Final Cut Express 4

Product Overview November 2007
Product Overview Final Cut Express 4

Contents

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Welcome to Final Cut Express 4 More Powerful Video Editing for DV, HDV, and AVCHD A Workflow That Grows with You Expanded Creative Capabilities More Than One Way to Show Off Selected New Features Use Movies Captured from AVCHD Camcorders Mix Different Formats in a Timeline Expand Your Effects for Visually Rich Looking Movies Bring Your iMovie 08 Projects into Final Cut Express 4 Getting Footage into Your Computer Capture Your Footage Easy Asset Management A Tour of the Editing Environment The Browser: Get an Overview of Your Assets The Viewer: Select Assets and Preview Changes The Timeline: Put the Pieces in Place The Canvas: See It All Come Together Customize the Interface: Work the Way You Want The Autosave Vault: Save Your Stuff Powerful Editing with Final Cut Express Make Professional Edits Refine Your Edits with Trimming Add Transitions and Effects Compositing and Titles Use Multiple Video Layers Speak with Titles Audio Real-Time Audio Filters Precise Controls Voice Over Tool

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Finding Your Audience Print to Video Create a DVD Export Video for the Web Product Features Product Availability and Support Pricing Availability System Requirements Support

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Welcome to Final Cut Express 4
Final Cut Express 4 is the perfect video editing tool for videomakers who want creative freedom and professional-quality results. It allows seamless movement between editing, trimming, adding effects, and mixing audio in a single drag-and-drop interface. With the entire Final Cut Express toolset at their fingertips for simultaneously editing DV, HDV, and now AVCHD,1 video enthusiasts, students, and aspiring filmmakers can keep up with the HD revolution. New features in Final Cut Express 4 include: Capture movies from AVCHD camcorders Open Format Timeline Expand your creativity with new effects including FxPlug support Export your iMovie 08 projects directly to Final Cut Express
More Powerful Video Editing for DV, HDV, and AVCHD
Capture clips from your camcorder over a single FireWire or USB cable, then use the new Open Format Timeline in Final Cut Express 4 to edit together DV, HDV, and AVCHD material, even if they have different frame rates. Fine-tune your choices with professional ripple, roll, slip, and slide editing functions, either in the Timeline or a dedicated Trim window. And when it comes time to add effects, Dynamic RT lets you instantly preview effects, filters, transitions, and multistream composites in real time without rendering.
A Workflow That Grows with You
Final Cut Express is designed to provide a simple, straightforward workflow. Capturing video, editing clips, and adding transitions or effects are all a click away in the intuitive, drag-and-drop interface. In addition, you can customize the interface by setting window configurations, adding shortcut buttons, and resizing track sizes and asset thumbnails to fit your preferences and streamline your workflow.
Expanded Creative Capabilities
Adding professional finishing touches to your video is possible through fine control of more than 200 transitions, filters, and effects. Combined with compositing, titling, and keyframing, they give you the ability to create visually rich, dynamic video projects. Get ready to expand your creative options too, because Final Cut Express 4 supports thirdparty FxPlug filters and effects, the same plug-in architecture used by Final Cut Studio. And audio is not forgotten, as Final Cut Express provides 99 audio tracks with powerful sound editing tools and more than a dozen audio filters.

Bring Your iMovie 08 projects into Final Cut Express 4
Moving from iMovie 08 to Final Cut Express is easy: iMovie projects can be exported directly to Final Cut Expresswith all of their cuts and dissolve transitions intact. All you do is open the Final Cut XML document and start using the advanced functions of Final Cut Express to enhance your iMovie 08 projects.
Getting Footage into Your Computer

Capture Your Footage

Capturing video with Final Cut Express is quick and easy. Simply connect a supported camcorder or deck to your Mac using a FireWire or USB cable, then select Capture (or Log and Transfer for AVCHD content). The single FireWire cable carries the video and audio data and manages all device control. When capturing from DV cameras using FireWire (IEEE 1394), Final Cut Express transfers the data directly from the tape to the computers hard drive. HDV and AVCHD are transferred over Firewire or USB and converted into the highly efficient and frame-accurate Apple Intermediate Codec format.
DV Log and Capture Controls When you capture footage from a DV tape, the Capture window helps you scan through the videotape to select good shots, label them for future reference, and add notes about each clip. Use the mouse and jog button or JKL keyboard commands to control playback from the camcorder. Set In and Out points, then click Capture Clip to capture the footage to your hard disk.
Preview area. View video as you log or capture it. This area contains playback and marking controls and a timecode field. Clip description. Log relevant information about clips so that you can manage and organize your video resources. Capture buttons. Capture Clip captures video one clip at a time from a DV camcorder or deck with device control. Using Capture Now, you can capture live video, video from camcorders or decks that lack device control, or video from a device-controllable camcorder or deck. Final Cut Express splits the video into individual clips at scene breaks and names them sequentially. With the Capture Project button, you can capture all items in your project from a camcorder or a deck with device control.
Working with HD movies High-definition video support in Final Cut Express 4 lets you be a part of the HD revolution. Final Cut Express is able to edit the HDV and AVCHD files that comes in over FireWire or USB by means of the Apple Intermediate Codec, Apples encoding technology designed specifically for editing HDV and AVCHD content with iMovie 08 and Final Cut Express 4. You can use the table below to estimate how much disk space you need for your project.
Width Height Frame rate Megabits per second Gigabytes per hour DV Output QuickTime 29.97 3.Apple Intermediate Codec30p 1080 60i 14 49
HDV Capture Control Capturing video from an HDV camcorder or deck is a quick and easy process. Final Cut Express prompts you to name the clip, then you simply click the Capture button. Capture begins from where the tape is queued and continues until you choose to stop.

