FCPX Tips and Tricks

August 13, 2015
4 min read
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FCPX Tips and Tricks

With FCPX more than any other NLE, there always seems to be new things to learn, even for old hands like the crew of the Final Cut Virtual User Group. Although these shows are long, they are packed full of tips, insights and surprises (Alex4D provides one for everyone at 19:24 in episode 6, below). You can check out the other 4 episodes of the FPVUG in this previous FCPX post.

Improvements in FCPX 10.2

I’ve previously compiled a pretty extensive post on what’s new in Final Cut Pro 10.2, but here are a few more useful things to know. In the video above, Steve Martin from Ripple Training demonstrates two of the new audio tools and some handy keyboard shortcuts for making the most of them. In the video below Mark Spencer showcases a few extra tips for working with the new 3D text tool.

Trainer Larry Jordan has some great tips to share on optimising your preference settings and working with Library Smart Collections inside FCPX 10.2.

A “Smart Collection” is a fancy name for a “saved search.” This search updates automatically whenever new media is added or modified that matches the criteria of the search.

In the past, Smart Collections could only apply to the media inside a single Event. Now, Smart Collections can also be applied to an entire Library, which makes searching a lot more flexible.

FCPX Tips and Tricks

Editor Richard Taylor has put together 7 very useful tips in this post, including how to share destination presets between Macs, using 3D text controls for 2D text and how to rename and add as favourite custom effect presets.

Every new release isn’t perfect and FCP.co has been compiling a handy list of bugs – so if you encounter some weirdness whilst cutting away – consult this list to see if it’s something others are encountering too.

In this last Mac Break Studio episode the boys from Ripple Training walk through the effects processing pipeline and the benefits of the colour correction being and effect and not a default item in the inspector.

Free Tools For FCPX

Charlie Austin from fcpxpert.net has created a handy little app called Role-o-matic, which allows you to set the roles on lots of multi-channel clips in a jiffy. You can download and learn more about it on fcpxpert.net and see it in action in the tutorial above. Charlie also has a good post on “Why Did Apple Rename Everything?” that is also worth a read if you’re new to editing in FCPX and can’t tell your library from your project from your events.

setting multichannel audio roles in FCPX

Lintel Films has released a free lens distortion plugin for FCPX, curiously named, Dawg Pü. You can grab it for free from here and watch a 10 minute tutorial on how to make the most of it.

Dawg Pü is an effects plugin for FCPX that mimics “desirable” characteristics of old, bad, damaged and/or modified lenses. It is designed to give footage shot with clinical modern glass a organic, analogue feel. It is not a “film look” effect and is designed to be used in addition to (usually after) any other colour correction and/or grading.

Free FCPX lens distortion plugin

Possibly the most useful of all the plugins here, the giant ”so big they can see it from space” timecode window from FX Factory, is a free plugin that will make clients, producers and directors much happier in the edit suite. You do have to install the umbrella application – FX Factory first, but this just opens up your system to being able to use every and any FX Factory plugin you want.

Another useful, and free, plugin for FCPX users wanting to be able to display and burn in source time code is this little doosie from CoreMelt. PVC blogger Scott Simmons also demonstrates how to apply BITC in Premiere Pro and Media Composer too.

This last app is a paid one, but it does provide some much needed functionality to FCPX – batch exporting. You can buy Brandon’s FCPXporter app for $20 at the minute (it’s on sale from $39.99) here. If you don’t want to pay, Mark Spencer shares how to perform what is as close as you can get to batch exporting in FCPX here.

Twitter Tips for FCPX Editors

There are plenty of people worth following on Twitter if you want a regular dose of tips to improve your FCPX editing life. In particular I’d highly recommend following Alex4D, Tpayton, marcplanb and fcpxpert1.

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