Final Cut Pro X Weynand Certification Lesson 7

1. Lesson 7:
Applying Transitions
Apple Pro Training Series
2nd Edition, Final Cut Pro X
Instructor: Sam Edsall

2. Transitions to
Refine Edits
• Changes the look of your video
• Changes the sound of your audio
Edit to edit
• Smooth an abrupt audio or video edit
• Convey a passage of time
• Create a certain visual style
When

3. Transitions to
Refine Edits
• Dissolves
• Help move a story seamlessly from one clip
to the next without calling attention to
themselves
• Best for stories
• Wipes, pushes, 3D effects
• Draw attention to themselves
• Best for promos and advertisements
What kind

4. Transitions to
Refine Edits
• Dipping to black
• Also known as ‘kissing black’
• Used to signify a change in time or place
• Such as the next shot being ‘the next morning’
• End of show and commercial
• Caution
• Do not use dip to black if you are not signifying a
change in time or place
• Confuses the viewer
What kind

5. Create a New Project
Make sure your external drive
is booted and on your
desktop.
Choose File > Open Library
> LESSON 7
If you don’t see LESSON 7
choose Other and then select
LESSON 7

6. Cuts vs. Dissolves
Select the Delicious
Peace_CUTS project.
Play the project
-- no transitions yet for
video or audio.
Now open ‘Delicious
Peace_Trans’ and see how it
looks with transitions.

7. Duplicating a Project
Control click the Delicious Peace_CUTS project and
Duplicated it.
Rename the duplicate ‘Delicious Peace_Backup’ and open
this project in the timeline.

8. Applying Transitions
• Drag the transition to the edit point
• Select the edit point, then apply the
transition with a few mouse clicks
• Select the edit point and use the
shortcut Command T
A couple of ways

9. Applying Transitions
In the timeline zoom into and
play the first 2 clips
‘BUMPER_Delicious’ and ‘map
of Africa’
Select the edit point between the
two clips.
Choose Edit > Add Cross
Dissolve
Play the new dissolve transition.

10. Transition Icon
• Gray transition icon
between the the two clips
• Faint diagonal line appears
over the edit point
• The project may be
shortened by one second
depending on settings
• Transition icon is the same
for all transitions regardless
of type
The Transition Icon

11. Transition Mechanics
• Default transition is one second
How it works
• FCP will use available media
beyond the edit point (handles)
to do the transition
• No change to project duration
• FCP will overlap the clips for
the duration of the transition
• Project duration shortened by
the length of the duration
Two ways

12. Transition Mechanics
• Indicated the need to
render the transition so it
can play in real time
• FCP automatically
begins a background
render as you continue
to work
• A render clip is added to
the Events / Render
Files folder
The orange bar

13. Applying Transitions
Use a keyboard shortcut:
Select the edit point between
‘coffee plant’ and ‘coffee
buds’
Press Command T
Play the transition.
Press Command Z to undo
the transition for now.

14. Transition Mechanics
• When you add a
transition, FCP uses the
extra content (handles)
before and after the edit
point to do the transition
effect
• If handles are not
available, FCP will ask
you if overlapping the
clips is OK
Transition Handles

15. Anatomy of a Transition
Double-click this edit
point again to open the
Precision Editor.
With one of the edges
still selected press
Command T to add a
cross-dissolve.

16. Anatomy of a Transition
Notice how the outgoing
clip starts out as
completely opaque then
dims to nothing.
The incoming clip starts
at nothing and becomes
completely opaque.

17. Transitions without
Handles
• If the clips do not
have enough media
outside the edit
point (handles) then
Overlapping the
edit point is the
only option
When this
doesn’t work

18. When Transition without
Duration Change doesn’t Work
Play the clips between
‘woman picks beans’ and
‘man picks beans’
Click the left edit between
them, then click the right
edge.
-- Yellow bracket = media
handles
-- Red bracket = no media
handles

19. When Transition without
Duration Change doesn’t Work
Press Command T
Dialogue box appears informing
you you don’t have enough media
handles and offered the alternative
‘Create Create Transition.’
Note where the project currently
ends, then click ‘Create
Transition’
Notice that the project shortened
by one second.