The Viewer

Tabs. Tabs provide access to different functions and controls. Editing and marking controls. These controls let you set markers, In and Out points, and keyframes, and match audio and video for clips and sequences. Transport controls. These buttons let you play clips and sequences. Playhead, clip, and sequence controls. These three controls are used to navigate through and play clips and sequences at speeds other than 100 percent playback speed.
The Timeline: Put the Pieces in Place
The Timeline is where you choose the order of clips in your movie, determine the relationship between those clips, and perform various editing operations. Clips are arranged in tracks according to when they will play in time. Support for multiple tracks means that multiple clips, both audio and video, can play simultaneously. Add clips to the Timeline by dragging them directly to a track or by using the overlay controls in the Canvas. Position clips at a time value to specify exactly when the clips will play in the video. Rearrange clips until they are exactly the way you want them. Final Cut Express uses an Open Format Timeline, which allows clips from DV, HDV, and AVCHD camcorders to be edited together in the same movie. Final Cut Express will automatically correct the frame rate and frame size to match the sequence settings.

The Timeline 1

1 Tabs. The Timeline displays a chronological view of an open sequence. Each sequence has its own tab. You can have multiple sequences open at once. 2 Video tracks. Video tracks are displayed in descending order. The order in the Timeline determines the layering order when you composite multiple tracks of video.
Audio tracks. A sequence can have up to 99 audio tracks. Markers. Add markers to indicate important events, to create chapters for DVD navigation, and to optimize video encoding. Solo and mute controls. Use these controls to enable and disable audio playback on individual tracks for monitoring purposes.
The Canvas: See It All Come Together
The Canvas displays the results of your editing decisions, including effects and Timeline arrangement. All edited clips on the Timeline are played back in the Canvas. Anytime a change is made, a clip added, or an effect created, the Canvas can be used to preview or view that edit; the Canvas represents your final project output. Controls to play, stop, fast forward, and rewind the projects Timeline are built into the Canvas window.

The Canvas also provides one-step transition and superimpose when adding clips to the Timeline. Drag a clip from the Browser or the Viewer onto the Canvas, and edit options become available as an overlay graphic. Simply drag the clip onto an option to implement that edit in the Timeline. Options include insert, insert with transition, overwrite, overwrite with transition, replace, fit to fill, and superimpose. Insert editing places the selected video or audio so that everything after the insertion point, on any unlocked track, shifts forward in the Timeline. Overwrite editing places the clip in the Timeline at the playhead and overwrites any clips that exist in the space needed for that clip to fit in the Timeline. Replace editing replaces the clip under the playhead or a gap in the Timeline with the new clip. Enough of the clips material, starting at the beginning or at the In point, is used to fit the space exactly. Fit-to-fill editing replaces the clip under the playhead or fills a gap in the Timeline with the selected clip. The new clips speed changes to fill the space exactly. Superimpose editing places the new clips video and audio onto tracks adjacent to the clip under the playhead in the Timeline.
Customize the Interface: Work the Way You Want
Final Cut Express is extremely flexible, allowing you to work in the manner that suits you. Wherever possible, the user interface is context sensitive and provides multiple ways to accomplish a given task: by mouse (drag and drop), with a button in the interface, through a menu command, or with contextual menus (accessed via Controlclicking or right-clicking).
You can add any of the 400-plus commands and functions directly to the user interface as buttons. These buttons can be placed in button bars in the top area of the Browser, Canvas, and Timeline windows. You can search for commands by name or by functional group, then drag commands to the button bars from the Button List window. You can then click any of the shortcut buttons in the button bar to perform commands, instead of entering key combinations or using menus.

