FCP Tip #007: Sham Wow that Shift+Z is Awesome!

Hi, it's Vince here with an exciting new product from the makers of Sham Wow. It's called "Shift+Z 2000". Want to reveal the full expanse of your timeline in the sequence window in an instant? "Shift Z+2000" can help. Accidentally zoomed in on your viewer window when you thought you were in your sequence window and want to get it back to the way it was fast? "Shift+Z 2000" can help. Accidentally spilled some cola on your light colored carpet? Well, I guess you're screwed because we're talking about a keyboard shortcut here people. You always take the metaphor too far. I hate when you do that!

Anywho, what I'm trying to get across here is that shift+Z is useful in many situations, just like the Sham Wow. Hitting Shift+Z in your timeline zooms you out just far enough to see the entire timeline from beginning to end, no more, no less. And if you're sloppy like me, you accidentally zoom in on your viewer window thinking you're in the sequence window at least 10 times a day. Hitting shift+z after you do this in your viewer or canvas window, resizes the video in the window to fit perfectly. No matter how far zoomed in or out you were, it makes it "fit."

Tune in next week when I'll be back with, what I hope is, the Slap Chop of keyboard shortcuts. Oh and don't believe everything that you read, I didn't touch her. She fell down.

Couldn't mention Slap Chop without the payoff, could I?

FCP Tip #006: Inserting and Overwriting video without audio with fewer clicks

Ok gang, this one could save you enough time in a month to allow you to wax my boat.  It's ok, I don't really have a boat, but by the time I do you should have saved enough time to wax it a few times.  We'll talk.

So, here goes.  If you want to cut just the video from a clip in the viewer into your sequence there's an easier way than going down and clicking your audio target buttons to the off position in the timeline. All you need to do is instead of marking your in and out points in the viewer with the "i" and "o" buttons, use control +"i" and control + "o".  Do this in the viewer only for it to work.  For most reliable results.  Don't mark points in your sequence, just have the tapehead (that's what the Apple folks call the timeline indicator thingy) parked at the frame you want to cut your shot in on.  Hit F9 or F10 and voila, video with no audio without the need for turning off and on any audio targets in your sequence.


You'll have to decide when the right time to use it is, but when you are switching back  and forth from cutting audio + video and just video a lot sounds like a good time to me.

FCP Tip #005: Preview complicated timelines without rendering.

I've got a lot on my plate this week, so this is a quicky but I still think you'll find it very helpful. Most people find themselves creating sequences that have layering demands which exceed the realtime capabilities of any FCP set up. When you're short on time you may not want to render these complicated parts only to have to tweak them moments later and re-render. A handy way to play through those deep layered parts, or your render-intensive transitions, is to press OPTION+P. This will give you a nice smooth approximation of what the rendered scene will look like. Although not in real time, this technique still provides a great preview of motion and feel. Plus, it allows you to keep flowing with your edit rather than stopping to render.