Apple Final Cut Pro Tutorials

Check out These Great Articles!

Stephen Smith ~ Creating a Hologram
Dustin Lau ~ Become replaceable. Have a life with better FCP project management
Dustin Lau ~ Better Media Management in Final Cut Pro
Dustin Lau ~ Get Fast in Final Cut Pro -- FAST!
Roger Bolton ~ Vee You: 8 Free Mac Plug-ins for FCP, AE and Motion
Cowdog ~ Using Automator for repetitive tasks in Final Cut Pro
Shane Ross ~ The Ultimate Real-world FCP FAQ, Part 3
Stephen Smith ~ Stephens Five FCP Time Saving Tips
Stephen Smith ~ Compressor Custom Settings: A Creative COW Final Cut Studio Video Tutorial
Walter Biscardi ~ Preparing Your Sequences to Go From FCP to Color

	David Battistella view bio Apple Final Cut Pro EDIT TO TAPE - A STEP BY STEP GUIDE In this Apple Final Cut Pro tutorial, CreativeCOW.net leader and filmmaker David Battistella shares a good basic technique for ''FCP - Edit to Tape'' first timers. Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Recapturing HDV, Can it be done? CreativeCOW.net contributing editor and leader, David Battistella, explores the question of recapturing HDV. He'd seen so many posts, so much talk about HDV format and the problems incurred, so David has taken the time to test a couple of workflows. Here's David's report. Tutorial back to top

	Walter Biscardi view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Preparing Your Sequences to Go From FCP to Color Yes, Apple Color is connected to Final Cut Pro...but not exactly integrated. Creative Cow leader Walter Biscardi, one of the worlds most respected experts on the connection between the two, will help guide your sequences safely from FCP to Color -- and show you why its worth the effort. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Maximum FCP Efficiency with Tabs Because Final Cut Pro can do so much, it can be easy to get lost inside its interface as you start to do more and more at once. Let Creative Cow leader and Final Cut Pro expert Walter Biscardi show you how to take back control of your workspace and work more quickly and efficiently with FCPs tabs. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Walter Biscardis Secrets for Real-time Sequences Its late, youre running late, and you cant figure out why your sequence isnt playing in real time. Fortunately, Creative Cow leader and Final Cut Pro expert Walter Biscardi is here to help. You know that somethings wrong, Walter knows what, and he tells you how to fix it here. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Travel Mattes in FCP: Part Three, Enhance Your Interviews In this Final Cut Pro video tutorial, Walter Biscardi demonstrates the basics of travel mattes in FCP. This is lesson 3 in a 3-part series. Walter will show a real world application for using travel mattes - one of his favorite uses to enhance an interview. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Travel Mattes in FCP: Part Two, Adding Animation and Drop Shadows In this Apple Final Cut Pro video tutorial Walter Biscardi demonstrates the basics of travel mattes in Final Cut Pro. In this second lesson in the 3-part series we'll learn some simple animation and drop shadows. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Travel Mattes in FCP: Part One, The Basics Walter Biscardi demonstrates the basics of travel mattes in this Apple Final Cut Pro Video Tutorial. Learn what travel mattes are and the difference between alpha mattes and luma mattes. This is part one of a 3 part series on travel mattes in FCP. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Field Editing & Production Using Final Cut Pro Apple has really changed the face of Post Production with the power and affordability of Final Cut Pro. In Creativecow leader, Walter Biscardi's view, the real power of the product is its flexibility. From offline to uncompressed HDTV, from laptop to desktop, FCP gives us unparalleled flexibility as creators. Recently Walter took FCP on the road for a three day corporate shoot and found it to be a major tool in the project. Tutorial back to top

	Roger Bolton view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Vee You: 8 Free Mac Plug-ins for FCP, AE and Motion VFX artist Roger Bolton has worked on films including The Lord of the Rings, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Kingdom of Heaven. He has also created effects for his own use -- in this case, a wide variety of 2D and 3D VU meters, automatically animated by the audio in your project. He now offers these 8 plug-ins to artists using Final Cut Pro, After Effects and Motion -- with no watermarks, no time limits, no price tag. Please note: these plug-ins are MAC ONLY. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Fast Flowing Montages for FCP & Motion Alongside such compositing projects as "The Lord of the Rings" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Roger Bolton designs "CoreMelt Visual Effects" for Final Cut Pro and Motion. They take advantage of Apple's core video technology for amazing high-quality, real-time performance. This tutorial shows you how to harness that power to solve an age-old problem: how to quickly and creatively create image montages. Best of all, you'll find links to free effects filters, exclusively available to Cow readers! Tutorial, Feature back to top

	Cowdog view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Using Automator for repetitive tasks in Final Cut Pro Apple Automator is a tiny application included with Mac OS X with big power, quickly and easily creating custom workflows based on the work you actually do - no programming required. Its the perfect way to handle those pesky repetitive tasks in FCP. Do something once, then let Automator take it from there. This handy little tool can make the difference between keeping and losing your sanity -- and making or missing your deadline. Tutorial, Feature back to top