This flexibility lets you create organized groups of buttons that can be spaced and color-coded for easier navigation.
Managing windows is also flexible and easy, so you can tailor the workspace to suit your needs. Windows can be rearranged to create custom layouts, which, along with the button bars, can be saved for user-specific setups. Controls located near the bottom left of the Timeline include a submenu of options for adjusting track heights and turning on filmstrip view, audio waveforms, and solo and mute controls. A Timeline command, Shift-Z, resizes the Timeline sequence to fit in the available space.
The Autosave Vault: Save Your Stuff
Being able to save work on a regular basis is an important component of the editing processand being able to go back to a previous edit can be even more important. The Autosave Vault gives you the option of stepping back to previous stages of a project. Enabling this feature ensures that Final Cut Express will periodically save copies of open projects as separate files after a specified duration. The original project file is not touched until you choose the Save command. With up to 32 levels of undo available with the Undo command, you can also undo individual actions.
Powerful Editing with Final Cut Express
Final Cut Express puts professional-style editing controls in your hands, allowing you to drag clips directly to a track or use the overlay controls in the Canvas. And because editing in Final Cut Express is nondestructive, you can experiment with changes without modifying your source footage. The editing palette contains tools to cut and modify clips in the Timeline: Cut clips into two pieces, change the duration of a clip, change the duration of two clips simultaneously, move In and Out points, reselect a new range of frames within a clip, and resize or extend an edit.

Make Professional Edits

Once youve captured some or all of the clips that will go into your finished movie, its time to begin editing. You will find a way to edit that is comfortable for you; Final Cut Express is extremely flexible. When you have assembled an edited sequence, you can trim your edits and modify your sequence in several ways as well. Using visual controls in the interface Directly manipulating your clips using the mouse in the Timeline Using keyboard shortcuts

True nondestructive, nonlinear editing
Final Cut Express 4 provides true nonlinear editing capabilities for the DV, HDV, and AVCHD formats. All editing is nondestructive to the original footage on your hard drive. Clips in Final Cut Express are merely pointers to the original source material, so any deletion or duplication of clips in the project, trimming changes, effects, or other alterations you make do not affect the source files themselves.

Editing tools at work

Professional-style editing means frame-accurate control over trimming your clips, more flexibility in making edits in the Timeline, and unlimited editing creativity. The editing tools in the palette include the following: Razor blade. Cuts a single clip into two pieces. This can be useful for quickly rearranging pieces of your sequence, deleting a section of a clip, applying an effect to a specific part of a clip, or moving a piece of a clip to the same location on another track. Ripple edit. Changes the duration of a clip. It moves the location of either the Out point preceding or the In point following an edit point. The duration of the clip to the left or the right of the edit point is shortened or lengthened to fit the new edit point without changing the location of the edit in the sequence.
Roll edit. Changes both the selected clip and an adjacent clip. This type of edit adjusts the location of an edit point shared by two clips; the Out point of the first clip and the In point of the second clip are moved or rolled. This changes the location of the edit in the sequence as well as the duration of each clip. Roll edits are useful when you want to match the action of one clip with the action of another and need to find the right intersecting frames. Slip edit. Moves the In and Out points of a clip simultaneously while maintaining its duration and position in the edited sequence. Surrounding clips are not affected, just the range of frames in the clip. This is useful for adjusting footage youve edited into your sequence without moving it in the Timeline. Slide edit. Moves an entire clip along with the edit points to its left and right. The duration of the clip being moved stays the same, but the clips to the left and right of it change duration. Resize edit. Extends or shortens a clip by moving the In or Out point. Extend edit. Allows you to move an edit point between two clips quickly. This edit moves an edit point to the position of the playhead in the Timeline.

Refine Your Edits with Trimming
After you have made your initial edits and assembled your footage in the Timeline, you can refine your sequence. Trimming is used to fine-tune a sequence by adding or subtracting frames from the In or Out point of a clip. These small adjustments to your initial edits help to create smoother edits.