20. A Word of Caution
• If you add a full overlap transition, your project will
be shortened by the default transition length
• Total duration of your project shortens
• If you delete the transition, the project will STILL
be as short
• If you decide you don’t want the transition, then
Command Z to undo it or after you delete the
transition, trim the edit points to their original
length
Full Overlap Transitions

21. Adding a Transition to
Both Ends of a Clip
• Instead of selecting an
edit point, select the
clip
• When you press
Command T, both ends
of the clip will get the
default transition
Add two
transitions at once

22. Double Whammies
In the timeline find the ‘man
roasts beans’ clip and select
it.
Press Command T
The default transition is
added to both sides of the
clip.
-- note the transitions used only
available media and are shorter
than 1 second.

23. What About the Audio?
• When two video clips
are combined with a
transition, the audio
automatically does a
cross fade
Audio in a
transition

24. The Transitions Browser
• A gallery of effects
• Many made in Motion
• Thumbnails allow you
to preview the effect
before you use it
• Skim over the
transition to see how
it works
Transitions library

25. Prepare a Project for
Transitions
From the Library open the
Zero to Hero project and
duplicate it.
Rename Zero to Hero Trans
and load the project into the
timeline.

26. Transitions Browser
In the toolbar, click the
Transitions Browser button.
• Transition categories are
on the left
• Thumbnails of the
transitions in that
category are on the right
Transitions
Browser

27. Transitions Browser
In the Category pane, click
Dissolves.
Move your pointer over the
Cross Dissolve thumbnail
to skim the transition, which
appears in the Viewer.
Then try out the Fade To
Color transition.

28. Transitions Browser
Click the All category
again.
In the lower-left corner click
the Show/hide button to
hide the categories pane.

29. Transitions Browser
Search:
In the search field, type
‘comic’ to see the transitions
related.
Clear the search and type
‘pan’ to see all the transitions
that match your search
criteria.
Clear the search field again.

30. Applying a Transition
• Drag the transition to
an edit point
• Select the edit point
and double-click on the
transition
A couple of ways

31. Applying a Transition
In the Zero to Hero project, select
the edit point between army start
and Tony Schumacher and (@47
seconds).
Skim over the Letter X transition
to preview it.
To apply this transition, double
click it in the Transitions
Browser.
Play it in the Timeline.

32. Applying a Transition
Navigate the the 2nd edit point
in the project, between ‘crowd
ots’ and ‘crowd wide’ and
select the edit point.
From the Lights category,
skim Lens Flare then double-
click to apply it to that edit
point.
Play the clip.

33. Applying a Transition
Select the edit point between
the 6th and 7th clip ‘Tony
Pedregon’ and ‘crash’
In the Replicator/Clones
category, skim over Video
Wall then double click to
add it to the selected edit
point.
Play the edit.

34. Replacing a Transition
• Drag the new transition
from the browser onto
the timeline transition
you wish to replace
• Select the old
transition, then double-
click the new one in the
transition browser
A couple of ways

35. Replacing a Transition
In the Lights category drag
the Bloom transition into
the timeline and over the old
Lens Flare transition
between ‘crowd ots’ and
‘crowd wide’
When the pointer changes
to a green circle with a plus
sign, release the mouse.

36. Replacing a Transition
Switch it back:
Select the Bloom transition
in the Timeline and double-
click the Lens Flare
transition in the browser to
restore it.

37. Modifying a Transition
• Most transitions can be
modified beyond just
their duration
• Done though controls
in the Timeline or
onscreen controls
directly in the Viewer
A different look

38. Modifying a Transition
Re-open the ‘Delicious
Peace Backup’ project we
were working on into the
Timeline.
--clicking back on the history button
in the timeline may work if you have
not shut down FCP since you last
worked on this project.

39. Modifying a Transition
In the timeline select the 1st
cross dissolve and hover the
pointer over either edge of
the transition
When the Trim icon
appears, drag the transition
edge away from the center
as far as possible.

40. Modifying a Transition
• The duration of the
transition and the
amount of duration
change is indicated in
the pop-up box
• If you see a red bracket
you have reached the
limit of the clip’s
media and can’t go any
further
Indicators

41. Set a Transition Duration
Control click the transition
and from the shortcut menu
choose Change Duration or
press Control D.
When the Dashboard is
highlighted in blue, type 45
and press Return.
-- 45 frames or 1 ½ seconds.

