A standard bit depth for digital audio recording and playback.

The standard display aspect ratio of a high-definition television set.

A four-channel image with each channel 8-bits deep. Typically, a CGI image with red, green, blue, and alpha channels.

The standard display aspect ratio of a home television set.

For video, a bit depth at which color is sampled. 8-bit color is common with DV and other standard-definition digital formats. Some high-definition acquisition formats can also record in 8-bit, but usually record in 10-bit.

The area inside a border that is five percent smaller than the overall size of the video frame. Most of the time, anything in your video image that's outside of this border will not be displayed on a video screen.

Working like the Razor Blade tool, adds an edit point to all clips in the Timeline at the current position of the playhead.

equipment that changes an analog signal into a digital signal.

(Audio Interchange File Format) Apple's native uncompressed audio file format created for the Macintosh computer, commonly used for the storage and transmission of digitally sampled sound.

An image channel in addition to the R, G, and B color channels that is used to store transparency information for compositing. In Final Cut Pro, black represents 100 percent transparent, and white represents 100 percent opaque.

A type of sound that includes background room noise, traffic noise, and atmospheric sound effects.

A signal that consists of a continuously varying voltage level, measured on a waveform monitor, which represents video and audio information. Analog signals must be converted to digital signals (digitized or captured) for use in Final Cut Pro. VHS and Beta SP are both analog tape formats.

An image shot in a widescreen format and then squeezed into 4x3 frame size.

In the Motion tab, the point that is used to center changes to a clip when using motion effects. A clip's anchor point does not have to be at its center.

The process of changing any number of variables such as color, audio levels, or other effects over time using keyframes.

The ratio of the width of an image to its height on any viewing screen. Standard TV has an aspect ratio of 4:3; HDTV's is 16:9.

All of the unique settings that have been applied to either audio or video clips.

A graphic display of the audio level (loudness) of a clip or sequence. Used to set incoming and outgoing audio levels and to check for audio distortion and signal strength.

The process of adjusting the volume levels of all audio clips in an edited sequence, including the production audio, music, sound effects, voice-overs, and additional background ambience, to turn all of these sounds into a harmonious whole.

The rate or frequency at which a sound is sampled to digitize it. 48 kHz is the standard sampling rate for digital audio; CD audio is sampled at 44.1 kHz.

is a graphical representation of the amplitude (loudness) of a sound over a period of time.

A function to automatically save backup copies of all your FCP open projects at regular intervals. It must be turned on, and you can specify the intervals.

A PC-compatible standard for digital video no longer officially supported by Microsoft but still frequently used. AVI supports fewer codecs than QuickTime.

An imaginary straight line (horizontal, vertical, 3D diagonal) along which an object can move or rotate in space.

Using In and Out points in the Viewer and only an Out point in the Timeline, the two Out points will align, and the rest of the clip will appear before or to the left of this point.

Capturing multiple clips and or sequences with a single command.

The ability to export multiple clips and or sequences with a single command by being able to stack them up in a queue. It is particularly useful when exporting will take a lot of time.

A series of vertical bars of specific colors and an audio tone that are used to calibrate the audio and video signals coming from a videotape or camera to ensure consistent appearance and sound on different TV monitors.

The “control handles” attached to a Bezier curve that allow you to change the shape of the curve.

A file folder in the Browser window used to keep media clips grouped and organized. Derived from film editing where strips of film were hung over a cloth bin for sorting during the editing process.

The measurement of the black portion of the video signal. This level is represented by 7.5 IRE in the United States; Japan (NTSC) and PAL measurements are represented by 0 IRE.

A term used to describe alternate footage that intercuts with the primary soundtrack used in a program to help tell the story, or to cover flaws. B-roll is usually referred to as cutaway shots.

A solid blue colored background placed behind a subject and photographed so that later the subject can be extracted and composited onto another image.

A color correction filter that provides a fast method of dealing with clips that have luminance and chrominance levels exceeding the broadcast limits for video. It allows for the adjusting of the luminance and chrominance of clips at the same time.

An interface window that is a central storage area where you organize and access all of the source material used in your project.

A special high-speed memory area that the computer uses to store information that it can retrieve much faster than from main memory.

The process of adjusting a feature for accuracy.

The window in which you can view your edited sequence.

The process of bringing media into the computer.

Defines a clip's location in the X/Y coordinate space in the Motion tab of the Canvas.

The color information contained in a video signal consisting of hue (the color itself) and saturation (intensity).

Media files that may consist of video, audio, graphics, or any similar content that can be imported into Final Cut Pro.

Distortion occurring during the playback or recording of digital audio due to an overly loud level.

Framing a subject so that it fills the frame. Usually used for dramatic storytelling.

Short for compression/decompression. A program used to compress and decompress data such as audio and video files.

Refers to the overall mix of red, green, and blue for the highlights (brightest), midtones, and shadow (darkest) areas in a clip. The color balance of these three areas can be adjusted using the Color Corrector 3-way filter.

A process in which the color of clips used in an edited program is evened out so that all shots in a given scene match.

