Keyframing in Final Cut Express HD

Hi,
I'm a film student and I've been using FCP 4 for quite a while. I`m goign to buy a new mac soon and wanted to buy Final Cut Express HD but I want to know how the keyframing works
is it just like in FCP4? or is it different?

What Al says is perfectly correct, however there are workarounds that can achieve a keyframed effect with most of the filters.
As an example, say you wanted to change a colour clip to B/W gradually.
All you would do would be copy the clip and put it above the original on V2. Then add a B/W filter. Finally adjust the Opacity levels of the B/W clip to make it slowly change.
This and other techniques can overcome the lack of Filter Keyframing in most effects.
Ian.

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Keyframing on Final Cut Express 2

Can you keyframe a Gaussian Blur onto a piece of video so that the clip starts out in focus and eventually becomes blurred on Final Cut Express 2?
When I select the clip I want to do this with, the keyframe set tabs up in the viewer do not show up.
Any suggestions?
Thank you.

You can't keyframe filters in FCE unfortunately (that's a feature of FCP only).
You could duplicate your video onto the track above and apply the blur to that at final desired value and then keyframe the opacity of this clip to fade the effect in. It won't get you exactly the effect you desire, but maybe near enough.
If you've got the cash you can buy some keyframeable filters from CHV: http://www.chv-plugins.com/keyframe.html

Final Cut Express 4 motion keyframing

I'm thoughly famaliar with FCP6, but haven't seen Final Cut Express since FCE Version 2.
I've been asked to teach FCE4 to a friend, but haven't seen it yet and am trying to prepare.
Is motion keyframing (scaling, cropping) handled the same way in FCE4 as it is in FCP6
(ie. in the motion tab of the Viewer), or do you have to do it in the timeline overlay area?
Thanks.
Message was edited by: brvideo

Yes, FCE4 handles keyframing the same way as FCP6. You can do it in the motion tab of the viewer or by clicking the keyframe button in the canvas to add a universal keyframe to all motion parameters. You can do the scaling, cropping, etc. in the motion tab or in the canvas if it is in Image+Wireframe mode.
Message was edited by: skalicki`

Need advice on a system setup / Final Cut Express or pro

Hi all,
I am about to take on a pretty big project. I will be working on a full length documentary, approximately 90 minutes running time.
We currently have a 2 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac with 4GB of memory (667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM) which we will be using for editing. We are using a mid-level Sony High Definition camera that records on MiniDV.
We don't have a huge budget and I wanted to get the opinion of some experienced editors on what would be the right choice. We can get a new 3Ghz iMac or Final Cut Studio. We currently own Final Cut Studio Express and are relatively well versed with it.
So, the question is, would we benefit more from the speed of an upgraded Mac, or the additional functionality of Final Cut Studio?
Editing a full length feature like this can be a long frustrating process. With a 2Ghz machine, are we really going to feel the pain while trying to work with Final Cut Studio? Might we find ourselves gliding along with more ease (or less burnout) without the additional chugging along of a 2Ghz processor when editing on a 3Ghz processor with Final Cut Express?
I understand that the two greatest benefits (as far as I've read) is the batch capturing and color correction of Final Cut Studio. There is also something about keyframes that I know little to nothing about. Are these things you believe we might get a lot of use from, particularly in the context of a documentary? I can definitely see using the batch capturing but don't see that being worth and additional $800. I'm unsure too how beneficial color correction is.
Any tips or experiences would be greatly appreciated. So far we've only done 15 minute shorts and don't see too much computer slowdown. I'm a little worried about the sheer number of gigs of video we're going to be dealing with against a 2-year-old computer.
Thanks for taking the time.

I vote for FCS3. Of course you'll love what you can do and then you'll want a better machine, but that can wait. All the modules, Color, Soundtrack and Motion as well as Compressor make it worthwhile.
Make sure all your footage is the same format (ProRes) and you'll have much fewer timeline rendering issues.

Sorry I'm new to Final Cut Express. How do you make an image (jpeg file for example) move across the screen slowly as I've seen in many films.

Sorry I'm new to Final Cut Express. How do you make an image (jpeg file for example) move across the screen slowly as I've seen in many films.

Neil from bristol wrote:
… How do you make an image … move across the screen …
by setting KEYFRAMES
(read, what FC/e's built-in Help-feature tells about it)
resize and set pic to start position
set keyframe
move playhead in timeline to desired length
set pic to end position
set keyframe …

Final Cut Express Update HD 3.5 ...

