final cut express product overview

Final Cut Express 4Product OverviewNovember 2007

�Product OverviewFinal Cut Express 4

Contents

Page 4 Welcome to Final Cut Express 4 More Powerful Video Editing for DV, HDV, and AVCHD AWorkflowThatGrowswithYou Expanded Creative Capabilities MoreThanOneWaytoShowOff

Page 6 Selected New FeaturesUse Movies Captured from AVCHD CamcordersMixDifferentFormatsinaTimelineExpandYourEffectsforVisuallyRichLookingMoviesBringYouriMovie’08ProjectsintoFinalCutExpress4

Page 7 Getting Footage into Your ComputerCaptureYourFootageEasyAssetManagement

Page 10 A Tour of the Editing EnvironmentTheBrowser:GetanOverviewofYourAssetsTheViewer:SelectAssetsandPreviewChangesTheTimeline:PutthePiecesinPlaceTheCanvas:SeeItAllComeTogetherCustomizetheInterface:WorktheWayYouWantTheAutosaveVault:SaveYourStuff

Page 16 Powerful Editing with Final Cut Express Make Professional EditsRefineYourEditswithTrimmingAddTransitionsandEffects

Page �1 Compositing and TitlesUseMultipleVideoLayersSpeakwithTitles

Page �5 AudioReal-TimeAudioFiltersPrecise ControlsVoiceOverTool


Page �7 Finding Your AudiencePrint to VideoCreate a DVDExportVideofortheWeb

Page �8 Product Features

Page �� Product Availability and SupportPricingAvailabilitySystemRequirementsSupport

4Product OverviewFinal Cut Express 4

Welcome to Final Cut Express 4

FinalCutExpress4istheperfectvideoeditingtoolforvideomakerswhowantcreativefreedomandprofessional-qualityresults.Itallowsseamlessmovementbetweenediting,trimming,addingeffects,andmixingaudioinasingledrag-and-dropinterface.WiththeentireFinalCutExpresstoolsetattheirfingertipsforsimultaneouslyeditingDV,HDV,and now AVCHD,1videoenthusiasts,students,andaspiringfilmmakerscankeepupwiththeHDrevolution.

NewfeaturesinFinalCutExpress4include:

• Capture movies from AVCHD camcorders•OpenFormatTimeline• ExpandyourcreativitywithneweffectsincludingFxPlugsupport• ExportyouriMovie’08projectsdirectlytoFinalCutExpress

More Powerful Video Editing for DV, HDV, and AVCHD CaptureclipsfromyourcamcorderoverasingleFireWireorUSBcable,thenusethenewOpenFormatTimelineinFinalCutExpress4toedittogetherDV,HDV,andAVCHDmaterial,eveniftheyhavedifferentframerates.Fine-tuneyourchoiceswithprofessional ripple,roll,slip,andslideeditingfunctions,eitherintheTimelineoradedicatedTrimwindow.Andwhenitcomestimetoaddeffects,DynamicRTletsyouinstantlyprevieweffects,filters,transitions,andmultistreamcompositesinrealtimewithoutrendering.

AWorkflowThatGrowswithYouFinalCutExpressisdesignedtoprovideasimple,straightforwardworkflow.Capturingvideo,editingclips,andaddingtransitionsoreffectsareallaclickawayintheintuitive,drag-and-dropinterface.Inaddition,youcancustomizetheinterfacebysetting windowconfigurations,addingshortcutbuttons,andresizingtracksizesandassetthumbnailstofityourpreferencesandstreamlineyourworkflow.

Expanded Creative CapabilitiesAddingprofessionalfinishingtouchestoyourvideoispossiblethroughfinecontrolofmorethan200transitions,filters,andeffects.Combinedwithcompositing,titling,andkeyframing,theygiveyoutheabilitytocreatevisuallyrich,dynamicvideoprojects.Getreadytoexpandyourcreativeoptionstoo,becauseFinalCutExpress4supportsthird-partyFxPlugfiltersandeffects,thesameplug-inarchitectureusedbyFinalCutStudio.Andaudioisnotforgotten,asFinalCutExpressprovides99audiotrackswithpowerfulsoundeditingtoolsandmorethanadozenaudiofilters.


WiththebundledLiveType2,youcanaddsophisticated,HD-quality,animatedtextandmotiongraphicstovideosquicklyandeasily.LiveTypeincludesanimatedLiveFonts,over200preconfiguredtexteffects,andavarietyofcustomizabletemplates,backgrounds,textures,andobjectsthatcanbeaddedtoanyFinalCutExpressproject.

MoreThanOneWaytoShowOffMakesureeveryonegetstoseeyourfinishedproject.WhetheryourfinalproductwillbeoutputtovideotapeorQuickTimefordistributionovertheweb,iPhoneoriPod,you’resuretofindthatFinalCutExpressdeliversthepower,quality,andfeaturesthatmakeittheidealchoiceforadvancedmoviemaking.


Selected New Features

FinalCutExpress4includespowerfulnewfeaturesthatmakesetupeasierandmoviesmoreengaging.

Use Movies Captured from AVCHD CamcordersWithFinalCutExpress4,youcanLogandTransferAVCHDvideofilesquicklyandeasily toyourIntelprocessor–basedMacoverUSB.TheLogandTransferwindowallowsyoutoreviewandselectspecificclipsyouwanttotransfer,savingyoutimeandharddrivespace.OncetheclipsaretransferredtoApple’sIntermediateCodeconyourharddrive,youcanstartframe-accurateeditinginrealtime,completewithmultilayervideo,text,orgraphiccompositing.Wanttocheckyourhandiwork?Previewitfullscreenwhen-everyou’dlikeusingyourprimaryorsecondarydisplay.

MixDifferentFormatsinaTimelineWhetheryouhaveDV,HDV,orAVCHDcontent,thenewOpenFormatTimelineinFinalCutExpress4letsyoumixandmatchclips,eveniftheyusedifferentframesizesandframerates.FreelyeditacombinationofHDV,AVCHD,andDV,includingNTSCandPAL,allinrealtimeusingthesameindustry-leadingeditingandtrimmingtoolsfoundinFinalCutPro.SetyoursequencetoanHDresolutionandDVclipswillbescaledtofitautomatically;conversely,ifyoursequenceissettoDVresolution,HDclipscanbecroppedorletterboxedforaperfectfit.

ExpandYourEffectsforVisuallyRichLookingMoviesFinalCutExpresscomeswithmorethan200transitions,filters,andeffectsincludingover50newFxPlugplug-ins.Theseincludestandardeffectslikedissolves,wipes,andblurstomorestylizedFxPlugeffectslikeLightRays,LineArtandInsectEye.When youneedevenmorecreativeoptions,expandyoureffectspaletteusingoptional third-partyFxPlugeffects,thesameplug-inarchitectureusedbyFinalCutStudio.ManyFxPlugeffectsuseyourgraphicscardforacceleratedrendering—sothebetteryourgraphicscard,thefasteryourFxPlugrendering.

