Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 1494)

• Logging clip information without media: You can modify clip properties such as log
notes, comments, labels, and even In and Out points without the associated media
files. This means you can organize your clips and sequences even though your current
editing system may not have the media files.
• Trading projects without media files: A Final Cut Pro project file contains clips and
sequences, but not media files. Because a project file is so small, you can email or post
your project file online. Anyone who has the corresponding media files can open the
project file and reconnect the clips to the local media files.
Making a movie is a tremendous logistical undertaking. It’s the execution of the details
that ultimately determines the quality of the finished product. What does it matter how
good the lead actress’s performance was in the third take of scene 2 if you can’t find it
among a thousand other shots? And what use is a week of fine-tune editing, frame by
frame, if the final sequence is improperly assembled by the negative cutter because of a
faulty edit decision list that you provided?
Final Cut Pro has incredibly versatile media management options, allowing you to
customize your workflow to fit the needs of your project.
Reasons to Use Media Management
Computers are very effective for sorting and organizing information, much more so than
scraps of paper and handwritten notes. This isn’t to say you should dispense with these
basic tools—most editors still use them prolifically. However, mastering management of
your media, clips, and notes in Final Cut Pro is critical for an efficient editing workflow.
• Browser: A virtual media database for sorting, categorizing, and commenting on clips.
• Find command: Allows you to quickly search a sequence or project for any clip based
on any criterion.
• Media Manager: A powerful clip and media file processor for duplicating, removing,
and recompressing media files, as well as clips and sequences in your project.
• Recapturing and reconnecting: You can recapture or reconnect clips to new media files
at any time you want. The connection between clips and media files is easy to change,
making Final Cut Pro one of the most flexible media editing systems available.
• Finder (in Mac OS X): You can sort, view, and archive media files directly in the Finder
(or QuickTime Player) because Final Cut Pro works directly with QuickTime media files.
1494 Chapter 87 Media Management