A Final Cut Express project breaks down into the following key components.

Figure 4.1 diagrams the FCE organizing framework.

Figure 4.1. The project file is at the top level of FCE’s organizing framework. You organize multiple clips and sequences inside a project file.

Figure 4.2 shows how the FCE project structure plays out in the Browser and Timeline windows.

Figure 4.2. The Browser (top) and Timeline (bottom) interfaces provide a variety of information about your project.

Project files store disk location information for all the media files used in a program, along with the sequencing information for your edited program plus the settings for special effects applied to any clip in the project. The data stored in a project file is used to re-create the timing, sequencing, and transitions and effects you specify for a particular cut, without altering or changing the storage location of your original source files. (Note: If you haven’t read the sidebar “What Is Nonlinear, Nondestructive Editing?” in Chapter 1, please do so now. It’s key to understanding how Final Cut Express works.)

To get started in Final Cut Express, you create a new project and then start adding clips and sequences to the Browser window as you shape your project. Sequences can be exported independently as movies or clips, but they can’t be saved separately from a project.

To create a new project:

To open a project:

To save a project:

To save a project with a different name:

To save all open projects:

Using Save As to Protect Your Work

Opening, modifying, and then saving the same project file day after day increases the chance that your precious project file will become corrupt and unusable.

Use the Save As command to back up your project file every day or so. Save As makes a fresh copy of the current version of your project file.

Give the original project file a version number, revert the name of your fresh duplicate to the base name of your project, and then continue working in the new duplicate version.

FCE automatically creates a new, separate capture folder every time you change the name of your project. For this reason, to avoid the complications that arise from changing the name of your project file (multiple capture folders), you’ll need to add an identifying version number to your older project file and then be sure that your active project file always has the same original name (Figure 4.9).

Figure 4.9. Rename your older project file with an identifying version number and use the original project filename for your fresh copy.

FCE’s vault system, which automatically saves and then archives multiple versions of your project, provides you with a fail-safe backup, but some editors still prefer to retain control over the process. Good habits are hard to break.

To close a project:

Do one of the following:

Tip

• To close all open projects, close the Browser window.

Viewing and setting project properties

Each project has a set of properties that are saved with it. The project’s properties apply to all sequences in a project and are independent of the project’s Sequence presets.

To view or change the properties of a project:

1. In the Browser, click the Project tab.

2. Choose Edit > Project Properties (Figure 4.13).

   

   Figure 4.13. Choose Project Properties from the Edit menu.

3. In the Project Properties window (Figure 4.14), do any of the following:

   1. Display project durations as timecode or as frames. Choosing Frames displays the total number of frames for clips and sequences in the Browser’s Duration column, as well as in the Timeline, Canvas, and Viewer.

   2. Set the time mode of all project clips to Source Time (which matches the timecode rate of the clip’s source media file) or Clip Time (which starts with the timecode value of the first frame in the clip, then calculates and displays timecode based on the current frame rate assigned to the clip). Source Time and Clip Time are identical in most cases; a speed-modified clip is an example of a clip whose Source Time and Clip Time do not match.

   3. Edit the heading labels for the Comment columns that appear in the Browser window.

      

      Figure 4.14. You can rename Comment column headings and choose the timecode or frame display format from the Project Properties window.

4. After you make your changes, click OK.

To revert a project:

1. Choose File > Revert Project.

2. In the warning dialog box, click OK (Figure 4.15).

   

   Figure 4.15. After you choose File > Revert Project, you’ll see a dialog box warning you that your unsaved changes will be lost.

   Final Cut Express reverts the current project file to its condition at the last time you saved the file.

To restore a project:

1. Choose File > Restore Project (Figure 4.16).

   

   Figure 4.16. Choose Restore Project from the File menu.

2. In the Restore Project dialog box’s pop-up menu, select the archived project file you want to restore (Figure 4.17).

   

   Figure 4.17. Select the archived project you want to restore; then click Restore.

3. Click Restore.

   Final Cut Express opens the selected archived project from the Autosave Vault.

Tip

• If you want to replace the current version of your project with this dated archived version, you should save the archive copy with the same project name as your current version. This will maintain continuity in capture folders and Autosave archives.

Final Cut Express’s Autosave Vault automatically saves all open projects as you work, at a time interval that you select. The vault stores multiple, dated backup copies of your project. This archive can come in handy. For example, maybe you’re at the point in a project where you are trying new approaches to refine your cut, and you want to discard your last experiment. Or maybe you and your collaborator just don’t agree, and she’s completely recut your program while you were away for the weekend.

