GENERAL FCP RESOURCESThere are many places to go for help when it comes to learning and using Final Cut Pro. The primary discussion groups are in the
Apple Support Forums for FCP and in
Creative Cow’s excellent forum area. In fact, the Cow has two FCP forums: the
regular forum and a
beginner’s forum where you don’t need to feel at all intimidated if you’re a newbie.
COURSE OF STUDYIf you want to learn Final Cut Pro the right way and avoid developing bad habits (like using the wrong tools and ignoring shortcuts), you should enroll in a decent course or at least consider using the same textbooks that those courses use. I firmly believe that if you’re disciplined enough and and can take the time to methodically work through entire tutorial texts, you can very effectively train yourself. To that end, here are the books I recommend to get up to speed on Final Cut Pro:
Your starting point for learning FCP should be
Diana Weynanad’s Final Cut Pro 6. Not only is this text appropriate for the complete beginner, but it also forms the basis for the Apple Pro Certification course and exam. This easy-to-follow text surveys the FCP workflow in a methodical and detailed way. A dual-sided DVD contains all of the lesson projects and footage includes material from the ABC series Monk. Fun stuff to work with.
Once you have found your FCP sea legs and you want to take your game up a notch, you should work through
Michael Wohl’s Final Cut Pro 6 Beyond the Basics. This substantive text covers advanced trimming technique, color correction and much more. If you have completed this book and the Weynand before it, you will be extremely well prepared to edit in FCP. The only thing you’ll need to add is practice.
Having completed the above two books, it might be a good idea to tackle one of the least understood and most intimidating of the Final Cut Pro Studio apps: Color.
Michael Wohl and David Gross’ Color is the preferred (and one of the only) texts on Color and not only will you learn how to do great color work in FCP, but you’ll gain a much deeper understanding of the principles of color in video as a whole. This is one of those texts that will broaden your knowledge and confidence.
Final Cut Pro for News and Sport Quick Reference Guide by Joe Torelli is a great choice for an editor who might be new to FCP, but expeienced in other editing systems. I recommend this book to people in newsrooms and other post environments where efficient workflow is the key.
Although this is not a Final Cut Pro-specific book, the importance of understanding the intracacies of HD post-production is critical to being a successful FCP editor. Having detailed knowledge of the aspect ratios, frame rates, conversion techniques and other challenging aspects of HD post will give you an edge in the job market.
Steven E. Browne’s High Definition Post Production is highly recommended.
APPLE PRO CERTIFICATIONIf you are starting out as an editor, you may want to consider becoming an
Apple Certified Pro for the applications you specialize in. This is a useful goal because the act of preparing for and passing the exam will force you to learn the application deeply. Once certified, your name will appear on Apple’s website and you can use the Apple Certified logos in your marketing materials
FCP DOWNLOADS AND EXTRASHere are some free add-ons and resources for Final Cut Pro users. You should also keep an eye on Dave Hurley’s
Del.icio.us page tagged “FCP.”- Mattias Sandström’s free (or “set your own price”) plug-ins for FCP
- Digital Rebellion’s Resources Page includes some great calculators (even for iPhone)