The possible range of colors that can be used in a movie or image. In computer graphics, there are usually four choices: grayscale, 8-bit, 16-bit, and 24-bit. Higher color depths provide a wider range of colors but also require more disk space for a given image size. Broadcast video is generally 24-bit, with 8 bits of color information per channel.

A clip containing solid color created as a generated item in the effects.

A type of analog video signal where the luminance and chrominance signals are recorded separately, thereby providing better video quality. The signal can be recorded in an analog form (Y, R-Y, B-Y) as in a Beta SP, or in a digital form (Y, Cr, Cb) as in a Digital Betacam.

One of the options in the Modify menu that offers many different methods of combing two or more images.

A type of analog video signal that combines all chroma and luma information into a single waveform running through a single pair of wires. This can result in analog “artifacts” affecting the quality of the video signal.

The process of combining two or more video or electronic images into a single frame. This term can also describe the process of creating various video effects.

The process by which video, graphics, and audio files are reduced in size. The reduction in the size of a video file through the removal of redundant image data is referred to as a lossy compression scheme. A lossless compression scheme uses a mathematical process and reduces the file size by consolidating the redundant information without discarding it.

See Also Codec.

A marker placed in a Final Cut movie that will flag DVD Studio Pro to stop so an I-frame can be changed.

A menu that “pops up” on the screen and whose content changes depending on where you click.

The difference between the lightest and darkest values in an image. High-contrast images have a large range of values from the darkest shadow to the lightest highlight. Low-contrast images have a more narrow range of values, resulting in a “flatter” look.

A tool used to slice a specified amount from the total frame size of a clip. You can crop the top, left, right, and bottom of a clip independently.

A transition between two audio clips where one sound is faded out while the other is faded in. Used to make the transition between two audio cuts less noticeable.

The simplest type of edit where one clip ends and the next begins without any transition.

A shot that is related to the current subject and occurs in the same time frame; for instance, an interviewer's reaction to what is being said in an interview or a shot to cover a technically bad moment.

The speed at which data can be transferred, often described in megabytes per second (MB/sec.). The higher a video file's data rate, the higher quality it will be, but it will require more system resources (processor speed, hard disk space, and performance). Some codecs allow you to specify a maximum data rate for a movie during capture.

A unit of measure for the loudness of audio.

The process of creating a viewable image for playback from a compressed video, graphics, or audio file. Compare with compression.

Used to convert video frames composed of two interlaced fields into a single unified frame; for example, to create a still image of an object moving at high speed.

To remove color from a clip. 100 percent desaturation results in a grayscale image.

A cable that allows Final Cut Pro to control a video deck or camera. Three protocols are used most frequently to control video devices: serial device control via the RS-422 and RS-232 protocols, and FireWire for DV camcorders and decks.

Data that is stored or transmitted as a sequence of ones and zeros.

Video that has been captured, manipulated, and stored using a digital format, which can be easily imported into your computer. Digital video can come in many different formats such as Digital-8, DVC Pro, DVCAM, or DV.

A standard-definition digital videotape format that records an 8-bit, 5:1 compressed component video signal using 4:1:1 color sampling (PAL uses 4:2:0). This format supports two tracks of audio with 16-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling, or four tracks of audio with 12-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling.

To convert an analog video signal into a digital video format. A method of capturing video.

See Also Capture.

A transition between two video clips where the first one fades down at the same time the second one fades up.

An option in the Tool palette that allows you to change the shape of an image by moving any of its four corners independently of the others.

A strip on the Desktop where you can store the program alias icons that you use most frequently.

NTSC timecode that skips ahead in time by two frame numbers each minute, except for minutes ending in”0,” so that the end timecode total agrees with the actual elapsed clock time. Although timecode numbers are skipped, actual video frames are not skipped.

An effect that creates an artificial shadow behind an image or text.

Making a copy of an analog tape to the same type of format.

The length of a clip or a sequence from its In to its Out point, or the length of time that it takes that piece of video to play.

A standard for a specific digital video format created by a consortium of camcorder vendors, which uses Motion JPEG video at a 720x480 resolution at 29.97 frames per second, stored at a bit rate of 25MB per second at a compression of 4:1:1. This format does not provide timecode capabilities or an audio track for the cue channel. A format used in Final Cut Pro for the capturing of media usually through a FireWire connection built directly into the DV camera.

A standard-definition digital videotape recorder format that records an 8-bit, 5:1 compressed component video signal with 4:1:1 color sampling. Recorded using 1/4 inch tape. Supports two tracks of audio with 16-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling, or four tracks of audio with 12-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling.

Panasonic's native DV (digital video) component format that records an 8-bit, 5:1 compressed component video signal using 4:1:1 color sampling (PAL uses 4:2:0). This format supports two tracks of audio with 16-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling, or four tracks of audio with 12-bit, 48 kHz audio sampling. DVCPRO adds a longitudinal analog audio cue track and a control track to improve editing performance and user-friendliness in linear editing operations.

A disc that is the size of a CD, but uses higher density storage methods to significantly increase its capacity. Usually used for video distribution, DVD-ROM discs can also be used to store computer data.

A location indicator that can be seen in DVD Studio Pro used to mark a chapter.

The difference, in decibels, between the loudest and softest parts of a recording.

