The document provides instructions for fine-tuning a rough cut project in Final Cut Pro X. It describes duplicating the project for refinement, removing selected ranges of clips using different deletion methods, adding gaps, moving clips, trimming clips precisely, and adjusting edit points. Precision editing in the precision editor is demonstrated by trimming an edit point to remove a repeated line of dialogue from one of the clips. The document provides guidance on pacing, content selection, and narrative flow when refining a video project.

1. Lesson 6:
Fine-Tuning the Rough Cut
Apple Pro Training Series
2nd Edition, Final Cut Pro X
Instructor: Sam Edsall

2. Create a New Project
Make sure your external
drive is booted and on your
desktop.
Choose File > Open Library
> LESSON 6
If you don‟t see LESSON 6
choose Other and then
select LESSON 6

3. Renaming Clips
• Before making lots of
changes to your
project think about:
• Making a back-up
copy of your work
• Do you need a
shorter or longer
version?
• Do you need a
‘before and after’
version?
Refining

4. Duplicating the Project
Make a copy:
Control click the „Zero to Hero‟
project, and choose „Duplicate
Project‟
Set the location to your Mac
HD
Select „Duplicate Project Only‟
Deselect „Include Render Files‟

5. Duplicating the Project
Name the copy:
Select the duplicate project
and rename the project
„Zero to Hero_V2‟
Open this project into the
Timeline.
Press Shift Z to fit all the
project clips into the
timeline.

6. Removing Clip
Selections & Adding
Gaps
• Get the pacing right
on your primary
story line.
• Get the pacing right
first, then worry
about B-roll
Primary Story
Line

7. Removing Clip
Selections & Adding
Gaps
• Remove a range or
ranges of material
from a clip or clips
• Dividing a clip
• Adding gaps (to be
filled later)
Setting the pace

8. To-do and Completed
Markers
• Used to mark specific points
in your Project
• Blue
Regular markers
• Marks areas that need
refinement
• Red
To-do markers
• Completed To-do markers
• Green
Done markers

9. Remove a Range
from a Clip
Skim to the first red marker and
zoom into that area.
With the skimmer on the first
red marker, press I to set an In
point.
FCP assumes you want the
Out point at the end of the clip.
In this case, that is correct.
Press Delete to perform a
ripple delete.

10. Removing Clip
Selections & Adding
Gaps
• Allows you to select not
just content from one
clip, but content from
neighboring clips as well
• A whole ‘range’ of
content can be selected.
The Range Tool
• Press R
Shortcut

11. Remove a Range
from More than One Clip
From the Tools pop-up menu
select the Range tool or press
R.
Play the first part of Tony
Schumacher clip and set a
marker (press M) just before he
begins his line, “Nobody wakes
up”
Snap the Range pointer to the
red marker and drag to your blue
marker.
Press Delete.

12. Lifting Content
• When you lift
material, the
project length
doesn’t change
• A gap is left in
the place where
the material was
Delete by
Lifting

13. Lifting Content
• The pacing is right,
but the content isn’t
• Leaves you a spot to
place new content
later
• Just don’t forget to
replace the gap
with real footage 
When lifting is
better than
ripple deleting

14. Lifting Content
Set the Timeline view to
show the audio.
Play the first part of the
Tony Pedregon clip.
-- he stalls before making
his point.
Skim to just after he says,
„the breed.‟

15. Lifting Content
Press B for the Blade tool and cut the clip at this location.
Skim to just after he says, „drag racer is‟ and click the blade
tool again at this spot.

16. Lifting Content
Press A for the selection tool.
Click the middle Tony click to select and press Shift-Delete.
-- the middle clip is replaced with a gap

17. Gaps
• You can delete a
gap clip or trim it
like a regular clip
• You can
overwrite it by
repositioning
another clip over
it
A gap as a
clip

18. Selection Tool vs.
Position Tool
• Manually places a clip at
a specific location
without involving other
clips
• No magnetic timeline
• If you drag on top of
another clip, it will
overwrite that clip
The Position Tool
• Press P
Shortcut

19. Lifting Content
In the Tools pop-up menu select the Position tool or press P.
Drag the second Tony clip to the left about halfway though the
gap clip and release.
Play the clips in this configuration.