Hi,
I'm somewhat new to FCE and it's add-ons ... I see there's an update for versions 1, 2 and 3 called "Final Cut Express HD 3.5". Apparently, this adds HD editing to a normal DV editing system.
I have FCE version 4 ... does that mean that my version is capable of editing HD without an add-on?
Apologies for being quite so ... new?
sky-pix

I thought you said it was FCE 4 ?
The differences are slight between all the versions.
FCE 3.5 was the first version to be designed specifically for Intel Macs. Earlier versions usually work on Intels but won't be as fast because they have to go through a "conversion" technology called Rosetta.
FCE 3.5 also has keyframing of effects, better realtime playback and Digital Cinema. There are also numerous smaller additions but nothing of any great importance.
FCE 3.0 and FCE 3.5 also came with Soundtrack and LiveType of course.

Best way to RTFM on Final Cut Express HD 3.5?

Is anyone aware of a good book on Final Cut Express HD that's been updated for version 3.5? I need to upgrade as I'm switching to Intel, and I'm looking for something written for someone experienced in NLE (but not specifically FCE) that will include mention of the newest additions.
Powermac G5 (soon to be Mac Pro) Mac OS X (10.4.7)

imho the single biggest additions in 3.5 are that effects can now be keyframed + in-canvas motion keyframes.
Tom Wolsky's book is still the best thing out there to get started, don't be put off that it was written for FCE2, there isn't all that much different w/r/t basic functions & editing in FCE3 or 3.5. Tom has also recently announced a training DVD for FCE-HD; and at some point I trust he will publish material about keyframing in v3.5.
You might also want to take a look at the articles on Ken Stone's website - they are very helpful & thought provoking.

Final cut express 3 vs. final cut express 4??

I have an old ibook G4 with a 1.07 Ghz processor. I am currently updating my operating system from panther to tiger and installing about 512MB ram so that I can get final cut express. I am a student who is used to using final cut pro in class... but in order to get it on my (old and slow) personal computer, I will have to get FCE 3 since 4 requires 1.25 Ghz processor and the CPU in my G4 cannot be upgraded (so I've read)... Is FCE 3 a big step backwards? Should I save my money until I can afford a new computer and then go with FCE 4 or even FCP? Any helpful tips will be appreciated!

For your iBook with Tiger, FCE 3 would be a good way to go. If you can, put in 1GB RAM (it wasn't clear if you were increasing RAM to 512MB or adding 512MB to what it already has). All the basic editing capabilities of FCE 3 are identical with FCE 4.
FCEHD 3.5 added native support for Intel processors, keyframing for filters & effects, support for HDV video.
FCEHD 4 added support for AVCHD video, the open format timeline, importing from iMovie 08, some new FxPlug effects, new soft normalize & gain audio controls. HOWEVER, some things were removed - including Soundtrack (completely removed), various Livetype assets, some filters & effects. There are a lot of people who think FCE4 is actually a step backwards from 3.5 because of what was removed !!
You will find lots of users still making productive use out of ALL versions of FCE including version 1. The basic capturing / editing / exporting features are the same in all versions.

Thinking about Final Cut Express

I am planning on getting an HD camcorder further down the line. For now all I have is my digital camera that records video. My question is, can Final Cut Express 4 work with .mpg and .mov files? And if I get FC4, is there any reason to still use iMovie? In other words, can FC4 do everything iMovie '09 can and more?

in addition ..
I was an iM enthusiast since vers2..
now, I'm a switcher - I like the options and control FCE offers, allthough the '1 click only' attitude of iM is still seductive
example: Ken Burns.
reading this (=the FCE) board, we frequently see posts asking for plug-ins etc to add the convenience of KB as in iM (two frame handles, done).
you have to understand the concept of keyframing and timelines and xyz-coordinates to create a KB effect in FCE - seems to be complicated, but offers you much more than iM ever did, incl. a simple zoom-to/from-zil ..
perhaps, you miss 'Themes' in the beginning.. after a while, you produce your own 'Themes' in FCE!

Text for Final Cut Express HD 3.5

I'm hoping that Tom Wolsky will answer this question. I purchased the Final Cut Express 2 Editing Workshop, second edition and learn a great deal about FCE HD workflow. Now that I've upgraded to 3.5 I'm wondering if there is enough new to this upgrade to warrant purchasing the FCE HD 3.5 book by Tom Wolsky. Thanks.

The main improvements in FCE 3.5 are the Dynamic RT and Keyframing of Effects.
Dynamic RT involves virtually no learning, Keyframing does.
However, many users don't even know what Keyframing is, let alone how to use it.
Are you likely to need it?
I would suggest you hang on to the book you have and if the time comes that you feel it can't cope, then think about getting the new one.
I have used FCE 1.0.1, FCE 3.0 and FCP 5.1 and to be honest, the differences between all three are so marginal that you can hardly tell which one you are using.
Tom and others may think differently.
Ian.