(1) Defines what part of a clip you want to use in an edited sequence. Edit points include In points, which specify the beginning of a section of a clip or sequence, and Out points, which specify the end of a section of a clip or sequence. (2) The point in the Timeline of an edited sequence where the Out point of one clip meets the In point of the next clip.

The command that lets you perform frame-accurate Insert and Assemble edits to tape.

A text file that uses the source timecode of clips to sequentially list all of the edits that make up a sequence. EDLs are used to move a project from one editing application to another, or to coordinate the assembly of a program in a tape-based online editing facility.

A general term used to describe all of Final Cut Pro's capabilities that go beyond cuts-only editing.

See Also Filters, Generators, Transition.

A menu option that allows you to move files or media out of Final Cut Pro to a variety of destinations via a variety of codecs; lets you translate the current file format into a number of different formats.

An edit in which the edit point is moved to the position of the playhead in the Timeline.

An effect in which the picture gradually transitions to black.

In the Audio Mixer, vertical sliders used to adjust the audio levels of clips at the position of the playhead. Using the fader, you can adjust the audio level of a clip on a smooth logarithmic scale ranging from +12 dB to –∞ dB (otherwise known as silence.)

A customized effect that is used frequently. You can create favorites from most of the effects in Final Cut Pro.

Half of an interlaced video frame consisting of the odd or the even scan lines.

The choice of whether field one or field two will be displayed on the monitor first. The default should be Lower (even) for DV and Targa captures.

Effects you can apply to the video or audio component of a clip or sequence. Filters affect the visual or aural quality of the clip to which they're applied. You may use a video filter, for instance, to change the color of a shot, or you may use an audio filter to reduce some background noise or change the sound of a voice.

The process of reassembling the clips used in the final edit of a program at the highest quality. Finishing may involve recapturing offline resolution clips at uncompressed resolution, re-rendering effects, and then outputting the final program to tape. Finishing may also involve extra steps that were not taken in the offline edit, such as color correction.

Apple's trademark name for the IEEE 1394 standard used to connect external hard drives and cameras to computers. It provides a fast interface to move large video and audio files to the computer's hard drive.

An edit in which a clip is inserted into a sequence such that its duration matches a predetermined amount of specified track space.

A single still image from either video or film. For video, each frame is made up of two interlaced fields .

See Also Interlaced video.

A process of inserting blended frames in place of frames that have been duplicated in clips with slow motion, to make them play back more smoothly.

Composing a shot for the best presentation of the subject, taking into consideration the size of the subject in the frame and how it is centered.

The number of times a sound or signal vibrates each second, measured in cycles per second, or hertz. Audio recordings are made up of a vast collection of waveforms, using many different frequencies of sound. Each frequency in a recording is associated with an audio pitch. The frequencies of an audio recording can be changed to disguise a voice or to clean up an unwanted noise.

In video, the level of white in a video picture; in audio, the loudness of an audio signal.

A curve that describes how the middle tones of an image appear. Gamma is a nonlinear function often confused with “brightness” or “contrast.” Changing the value of the gamma affects middle tones while leaving the whites and blacks of the image unaltered. Gamma adjustment is often used to compensate for differences between Macintosh and Windows video cards and displays.

The locking together of the playheads in the Viewer and Canvas Windows so that they move as one.

Locations in a sequence where there is no media on any track. When output to video, gaps in an edited sequence appear as black sections.

Clips that are synthesized by Final Cut Pro. Generators can be used as different kinds of backgrounds, titles, and elements for visual design.

A generated image that changes smoothly from one color to another across the image. The change can occur in several ways horizontally, vertically, radially, and so on.

A solid green colored background placed behind a subject and photographed so that later the subject can be extracted and composited into another image.

Extra frames of unused video or audio that are on either side of the In and Out points in an edit.

The beginning of a clip.

A window that displays the relative strength of all luminance values in a video frame, from black to super-white. It is useful for comparing two clips in order to match their brightness values more closely.

A high-end consumer analog videotape format that has a quality between VHS and DV.

A specific color or pigment, such as red.

An onscreen symbol that represents a program or file.

The menu option that allows you to bring media into an FCP project.

The menu option that allows you to import media that have already been organized into folders in an FCP project and still maintain the folder and subfolder names and organization.

The process of bringing files of various types into a project in Final Cut Pro. Imported files can be created in another application, captured from another device, or brought in from another Final Cut Pro project.

The clip that is on the right-hand side of a transition or the B-side of the cut point.

The edit point that determines the first frame of a clip to be edited into a sequence.

To insert a clip into an existing sequence into the Timeline, which automatically moves the other clips (or remaining frames of a clip) to the right to make room for it. An Insert edit does not replace existing material.

A video scanning method that first scans the odd picture lines (field 1) and then scans the even picture lines (field 2), which merges them together into one single frame of video. Used in standard-definition video.

A unit of measurement for luminance in an analog signal established by the Institute of Radio Engineeers, (IRE).

To move forwards or backwards through your video one frame at a time.

A popular image file format that lets you create highly compressed graphics files. The amount of compression used can be varied. Less compression results in a higher quality image.

A cut in which an abrupt change occurs between two shots, with no continuity from one to the other.

