Final Cut Pro Study Questions

Front 1

Describe the three post-production workflow phases in Final Cut Pro.

Back 1

Import: The ingest process of storing your story’s source media files and organizing the clips that represent those source files. Edit: The creative process of assembling, trimming, and effecting clips to tell a story. Share: The export process of distributing your completed story to various platforms.

Front 2

When Final Cut Pro asks if you want to update your projects and events to Final Cut Pro X 10.1, what options are available?

Back 2

The options presented are to upgrade all projects and events into one library per volume, to allow you to selectively upgrade now, or to return to the upgrade process later.

Front 3

Should you update any post-production software during an editing job in progress?

Back 3

A common practice in the post-production industry is to not update software, and in some cases hardware, while working on an editing job.

Front 4

Which of these three is the largest media container: Clip, event, or library?

Back 4

The library is the largest of the media containers.

Front 5

Describe possible organizational criteria for sorting clips and projects into events.

Back 5

The criteria are whatever you choose: A scene of a film, a segment of a news-magazine show, a webisode, stock footage, raw media from an SD card, all versions of the projects, and so on. An event is a flexible storage container that can be as all-encompassing or as granularly compartmentalized as your raw media and projects.

Front 6

Name and describe the built-in command for backing up camera media files.

Back 6

The Create Archive command creates a clone of your source media device, preserving the folder structure and metadata along with the source media files.

Front 7

Where should you store camera archives?

Back 7

Camera archives may be stored anywhere. However, to reduce the chance of a single-point failure taking down an entire editing job, camera archives should be stored on a volume physically separate from the media storage volume you use for editing.

Front 8

What two views are available in the Media Import window, and when are the two views available?

Back 8

Filmstrip and list view. The two views are available when importing from a recognized camera card file structure. Otherwise, only the list view is available in the browser of the Media Import window.

Front 9

What setting on the Zoom slider in filmstrip view allows you to see each clip as a single thumbnail?

Back 9

All. The setting defines the time length represented by each thumbnail of the clip.

Front 10

What keyboard shortcuts or modified-skimming keys let you mark multiple range selections within a clip?

Back 10

The keyboard shortcuts are Command-Shift-I and Command-Shift-O. Holding down Command while skimming a clip also marks ranges.

Front 11

Fill in the blank: With the ”Create optimized media” option selected, Final Cut Pro X transcodes imported media to the ________ codec.

Back 11

Apple ProRes 422

Front 12

When dragging items from the Finder to an event, where do you set the option to copy (or not copy) the photo into the Library?

Back 12

Final Cut Pro > Preferences

Front 13

You’re about to import source media files grouped into various folders. Which Media Import option must be selected to replicate the folder structure within an event?

Back 13

“From folders”

Front 14

When applying keywords to a clip, may keywords be overlapped?

Back 14

Yes

Front 15

Which inspector can you use to add notes to a clip?

Back 15

The Info inspector

Front 16

All clips start with which rating assigned?

Back 16

Unrated

Front 17

What default filter setting prevents Rejected clip ranges from appearing in the Browser?

Back 17

Hide Rejected

Front 18

You’re trying to find a clip you imported into the library. How can you find it?

Back 18

In the Libraries pane, select the Library. From the Filter pop-up menu, choose All Clips. Clear the Browser’s search field.

Front 19

What procedure is necessary to search an event using a combination of keywords?

Back 19

Keyword combinations are searchable only by clicking the magnifying glass in the search field and using the Keywords criteria rule in the Filter HUD.

Front 20

How do you edit the criteria rules for an existing Smart Collection?

Back 20

In the Libraries pane, double-click the Smart Collection.

Front 21

At what point in the workflow may a clip be assigned a role?

Back 21

Clips may be assigned a role at any time in the workflow. However, roles assigned to clips shortly after import are carried with the clip throughout the editing workflow.

Front 22

What do the Automatic Settings do when creating a new project?

Back 22

Automatic Settings conform the project’s resolution and frame rate to the first video clip added to the project.

Front 23

Where are projects stored?

Back 23

Projects are stored within a designated event.

Front 24

Which toolbar button performs an append edit?

Back 24

The append edit button

Front 25

In the image below, what do the green-, blue-, and purple-colored stripes overlaying the clip identify?

Back 25

Favorite, user-applied keyword, and analysis keyword

Front 26

When in filmstrip view, which modifier key do you hold down to edit clips into the project in the order that you select the clips in the Browser?

Back 26

Command

Front 27

When performing an insert edit, what marks the Timeline location for the edit: The playhead or the skimmer?

