Final Cut Pro X Tutorial: The 7 Best Tips For Beginners

In this practical tip, we will give you the best beginner tips for starting with the video editing program Final Cut Pro.

1. Set up Final Cut Pro X

Download the Final Cut Pro X software to create complex and professional video cuts.

Final Cut Pro X assumes when creating a new project that your videos are already in the format and quality that your finished film should have.
However, since this is often not the case, you should select the "Adapted" item under "Video properties" when creating a new project. Now you can select the desired format as well as a suitable resolution and frame rate.

Final Cut Pro X copies all the clips you work with directly into your project. This takes up a lot of storage space and makes cutting painfully slow on older computers. You should therefore select "Settings" at the bottom of the "Final Cut Pro" tab and switch to "Playback". Select the "Render in the background" item here.
Then go to "Import" and select "Leave media in its original location" so that your video clips are not copied to the Final Cut library. With powerful hardware you can leave the settings untouched.

Before you actually start cutting, you should make sure that the clips are sorted and titled properly. First name all clips correctly and meaningfully.
To do this, you can show the "Keyword editor" in the "Mark" tab so that you can find your clips again later. Final Cut sorts the clips into folders and events. Use this option to sort your clips according to locations.

If possible, use so-called In and Out points when cutting in Final Cut Pro X. This allows you to set a start and end time in each clip. This way you insert only the part of the clip that lies between the two points and can remove the flap at the beginning of a clip.
To do this, play a clip in the media browser at the top left and use the "I" and "O" buttons to set your points. Alternatively, you can also drag the mouse over the clip preview, the area between the two points is then marked in yellow.

Use iTunes integration to add music to your project. You can use the music icon in the overview bar on the right to open the music library, which also shows your iTunes library.

If you have a clip in which the color does not match the others, you can change it with the "Adjust color" tool. To do this, select the clip and click the magic wand in the middle bar. Choose "Balance Color". However, you should only use this function in an emergency; you still have to make sure that the settings are correct when filming.

If you want your film to be published on YouTube, select the "Share" item under "Filing" and then "YouTube". You can save time when uploading and coding.