab of the Menu window.
c. You need to make a BUTTON for every object that you wish to link to. In this case, we have two PROJECTS or videos so we need to make 2 buttons.
d. You make a BUTTON by clicking and dragging in the menu field as it is open in the center window.
e. Make two of similar size.
f. Now click on the menu image again, outside the button areas.
g. You need to go to the menu tab in the right hand window and set your defaults.
h. Now click on BUTTON 1
i. Set your target, the track you want it to play.
ii. Type text in the text box that will title your piece.
iii. (I often use CENTER, INCLUDE TEXT IN HIGHLIGHT, and HIGHLIGHT SET 2)
iv. Go to the advanced tab and make sure that the disc buttons are set to navigate how you want them to.
v. Repeat for BUTTONS 2 or 3 (if you have 3 buttons)
XI. You’ll notice that as you set your targets for each BUTTON, lines were drawn in the GRAPHICAL VIEW Window. These lines represent how the various pieces of your disc are connected, the arrows representing which way the flow happens.
a. Now I want to click on each asset and set the parameters for them separately.
i. At this point, you want to tell the DVD where you want it to jump as the piece completes it’s run.
ii. 9 times out of ten, you will go to the menu.
Press the button at the top of the screen labeled SIMULATOR. This will show you how your disc will react once burned and placed in a DVD player.
If you are satisfied with the results, insert a blank DVD-R. I recommend using DVD-R’s, as they are the most flexible DVDs to work with. If a pop up box appears, asking you what to do with the disk, click IGNORE. Click BURN, and your disc will be created.
TOAST
I. Pros and Cons
a. Drag and Drop makes it easy
b. Toast will accept MPEG-2 files (like the ones exported from compressor.)
c. Uses its own encoder—which some people say is very good
II. Creating a DVD in Toast i
a. Drag and drop a video into the window.
b. Make sure DVD Video is selected in the left hand slide-out screen.
c. Choose automatic encode—BEST
d. Make any menu selection you desire.
e. Do you want it to be plug and play? Select that option.
f. Press the silver button at the bottom right of the screen.
III. Most effective ways to use Toast.
a. The way I most often use Toast is if I need to make a really quick DVD of a project.
i. I can then just export a QuickTime (Final Cut Pro) movie (which is much quicker than exporting from Compressor.
ii. Drag that into Toast
iii. Select Auto-play
iv. Burn the disc.
b. A second option, and one that might be a little easier than the DVD Studio Pro Model demonstrated earlier is as follows.
i. Export your project through Compressor as discussed earlier.
ii. Launch Toast.
iii. Click CUSTOM ENCODING in the left pull-out screen.
iv. Double click on the information that is below it.
v. In the pop-up window that appears, select REENCODING, NEVER.
vi. Go into the folder containing your “.m2v” and “.aiff” files. Make sure that the names of these files are exactly alike (other than the suffix)
vii. Drag these two items into Toast
viii. Select Auto-play
ix. Burn Disc.
By following the steps outlined in “III” you will have created an auto-play DVD with the higher quality Compressor encoding, but you have avoided the DVD-Studio Pro interface.
1. We’re going to export our movie to Compressor because it’s the best encoder, and it will give us the best quality DVD image.
2. In your timeline, get your project to look exactly as you would like it appear on the DVD. Go to Mark IN to mark the start, and Mark OUT to mark the end. Then Render ALL – Both.
3. Go to FILE menu, EXPORT, USING COMPRESSOR
a. Once selected, FCP will launch Compressor itself, and you will see the Control windows come up on the screen.
b. In the BATCH window at the bottom of the screen, will see a box labeled SETTING.
i. Click the pop-up menu box with the arrows on it.
ii. You will see a window appear that lists a number of different encoding options.
iii. If you’re project is under 90 minutes, then I suggest that you use the BEST QUALITY 90 MINUTES OR LESS
1. This provides the highest quality image possible.
2. Feel free to experiment with other codecs, but I have found this to be the only one worth its sale.
iv. Once you select BEST QUALITY, a second window will appear asking which elements of the project you’d like to encode.
1. First select your audio. Usually AIFF
2. Reopen window and select your video, MPEG2
b. Now we must select a destination for the encoded files.
i. Click on the pop-up window labeled Source next to each of the entries we made earlier, AIFF and MPEG2.
ii. From here you will select a folder into which the compressed and encoded files will go. I suggest labeling this folder “YOURNAME_PROJECTNAME_DVDENCODES”
c. Now look up to the right at the window labeled INSPECTOR
i. Check to make sure that you are encoding in the proper format (either NTSC or PAL)
d. Click SUBMIT.
i. This will open another window (BATCH MONITOR), and you will see the progress of your project as it is being encoded.
We can now quit Final Cut Pro.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DVD STUDIO PRO
Plug and Play Disc with no Menu (for festival entry)
1. Launch DVD STUDIO PRO
2. Pull-down WINDOW, CONFIGURATIONS, BASIC
3. I recommend saving your project right away
a. Place it in the same folder as the earlier files, and label it similarly
4. Go to Pull-down menu, FILE, IMPORT, ASSET
a. A pop-up window will appear
b. Find the folder you created while exporting from FCP/COMPRESSOR
c. Select both the AIFF and the MPEG-2 file that you exported (use shift select.)
d. Select IMPORT
5. Go to the tab labeled GRAPHICAL, click on it and press delete.
6. Pull-down WINDOW and select ASSETS
a. Brings up a window with the assets you imported.
b. Shift select these
c. Drop them into the icon labeled TRACK 1
7. In the GRAPHICAL Window, click on the large gray area,
a. To the right (or sometimes left) of that, you will see a window labeled, Disk.
b. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THIS WINDOW CHANGES AS DIFFERENT PARTS OF YOUR PROJECT ARE SELECTED.
i. Pull-down FIRST-PLAY
ii. Select TRACKS AND STORIES
iii. Select your video project
iv. Select TRACK 1
c. In this window you can also select how the remote reacts when activated. For a Plug and play disc I leave it as not-set.
8. Press the button at the top of the screen labeled SIMULATOR. This will show you how your disc will react once burned and placed in a DVD player.
9. If you are satisfied with the results, insert a blank DVD-R. I recommend using DVD-R’s, as they are the most flexible DVDs to work with.
10. If a pop up box appears, asking you what to do with the disk, click IGNORE.
11. Click BURN, and your disc will be created.
a. Make sure to select the destination folder we created earlier.
b. Remember to save your session.
EXPORTING STILL IMAGES FROM FCP 5.1.2
I. You may want to create a menu for your DVD utilizing a still from your project, or you may want to include a photo gallery of still from your project on your DVD.
a. In order to do this we go back into FCP and choose a frame we want to make a still image of.
b. Once the PLAYBACK head is over the frame, select the pull-down menu FILE, EXPORT, USING QUICKTIME CONVERSION
c. Once the EXPORT window opens, go the format tab, and pull-down to select STILL IMAGE. Directly under that tab, select JPG 29.97
d. Click SAVE (MAKE SURE THIS FILM GOES INTO THE SAME FOLDER AS YOUR ENCODED ASSETS.)
II. These files are exported out of FCP at a very low resolution. (72 D.P.I.) If you were to want to use these files as promotional stills you would have to go into Photoshop and complete the following functions.
a. Resize the image, by changing the D.P.I to at least 300 and setting the print size appropriately (Usually around 4x6)
b. De-interlace the image by selecting FILTER, VIDEO, DE-INTERLACE.
c. Resaving.