BringYouriMovie’08projectsintoFinalCutExpress4MovingfromiMovie’08toFinalCutExpressiseasy:iMovieprojectscanbeexporteddirectlytoFinalCutExpress—withalloftheircutsanddissolvetransitionsintact.AllyoudoisopentheFinalCutXMLdocumentandstartusingtheadvancedfunctions ofFinalCutExpresstoenhanceyouriMovie’08projects.


Getting Footage into Your Computer

CaptureYourFootageCapturingvideowithFinalCutExpressisquickandeasy.SimplyconnectasupportedcamcorderordecktoyourMacusingaFireWireorUSBcable,thenselectCapture(or“LogandTransfer”forAVCHDcontent).ThesingleFireWirecablecarriesthevideoandaudiodataandmanagesalldevicecontrol.WhencapturingfromDVcamerasusingFireWire(IEEE1394),FinalCutExpresstransfersthedatadirectlyfromthetapetothecomputer’sharddrive.HDVandAVCHDaretransferredoverFirewireorUSBandcon-vertedintothehighlyefficientandframe-accurateAppleIntermediateCodecformat.

WhenyoucapturefootagefromaDVtape,theCapturewindowhelpsyouscanthrough thevideotapetoselectgoodshots,labelthemforfuturereference,andaddnotesabout eachclip.UsethemouseandjogbuttonorJKLkeyboardcommandstocontrolplayback fromthecamcorder.SetInandOutpoints,thenclickCaptureCliptocapturethefootage toyourharddisk.

DV Log and Capture Controls

Preview area.Viewvideoasyoulogorcaptureit.Thisareacontainsplayback andmarkingcontrolsandatimecodefield.

Clip description. Logrelevantinformationaboutclipssothatyoucanmanage andorganizeyourvideoresources.

Capture buttons. Capture Clip captures video one clip at a time from a DV camcorder ordeckwithdevicecontrol.UsingCaptureNow,youcancapturelivevideo,video fromcamcordersordecksthatlackdevicecontrol,orvideofromadevice-controllablecamcorderordeck.FinalCutExpresssplitsthevideointoindividualclipsatscenebreaksandnamesthemsequentially.WiththeCaptureProjectbutton,youcancaptureallitemsinyourprojectfromacamcorderoradeckwithdevicecontrol.

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HDV Capture ControlWorking with HD moviesHigh-definitionvideosupportinFinalCutExpress4letsyoubeapartoftheHD revolution.

FinalCutExpressisabletoedittheHDV andAVCHDfilesthatcomesinoverFireWireorUSBbymeansoftheAppleIntermediateCodec,Apple’sencodingtechnologydesigned specificallyforeditingHDVandAVCHDcon-tentwithiMovie’08andFinalCutExpress4.

Youcanusethetablebelowtoestimatehowmuchdiskspaceyouneedforyourproject.

DV Output Apple Intermediate QuickTime Codec2

Width 720 1280 1440

Height 480 720 1080

Frame rate 29.97 30p 60i

Megabits 3.6 7 14 per second

Gigabytes 13 25 49 per hour

CapturingvideofromanHDVcamcorderordeckisaquickandeasyprocess.FinalCutExpresspromptsyoutonametheclip,thenyousimplyclicktheCapturebutton.Capturebeginsfromwherethetapeisqueuedandcontinuesuntilyouchoosetostop.

FinalCutExpressthenplacesthevideoinyourprojectbin,separatingthevideointoclipswhereappropriate.

AVCHD Log and Transfer Control

CapturingvideofromanAVCHDcamcorderordeckisslightlydifferentfromDVorHDV,becauseAVCHDmoviesarestoredonaharddiskdriveormemorycard.TheLogandTransferwindowisusedtoscanthefilesonthecamcorder’sharddriveandselecttheonesyouwanttotransferovertoyourMac.Inthiswindow,youcannametheclipandaddnotes.ScanningtheclipsontheAVCHDharddriveandloggingtheonesyouwant onyourMacsavestimeanddiskspace.

FinalCutExpressthenplacesthevideoinyourprojectbin,soyoucanstartediting.


EasyAssetManagementMostusershavemorefootagethantheycaneasilymanage.Videoshotatdifferenttimescanbeusefulinmorethanonemovieorinadifferentorder.FinalCutExpressprovidescompletemanagementofcapturedandimportedclipsintheBrowserwindow.Clipscanbeplacedinbinsorfolderssothatyoucancreatealogicalstructureforproj-ects.Differentbinscanbeusedfordifferentstagesofaprojectortoseparateoriginalandmodifiedfootage.Allofthemediacanbesortedandsearchedbyanumberof criteria.Keepingmediaorganizedmakeshandlingeventhelongestprojectsimple.


A Tour of the Editing Environment

TheFinalCutExpresseditinginterfaceisbasedonthesamedrag-and-dropapproachthatmakesusingMacapplicationsasimpleandintuitiveprocess.Whilethewindowlayoutisarrangedtoprovideasmoothandlogicalworkflow,youcancustomizetheinterfacetomeetyourparticularneeds.

Makingyourmovieisaccomplishedthroughfourmainwindows:theBrowser,theViewer,theTimeline,andtheCanvas.Eachwindowhasmultiplefunctions,logicallygroupedintabs.Youcandragtabsoutoftheirparentwindowstocustomizeyourworkspace.Whileeachwindowhasspecificcapabilitiesandfunctions,FinalCutExpressgivesyougreatflexibilityindetermininghowyouwork.

Basic Layout

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Browser Timeline

Viewer Canvas�


TheBrowser:GetanOverviewofYourAssetsTheBrowseristhecentralstorageplaceforallmediausedinFinalCutExpress.Whenamediafileisimportedorcaptured,itautomaticallyappearsintheBrowser.Youcancreatebinstostoreandorganizemedia,sequences,orclips,tosimplifythemanage-mentoflongandcomplexprojects.Inaddition,youcanviewitemsintheBrowserinListView,asshownbelow,orassmall,medium,orlargeicons,asshownonpage10.

Tabs.Eachopenprojectisrepresentedbyatabcontainingthatproject’sfiles. Youcanhavemultipleprojectsopenatthesametime.

Bins. Youcanorganizeyourmediaclipsinbins,orfolders,withinaproject.

Central storage. TheBrowserlistsallfilesinaproject—videoandaudioclips, sequences,andmarkers.

Master and affiliate clipsFinalCutExpress4supportsmaster/affiliatecliprelationships.Thefirstinstanceofaclipthatiscapturedorimportedintoaprojectisamaster clip.EditingamasterclipintoasequenceorduplicatingitintheBrowserresultsinthecreationofasequencecliporaduplicateclipthatisanaffiliate oftheoriginalmasterclip.Mediafilesondiskarenotduplicatedwhenaffiliatesarecreated;affiliatesreferencethemasterclip’ssourcemediafile.Becauseofthisrelationshipbetweenmasterandaffiliateclips,changesyoumaketocertainpropertiesofeitherthemastercliportheaffiliateareautomaticallymadetoallaffiliatedclipsinthecurrentproject.

Masterandaffiliateclipsareespeciallyusefulaftercapturinglargeamountsofmedia.Forexample,youmightlogandcaptureclipsthatareorganizedinbinsbasedontapename.Foraparticularproject,youmightwanttoorganizetheclipsdifferently—byshotandsceneoranyothercriteria.Creatingaffiliateclipsinnewbinspreservesbothmethodsoforganizationwithoutduplicatingmediafilesonthedisk.

