Apple Final Cut Pro 7 User Manual
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Stage 2:
Setting Up
In this phase, you set up your editing system by installing and connecting the hardware
you need, as well as configuring your software. For example, before logging and ingesting,
you need to connect your computer either to the video and audio from your camcorder
or VTR (video tape recorder) or to a device containing your file-based media. You also
need to make sure that the correct presets are chosen within Final Cut Pro, so that
Final Cut Pro knows what video and audio formats you are capturing and what kind of
device control you’re using. (Device control allows Final Cut Pro to remotely control video
and audio devices.)
Depending on the format and device you are using, setup can be fairly simple (as it is
with DV formats) or more complex. For example, if you are working with an uncompressed
video format, you need to install a third-party video interface in your computer, as well
as a serial port adapter to communicate with the deck.
For more information, see the various chapters on setup, starting with
Stage 3:
Ingesting
Ingesting is a general term for capturing, transferring, or importing video, audio, still
images, and metadata to your computer’s hard disk, which creates media files. You can
ingest media files at any time, although most footage should be ingested before you
start editing.
Logging is the process of identifying which shots you want to ingest for editing. While
you log, you can add scene and shot descriptions, logging notes, and markers. Logging
also helps you become familiar with your footage before you begin editing.
The order in which you log and ingest your footage is up to you. There are several possible
workflows, depending upon your work style, the needs of your project, and the availability
of footage. You can log all or most clips before batch ingesting them (in an automated
way), or you can log and then ingest each clip individually. You can also log clips after
ingesting your footage to a hard disk.
For more information, see
“Overview of Capturing Tape-Based Media,” “Overview of
Transferring File-Based Media,”
and
“Importing Media Files into Your Project.”
Stage 4:
Editing
The editing process involves taking the video and audio you’ve captured, along with any
music or graphics you’ve imported, and arranging these raw materials into a final edited
sequence of clips. Most editors start with a rough cut, where they quickly arrange all of
the clips for a movie in sequence. Once that’s finished, they work on fine-tuning, subtly
adjusting the edit points between clips and refining the pacing of each cut. Basic audio
editing and synchronizing are also part of this process, as well as adding transitions, such
as fades and dissolves.
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Chapter 1
About the Post-Production Workflow