III. For use as a DVD file though, the 72 D.P.I. export will work fine as most projectors cannot handle anything higher anyway.
We can now quit Final Cut Pro.
DVD STUDIO PRO
MULTI-TRACK DISKS WITH MENU
I. The process to create a DVD with multiple tracks is similar in many ways to what we have already learned. There are some key differences though.
II. For this disc you will import multiple assets. This can be done all at once, or over a couple of passes through the pop-up windows. You will bring in the AIFF and MPEG-2 file for each of the film/video projects that you wish to include, as well as any still images that you will have as either part of the disc itself or for use as background menus.
III. Launch DVD STUDIO PRO and Pull-down WINDOW, CONFIGURATIONS, Extended.
IV. I recommend saving your project right away
a. Place it in the same folder as the files you exported with Compressor, and label it similarly
V. Go to Pull-down menu, FILE, IMPORT, ASSET
a. A pop-up window will appear
b. Find the folder you created while exporting from FCP/COMPRESSOR
c. Select both the AIFF and the MPEG-2 file that you exported (use shift select.)
d. Select IMPORT
VI. Repeat the steps above to import other any other video and sound assets you would like to include on the DVD.
VII. You can then import the jpeg image you exported from FCP for use as the image on your Menu screen. Import this jpeg as an asset, just as you did with the MPEG-2 file for video and the AIFF file for audio.
VIII. Once you have imported all of the assets you intend to use, you need to create a track icon in the GRAPHICAL VIEW for each menu item.
a. This is accomplished by clicking on the ADD TRACK button at the top of the screen.
b. Once you have one track for each asset that is not being used as a menu item, you can place the Paired-Track Asset Items each into a Track Icon.
c. Also, you can drag and drop the still image you intend to use for your menu into the Menu Icon.
d. Also, it should be noted that for every menu page you intend to have, there needs to be a separate Menu Icon added to the GRAPHICAL view.
IX. Select the grey area between your icons and set your disc menu buttons.
a. In this instance FIRST PLAY should be set to your Menu #1.
b. Go through and set all the buttons to the appropriate functions.
X. Click on the first Menu icon (under the GRAPHICAL TAB) to activate it.
a. You’ll notice new options are available in the right lower hand window (the Menu window).
b. Click on the menu tab of the Menu window.
c. You need to make a BUTTON for every object that you wish to link to. In this case, we have two PROJECTS or videos so we need to make 2 buttons.
d. You make a BUTTON by clicking and dragging in the menu field as it is open in the center window.
e. Make two of similar size.
f. Now click on the menu image again, outside the button areas.
g. You need to go to the menu tab in the right hand window and set your defaults.
h. Now click on BUTTON 1
i. Set your target, the track you want it to play.
ii. Type text in the text box that will title your piece.
iii. (I often use CENTER, INCLUDE TEXT IN HIGHLIGHT, and HIGHLIGHT SET 2)
iv. Go to the advanced tab and make sure that the disc buttons are set to navigate how you want them to.
v. Repeat for BUTTONS 2 or 3 (if you have 3 buttons)
XI. You’ll notice that as you set your targets for each BUTTON, lines were drawn in the GRAPHICAL VIEW Window. These lines represent how the various pieces of your disc are connected, the arrows representing which way the flow happens.
a. Now I want to click on each asset and set the parameters for them separately.
i. At this point, you want to tell the DVD where you want it to jump as the piece completes it’s run.
ii. 9 times out of ten, you will go to the menu.
Press the button at the top of the screen labeled SIMULATOR. This will show you how your disc will react once burned and placed in a DVD player.
If you are satisfied with the results, insert a blank DVD-R. I recommend using DVD-R’s, as they are the most flexible DVDs to work with. If a pop up box appears, asking you what to do with the disk, click IGNORE. Click BURN, and your disc will be created.
TOAST
I. Pros and Cons
a. Drag and Drop makes it easy
b. Toast will accept MPEG-2 files (like the ones exported from compressor.)
c. Uses its own encoder—which some people say is very good
II. Creating a DVD in Toast i
a. Drag and drop a video into the window.
b. Make sure DVD Video is selected in the left hand slide-out screen.
c. Choose automatic encode—BEST
d. Make any menu selection you desire.
e. Do you want it to be plug and play? Select that option.
f. Press the silver button at the bottom right of the screen.
III. Most effective ways to use Toast.
a. The way I most often use Toast is if I need to make a really quick DVD of a project.
i. I can then just export a QuickTime (Final Cut Pro) movie (which is much quicker than exporting from Compressor.
ii. Drag that into Toast
iii. Select Auto-play
iv. Burn the disc.
b. A second option, and one that might be a little easier than the DVD Studio Pro Model demonstrated earlier is as follows.
i. Export your project through Compressor as discussed earlier.
ii. Launch Toast.
iii. Click CUSTOM ENCODING in the left pull-out screen.
iv. Double click on the information that is below it.
v. In the pop-up window that appears, select REENCODING, NEVER.
vi. Go into the folder containing your “.m2v” and “.aiff” files. Make sure that the names of these files are exactly alike (other than the suffix)
vii. Drag these two items into Toast
viii. Select Auto-play
ix. Burn Disc.
By following the steps outlined in “III” you will have created an auto-play DVD with the higher quality Compressor encoding, but you have avoided the DVD-Studio Pro interface.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Final Cut Pro / Basic Instructions for Creating Text
1. At the top of the Canvas window, you will see 3 drop down menus. Click on the one farthest to the right to see a drop down menu appear. Scroll down and select “Show Title Safe”. This will active the Title Safe overlay, which lets you know where it’s safe to place your text in the frame. Be sure all text falls within the innermost or smallest blue square. Otherwise, your text will fall off of the edge of a TV screen or computer screen when your video plays.
2. Go to the Effects Tab in the Browser. Open the “Video Generators” bin. Within this bin, scroll down to open the “Text” bin. Within the Text bin, there are many types of text to select. For basic text, select “TEXT” and double click on it to bring it into the Viewer.
3. Once the text is in the Viewer, you’ll need to get a feel for how long you would like your chunk of text to be. Mark an IN point to begin, and then hit PLAY until you feel like the piece of text will be long enough. Then Mark an OUT point. Click in the center of viewer, and drag this chunk of text into the Timeline at the beginning or end of your project.
4. If you would like your text to appear over a shot within your video, drag the text clip into the Timeline to V2 or Video Track 2. Make sure the video clip is on V1 or Video Track 1. Your text clip should always be placed on a track above the video clip you wish to use. Be sure to check the Canvas to see that the text is legible over all areas of the video image. If white text
doesn’t work, change the text color to something that will contrast better with the video image.5. Next, double click on the text clip in the Timeline to make it active in the Viewer. Go to the Control tab of the Viewer to make changes to your text. Click in the box with “Sample Text” and delete these words. Type in your own text. If you want to create multiple lines of text, be sure to hit the RETURN key on the keyboard whenever you’re ready to start a new line.
6. Scroll down within the Control tab to select a Font and Size. Be sure to make your text at least as large as 24 to be sure it will show up on a TV screen.
7. Look over at the Canvas to see the position of your text within the frame. It should fit within the smallest blue square or “Title Safe” box. To move the position of the text around in the frame, go back to the Control Tab and click the “+” or origin key. Once you’ve clicked this “+”, you can click down on your text in the Canvas and move it to your desired position.
