Video Editing Tutorial: Final Cut Express Basics

Video Editing Tutorial: FCE Screenshot

This video editing tutorial will introduce you to the film editing software, Final Cut Express.  You will learn the basics to creating a professional looking video.

The Layout

When you first start up Final Cut Express, there will be four windows displayed.  The window in the upper left portion of the screen is called the Browser.  It holds raw video, project files, Sequences, and Effects.  You will notice that there are two tabs at the top of this window.  They are “Untitled Project 1″ and “Effects.”  As you move right, you will notice that the middle window is called the Viewer.  The next window to the right is the Canvas, with the Timeline extending below all three windows.  Next to the Timeline is a toolbar.

Creating Your Video

Organizing Your Project

To begin editing, you should first name your project.  As we have already seen, it is named “Untitled Project 1″ by default.  You can change this by going to File > Save Project As.

Once that is complete, you will notice that there is a File called “Sequence 1″ in the Browser.  You will also notice that the Timeline has a tab called “Sequence 1.”  That is because they are the same.  Final Cut Express uses the word “sequence” to refer to the different videos that you will create.  You can rename your Sequences by clicking the word “Sequence” in the browser twice.  Note: This is not a double click, but a click and then another click about a second later.  Double clicking will open the Sequence in the Timeline.

Importing Your Raw Files

Now you are ready to import all of your media files.  This can be done by dragging them from the Finder into the Browser, or you can go to File > Import > Files.  If you want to organize the files, go to File > New > Bin.  This creates a folder in theBrowser that you can drag your Files into.

To view and edit the raw files, you must double click them in the Browser, which will open them in the Viewer.  From here, you will set the start and end points around the clip that you want to put in the Timeline.  This is done by Mark In button that is below the slider on the left hand side of the Viewer at the point where you would like the clip to begin.  Then, hit the Mark Out button when you reach the endpoint of the clip.

Editing Your Video

After you have selected in and out points, you can click and drag the video in the Viewer to either the Canvas or the Timeline.  I recommend dragging it the the Canvas because then you do not have to worry about putting it in the correct spot.

Once you have video in the Timeline, it is highly likely that it will need to be rendered. You will know if something needs to be rendered by the presence of a red line at the top of the Timeline above the clip.  Rendering is simple, but often times it is time consuming.  To render the clips just go to Sequence > Render All > Both.  This will take care of it.

Now, you will probably want to add effects and transitions.  The easiest way to add effects to video is to double click the clip that you want to add effects to in the Timeline, which will open the clip in the viewer.  Then, go to Effects > Video Filters or Effects > Audio Filters.  These allow you to do all sorts of things that I will not take the time to detail in this tutorial.

The next step is adding transitions.  This is most easily done by clicking the Effects tab in the Browser and then choosing a transition from the Video Transitions folder.  You can then drag the transition into the Timeline where you want the transition to be.

Exporting Your Video

Now, you should have a complete video that you can watch in the Canvas.  It is now time to export your video.  You can do this by going to File > Export > Using QuickTime Conversion.  You can change your export settings to suit your needs.

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