Final Cut Pro – A Faster Way to Create Text

TIp Jar

Here’s a fast keyboard shortcut to create a full-screen text clip in Final Cut Pro:

Control-X.

By default, it creates a 10-second full-screen text clip in the Viewer.

Final Cut Pro – Creating a Split Edit

Split Edit

While it is easy to have both the audio and video edit at the same time, it often is not desirable. When the audio and video edit at different times, it’s called a “split edit.”

There are two types of split edits: a “J” edit, where the audio edits before the video, and an “L” edit, where the audio edits after the video.

Here’s how to very quickly do both:

1. Type R to select the Roll tool.

2. Hold the Option key while selecting the video or audio edit you want to move. (The Option key allows you to select just audio or just video.)

3. Roll the edit point to a new location.

This trick has saved me hours!

Final Cut Pro – Selecting Multiple Edit Points

Multitrack Edit

A fast way to select multiple edit points – remember, Final Cut Pro limits you to one edit point per track – is to use the Edit Selection tool.

Type G, then drag a rectangle around the edit points you want to select.

When you let go, the Trim Edit window will open. You can either adjust your edits in that window, or close the window and adjust them on the timeline.

Final Cut Pro – Change Panning on Multiple Clips

Changing Panning

All audio settings in Final Cut Pro are clip-based. This is both FCP’s great strength and weakness. It’s darn near impossible to make a track-based adjustment.

Unless you know this trick.

1. Select all the clips you want to adjust panning.

2. Choose Modify > Audio > Pan … to adjust pan to the left, center, or right for all selected clips.

Note: If, on the other hand, you only want to move the pan a bit to the left or right, you’ll need to do that on a clip by clip basis… or by using Edit > Paste Attributes.