8. If you’re using white text on a black background, go to the Motion Tab of the Viewer. Scroll down to “Opacity” and click the arrow to open it. Here you want to move the opacity slider to change the opacity of the white text from 100 to 88. White letters at 100% opacity are too bright for many TV screens.
9. I recommend fading your text in and out for a smoother transition. You can do this manually by placing key frames on the clip of text in the Timeline with the pen tool.
10. If you like the pacing you’ve established in one chunk of text, and you want the rest of the text clips to follow the same pace, just highlight the original chunk of text and copy (Apple C) and paste (Apple V) the clip multiple times to create a series of identical text chunks. Any fades you’ve made with keyframes will remain the same. Simply type in new words for each new instance of text.
11. Some text types such as “Typewriter” and “Scrolling” need to be rendered. You will see a red line above the text clip in the Timeline, if this is the case. Hit Apple R to render the text.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Final Cut Pro Audio Editing
On the Audio Meter -
You’ll see a yellow light and a red light.
The yellow light is the Peak indicator - it will hang at the loudest moment of your recorded sound.
The red light is the Clip indicator – it will let you know when your sound has reached or exceed 0db.
Basic Rules:
-Never let your Clip indicator light up
- Dialogue should fall between -6db to -12db
- Middle Ground Sound or Sound FX between -3db to -18db
- Background Sound or Music around -18db
Why go so low? Because when you have a music track combined with an FX track, the audio levels will rise. So you need to leave some headroom.
The final mix of Foreground, Middleground, and Background tracks together should peak no higher than -3db.
________________________________________________________________
1. Below are three types of audio that can exist in Final Cut Pro:
STEREO
Both channels have been captured as a stereo pair. Stereo pairs are always linked - so anything applied to 1 Track applies to both. Waveforms for both channels appear in a single audio tab.
MONO 1/2 or CH. 1 / CH. 2
Both channels have been captured, but are distinct + can be adjusted independently of each other.
MONO
The audio consists of a single audio channel.
-To convert 2 audio clips to Stereo Pair -
Select the clips in the Timeline, Choose MODIFY ^ Stereo Pair + the viewer will then show them as a Stereo Pair screened together in the window.
To Adjust or Edit Audio:
1. Double click the Audio Track(s) of a clip in the Timeline to bring them up in the Viewer … or double click a clip in the Browser to bring it into the Viewer, and select the Audio Tab(s) in the Viewer.
2. Next, listen to your sound and look at the Audio Meter, which you can move around. You don’t ever want your audio to clip. This is indicated by the red lights or Clip indicator at the top of the meter. When the audio clips, it means the sound you recorded is overmodulated or recorded too high.
3. After I monitor my sound with the Audio Meter, I may decide that the levels are too high or low. By using the Level Slider in the Audio Tab of the Viewer, I can adjust the sound levels by moving them higher or lower in decibels. Then I will play my sound again, watching the Audio Meter to see if the change is any better.
4. Remember that you can use the pen tool (keyboard shortcut P) to create keyframes along the level bar in the Audio Tab of the Viewer or directly on an Audio Track in the Timeline. You can use keyframes to create fades in or out, as well as to dip out a glitch in recorded sound.
5. Generally speaking, your audio should begin before your image appears. Remember to overlap audio, creating crossfades between new sounds. You don’t want have audio tracks that cut out suddenly without a smooth transition to the next audio track or sound. The quickest way to accomplish this would be to use Automatic crossfades. Go to the Effects Tab in the Browser, and select the Audio Transitions bin. Then highlight and grab Crossfade +3db icon and drag and drop it on the beginning or end of the Audio Track you want to fade in or out.
Audio Filters
AUgraphicEQ:
To access a good equalization filter, go to the Effects Tab in the Browser. Click on the Audio Filters bin, and open it up. Scroll to the Apple Filters bin, and select AUgraphicEQ. To apply it to an audio clip in the Timeline, highlight and grab the filter’s icon and drag and drop it over the Audio Track you want to filter.
This filter divides the audio spectrum into 31 frequency bands, ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. You can set the frequency for each band. This filter is especially versatile because it applies equalization in 31 bands of your clip simultaneously, rather than requiring you to apply multiple filters. This emulates the EQ controls that most mixers provide.
The best way to pinpoint the frequency of a problem sound in your audio is go through each of the 31 frequency bands individually. If you go through each frequency band and boost the gain, you can find the most noticeable sound problem(s). Then lower the gain until the sound is best. If you have excess hiss in your audio clip, try focusing on the higher frequencies. If you have booming or excess bass to remove, focus on the lower frequencies.
Filters in the Final Cut Pro bin (within the Audio Filters bin):
Hum Remover - A notch filter that allows you to compensate for various types of hum interference by screening out a specific frequency.
Vocal DeEsser- dampens the “S” or hiss sounds in speech or other sounds.
Vocal DePopper- takes the “P” out of potatoes, or eliminates popping sound in speech.
*If you want to apply the same filter settings to multiple clips or to the rest of your sequence, highlight the clip with the filter settings you’ve already set, then hit Apple C on the keyboard. Then select or highlight any other clips you want to inherit these same filter settings. Next, hit Option V on your keyboard. A Paste Attributes box will open and allow you to select Audio Filters. Do this and hit OK, and all of the audio clips selected will be filtered identically.
You’ll see a yellow light and a red light.
The yellow light is the Peak indicator - it will hang at the loudest moment of your recorded sound.
The red light is the Clip indicator – it will let you know when your sound has reached or exceed 0db.
Basic Rules:
-Never let your Clip indicator light up
- Dialogue should fall between -6db to -12db
- Middle Ground Sound or Sound FX between -3db to -18db
- Background Sound or Music around -18db
Why go so low? Because when you have a music track combined with an FX track, the audio levels will rise. So you need to leave some headroom.
The final mix of Foreground, Middleground, and Background tracks together should peak no higher than -3db.
________________________________________________________________
1. Below are three types of audio that can exist in Final Cut Pro:
STEREO
Both channels have been captured as a stereo pair. Stereo pairs are always linked - so anything applied to 1 Track applies to both. Waveforms for both channels appear in a single audio tab.
MONO 1/2 or CH. 1 / CH. 2
Both channels have been captured, but are distinct + can be adjusted independently of each other.
MONO
The audio consists of a single audio channel.
-To convert 2 audio clips to Stereo Pair -
Select the clips in the Timeline, Choose MODIFY ^ Stereo Pair + the viewer will then show them as a Stereo Pair screened together in the window.
To Adjust or Edit Audio:
1. Double click the Audio Track(s) of a clip in the Timeline to bring them up in the Viewer … or double click a clip in the Browser to bring it into the Viewer, and select the Audio Tab(s) in the Viewer.
2. Next, listen to your sound and look at the Audio Meter, which you can move around. You don’t ever want your audio to clip. This is indicated by the red lights or Clip indicator at the top of the meter. When the audio clips, it means the sound you recorded is overmodulated or recorded too high.
3. After I monitor my sound with the Audio Meter, I may decide that the levels are too high or low. By using the Level Slider in the Audio Tab of the Viewer, I can adjust the sound levels by moving them higher or lower in decibels. Then I will play my sound again, watching the Audio Meter to see if the change is any better.