A control that denotes a change in value in a parameter, which when set can calculate one value to another resulting in a dynamic change to that parameter.

The process of creating a mask (key) to eliminate some specific background area in order to composite foreground elements against a different background.

Terms that appear in the Label column of the Browser such as “Best Take” and “Interview.” Labels can also be assigned to clips and media to help distinguish and sort them. Each label has an associated color that is also applied to clips.

An edit function that leaves a gap when material is lifted from the Timeline.

When video is displayed to fit within a standard 4x3 monitor, putting black at the top and bottom of the picture.

A video editing style in which a program is edited together by copying shots from the original source tapes to a master tape, one by one. Because the assembly is linear, any changes made to an earlier point of the tape result in the rest of the edited tape being reassembled from that point forward.

(1) To connect different audio and video items in the Timeline so that when one item is selected, moved, or trimmed, all other items linked to it are affected. (2) The connection between a clip and its associated source media file on disk. If you move source media files, change their names, or put them in the Trash, the links break and associated clips in your Final Cut Pro project become offline clips.

A clip that is connected to one or more other clips, so that when it is selected the associated clips are selected as well. Clips are linked together to keep them in sync with one another.

An option in the Timeline that, when enabled, maintains connections between linked clips. When linked selection is turned off, linked items behave as if they are not linked.

The lock icon, near the beginning of tracks in the Timeline, that you click to lock and unlock tracks.

See Also Locked track.

A track whose contents cannot be moved or changed. Crosshatched lines distinguish a locked track on the Timeline. You can lock or unlock tracks at any time by clicking the Lock Track control on the Timeline.

The process of logging the clips you want to capture, and then using a device control to automatically capture them in the Log and Capture window.

The window used to enter information about clips from source tapes, and to capture clips so you can edit them.

A specific bin where all the logged or captured clips go when using the Log and Capture window.

The process of entering detailed information including the In and Out points from your source material in preparation to be captured.

A playback mode of repeatedly playing the same portion of your program from an In point to an Out point.

Short for luminance. A value describing the brightness part of the video signal without color (chroma).

A filter used to key out a luminance value, creating a matte based on the brightest or darkest area of an image. Keying out a luminance value works best when your clip has a large discrepancy in exposure between the areas that you want to key out and the foreground images you want to preserve.

See Also Keying, Matte.

See Luma.

The process of indicating with a mark in the Timeline the first frame of a clip to be used.

The process of indicating with a mark in the Timeline the last frame of a clip to be used.

Location indicators that can be placed on a clip or in a sequence to help you find a specific place while you edit. Can be used to sync action between two clips, identify beats of music, mark a reference word from a narrator, and so on.

The black-and-white animated dashed lines that highlight a selection.

Placing a marker that labels the audio from another source as being in sync with a selected video clip. This disables the normal out-of-sync warnings.

An image or clip used to define areas of transparency in another clip. Similar to an alpha channel.

The full length of the clip as it has been originally captured, from which affiliate clips, subclips, and so on are created.

A single, long shot of some dramatic action from which shorter cuts such as close-ups and medium shots are taken in order to fill out the story.

A mode in the Edit to Tape window that lets you output additional elements such as color bars and tone, a slate, and a countdown when you output your program to tape.

A command that creates a copy of whichever clip in the Timeline intersects the playhead, and puts that copy into the Viewer. The position of the playhead in the Viewer matches that of the playhead in the Canvas, so both the Canvas and the Viewer will display the same frame, and the In and Out points of the clip in your sequence will be matched to those of the copy in the Viewer. In addition, all the original source material for this clip will also be displayed.

A cut from one shot to another with similar action in the frame to make the action appear seamless. For example, cutting from a shot of an actor opening the door outside an apartment to a shot from the interior of the apartment of the door opening and the actor walking in.

An effect that uses information in one layer of video to affect another layer. Mattes are useful when you want to use one clip to selectively hide or reveal part of another; for example, to reveal parts of a video layer by a round spotlight shape. Matte filters can be used by themselves to mask out areas of a clip, or to create alpha channel information for a clip in order to make a transparent border around the clip that can be composited against other layers.

A generic term for elements such as movies, sounds, and pictures.

A tool that helps you manage your projects, media files, and available disk space quickly and easily in Final Cut Pro without using the Finder. Clips, sequences, and projects, along with their associated media and render files can be moved, copied, and recompressed, without breaking any links.

A shot typically framed between the subject's head and knees.

A shot typically framed slightly wider than the subject's head and shoulders.

A clip that links to more than one source media file on disk.

The middle brightness range of an image. Not the very brightest part, nor the very darkest part.

A small cassette used for the DV digital videotape format.

A type of sound in which audio channels are taken from a tape and mixed together into a single track, using equal amounts of audio channels 1 and 2.

An effect that blurs any clip with keyframed motion applied to it, similar to blurred motion recorded by a camera.

A path that appears in the Canvas showing the path a clip will travel based on keyframes that are applied to the clip.

Acronym for Moving Picture Experts Group. A group of compression standards for video and audio, which includes MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-3 (referred to as MP3), and MPEG-4.

A compression format that is used in the creation of DVDs.