Browser Tabs and Bins

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1�Product OverviewFinal Cut Express 4

TheViewer:SelectAssetsandPreviewChanges

TheViewerwindowistheplacetoreviewclipsbeforeplacingthemintheTimeline.Here,youcanselectportionsofacliptouseintheTimelinebyapplyingInandOutpoints.TabsintheViewerareusedfordisplayinginformationsuchastitlegenerators,motioncontrols,andcolorcorrection.

WiththeDigitalCinemaDesktopfeature,youcanplaybackHDandDVclipsfullscreenonyourprimaryorsecondarydisplay.Ifyouareworkingonasinglescreen,simplytoggletheDigitalCinemaDesktopusingCommand-F12andwatchyourHDandDVprojectsfullscreen.Ifyouhaveaseconddisplay,youcanpreviewyourworkfullscreenandseetheeditinginterfaceatthesametime.

Tabs. Tabsprovideaccesstodifferentfunctionsandcontrols.

Editing and marking controls. Thesecontrolsletyousetmarkers,InandOut points,andkeyframes,andmatchaudioandvideoforclipsandsequences.

Transport controls. Thesebuttonsletyouplayclipsandsequences.

Playhead, clip, and sequence controls.Thesethreecontrolsareusedtonavigatethroughandplayclipsandsequencesatspeedsotherthan100percentplayback speed.

TheTimeline:PutthePiecesinPlaceTheTimelineiswhereyouchoosetheorderofclipsinyourmovie,determinetherelationshipbetweenthoseclips,andperformvariouseditingoperations.Clipsarearrangedintracksaccordingtowhentheywillplayintime.Supportformultipletracksmeansthatmultipleclips,bothaudioandvideo,canplaysimultaneously.AddclipstotheTimelinebydraggingthemdirectlytoatrackorbyusingtheoverlaycontrolsintheCanvas.Positionclipsatatimevaluetospecifyexactlywhentheclipswillplayinthevideo.Rearrangeclipsuntiltheyareexactlythewayyouwantthem.FinalCutExpressusesanOpenFormatTimeline,whichallowsclipsfromDV,HDV,andAVCHDcamcorderstobeeditedtogetherinthesamemovie.FinalCutExpresswillautomati-callycorrecttheframerateandframesizetomatchthesequencesettings.

The Viewer

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Tabs. TheTimelinedisplaysachronologicalviewofan opensequence.Eachsequencehasitsowntab.Youcan havemultiplesequencesopenatonce.

Video tracks.Videotracksaredisplayedindescending order.TheorderintheTimelinedeterminesthelayering orderwhenyoucompositemultipletracksofvideo.

Audio tracks. Asequencecanhaveupto99audiotracks.

Markers. Add markers to indicate important events, to create chaptersforDVDnavigation,andtooptimizevideoencoding.

Solo and mute controls.Usethesecontrolstoenableanddisableaudioplaybackonindividualtracksformonitoringpurposes.

TheCanvas:SeeItAllComeTogetherTheCanvasdisplaystheresultsofyoureditingdecisions,includingeffectsandTimelinearrangement.AlleditedclipsontheTimelineareplayedbackinthe Canvas.Anytimeachangeismade,aclipadded,oraneffectcreated,theCanvas canbeusedtoprevieworviewthatedit;theCanvasrepresentsyourfinalproject output.Controlstoplay,stop,fastforward,andrewindtheproject’sTimeline arebuiltintotheCanvaswindow.

The Timeline

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TheCanvasalsoprovidesone-steptransitionandsuperimposewhenaddingclipstotheTimeline.DragaclipfromtheBrowserortheViewerontotheCanvas,andeditoptionsbecomeavailableasanoverlaygraphic.SimplydragtheclipontoanoptiontoimplementthateditintheTimeline.Optionsincludeinsert,insertwithtransition,overwrite,overwritewithtransition,replace,fittofill,andsuperimpose.

• Insert editing placestheselectedvideooraudiosothateverythingaftertheinsertionpoint,onanyunlockedtrack,shiftsforwardintheTimeline.

• Overwrite editing placestheclipintheTimelineattheplayheadandoverwritesanyclipsthatexistinthespaceneededforthatcliptofitintheTimeline.

• Replace editing replacestheclipundertheplayheadoragapintheTimelinewiththenewclip.Enoughoftheclip’smaterial,startingatthebeginningorattheInpoint,isusedtofitthespaceexactly.

• Fit-to-fill editing replacestheclipundertheplayheadorfillsagapintheTimelinewiththeselectedclip.Thenewclip’sspeedchangestofillthespaceexactly.

• Superimpose editing placesthenewclip’svideoandaudioontotracksadjacenttotheclipundertheplayheadintheTimeline.

CustomizetheInterface:WorktheWayYouWantFinalCutExpressisextremelyflexible,allowingyoutoworkinthemannerthatsuitsyou.Whereverpossible,theuserinterfaceiscontextsensitiveandprovidesmultiplewaystoaccomplishagiventask:bymouse(draganddrop),withabuttoninthe interface,throughamenucommand,orwithcontextualmenus(accessedviaControl-clickingorright-clicking).

Youcanaddanyofthe400-pluscommandsandfunctionsdirectlytotheuser interfaceasbuttons.Thesebuttonscanbeplacedinbuttonbarsinthetopareaof theBrowser,Canvas,andTimelinewindows.Youcansearchforcommandsbyname orbyfunctionalgroup,thendragcommandstothebuttonbarsfromtheButton Listwindow.Youcanthenclickanyoftheshortcutbuttonsinthebuttonbarto performcommands,insteadofenteringkeycombinationsorusingmenus.


Thisflexibilityletsyoucreateorganizedgroupsofbuttonsthatcanbespacedandcolor-codedforeasiernavigation.

Managingwindowsisalsoflexibleandeasy,soyoucantailortheworkspacetosuityourneeds.Windowscanberearrangedtocreatecustomlayouts,which,alongwiththebuttonbars,canbesavedforuser-specificsetups.ControlslocatednearthebottomleftoftheTimelineincludeasubmenuofoptionsforadjustingtrackheightsandturningonfilmstripview,audiowaveforms,andsoloandmutecontrols.ATimelinecommand,Shift-Z,resizestheTimelinesequencetofitintheavailablespace.

TheAutosaveVault:SaveYourStuffBeingabletosaveworkonaregularbasisisanimportantcomponentoftheeditingprocess—andbeingabletogobacktoapreviouseditcanbeevenmoreimportant.TheAutosaveVaultgivesyoutheoptionofsteppingbacktopreviousstagesofa project.EnablingthisfeatureensuresthatFinalCutExpresswillperiodicallysave copiesofopenprojectsasseparatefilesafteraspecifiedduration.TheoriginalprojectfileisnottoucheduntilyouchoosetheSavecommand.Withupto32levelsofundoavailablewiththeUndocommand,youcanalsoundoindividualactions.