4. Remember that you can use the pen tool (keyboard shortcut P) to create keyframes along the level bar in the Audio Tab of the Viewer or directly on an Audio Track in the Timeline. You can use keyframes to create fades in or out, as well as to dip out a glitch in recorded sound.
5. Generally speaking, your audio should begin before your image appears. Remember to overlap audio, creating crossfades between new sounds. You don’t want have audio tracks that cut out suddenly without a smooth transition to the next audio track or sound. The quickest way to accomplish this would be to use Automatic crossfades. Go to the Effects Tab in the Browser, and select the Audio Transitions bin. Then highlight and grab Crossfade +3db icon and drag and drop it on the beginning or end of the Audio Track you want to fade in or out.
Audio Filters
AUgraphicEQ:
To access a good equalization filter, go to the Effects Tab in the Browser. Click on the Audio Filters bin, and open it up. Scroll to the Apple Filters bin, and select AUgraphicEQ. To apply it to an audio clip in the Timeline, highlight and grab the filter’s icon and drag and drop it over the Audio Track you want to filter.
This filter divides the audio spectrum into 31 frequency bands, ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. You can set the frequency for each band. This filter is especially versatile because it applies equalization in 31 bands of your clip simultaneously, rather than requiring you to apply multiple filters. This emulates the EQ controls that most mixers provide.
The best way to pinpoint the frequency of a problem sound in your audio is go through each of the 31 frequency bands individually. If you go through each frequency band and boost the gain, you can find the most noticeable sound problem(s). Then lower the gain until the sound is best. If you have excess hiss in your audio clip, try focusing on the higher frequencies. If you have booming or excess bass to remove, focus on the lower frequencies.
Filters in the Final Cut Pro bin (within the Audio Filters bin):
Hum Remover - A notch filter that allows you to compensate for various types of hum interference by screening out a specific frequency.
Vocal DeEsser- dampens the “S” or hiss sounds in speech or other sounds.
Vocal DePopper- takes the “P” out of potatoes, or eliminates popping sound in speech.
*If you want to apply the same filter settings to multiple clips or to the rest of your sequence, highlight the clip with the filter settings you’ve already set, then hit Apple C on the keyboard. Then select or highlight any other clips you want to inherit these same filter settings. Next, hit Option V on your keyboard. A Paste Attributes box will open and allow you to select Audio Filters. Do this and hit OK, and all of the audio clips selected will be filtered identically.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Final Cut Pro Basic Steps & Keyboard Shortcuts
FCP Basic Steps & Keyboard Shortcuts
Setting up computer to capture or edit
1. Make sure your both your camera (or deck) and computer are powered off.
2. Carefully and correctly plug in your camera or a deck to the back of the computer tower, using the 4 to 6 pin firewire cable.
3. Turn on the camera, put it in PLAYBACK or VTR mode. If you’re using a deck, be sure it’s powered on with the green light lit. Also be sure it’s set to “DV”. Then turn on the computer, then the monitor.
4. Double click on your partition for it to open up. Your FCP Documents folder should appear.
5. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open.
6. Double click on your project icon within your FCP Documents folder. Your project should appear – Timeline and all.
7. Go to FCP > System Settings > and set your Scratch Disks so that all edits and decisions will go to your partition. (Do this every time you work!!!!!)
8. In the new window that pops up, locate the top bar > hit the SET button and set it to your partition name and to FCP Documents…and hit OK. Then set the bottom 3 settings (Waveform Cache, Thumbnail Cache, and Autosave Vault) the same way – forget the others. It should read …14gigYOURNAMEFCPDocuments …Or How many gigs you have in your partition/Your name/FCP Documents folder. If it lacks this information, it's wrong.
9. Hit OK and the window will close. You’re ready to capture.
10. Go to the Menu Bar to “Final Cut Pro”, and scroll down to “Easy Setup”. Scroll through the drop down menu and set to DV NTSC (unless you’re using an HDV camera. If so, select the proper HDV camera setting). Then hit the Setup button.
11. The Canvas Window should be set to “Fit to Window”. Go to the first drop down menu at the top of the Canvas Window (marked by a number +%) and select “Fit to Window”.
To begin capturing
1. Hit Apple 8 for the Log and Capture window or go to File > Log and Capture >, and the Log and Capture window will appear.
2. Put the labeled tape in camera (in PLAYBACK mode).
3. Label it with the specific name you've already given it in the Reel box in the Log and Capture window.
4. Go to the 2nd tab of the Log and Capture window called Clip Settings. Set whether you want to capture video and audio, or just video, or just audio.
5. Hit the Play button or the Space bar on your computer to find the footage you want to capture. Set in and out points in the window...or by hitting I (in) or O (out) on your keyboard.
6. Hit Log Clip, name it in the prompt that appears, and hit OK. Continue to mark in and out points for each clip you want to capture and log clips this way.
7. Hit Batch for the capturing to start.
8. You may also hit Capture Now but the tape must be playing. If you have any timecode errors that pop up, consider using the Capture Now button instead of selecting in and out points. Simply hit the Capture Now button when you want to begin capturing a shot, and hit the Escape key when you’d like the shot to end. With this method, you’re logging and capturing at the same time on the fly.
9. SAVE (Apple S) frequently…All captured shots should appear in your Browser window.
10. If you want to delete a clip, you need to Control Click on it, and select “Make Offline” from the drop down menu that appears. A second box will appear. Select “Delete from Disk” and hit OK. This is the only way to permanently remove shots from your partition and free up additional space.
11. After capturing all of your shots, Save (Apple S), then quit Final Cut Pro (Apple Q).
12. Double click on your hard drive partition for it to open up. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open that. Click once on your project icon to highlight it, and then hit Apple D to make a copy. Drag that copy into your BACK UP BIN. If you get a prompt that asks if you want to replace a previous copy, select yes.
To Shut Down the computer – Go to the Apple on the menu bar > Shut Down
*Remember to turn off the camera and the computer before disconnecting the 4 to 6 pin firewire cable.
Setting up computer to edit
1. Turn on the computer. You don’t need the camera or deck if you are not capturing.
2. Double click on your hard drive partition for it to open up. Your FCP Documents folder should appear.
3. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open.
4. Double click on your project icon within your FCP Documents folder. Your project should appear.
5. A prompt will appear telling you there is not a camera connected > hit Continue.
6. Go to FCP > System Settings > and set your decisions to go to your partition. Do this every time you work.
7. In the new window that pops up, locate the top bar > hit the SET button and set it to your Partition name and to FCP Documents…and hit OK. Then set the bottom 3 settings (Waveform Cache, Thumbnail Cache, and Autosave Vault) the same way – forget the others. It should read …14gigYOURNAMEFCPDocuments …Or How many gigs you have in your partition/Your name/FCP Documents folder. If it lacks this information, it's wrong.
8. Hit OK and the window will close.
To begin editing
1. Find a clip in Browser window, double click on its icon to bring the clip into the Viewer Window.
2. Set in (I) and out (O) points in the Viewer Window. You can do this by hitting “I” or “O” on your keyboard when the Viewer is active.
3. Place the playhead in the spot on the Timeline where you want the shot or clip to appear. Select the track you want it to be on.
4. Drag and drop image from Viewer Window into Capture Window. Choose between the 2 edit modes – overwrite or insert. The shot will appear in the Timeline, on the track that you assigned it to appear.