A new global multimedia standard based on the QuickTime file format, delivering professional-scalable quality audio and video streams over a wide range of bandwidths ranging from cell phone to broadband that also supports 3D objects, sprites, text, and other media types.

The ambient sound that is used from the source videotape.

To place a sequence that is edited within another sequence.

NTSC timecode, in which frames are numbered sequentially and run at 30 fps. NTSC's frame rate, however, is actually 29.97 fps, therefore non-drop frame timecode is off by 3 seconds and 18 frames per hour in comparison to actual elapsed time.

The standard representation of images on a computer, also referred to as progressive scan. The monitor displays the image by drawing each line, continuously one after the other, from top to bottom.

An video editing process that uses computer hard disks to random access the media. It allows the editor to reorganize clips very quickly or make changes to sections without having to re-create the entire program.

A pixel whose height is different than its width. An NTSC pixel is taller than it is wide, and a PAL pixel is wider than it is tall.

Abbreviation for National Television Systems Committee. Standard of color TV broadcasting used mainly in the North America, Mexico, and Japan, consisting of 525 lines per frame, 29.97 frames per second, and 720x486 pixels per frame (720x480 for DV)

The range of color that can be broadcast free of distortion according to the NTSC standards with maximum allowable video at 100 IRE units and black at 7.5 IRE units

Clips that are currently unavailable to your project. They appear in the Browser with a red slash through them. Clips may be offline because they haven't been captured yet, or because they've been moved to another location. To view these clips properly in your project, you must recapture them or reconnect them to their corresponding source files at their new locations on disk.

The process of editing a program at a lower resolution to save on equipment costs or to conserve hard disk space. When the edit is finished, the material can be recaptured at a higher quality, or an EDL can be generated for re-creating the edit on another system.

OMF is an edit data interchange format.

The process of marking an In or Out point as the clip is playing in the Viewer or on the Timeline.

The degree to which an image is transparent, allowing images behind to show through.

The clip that is on the left-hand side of the cut point or the A side of the transition.

When the audio of a track has been shifted horizontally in the Timeline from the video track causing it to no longer match the video track.

The edit point that determines the last frame of a clip to be edited into a sequence.

Icons or text that are displayed over the video in the Viewer and Canvas windows while the playhead is parked on a frame to provide information about that frame.

The part of the video frame that cannot be seen on a TV or video monitor. Broadcast video is an overscan medium, meaning that the recorded frame size is larger than the viewable areas on a video monitor. The overscan part of the picture is usually hidden behind the plastic bezel on the edge of a television set.

A shot composed with the back of the head and shoulders of a person in the extreme foreground to provide a framing for the shot.

An edit where the clip being edited into a sequence replaces an existing clip. The duration of the sequence remains unchanged.

It is the European color TV broad casting standard consisting of 625 lines per frame, running at 25 frames per second, and 720x546 pixels per frame.

To move a camera left or right without changing its position.

A modified Waveform Monitor that breaks out the red, green, and blue components of the image, showing them as three separate waveforms. Useful for comparing the relative levels of reds, greens, and blues between two clips, especially in a graphics situation.

The ability to copy attributes from one clip and transfer (paste) them to another clip of the same type.

The section of the Timeline containing the Audio, Source, and Destination, Track Enabling, Locking, and Edit Select controls.

Short, loud bursts of sound that last a fraction of a second and can be viewed on a digital audiometer that displays the absolute volume of an audio signal as it plays.

An attribute of color perception, also known as hue.

The native still-image file format for Macintosh developed by Apple Computer. PICT files can contain both vector images and bitmap images, as well as text and an alpha channel.

Short for “picture element,” one dot in a video or still image.

The width-to-height ratio for the pixels that compose an image. Pixels on computer screens and in high-definition video signals are square (1:1 ratio). Pixels in standard-definition video signals are non-square.

A navigational element on the scrubber bar that shows you on what frame you are in the Timeline, Canvas, or Viewer. You drag the playhead to navigate through a sequence.

The phase of film, video and audio editing that begins after all the footage is shot.

The amount of time that a tape machines continues to roll after the Out point of an edit, typically between two to five seconds.

The representative still frame of a clip that is the Thumbnail image.

A specified amount of time, usually five seconds, given to tape machines so they can synchronize themselves to the editing computer before previewing or performing an edit.

A saved group of settings that can be applied to a sequence when it is created. Presets determine properties such as frame rate, editing timebase, and Timeline options that are used when creating new sequences or exporting media.

To play an edit to see how it will look without actually performing the edit itself.

A command in Final Cut Pro that lets you render your sequence and output it to videotape.

A specific piece of equipment that allows you to adjust video levels on output.

In Final Cut Pro, the top-level file that holds all the media associated with a program, including sequences and clips of various kinds.

Apple's cross-platform multimedia technology. Widely used for editing, compositing, CD-ROM, Web video, and more.

Apple's streaming media addition to the QuickTime architecture. Used for viewing QuickTime content in real time on the Web.

Provides an alternate way of viewing your composition outside of the Canvas as you work. It takes advantage of Final Cut Pro's ability to cache frames of your sequence as you play it. This is useful for fast previews of complex composites and effects. It's also a good way to see how your final composite looks if you are zoomed into the Canvas while making adjustments.