Trim Edit window

This window provides very precise control while trimming. It displays both sides of an editthe outgoing clip before the edit point and the incoming clip that appears after itallowing you to adjust your edit with frame-level accuracy. You can also use this window to trim a group of edits in multiple tracks at once (only one edit per track).
Dynamic and asymmetric trimming
Final Cut Express includes dynamic trimming in the enhanced Trim Edit window. When dynamic trimming is on, keyboard controls allow you to trim on the fly. Move the playhead using the J, K, and L keys to find new Out and In points for the selected edit point. If dynamic trimming is turned on in the General tab of the User Preferences window, the selected edit point moves to the new position of the playhead whenever you stop. In addition, Final Cut Express supports asymmetric trimmingan advanced technique that gives you a fast way to trim multiple clips in opposite directions.
Add Transitions and Effects
Final Cut Express gives you a suite of powerful tools for adding cool effects. And since you can use third-party FxPlug filter effects, your creative options are unlimited as well. Add a transition between clips. Use the Color Corrector to fix and match clips or to create a dramatic look. Control all effects and motion parameters with keyframes for professional looks and precise timing.
See it now with real-time effects
With the real-time engine in Final Cut Express, you get superb results quickly, without rendering. RT Extreme is an enhanced multistream, real-time effects architecture that lets you view your projects without rendering as you experiment with effects, transitions, composition, and filters. Final Cut Express 4 includes Dynamic RT, which adjusts resolution and frame rate on the fly for maximum real-time performance, letting you set it and forget it. RT Extreme leverages the strengths of Mac OS X and the Intel or PowerPC processor to support a scalable number of video streams and real-time effects: The number of available video streams and real-time effects increases as processor speeds increase. Real-time video transitions and filters appear in bold in the Effects tab and in the Effects menu to indicate that they will play back in real time. The RT Extreme pop-up menu in the Timeline gives you several options for effects processing. You can choose between various modes that deliver either maximum simultaneous streams and real-time effects or guaranteed playback without dropped frames. Safe. In Safe mode, Final Cut Express provides guaranteed playback of real-time effects. The number of streams and effects is based on the capabilities of your system. Unlimited. In Unlimited mode, Final Cut Express uses every bit of processing power available, allowing you to stack up multiple streams of video. When Unlimited is selected, you can use nearly all of the more than 200 effects, filters, and transitions in real time. Dynamic RT. In Unlimited RT mode, you can choose the Dynamic setting for Playback Video Quality, Playback Frame Rate, or both. In Dynamic mode, resolution and frame rate are adjusted automatically, on the fly, so you always get the optimal real-time performance at the maximum quality possible. For example, Final Cut Express will play back your project at Full Frame Rate unless it recognizes a section of the Timeline that requires a lower frame rate for real-time playback. It will adjust for that section, then automatically return to Full Frame Rate once the section is done. Dynamic RT lets you set it and forget it, confident that you are always leveraging the maximum real-time performance of your CPU.

Smooth out your transitions
A transition is a visual effect used to change from one clip in your edited sequence to the next. Transitions, especially dissolves, generally give the viewer an impression of a change in time or location. Final Cut Express comes with a variety of transitions from which to choose, including cross-dissolve, page peel, cube spin, and gradient wipe.
Use color to create better images
The color correction filters in Final Cut Express provide precise control over the look of every clip. You can adjust the color balance, hue, saturation, black levels, mids, and white levels on individual clips. Check flesh tones and other key elements for consistency and accuracy in color. Evaluate and manipulate the brightness and color levels of clips in preparation for output to tape. All the tools needed to analyze and color-correct clips are included.
You can use the two-way color corrector to adjust the angle of hue and overall balance of an image. This filter can be combined with Image Control filters as well as Matte and Key filters. The assortment of filters makes Final Cut Express exceptionally powerful and flexible for corrective finishing work. The Color Corrector has numeric controls as well as visual user interfaces. All parameters can be changed over time through the use of keyframes. Both interfaces have Limit Effect controls, allowing you to isolate color correction operations to specific areas of an image based on chrominance, luminance, saturation, or any combination. There are a number of reasons to use the color correction filters included with Final Cut Express: Ensuring that a projects key elements look the way they should. The color correction tools let you make whatever adjustments are necessary to ensure that the colors and the flesh tones of people in the final edited piece look the way they did in reality. Balancing all the shots in a scene to match. With careful color correction, all of the clips in a scene can be balanced to match one another so that they look as if they happened at the same time and in the same place, with the same lighting. Correcting errors in color balance and exposure. The color correction filters provide an exceptional degree of control over the color balance and exposure of clips, allowing you to perfect your adjustments. Achieving a look. With color correction, you have control over whether your video has rich, saturated colors or a more muted look. Such subtle modifications can alter the perception of the scene being played, changing its mood. Creating contrast or special effects. Using color correction, you can subtly accentuate differences. You can also create more extreme effects, such as manipulating the colors of an exposure to achieve a day-for-night look. You can even keyframe color changes over time; for example, gradually changing a clip from sepia-toned to full color.
FxPlug filters and effects

Final Cut Express comes with more than 200 transitions, filters, and effects, including over 50 new FxPlug plug-ins that use GPU-accelerated rendering. Bundled filters and effects range from standard items like dissolves, wipes, and blurs to more stylized FxPlug effects like Light Rays, Line Art, and Insect Eye. When you need even more creative options, Final Cut Express lets you expand your effects palette with optional third-party FxPlug support, the same plug-in architecture used by Final Cut Studio.
Copy, paste, and remove attributes
When working with large projects or sequences that contain repetitive effects, filters, and motion, it is often convenient to copy and paste the attributes from one clip to another (or others). Similarly, you can remove attributes from a clip or clips. You can paste keyframes as is or scale them to fit the duration of the clip on which they are being pasted. The following attributes can be copied, pasted, or removed from any clip.