Each autosaved version is a backup copy that includes all changes you’ve made (up to the last autosave time) in the project file that you’re currently working on. (That project file is modified only when you invoke the Save or Save All command.) If you haven’t made any changes in an open project file since the last backup copy was autosaved, FCE won’t archive another backup in the Autosave Vault until you do.

Setting Autosave Vault location and preferences

You can set Autosave preferences on the General tab of the User Preferences window. See “Specifying User Preferences and System Settings” in Chapter 3 for details on your settings options.

The backup copies of your project files are archived in a folder located inside your Final Cut Express Documents folder (Figure 4.18). If you want to store your archive of backups elsewhere, specify another location on the Scratch Disks tab of the System Settings window (Figure 4.19).

Figure 4.18. In the Autosave Vault, dated backup copies of your project files are archived in a folder.

Figure 4.19. Set the Autosave Vault location on the Scratch Disks tab of the System Settings window.

When the number of backup copies in the Autosave Vault reaches the limit you set in User Preferences, FCE deletes the oldest Autosave file (or project folder) to make room for the newest Autosave file, unless the oldest project archived in the vault is currently open. FCE overrides the maximum projects limit you set if the number of open projects exceeds your specified limit when a scheduled autosave occurs.

You can undo every type of action you perform in your projects, sequences, and clips, as well as redo actions that you have undone. FCE can store up to 32 actions across multiple projects—you set the number of undos on the General tab of the User Preferences window.

To undo the last action:

To redo the last undone action:

To specify the number of actions that can be undone:

In Final Cut Express, the links between your clips and sequences in the Browser and the underlying media source files on disk are based on the media file’s name and location. If you rename the source media files used in a project or sequence, you’ll be greeted with the Offline Files window full of clips marked “missing” the next time you open your project. Don’t panic. You can reconnect clips to media on your disk using the Reconnect Media command.

It’s important to understand how Final Cut Express’s protocols governing clip versions affect the reconnection process. Starting in FCE 2, sequence clips by default are affiliated with a master clip in the Browser. The offline/online status of the master clip and all affiliated clips is linked; make any one affiliated clip offline, and all its affiliated clips are taken offline automatically. Fortunately, the same principle applies to relinking. Remember, however, that any independent clips in your sequence are considered separate copies of the clips in the Browser. If an independent clip is used in a sequence, the sequence copy and the Browser copy must be reconnected separately. This is a little tricky, because the sequence icon in the Browser doesn’t display the red diagonal offline indicator to warn you that it contains offline clips. Selecting the sequence when you are reconnecting allows you to locate files for all offline clips in the sequence.

Tip

• You can use Final Cut Express’s Find function to search for all the offline clips and sequences in a project (search the Offline Yes/No column for Yes) and then select and reconnect the offline clips and sequences right in the Find Results window.

To reconnect offline files:

Tip

• The File Name prompt area in the Reconnect dialog box is often too small to display the full directory path for the clip you’re searching for. When you search for many clips with similar names, the partial display is pretty useless. You can see the full directory path name for your stray clip by stretching the Reconnect dialog box horizontally (Figure 4.27). Stretching the dialog box doesn’t widen the columns in this window, but if you pause the pointer over a name, FCE will display a tooltip with the full name of the file.

  

  Figure 4.27. You can stretch the Reconnect dialog box horizontally to display the full directory path to the location of your files.

To delete media files, you have to go outside Final Cut Express, locate the files in the project’s Capture Scratch folder, and move them to the Trash.

You delete unused render files from disk in the same way. You’ll find render files in folders labeled Audio Render Files and Video Render Files. If you render frequently, you would be surprised how much storage space your old render files can hog.

To delete a source media file from disk:

Tip

• You can delete render files in the same way. With your Finder window in Column view, you can preview each media file in the QuickTime preview utility built right into the file window. Select the clip you want to preview, and the QuickTime preview appears automatically. This trick works only in the Finder, though—not within the Reconnect dialog box in FCE.

Even if you are not forced to reorganize your project’s media elements because you have run out of disk space, it’s a good idea to streamline a project as you go, especially if you’re working on a long, complex project. As your project accumulates clips, sequences, edits, render files, multiple tracks of audio, and effects, more and more of your available RAM is needed just to open the project. At some point, you could experience a drop in Final Cut Express’s speed or video playback performance.

Tip

• Do you really need to preserve every scrap of media and every old duped sequence in your project? Redundant copies of project items may seem valuable now, but will you remember why you saved them when you return to this project in a year? Consider some project streamlining before you pack up and move. Check out the “Deleting media” section earlier in this chapter for ideas.

