Final Cut

Final Cut is the software we will be using when we edit our footage for our music video which we have filmed on the HD cameras. Final Cut is similar to software we used last year when doing our AS course, IMovie. This was quite simple to use and had basic functions for doing things such as adding effects. Final Cut is different to IMovie as it is more complex. It gives you the ability to do more things with your footage such as cropping, and placing two shots next to each other. Probably the biggest difference or the tool we will use most is adding multiple layers. The is placing different shots over each other and changing the opacity so they can all be seen.


When I first used Final Cut i thought it would be a lot harder to handle than it was. The basics are quite similar. A good point is that you have 2 view boxes so you can look at your whole thing as well as clicking on a specific shot. I think the video layers tool will come in handy when i edit my own coursework.


Some of the pointers I have picked up on:

• Using the up and down arrows will take you to the start (up) and end (down) of the clip. If you are using them in the timeline you can move up and down the whole sequence.
• Pressing the 'B' button will change the mouse to the cut tool (razor blade) which is a helpful short cut, 'A' takes you back to pointer tool.
• clicking on the snap tool is very useful when you are inserting clips as the automatically fit right next to the previous clip. It also helps when you are layering clips and want to cut to the end of the the layer. 
• Pressing the delete button to delete a clip will move all the other clips up.
• To select a certain part of the clip to select and in point 'i' and out point 'o'

Im defiantly going to find all these helpful for when i edit my own. 

Also have i brief look at the effect i can use. The fade in and out and cross fade are going to be use in my video as well as blurring the image or desaturating.