Compositing and Titles

Final Cut Express provides powerful tools to manipulate, animate, or combine images. You can achieve impressive results by layering video clips or graphics files, such as multilayered Adobe Photoshop files, to create rich visual images and animations. You can also create outstanding titles with filters, effects, and compositing.
Use Multiple Video Layers
Using multiple video layers is one of the simplest and fastest ways to add a professional look to your projects. By combining two or more video tracks, also called compositing, you can create excitement with sophisticated special effects and visually rich imagery. Using the virtually unlimited number of video tracks, make dynamic, composited videolike picture-in-picture, split-screen, and video collages. A sequence can be nested as a clip in another sequence, and any changes in a nested sequence ripple through all sequences that contain it. Edited sequences are fully changeable and can be nested for reuse again and again in multiple Timelines. Seeing your effects and compositions in real time instead of waiting for them to render lets you experiment more and spend less time editing. The RT Extreme engine intelligently scales to the capabilities of your hardware, providing dramatically more real-time effects, transitions, and video layerseven when you are using HD footage or editing on a laptop computer. Dynamic RT adjusts frame rate and resolution on the fly, so you always get the maximum real-time performance.
Professional compositing results
Final Cut Express supports a virtually unlimited number of video, text, and graphics layers. You can import Adobe Photoshop files directly into Final Cut Express either as a flattened image or with all layers maintained on separate tracks. You can then combine your Photoshop graphics with video, apply animation and effects to the layers, and add additional titles and animated elements from LiveType.

Canvas Text entry box Inspector Media Browser

Live wireframe preview

Project tab Track grouping buttons Timeline
Zoom slider E nable/Disable Track Effect Keyframe Timecode

LiveFonts

Developed specifically for video and designed by professional animators, LiveFonts let you type out sophisticated animated font styles as easily as youd type out a system font. And because theyre created with an alpha channel, LiveFonts key right over video.

Royalty-free content

LiveType comes with broadcast-quality animated textures and objects that you can use in your projects, allowing even nonanimators to produce professional-level content right out of the box. The textures can be used full screen, matted inside text or objects, or scaled down for use in lower thirds.

Customizable effects

Effects in LiveType are like digital building blocksmodular behaviors that include movement, transformation, and timing parameters. The more than 200 prebuilt effects that come with LiveType give you the power to add fades, zooms, rotations, and motion that ripple through your letters, and you can create your own styles by adjusting these effects in the LiveType interface. You can also use LiveType to create effects dynamically on the fly and even save them for use in future projects. Its unique approach to keyframe animation makes creating effects quick and easy.

Timing is everything

With LiveType, animation is easier than ever before. Each keyframe in an effect contains all the parameters for that moment in time, eliminating the time-consuming hassle of long keyframe stacks. And since LiveType treats every character of the word as a separate layer, powerful timing features such as sequencing give you the creative freedom to move single characters in a text block with individual timing elements, so youre not limited to blocks of text that fly around the screen as one image. The wireframe preview lets you see your work in real time.

Flexible and compatible

You can import clips from Final Cut Express complete with markers, so its easy to synchronize your titles to important video and audio transitions in your video projects. LiveType also imports and exports all QuickTime-supported file formats, including Adobe Photoshop, JPEG, TIFF, and PICT.

Precise Controls

Theres no fumbling when trying to edit audio with Final Cut Express. Subframe audio editing down to 1/100 of a frame gives precise control over audio edits. Dynamic audio level meters provide instant visual information on the range of an audio track as it plays, and audio pan controls make it easy to work with stereo tracks during playback. In the Timeline, solo and mute controls allow you to isolate individual audio tracks. And no re-rendering is required when muted tracks are reactivated, so you save an incredible amount of time as well.

Voice Over Tool

Capture audio directly to the Timeline from a built-in or external microphone with the Voice Over tool. Create quick scratch tracks or voiceover work while editing a project. The Voice Over tool provides a countdown cue, and records before start and after stop to provide the recorded sound with handles.

Finding Your Audience

Youve used Final Cut Express to put the finishing touches on your movie. Youre done with editing, compositing, and color corrections. Youve added effects, transitions, and titles, and youve created professional audio tracks. Now you have several options for sharing your finished project.

Print to Video

The Print to Video command sends your project out to videotape. This is useful when you want to record back to DV, create backup copies of your video project or connect your device to your home or other theater system for direct playback.

Create a DVD

Create named chapter markers in your video project. Use these markers to divide your video into navigable chapters in iDVD. Final Cut Express includes a workflow document that outlines the simple one-step process of bringing your movie into iDVD.