20. Making a Point
with a Pause
• Another way to
refine a project’s
pace is to create a
dramatic pause
• To accentuate a
point you can insert
a gap clip.
Making a Pause

21. Dramatic Pause
Select the Selection tool – A
Play the Antron Brown clip.
Position the play head after he
says, „take the Wally home‟
Choose Edit > Insert
Generator > Gap
-- shortcut Option W
-- the remaining storyline opens to
allow for a new clip
-- 3-second gap is placed at the
play head location.

22. Trimming
• Deciding whether the
original Start and End
points are the best
selection of content of
placement.
Finessing a Clip
• What plays is what you
selected, but all the clip
content is still there if you
need it
What you see &
don’t see

23. Trimming
• Easy and fast
Trimming with the
Selection tool
• When you trim an edit point,
FCP adjusts the rest of the
timeline automatically
• Make an edit point longer,
FCP pushes content right to
make room
• Make an edit point shorter,
FCP closes the gap
The Ripple Effect

24. Trimming
In the Library select the
Delicious Peace_rough
project
Duplicate the project.
Rename the project
„Delicious Peace Done‟ and
load the project in the
timeline.

25. Trimming
Play though the VO7 point.
-- the VO finishes before 60
seconds, but the clips run past this
point.
-- we will trim some clips to get this
spot closer to 60 seconds.

26. Having a Look Around
With the skimmer a little bit
past the VO7 clip, press
Command + to zoom in a
few times to find the
„workers relaxing‟ clip.
Control click on the clip and
choose Open in Timeline
from the shortcut menu.

27. Having a Look Around
• The Timeline is now only
showing you the selected
clip
• The highlighted area is the
portion of the clip that
currently being used
• Darkened areas to the left
and right of the clip show
media from the clip that is
not being used (handles)
What you see

28. Having a Look Around
• Click the left Arrow button or press Command
[
Go back to Timeline

29. Make a Trim
To return to the project,
click the left History arrow
-- shortcut Command [
Find the „woman picks
beans‟ clip above VO_09
and zoom in.
--notice how the woman
looks up at the end.

30. Make a Trim
Move the pointer to the end
of that clip and select the
End edit point.
Drag left until the numerical
time code field reads about -
02:00
-- new duration in this case is 3:18
with 2 seconds shaved off the
original clip.

31. Make a Trim
Clean up the edit:
Select the end of VO_09
and trim it left just enough
to fit in front of VO_08 with
the other voice-overs.
Check your audio edit with
„play around‟ (Shift ?)

32. Creating a Storyline
• Combines a group of clips into one
• Any spaces between the clips will remain
Storyline
• Great for locking in audio to a set duration
• In this example the VOs will be locked together into
one clip
How it’s used

33. Create a Storyline
Select Shift Z so you can see the whole project.
Draw a rectangle to select all of the VO clips.
Control click one of the VO clips and choose „Create Storyline‟
from the shortcut menu.

34. Nudging an Edit Point
• Once you have the
edit point selected
you can nudge the
edit point left or right
with the , & . Keys
• (< or > keys)
Nudging
• Viewer will update
with the latest nudge
Visual cue

35. Nudge an Edit Point
Select the end of the
„Woman picks beans‟
and press the , and .
keys to nudge the clip to
just before she looks up
from the Viewer.

36. Checking Your Edit
• After changing your
edit point, press Shift
/ to play around the
current play head
position
• The amount of pre-roll
and post-roll is set in
Preferences
Play Around

37. Play Around the
Edit Point
Select FCP > Preferences
and select the Playback tab.
Change the Pre-roll and
Post-roll settings to 3.0
seconds.
Press Shift / to play around
the edit point.
-- playback will start 3 sec before
skimmer and play to 3 sec after
skimmer

38. Set up for Detailed
Trimming
In Preferences select the
Editing tab.
Make sure „Show detailed
trimming feedback‟ is
turned on.
-- allows you to see both clips at
the edit point you are trimming

39. Trimming Indicators
Move your pointer to the
next clip „man picks beans‟
and click on the Start edit
point.
Drag the edit point left and
right.
Notice the indications about
the changes you make.
Press Command Z to undo.

