Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 61
 mTo adjust the filmstrip height: At the bottom-right corner of the Browser, click the Clip Appearance 
button and drag the Clip Height slider.
 mTo turn audio waveforms on and off: At the bottom-right corner of the Browser, click the Clip 
Appearance button and deselect the Show Waveforms checkbox.
When audio waveforms are on, they appear at the bottom of each clip’s filmstrip, increasing the 
height of all clips in the Browser.
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Customize list view
 mTo choose what type of information is displayed in list view columns as well as customize the columns 
themselves: In the Browser, Control-click a column heading, and choose a category option from 
the shortcut menu.
 mTo rearrange columns in list view: In the Browser, drag a column heading to move the column to a 
new position.
 mTo sort clips in list view by a category: Click a column heading in the Browser to sort clips by 
that category.
 mTo view an item’s keywords or rating in list view: Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the 
clip’s name.
Keyword
Rating
If a disclosure triangle appears to the left of a clip in list view, it means a keyword, rating, or both 
have been applied to that item.
Sort and group clips and projects in the Browser
You can sort clips and projects in the Browser into an order that makes it easier to visually 
locate them.
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event whose items you want to sort.
 2 Do one or both of the following:
 •To group clips by category: Choose Group Clips By from the Action pop-up menu  below 
the Libraries list, and choose a category from the submenu. Choose to set the sort order as 
Ascending or Descending from the same submenu.
 •To set the sort order of the clips and projects in the event without grouping them:  Choose Sort 
By from the Action pop-up menu below the Libraries list, and choose a category from 
the submenu.
Note:  You can both group clips and set their sort order (arrangement) independently.
Reset the sort order in the Browser to its default state
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event that contains the items whose sort order you want to reset.
 2 Choose Group Clips By > N one and Group Clips By > A scending from the Action pop-up menu 
 below the Libraries list.
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Merge, split, and sort events
You can merge (combine) two or more events in a library (for example, if the media and projects 
they contain are very closely related). If you find an event is getting bulky and unmanageable, 
you can split it into multiple events.
You can also sort events in the Libraries list by name or date.
Merge multiple events
 1 In the Libraries list, do one of the following:
 •Drag one or more events that you want to combine to a new event.
 •Select the events you want to combine, and choose File > Merge Events.
Final Cut Pro merges the selected events into a single event in the library. The corresponding 
source media files remain in their original locations: either in the library file or linked from 
external folders.
 2 Select the merged event and type a new name.
Split an event into multiple events
 1 Create the new events you need.
 2 Drag the clips and projects you want to relocate from the original event to the new events.
The corresponding source media files remain in their original locations: either in the library file or 
linked from external folders.
Sort events by name or date
 1 Do one of the following:
 •To sort events by name: Choose View > Sort Events By > Name.
 •To sort events by date: Choose View > Sort Events By > Date.
 2 To change the sort order, do one of the following:
 •To set an ascending sort order: Choose View > Sort Events By > Ascending.
This option sorts the events in alphabetical or chronological order. 
 •To set a descending sort order: Choose View > Sort Events By > Descending.
This option sorts the events in reverse alphabetical or chronological order.
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Copy or move clips and projects between events in the same library
You can copy and move clips and projects from one event to another. 
For information about copying and moving clips, projects, and events to other libraries, see  Copy 
or move items between libraries and hard disks
 on page 432 .
Copy or move clips or projects to a different event in the same library
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event that contains the clips or projects you want to copy.
 2 In the Browser, select the clips or projects you want to copy or move.
Note:  You cannot select clips and projects at the same time.
 3 Do one of the following:
 •To copy the items: Option-drag the items from one event to the other by first starting to drag 
and then holding down the Option key as you drag.
 •To move the items: Drag the items from one event to the other. 
The event to which you copy or move the clips may be re-sorted in the library.
Duplicate projects and clips
Duplicating projects and clips is a fundamental technique in your editing workflow. For example, 
you can simply duplicate a project to work on a new version of it. 
Duplicating projects containing compound clips or multicam clips may require the Duplicate 
as Snapshot command. The Duplicate as Snapshot command allows you to quickly return to 
an earlier version of a project, effectively creating a self-contained backup version that includes 
referenced compound clips or multicam “parent” clips. Changes you make to other instances of 
the compound clips or multicam clips do not affect the versions in the snapshot, so your project 
is protected from accidental changes. For more information about compound clips and multicam 
clips, see Compound clips overview
 on page 269  and Multicam editing overview on page 327. 
