OREANDA-NEWS. April 21, 2016.  From beginning to end, the editing process is dramatically streamlined by the powerful features built into Final Cut Pro X. Its skimmer tool makes it faster for editors to view and evaluate incoming footage. “Final Cut Pro X offers you a quicker way for that third pass on your rushes,” says Lindsay. “You can scrub to the point of action and get the part you want.” Sophisticated keywording for clips allows editors to mark clips by shutter speed, shot type, content, and client preference, then instantly locate them as needed.

Smart Collections simplify the process of sorting through footage, too. “Rather than me trying to work out what we did on Friday, I often will make a Smart Collection and just say, ‘Show me everything that was imported on Friday,’” says Carter. Later in the process, alternate edits are organized automatically in the Projects Smart Collection, so editors never lose anything when they’re moving quickly.

The flexible Magnetic Timeline in Final Cut Pro X gives editors a new way to structure sequences. For those used to working on track-based timelines, the design and ease of use take some getting used to. “Then one day, it just clicked,” says Lindsay. “Since that moment, going back to something else just feels completely alien.” By keeping everything in sync when editors trim or remove shots, the Magnetic Timeline simplifies the process of creating cutdowns or alternate versions.

In Final Cut Pro X, the Filmstrip view displays clips in the selected event as a connected series of thumbnail images, allowing editors to see all the shots before and after a given frame. “I’m not just looking at that one frame in time,” says Lindsay. “I have a wide-angle view of my rushes and my footage. I feel like the blinkers are taken off.”

Finished edits from Final Cut Pro X are high quality, and easy for editors to output. “In the time it takes for me to phone an assistant and tell them what they need to output, it’s just as easy for me to make those elements myself,” says Carter. And Final Cut Pro X integrates smoothly with workflows involving high-end facilities. A collection of powerful utilities make it simple for Trim to send XML, EDL, or AAF versions of their projects to top finishing houses in London like The Mill, MPC, and Framestore.