To streamline a project in progress:

Tip

• Remember that the Render Files folder contains render files for all our projects, so be careful as you select the files you want to delete. Check each file’s creation date and view any candidates for the Trash bin on the Finder’s built-in QuickTime preview player (Figure 4.36).

  

  Figure 4.36. Be careful which render files you delete. The Finder’s built-in QuickTime player can help you ID the files you want to trash.

Tracking used and unused clips

If you just want to do a little housecleaning in your project’s media file folder, it’s handy to have an inventory of every clip that’s currently being used in a sequence in your project and another list of every element in your project that remains unused. How can you create complete lists of used and unused elements in your project? It’s simple. You can use the Find feature to assemble these lists—you can even inventory multiple projects in a single Find operation. Powerful stuff.

To get a complete list of unused clips in a group of sequences:

1. Open all the projects you want to search.

2. On each project’s tab in the Browser, Command-click to select the sequences you want to include in your search (Figure 4.40).

   

   Figure 4.40. On each project’s tab in the Browser, Command-click to select the sequences you want to include in your search.

3. Choose Edit > Find; or press Command-F.

4. In the Find dialog box, configure the options as follows:

   1. Choose All Open Projects from the Search pop-up menu.

   2. Choose Unused Media from the For pop-up menu and check the box next to In Selected Sequences.

   3. Choose Replace Find Results from the Results pop-up menu.

5. Click Find All (Figure 4.41).

   

   Figure 4.41. The Find dialog box, configured to find unused clips in selected sequences. Click Find All to perform the search.

   A list of all the clips that remain unused in the sequences you selected is displayed in the Find Results window (Figure 4.42).

   

   Figure 4.42. A list of clips that are unused in the sequences you searched appears in the Find Results window.

Tips

• Final Cut Express does not support text export; the best you can do is to take a screen shot of the Find Results window and print it.

• If your clip’s name is different from the name of the underlying media file, you can find the underlying media file (and its location) in the clip’s Item Properties window or the Browser’s Source column.

Removing a project from your drives

Final Cut Express doesn’t generate separate preview or temporary files when you use the Print to Video function. The only files you need to clean up after a project are the project file, media files, render files, and thumbnail and waveform cache files (Figure 4.43).

Figure 4.43. Looking for the Thumbnail and Waveform Cache folders? You’ll find the directory path to their disk locations listed on the Scratch Disks tab in the System Settings window.

Mac OS X was designed as a multiuser environment. The operating system’s hierarchy of users and file access privileges is built on the assumption that multiple people are sharing the data and applications stored on your computer. For Final Cut Express users, this has a few specific effects.

Creating and saving files

Solo users can save their project files in a public or private Documents folder (save in your private Documents folder if you have any security concerns); groups collaborating on an FCE project should save common project files in the Shared folder (Figure 4.45), located inside the Users folder, so that all users can access the shared documents.

Figure 4.45. Groups collaborating on a Final Cut Express project should save common project files in the Shared folder so all group members have access to them.

In FCE, any time you create a new file—by saving a project file, capturing media, or creating graphics—that file’s access privileges are set to the system default: Read & Write for the file’s owner, and Read Only for all other users (Figure 4.46). You may occasionally need to modify file access privileges to allow other users access to your project and its media.

Figure 4.46. The Mac OS X default file access for new files is Read & Write for the file’s owner and Read Only for all other users.

Tips

• A non-bootable hard disk may offer Read & Write privileges to all users by default, but that doesn’t mean individual files and folders on that drive are accessible to all. To set open access for all files on a disk volume, check Ignore Ownership on This Volume in the drive’s Info window (Figure 4.47).

  

  Figure 4.47. In the disk’s Info window, check Ignore Ownership on This Volume to make all files on the volume accessible to all users.

• Mac OS X considers FireWire drives to be removable media (because they’re hot-swappable) and offers Read & Write privileges to all users for the entire contents of the drive by default.

A sequence is an edited assembly of audio and video clips. Sequences are the middle level of the Final Cut Express organizing framework. A sequence is always part of a project, and you can have multiple sequences in a project. Sequences can be exported independently as movies or clips, but they can’t be saved separately from a project.

Once you’ve assembled a sequence, that sequence can be manipulated as if it were a single clip. You can open a sequence and play it in the Viewer, mark In and Out points, and insert all or part of that sequence into another sequence, just as if it were a clip. Inserting a sequence into another sequence creates what’s known as a nested sequence. (See “Working with Multiple Sequences” later in this chapter.)

Creating a new sequence

A new project created in FCE automatically generates a new, untitled sequence in your default sequence format.