Powerful Editing with Final Cut Express

FinalCutExpressputsprofessional-styleeditingcontrolsinyourhands,allowingyoutodragclipsdirectlytoatrackorusetheoverlaycontrolsintheCanvas.AndbecauseeditinginFinalCutExpressisnondestructive,youcanexperimentwithchangeswithoutmodifyingyoursourcefootage.TheeditingpalettecontainstoolstocutandmodifyclipsintheTimeline:Cutclipsintotwopieces,changethedurationofaclip,changethedurationoftwoclipssimultaneously,moveInandOutpoints,reselectanewrangeofframeswithinaclip,andresizeorextendanedit.

Make Professional EditsOnceyou’vecapturedsomeoralloftheclipsthatwillgointoyourfinishedmovie,it’stimetobeginediting.Youwillfindawaytoeditthatiscomfortableforyou;FinalCutExpressisextremelyflexible.Whenyouhaveassembledaneditedsequence,youcantrimyoureditsandmodifyyoursequenceinseveralwaysaswell.

• Usingvisualcontrolsintheinterface

•DirectlymanipulatingyourclipsusingthemouseintheTimeline

• Usingkeyboardshortcuts

True nondestructive, nonlinear editingFinalCutExpress4providestruenonlineareditingcapabilitiesfortheDV,HDV,andAVCHDformats.Alleditingisnondestructivetotheoriginalfootageonyourharddrive.ClipsinFinalCutExpressaremerelypointerstotheoriginalsourcematerial,soanydeletionorduplicationofclipsintheproject,trimmingchanges,effects,orotheralterationsyoumakedonotaffectthesourcefilesthemselves.

Editing tools at workProfessional-styleeditingmeansframe-accuratecontrolovertrimmingyourclips,moreflexibilityinmakingeditsintheTimeline,andunlimitededitingcreativity.Theeditingtoolsinthepaletteincludethefollowing:

• Razor blade. Cutsasingleclipintotwopieces.Thiscanbeusefulforquicklyrearrangingpiecesofyoursequence,deletingasectionofaclip,applyinganeffecttoaspecificpartofaclip,ormovingapieceofacliptothesamelocationonanothertrack.

• Ripple edit. Changesthedurationofaclip.ItmovesthelocationofeithertheOutpointprecedingortheInpointfollowinganeditpoint.Thedurationofthecliptotheleftortherightoftheeditpointisshortenedorlengthenedtofittheneweditpointwithoutchangingthelocationoftheeditinthesequence.


• Roll edit. Changesboththeselectedclipandanadjacentclip.Thistypeofeditadjuststhelocationofaneditpointsharedbytwoclips;theOutpointofthefirstclipandtheInpointofthesecondcliparemovedorrolled.Thischangesthelocationoftheeditinthesequenceaswellasthedurationofeachclip.Rolleditsareusefulwhenyouwanttomatchtheactionofoneclipwiththeactionofanotherandneedtofindtherightintersectingframes.

• Slip edit. MovestheInandOutpointsofaclipsimultaneouslywhilemaintainingitsdurationandpositionintheeditedsequence.Surroundingclipsarenotaffected,justtherangeofframesintheclip.Thisisusefulforadjustingfootageyou’veeditedintoyoursequencewithoutmovingitintheTimeline.

• Slide edit. Movesanentireclipalongwiththeeditpointstoitsleftandright.Thedurationoftheclipbeingmovedstaysthesame,buttheclipstotheleftandrightofitchangeduration.

• Resize edit. ExtendsorshortensaclipbymovingtheInorOutpoint.

• Extend edit. Allowsyoutomoveaneditpointbetweentwoclipsquickly.ThiseditmovesaneditpointtothepositionoftheplayheadintheTimeline.

RefineYourEditswithTrimmingAfteryouhavemadeyourinitialeditsandassembledyourfootageintheTimeline,youcanrefineyoursequence.Trimmingisusedtofine-tuneasequencebyaddingorsubtractingframesfromtheInorOutpointofaclip.Thesesmalladjustmentstoyourinitialeditshelptocreatesmootheredits.

Trim Edit windowThiswindowprovidesveryprecisecontrolwhiletrimming.Itdisplaysbothsidesofanedit—theoutgoingclipbeforetheeditpointandtheincomingclipthatappearsafterit—allowingyoutoadjustyoureditwithframe-levelaccuracy.Youcanalsousethiswindowtotrimagroupofeditsinmultipletracksatonce(onlyoneeditpertrack).

Dynamic and asymmetric trimmingFinalCutExpressincludesdynamictrimmingintheenhancedTrimEditwindow. Whendynamictrimmingison,keyboardcontrolsallowyoutotrimonthefly.MovetheplayheadusingtheJ,K,andLkeystofindnewOutandInpointsfortheselectededitpoint.IfdynamictrimmingisturnedonintheGeneraltaboftheUserPreferenceswindow,theselectededitpointmovestothenewpositionoftheplayheadwheneveryoustop.Inaddition,FinalCutExpresssupportsasymmetrictrimming—anadvancedtechniquethatgivesyouafastwaytotrimmultipleclipsinoppositedirections.


AddTransitionsandEffectsFinalCutExpressgivesyouasuiteofpowerfultoolsforaddingcooleffects.Andsinceyoucanusethird-partyFxPlugfiltereffects,yourcreativeoptionsareunlimitedaswell.Addatransitionbetweenclips.UsetheColorCorrectortofixandmatchclipsortocreateadramaticlook.Controlalleffectsandmotionparameterswithkeyframesforprofessionallooksandprecisetiming.

See it now with real-time effectsWiththereal-timeengineinFinalCutExpress,yougetsuperbresultsquickly,withoutrendering.RTExtremeisanenhancedmultistream,real-timeeffectsarchitecturethatletsyouviewyourprojectswithoutrenderingasyouexperimentwitheffects,transi-tions,composition,andfilters.FinalCutExpress4includesDynamicRT,whichadjustsresolutionandframerateontheflyformaximumreal-timeperformance,lettingyousetitandforgetit.

RTExtremeleveragesthestrengthsofMacOSXandtheIntelorPowerPCprocessor tosupportascalablenumberofvideostreamsandreal-timeeffects:Thenumberofavailablevideostreamsandreal-timeeffectsincreasesasprocessorspeedsincrease.Real-timevideotransitionsandfiltersappearinboldintheEffectstabandintheEffectsmenutoindicatethattheywillplaybackinrealtime.

TheRTExtremepop-upmenuintheTimelinegivesyouseveraloptionsforeffects processing.Youcanchoosebetweenvariousmodesthatdelivereithermaximumsimultaneousstreamsandreal-timeeffectsorguaranteedplaybackwithoutdroppedframes.

• Safe. InSafemode,FinalCutExpressprovidesguaranteedplaybackofreal-timeeffects.Thenumberofstreamsandeffectsisbasedonthecapabilitiesofyoursystem.

• Unlimited. InUnlimitedmode,FinalCutExpressuseseverybitofprocessingpoweravailable,allowingyoutostackupmultiplestreamsofvideo.WhenUnlimitedis selected,youcanusenearlyallofthemorethan200effects,filters,andtransitions inrealtime.