40. Trimming Indicators
• Amount of change
indicated in the pop-up
window
• Yellow bracket – handles
available
• Red bracket - out of media
Timeline
• Trimmed clip updates in
the Viewer
Viewer

41. Using the Play head as a
Trim Marker
• Use the play head to find a
spot where you can trim a
start or end point of a clip
Find the spot
• Drag the start or end point
to the play head
• With snapping turned on,
your cursor will snap to
the play head
Trim to the play head

42. Skim though the „man picks
beans‟ clip and find where
the man starts to lower the
beans into the bucket.
Click on the time meter
above the clip to set the play
head.
Drag the Start point to the
right and snap it to the play
head.
Using the Play head as a
Trim Marker

43. Trimming Shortcuts
• Option & right bracket
• Trims an End point to the skimmer location
Option ]
• Option & left bracket
• Trims a Start point to the skimmer location
Option [
• Press I and O to set a range in a clip
• Press Option to trim the head and tail material outside
the selection
Option

44. Skim the „dark beans
ground‟ clip above VO_7.
Press Command = (+) to
zoom in on the clip.
Move the skimmer just
before the camera zooms
out and press Option [
Press Command Z to undo.
Practice Some Trim
Shortcuts

45. Move the skimmer inside the
End point just before the
zoom out.
Press Option ] to trim the
End point.
Press Command Z to undo.
Practice Some Trim
Shortcuts

46. Move the skimmer inside the
Start point just before the
zoom out and set an In point.
Skim to just before the fast
zoom out and set an Out
point.
Press Option to trim the
head and tail material of the
clip.
Press Command Z to undo.
Practice Some Trim
Shortcuts

47. Extend Edit
• Takes an edit point
and extends it left or
right to the skimmer
location
What it does
• Shift X
Shortcut

48. Skim to the end of the
„xylophone music‟ clip and
click its End point.
Skim to the end of the VO_07
clip.
To shorten the music clip to
this location, press Shift X
Extend Edit

49. The Trim Tool
• Trims the clip
At the Start or End point
• Slips the clip
In the middle of the clip
• Slides the clip
Option key & middle of the
clip
• Rolls the edit
Between two clips

50. Zoom in to the first 2 clips of the map.
Select the Trim tool from the tools pop-up toolbar or select T.
Trim Edit with the
Trim Tool

51. Select the End point of the „map of Africa‟ clip and trim
right 1½ seconds.
Trim Edit with the
Trim Tool
Filmstrip = media start point on
Map of incoming Uganda clip

52. Roll Edit with the
Trim Tool
• Both the end point of
the outgoing clip and
the start point of the
incoming clip are
selected
• Moving (rolling) the
edit point does not
change the duration
of the project
Click on the edit
point

53. Select the edit point
between the two map clips
with the trim tool so both edit
points are selected.
Drag the edit right 15 frames
then back 15 frames.
Notice the changes in the
Viewer when you do this.
Roll Edit with the
Trim Tool
End point of
outgoing clip
Start point of
incoming clip

54. Play the „grind stone‟ and
„woman sweeps coffee‟
clips and zoom into that
area.
Roll the edit point left until
each clip shows both
hands on the grinding
stone
-- about -22 frames
Roll Edit with the
Trim Tool

55. Slip Edit with the
Trim Tool
• Changes what you
see or hear in the
clip without
changing where it
is in the timeline
• Does not change
the clip or project
duration
Change the
content

56. Zoom into the 3rd to the last
clip „workers relaxing‟
-- we will slip the contents so
we can see that woman in
red
Move the trim tool over the
middle of the clip so you see
the Slip icon.
Drag left until you first see
the red shirted arm. Then
drag left another 2 seconds
and release.
Slip Edit with the
Trim Tool
New start
point of clip
New end point
of clip

57. Shift Z to zoom out, then zoom
into the „man picks beans‟
clip.
Slip the clip as far as you can
to the right.
-- bring the man‟s smile into the
shot.
When you see the red start
point, you‟ve reached the
media start point and can‟t go
further.
Slip Edit with the
Trim Tool

58. Slide Edit with the
Trim Tool
• Slides a clip left or
right between the
two clips on either
side of it
• Doesn’t change
the clip or project
duration
Change the
clip position