Note that you probably won’t need to change Sequence presets unless you change your audio or video input device. Final Cut Express selects an Easy Setup with your default preset based on setup information you supplied when you installed the program. See “How to Choose an Easy Setup” in Chapter 3.

To add a new sequence to the current project:

1. Choose File > New > Sequence; or press Command-N.

   A new sequence with a default, highlighted name appears at the top level of the current folder (Figure 4.48).

   

   Figure 4.48. A new sequence with a default, highlighted name appears in the current folder.

2. Type a new name for the sequence to rename it (Figure 4.49).

   

   Figure 4.49. Type a new name for the sequence.

To open a sequence for editing:

Do one of the following:

1. Double-click the sequence in the Browser (Figure 4.50).

   

   Figure 4.50. Double-click the sequence’s icon in the Browser to open it for editing.

2. Control-click the sequence’s icon; then choose Open Timeline from the shortcut menu.

3. Select the sequence; then choose View > Sequence in Editor.

   The sequence opens in both the Canvas and the Timeline (Figure 4.51).

   

   Figure 4.51. The sequence opens in the Canvas and the Timeline.

Time Stamp for Sequences

The Last Modified column in the Browser makes it easy to find the most recently revised version of your sequence—a real lifesaver when you’re returning to a project after a long absence.

To duplicate a sequence:

1. Select the sequence in the Browser (Figure 4.52).

   

   Figure 4.52. Select the sequence in the Browser.

2. Choose Edit > Duplicate (Figure 4.53); or press Option-D.

   

   Figure 4.53. Choose Edit > Duplicate.

3. In the Browser, rename the sequence copy with a unique name (Figure 4.54).

   

   Figure 4.54. Rename the sequence copy.

Tip

• The copy procedure described here is a convenient way to “safety copy” a version of a sequence and associated media files after a long rendering process. With a safety copy of the rendered sequence, you can feel free to experiment with changes that could cause a re-render, because any changes you make to the duplicate sequence will not affect the original sequence or its render files.

To copy a sequence from one project to another:

1. Select the sequence in the Browser.

2. Choose File > Copy; or press Command-C.

3. Open the second project and select its tab in the Browser.

4. Choose File > Paste; or press Command-V.

   The sequence now appears in both projects. The two copies of the sequence reference the same source media files on disk, but you’ll need to re-render any previously rendered sequence material in the new project location.

Tip

• You can also create a copy of a sequence by dragging it from a project window and dropping it on the destination project’s Browser tab.

You can open and review or modify settings for an existing individual sequence in the Sequence Settings window. The Sequence Settings window contains the same main display options as the Timeline Options and Render Control tabs in the User Preferences window. When you modify any settings for an individual sequence, you are changing the settings for that sequence only.

You can use this window’s Load Sequence Preset button to switch to a different Sequence preset, but unless you’re sure that’s what you need to do, it’s not advisable.

To change the settings for an individual sequence:

To switch a sequence’s settings to a different Sequence preset:

In Final Cut Express, you can edit a sequence into another sequence in the same way you would a clip: Drag the entire sequence from the Browser to another open sequence in the Timeline or Canvas. Alternatively, you can drag the sequence from the Browser and drop it on the Viewer’s image area and then edit it into your open sequence as you would a clip.

Unlike clips, nested sequences are actually pointers or references to the original sequence, not copies. You can nest a sequence in multiple projects; then, if you change the original sequence, all the projects in which that sequence is nested will be updated.

Assembling multiple sequences into a master sequence is useful for a number of purposes, from reusing a previously edited and rendered segment such as a logo or a credit sequence to assembling a final master sequence from shorter segments produced by multiple editors.

Copying and pasting from sequence to sequence

Moving selected clips into a new, separate sequence is the first step in nesting a selection of clips inside your master sequence. Moving material from sequence to sequence is easy; simply copy (or cut) material from one sequence and paste it into another sequence. You can copy and paste the entire contents of a sequence, or you can select a single clip.

Copying and pasting between sequences is governed by the same rules that govern copy and paste within the same sequence: When you paste, the clips paste themselves into the destination sequence on the same tracks you cut them from unless you make a change to the Auto Select controls of the destination sequence after you cut (or copy) but before you paste. If you do, then the Auto Select controls determine the track destination of pasted tracks. Clips will be pasted starting at the lowest-numbered Auto Select–enabled track.

To copy and paste clips between sequences:

1. In the Timeline, select the clips you want to copy into the destination sequence (Figure 4.58) and then do one of the following:

   1. To copy the selected clips, press Command-C.

      

      Figure 4.58. In the Timeline, select the clips you want to cut or copy. In this example, the selected clips are on Tracks V1, V2, and V3.

