Today I’ve had a few people ask about learning Final Cut Pro so while I have a ton of videos compressing here at work, I’m going to search the web and try to compile some good resources for FCP.
First of all, you should know that if you want to make a video like I did here:
Final Cut is not enough. It is a powerful program, but it has limitations. That’s why included with Final Cut is Motion; a motion graphics program. It’s not near as powerful as After Effects, but it is powerful none-the-less and has a lot of the typical Apple flair for ease-of-use and deep features.
The thing about Final Cut pro is that while it has vast and powerful features; there is no good way (that I know of) to briefly introduce it. You just learn as you go. Need to do something with the project you’re working on? Well, FCP probably has 3 or 4 ways to do it. So the best thing to do is to get a project and start working; and with every bridge you cross, Google it.
With that said, check out these, I think they are a great overview:
Apple’s Tutorials
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/tutorials/
Apple has basic tutorials for all of their professional programs on their site. The tutorials are great overviews of the powers of the FCP studio. They won’t teach you how to do exciting things, but it will give you a good handle on the basic capabilities of editing in the suite. Start here if you are new to the program.
As for Motion, your best bet is to visit this site:
www.applemotion.net
And just start going through the tutorials. Rather than doing everything all at once, be selective on topics, so that you can slowly flesh out your understanding of Motion. Since I am unable to go through all the tutorials and choose the best ones, here’s some of the capabilities in Motion you’ll want to learn about over time:
- Text
- Replicators
- Particle Emitters
- Motion Paths
- Animation Modes (Keyframes, Recording, Behaviors)
- Masks
- 3D Space