42. Modifying a Transition
• Set in Preferences
• Command and
comma
• When you choose a
clip or edit point and
Command T, this will
be the ‘normal’
duration
Set a default
duration

43. Modifying a Transition
Reload the ‘Zero to Hero’
project we were last working
on.
Turn on the Timeline
Index, select Clips on top.
In the search field type
‘letter X’ to select the the
wipe transition used in this
project.

44. Modifying a Transition
• Once you have the
transition selected in
the Timeline with your
play head over the
transition, controls for
that effect are available
in the Viewer
Viewer onscreen
controls

45. Modifying a Transition
In the Viewer move your
pointer to the circle and
drag it to the center of
Tony’s nose.
Play the transition.

46. Modifying a Transition
In the Viewer move your
pointer to the square at the
end of the control line.
Drag outward to the edges
of the X more diffuse.
Drag inward to reduce the
blur and sharpen the
transition and leave it at this
setting.

47. Yellow Timeline Pins
• Controls that help you
change the frames
associated with the
transition
• Moving the frames will
change what you see in
the transition
Where did these
come from?

48. Modifying a Transition
In the Timeline Index
search field, type ‘wall’
to search for the Video
Wall transition.
Select it in the list, then
select the transition.
--notice the two yellow circles
numbered 1 and 2.

49. Modifying a Transition
Drag pin 1 to the left and
onto the ‘crowd ots’ clip
and find the frame where
the man with the binoculars
has turned to face left.
Drag pin 2 anywhere in the
‘crowd wide’ clip.
Play the transition.

50. Modifying a Transition
• Some parameters for a
transition can only be
changed in the
Inspector
Using the
Inspector

51. Modifying a Transition
Find the Letter X transition again in the project and select it.
Click the Inspector button or press Command 4

52. Modifying a Transition
Click the edge of the
transition in the timeline and
pull out so the duration in
the Inspector indicates a
duration of 1;00

53. Modifying a Transition
Click the disclosure triangle
next to Edge Treatment.
From the Edge Type pop-up
menu choose Solid Color.
Drag the Border slider to
choose an edge thickness.
Play the transition.

54. Modifying a Transition
Select the edit point between
John Force and army prep, at
@42 seconds.
In the transitions browser, click
the Movements category, then
double-click to apply the Multi-
flip transition.
Skim to the midpoint in this
transition and press M to set a
marker.

55. Modifying a Transition
In the Inspector’s color section,
click the black color well to
open the Colors window.
Click each color interface to see
the various methods of making
color choices.
Choose the color wheel and
select the magnifying glass and
click on the green color in one
of the John Force thumbnails.

56. Modifying a Transition
Close the Colors window, and in
the Transition Inspector, select
Use Image Well.
Click once in the Image Well.
The Select Source Clip window
appears. Click a frame in the
‘crowd wide’ clip on the timeline
and then click Apply Clip.
Check the ‘Use Image Well’ box

57. Transitions and
Connected Clips
• Transitions can only be
added to clips if they
are on a story line
Must be a
storyline
• Not until the connected
clips are turned into its
own storyline
What about
connected clips?

58. Adding Transitions to Other
Storylines and Compound Clips
In the Library duplicate the Zero to Hero_Promo project to
ZTH Promo Done and open it in the timeline.

59. Adding Transitions to New
Storylines
Zoom in on the three adjacent, connected clips at the end of
the project from TS holds trophy through army start.
Select the edit point between TS holds trophy and army prep
and add the default transition Command T

60. Transitions &
Connected Clips
• When you add a
transition to a pair
of connected clips,
a storyline is first
created to hold the
two clips together
with the transition
What
happened?

61. Changing the Default
Transition
• It’s up to you what the
default transition is
• Normally a cross
dissolve is the default,
but you can change
that
What should
Command T do?

62. Changing the Default
Transition
In the Transition browser, locate the Flash transition and
preview the effect.
Control click Flash and choose Make Default from the
shortcut menu.

