Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 1476)

Conforming Sequence Settings to Match a Clip’s Settings
Although Final Cut Pro can play back mixed-format sequences, you should still try to
match clip and sequence settings so that less rendering is required before output. The
first time you add a clip to a sequence, Final Cut Pro can automatically conform your
sequence video settings to match the settings of the clip.
Choosing Automatic Sequence Conform Options
In the Editing tab of the User Preferences window, the “Auto conform sequence” pop-up
menu allows you to determine what happens when the first clip is added to the sequence:
• Ask: Final Cut Pro presents a dialog asking if you want to conform your sequence
settings to those of the first clip you add. Clicking Yes in this dialog conforms the
sequence settings to the current clip settings. Clicking No does not change the sequence
settings, but the clip is still added. This option is chosen by default.
• Always: The sequence settings are automatically conformed to the settings of the first
clip added. No dialog appears.
• Never: Sequence settings are never affected by the first clip added.
Rules for Automatic Sequence Conforming
When automatic sequence conforming is turned on, the following rules apply when you
add a clip to an empty sequence:
• Only video sequence settings are conformed to the clip settings; audio sequence
settings are never conformed.
• If the clip settings do not match any sequence presets, Final Cut Pro warns you that
your new sequence settings will be conformed to custom settings that may not be
compatible with your input and output devices.
• If the edited clip uses a codec that is not supported by Final Cut Pro or is not available
on your system, the sequence is not conformed to the clip settings.
• Clips copied from the Browser and pasted into a sequence can also trigger automatic
sequence conforming.
• Nesting a sequence into an empty sequence triggers automatic sequence conforming.
• Editing multiple clips into an empty sequence can trigger automatic sequence
conforming, but only when all of the edited clips have matching settings.
To automatically conform sequence settings to the settings of the first clip added to
the sequence
1 Choose File > New > Sequence (or press Command-N) to create a new sequence.
2 Double-click the new sequence to open it in the Timeline.
3 Select a clip whose settings do not match those of the sequence, then drag it to the
sequence.
1476 Chapter 86 Working with Mixed-Format Sequences