Export Video for the Web

Export projects using a wide range of QuickTime-supported codecs, including MPEG-4, for distribution via email or the web. Whatever your chosen method of distribution, Final Cut Express has the features and power you need to advance your DV, HDV, and AVCHD moviemaking.

Product Features

Input/Capturing video Plug-and-play support for most DV25-format camcorders and decks: MiniDV and DVCAM (NTSC or PAL) Plug-and-play support for most HDV-format camcorders and decks: 720p, 1080i Plug-and-play support for most AVCHD-format camcorders and decks: 720p, 1080i1 FireWire device control of most FireWire-equipped MiniDV camcorders from leading manufacturers like Sony, Canon, Panasonic, and JVC Capture window lets you name, add comments to, and organize your clips as you capture them Incremental clip naming during capture when a recording break is discovered Imports a range of still image formats: PSD, BMP, JPEG, PICT, PNG, SGI, TARGA, and TIFF Imports iMovie 08 files complete with cuts and dissolve transitions Bins allow you to organize your files and sequences in a project Clips can be organized in the Browser using the extensive search, sort, and sift capabilities Clip labels help organize and sort clips Master and affiliate clip relationship automatically updates certain properties of a clip, such as clip name or reel name, within the current project 32 levels of undo Editing and Timeline Nondestructive editing references the original video so the source footage is never altered Drag-and-drop editing Editing on the Timeline Mix NTSC and PAL as well as HD-size movies on a single Timeline Three-point editing model 99 video tracks with support for nesting tracks together Support for multiple sequences and projects allows you to create alternative edits or break projects into smaller pieces Insert and overwrite with or without transitions Replace, fit to fill, and superimpose edits

Edit overlay for insert, overwrite, replace, fit to fill, and superimpose gives you control over how clips are added to the Timeline Blade and Blade All tools allow you to add edit points to your sequence Extend and split edits provide additional editing options Sync detection and correction compensates for audio and video tracks that slip out of sync Active track targeting lets you specify individual or multiple tracks to apply edits to or protect from being edited Enabling the Auto Select controls of specific tracks in the Timeline allows the contents of those tracks to be selected via In and Out points in the Timeline or Canvas Adjacent (through edit) indicators in Timeline Dupe detection in Timeline Keyframe graphs Track locking Clip, sequence, scoring, chapter, and compression markers Clip and sequence marker export to LiveType for titling Chapter marker export for iDVD Custom, independent track heights Autosave Vault saves project at specified intervals, so you can return to any point in your edit without losing your work Trimming Ripple, roll, slip, and slide Asymmetric, multitrack trimming Dynamic JKL trimming Trim Edit window Timeline trimming Keyboard and numeric trimming Media management Extensive search, sort, and sift capabilities in Browser Clip labels Custom comment fields Master and affiliate clips Move, copy, and transcode items at sequence or project level Autosave Vault Transitions, filters, and effects More than 200 transitions, filters, and effects Support for third-party FxPlug filters and transitions Unlimited effects favorites Copy and paste of motion and effect attributes Bezier curves for motion paths
Keyframe capabilities for precise effect and motion parameter control Precision numeric controls for effects and animation RT Extreme provides scalable, software-based, multistream real-time effects Safe, Unlimited, and Dynamic RT modes let you customize performance versus quality tradeoffs RT Extreme quality settings: low, dynamic, high. Low setting provides maximum simultaneous real-time streams and effects; high setting provides full-resolution output for finishing directly to DV or HDV device; Dynamic RT adjusts settings on the fly Overlays in the Timeline let you adjust and keyframe opacity and audio levels Direct-to-Timeline drag-and-drop integration of LiveType projects Auto Render option Broadcast-safe filter Composite and transfer modes Compositing Use nesting to build virtually unlimited compositing layers for complex video effects Import Adobe Photoshop files complete with layers and alpha support to create effects and motion graphics Use Bezier curves with movable motion paths to apply and control animations Apply ease in/ease out motion paths to smooth compositing animations Use time effects, including slow motion with frame blending, to create smooth, time-altered playback Rendering with accurate subpixel interpolation applies effects smoothly to produce a high-quality result Use transfer modes such as multiply and lighten Use the flicker filter to incorporate still frames from video Color correction Secondary (two-way) color corrector Image control filters Broadcast-safe filter Make sure flesh tones and other key elements are accurate Mix colors to achieve a visual style Match footage from different sources for consistency Correct errors in color balance and exposure Audio Sequences can include up to 99 audio tracks More than 25 audio filters, including normalization, three-band and parameter equalizer, compressor/limiter, 60/120Hz hum remover, and noise gate, give you control over the quality of your soundtrack Real-time fader automation Variable keyframe thinning Real-time audio filters and effects

Product Availability and Support

Pricing

The estimated U.S. retail price of Final Cut Express 4 is $199.3

Availability

Final Cut Express 4 is available worldwide in English, German, French, and Japanese. It can be purchased through the Apple Store online (www.apple.com or 800-MY-APPLE), Apple retail stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers.