   2. To cut the selected clips, press Command-X.

2. In the destination sequence, position the playhead where you want to paste the clips; then press Command-V.

   The clips are pasted into your destination sequence according to the protocols described above (Figure 4.59).

   

   Figure 4.59. Press Command-V to paste the sequence tracks into your destination sequence. As long as you make no change to the Auto Select controls between cutting and pasting commands, the pasted clips are assigned to the same tracks they occupied in the source sequence. In this example, Auto Select control settings have been overridden and the clips are pasted into the destination sequence on Tracks V1, V2, and V3.

Tip

• You can also select and then Option-drag items from one sequence to another.

Editing a sequence into another sequence

You can use sequences as source clips and edit them into another sequence. Your source clip sequence could be a preexisting sequence you drag into the Viewer or Timeline from the Browser, or it could be a nested sequence located inside a parent sequence in the Timeline. Opening a sequence in the Viewer is not quite as easy as opening a clip. Once you’ve loaded a sequence into the Viewer, however, you can edit it into a sequence just as you would a clip.

If you need more information on how to perform edits in Final Cut Express, see Chapter 9, “Basic Editing.”

To load a sequence into the Viewer:

In the Browser, select the sequence you want to edit into your main sequence; then do one of the following:

1. Choose View > Sequence.

2. Drag the sequence’s icon from the Browser and drop it on the image area in the Viewer window (Figure 4.60).

   

   Figure 4.60. To open a sequence in the Viewer, drag the sequence’s icon from the Browser and drop it on the image area in the Viewer window.

Your edited sequence opens in the Viewer, ready to be used as source media (Figure 4.61). If the sequence you select is open in the Timeline and the Canvas, it closes automatically when you load it into the Viewer.

Figure 4.61. Your edited sequence opens in the Viewer window. You can edit the sequence into an open sequence in the Timeline, just as you would a clip.

To load a nested sub-sequence into the Viewer:

In the Timeline, do one of the following:

1. Control-click the nested sequence and then choose Open in Viewer from the shortcut menu (Figure 4.62).

   

   Figure 4.62. In the Timeline, Control-click the nested sequence and then choose Open in Viewer from the shortcut menu.

2. Double-click the nested sequence while holding down the Option key.

Your nested sequence opens in the Viewer window, ready to be used as a source clip.

Tips

• When you load a nested sequence from the Timeline and edit it back into your main sequence, you are creating a duplicate of the nested sequence—an independent copy of the original sequence that will not reflect changes you make to the original. If you want all copies of your nested sequence to update when you make changes, use the Browser version of your nested sequence as your source clip instead.

• All nested audio appears as stereo pairs on two tracks, even if the sub-sequence contains only a single channel of audio.

Making changes to a nested sequence

You can open a nested sequence and add, remove, or trim clips. When you return to your main sequence, you’ll see that the duration of the nested sequence has been adjusted to reflect your changes. Clips to the right of the nested sequence will be rippled to accommodate the change to your nested sequence duration. You’ll still need to open the nested sequence to make changes to the clips inside.

To make changes to a nested sequence:

Do one of the following:

1. In the main sequence in the Timeline, double-click the nested sequence (Figure 4.63).

   

   Figure 4.63. In the main sequence in the Timeline, double-click the nested sequence.

2. In the Browser, double-click the icon for the nested sequence.

   The nested sequence opens as the front tab of the Timeline (Figure 4.64). If you opened the nested sequence from inside the main sequence, the main sequence is still open on the rear tab (Figure 4.65).

   

   Figure 4.64. The nested sequence opens as the front tab of the Timeline.

   

   Figure 4.65. The main sequence is still open on the rear tab of the Timeline.

To “un-nest” a sequence:

• There’s no “Un-nest” command in Final Cut Express. If you want to replace a nested sequence that you have placed in your main sequence with the clips contained in that nest, you should first open the nest in the Timeline and then copy the clips from the open nest and paste them back over the nested sequence’s original location in the main sequence. For more information, see “Copying and pasting from sequence to sequence” earlier in this chapter.

FCE Protocol: Updating Nested Sequences

When you insert a clip from the Browser into a sequence, the clip is copied into the sequence. The copy of the clip you placed in the sequence refers directly to the actual media file on the disk and is not a reference to the clip in the project file. Changes you make to the sequence version of the clip will not be reflected in the Browser version.