A method of providing nonlinear editors with many gigabytes of high-performance data storage by formatting a group of hard disks to act as a single drive volume.

Options that enable zebra striping to immediately warn you of areas of a clip's image that may stray outside of the broadcast legal range.

An option on the Tool Palette that allows you to slice the clip into two separate edits to be manipulated individually and is also used as a quick way to trim frames off of a clip.

Effects that can be applied to clips in an edited sequence and played back in real time, without requiring rendering first. Real-time effects can be played back using any qualified computer.

A monitor that plays the previewed and finished versions of a project when it is printed to tape. A record monitor corresponds to the Canvas in Final Cut Pro.

To reverse an undo, which restores the last change made to a project.

To process video and audio with any applied effects, such as transitions or filters. Effects that aren't real time must be rendered in order to play them back properly. Once rendered, your sequence can be played in real time.

Two slim horizontal bars, at the top of the Timeline, that indicate which parts of the sequence have been rendered at the current render quality. The top bar is for video, and the bottom for audio. Different colored bars indicate the real-time playback status of a given section of the Timeline: gray bars require no rendering, red bars must be rendered prior to playback, green bars indicate real-time effects playback, and yellow bars indicate a real-time approximation of the effect that must be rendered to see the exact effect.

The file produced by rendering a clip to disk. FCP places it in a separate hidden folder so it does not show up in the Browser, but is retrieved with the Timeline.

Allows you to replace an existing shot in a sequence with a different shot of the same length.

A typical example of a reverse shot is a cut to the second person in a conversation; for example, an interviewer asking the next question after the interviewee has finished speaking.

An abbreviation for red, green, and blue, which are the three primary colors that make up a color image.

An edit in which the start and end times of a range of clips on a track is adjusted when the duration of one of the clips is altered.

An edit that affects two clips that share an edit point. The Out point of the outgoing clip and the In point of the incoming clip both change, but the overall duration of the sequence stays the same.

To rotate a clip around its anchor point without changing its shape.

A method of editing the control points of a motion channel where the connecting line between the cursor and the last control point is continuously redrawn even while the cursor is moved. Acts like a rubber band stretched between the cursor and the last control point.

The measurement bar along the top of the Timeline, which represents the total duration of an edited sequence. Also displays the timecode corresponding to the location of clips in the Timeline. You can move the playhead on the ruler in order to navigate through clips in a sequence.

The process during which analog audio is converted into digital information. The sampling rate of an audio stream specifies how many samples are captured. Higher sample rates yield higher-quality audio. Examples: 44.1K, 48K.

The purity of color. As saturation is decreased, the color moves towards pastel then towards a white.

In the Motion tab of the Viewer, an adjustable value that changes the overall size of a clip. The proportion of the image may or may not be maintained.

The hard drive that is designated as the destination to hold your captured media, rendered clips, and cache files.

To move through a clip or sequence with the aid of the playhead. Scrubbing is used to find a particular point or frame or to hear the audio.

A bar below the Viewer and the Canvas that allows you to manually drag the playhead in either direction to playback.

The French television standard for playback. Similar to PAL, the playback rate is 25 fps and the frame size is 720x546.

An edited assembly of video, audio, or graphics clips. In Final Cut Pro, sequences can be up to four hours long and contain as many clips as you need to tell your story. A sequence can contain your entire edited program or be limited to a single scene.

A clip that has been edited into a sequence.

The default arrow-shaped pointer, which allows you to select items in the interface. For example, you use it to select a clip or edit point. You can choose the Selection tool by pressing the A key.

See Framing.

To drag the slider on the shuttle control to the right to fast-forward and to the left to rewind. Playback speed varies depending on the distance of the slider from the center of the control.

The slider control located at the bottom of the Viewer and the Canvas. This control is useful for continuous playback at different speeds, in fast and slow motion. It also shifts the pitch of audio as it plays at varying speeds.

A small board shot at the beginning of a scene, which identifies the scene with basic production information such as the take, date, and scene. The slate may also contain a chip chart to aid in color correcting the scene. A clapper provides an audiovisual cue for synchronization of dual system recordings.

An edit in which an entire clip is moved, along with the edit points on its left and right. The duration of the clip being moved stays the same, but the clips to the left and to the right of it change in length to accommodate the new positioning of the clip. The overall duration of the sequence and of these three clips remains the same.

An edit in which the location of both In and Out points of a clip are changed at the same time, without changing the location or duration of the marked media. This is referred to as slipping because you slip a pair of In and Out points inside the available footage.

A solid black video frame that can be used to represent a video clip that has not yet been placed in the Timeline.

The organization responsible for establishing various broadcast video standards like the SMPTE standard timecode for video playback.

A setting in the Timeline that affects the movement of the playhead. When snapping is enabled, the playhead “snaps,” or moves directly, to markers or edit points when it is moved close to them.

An audio monitoring feature in which one audio track from a group may be isolated for listening without having to remove it from the group.

Acronym for sound on tape.

(SOT, sound on tape) A short excerpt taken from an interview clip.

A clip that's been edited to contain only its video track or its audio track.

