Apple Final Cut Express 4 - Manual (Page 925)

Chapter 58 Working with Mixed-Format Sequences 925
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If a clip’s media file frame rate is faster than the sequence frame rate:
Final Cut Express drops frames of the clip’s media file as necessary to create the
appearance of playback at the sequence frame rate. Because frames are skipped, you
won’t always be able to trim these clips with frame accuracy. In those cases, you may
want to open the original clip in the Viewer to set a specific In or Out point before
editing the clip into the sequence.
Issues When Working with Mixed Frame Rates
When you add a clip to a sequence and the frame rates don’t match, Final Cut Express
places the clip as accurately as possible in the Timeline. However, because of the
differences between some frame rates, there may be a one-frame shift on either the
In or Out point of the clip. This is normal behavior caused by the limitations of
mixed-frame-rate editing. After you add a nonmatching clip to a sequence, always
check to make sure your clip In and Out points appear the way you want, and adjust
them if necessary.
Copying and pasting clips from one sequence to another can also create
mixed-frame-rate scenarios. Frame rate errors can accrue if you repeatedly copy
sequence clips to new sequences with nonmatching frame rates. When possible, it’s
always better to edit with master clips from the Browser instead of dragging clips
between sequences.
Working with Subclips in Mixed-Frame-Rate Sequences
In cases where a subclip’s frame rate and a sequence’s frame rate do not match, adding
the subclip to the sequence may cause the subclip limits to be adjusted and new clip
In and Out points to be set. These adjustments ensure that the edit you perform has
the starting and ending frames you would expect.
You can verify that the subclip limits have been adjusted by comparing the following
Browser columns before and after you add a subclip to a sequence with a nonmatching
frame rate:
 Media Start
 Media End
 In
 Out
If any of these clip properties are adjusted when you perform an edit with a subclip,
Final Cut Express displays a dialog to notify you.