• Dynamic RT. InUnlimitedRTmode,youcanchoosetheDynamicsettingforPlaybackVideoQuality,PlaybackFrameRate,orboth.InDynamicmode,resolutionandframerateareadjustedautomatically,onthefly,soyoualwaysgettheoptimalreal-timeperformanceatthemaximumqualitypossible.Forexample,FinalCutExpresswillplaybackyourprojectatFullFrameRateunlessitrecognizesasectionoftheTimelinethatrequiresalowerframerateforreal-timeplayback.Itwilladjustforthatsection,thenautomaticallyreturntoFullFrameRateoncethesectionisdone.DynamicRTletsyousetitandforgetit,confidentthatyouarealwaysleveragingthemaximumreal-timeperformanceofyourCPU.

Smooth out your transitions Atransitionisavisualeffectusedtochangefromoneclipinyoureditedsequencetothenext.Transitions,especiallydissolves,generallygivethevieweranimpressionofachangeintimeorlocation.FinalCutExpresscomeswithavarietyoftransitionsfromwhichtochoose,includingcross-dissolve,pagepeel,cubespin,andgradientwipe.

Use color to create better images ThecolorcorrectionfiltersinFinalCutExpressprovideprecisecontroloverthelook ofeveryclip.Youcanadjustthecolorbalance,hue,saturation,blacklevels,mids, andwhitelevelsonindividualclips.Checkfleshtonesandotherkeyelementsfor consistencyandaccuracyincolor.Evaluateandmanipulatethebrightnessandcolorlevelsofclipsinpreparationforoutputtotape.Allthetoolsneededtoanalyzeandcolor-correctclipsareincluded.


Youcanusethetwo-waycolorcorrectortoadjusttheangleofhueandoverallbalanceofanimage.ThisfiltercanbecombinedwithImageControlfiltersaswellasMatteandKeyfilters.TheassortmentoffiltersmakesFinalCutExpressexceptionallypowerfulandflexibleforcorrectivefinishingwork.TheColorCorrectorhasnumericcontrolsaswellasvisualuserinterfaces.Allparameterscanbechangedovertimethroughtheuse ofkeyframes.BothinterfaceshaveLimitEffectcontrols,allowingyoutoisolatecolorcorrectionoperationstospecificareasofanimagebasedonchrominance,luminance,saturation,oranycombination.Thereareanumberofreasonstousethecolorcorrec-tionfiltersincludedwithFinalCutExpress:

• Ensuring that a project’s key elements look the way they should. Thecolorcorrec-tiontoolsletyoumakewhateveradjustmentsarenecessarytoensurethatthecolorsandthefleshtonesofpeopleinthefinaleditedpiecelookthewaytheydidinreality.

• Balancing all the shots in a scene to match.Withcarefulcolorcorrection,alloftheclipsinascenecanbebalancedtomatchoneanothersothattheylookasifthey happenedatthesametimeandinthesameplace,withthesamelighting.

• Correcting errors in color balance and exposure. Thecolorcorrectionfiltersprovideanexceptionaldegreeofcontroloverthecolorbalanceandexposureofclips,allowingyoutoperfectyouradjustments.

• Achieving a “look.”Withcolorcorrection,youhavecontroloverwhetheryourvideohasrich,saturatedcolorsoramoremutedlook.Suchsubtlemodificationscanaltertheperceptionofthescenebeingplayed,changingitsmood.

• Creating contrast or special effects. Usingcolorcorrection,youcansubtlyaccentuatedifferences.Youcanalsocreatemoreextremeeffects,suchasmanipulatingthecolorsofanexposuretoachieveaday-for-nightlook.Youcanevenkeyframecolorchangesovertime;forexample,graduallychangingaclipfromsepia-tonedtofullcolor.

�0Product OverviewFinal Cut Express 4

FxPlug filters and effectsFinalCutExpresscomeswithmorethan200transitions,filters,andeffects,includingover50newFxPlugplug-insthatuseGPU-acceleratedrendering.Bundledfiltersandeffectsrangefromstandarditemslikedissolves,wipes,andblurstomorestylizedFxPlugeffectslikeLightRays,LineArt,andInsectEye.Whenyouneedevenmorecreativeoptions,FinalCutExpressletsyouexpandyoureffectspalettewithoptionalthird-partyFxPlugsupport,thesameplug-inarchitectureusedbyFinalCutStudio.

Copy, paste, and remove attributesWhenworkingwithlargeprojectsorsequencesthatcontainrepetitiveeffects,filters,andmotion,itisoftenconvenienttocopyandpastetheattributesfromonecliptoanother(orothers).Similarly,youcanremoveattributesfromacliporclips.Youcanpastekeyframesasisorscalethemtofitthedurationofthecliponwhichtheyarebeingpasted.Thefollowingattributescanbecopied,pasted,orremovedfromanyclip.


Compositing and Titles

FinalCutExpressprovidespowerfultoolstomanipulate,animate,orcombineimages.Youcanachieveimpressiveresultsbylayeringvideoclipsorgraphicsfiles,suchas multilayeredAdobePhotoshopfiles,tocreaterichvisualimagesandanimations.Youcanalsocreateoutstandingtitleswithfilters,effects,andcompositing.

UseMultipleVideoLayersUsingmultiplevideolayersisoneofthesimplestandfastestwaystoaddaprofessionallooktoyourprojects.Bycombiningtwoormorevideotracks,alsocalledcompositing,youcancreateexcitementwithsophisticatedspecialeffectsandvisuallyrichimagery.

Usingthevirtuallyunlimitednumberofvideotracks,makedynamic,compositedvideo—likepicture-in-picture,split-screen,andvideocollages.Asequencecanbenestedasaclipinanothersequence,andanychangesinanestedsequenceripplethroughallsequencesthatcontainit.EditedsequencesarefullychangeableandcanbenestedforreuseagainandagaininmultipleTimelines.

Seeingyoureffectsandcompositionsinrealtimeinsteadofwaitingforthemtorenderletsyouexperimentmoreandspendlesstimeediting.TheRTExtremeengineintelli-gentlyscalestothecapabilitiesofyourhardware,providingdramaticallymorereal-timeeffects,transitions,andvideolayers—evenwhenyouareusingHDfootageoreditingonalaptopcomputer.DynamicRTadjustsframerateandresolutiononthefly,soyoualwaysgetthemaximumreal-timeperformance.

��Product OverviewFinal Cut Express 4

Professional compositing resultsFinalCutExpresssupportsavirtuallyunlimitednumberofvideo,text,andgraphicslayers.YoucanimportAdobePhotoshopfilesdirectlyintoFinalCutExpresseither asaflattenedimageorwithalllayersmaintainedonseparatetracks.YoucanthencombineyourPhotoshopgraphicswithvideo,applyanimationandeffectstothe layers,andaddadditionaltitlesandanimatedelementsfromLiveType.

Complete control of all effects, including motionAllvideolayersinFinalCutExpresscanhavemotionattributesaddedtothemfordynamiccompositing.Bezierandnumericcontrolsenableyoutochangethepositionoflayers,createmotionpathswithorwithoutacurve,andadjusttheaccelerationofobjectsalongapath,ensuringsmooth,highlysophisticatedresults.

