Final Cut Express Tutorial
Index
- Begin
- Capturing Video
- Sequencing Clips
- Leveling Audio
- Adding a Lower Third
- Creating Titles
- Adding a Voice Over Track
- Exporting to Quicktime
- Quick Keys
To begin:
Make sure no other programs are running.
Make sure your F10 key is not toggled.
Make sure your “Final Cut Projects” folder is sourced.
“Save as…” whatever you want.
Capturing Video:
With the camera off, plug in the Fire Wire and then turn the camera on in play mode.
Go to File –> Capture (or press Apple + 8). Just press OK if it gives you shit.
In the “Real” field, name your tape something like “01_example”
Type a short description in the “Description” field.
Press pause at the beginning point and press Now under the Capture box.
Press Esc to stop capturing.
Change the description, set new points, and capture to your heart’s content!
SAVE IT!
Sequencing clips:
Place playhead at beginning of clip and press I.
Place the playhead at the end and press O.
Set the arrow in the timeline where you would like the clip to begin.
Press I to set the import start point in the timeline.
Press F10 to overwrite or F9 to splice.
Use Quick Keys to make editing easier.
Move the b-roll video to “V2” and the b-roll audio to “A3” and “A4”
Make sure your “V1” “A1” and “A2” source plugs 
are in empty channels before you import your a-roll.
Basically, the player pulls video from the top bar of the timeline first. All audio tracks play at once though.
Place the playhead and use the razor blade tool to cut audio and video.
To close a gap, place the playhead in the gap in your timeline and press Ctrl + G.
SAVE IT!
Leveling your audio:
Ctrl click “01_RAW” and press “Duplicate”
Rename copy “02_AudioLevels” and double click to open.
Press Option + Apple + W to show the audio sound waves.
Press this 
button to edit sound levels.
Use pen tool 
to make and drag points.
SAVE IT!
Adding a Lower Third:
Ctrl click “02_AudioLevels” and press “Duplicate”
Rename copy “03_TitleTracks” and double click to open.
Move timeline divider down to focus on video sequence.
Ctrl click blank timeline and “Add Track” to create “V3”
Select video track to apply Lower Third to.
In the viewer, click this 
button then go to “Text” and “Lower 3rd”
In the viewer, select the 
tab and choose style.
Enter the text (name in line 1, title in Line 2) and go back to the 
tab.
Make sure the source plug is on “V3”
On the timeline, place the playhead and press I and O for your “in” and “out” points.
Press F10 to write Lower Third to the timeline.
Use the pen tool to fade text in and out, just like audio.
SAVE IT!
Creating a Title:
It’s the same process as creating a Lower Third.
Make sure you’re still on your “03_TitleTracks” sequence.
In the viewer, click this button then go to “Boris” and “Title 3D”
In the viewer, select the tab and press the Boris 3D button.
Enter the text for the title like a word processor and go back to the tab.
Make sure the source plug is on “V3”
On the timeline, place the playhead and press I and O for your “in” and “out” points.
Press F9 to splice the Title into the timeline.
Use the pen tool to fade text and video in and out.
SAVE IT!
Adding a Voice Over:
Go to Tools –> Voice Over (or press Option + 0).
Select the track you want to add a voice over to.
Plug in your microphone, headset or whatever and check that the input recognizes it.
Speak at a comfortable level and set the microphone sensitivity to be around -12 dB.
Name the track something recognizable like “VO_Intro” so you can find it later.
Place the playhead where you want to start on the timeline and press record.
Wait for the countdown, then begin speaking. The file will appear in your browser like any other sound file.
SAVE IT!
Exporting to Quicktime:
Go to File –> Export –> Using Quicktime Conversion.
Name the file and in the “Use” tab, select “Broadband – Medium” and press Save.
Quick Keys:
| Quick Key | Action |
| Apple + Z | Undo |
| Apple + S | Save |
| ‘ (apostrophe) | Next edit point |
| ; (semicolon) | Previous edit point |
| F10 | Writes to timeline |
| F9 | Splices to timeline |
| Option + Apple + W | Displays audio wave form |
| Space Bar | Play/pause |
| Ctrl + G | Closes gap |
| Option + X | Clears in and out points |
| Left and right arrow keys | Moves backward and forward a frame |
| I | Sets “in” point |
| O | Sets “out” point |
| Apple + 8 | Capture |
| Option + 0 | Voice Over |
Wow!
Good stuff! Now this is real journalism.
You’re the man.
I am so proud of you.
Very informative, I like it very much. I just bought a new apple comp. for my work and I am making a video diary.