System Requirements

Macintosh computer with 1.25GHz or faster PowerPC G4 processor; PowerPC G5; or Intel Core Duo or Intel Xeon processor1 1GB of RAM Display with 1024-by-768 (or higher) resolution An AGP or PCI Express graphics card compatible with Quartz Extreme or an Intel GMA integrated graphics processor in MacBook or Mac mini4 Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later QuickTime 7.2 or later 500MB of disk space for applications; additional 500MB for LiveType content (can be installed on separate disks) DVD drive for installation

Support

Final Cut Express comes with 90 days of toll-free telephone support. In addition, Apple offers a full range of professional support options. For details, visit www.apple.com/ support/products.

For More Information

For more information about Final Cut Express, visit www.apple.com/finalcutexpress.
1AVDHD is supported on Intel-based Mac systems only. 2Data rates for the Apple Intermediate Codec are variable. These figures
are approximate and may vary according to the complexity of your footage; images with a lot of detail have a higher data rate than those with less detail. 3Prices are as of November 2007, are subject to change, do not include taxes, and are listed in U.S. dollars. 4Some FxPlug filters effects are not supported with Intel GMA integrated graphics. 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Final Cut, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, FireWire, iDVD, iMovie, iPod, LiveType, Mac, MacBook, Macintosh, Mac OS, Quartz, QuickTime, and TrueType are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPhone is a trademark of Apple Inc. Apple Store is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Adobe and PostScript are trademarks or registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the U.S. and/or other countries. Intel, Intel Core, and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corp. in the U.S. and other countries. PowerPC is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, used under license therefrom. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Product specifications are subject to change without notice. This material is provided for information purposes only; Apple assumes no liability related to its use. November 2007 L353892A

Installing Your Software

The following information is intended to get you up and running as quickly as possible and covers these topics: About the Final Cut Express Installation Disc (p. 2) Upgrading Mac OS X and QuickTime (p. 3) Installing Final Cut Express (p. 4) Registering Final Cut Express (p. 7) About Onscreen Help (p. 8) Contacting AppleCare Support (p. 9) Make sure to also review the Before You Install Final Cut Express document on the Final Cut Express installation disc. For the latest information about Final Cut Express, go to the Final Cut Express website at http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress.
About the Final Cut Express Installation Disc
The Final Cut Express installation disc contains the files necessary to install Final Cut Express 4 and LiveType 2.1.4, including LiveFonts, templates, objects, and textures for use with LiveType. It also contains the following files and folders: Before You Install Final Cut Express: This document provides system requirements and things to do before you install the applications. Make sure to read this before installing Final Cut Express. Install Final Cut Express icon: Double-click this icon to begin the installation process. Documentation folder: This folder contains PDF documentation for the Final Cut Express and LiveType applications. Many of the PDF documents contain an access page with links to additional documents and related Apple websites. LiveType Extras folder: This folder contains documentation and sample LiveFont scripts. Note: This disc contains the files required to install Final Cut Express and LiveType on either PowerPC-based or Intel-based Macintosh computers. The installation process is identical for both.
Upgrading Mac OS X and QuickTime
Before you install Final Cut Express, update your system software to make sure that you have the latest version of Mac OS X installed. You also need to upgrade to the latest version of QuickTime. QuickTime is an industry standard for working with digital video and is required for Final Cut Express. Note: For minimum software requirements, see the Before You Install Final Cut Express document on the Final Cut Express installation disc. Important: You must purchase Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger or later if youre upgrading from Mac OS X v10.3 Panther or an earlier version. To update your system software: 1 Choose Apple menu > Software Update. A dialog appears showing new or updated software available for your computer. 2 If necessary, follow the onscreen instructions to update Mac OS X and QuickTime to the latest versions.
Installing Final Cut Express
When you install Final Cut Express and LiveType, the applications are placed in the Applications folder on your startup disk. You can choose whether the LiveType media (such as templates) is placed in the default location or in a custom location. Note: Before you can install the software, you need to log in to your computer with an administrator account, using the administrator password. See Mac Help for more information. To enter the serial number and install Final Cut Express: 1 Insert the Final Cut Express installation disc into your computers DVD drive. 2 Double-click the Install Final Cut Express icon. 3 Read the Welcome information, then click Continue. 4 Read the Software License Agreement, click Continue, then (if you agree) click Agree. Note: If your system falls far below the minimum system requirements for the Final Cut Express and LiveType applications (for example, if your computer has a 500 MHz processor and only 512 MB of RAM), a message appears saying that the software cannot be installed. Refer to the Before You Install Final Cut Express document on the Final Cut Express installation disc for a list of minimum system requirements. 5 Select the startup disk, then click Continue. Your startup disk must have the latest version of Mac OS X installed.