Tocreatemotionforanobjectorvideolayer,youcreateakeyframebyclickingtheAddKeyframebutton,movetoanewpointontheTimeline,andthendragtheobjecttoanewlocation.Apathisautomaticallydrawn.Changingthespacingofthepointsalongthepathadjuststheaccelerationoftheitem.Adjustmentsaremaderightonthepathitself,providingdirectfeedbackonhowtheanimationwillwork.Allparam-etersofanobject—suchassize,rotation,cornerdistortion,andanyappliedeffects—arealsocontrollableusingkeyframes.


SpeakwithTitlesTitlingprovidesafinishingtouch,andFinalCutExpresshasallthetoolsnecessarytocreatebeautifultitles,usingthebuilt-intoolsorthebundledLiveTypeapplication.Keyframeandanimatetitleslikeanyotherobject.Maketextcrawl,scroll,orappearinthelowerthirdofthescreen.Youcanevencreateanimatedtypeoneffectsorspintextin3DspaceusingtheBoris3Dtitlegenerator.

LiveTypeLiveType2isafull-featured,professional-qualitytitlingapplicationthatallowsyoutocreatedynamic,animatedtitlesquicklyandeasily.WithLiveFonts—fontswiththeirownanimatedbehaviors—plusfullsupportforallsystemfontsandawaytocreateneweffects,LiveTypeissimpleenoughforthefirst-timeuserandpowerfulenough fortheprofessional.

LiveTypecomeswithintegratedLiveFonts,aswellaseasilyadaptedprojecttemplates,customizablekeyframedeffects,andalibraryofanimatedcontent.Italsoincludesalphachannelsupport,dynamicindividualcharactercontrol,andframe-accurate registrationwithFinalCutExpressprojects.Professionallydesignedtemplatesget yourprojectofftoafaststart(youcanbuildandsaveyourowntemplatesaswell).LiveTypetemplatescombinethevariouselementsavailableintheapplication, includingLiveFonts,systemfonts,andanimatedtexturesandobjects,intoready-to-use,customizableprojectsforyourvideo.

CanvasTextentryboxInspectorMediaBrowser

Livewireframepreview

Timeline

Projecttab

Trackgroupingbuttons

Zoomslider

Enable/Disable TrackEffectKeyframeTimecode

LiveFontsDevelopedspecificallyforvideoanddesignedbyprofessionalanimators,LiveFonts letyoutypeoutsophisticatedanimatedfontstylesaseasilyasyou’dtypeouta systemfont.Andbecausethey’recreatedwithanalphachannel,LiveFontskeyrightovervideo.


Royalty-free contentLiveTypecomeswithbroadcast-qualityanimatedtexturesandobjectsthatyoucanuseinyourprojects,allowingevennonanimatorstoproduceprofessional-levelcontentrightoutofthebox.Thetexturescanbeusedfullscreen,mattedinsidetextorobjects,orscaleddownforuseinlowerthirds.

Customizable effectsEffectsinLiveTypearelikedigitalbuildingblocks—modularbehaviorsthatincludemovement,transformation,andtimingparameters.Themorethan200prebuilteffectsthatcomewithLiveTypegiveyouthepowertoaddfades,zooms,rotations,andmotionthatripplethroughyourletters,andyoucancreateyourownstylesbyadjustingtheseeffectsintheLiveTypeinterface.YoucanalsouseLiveTypetocreateeffectsdynamicallyontheflyandevensavethemforuseinfutureprojects.Itsuniqueapproachtokeyframeanimationmakescreatingeffectsquickandeasy.

Timing is everythingWithLiveType,animationiseasierthaneverbefore.Eachkeyframeinaneffect containsalltheparametersforthatmomentintime,eliminatingthetime-consuminghassleoflongkeyframestacks.AndsinceLiveTypetreatseverycharacterofthewordasaseparatelayer,powerfultimingfeaturessuchassequencinggiveyouthecreativefreedomtomovesinglecharactersinatextblockwithindividualtimingelements, soyou’renotlimitedtoblocksoftextthatflyaroundthescreenasoneimage.Thewireframepreviewletsyouseeyourworkinrealtime.

Flexible and compatibleYoucanimportclipsfromFinalCutExpresscompletewithmarkers,soit’seasytosynchronizeyourtitlestoimportantvideoandaudiotransitionsinyourvideoprojects.LiveTypealsoimportsandexportsallQuickTime-supportedfileformats,includingAdobePhotoshop,JPEG,TIFF,andPICT.

A wide range of optionsFinalCutExpresssupportsdirectTimelinefileplacementofLiveTypeprojects,forasmoothandeasyworkflow.LiveTypecancreateaQuickTimemoviethatyoucanimportintoyourFinalCutExpressbinlikeanyotherfile,andcreatesfileswithorwithoutanalphachannel,makingthemavailabletoyourFinalCutExpressprojects.Inaddition,LiveTypeallowsyoutosetupyourownprojectsizeandresolution,soyoucanworkinacustomsettingofyourchoosing.Italsosupportsallofyoursystemfonts,includingPostScriptandTrueTypefonts,makingitpossibletocreateanevenwiderspectrumoftitlingeffects.


Audio

WithFinalCutExpress,youcanedit,enhance,andadjustavideo’saudiotracks.FinalCutExpresscanmixupto99tracksandplaybackuptoeightaudiotracksinrealtime.Youcanaddmultipletracksofmusic,soundeffects,orvoiceoverquicklyandeasily.

Real-TimeAudioFiltersAudiofilterscanbeadjustedinrealtimeasthetrackisplaying,soyoucanhearyourworkinprogress.Thishelpsyouexperimentmoreandexercisemorecreativecontroloveryourprojects.FinalCutExpressincludesanumberoffiltersforadjustingyouraudioclipstobeasstrong,clear,andnoise-freeaspossible.Filterscanalsobeusedtoblendtheclipsinyouraudiomixtopreventthesoundqualityortoneofaparticularclipfromstandingout.

• Soft normalize filter. Thisnondestructivefilterscanstheaudioforthepeak(loudest)samplelevel,thenappliesagainfilterthatbringsthepeaktothelevelyourequest.Thisisidealforachievingconsistencyinyouraudiosoundtracks.

• Equalization filters.Useequalizationfilterstocorrectunnatural-soundingaudiorecordingsbyadjustingspecificfrequencies.Forexample,ifyouraudiowasrecordedinaroomthataccentuatestrebleorbass,youcanreducethosefrequencies.

• Compressor/limiter and expansion filters. Thesefiltersallowyoutoadjustanaudioclip’sdynamicrangeafterithasbeencaptured.Thecompressor/limiterfilterletsyouadjustthedynamicrangeofanaudioclipsothattheloudestpartoftheclipiscom-pressedtowithinaspecifiedrangeofthesoftestpartoftheclip.Theexpansionfilterraisespartsofaclipthataretoolow.

• Hum remover. Thehumremoverletsyougetridof“cyclehum”(alowbuzzing)thatmayhavebeenintroducedintoyouraudiorecordingbypowerlinescrossingyourcablesorbyashortedgroundwire.

• Vocal DeEsser.Thisfilterisessentiallyaspecializedequalizerthatreducesthe“ess”soundsproducedbyaspeakerwithpronounceds’soramicrophonethataccentuateshighfrequencies.