Nested sequences update globally

The protocol governing sequence versions is different, and it is also central to understanding Final Cut Express. Unlike clips, sequences nested inside another sequence are actually pointers, or references, to the original sequence, not copies. If you make changes to a sequence after you’ve edited it into a number of other master sequences, any changes you make to the original will be reflected every place you have used it. You’ll need to make a duplicate of the sequence and make changes to the copy if you want to avoid a global update.

For example, you could create a standard credit sequence and edit that sequence into every program in your series. If your credits require any last-minute changes, you can make the changes in the original sequence, and all the projects in which that sequence is nested will be updated.

But duplicate sequences are independent copies

Keep a close watch on nested sequences that you’re using in multiple locations.

Multiple nested copies of the same sequence point to the original sequence IF (that’s a big if) you always use the original Browser version of your sequence as your source when you nest the sequence in multiple locations.

If you duplicate the original sequence in the Browser, the duplicate sequence you create is an independent copy of the original sequence that will not reflect changes you make to the original. Duping a sequence is a good way to preserve render files, but it’s bad news if you want to nest an identical sequence in multiple locations and take advantage of the global updating feature.

Copying and pasting a nested sequence to multiple locations within the master sequence in the Timeline produces the same result: independent duplicates of the original that don’t update.

If you need to place multiple copies of a nested sequence you created in the Timeline, always use the Browser version of your nested sequence (it appeared when you performed the Nest Items command) to place the sequence in multiple locations.

Assembling Nested Sequences with Transitions

Building your program as a series of separate sequences and then assembling your sequence “scenes” into a final master sequence is a common post-production strategy. If you want to use transitions to join your scenes together, you’ll need to allow extra media handles at the start and end of your nested sequences. When you’re ready to assemble your master sequence, load each sub-sequence into the Viewer. Mark the frames you want to appear as the center point of your scene-to-scene transition as the sub-sequence’s In and Out points before you edit them into the final master sequence (Figure 4.66).

Figure 4.66. If you want to use a transition to join two sub-sequences, mark In and Out points that allow handles on your sub-sequences, to establish the extra frames your transition will require.

Final Cut Express has always used clip types—audio, video, graphic, and generated—to identify clips that reference different types of source media. FCE uses a different class of clip types—subclip, merged clip, and sequence—to identify clips that reference a portion of another clip (like a subclip) or multiple clips (like merged clips and sequences).

FCE 2 introduced three new clip types—master, affiliate, and independent—to identify clips that are linked by shared properties (like master and affiliate clips) or clips whose properties and behavior are independent of other clips (like independent clips). The new clip type classifications and behavior are designed to ease project management by automatically updating all affiliated clips when you make a change to a shared property on any of the individual affiliates anywhere in the project. The master/affiliate clips’ shared properties are all related to media management; clip properties that remain independent—In and Out points, markers, and applied effects—are all modified during the normal course of editing and must remain independent in each clip copy you use.

Here’s an example: You have a master clip in the Browser, and you edit it into your sequence. An affiliate copy of that master clip appears in the sequence. Rename the affiliate copy, and the name of its master clip is also renamed. Change the reel name of the master clip, and the reel name of the affiliate clip in the sequence reflects the same change.

The master/affiliate clip-handling scheme keeps your clip duplicates in sync, which can simplify your life when you’re media-managing certain types of projects. Projects best suited to master/affiliate clip handling are well logged, with discrete clips that you don’t plan on subdividing much.

If your preferred editing method is to capture large chunks of media and then subdivide and rename the clips post-capture, consider converting your master clips to independent-type clips before you start dicing them up. It could save you from the headache and confusion of converting (and tracking) each clip’s type separately. For more information on clip affiliation protocols, see “About Clip Affiliations” in Chapter 7 of Apple’s Final Cut Express Help PDF.

Here’s a rundown of FCE’s clip types.

Relationship-based clip types

• Master clip (Figure 4.67): Any clip that can generate affiliate clip copies is a master clip. See Table 4.1 for a complete list of ways to create one.

  

  Figure 4.67. It’s not easy to identify master, affiliate, and independent clips in the FCE interface. Master clips are easiest to spot; a check mark in the Master Clip column identifies a master clip in the Browser. Master clips never appear in a sequence.