Back 27

The skimmer, if active. Otherwise, the playhead.

Front 28

Which two interface items provide additional skimming precision in the Browser?

Back 28

With the Zoom slider, you can see more clip content horizontally, and with Clip Appearance, you can increase clip height and hide and view waveforms.

Front 29

With the primary storyline determining the project’s timing, what generic clip can be inserted to “create” time between storyline clips?

Back 29

A gap clip

Front 30

To append edit a clip into a connected story, what must be selected and what must not be selected before pressing E?

Back 30

The connected storyline’s handle must be selected, but not any clip inside the connected storyline.

Front 31

Identify the interface element that displays the Audio meters.

Back 31

Show/hide the audio meters in the Timeline pane.

Front 32

Which interface element can you use to export a file of your project that’s compatible with iOS and Apple TV?

Back 32

The share pop-up menu

Front 33

Describe the results of using the following commands: “Duplicate Project as Snapshot,” and Duplicate Project.

Back 33

Duplicate Project: Creates a “live” version that updates its compound and multicam clips used in other projects. “Duplicate Project as Snapshot”: Produces a complete freeze of the project at the time of the duplication.

Front 34

Which replace edit command replaces the project clip using the duration of the browser clip: Replace, “Replace from Start,” or “Replace from End”?

Back 34

The Replace edit command

Front 35

Identify and define (from left to right) the four buttons in the image below.

Back 35

Skimming (S): Enable/disable the video skimmer. Audio Skimming (Shift-S): Enable/disable audio skimming (skimming must be enabled). Solo (Option-S): Monitor the audio playback of the selected clip(s). Snapping (N): Magnetically align the skimmer/playhead while dragging to the start of clips, keyframes, and markers.

Front 36

In the image below, what action results from the displayed indication in the Dashboard?

Back 36

The playhead will move three seconds to the left. This adjustment was performed by pressing Control-P.

Front 37

What command was invoked in the project displayed in the image below?

Back 37

The Solo command, Option-S

Front 38

Which tool repositions storyline clips relative to time, allowing a clip to overwrite other clips?

Back 38

Position tool

Front 39

Where may you assign a role to a clip?

Back 39

Roles may be assigned in the Info inspector or in the Modify menu.

Front 40

What icon badge identifies an audition clip?

Back 40

A spotlight badge identifies and is an access point to an audition clip.

Front 41

What command was used in the scenario shown below?

Back 41

Trim to Selection, Option-\

Front 42

Which interface items allow access to the Custom Speed window?

Back 42

Retime pop-up menu and retime editor

Front 43

What command allows you to experiment with a storyline clip’s retiming without creating a rippling effect on later clips in the storyline?

Back 43

Use the “Lift from Storyline” command to convert the clip to a connected clip. With this command, you can change the speed and duration of the clip without disturbing later clips.

Front 44

You’ve manually set the retiming rate for a clip, but at this rate, the clip is too long for the time slot in the project. Which interface item allows you to trim the clip without changing the playback speed?

Back 44

Ripple trim changes the clip’s duration without changing the set speed rate.3

Front 45

How do you access an effect’s parameters to adjust the look (or sound) of that effect?

Back 45

First, the effect must be applied to a project clip. Second, the clip must be selected or the playhead cued over the clip to access the parameters in the Inspector pane.

Front 46

What are the steps to reset an effect’s parameters, disable the effect, and delete an effect from a clip?

Back 46

Reset the parameters by clicking the effect’s Reset button (the hooked arrow).

Front 47

How do you replace a project transition with a transition from the Transition Browser?

Back 47

You may drag the new transition to the existing transition similar to performing a replace edit. Or, with the existing transition selected, double-click the new transition in the Transition Browser.

Front 48

Which two interface elements may be used to activate the Viewer’s onscreen Transform controls?

Back 48

In the Viewer and

Front 49

Describe the difference between Paste and Paste Attributes.

Back 49

Paste: Applies the copied clip and its attributes, similar to a replace edit. Paste Attributes: Allows you to select the desired attributes of the copied clip—such as a particular effect or a specific parameter such as speed—to apply to another clip.

Front 50

How do you access the individual components of a compound clip?

Back 50

Double-click the compound clip

Front 51

What happens when you double-click a title in a project?

Back 51

The title is selected, the playhead cues to a frame where the text elements are visible, and the first line of text is automatically selected, ready for text entry.

Front 52

What key should be pressed to exit text entry in the Viewer?

Back 52

Press the Escape key to exit text entry

Front 53

What type of audio clip may be trimmed at the subframe level?

Back 53

An audio-only, connected clip or an audio/video expanded clip may be trimmed at the subframe level.

Front 54

What modifier key used with the Select tool will create audio keyframes?

Back 54

Option

Front 55

What command creates a split edit without creating an accidental sync offset in the Timeline?

Back 55

Expand Audio/Video

Front 56

What function turns the skimmer into an “audio solo” skimmer?

Back 56

Clip Skimming

Front 57

Where can you switch a clip’s audio channels from stereo to dual mono?

Back 57

With the clip selected, the Channel Configuration section of the Audio inspector

Front 58

What tool prepares a section of an audio clip to receive four keyframes?

Back 58

Range Selection

Front 59

Compare the difference between a color balance based on Not Analyzed and Analyzed status.

Back 59

Color balancing a Not Analyzed clip will create the color balance calculation based on the frame under the playhead. With an Analyzed clip, the color balance correction is based on the average color cast in the entire clip.

Front 60

Which video scope measures brightness (luma) based on the grayscale of the entire image?

Back 60

Waveform

Front 61

Looking at a clip’s image in the Viewer, the brightest parts of the image have a slight blue tint. How do you remove the tint?

Back 61

In the Color Board, drag the Highlights puck toward positive yellow, or drag the Highlights puck down toward negative blue.

Front 62

Which Share window button do you click to display the compatible platforms for the current export settings?

Back 62

The Share window's compatibilty checker.

Front 63

When sharing to an online host, which interface item displays details about the upload’s progress?

Back 63

Click the Background Tasks button in the Dashboard to see details of the upload’s progress.

Front 64

Where can you find a history of a project’s shared instances?

Back 64

With the project selected in the Browser, look in the Share inspector

Front 65

Which destination preset allows you to distribute to multiple platforms in a single share session?

Back 65

The Bundle destination preset

Front 66

Which Master File Settings parameter allows you to export audio stems from inside a QuickTime movie?

Back 66

Roles as: Multitrack QuickTime Movie

Front 67

What export command outputs your project to a file format readable by several third-party applications?

Back 67

File > Export Project XML

Front 68

Name two export methods that utilize Compressor custom settings.

Back 68

The Compressor Settings destination preset in the Share pop- up menu and the File > Send to Compressor command

Front 69

Of the two export methods described in question 7, which one uses Compressor’s distribute processing capabilities?

Back 69

File > Send to Compressor

Front 70

Define and compare managed media and external media.

Back 70

Managed media files gives Final Cut Pro the responsibility of storing your source media files inside the library you designate. Storing media externally saddles you with the responsibility of watching over the source media files. In either case, you determine where the media files are physically stored. The difference is who’s responsible for tracking that media: Final Cut Pro or you.

Front 71

How is external media referenced in an event?

Back 71

External media is referenced inside an event through the use of symlinks.

Front 72

What media storage selection do you choose to define media as external?

Back 72

The first answer is “Leave files in place”; however, “Copy files into” can designate an external folder outside a library, which would also result in external media.

Front 73

How can you find the File Information section shown in the image below?

Back 73

With the event selected in the Libraries pane, you’ll find File Information in the Info inspector.

Front 74

When archiving or preparing a library for transport, describe a few tasks you should complete.

Back 74

Consolidate the library as a managed library, delete render files, and don’t include optimized or proxy media.

Front 75

Which project Video Properties parameter must be selected to edit in a nonnative video resolution?

Back 75

The Format parameter must be set to Custom using the manual settings.

Front 76

Identify the default render format in Final Cut Pro.

Back 76

Apple ProRes 422

Front 77

What command creates a compound clip that synchronizes a video clip and an audio clip recorded on separate devices?

Back 77

Synchronize Clips

Front 78

What command allows you to manually adjust the synchronization of audio and video within a clip?

Back 78

Open in Timeline

Front 79

In what vertical order should clips be placed for compositing?

Back 79

The foreground clip should be placed in a lane above the background clip.

Front 80

In the Keyer effect, what parameter should you set to disable the auto-keyer and gain manual control over the settings?

Back 80

Set the Strength slider to 0

Front 81

Fill in the blank: Double-clicking a multicam clip opens the ________.

Back 81

Angle Editor

Front 82

What button do you click to display a multicam clip’s angles for monitoring and to choose the active angle during playback?

Back 82

Clicking Show Angles reveals the Angle Viewer

Front 83

What do the three active angle colors indicate?

Back 83

Yellow indicates the active video and audio angle. Blue indicates the active video angle. Green indicates the active audio angle.