Apple Final Cut Pro 6 User Manual
Page 1689
206
Leader Elements
 Color Bars: Adds color bars and a 1 kilohertz (kHz) reference tone, preset to
–12 decibels (dB). Color bars at the beginning of your tape allow the recipients to
calibrate their equipment to match the color levels and values that your system used
when outputting your program. The reference tone lets the recipients properly adjust
audio levels during playback.
For more information on creating a mix with proper levels, see Volume III, Chapter 3,
“Evaluating Levels with Audio Meters.”
When the current device control preset has a frame rate of 25 fps (PAL), you can
select the Full Frame Bars option. When you select this option, full-frame bars are
output to tape. When this option is not selected, SMPTE bars are output.
Note: If the current device control preset does not have a frame rate of 25 fps, this
option is unavailable.
 Black: Adds the specified number of seconds of black between the color bars and
slate, or at the beginning of the clip or sequence if you aren’t adding color bars.
 Slate: Adds a slate with information about your movie. Choose the slate source from
the pop-up menu. The slate can be the clip or sequence name, text you type in a
field, or a specified text, PICT, or QuickTime file on disk. A slate should contain
information such as:
 The title of your program
 Relevant production credits indicating ownership of the content (such as the
producer, director, editor, and post-production facility)
 The total run time (TRT) of your program
 The starting timecode number. This is useful if you’re using a high-end video deck to
do an insert edit of your program onto a tape with pre-striped timecode. In this case,
also indicate whether drop frame (DF) or non-drop frame (NDF) timecode is used.
 The date on which the tape is output
 Black: Adds the specified number of seconds of black between the slate and countdown.
 Countdown: Adds a countdown before your movie. You can use the 10-second
built-in SMPTE standard countdown or choose a custom countdown. Countdowns
are generally used when you deliver a tape to a television or cable station for
broadcast, or to an audio post-production facility doing your final audio mix.
Note: If you choose a custom QuickTime file as your countdown, its duration should
conform to SMPTE specifications.