  Table 4.1. FCE Clip Type Relationships

  TYPE	MASTER?	HOW TO CREATE	BEHAVIOR
  Master clip	Yes	Capture new video or audio. Import video or audio. Create a subclip. Create a freeze-frame. Create a merged clip. Drag a merged clip from the sequence back to the Browser. Use the Duplicate as New Master clip command. Use Modify > Make Master Clip on an affiliate or independent sequence clip. Delete an affiliate’s master clip. Affiliate clips in the Browser are converted to master clips.	Synchronizes clip name, reel name, source timecode, subclip limits, and online/offline state with all affiliated clips and the master clip. Does not synchronize markers, In and Out points, applied effects, or motion properties. Master clips appear only in the Browser.
  Affiliate clip	no	Edit a master clip into a sequence. Duplicate a clip in the Browser or in a sequence. Copy and paste a clip in the Browser or in a sequence. Drag a sequence clip back into the Browser.	Synchronizes clip name, reel name, source timecode, subclip limits, and online/offline state with all affiliated clips and the master clip. Does not synchronize markers, In and Out points, applied effects, or motion properties. Affiliate clips can appear in the Browser or Timeline.
  Independent clip	no	Delete an affiliate’s master clip. Use the Make Independent Clip command on a sequence clip. Copy a sequence from Project A to Project B; sequence clips become independent in Project B. Edit a clip opened outside the project directly into a sequence. Open an FCE 1 (or an FCP 1, 2, or 3) project in FCE 2; all project clips will be independent.	Maintains independent clip name, reel name, source timecode, remove subclip limits, online/offline state, markers, In and Out points, and applied effects or motion properties. Independent clips appear only in the Timeline, except when a pre-FCE 2 project is opened.

• Affiliate clip (Figure 4.68): An affiliate clip is a copy of a master clip that is created by inserting the master clip into a sequence or duplicating the master clip in the Browser. Copies of affiliate clips remain linked to their master clip originals; the linked relationship extends to the clip name, reel name, source timecode, labels, subclip limits, and online/offline state of all affiliate clips. Change one of these shared properties in any one of the affiliated clips, and the change will appear in all the affiliated clips. Markers, In and Out points, and applied effects or motion properties remain independent in master/affiliate clips. See Table 4.1 for a complete list of ways to create an affiliate clip.

  

  Figure 4.68. Affiliate clips have no check mark in the Browser’s Master Clip column. In a sequence, the only way to identify an affiliate clip is to open the clip’s shortcut menu. If the Make Independent Clip command is available and not dimmed, the clip is an affiliate clip.

• Independent clip (Figure 4.69): Each copy of an independent clip refers directly back to its source media and does not synchronize clip naming or any other properties with any other independent clip copy. All clips in pre-FCE 2 projects are independent clips. See Table 4.1 for a complete list of ways to create an independent clip.

  

  Figure 4.69. In a sequence, you can identify an independent clip by opening the clip’s shortcut menu. If the Make Independent Clip command is dimmed, the clip is already an independent clip. Independent clips appear in the Browser only when you open a pre-FCE 2 project file.

• Subclip: Subclips are shorter clips you create from a section of a longer master clip. A subclip is always created as a new master-type clip, with no affiliate relationship to the clip it was created from. For information on subclips, see Chapter 8, “Working with Clips in the Viewer.”

FCE Protocol: Clips and Sequences

A clip is the basic unit of media in Final Cut Express.

A clip can represent a movie, still image, nested sequence, generator, or audio file.

A clip is a reference to the actual media file stored on your hard disk. But a clip can also reference material that is not currently online. If you delete the original media file, the clip will still appear in the Browser and Timeline, but you won’t see its frames and you won’t be able to play it.

When you apply special effects and perform edits on clips, you are not affecting the media file on disk.

Before FCE 2, all clips were governed by the same clip-handling protocols. FCE 2 and HD use three clip types: master, affiliate, and independent. Master and affiliate clips use one set of behavior protocols; independent clip behavior is governed by a different set of rules.

Using Master and Affiliate Clips in Sequences

When you insert a master clip from a project into a sequence, FCE inserts a copy of the master clip, known as an affiliate clip. That affiliate copy in the sequence shares certain properties with the master clip but maintains independent control over other properties.

This protocol is important to understand because it affects how and where you should make changes to master/affiliate clips, and it illuminates what’s different about independent clip behavior. So let’s lay out the rules.

When you modify a master or affiliate clip’s name, reel name, source timecode, or labels; remove its subclip limits; or change its online/offline state:

• The change you make is applied to all affiliated clips in the project. It doesn’t matter if you make the change to the master clip or its affiliate; the result is the same.

• Master and affiliate clips’ shared property behavior applies only within a single project; your changes will not be applied to other projects.

When you apply markers, In and Out points, effects, or motion properties to a master clip or its affiliate clip copy:

• You can open the clip from the Browser (outside a sequence) or from the Timeline (within a sequence).

• If you make changes to the clip in the Browser and then insert that clip into a sequence, the clip copy that is placed in the sequence includes the changes that have been made in the Browser.