	Philip Hodgetts view bio Apple Final Cut Pro How2 Upgrade to Final Cut Pro 4 -- the Right Way! In this article, Philip Hodgetts walks you step by step how to upgrade to Apple Final Cut Pro 4 -- the right way so that you'll save yourself mistakes and headaches. Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Technique - How2 Canvas & Viewer with Waveform & Vectorscope With a little careful arrangement, it is possible to monitor the Waveform and Vectors of a Clip or Sequence for quality control in Apple Final Cut Pro. Tutorial back to top

	Dustin Lau view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Become replaceable. Have a life with better FCP project management Sure, being replaceable can be scary -- but sometimes you NEED somebody to step in and help. Here are some of the tricks that Cow author Dustin Lau has learned for project set-up, file naming, and clear communication with other members on the team. These tricks will create smooth hand-offs from you to your temporary replacement -- and back to you when you return, without driving anyone crazy. Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Better Media Management in Final Cut Pro Looking for better media management in Final Cut Pro? TV producer and Cow contributor Dustin Lau says it all begins with better file naming. He shows how its working at ESPN/Star Sports Asia, as they manage their workflow across multiple teams, under the high pressure of episodic TV deadlines. It will work for you too. Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Get Fast in Final Cut Pro -- FAST! It does not make you a better FCP editor, but no matter what kind of work you do, speed still matters. Cow author Dustin Lau shares some tips and tricks to accelerate your work in Final Cut Pro that even the old dogs can learn from. Tutorial back to top

	Steve Miller view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Jittery Film Effects in Final Cut Pro In this Final Cut Pro tutorial, we'll like to welcome RunawayTraining.com's Steve Miller who joins the Cow team and offers this tutorial for Apple Final Cut Pro users who want to know how those TV commercials and music videos make their footage look like there is a malfunctioning projector running amuck, serving up the footage with the kind of jitter and jump that was once so common in the silent movie era. This tutorial uses only the stock plug-ins that come in the box with Final Cut Pro HD. Tutorial back to top

	Chris Poisson view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Travel Mattes in FCP: Faster than AE "I about had a heart attack, as the budget did not allow for days of AE work, so I began to search for alternatives to animating a gazillion layers in Final Cut Pro." If you haven't been there yet, you will. Either way, Chris Poisson will show you how to build high-impact composites in Final Cut Pro, more quickly than you can in AE. Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Really? Capture HDV to ProRes in FCP? Over FireWire?! Yes! One of the features that snuck into the new edition of Final Cut Studio is that you can now capture HDV directly to ProRes over FireWire! There are a couple of issues you'll want to consider, but Chris Poisson, a Cow member since 2001, takes you step by step through a process that can make a big difference to the way you edit HDV in Final Cut Pro from now on. Tutorial back to top

	Shane Ross view bio Apple Final Cut Pro The Ultimate Real-world FCP FAQ, Part 3 Creative Cow Leader Shane Ross is one of a very small handful of the worlds most respected FCP experts. Over the course of years answering questions, hes compiled a real-world list of the questions that are truly the most frequently asked. He calls them Shanes Stock Answers. We call them the information you really need for working with FCP. Here in Part 3, he covers QuickTime issues, timecode management, P2 tips and much more, including one of the most frequently questions of all: how to open new projects in older versions of FCP. Tutorial, Feature Apple Final Cut Pro The Ultimate Real-world FCP FAQ, part 2 Creative Cow Leader Shane Ross is one of a very small handful of the world's most respected FCP experts. Over the course of years answering questions, he's compiled a real-world list of the questions that are truly the most frequently asked. He calls them Shane's Stock Answers. We call them the information you really need for working with FCP. In part 2 he covers HDV monitoring, editing web codecs, working with Photoshop files in FCP, and much more. Tutorial, Feature Apple Final Cut Pro The Ultimate Real-world FCP FAQ, part 1 Creative Cow Leader Shane Ross is one of a very small handful of the world's most respected FCP experts. Over the course of years answering questions, he's compiled a real-world list of the questions that are truly the most frequently asked. He calls them Shane's Stock Answers. We call them the information you really need for working with FCP. In part 1 he covers lossless QuickTimes, digitizing across timecode breaks, some of his favorite freeware add-ons, and more. Tutorial, Feature Apple Final Cut Pro Build Unique Transitions with Filters in Final Cut Pro Apple Final Cut Pro has a lot of great filters, and Creative Cow leader Shane Ross found a number of them that he thought would look great as transitions. It turns out that really do! In this video tutorial, he shows you just how easily you too can build truly unique transitions with filters. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro P2 Import in Final Cut Pro 6 P2 workflows are among the very hottest topics at the Cow, and with extensive experience with P2 in broadcast editing, leader Shane Ross is one of the industry experts in the new features to support P2 in Final Cut Pro 6. In this video tutorial, Shane covers new techniques for bringing in captured footage, and as always, tips for project organization and media management for the best results with the least effort. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro DVCPRO Frame Rate Converter In this Final Cut Pro video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Shane Ross discusses taking 60p footage shot with DVCPRO HD and slowing it down to 23.98 so that it's slow motion. Please note that this only works if you are working in a 23.98 or 29.97 timeline. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Movement on Stills In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Shane Ross discusses creating movement on stills in Final Cut Pro. Many people call this the Ken Burns effect, but Shane wants to point out that this effect is been used long before Ken Burns made it so popular. In fact, Shane would like to someday have it called the 'Shane Ross Effect.' Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Importing P2 into FCP In this video tutorial, Creative Cow Leader Shane Ross gives users a quick tutorial on how to import footage from a Panasonic P2 card into Apple Final Cut Pro. Tutorial, Video Tutorial back to top

