Creating effects is the coolest part of working with Final Cut Pro -- providing you know how. 

Otherwise, it's an exercise in frustration. In this one-hour Final Cut Pro tutorial, Larry Jordan shows you how to create some very cool effects using the tools that Final Cut ships with.

Filled with step-by-step, real-world examples, this session covers motion effects, text effects, generators, and shows what the filters in FCP can REALLY do! This also explains hard-to-understand concepts of keyframes, composite modes, and nests. Learn how to use Final Cut Pro to bring your imagination to life!

NOTE: This presentation supports features found in Final Cut Pro version 5 or later. All effects are created using features found inside Final Cut Pro, no third-party software is used. This tutorial does not show how to create effects inside the application Motion.

Audience Level
This session is helpful for the self-taught or infrequent user, as well as an experienced user who wants to understand how to create effects in general, and not just provide a "cookbook" of steps.

Content Outline
 • Introduce the three effects groups inside Final Cut - text, motion, filters
 • Show how to create text effects
 • Show how to create motion effects
 • Show how to create filter effects
 • Show how the groups work together to create more complex effects
 • Define keyframes and show how to use them
 • Show how to improve rendering of scaled or rotated images
 • Define composite modes and show how to use them
 • Define nests and show how to use them
 • Define generators and show how to use them
 • Effect example: Create and modify a text clip
 • Effect example: Create a multi-color text effect
 • Effect example: Use composite modes to add texture to a text clip
 • Effect example: Use a partial transition to wipe to a split-screen effect
 • Effect example: Warp images using the Distort tool
 • Effect example: Use keyframes to modify an image over time
 • Effect example: Create a nest, then modify a group of images with keyframes
 • Effect example: Change the anchor point to provide variety in scale and rotation
 • Effect example: Create non-standard sizes for QuickTime movies
 • Effect example: Soften skin tones with blurs and composite modes
 • Effect example: Create a traveling matte - video inside a shape
 • Effect example: Create a vignette - darkening the edges of an image
 • Effect example: Create a better sepia-toned image
 • Effect example: Show where to find the Bars and Tone generator
 • Effect example: Add "punch" to landscapes using gradients and composite modes
 • Effect example: Create a starship time-warp (OK, I couldn't resist!)