An edit in which the video track or the audio track of a synchronized clip ends up being longer than the other; for example, the sound is longer than the video at the head of the clip, so it is heard before the video appears. Also referred to as an L-cut.

An audio control that allows you to adjust the amount of separation of stereo channels.

A pixel that has the same height as width. Computer monitors have square pixels, but NTSC and PAL video do not.

An area in a sequence in the Timeline that you lock so that it is visible even when you scroll to see other tracks. It can contain audio tracks, video tracks, or both. When you create a static region, you get three regions in the Timeline: a top, scrollable region for the other video tracks; a middle static region; and a bottom scrollable region for the other audio tracks. You can't scroll up or down in the static region, but you can resize it to accommodate more or fewer tracks.

Sound that is separated into two channels, one carrying the sounds for the right ear and one for the left ear. Stereo pairs are linked and are always edited together. Audio level changes are automatically made to both channels at the same time. A pair of audio items may have their stereo pairing enabled or disabled at any time.

A series of pictures that summarizes the content, action, and flow of a proposed project. When using the Browser in icon view, clips can be arranged visually, like a storyboard. When dragged as a group into the Timeline, the clips will be edited together in the order in which they appear in the Timeline, from left to right, and from the top line down to the bottom.

An edit in which both the video and audio tracks are cut together to the Timeline.

The delivery of media over an intranet or over the Internet.

A clip created to represent a section of a master clip. Subclips are saved as separate items within a bin in the Browser, but do not generate any additional media on the hard disk.

An edit in which an incoming clip is placed into a track adjacent to a clip that's already in the Timeline at the position of the playhead. If no In or Out points are set in the Timeline and Canvas, the previously edited clip's In and Out points are used to define the duration of the incoming clip. Superimposed edits are used to overlay titles and text onto video, as well as to create other compositing effects.

Black that is darker than the levels allowed by the CCIR 601 engineering standard for video. The CCIR 601 standard for black is 7.5 IRE in the United States, and 0 IRE for PAL and for NTSC in Japan.

A value or degree of white that is brighter than the accepted normal value of 100 IRE allowed by the CCIR 601.

The process of creating a high-quality sound mix by polishing sound levels, rerecording bad sections of dialogue, and recording and adding narration, music, and sound effects.

The relationship between the image of a sound being made in a video clip (for example, a person talking) and the corresponding sound in an audio clip. Maintaining audio sync is critical when editing dialogue.

In Final Cut Pro, tabs delineate projects in the Browser, sequences in the Canvas and Timeline, and functions within the Viewer. You click a tab to open a project or go to a specified function window, such as Video, Audio, Filters, or Motion. Tabs can also be dragged out of the main window to create a separate window.

The end frames of a clip.

The yellow light that indicates which track is active.

The first frame of a clip, shown as a tiny picture for reference. In Final Cut Pro, the thumbnail is, by default, the first frame of a clip. You can change the frame used as that clip's thumbnail by using the Scrub Video tool.

A time-saving editing technique used in Final Cut Pro. To set up an edit in Final Cut Pro, you don't need to specify In and Out points for your clip in the Viewer, and In and Out points for that clip's destination in the Canvas or Timeline. Instead, you can simply set up any three of the four needed edit points, and Final Cut Pro calculates the fourth one.

A widely used bitmapped graphics file format that handles monochrome, grayscale, and 8- and 24-bit color. There are two types of TIFF images: one with an alpha channel and one without.

To pivot the camera up and down, which causes the image to move up or down in the frame.

A unique numbering system of electronic signals laid onto each frame of videotape that is used to identify specific frames of video. Each frame of video is labeled with hours, minutes, frames, and seconds (01:00:00:00). Timecode can be drop frame, non-drop frame, or time of day (TOD) timecode, or EBU (European Broadcast Union) for PAL projects.

An area of tape with no timecode at all. Timecode gaps usually signify the end of all recorded material on a tape, but timecode gaps may occur due the starting and stopping of the camera and tape deck during recording.

A window in Final Cut Pro that displays a chronological view of an open sequence. Each sequence has its own tab in the Timeline. You can use the Timeline to edit and arrange a sequence. The order of the tracks in the Timeline determines the layering order when you combine multiple tracks of video. Changes you make to a sequence in the Timeline are seen when you play back that sequence in the Canvas. If you modify clips in the Canvas, the changes are stored with the clips in the Timeline. Note that the Canvas and Timeline display only sequences that are currently open.

The process of moving a frame in a clip to another time relative to the Timeline. All frames in that clip from the beginning of the clip to that keyframe are either sped up or slowed down to accommodate the new duration that's been specified.

Part of the video image that is guaranteed to be visible on all televisions. The title safe area is the inner 80 percent of the screen. To prevent text in your video from being hidden by the edge of a TV set, you should restrict any titles or text to the title safe area.

A window that contains interface elements that supplement information displayed in the Viewer and Canvas. The Tool Bench can contain up to three tabs—QuickView, Video Scopes, and Voice Over.

A window in Final Cut Pro that contains tools for editing, zooming, cropping, and distorting items in the Timeline. All tools in the Tool palette can also be selected using keyboard shortcuts.

