Apple Final Cut Express HD: Getting Started - Manual (Page 19)

Chapter 2 Getting to Know Your Editing Environment 19
What Is a Clip?
A clip is the basic unit of media that you use to create sequences in
Final Cut Express HD. Clips can be movies, still images, generators, and audio files. A
clip is not the actual media file, but a reference to the media file stored on your
computer’s hard disk. Clips are the building blocks from which all sequences are
created.
The three kinds of clips you’ll see most often are audio, video, and graphics clips, but
there are other kinds of clips that can be created within Final Cut Express HD. You can
also subdivide a clip into separate pieces, called subclips, to further organize your
footage.
What Is a Bin?
A bin is a folder inside of the project that can contain clips, transitions, effects, and
generators. You use bins to organize these elements, sort them, add comments,
rename items, and so on. This creates a logical structure for your projects, making your
media easier to manage.
Bins exist only in project files. Changes you make to the contents of a bin, such as
deleting, moving, and renaming clips or renaming the bin itself, have no effect on the
original files or folders on your computer’s hard disk where the source material is
stored. If you delete a clip from a bin, it is not deleted from the disk. Likewise, creating
a new bin does not create a new folder on your disk.
You can create separate bins for different stages of your project or to separate your
original and production footage. You can organize bins hierarchically and open them in
their own windows. You can even put bins inside other bins.
To add a new bin to a project:
1 In the Browser, click the project tab where you want to add a bin.
2 Do one of the following:
• Choose File > New > Bin.
• Control-click the Name column, then choose New Bin from the shortcut menu.
• Press Command-B
A new folder appears in the Browser with Bin [number] highlighted.
3 Enter a name for the new bin.
What Is a Sequence?
A sequence is a container where you edit together a series of clips to create a new
movie. Sequences can be a maximum of four hours in length. A sequence can contain
your entire movie, or your movie can be composed of several sequences. You can have
multiple sequences within a project; sequences can also be used as source clips and
edited into other sequences. You cannot save sequences outside a project, but you can
export them as movies or clips.