• Any changes you make to a clip from within a sequence are not made to the clip in the Browser.

• After you’ve inserted a clip into a sequence, any further changes you make to that clip from the Browser will not be reflected in any sequence where the clip is used.

• Clips that appear in multiple sequences are independent of one another. Changes to one will not affect the others.

• If you want to make further revisions to a clip that’s already in a sequence, open the clip from the Timeline and then make the changes.

• If you want to make changes to a clip and have the changes show up in all the sequences in which that clip is used, open the clip from the Browser and make the changes. Then reinsert the revised clip into each sequence in which you want the updated clip to appear.

• Final Cut Express identifies clips that have been opened from the Timeline by displaying two lines of dots in the Scrubber bar. No dots appear in the Scrubber bar of clips that have been opened from the Browser.

Using Independent Clips in Sequences

When you convert an affiliate-type sequence clip to an independent-type clip, that independent clip refers directly back to the source media file on the disk, and any clip property can be modified independently from any master or affiliate clip referencing the same source media file.

Because each independent clip copy maintains independent control over all its properties, the same rules that apply to the In and Out points of master and affiliate clips (listed above) apply to all properties of independent clips.

To duplicate a Browser clip as a new master clip:

Select the clip in the Browser and then do one of the following:

1. Control-click the clip and then choose Duplicate as New Master Clip from the shortcut menu (Figure 4.70).

   

   Figure 4.70. Control-click the Browser clip and then choose Duplicate as New Master Clip from the clip’s shortcut menu.

2. Choose Modify > Duplicate as New Master Clip.

   The duplicate of the clip appears as a new master clip in the Browser (Figure 4.71).

   

   Figure 4.71. The duplicate master clip appears in the Browser.

To convert an independent or affiliate clip into a master clip:

Select the clip in the Browser and then do one of the following:

1. Control-click the clip; then choose Make Master Clip from the shortcut menu (Figure 4.72).

   

   Figure 4.72. Choose Make Master Clip from the clip’s shortcut menu.

2. Choose Modify > Make Master Clip.

Tips

• After you’re done hacking, renaming, and subdividing, and the independent clips in your sequence finally settle down enough to get hitched, you can create master clips for every sequence clip simply by selecting the entire contents of the sequence and dragging it to the Browser. Your independent sequence clips become affiliates of the newly created master clips in the Browser.

• Create a duplicate master clip for a sequence clip by pressing Option as you drag the sequence clip out of the Timeline and then adding the Command key as you drop the clip in the Browser (Figure 4.73). “Voilà!” is so overused these days, but still...

  

  Figure 4.73. A special pointer (with an M for master) appears when both the Command and Option keys are held down, alerting you that you’re creating a duplicate master clip.

To locate an affiliate clip’s master clip:

• Select the affiliate clip in the Timeline or Browser; then choose View > Reveal Master Clip.

  The master clip is revealed in the Browser.

To make a sequence clip independent:

• In the Timeline, Control-click the sequence clip; then choose Make Independent Clip from the shortcut menu (Figure 4.74).

  

  Figure 4.74. Choosing Make Independent Clip from the sequence clip’s shortcut menu converts an affiliate-type clip to an independent-type clip.

  The affiliate sequence clip is converted to an independent-type clip.

To make all clips in a sequence independent:

• Select the sequence icon in the Browser; then choose Make Sequence Clips Independent from the shortcut menu (Figure 4.75).

  

  Figure 4.75. Control-click a sequence’s icon in the Browser and choose Make Sequence Clips Independent, and you convert all the clips in that sequence to independent clips with a single command.

To break an affiliate clip’s relationship with its master:

Do one of the following:

1. In the Browser, delete the master clip associated with that affiliate clip.

2. Copy the sequence containing the affiliate clip into another project.

3. In the Timeline, use the Make Independent Clip command to convert the affiliate clip into an independent clip.

The Item Properties window is the central location for information about an individual clip. The settings on three tabs in the Item Properties window allow you to view or change the properties of a clip. Besides the general clip information column in the far left of the window, you’ll see a column for the clip’s video track and separate columns for each audio track in the clip. This expansion of the Item Properties window makes it possible to combine one video track with up to 24 tracks of audio from different sources and track each audio channel separately.

To open a clip’s Item Properties window:

Tips

• Want to view item properties for multiple clips in a single window? Just select the clips in the Browser or Timeline before you use the Edit > Item Properties command.

• What if you have changed the name of a clip and removed all traces of the original source media file it references? You can consult the Item Properties window for the renamed clip to trace the underlying source media filename and location.

To get information about the format of a clip: