This document discusses various options for exporting and sharing projects created in Final Cut Pro X. It covers adjusting audio and video levels, exporting files like QuickTime movies and audio files, publishing to services like iTunes and YouTube, and backing up projects. The goals are to prepare projects for export by fixing any issues in audio peaks or video brightness, and to understand the various export formats and sharing options available in Final Cut Pro X.

1. Apple Pro Training
Series
Final Cut Pro X
Instructor: Sam Edsall
Lesson 12:
Exporting &
Sharing Your Project

2. Exporting & Sharing
Your Project
• Adjust audio peaks
• Conform video levels for broadcast
• Export a QuickTime movie
• Export an audio file
• Publish to iTunes and Apple devices
• Share with the Media Browser
• Publish to YouTube and other video sharing sites
• Export a still frame
• Burn to discs and create an .img file
• Back up projects and Events
Goals

3. Preparing a Project for
Exporting & Sharing
• The human eye and ear can‟t always detect
the “hot spots” that spell trouble.
• A clip that looks fine may have brightness
levels exceeding the 100%
• Audio may sound fine, but may be peaking
into the red zone
• Final Cut Pro has scopes and visual
indicators that make these problems easy to
find and fix.
Is it really ready?

4. Preparing the Project
Start up the FCP External
Drive:
Find your APTS FCP X
drive and double click to
start it up.

5. Set up the Lesson
In the Project Library, from
the Lesson Projects
folder, drag the Lesson
12 project folder onto the
APTS FCP X disk.
Open the folder and
duplicate the „Zero to Hero‟
project to your HD and
open in the Timeline.

6. • In digital audio, distortion occurs when the
combined audio level of all clips is above 0
dB
The good and the bad
• The primary audio should peak @ -12 dB
• Music and other background audio should
peak @ -18 dB
• The combined audio level of all clips should
peak @ -6 dB or less.
Mixing sound
Getting the Audio Right

7. Spot the Hot Spot
To display the Audio
meters, click the right side
of the Dashboard, or press
Command-Shift-8.
Play the Zero to
Hero project then play the
area around the Tony
Pedregon clips and notice
that the audio levels peak
above 0 dB, displaying red
peak indicators at the top
of the Audio meters.

8. Have a Better Look
Click the Clip Appearance
button.
Click the first clip icon, and
drag the Clip Height slider
to the middle.
In the Timeline, notice
which clips display yellow-
or red-tipped waveforms.

9. Tweak the Audio
In the Tony
Pedregon clip, drag the
audio level overlay down
so that only green peaks
appear in the waveforms.
Then adjust any other
project clips that display
audio that peaks too high.

10. • Keep the video levels broadcast safe –
no higher than 100 IRE (Institute of
Radio Engineers)
• Audio interference or noise occurs if
video luminance exceeds 100 IRE
during broadcast.
The good and the bad
• Use the scopes to see what‟s happening
• Use the Color Board to get it right
Getting it right
Getting the Video Right

11. Have a Better Look
Click the Clip Appearance
button.
Select the fifth clip icon to
show only the video
display.
If necessary, adjust the clip
height to see all the clips in
the Timeline.

12. Turn on the Scopes
To view the project clips in
video scopes, choose
Window > Show Video
Scopes, or press
Command-7.
--The Viewer splits into two
windows, with a smaller Viewer
on the right and the video
scopes window to the left.

13. Set the Scope
In the upper-right corner of
the video scopes
window, from the Settings
pop-up menu, choose
Display > Waveform.
Then, from the Settings
pop-up menu, choose
Channels > Luma.

14. Find a Problem Clip
While looking at the waveform display, select and skim
the Antron Brown clip noting where the luma levels
appear on the scope.
-- The levels in this clip appear above the 100% line in the waveform
display.

15. Fix the Shot
Click the Enhancement
Menu button, and choose
Show Color Board, or
press Command-6.
In the Color Board, click
the Exposure tab.

16. • In the Exposure tab, you
can alter a clip‟s
luminance level by
adjusting:
• The darkest pixels
• The midrange pixels
• The brightest pixels
• The entire luma range.
All or part?
The Exposure Tab

17. Fix the Shot
In the Exposure tab, drag
the Highlights control down
to lower the clip‟s luma
level to just under 100%.
Use the waveform display
as a guide.
-- Under the Color
Board, Highlights shows a
negative percent value

18. Close the Windows
Choose Window > Hide
Inspector, or press
Command-4, to close the
Color Board.
Choose Window > Hide Video
Scopes, or press Command-
7.
Return the clip appearance to
a standard audio and video
configuration.

19. • Original quality?
• Something for an iPad or
iPod?
• Attachment to an email?
• Straight to your Facebook
or YouTube account?
• Just a frame from the
Timeline play head
position?
What do you need?
Exporting a Movie File

20. Export the Movie
To make the Timeline window
active, press Command-2.
With the Zero to Hero project still
open, choose File> Share or use
the Share Project icon, and look at
the targets and choices listed in the
menu.
Choose Master File (default)

21. • Video title
• Estimated file size
• Tags can be added
as metadata
• Current settings on
the bottom
Info tab
Master File Info Window

22. • Where you can
change the settings
• Format
• Video codec
• Resolution is set
• Options to play the
video when done
Settings tab
Master File Info Window

23. Export the Movie
Click Next.
Save the video to the
desktop.
The Background Tasks
window will indicate the
progress of the export.

24. • If your project has been
exported you will see the
„Share‟ icon next to the
project name in the
Timeline & in the Project
Library
• If the project has been
changed since it‟s last
export, an alert triangle
will appear next to the
share icon
The Share icon
Exported Projects

25. • Share smaller versions
of your video
• Export as M4V to
dimensions and codecs
your specify
• Export directly to
YouTube, Vimeo, etc.
Go mobile
Publishing to
Apple Devices

26. • H.264 Better Quality
• Larger file size but
cleaner video
• H.264 Faster Encode
• Smaller file size but
quality not as good as
„Better‟
Video codec
Publishing to
Apple Devices 720p

27. • You choose the size
• 854 x 480
• 960 x 540
• 1280 x 720
• 1920 x 1080 (if you
original video is this
dimension)
Resolution
Publishing to
Apple Devices 720p

28. • Do nothing
• Open in QuickTime
• Add to iTunes library or
playlist
When done
Publishing to
Apple Devices 720p

29. • When adding to iTunes
you can send your
movie just to the Library
or to a particular playlist
• Not a bad idea to create
movie playlists for your
projects if you want
iTunes to hold on to your
work
Where would you
like it?
Adding to iTunes

30. • Fast way to get your
finished project into the
world
• Facebook, Vimeo, You
Tube, and CNN
iReports
Get it online
Publishing a Project to
Video Sharing Sites

31. Publishing a Project to
Video Sharing Sites
In the Project
Library, select a project
and click on the Share
Project icon and choose
Facebook.
Check out the different
settings you can use.
If you need to, click on
Details to log in to your
account.

32. Publishing a Project to
Video Sharing Sites
Press Cancel, then click
on the Share Project icon
and choose YouTube.
Check out the different
settings you can use.
-- note the Private
checkbox
If you need to, click on
Details to log in to your
account.

33. Publishing a Project to
Video Sharing Sites
Press Cancel, then click
on the Share Project icon
and choose Vimeo.
Check out the different
settings you can use.
If you need to, click on
Details to log in to your
account.

34. • Don‟t borrow other
people‟s video or
audio, including music.
• There‟s plenty of
copyright-free content
you can use without
the need to break
copyright.
Is it yours?
Publishing to Social
Media Sites

35. Other Options
Press Cancel, then click on the
Share Project icon and choose Add
Destination.
Check out the different settings
you can use.

36. • If you are an
eyewitness to a news
event you can post
your video here
CNN iReport
• Resolution –
SD, large, HD
• Compression – quality
or fast encode
Parameters
Other Options

37. • Can burn your project
straight to a DVD
DVD
• Layers – single or
double layer DVD
• Disc template – black
or white background
Parameters
Other Options

38. • When disc loads
• Play or bring up a
menu
• If you have
chapters, use a menu
• Background – add your
own background
Parameters
Other Options

39. • Exports then starts
Mail and attaches the
video to the email for
you
Email
• Resolution –
small, medium, large
• Compression – quality
or fast encode
Parameters
Other Options

40. • Saves the frame
where the play head is
at as a still image
Save current
frame
• Different image
formats
Parameters
Other Options

41. • Exports each frame of
your project as a
separate image
• Saved in a numbered
sequence
Export Image
Sequence
• Different image
formats
Parameters
Other Options

42. • Burn straight to a Blu-
ray drive
• If you don‟t have a
Blu-burner, you can
save your file as a
AVCHD file that Blu-
ray players should be
able to play
Blu-ray
Other Options

43. • Uses a red laser
DVD
• Uses a blue laser
• Shorter wavelength
than red, allowing for
more data to be stored
on a Blu-ray disc than
on DVD‟s
Blu-ray
The Blue in Blu-ray
Discs

44. • Your Blu-ray burner or
to the hard drive
• Hard drive will hold
the AVCHD file
Output Device
• Single or double layer
Layers
Blu-ray Options

45. • Use a regular DVD disc
• Will burn a AVCHD file onto the DVD disc
• Advanced Video Coding High Definition
• DVD players cannot play this back, but a Blu-ray
player should be able to
Burning a Blu-ray video with a
standard DVD burner
Blu-ray to my
DVD Burner?

46. • Some fun, animated
backgrounds for your
DVD home page
Disc template
Blu-ray Options

47. • Show menu or play
the movie
When disc loads
• If you have chapter
markers in your movie
Markers
Blu-ray Options

48. • Can add your own
background, logo on
top of the background
or title to the home
screen
Background, log
o, title
Blu-ray Options

49. • Old projects are
often
revisited, altered, a
nd used for new
purposes.
• An insurance policy
against wasted time
and lost files
Insurance policy
Backing Up Projects
and Events

50. Backing Up Projects
and Events
Connect an external hard
disk or other storage device
to your computer.
-- If you do not have an external
hard disk, you can use Disk Utility
to create a disk image to store the
files for this exercise.
Open a Finder window
and, in column view, select
the storage device from the
sidebar.

51. Backing Up Projects
and Events
In the Lesson 12
folder, Control-click
the Mobileviz Minutes
project and, from the
shortcut menu, choose
Duplicate Project.

52. Backing Up Projects
and Events
From the Location pop-up
menu, choose the connected
storage device you want to
use for the backup.
-- select your external drive if
plugged in or Disk Image made
from Disk Utility

53. Backing Up Projects
and Events
To create a complete backup
of all your media
files, choose “Duplicate
Project and Referenced
Events.”
Then select Include Render
Files.
-- Not essential, but will save FCP
from making new ones when you
reload the project.
-- Not including them will save
some drive space.

54. Backing Up Projects
and Events
Click OK, and then press
Command-9 to open the
Background Tasks window
and monitor the duplication
process in the Media
Management line.

55. Shortcuts in Lesson 12
• Export movieCommand E
• Show audio metersCommand Shift 8
• Open the Color BoardCommand 6
• Open the video scopesCommand 7
• Open Background Tasks windowCommand 9

56. Apple Pro Training
Series
Final Cut Pro X
Instructor: Sam Edsall
Lesson 12:
Exporting &
Sharing Your Project