TECH TIPS

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Round-Tripper II
Shuttling Files Around Final Cut Studio and Saving Time Too
by Larry Jordan

In my classes and seminars, I’m struck by how many students who are already using Final Cut Pro haven’t tried the other major applications in Final Cut Studio: Soundtrack Pro, LiveType, Motion, and DVD Studio Pro.

This is a shame, because they work really well together, and that’s what I want to illustrate in this article.

In the NOV-DEC 06 issue of Editors Guild Magazine, I showed how to move files between Final Cut and Soundtrack Pro. This time, we’ll take a look at moving files between the remaining applications.

One note before we plunge boldly forth: My philosophy is that if I can find a way to get the same amount of work done in less time with the same, or greater, quality, then I’m all over it like feathers on a duck. So, if you have plenty of time to waste, then skip right past this article. But, if saving time is important to you, then these tips can make the difference between dreaming of sleep and actually sleeping.

Figure 1.

LiveType to Final Cut Pro (and back)

Let’s start with LiveType. Create your text effect in LiveType, as usual. Then, instead of rendering it out as a QuickTime movie, just save your project using Save As. You don’t need to render it first

To bring your LiveType project into Final Cut, open Final Cut and select File > Import > File. If you want to import multiple files at the same time, hold the Command key down and select all the files you want to import (see figure 1).

Edit the LiveType project to the Timeline as you would any other clip. Final Cut reads the LiveType project file and renders it automatically. If you want to make changes to your LiveType project, control-click (or right-mouse-click) the clip and select Open in Editor (see figure 2).

Figure 2.

LiveType immediately opens your clip, ready to make changes. At the same time, Final Cut flags the file indicating it is about to be updated. When you save the file in LiveType, the process of saving the file notifies FCP that the file has changed. FCP then automatically finds and links to the newly saved file. This round-trip process makes moving clips and changes between FCP and LiveType blindingly fast.

Final Cut Pro to LiveType
To get a clip, or range of clips, out of Final Cut into LiveType, select the clips you want to export and choose: File > Export > For LiveType. However, using this technique, which first showed up in Final Cut Pro 4, does not automatically open LiveType, nor does it automatically link the file for updating in Final Cut. It is, essentially, a one-way trip out of FCP. You then need to open LiveType and import the file into your project.

LiveType to Motion
You follow the same process if you want to move a file from LiveType to Motion. This can be really helpful when you want to use a LiveType texture as a background in a Motion project. Create the LiveType project, save it, and import it into Motion.

However, whether you use Import or Import as Project, the LiveType project comes in as a single layer, with no ability to adjust individual LiveType elements inside Motion. So, once you import the project into Motion, there is no way to get it back into LiveType for additional changes.

LiveType to DVD Studio Pro
Sending files from LiveType to DVD Studio Pro––for example, to create a Motion Menu––is the same as moving a file into or out of Final Cut: Save them as a LiveType project (don’t render), then import them into DVD Studio Pro, using the Asset tab.

If you want to make changes to the LiveType file, control-click the project file in the Asset tab and select Open in Editor. Make your changes in LiveType and save the file. When you switch back to DVD Studio Pro, the file is automatically updated.

Final Cut to Motion (and back)

Figure 3.

Getting a clip out of Final Cut and into Motion is easy: Select the clip, or range of clips, you want to export, as setting In/Out points doesn’t work. Control-click the selected clip(s) and choose Send to > Motion project. You can also use File > Send to > Motion project (see figure 3).

As with LiveType, this alerts Final Cut to the changing status of this file. But, unlike LiveType, the clip in the Timeline is replaced by a Motion project. This means that all your changes are non-destructive. If you ever need to go back to the original clip, you will find it in Final Cut’s Browser.

Give the clip a name, click Save, and Motion creates a new project containing your clip. This dialog allows you to determine if Motion should start and whether to replace the clip in the Timeline with the Motion project. In general, leave both lines checked. Once the clip opens in Motion, make your changes and save the clip. Motion starts and creates a new project containing your clip. Like LiveType, modify the project as much as you want.

Figure 4.

When you switch back to Final Cut, the new file is automatically loaded into the Timeline. Notice that it remains a Motion project; if you need to go back to the original clip, you’ll find it up in Final Cut’s Browser.

If you want to send the Motion project back from Final Cut to Motion, control-click the clip and select Open in Editor (see figure 4). The first time you send a file use Send, whenever you need to resend a file, use Open in Editor.

Motion to Final Cut
Getting a file from Motion to Final Cut is exactly the same process we used for LiveType: Create the project in Motion, save the project, import the project into Final Cut Pro and edit to the Timeline. After that, if you need to move it back to Motion, use Open in Editor.

As a note, if you have a lot of Motion projects––such as animated lower-thirds––that you edited into a Final Cut sequence, here’s a tip to save time: Once you are satisfied that the Motion projects look the way you want, rendering them as a QuickTime movie and importing the QuickTime movie into Final Cut significantly reduces the time FCP spends rendering your project.

Motion to DVD Studio Pro
Getting a file from Motion to DVD Studio Pro is also exactly the same process we used for LiveType: Create the project in Motion, save the project, import the project into DVD Studio Pro and add the clip to a track or menu––the same as any other clip.

Figure 5.

To send a Motion project from DVD Studio Pro back to Motion for changes, control-click the clip in the Asset tab of DVD Studio Pro and select Open in Editor (see figure 5).

Make your changes in Motion and save the file. When you switch back to DVD SP, the file is automatically updated.
Using the round-tripping process built into Final Cut Studio makes it easy to experiment with different looks. And, best of all, it’s really, really fast! s

Larry Jordan is an LA-based Apple-certified trainer in digital media with over 25 years experience as a television producer and director with national broadcast and corporate credits. He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Edit Well, the rich-media newsletter for Final Cut Studio, published by Peachpit Press, and the author of several training books. Visit his website at www.larryjordan.biz.

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