Duplicate projects and clips
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event that contains the clips or projects you want to copy.
 2 In the Browser, select the clips or projects you want to copy.
Note:  You cannot select clips and projects at the same time.
 3 Choose Edit > Duplicate (or press Command-D).
The duplicate items appear in the Browser next to the originals.
Duplicate projects as snapshots
The Duplicate as Snapshot command creates a self-contained copy of a project containing 
compound clips or multicam clips. Specifically, duplicating a project as a snapshot makes 
copies of the compound or multicam “parent” clips and embeds them in the project so that any 
changes to other instances of the clips do not affect the snapshot. For more information, see 
Compound clips overview
 on page 269  and Multicam editing overview on page 327. 
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event that contains the project you want to duplicate as 
a snapshot.
 2 In the Browser, select the project you want to copy.
 3 Choose Edit > Duplicate Project as Snapshot (or press Shift-Command-D).
The duplicate project appears in the Browser with the word “Snapshot” and the date and time 
appended to the project name.
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							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 65
Delete clips, events, and projects
You can delete unwanted clips and projects. You can also delete an entire event from your library 
in order to free up storage space. When you delete a clip or a project from an event, or delete 
an entire event, Final Cut Pro moves the source media files to the Trash. There is one exception: 
media that is being used by other projects in your library always remains in the library. 
Note:  Libraries must contain at least one event.
Delete clips or projects from an event, or delete an entire event
 1 In the Libraries list, select the event you want to delete or delete items from.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •To delete items from the event: Select the clips or projects you want to remove, and choose 
File > Move to Trash (or press Command-Delete).
Note:  You cannot select clips and projects at the same time.
 •To delete the entire event: Choose File > Move Event to Trash (or press Command-Delete).
The selected items are deleted. To permanently delete the source media files from your hard disk, 
empty the Trash.
WARNING:  A fter the Trash is emptied, the deleted clips and all of the associated source media 
files cannot be restored.
Organize clips
Rate clips as Favorite or Rejected
If your clips contain sections that you don’t like or that you might never want to use in a 
project—because they’re blurry, for example—you can mark them as Rejected. You can easily 
rate the clips you like and the clips you don’t like as you review them. When you’re ready to 
make a project or play your clip for your client, you can focus on your best footage by choosing 
to display only those clips you marked as Favorite. You can also delete your rejected clips’ source 
media files to free up space on your hard disk.
FavoriteRejected
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Rate clips
 1 In the Browser, select a range, a clip, or multiple clips you want to rate.
 2 Do one of the following:
 •If you like the selection: Press the F key or click the Favorite button in the toolbar.
In the Browser, a green line appears at the top of frames you’ve marked as Favorite.
 •If you don’t like the selection: Press the Delete key or click the Reject button in the toolbar.
A red line appears at the top of frames you’ve marked as Rejected.
Note:  If you chose Hide Rejected from the Filter pop-up menu at the top of the Browser, clips 
marked as Rejected disappear from view.
Remove ratings from clips
 1 Make sure the clips you want to work with appear in the Browser.
You might need to choose a new option, such as All Clips, from the Filter pop-up menu at the 
top-left corner of the Browser so that all the clips you need to access are visible.
Choose All Clips to 
show all the clips in 
the event regardless 
of rating.
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							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 67
 2 In the Browser, select the clips whose rating you want to remove, and press the U key or click the 
Clear Rating button in the toolbar.
The green or red line at the top of the clips disappears.
Clips with all ratings removed
Note:  An orange line along the bottom of an event clip indicates the clip is being used in the current 
project (open in the Timeline). To turn this view on or off, choose View > Show Used Media Ranges.
Add keywords to clips
You can apply keywords to your clips to help you quickly locate the clips you need to compose 
your movie. After you apply a keyword to a clip or clip range, the clip or range is marked with 
a blue line in the Browser. (Clips that have analysis keywords, which are automatically applied 
after certain types of analysis, are marked with a purple line. For more information, see  Analyzing 
media overview
 on page 50.)
