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.
7. Once the Log + Capture tool is launched, use its buttons to control the camera’s functions. Clicking with the mouse will activate Log + Capture buttons, and the signal will transfer to the camera through the firewire cable. Don’t use the camera buttons to play back or rewind the tape. Once you touch the camera’s controls, the connection between the camera and Final Cut Pro can be lost.


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