5. You can also simply drag and drop the image from the Viewer Window directly into the Timeline onto the track where you would like it to appear. The track is divided by a faint gray line. Drag and dropping the clip above the gray line will result in an insert edit, and drag and dropping the clip below the gray line will result in an overwrite edit.
6. For audio that was captured without video, just pull it down to the Timeline and to the track you want it to appear on.
7. Remember to save (Apple S) frequently.
8. To finish, save (Apple S), then quit Final Cut Pro (Apple Q)
9. Double click on your hard drive partition for it to open up. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open that. Click once on your project icon to highlight it, and then hit Apple D to make a copy. Drag that copy into your BACK UP BIN. If you get a prompt that asks if you want to replace a previous copy, select yes.
Print to Video instructions
1. Make sure your both your camera and computer are powered off.
2. Carefully and correctly plug in your camera or a deck to the back of the computer tower, using the 4 to 6 pin fire wire cable.
3. Turn on the camera, put it in PLAYBACK or VTR mode, then turn on the computer, then the monitor. Put a blank mini-DV tape into your camera. If you’re using a deck, make sure it’s switched to DV mode.
4. Double click on your project icon within your FCP Documents folder to open your project.
5. In the Browser, open the sequence you want to “print” or output to the tape.
6. Save the sequence (Apple S).
7. Render All.
8. Mark an IN and OUT point at the head and tail of your project.
9. Under Audio/Video Settings, Go to the A/V Devices tab, and uncheck Mirror on Desktop to prevent dropped frames.
10. Be sure to check to see that External Video is set to “All Frames” before exporting to tape. To do this, go to the Menu bar and scroll down under VIEW to EXTERNAL VIDEO. Then select ALL FRAMES. After exporting, you want to be sure to turn the ALL FRAMES to OFF again in order for your sequence to play in the Timeline.
11. Go to the Menu Bar under FILE.
12. Select Print to Video.
13. The Print to Video box will open giving you options (suggest at least 5 seconds of color bars, and 7 seconds of black).
14. Make sure to select Print: In to Out.
15. Check “Automatically Start Recording”
16. Click OK
17. When you see the green square turn to a red square and video appearing on your JVC’s LCD screen, recording has begun.
Troubleshooting
1. Did you follow the steps for capturing or printing to video in the correct order?
a. Make sure both the computer and the camera (or deck) are powered off.
b. Connect the 4 to 6 pin firewire cable from the computer to the camera or deck.
c. Turn on the computer and monitor.
Many problems can crop up if you neglected to do this. For example, the computers are unlikely to recognize a deck or camera if either was already turned on or if Final Cut was already launched when you tried to connect a firewire cable.
2. Check to see that your external capturing device (the camera or deck) is plugged in and turned on. The deck should be set to “DV” and the green light should be on.
3. Is your camera in PLAYBACK mode? The camera needs to be in PLAYBACK mode in order to be recognized by Final Cut Pro and in order to capture footage or print to video.
4. If you’ve followed the steps in the correct order to set up to capture or print to video, and you still get a prompt telling you that Final Cut does not detect an external device for capturing/exporting, go through the following steps:
a. Quit Final Cut Pro, and shut off the computer. Next shut off the camera or deck. Disconnect the firewire cable from the camera or deck and computer, and reconnect it again, checking to be sure that it’s properly connected to both. Turn on the power to the camera or deck again. Restart the computer, and launch Final Cut Pro by double clicking on your project icon in your FCP Documents folder.
b. If the prompt telling you that Final Cut Pro does not detect an external device is still popping up, hit “Continue” and then go to the Final Cut Pro menu bar, scroll down under “Final Cut Pro” to “Audio Video Settings”. In the Summary tab of the Audio Video Settings window, look at “Video Playback”. If it says, “Missing Firewire…”, you have a clue that the issue may likely be a faulty firewire cable or connection.
c. Next scroll down under “Final Cut Pro” in the menu bar to “Easy Set Up”. In the window that pops up, look at “Setup For” and set it to DV-NTSC. Next, quit Final Cut Pro and then launch it again by double-clicking on your project icon in the FCP Documents folder within your partition.
d. When you’ve launched Final Cut Pro again, if you’re still getting the prompt telling you that Final Cut does not detect an external device, you should then shut down the computer and camera or deck. Try attaching a new firewire cable, and see if that solves the problem.
5. If you have any timecode errors that pop up, consider using the Capture Now button instead of selecting in and out points for a Batch Capture. The tape must be playing to activate Capture Now. Simply hit the Capture Now button when you want to begin capturing a shot, and hit the Escape key when you’d like the shot to end. With this method, you’re logging and capturing at the same time on the fly.
6. If you can’t see your video appearing on the camera’s LCD sreen or on a deck monitor when you’re trying to print to video, check to see if EXTERNAL VIDEO is turned off. External Video needs to be set to “All Frames” before capturing footage or exporting to tape. To do this, go to the Menu bar and scroll down under VIEW to EXTERNAL VIDEO. Then select ALL FRAMES. Final Cut turns ALL FRAMES on when working with the firewire cable and off again when you do any internal editing in FCP. Sometimes you need to wake it up.
Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts
Apple 8 = Log and Capture
Apple Z = Undo
Shift Apple Z = Redo
Apple B = New Bin
Apple S = Save Project
Apple C = Copy
Apple X = Cut
Apple V = Paste
Apple A = Select All
Apple D = Deselect All
Apple U = Make Subclip
Apple N = New Sequence
Home key = brings playhead to the beginning of a sequence in the Timeline
Shift Z = Zooms out to show you entire sequence in the Timeline
Apple R = Render
Shift Delete = Ripple Delete
CTRL L = Loop Playback
CTRL U = Standard View for Timeline, Canvas, and Viewer will reappear
or double click on a sequence in the Browser to have Timeline reappear.
Option Apple W = Waveform displayed on Audio Tracks in the Timeline
J + K = Shuttle backward slow
L + K = Shuttle forward slow
K = Pause
L = Shuttle forward fast (tap repeatedly to increase speed)
J = Shuttle backward fast (tap repeatedly to increase speed)
M = add Marker
Shift N = Make Still Frame
CTRL M = Print to Video
CTRL G = Closes a gap
Option D = Duplicates a sequence
Option V = Paste attributes
Apple + or - = zoom in or out
Shift L = Linked Selection on or off
b = Blade Tool
s = Slip Tool
ss = Slide Tool
p = Pen Tool
a = Arrow
r = Roll Edit
n = snapping on and off
right arrow = forward 1 frame
left arrow = backward 1 frame
Shift + right arrow = forward 1 second
Shift + left arrow = backward 1 second
Shift I = Go to In Point
Shift O = Go to Out Point
Setting up computer to capture or edit
1. Make sure your both your camera (or deck) and computer are powered off.
2. Carefully and correctly plug in your camera or a deck to the back of the computer tower, using the 4 to 6 pin firewire cable.
3. Turn on the camera, put it in PLAYBACK or VTR mode. If you’re using a deck, be sure it’s powered on with the green light lit. Also be sure it’s set to “DV”. Then turn on the computer, then the monitor.
4. Double click on your partition for it to open up. Your FCP Documents folder should appear.
5. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open.
6. Double click on your project icon within your FCP Documents folder. Your project should appear – Timeline and all.
7. Go to FCP > System Settings > and set your Scratch Disks so that all edits and decisions will go to your partition. (Do this every time you work!!!!!)
