Tuesday 19 January 2016

Still Frames in Final Cut Pro

Sometimes you might need to create a still image from a particular frame of your video. Two possible uses could be:
  • Using a still in Photoshop for your poster or review designs
  • 'Freezing' on a particular frame within your film for dramatic effect
There are separate ways to do this, which saves confusion!


Exporting a still for use in Photoshop and InDesign

  • First make sure the playhead is at the moment you want to capture a still from (it'll be in the Canvas window)
  • Go to File>Export>Using Quicktime Conversion... [See below]


  • In the dialogue box that appears, make sure to select Still Image in the Format box (see below). Click Save once you've set where its saving to!





Creating a 'Freeze Frame' in your edit

  • Like above, make sure your Canvas is showing the still you want to create
  • Go to Modify>Make Freeze Frame (see below)




  • Your newly created freeze frame will appear in the Viewer window. Simply drag it down to the timeline to add it to your edit. It can be extended or shortened as you see fit

Monday 18 January 2016

Fixing Out of Sync Audio



In Final Cut Pro 7, sometimes when you are working with an edit the video and audio can slip out of sync - which looks like this:
A red bar with a + or - number in indicates out of sync audio
It can be frustrating trying to get it to match up again, but there is a really simple fix built into FCP.

How To Fix It:

  1. Control-Click on the red box
  2. Choose 'Slip into Sync'

This will automatically fix the issue! Just be sure to double check it's worked correctly before saving the changes.

Bonus Tech Tip!:
  • 'Move into Sync' is only available when there's empty space to move either the audio or video in (it's possible in my above clip because there's a gap in the audio...
  • ...Whereas 'Slip into Sync' works even without empty space by moving the reference clip's 'In and Out points' appropriately. Another reason to keep your workflow managed so the reference clips are neat, tidy, and easy to find!