• Vocal DePopper. TheVocalDePopperletsyouattenuatetheharsh“p”soundsthatresultfrompuffsofbreathburstingintothemicrophone.

• Echo and reverb filters. These“effects”filtershelpyoumatchforegroundaudioclipstothebackgroundinwhichtheyappear.

• Noise gate. Thenoisegateeliminatesallsoundbelowaspecifiedvolumethreshold.


Precise ControlsThere’snofumblingwhentryingtoeditaudiowithFinalCutExpress.Subframeaudioeditingdownto1/100ofaframegivesprecisecontroloveraudioedits.Dynamicaudiolevelmetersprovideinstantvisualinformationontherangeofanaudiotrackasitplays,andaudiopancontrolsmakeiteasytoworkwithstereotracksduringplayback.IntheTimeline,soloandmutecontrolsallowyoutoisolateindividualaudiotracks.Andnore-renderingisrequiredwhenmutedtracksarereactivated,soyousaveanincredibleamountoftimeaswell.

VoiceOverToolCaptureaudiodirectlytotheTimelinefromabuilt-inorexternalmicrophonewiththeVoiceOvertool.Createquickscratchtracksorvoiceoverworkwhileeditingaproject.TheVoiceOvertoolprovidesacountdowncue,andrecordsbeforestartandafterstoptoprovidetherecordedsoundwithhandles.


Finding Your Audience

You’veusedFinalCutExpresstoputthefinishingtouchesonyourmovie.You’redonewithediting,compositing,andcolorcorrections.You’veaddedeffects,transitions,andtitles,andyou’vecreatedprofessionalaudiotracks.Nowyouhaveseveraloptionsforsharingyourfinishedproject.

Print to VideoThePrinttoVideocommandsendsyourprojectouttovideotape.ThisisusefulwhenyouwanttorecordbacktoDV,createbackupcopiesofyourvideoprojectorconnectyourdevicetoyourhomeorothertheatersystemfordirectplayback.

Create a DVDCreatenamedchaptermarkersinyourvideoproject.Usethesemarkerstodivide yourvideointonavigablechaptersiniDVD.FinalCutExpressincludesaworkflowdocumentthatoutlinesthesimpleone-stepprocessofbringingyourmovie intoiDVD.

ExportVideofortheWebExportprojectsusingawiderangeofQuickTime-supportedcodecs,includingMPEG-4,fordistributionviaemailortheweb.

Whateveryourchosenmethodofdistribution,FinalCutExpresshasthefeaturesandpoweryouneedtoadvanceyourDV,HDV,andAVCHDmoviemaking.


Product Features

Input/Capturing video• Plug-and-playsupportformostDV25-formatcamcordersanddecks:MiniDVandDVCAM(NTSCorPAL)

• Plug-and-playsupportformostHDV-formatcamcordersanddecks:720p,1080i

• Plug-and-playsupportformostAVCHD-formatcamcordersanddecks:720p,1080i1

•FireWiredevicecontrolofmostFireWire-equippedMiniDVcamcordersfromleadingmanufacturerslikeSony,Canon,Panasonic,andJVC

•Capturewindowletsyouname,addcommentsto,andorganizeyourclipsasyou capturethem

• Incrementalclipnamingduringcapturewhenarecordingbreakisdiscovered

•Importsarangeofstillimageformats:PSD,BMP,JPEG,PICT,PNG,SGI,TARGA,andTIFF

•ImportsiMovie’08filescompletewithcutsanddissolvetransitions

•Binsallowyoutoorganizeyourfilesandsequencesinaproject

•ClipscanbeorganizedintheBrowserusingtheextensivesearch,sort,andsift capabilities

•Cliplabelshelporganizeandsortclips

•Masterandaffiliatecliprelationshipautomaticallyupdatescertainpropertiesofaclip,suchasclipnameorreelname,withinthecurrentproject

•32levelsofundo

Editing and Timeline• Nondestructiveeditingreferencestheoriginalvideosothesourcefootageisnever

altered

•Drag-and-dropediting

• EditingontheTimeline

•MixNTSCandPALaswellasHD-sizemoviesonasingleTimeline

• Three-pointeditingmodel

• 99videotrackswithsupportfornestingtrackstogether

• Supportformultiplesequencesandprojectsallowsyoutocreatealternativeeditsorbreakprojectsintosmallerpieces

• Insertandoverwritewithorwithouttransitions

• Replace,fittofill,andsuperimposeedits


•Editoverlayforinsert,overwrite,replace,fittofill,andsuperimposegivesyoucontroloverhowclipsareaddedtotheTimeline

•BladeandBladeAlltoolsallowyoutoaddeditpointstoyoursequence

• Extend and split edits provide additional editing options

•Syncdetectionandcorrectioncompensatesforaudioandvideotracksthatslipout ofsync

•Activetracktargetingletsyouspecifyindividualormultipletrackstoapplyeditsto or protect from being edited

•EnablingtheAutoSelectcontrolsofspecifictracksintheTimelineallowsthecontentsofthosetrackstobeselectedviaInandOutpointsintheTimelineorCanvas

• Adjacent(throughedit)indicatorsinTimeline

•DupedetectioninTimeline

• Keyframegraphs

• Tracklocking

• Clip,sequence,scoring,chapter,andcompressionmarkers

• ClipandsequencemarkerexporttoLiveTypefortitling

• ChaptermarkerexportforiDVD

• Custom,independenttrackheights

• AutosaveVaultsavesprojectatspecifiedintervals,soyoucanreturntoanypointinyoureditwithoutlosingyourwork

Trimming• Ripple,roll,slip,andslide

• Asymmetric,multitracktrimming

•DynamicJKLtrimming

• TrimEditwindow

• Timelinetrimming

• Keyboardandnumerictrimming

Media management• Extensivesearch,sort,andsiftcapabilitiesinBrowser

• Clip labels

• Customcommentfields

•Masterandaffiliateclips

•Move,copy,andtranscodeitemsatsequenceorprojectlevel

• Autosave Vault

Transitions, filters, and effects•Morethan200transitions,filters,andeffects

•Supportforthird-partyFxPlugfiltersandtransitions

•Unlimitedeffectsfavorites

•Copyandpasteofmotionandeffectattributes

•Beziercurvesformotionpaths


•Keyframecapabilitiesforpreciseeffectandmotionparametercontrol

•Precisionnumericcontrolsforeffectsandanimation

•RTExtremeprovidesscalable,software-based,multistreamreal-timeeffects

•Safe,Unlimited,andDynamicRTmodesletyoucustomizeperformanceversus qualitytradeoffs

• RTExtremequalitysettings:low,dynamic,high.Lowsettingprovidesmaximum simultaneousreal-timestreamsandeffects;highsettingprovidesfull-resolutionout-putforfinishingdirectlytoDVorHDVdevice;DynamicRTadjustssettingsonthefly

•OverlaysintheTimelineletyouadjustandkeyframeopacityandaudiolevels

•Direct-to-Timelinedrag-and-dropintegrationofLiveTypeprojects

• AutoRenderoption

•Broadcast-safefilter

• Composite and transfer modes

Compositing• Usenestingtobuildvirtuallyunlimitedcompositinglayersforcomplexvideoeffects

