Final Cut Pro 7 - Starting a New Project
This is the first of a series of posts on Final Cut Pro 7 for Beginners. This tutorial series is intended for those who know very little about film editing and who have never used Final Cut Pro before. I will guide you through the basic knowledge, tips, and tricks to make your experience with FCP far less daunting and intimidating.
Since this is your first time using FCP, it seems appropriate to begin with the basics – launching FCP for the first time.
When you launch FCP for the first time, you will be asked to choose between a variety of setup options:
1. Choosing a format – If you click on the drop-down menu next to format, you will see four major format categories: HD, NTSC, PAL, and OfflineRT. Selecting one of these will help narrow down your format options. You should choose the format that matches the footage that you will be using.
- HD [High Definition] – The latest generation of video formats. They vary according to frame size, frame rate, and scanning system (p for progressive and i for interlaced).
- NTSC [National Television System Committee] – The standard television format for North America and Japan.
- PAL [Phase Alternation by Line] – The standard television format for Europe.
- OfflineRT – Used for building a rough cut of a project at a lower resolution. This is useful when you are using a slower system or one with an inadequate amount of storage. If you select this option, make sure the frame rate matches that of your original video.
Click here to see more detailed information about video formats in the Final Cut Pro 7 User Manual
2. Choosing a Frame Rate – Frame rate is measured in frames per second (fps). Choose the one that will best match the format of your video.
- 23.98 fps – [Film, HD - NTSC, NTSC] used for film and HD video with NTSC compatibility.
- 24.00 fps – [Film, HD] universally accepted film frame rate, used by movie theaters.
- 29.97 fps – [NTSC, HD] the color NTSC standard since 1953.
Here is a more detailed guide from the Final Cut Pro 7 User Manual
3. Choosing a Scratch Disk – This is where all of the video and audio media for your project will be stored. For this, it is a good idea to use a second hard disk that is separate from your system’s main hard disk. You may use up to 12 scratch disks, depending on how much space you need.
4. Save your project before you begin! – It is important to do an initial save on your project in order to allow FCP to know where to store all of the elements of your project while you are working on it. It will also allow the program to autosave your information, which is important in the event that your system crashes. Make sure you save your project to the same scratch disk that you have previously selected.
This concludes Part I of my series – Final Cut Pro 7 for Beginners.
Please feel free to comment below if you would like to share any additional information for beginners.
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Erica this is a very good post. I look forward to reading more.