59. Skim to the „making coffee‟
clip.
Press Shift / to play around
that area.
-- we will move this slide this clip
left until the woman sweeps the
beans 3 times.
Using the Viewer as a guide,
press option and slip the clip
left until the woman sweeping
beans has completed three
sweeps.
Slide Edit with the
Trim Tool

60. Trimming with Precision
• Look IN the edit
with the precision
editor for more
precise editing
• Allows you to
consider and
execute your trims
quickly and easily
Precision
Editor

61. In the Library select the
„Fairly Legal_rough‟
project, make a duplicate to
the Mac HD, then load it into
the timeline.
Trimming with Precision

62. Audio is important to see
when trimming so increase
the size of the audio
waveforms in the clips with
the Clip appearance button.
Trimming with Precision

63. Double-click the edit point
between the 1st two clips 4A-
1_110(A) and 4B-3_110(A) clips
to open the precision editor
--shortcut – select the edit point and
press Control E
Trimming with Precision

64. Trimming with Precision
• Outgoing clip on the top
• Incoming clip on the
bottom
• Play head at current edit
point
• Available media handles
of each clip appear
darker
• You know what you
have to work with
What you see

65. Trimming with Precision
• The end point of the
outgoing clip
• The start point of the
incoming clip
• The combined timing
between them
3 things to
consider

66. Selecting what to View
• Put pointer over the dark
gray area between the
upper and lower clip
• Skim or press the
spacebar
• Pointer icon
Play the edit point
• Move the pointer over that
clip
• Skim or press the
spacebar
• Hand icon
Play the outgoing
clip & handles

67. Zoom in and play through
the edit.
The judge says „other
detritus of justice‟ twice.
We will keep the line on
Kate‟s camera, but trim it off
on the wide shot.
On the outgoing clip find the
spot right after „other‟ but
before „detritus of justice‟
Trimming with Precision

68. Select the outgoing clip at
this point and drag it right to
the edit point.
On the incoming clip move
the hand to the spot just
after „other‟ but before
„detritus of justice‟
Click with the hand tool. The
edit updates at the hand
position.
Trimming with Precision

69. Select the middle dark gray
area at the edit point.
Press Shift / to play around
the edit point.
Select the outgoing or
incoming edit points and use
the nudge keys ( , . ) to clean
up the dialogue.
Trimming with Precision

70. Rolling with Precision
• Click on the edit line
handle
• Both edit points are
selected
Rolling with the
precision editor

71. Rolling with Precision
Click on the edit line
handle to prepare to roll.
Drag the edit line handle
left about 5 frames so the
Viewer shows Kate holding
the book closer to her
chest.
-- looks OK, but dialogue is off
now.
Press Command Z to
undo.

72. Rolling with Precision
• Sometimes rolling the
edit will throw off the
video or audio timing
between the two clips
• Expand the clip, then
roll only the video will
fix the problem
Rolling only the
video or the
audio

73. Rolling with Precision
Close the editor and press A
to switch to the Selection
tool.
Control click the the second
clip 4B-3_110(A) and choose
„Expand Audio/Video‟
-- shortcut – Control S
Select the first clip and do
the same thing.

74. Rolling with Precision
Select the Trim tool (T) and
select the edit point between
these two clips.
Drag right @2 seconds until
you see a good match
between Kate‟s actions
where she‟s reaching for the
files on the desk in each
frame.

75. Shortcuts:
• Expand Audio/VideoControl S
• Insert a gap clipOption W
• Trim the End point and remove all frames
to the right of the skimmer location
Option ]
• Trim the Start point and remove all frames
to the left of the skimmer location
Option [
• Lift an item or section from the Timeline
and leave a gap
Shift Delete
• Play around an editShift /

76. Homework Assignment:
Do what the pros do:
Your job is to fix the rest of
this scene using the Trim,
Roll and Precision Editor
so the dialogue flows
smoothly.
Share as an Apple Devices
720p at the smallest
resolution and save as (your
name) Lesson 6.m4v to the
desktop and then post on
iTunes U in the Homework

77. Lesson 6:
Fine-Tuning the Rough Cut
Apple Pro Training Series
2nd Edition, Final Cut Pro X
Instructor: Sam Edsall