Final Cut Express 4.0.1 Update

Can anyone provide a link to update from Final Cut Express 4.0 to 4.0.1?
I would really appreciate the help!
Thanks.

Ian R. Brown wrote:
To the best of my knowledge the only thing the update does is to enable you to edit AVCHD.
I am not sure about that as I have the software boxes for both FCXP 3.5 HD and FCXP 4 and from description on both boxes and from Amazon, also, both these versions of FCXP were supposed to already support AVCHD.
I had to update/upgrade to these versions of FCXP when I upgraded my Sony digital video camcorder that uses AVCHD.
Here's the feature description for FCXP 4.
Edit like a pro. Final Cut Express 4.
Top Features
Edit quickly and precisely with professional, flexible editing tools
Mix and edit DV, HDV, and AVCHD video in a single Timeline*
Watch effects in real time thanks to RT Extreme with Dynamic RT
Import iMovie '08 video projects with cuts and cross dissolves
Precisely adjust the animation of any effect or transition using keyframes
Achieve the look you want with a robust suite of color correction and image adjustment tools
Work with built-in filter effects and third-party FxPlug plug-ins
Easily create sophisticated, animated titles with LiveType 2.1
Mix up to 99 audio tracks with built-in audio editing tools
Here's the feature description for FCXP 3.5 HD.
More Powerful Video Editing for DV, HDV, and AVCHD
Capture clips from your camcorder over a single FireWire or USB cable, then use the new Open Format Timeline in Final Cut Express 4 to edit together DV, HDV, and AVCHD material, even if they have different frame rates. Fine-tune your choices with professional ripple, roll, slip, and slide editing functions, either in the Timeline or a dedicated Trim window. And when it comes time to add effects, Dynamic RT lets you instantly preview effects, filters, transitions, and multistream composites in real time without rendering.

What software will convert .MTS files to something that will open in Final Cut Express?

I need a reccomendation for a software that will convert .MTS file to a file type that Final Cut Express HD will recognize.

Thanks for your reply, Martin.
What I'm doing is converting an .MTS file to .mp4 using HandBrake. FinalCut Express opens the .mp4 files (sometimes) but they have pixellation with huge squares all over the screen. I'm guessing it has to do with keyframes. So that's why I'm trying to convert it. When I open the .mp4 file in QuickTime in order to Export as QuickTime Movie I select these options for AIC:
This is what the QT Inspector window shows for each:
mp4 file
mov file
Format
MPEG-4(Perian), 1920x1080, MIllions, AAC, Stereo (LR), 48,000 kHz
16-bit Integer (Little Endian), Stereo (LR), 48,000 kHz, Apple Intermediate Codec, 1440x1080 (1888x1062), Millions
FPS
29.97
30.33
Normal Size
1920 x 1080 pixels
1888x1062 pixels
The problem is, I'm only guessing which settings to use. Is there information somewhere that spells that out? Should I be doing something different when I convert the .MTS file in the first place?

Final Cut Express 2 vs. 4

I'm a Final Cut Pro user who has been asked to train a colleague on Final Cut Express 4.
I'm not all that up on Express.
I have a copy of FCExpress 2, and he has FCExpress 4.
Are there HUGE differences between the interface and features of FCExpress 2 and 4?
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

Thanks much Tom.
I see that the motion keyframing interface is different than Final Cut Pro.
Can you place key frames on images and pictures and scale them up and down
within the same clip? I don't see a keyframe button?

New Mac Pro and Final Cut Express HD

Ive just taken delivery of a new Mac Pro 2.8ghz quad core with ATI Radeon HD 2600. I've tried to open Final Cut Express HD and am getting an error message
' This software requires certain hardware or software which is missing -
AGP graphics card"
I've tried re-installing but no luck, any ideas ?
Thanks

Hi(Bonjour)!
You can use keyframe on filters from version 3.5 and later. And the new FCE HD 4.0 (who doesn't includes soundtrack nor the complete content of livetype library) includes newer filters and supports AVCHD.
Michel Boissonneault
Message was edited by: Michel Boissonneault

Zooming in on Final Cut Express 4

How do I zoom in on Videos in Final Cut Express 4? What I mean is like I have a video and I want to zoom in on someone to let people see who the person is. Like if theres a school photo I want it the whole picture Zoom in on myself then zoom back to the whole picture again. Please answer Thanks in Advance!

Load your clip into the viewer, and click on the Motion tab. Adjust the Scale parameter.
I would recommend searching the manual for "keyframing".

Keyframing in Final Cut Express HD

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