Layers in the Timeline that contain the audio or video clips in a sequence. Also refers to the separate audio and video tracks on tape. Final Cut Pro allows up to 99 video and 99 audio tracks to be used in a single sequence.

An icon that indicates a track has been locked to prevent accidental change.

A control at the very beginning of each track that you click to turn track visibility on or off. Invisible tracks don't play in the Canvas or on an external monitor, nor will they be rendered or output to tape. When a track is invisible, it appears darkened in the Timeline, but its contents remain in your sequence and you can still edit them.

A visual effect that is applied between two edits, such as a dissolve, wipe, or iris.

A specialized editor that appears in the Viewer when you double-click a transition in the Timeline used to make detailed changes to a transition's timing and effects parameters.

A window in Final Cut Pro that displays both sides of an edit: the Out point of the outgoing clip on the left and the In point of the incoming clip on the right. You can use this window to adjust the edit point between two clips very precisely, frame by frame.

To precisely add or subtract frames from the In or Out point of a clip. Trimming is used to fine tune an edited sequence by carefully adjusting many edits in small ways.

To display video on a computer monitor with a black border around the edge, so that no part of the frame is hidden from the viewer. Computers display underscan video.

A feature that allows you to cancel out the last change made.

The window where you to set up how you want to work with your media inside Final Cut Pro.

Dynamic alteration of the speed of a clip, alternating among a range of speeds, in forward or reverse motion.

A window in Final Cut Pro that graphically displays the color components of a video signal, precisely showing the range of colors in a video signal and measuring their intensity and hue. It is a specialized oscilloscope that can be used to calibrate the color in video signals being captured from videotape, as well as to compare two clips for purposes of color correction.

The measurement of the level (amplitude) of a video signal. It is measured using the Waveform Monitor in FCP.

Tools you can use to evaluate the color and brightness values of video clips in the Viewer, Canvas, or Timeline. Video scopes display an analysis of the video frame located at the current playhead position.

A tab in the Tool Bench that contains the four Final Cut Pro Video scopes: Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope, Parade Scope, and Histogram.

A window in Final Cut Pro that acts as a source monitor. You can use the Viewer to watch individual source clips and mark In and Out points in preparation for editing them into your sequence. You can also customize transitions, modify filters, and view and edit various effects. Clips from the current sequence in the Timeline can be opened in the Viewer to refine edits, effects, and audio volume.

Allows you to record audio in Final Cut Pro while simultaneously playing back a specified section of a sequence from the Timeline. Audio can be recorded using any Sound Manager-compatible device, such as a USB audio capture device, PCI audio card, or the built-in microphone on a DV camcorder.

Videotape Recorder/Videocassette Recorder. A tape machine used for recording pictures and sound on videotape.

An analog meter for monitoring audio levels.

A window in Final Cut Pro that displays the relative levels of brightness and saturation in the clip currently being examined. Spikes or drops in the displayed waveforms make it easy to see where the brightest or darkest areas are in your picture.

To make adjustments to a video signal being recorded in order to reproduce white as true white. For example, if the white in a shot is too green due to fluorescent lighting, white balancing adds enough magenta to make the white appear neutral.

An analog video signal's amplitude for the lightest white in a picture, represented by IRE units.

A format for shooting and projecting a movie in theaters in which the original footage doesn't get cut off because of the 4:3 aspect ratio. With the advent of high-definition video, widescreen 16:9 video is coming into more popular use. See 16:9.

To add black bars across the top and bottom of a 4x3 image that crops it to a 16x9 format.

A type of transition that uses a moving edge to progressively erase the current clip to reveal the next clip.

A visual substitute for a clip that simply represents the outline of the clip's video frame. Clips in the Viewer and Canvas can be viewed in Wireframe mode.

Visual timecode and keycode information superimposed onto video frames. It usually appears on a strip at the bottom or top of the frame, providing code information to the editor without obscuring any of the picture.

Refers to the x coordinate in Cartesian geometry. The x coordinate describes horizontal placement in motion effects.

Refers to the y coordinate in Cartesian geometry. The y coordinate describes vertical placement in motion effects.

The color space in which digital video formats store data. Three components are stored for each pixel—one for luminance (Y) and two for color information, Cr for red portion of the color difference signal and Cb for blue color difference signal.

The 3 channel PAL video signal with one luminance (Y) and two chrominance color difference signals (UV). It is often misapplied to refer to NTSC video, which is YIQ.

Refers to the z coordinate in Cartesian geometry. The z coordinate describes perpendicular placement in motion effects.

Animated diagonal “marching lines” that are superimposed over illegal areas or areas that are very near the broadcast legal limits in an image. Zebra stripes are enabled when you use Final Cut Pro's range-checking options.

To change the view of your image or Timeline.

Used to zoom in or out while keeping the material in the waveform display area centered. Clicking to the right of the control zooms out to show more of the duration of your clip; clicking to the left zooms in to show more detail.

The slider control that appears at the bottom of the Timeline. The Zoom slider allows you to navigate throughout the total duration of the currently displayed sequence; you can use the thumb tabs on the left and right of the slider to zoom in to and out of a sequence for a more detailed view.