63. Changing the Default
Transition
Select the cross dissolve
between TS holds trophy and
army start and press
Command T.
Play the new transition.

64. Changing the Default
Transition
Select an edge between army
prep and army start, and
press Command T

65. Changing the Default
Transition
Select the TS holds trophy, and then Command click army
start.
Press Command T to add the Flash transition to the start and
end of the storyline.

66. Changing the
Transition Duration
• Select the transition and press Control D or
Control click the transition to choose
Change Duration
• Set your new time
Faster or slower?

67. Changing the
Transition Duration
Click on the first transition, and Command click the other
three transitions to add them to the selection.
Control click any of the selected transitions and from the
shortcut menu choose Change Duration.

68. Changing the
Transition Duration
Without clicking in the Dashboard, type 10 and press Return.
The duration is now set for 10 frames (1/3 of a second).
Check out your new transitions.

69. Tidy Up the Timeline
• Sometimes you can
have connected clips to
connected clips
• Yikes! What a pile!
Get things in order
• Select the clips that can
be on the same track
and create a compound
clip.
Group ‘em

70. Group Sparingly
• Too many compound
clips can cause a
project to load slowly
or not at all
• FCPX forums
frequently refer to this
problem
A word of
warning

71. Tidy Up the Timeline
Select the JF in car clip, and then press Command
G to create a storyline for this clip.

72. Tidy Up the Timeline
Select race start and then
Command click the flame out
and flame out smoke clips to
add them to the selection.
Control click any of these
clips and from the shortcut
menu choose New Compound
Clip
-- Shortcut Option G
-- Now we need to name it…

73. Tidy Up the Timeline
In the Name field, enter Race_Flame Broll, and choose Zero
to Hero as the Event if it not already selected.
-- the new compound clip is added to the Event and on the
Timeline

74. Make One Timeline
Out of Several Clips
Click Race_Flame Broll and Command click the storyline’s
shelf of JF in car (not the clip).
Select the compound clip and press Command G to create
one storyline out of all these clips.

75. Add a Transition to the
Secondary Timeline
Select the edit point between
Race_Flame Broll and JF in
car.
From the Lights category,
drag Static to the edit point to
apply it.
Choose Create Transition

76. Add a Transition to the
Secondary Timeline
To recover the lost second, drag the end point of JF
in car back to the marker.

77. Set the Cross Dissolve
as the Default Transition
In the Transitions
browser select the cross
dissolve, Control click
and revert this back to the
default transition.

78. Audio Transitions
• Automatically does a
cross-fade from
outgoing to to the
incoming clip
Audio in a video
transition
• To add a transition, the
clips need a storyline
Audio clip to
audio clip

79. Audio Transitions
Duplicate the Zero to
Hero_Music project and title
it ZTH Music Done.
Adjust the track height so the
audio waveforms can be
clearly seen.

80. Audio Transitions
Listen to the cut between
the two music clips,
Battle Lines and
Discipline.
-- the cut is pretty rough
-- a cross fade should
smooth this out

81. Audio Transitions
Select the edit point
between the two audio
clips, and press
Command T to apply
the default transition.
Play this area of the
project.

82. Audio Transitions
• A crossfade was
added at the edit
point.
• You can extend the
crossfade for a
smoother transition
if necessary
What
happened?

83. Audio Transitions
Drag either edge of the
audio transition outward
3 seconds to lengthen
the transition.
Play the new transition
-- it should sound
smoother

84. Audio Transitions
Fade the music out at
the end of the project by
dragging the Fade
Control to the beginning
of the last video
transition in the project.

85. Shortcuts:
• Apply default cross dissolveCommand T
• Open Preferences window
Command ,
(comma)
• Render selectionControl R
• UndoCommand Z

86. Shortcuts:
• Play around edit pointShift ?
• Open/close the InspectorCommand 4
• Create storylineCommand G
• New compound clipOption G

87. Homework Assignment:
Your job is to tweak out this project with transitions to suit
your taste.
Share as an 720p at the smallest resolution and save as (your
name) Lesson 7.m4v to iTunes U.

88. Lesson 7:
Applying Transitions
Apple Pro Training Series
2nd Edition, Final Cut Pro X
Instructor: Sam Edsall