•ImportAdobePhotoshopfilescompletewithlayersandalphasupporttocreateeffectsandmotiongraphics

• UseBeziercurveswithmovablemotionpathstoapplyandcontrolanimations

•Applyeasein/easeoutmotionpathstosmoothcompositinganimations

•Usetimeeffects,includingslowmotionwithframeblending,tocreatesmooth, time-alteredplayback

• Renderingwithaccuratesubpixelinterpolationapplieseffectssmoothlytoproduce ahigh-qualityresult

•Usetransfermodessuchasmultiplyandlighten

•Usetheflickerfiltertoincorporatestillframesfromvideo

Color correction• Secondary(two-way)colorcorrector

• Imagecontrolfilters

• Broadcast-safefilter

•Makesurefleshtonesandotherkeyelementsareaccurate

•Mixcolorstoachieveavisualstyle

•Matchfootagefromdifferentsourcesforconsistency

• Correct errors in color balance and exposure

Audio• Sequencescanincludeupto99audiotracks

•Morethan25audiofilters,includingnormalization,three-bandandparameter equalizer,compressor/limiter,60/120Hzhumremover,andnoisegate,giveyou controloverthequalityofyoursoundtrack

• Real-timefaderautomation

• Variablekeyframethinning

• Real-timeaudiofiltersandeffects


• Real-timeaudiofilteradjustmentsduringplayback

• Subframeaudiokeyframingto1/100ofaframe

• Samplingat8kHzto48kHzand8to24bits

• Audiolevelmeters(pertrack)

•MacOSXAudioUnitsplug-insupport

• Pan controls

• Mute and solo controls

• AudiowaveformdisplayinTimeline

• Logarithmicaudiofades

• Scrubbingwithorwithoutpitchshifting

• VoiceOvertoolforaddingnarrationsdirectlytoTimeline

•AudioleveloverlayscanbeviewedintheTimeline

•Isolateaudiotrackswithsoloandmutecontrols

•Nore-renderingisrequiredwhenmutedtracksarereactivated

Titling•Usestandardandscrollingtextgeneratorstocreatetitlesthatcrawl,scroll,orappearinthelowerthirdofthescreen

•Combinetitleswithotherfilters,effects,andcompositingforunlimitedcreativeexpression

•Includenon-LatinalphabetcharactersandsymbolswithfullUnicodesupport

LiveType • Animatedtitleandmotiongraphicscreation

•Unicodesystemfontsupport

• Royalty-freeanimatedcontent,includingLiveFonts,backgroundtexturesandobjects

• SophisticatedprojecttemplatesforDVandHD

•Over200customizableeffects

• Keyframeanimation

• Customeffectscreation

• Real-timewireframepreview

• CanvasRAMpreview

• Importwidevarietyofformats

• Resolutionindependentandscalable

•Dynamicindividualcharactercontrol

• Animation for rolls and crawls

• Typeonacurve

• FontMakerutilityforcreatingcustomLiveFonts

•DraganddroptotheFinalCutExpress4Timelinewithauto-updating


Output• PrinttoVideocommandletsyourecordasequenceorclipbacktoyourDVor

HDV device

•Footagecanbeloopedifyouwanttooutputyourprogrammultipletimesonthesame tape

•Sequence,scoring,chapter,andcompressionmarkers

•MarkerexportstoiDVDforchaptersettings

•ProjectscanbeexportedusinganyQuickTimefileformat,includingMPEG-4,for distributionviaemailortheweb

•DigitalCinemaDesktopallowsfull-screen,real-timepreviewplayback

Streamlined workflow• Full Unicode support

• Dynamicwindowresizing

•Mode-freeinterfaceforworkflowefficiency

•Multiplesequencesandprojectsopensimultaneously

• 99audioand99videotrackswithsupportfornestingvideotrackstogether

• Systemanduserpreferences

• Easysetupsforquickconfiguration

• Customizablereal-timeeffectssettings

• Customizable render settings

• Customizable window arrangements

• Customizable user interface buttons

• CustomizableBrowserlayouts

• Customizabletracklayouts

•Custom,independenttrackheightsintheTimeline


Product Availability and Support

PricingTheestimatedU.S.retailpriceofFinalCutExpress4is$199.3

AvailabilityFinalCutExpress4isavailableworldwideinEnglish,German,French,andJapanese.ItcanbepurchasedthroughtheAppleStoreonline(www.apple.comor800-MY-APPLE),Appleretailstores,andAppleAuthorizedResellers.

SystemRequirements•Macintoshcomputerwith1.25GHzorfasterPowerPCG4processor;PowerPCG5; orIntelCoreDuoorIntelXeonprocessor1

• 1GBofRAM•Displaywith1024-by-768(orhigher)resolution• AnAGPorPCIExpressgraphicscardcompatiblewithQuartzExtremeoranIntelGMAintegratedgraphicsprocessorinMacBookorMacmini4

•MacOSXv10.4.10orlater•QuickTime7.2orlater• 500MBofdiskspaceforapplications;additional500MBforLiveTypecontent(canbeinstalledonseparatedisks)

• DVD drive for installation

SupportFinalCutExpresscomeswith90daysoftoll-freetelephonesupport.Inaddition,Appleoffersafullrangeofprofessionalsupportoptions.Fordetails,visitwww.apple.com/support/products.

ForMoreInformationFor more information about Final Cut Express, visitwww.apple.com/finalcutexpress.

1AVDHDissupportedonIntel-basedMacsystemsonly.2DataratesfortheAppleIntermediateCodecarevariable.Thesefigures areapproximateandmayvaryaccordingtothecomplexityofyourfootage;imageswithalotofdetailhaveahigherdatarate thanthosewithlessdetail.3PricesareasofNovember2007,aresubjecttochange,donotincludetaxes,andarelistedinU.S. dollars.4SomeFxPlugfilterseffectsarenotsupportedwithIntelGMAintegratedgraphics.

©2007AppleInc.Allrightsreserved.Apple,theApplelogo,FinalCut,FinalCutPro,FinalCutStudio,FireWire,iDVD,iMovie,iPod,LiveType,Mac,MacBook,Macintosh,MacOS,Quartz,QuickTime,andTrueTypearetrademarksofAppleInc.,registeredintheU.S.andothercountries.iPhoneisatrademarkofAppleInc.AppleStoreisaservicemarkofAppleInc.,registeredintheU.S.andothercountries.AdobeandPostScriptaretrademarksorregisteredtrademarksofAdobeSystemsIncorporatedintheU.S.and/orothercountries.Intel,IntelCore,andXeonaretrademarksofIntelCorp.intheU.S.andothercountries.PowerPCisatrademarkofInternationalBusinessMachinesCorporation,usedunderlicensetherefrom.Otherproductandcompanynamesmentionedhereinmaybetrademarksoftheirrespectivecompanies.Productspecificationsaresubjecttochangewithoutnotice.Thismaterialis providedforinformationpurposesonly;Appleassumesnoliabilityrelatedtoitsuse.November2007L353892A

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