Additionally, when a keyword is applied to a clip or clip range, a Keyword Collection appears in 
the Libraries list. A Keyword Collection contains pointers (aliases) to clips tagged with a specific 
keyword. For example, if you apply the keyword “Nicholas” to all clips containing Nicholas, you 
can then select the Nicholas Keyword Collection in the Libraries list to view all clips containing 
the “Nicholas” keyword in the Browser. 
Keyword CollectionsA blue line indicates that a clip has keywords.
You can apply one or more keywords to a range within a clip, a whole clip, or a group of clips in 
an event.
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							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 68
Note:  If you used project folders in the Project Library in previous versions of Final Cut Pro X 
and you updated those projects to Final Cut Pro 10.1, the projects have keywords reflecting the 
names of the project folders.
Apply keywords using the Keyword Editor
 1 In the Browser, select a range or one or more clips to which you want to add keywords.
 2 To open the Keyword Editor, click the Keywords button in the toolbar.
 3 At the top of the Keyword Editor, type the keyword or keyword phrase you want to apply to the 
selection, and press Return.
Type a keyword 
or keyword phrase, 
and press Return.
 4 Repeat step 3 for each keyword or keyword phrase you want added to the selection.
A blue line appears at the top of the selection in the Browser, indicating that keywords have 
been applied to it.
 5 When you’re finished adding keywords, close the Keyword Editor.
Assign keywords using keyboard shortcuts
To add keyword phrases to your clips using keyboard shortcuts, you must first assign keywords 
and keyword phrases to the keyboard shortcuts.
 1 If the Keyword Editor isn’t open, click the Keywords button in the toolbar.
 2 In the Keyword Editor, click the disclosure triangle to the left of Keyword Shortcuts.
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							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 69
 3 Type a keyword or phrase in each shortcut field, and press Return.
To reassign a keyboard shortcut, select the shortcut text in the field and type the new keyword.
Enter keywords 
or a keyword phrase 
here to assign them 
to keyboard shortcuts.
 4 To use a keyboard shortcut, select a range or one or more clips to which you want to add 
keywords, and press Control and the corresponding number key (1 through 9).
View keywords applied to clips
 mTo quickly identify clips that have keywords: Select an event in the Libraries list. 
Clips that have one or more keywords appear in the Browser marked with a blue line at the top.
 mTo view all keywords applied to a clip: Choose View > Show Skimmer Info (or press Control-Y ), and 
skim the clip in the Browser.
You can also view a clip’s keywords by selecting the clip in the Browser and clicking 
the Keywords button in the toolbar. The keywords applied to the clip are shown in the 
Keyword Editor.
 mTo view all the clips that have a specific keyword: Select a Keyword Collection in the Libraries list. 
The clips with that keyword appear in the Browser.
Remove all keywords from a selection
 1 In the Browser, select a range or one or more clips from which you want to remove keywords.
A blue line at the top of the clips indicates the portions of the clips that have keywords applied.
 2 Choose Mark > R emove All Keywords (or press Control-0).
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							 Chapter 5    Organize your library 70
Remove a subset of keywords from a selection
 1 In the Browser, select a range or one or more clips from which you want to remove 
specific keywords.
A blue line at the top of the clips indicates the portions of the clips that have keywords applied. 
Each keyword assigned to a clip is also shown in list view.
 2 Click the Keywords button in the toolbar to open the Keyword Editor, select the keyword or 
keywords you want to remove, and press Delete.
Select the keyword 
or keywords that you 
want to remove from 
the selection, and 
press Delete.
Add or edit clip and project notes
As you review your clips and projects, you can add and edit notes about them in the Browser 
(or, in the case of Timeline clips, in the Timeline Index). You can quickly find these items later by 
entering the note text in the search field in the Browser or the Timeline Index, or in the Text field 
in the Filter window. For information on text searches, see Find clips and projects in events
 on 
page 72.
Note:  You can add notes to each instance of a clip or project. For example, if you copy clips or 
projects between events or libraries, add a clip from the Browser to the Timeline, or copy clips 
within the Timeline, each of these clip or project instances (copies) is independent of the others.
Add or edit clip and project notes in the Browser
 1 Click the List View button in the bottom-left corner of the Browser.
 2 Select the clip or project for which you want to add or edit notes.
Note:  Notes are applied to clips and projects as a whole, not to range selections.
 3 Click the Notes field for the clip, and type or edit the notes for that clip.
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