	Stephen Smith view bio Apple Motion Creating a Hologram Looking to create your own holographic effect? Let CreativeCOW.net Contributing Editor Stephen Smith show you how. This Apple Motion video tutorial will teach you what you need to know to create a hologram effect. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Stephens Five FCP Time Saving Tips Want to save time while using Final Cut Pro? CreativeCow.net Contributing Editor Stephen Smith will show you how. His video tutorial has five must use tips: Motion Templates, Swap Edit, Audio Levels, Ripple Delete and Transitions Time Saver. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Compressor Custom Settings: A Creative COW Final Cut Studio Video Tutorial Final Cut Studios Compressor has many pre-existing settings that allow you to start compressing your project immediately. If you find yourself making the same alterations this tutorial can save you time. CreativeCOW.net Contributing Editor Stephen Smith will show you how to: create custom settings, create custom settings from scratch, create groups of settings and how to delete settings. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro As a Page Turns: A Creative COW Final Cut Studio Video Tutorial Creative Cow contributing editor Stephen Smith examines the classic tale of how a page peel can be transformed into a realistic player in the video effects world. With a little extra work, your results can go from fake to fabulous in no time. As a Page Turns not only includes how to maximize a page peel but how to create custom blue prints in Live Type. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Bad TV Look: Final Cut Pro Tutorial Creating that 'bad TV' look has never been easier with Final Cut Pro. CreativeCOW.net Contributing Editor Stephen Smith's Bad TV tutorial will show you how to create this spectacular effect using tools already provided by FCP. Learn how to make your video transition in from noise, animate a TV roll and duplicate the turning off the TV look. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro CSI: COW There's nothing like glass panes moving randomly on a screen. In this Final Cut Pro tutorial learn to create the stunning bars like the ones in the show open to CSI: Miami. Follow along with Stephen Smith, the Final Cut sleuth, to learn how easy this effect really is. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Creating That Old Film Look with Final Cut Studio 2 Taking advantage of new features in Apple Final Cut Studio 2, CreativeCOW.net Contributing Editor Stephen Smith offers a fresh approach to an old effect. Project files are included so you can follow along, and customize the vintage scratches, flickers and dust galore that make up the classic old film look. Tutorial, Video Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Bad TV Effect for Final Cut Pro Do you want to create that 'bad TV' look that is becoming more and more popular? Stephen Smith's Bad TV tutorial will show you how to create this spectacle effect using tools already provided by Final Cut Pro. Tutorial Apple Final Cut Pro Creating That Old Film Look For Final Cut Pro Do you want to create that old film look with out purchasing expensive plug-ins? Unfortunately, Quick Time's special effects settings create phony looking scratches. This article by Stephen Smith explores how to add that extra bit of pizzazz without breaking the bank. Tutorial back to top

	Marco Solorio view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Capture Cards and Codecs Thinking of going uncompressed? Well this article focuses on the different uncompressed hardware solutions available for Final Cut Pro. Marco Solorio attempts to answers questions such as: ''What Capture card should I buy and do I even NEED an uncompressed system?'' Also included is a side by side evaluation of the quality and functionality of each uncompressed hardware solution on the market today. Review, Tutorial, Feature back to top

	Tim Wilson view bio Apple Final Cut Pro Part 2: ProRes for HDV, with a splash of Color As promised, here's part 2 of our preliminary look at The COW's Collected Wisdom on ProRes. The update from last week: 215 ProRes posts in the past week. That's right: the pace of ProRes posts has more than doubled. And they're spread across 11 forums! Nobody can possible keep up with all this! Except for us. You took the effort to write 215 ProRes posts last week, so we've read each and every one of them and summarized the highlights for you here. The big stories in part 2: ProRes for HDV, with a splash of Color. We've also got the latest tech notes from Apple, documentation you might have missed, and updates on the latest supported mice. Tutorial, Feature Apple Final Cut Pro Apple's ProRes 422 Apple's ProRes 422 is the most talked-about feature in any application for quite some time. As users finally start getting their hands on Apple Final Cut Studio 2 and working with ProRes, a number of questions have popped up. Part 1 of this article compiles some of the answers to questions including capture, performance, resolution and workflow basics from across The COW. Tutorial, Feature back to top

	Boris Yamnitsky view bio Apple Final Cut Pro FCP Titling with Boris: Old-fashioned LED Animation Yes! There's really a Boris! And he really wrote this tutorial for you. It takes advantage of the free Boris FX title generators included with Final Cut Pro, with a little help from the Boris Continuum Complete video effects plug-ins, for titling power you might not known you had available inside FCP. Tutorial