8. In the new window that pops up, locate the top bar > hit the SET button and set it to your partition name and to FCP Documents…and hit OK. Then set the bottom 3 settings (Waveform Cache, Thumbnail Cache, and Autosave Vault) the same way – forget the others. It should read …14gigYOURNAMEFCPDocuments …Or How many gigs you have in your partition/Your name/FCP Documents folder. If it lacks this information, it's wrong.
9. Hit OK and the window will close. You’re ready to capture.
10. Go to the Menu Bar to “Final Cut Pro”, and scroll down to “Easy Setup”. Scroll through the drop down menu and set to DV NTSC (unless you’re using an HDV camera. If so, select the proper HDV camera setting). Then hit the Setup button.
11. The Canvas Window should be set to “Fit to Window”. Go to the first drop down menu at the top of the Canvas Window (marked by a number +%) and select “Fit to Window”.
To begin capturing
1. Hit Apple 8 for the Log and Capture window or go to File > Log and Capture >, and the Log and Capture window will appear.
2. Put the labeled tape in camera (in PLAYBACK mode).
3. Label it with the specific name you've already given it in the Reel box in the Log and Capture window.
4. Go to the 2nd tab of the Log and Capture window called Clip Settings. Set whether you want to capture video and audio, or just video, or just audio.
5. Hit the Play button or the Space bar on your computer to find the footage you want to capture. Set in and out points in the window...or by hitting I (in) or O (out) on your keyboard.
6. Hit Log Clip, name it in the prompt that appears, and hit OK. Continue to mark in and out points for each clip you want to capture and log clips this way.
7. Hit Batch for the capturing to start.
8. You may also hit Capture Now but the tape must be playing. If you have any timecode errors that pop up, consider using the Capture Now button instead of selecting in and out points. Simply hit the Capture Now button when you want to begin capturing a shot, and hit the Escape key when you’d like the shot to end. With this method, you’re logging and capturing at the same time on the fly.
9. SAVE (Apple S) frequently…All captured shots should appear in your Browser window.
10. If you want to delete a clip, you need to Control Click on it, and select “Make Offline” from the drop down menu that appears. A second box will appear. Select “Delete from Disk” and hit OK. This is the only way to permanently remove shots from your partition and free up additional space.
11. After capturing all of your shots, Save (Apple S), then quit Final Cut Pro (Apple Q).
12. Double click on your hard drive partition for it to open up. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open that. Click once on your project icon to highlight it, and then hit Apple D to make a copy. Drag that copy into your BACK UP BIN. If you get a prompt that asks if you want to replace a previous copy, select yes.
To Shut Down the computer – Go to the Apple on the menu bar > Shut Down
*Remember to turn off the camera and the computer before disconnecting the 4 to 6 pin firewire cable.
Setting up computer to edit
1. Turn on the computer. You don’t need the camera or deck if you are not capturing.
2. Double click on your hard drive partition for it to open up. Your FCP Documents folder should appear.
3. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open.
4. Double click on your project icon within your FCP Documents folder. Your project should appear.
5. A prompt will appear telling you there is not a camera connected > hit Continue.
6. Go to FCP > System Settings > and set your decisions to go to your partition. Do this every time you work.
7. In the new window that pops up, locate the top bar > hit the SET button and set it to your Partition name and to FCP Documents…and hit OK. Then set the bottom 3 settings (Waveform Cache, Thumbnail Cache, and Autosave Vault) the same way – forget the others. It should read …14gigYOURNAMEFCPDocuments …Or How many gigs you have in your partition/Your name/FCP Documents folder. If it lacks this information, it's wrong.
8. Hit OK and the window will close.
To begin editing
1. Find a clip in Browser window, double click on its icon to bring the clip into the Viewer Window.
2. Set in (I) and out (O) points in the Viewer Window. You can do this by hitting “I” or “O” on your keyboard when the Viewer is active.
3. Place the playhead in the spot on the Timeline where you want the shot or clip to appear. Select the track you want it to be on.
4. Drag and drop image from Viewer Window into Capture Window. Choose between the 2 edit modes – overwrite or insert. The shot will appear in the Timeline, on the track that you assigned it to appear.
5. You can also simply drag and drop the image from the Viewer Window directly into the Timeline onto the track where you would like it to appear. The track is divided by a faint gray line. Drag and dropping the clip above the gray line will result in an insert edit, and drag and dropping the clip below the gray line will result in an overwrite edit.
6. For audio that was captured without video, just pull it down to the Timeline and to the track you want it to appear on.
7. Remember to save (Apple S) frequently.
8. To finish, save (Apple S), then quit Final Cut Pro (Apple Q)
9. Double click on your hard drive partition for it to open up. Double click on your FCP Documents folder to open that. Click once on your project icon to highlight it, and then hit Apple D to make a copy. Drag that copy into your BACK UP BIN. If you get a prompt that asks if you want to replace a previous copy, select yes.
Print to Video instructions
1. Make sure your both your camera and computer are powered off.
2. Carefully and correctly plug in your camera or a deck to the back of the computer tower, using the 4 to 6 pin fire wire cable.
3. Turn on the camera, put it in PLAYBACK or VTR mode, then turn on the computer, then the monitor. Put a blank mini-DV tape into your camera. If you’re using a deck, make sure it’s switched to DV mode.
4. Double click on your project icon within your FCP Documents folder to open your project.
5. In the Browser, open the sequence you want to “print” or output to the tape.
6. Save the sequence (Apple S).
7. Render All.
8. Mark an IN and OUT point at the head and tail of your project.
9. Under Audio/Video Settings, Go to the A/V Devices tab, and uncheck Mirror on Desktop to prevent dropped frames.
10. Be sure to check to see that External Video is set to “All Frames” before exporting to tape. To do this, go to the Menu bar and scroll down under VIEW to EXTERNAL VIDEO. Then select ALL FRAMES. After exporting, you want to be sure to turn the ALL FRAMES to OFF again in order for your sequence to play in the Timeline.
11. Go to the Menu Bar under FILE.
12. Select Print to Video.
13. The Print to Video box will open giving you options (suggest at least 5 seconds of color bars, and 7 seconds of black).
14. Make sure to select Print: In to Out.
15. Check “Automatically Start Recording”
16. Click OK
17. When you see the green square turn to a red square and video appearing on your JVC’s LCD screen, recording has begun.
Troubleshooting
1. Did you follow the steps for capturing or printing to video in the correct order?
a. Make sure both the computer and the camera (or deck) are powered off.
b. Connect the 4 to 6 pin firewire cable from the computer to the camera or deck.
c. Turn on the computer and monitor.
Many problems can crop up if you neglected to do this. For example, the computers are unlikely to recognize a deck or camera if either was already turned on or if Final Cut was already launched when you tried to connect a firewire cable.
2. Check to see that your external capturing device (the camera or deck) is plugged in and turned on. The deck should be set to “DV” and the green light should be on.
3. Is your camera in PLAYBACK mode? The camera needs to be in PLAYBACK mode in order to be recognized by Final Cut Pro and in order to capture footage or print to video.