6 In the User Information pane, do the following: a Enter your first and last name. b You can optionally enter an organization. c In the Serial Number field, enter the Final Cut Express serial number printed on the Software Serial Number label attached to the back of this document, then click Continue. Note: If you are upgrading from a previous release of Final Cut Express, the installer looks for the appropriate serial number. If the installer is unable to locate this serial number, the installer asks you to enter the serial number now. Following are some tips for entering your serial number correctly: Make sure you are copying the original serial number that is on the back of this document. Make sure you enter the software serial number, not the Support ID number. Make sure you enter a zero and not an O, a 1 and not a lowercase L, where appropriate. Include dashes in the serial number. Dont enter spaces before or after the serial number. Verify that you have typed the serial number correctly. After three incorrect serial number entries, the installer quits. To begin the installation process again, return to step 2.
7 To customize your installation, do the following in the Custom Install pane: a Deselect items. You may need to expand the window and drag the edge of the Package Name heading to show the full names of some items. Some items include a disclosure triangle that, when clicked, reveals additional items you can deselect and reselect. Any items that are not selected and are dimmed cannot be installed because your system does not meet minimum system requirements. Placing the pointer over these items shows which requirements are not met. Note: If you use the Final Cut Express installer to install selected items later, the process is the same as is described in this task, except you are not required to enter your serial number again. b To choose a custom location for LiveType media, click the folder icon in the Location column next to it, and then choose Other from the pop-up menu. Navigate to where you want the content installed, then click Open. 8 When youre ready, click Install or Upgrade. You may see the Upgrade option even on computers that do not have previous versions of the Final Cut Express applications installed. This is because the installer has detected at least one file on your system in common with the files it installs, and is considered normal. 9 A dialog appears requiring you to authenticate yourself by typing your name and password. Click OK when finished. The installer displays a progress bar to indicate its status. Once you have finished the installation, you are ready to begin using the Final Cut Express and LiveType applications.

Registering Final Cut Express
The first time you open one of the Final Cut Express applications, the application prompts you for registration information. By default, the Me card information in your Address Book is automatically entered in the appropriate fields. To register Final Cut Express to a user other than the user listed in the Me card in your Address Book: 1 Fill out the Name, Address, Organization, and Email address fields. 2 If you want information about Apple news and software updates sent to your email account, select the checkbox. 3 If you want to review the Apple Privacy Policy, click Privacy Policy. 4 When you have finished, click Register Now. Final Cut Express is now registered. Note: If you decide to click the Register Later button, you will be prompted to register again after opening either of the Final Cut Express applications five times.

About Onscreen Help

Onscreen help allows you to access information onscreen while youre working in Final Cut Express and LiveType. Onscreen user manuals are available here, as well as links to other documentation and related Apple websites.

Onscreen User Manuals

Onscreen user manuals for Final Cut Express and LiveType can be accessed from each applications Help menu. To access the onscreen user manual for an application: m In the application, choose Help > [Application Name] User Manual.

Release Notes

This document contains information about issues with third-party hardware and software and other known issues. Note: You must be connected to the Internet to view the Release Notes document. To access Release Notes for an application: m In the application, choose Help > Release Notes.
Contacting AppleCare Support
Information about the support options available from Apple is included in your Final Cut Express box. Several levels of support are available. Whatever your issue, its a good idea to have the following information immediately available when you contact Apple for support. The more of this information you have to give to the support agents, the faster they will be able to address your issue. The Final Cut Express Support ID number found on the back of this document. Note: The 11-digit Support ID number is different from the product serial number used to install Final Cut Express. The version of Mac OS X you have installed. To find the version of Mac OS X, choose Apple menu > About This Mac. The version of the application you have installed that you have a question about. To find the version of the application on your computer, choose [Application Name] > About [Application Name]. The model of computer you are using. The amount of RAM installed in your computer. You can determine this by choosing Apple menu > About This Mac. What other third-party hardware is connected to or installed in the computer, and who the manufacturers are. Include hard drives, graphics cards, and so on.

AppleCare Support can be reached online at http://www.apple.com/support. You can select an application to see specific information about it. There is also an item in each applications Help menu that will take you directly to the AppleCare website. To go to the AppleCare website from within an application: m Choose Help > [Application Name] Support.
Copyright 2007 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Final Cut, LiveType, Mac, Macintosh, Mac OS, Panther, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Tiger is a trademark of Apple Inc. AppleCare is a service mark of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Intel, Intel Core, and Xeon are trademarks of Intel Corp. in the U.S. and other countries. PowerPC and the PowerPC logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, used under license therefrom. Other company and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective companies.