4. If you’ve followed the steps in the correct order to set up to capture or print to video, and you still get a prompt telling you that Final Cut does not detect an external device for capturing/exporting, go through the following steps:
a. Quit Final Cut Pro, and shut off the computer. Next shut off the camera or deck. Disconnect the firewire cable from the camera or deck and computer, and reconnect it again, checking to be sure that it’s properly connected to both. Turn on the power to the camera or deck again. Restart the computer, and launch Final Cut Pro by double clicking on your project icon in your FCP Documents folder.
b. If the prompt telling you that Final Cut Pro does not detect an external device is still popping up, hit “Continue” and then go to the Final Cut Pro menu bar, scroll down under “Final Cut Pro” to “Audio Video Settings”. In the Summary tab of the Audio Video Settings window, look at “Video Playback”. If it says, “Missing Firewire…”, you have a clue that the issue may likely be a faulty firewire cable or connection.
c. Next scroll down under “Final Cut Pro” in the menu bar to “Easy Set Up”. In the window that pops up, look at “Setup For” and set it to DV-NTSC. Next, quit Final Cut Pro and then launch it again by double-clicking on your project icon in the FCP Documents folder within your partition.
d. When you’ve launched Final Cut Pro again, if you’re still getting the prompt telling you that Final Cut does not detect an external device, you should then shut down the computer and camera or deck. Try attaching a new firewire cable, and see if that solves the problem.
5. If you have any timecode errors that pop up, consider using the Capture Now button instead of selecting in and out points for a Batch Capture. The tape must be playing to activate Capture Now. Simply hit the Capture Now button when you want to begin capturing a shot, and hit the Escape key when you’d like the shot to end. With this method, you’re logging and capturing at the same time on the fly.
6. If you can’t see your video appearing on the camera’s LCD sreen or on a deck monitor when you’re trying to print to video, check to see if EXTERNAL VIDEO is turned off. External Video needs to be set to “All Frames” before capturing footage or exporting to tape. To do this, go to the Menu bar and scroll down under VIEW to EXTERNAL VIDEO. Then select ALL FRAMES. Final Cut turns ALL FRAMES on when working with the firewire cable and off again when you do any internal editing in FCP. Sometimes you need to wake it up.
Final Cut Pro keyboard shortcuts
Apple 8 = Log and Capture
Apple Z = Undo
Shift Apple Z = Redo
Apple B = New Bin
Apple S = Save Project
Apple C = Copy
Apple X = Cut
Apple V = Paste
Apple A = Select All
Apple D = Deselect All
Apple U = Make Subclip
Apple N = New Sequence
Home key = brings playhead to the beginning of a sequence in the Timeline
Shift Z = Zooms out to show you entire sequence in the Timeline
Apple R = Render
Shift Delete = Ripple Delete
CTRL L = Loop Playback
CTRL U = Standard View for Timeline, Canvas, and Viewer will reappear
or double click on a sequence in the Browser to have Timeline reappear.
Option Apple W = Waveform displayed on Audio Tracks in the Timeline
J + K = Shuttle backward slow
L + K = Shuttle forward slow
K = Pause
L = Shuttle forward fast (tap repeatedly to increase speed)
J = Shuttle backward fast (tap repeatedly to increase speed)
M = add Marker
Shift N = Make Still Frame
CTRL M = Print to Video
CTRL G = Closes a gap
Option D = Duplicates a sequence
Option V = Paste attributes
Apple + or - = zoom in or out
Shift L = Linked Selection on or off
b = Blade Tool
s = Slip Tool
ss = Slide Tool
p = Pen Tool
a = Arrow
r = Roll Edit
n = snapping on and off
right arrow = forward 1 frame
left arrow = backward 1 frame
Shift + right arrow = forward 1 second
Shift + left arrow = backward 1 second
Shift I = Go to In Point
Shift O = Go to Out Point
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Final Project Proposal / due June 29th
In the individual appointments, we discussed and agreed upon one idea to pursue for your final project. Now your production process and shooting should begin immediately. Your first raw footage is due on Monday. You will also need to write up the idea in a Final Project Proposal. The Final Project Proposals are due in class on Monday, June 29th. For full credit, these proposals should be 1 or 2 typed paragraphs, and they should contain the following information:
1. Your project idea
2. 5 specific shots you plan to include to best express the subject matter.
3. 5 specific sounds you plan to include to best express the subject matter.
4. The specific sounds you imagine you will use for foreground, middleground,
and background tracks
5. The specific change or transformation you imagine will take place from the beginning of the piece to the end. Or in other words, what will the viewer learn, uncover, or realize at the end of the project that he or she was unaware of at the start.
1. Your project idea
2. 5 specific shots you plan to include to best express the subject matter.
3. 5 specific sounds you plan to include to best express the subject matter.
4. The specific sounds you imagine you will use for foreground, middleground,
and background tracks
5. The specific change or transformation you imagine will take place from the beginning of the piece to the end. Or in other words, what will the viewer learn, uncover, or realize at the end of the project that he or she was unaware of at the start.
Audio Recording Notes
16-bit sound is best
• bit = bit depth
• bit depth = the fidelity of the recording’s dynamics or volume levels.
• Always use 16-bit, as it holds the most sound data and gives the fullest range of sound.
• An 8-bit digital audio recording uses 256 levels to represent the dynamic range. A 16-bit recording uses 65,536 levels.
To set your JVC camera to record 16 bit sound:
- Press Menu
- Scroll to the A menu + press SET
- Choose Sound Mode, + select 16-bit
Just as you use your eyes to look for the strongest shots, you need to listen for + discover how to collect detailed sounds that define, push, or interact with your images.
Qualities of Interesting Soundtracks:
* sound sources with interesting or unusual rhythms either found or created
* a mix of high + low frequencies
* a mixture of both sustained + percussive sounds to create the illusion of space
*change or transformation in the soundtrack to create different movements in the whole composition, rather than 1 single mood
The human ear hears:
15 hertz to 20,000 hertz.
LOW FREQUENCES: 20Hz - 250 Hz
- traffic, construction, factory noise
- rumble, fans, transformer hums
- Bass musical instruments
MID FREQUENCIES: 250HZ - 4,000 Hz
- most of what we hear is in this range
- human voice in particular
- most musical instruments
HIGH FREQUENCIES: 4,000 - 20,000 Hz
- sizzling, rain, cymbal percussion
- consonant sounds of the human voice
- (pops, taps, scrapes)
- …and camera system noise
You define a scene with audio through the use of your high, medium and low
frequencies (high, medium or low sounds.)
To create a sense of space and depth in your soundtrack, it takes a mix of 3 elements:
- Foreground sounds
- Middleground sounds +
- Background sounds
1. Foreground sounds
- loud sounds that seem close -12db to -3db
- Voice should peak no higher than -3db
- careful not to record at the ceiling 0db
2. Background sounds
- soft sounds that seem far away
-15db to -20db
3. Middleground sounds
- zipper or water fountain
- soft to medium loud details
from the immediate the area
-15db to -3db
• To Subvert means to “overthrow the authority of”.
• How can you use sound to change the meaning of the image? To overthrow the authority the image seems to hold? To enlarge the meaning of it? To make it your own?
• The JVC camera uses a series of green and red bars to indicate sound levels.
• The sound should peak with 1 red bar only.
MICROPHONES
- Should be kept away from the camera
- Kept dust free
DYNAMIC MICS
- Recommended for voice-overs
- Excellent for musical instruments
- Rugged
(RE-10 is a type of dynamic mic)
CONDENSER MIC
- Amplifies all sounds across the frequency spectrum equally -very sensitive
- Good frequency response - ability to capture the speed of a musical instrument or voice
- Battery powered
- Fragile
- (Lavaliere mics are condenser mics)
MICROPHONE PICK UP PATTERNS:
Omni-directional microphones pick up sound from all directions equally.
Cardioid microphones have a heart-shaped (cardioid) pickup pattern and are sensitive to sounds predominantly from the front of the microphone diaphragm.
Hyper or super cardioid microphones are even more directionally sensitive and are sometimes called “shotguns” because of their long length.
Bi-directional microphones are sensitive to sounds from the front and rear, while rejecting sound from the top, bottom, and sides.
There are 4 MICS available to you:
PZM - or Pressure Zone Mic
- use a large flat surface, such as a tabletop or wall to create a large, smooth, dome- shaped pickup pattern.
- condenser microphone
- needs 1/4 mini adaptor
- excellent for environments…
like meadow, coffee shop, room tones.
- half moon pickup pattern.
- not ideal for isolated voices
- mostly used for background sound
SP LAVALIERE
- used for interviews.
- always omni-directional
- windscreen, tie clip
- can be hidden easily
- placed 6-9 inches away from mouth, out of the wind path
RE 10
- used for interviews, the human voice, singing and all middle ground sounds
- cardioid pick up pattern
- sound problems around cable attachment
- dynamic mic
- Rode Mic
- very sensitive mic
- Directional Condenser Microphone
- Needs batteries
You have 4 ways to control your sound levels on the JVC camera:
1. Adjust the volume on your camera (which you can’t do.)
2. Lower or raise the volume of your source.
3. Change the distance between your mic and your sound source. But the closer the mic, the more bass frequencies and more “P’s” and “Ss.”
4. Choose a mic that is less sensitive.
Think Outside the Camcorder:
Don’t use the camera’s onboard mic
- poor quality
- camera noise
- lack of flexibility with the image
Practice using the equipment:
Bring-
- Spare batteries
- Extra tapes, as you never know what you’ll find.
- A pen to label!
- Always wear headphones when recording
- Try to get the microphone close to your subject.
Avoid popping
"p" and sharp "s" sounds
Choose a quiet recording space:
- carpeted
- with a door to close
- not much traffic…
Don't be afraid to make mistakes & record again. …
Locations change in character over time, so make sure to make long recordings. Record at least 15 minutes in each mic position, and use at least 2 mic positions for each location.
For every scene, for every interview, record extra audio. Remember that even silence is sound. Make long recordings of the background space in every room or environment you’re shooting in.
• bit = bit depth
• bit depth = the fidelity of the recording’s dynamics or volume levels.
• Always use 16-bit, as it holds the most sound data and gives the fullest range of sound.
• An 8-bit digital audio recording uses 256 levels to represent the dynamic range. A 16-bit recording uses 65,536 levels.
To set your JVC camera to record 16 bit sound:
- Press Menu
- Scroll to the A menu + press SET
- Choose Sound Mode, + select 16-bit
Just as you use your eyes to look for the strongest shots, you need to listen for + discover how to collect detailed sounds that define, push, or interact with your images.
Qualities of Interesting Soundtracks:
* sound sources with interesting or unusual rhythms either found or created
* a mix of high + low frequencies
* a mixture of both sustained + percussive sounds to create the illusion of space
*change or transformation in the soundtrack to create different movements in the whole composition, rather than 1 single mood
The human ear hears:
15 hertz to 20,000 hertz.
LOW FREQUENCES: 20Hz - 250 Hz
- traffic, construction, factory noise
- rumble, fans, transformer hums
- Bass musical instruments
MID FREQUENCIES: 250HZ - 4,000 Hz
- most of what we hear is in this range
- human voice in particular
- most musical instruments
HIGH FREQUENCIES: 4,000 - 20,000 Hz
- sizzling, rain, cymbal percussion
- consonant sounds of the human voice
- (pops, taps, scrapes)
- …and camera system noise
You define a scene with audio through the use of your high, medium and low
frequencies (high, medium or low sounds.)
To create a sense of space and depth in your soundtrack, it takes a mix of 3 elements:
- Foreground sounds
- Middleground sounds +
- Background sounds
1. Foreground sounds
- loud sounds that seem close -12db to -3db
- Voice should peak no higher than -3db
- careful not to record at the ceiling 0db
2. Background sounds
- soft sounds that seem far away
-15db to -20db
3. Middleground sounds
- zipper or water fountain
- soft to medium loud details
from the immediate the area
-15db to -3db
• To Subvert means to “overthrow the authority of”.
• How can you use sound to change the meaning of the image? To overthrow the authority the image seems to hold? To enlarge the meaning of it? To make it your own?
• The JVC camera uses a series of green and red bars to indicate sound levels.
• The sound should peak with 1 red bar only.
MICROPHONES
- Should be kept away from the camera
- Kept dust free
DYNAMIC MICS
- Recommended for voice-overs
- Excellent for musical instruments
- Rugged
(RE-10 is a type of dynamic mic)
CONDENSER MIC
- Amplifies all sounds across the frequency spectrum equally -very sensitive
- Good frequency response - ability to capture the speed of a musical instrument or voice
- Battery powered
- Fragile
- (Lavaliere mics are condenser mics)
MICROPHONE PICK UP PATTERNS:
Omni-directional microphones pick up sound from all directions equally.
Cardioid microphones have a heart-shaped (cardioid) pickup pattern and are sensitive to sounds predominantly from the front of the microphone diaphragm.
Hyper or super cardioid microphones are even more directionally sensitive and are sometimes called “shotguns” because of their long length.
Bi-directional microphones are sensitive to sounds from the front and rear, while rejecting sound from the top, bottom, and sides.
There are 4 MICS available to you:
PZM - or Pressure Zone Mic
- use a large flat surface, such as a tabletop or wall to create a large, smooth, dome- shaped pickup pattern.
- condenser microphone
- needs 1/4 mini adaptor
- excellent for environments…
like meadow, coffee shop, room tones.
- half moon pickup pattern.
- not ideal for isolated voices
- mostly used for background sound
SP LAVALIERE
- used for interviews.
- always omni-directional
- windscreen, tie clip
- can be hidden easily
- placed 6-9 inches away from mouth, out of the wind path
RE 10
- used for interviews, the human voice, singing and all middle ground sounds
- cardioid pick up pattern
- sound problems around cable attachment
- dynamic mic
- Rode Mic
- very sensitive mic
- Directional Condenser Microphone
- Needs batteries
You have 4 ways to control your sound levels on the JVC camera:
1. Adjust the volume on your camera (which you can’t do.)
2. Lower or raise the volume of your source.
3. Change the distance between your mic and your sound source. But the closer the mic, the more bass frequencies and more “P’s” and “Ss.”
4. Choose a mic that is less sensitive.
Think Outside the Camcorder:
Don’t use the camera’s onboard mic
- poor quality
- camera noise
- lack of flexibility with the image
Practice using the equipment:
Bring-
- Spare batteries
- Extra tapes, as you never know what you’ll find.
- A pen to label!
- Always wear headphones when recording
- Try to get the microphone close to your subject.
Avoid popping
"p" and sharp "s" sounds
Choose a quiet recording space:
- carpeted
- with a door to close
- not much traffic…
Don't be afraid to make mistakes & record again. …
Locations change in character over time, so make sure to make long recordings. Record at least 15 minutes in each mic position, and use at least 2 mic positions for each location.
For every scene, for every interview, record extra audio. Remember that even silence is sound. Make long recordings of the background space in every room or environment you’re shooting in.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
