Overview

What are template markers?

Markers are visual reference points you add to the Timeline to identify specific frames. There are several types of markers. The first, known as Standard, is designed for use in Motion and has no effect if saved in a Final Cut template. The remaining marker types, known as template markers, are designed to control the timing of templates in Final Cut Pro X.

For basic information on using markers in the Timeline, see Work with markers overview.

When building a template in Motion, you typically don’t know the duration of the clips it will be applied to in Final Cut Pro. By default, the duration of a Motion template is determined by the length of the Final Cut Pro clip it’s applied to. Template markers let you control the timing of template after it’s applied in Final Cut Pro, by designating regions in the Timeline to be played, ignored, or looped. You can also use a template marker to designate a specific frame to be used as the template’s thumbnail in the Final Cut Pro Effects, Transitions, or Titles Browser.

Template markers fall into five categories:

  • Build In: Designates the end point of an intro section of a template, and instructs Final Cut Pro to play that section at the same speed as the original template (as created in Motion), regardless of the duration of the clip in the Final Cut Pro Timeline. For example, if a Build In marker is present at the 30-second mark, the first 30 seconds retain the original timing (as created in Motion). Beyond the 30-second mark, the template is time-stretched (or time-shrunk) to the duration of the Final Cut Pro clip.

  • Build Out: Designates the start of an outro section of a template, and instructs Final Cut Pro to play that section at the same speed as the original template (as created in Motion), regardless of the duration of the clip in the Final Cut Pro Timeline. For example, if a Build Out marker is present 30 seconds from the end of the Final Cut Pro clip, the last 30 seconds retain the original timing (as created in Motion). Prior to the Build Out marker, the template is time-stretched (or time-shrunk) to the duration of the Final Cut Pro clip.

    If no Build In or Build Out markers are present, the entire template is time-stretched to correspond to the duration of the clip in Final Cut Pro. For example, if you apply a template that is three minutes long to a six minute long clip in Final Cut Pro, the effect stretches over the six-minute duration of the Final Cut Pro clip.

    Note: Transition templates assume a default duration in Final Cut Pro (determined in Final Cut Pro Preferences). This duration can conflict with the effects of these marker types. For example, you might specify that the intro animation of a transition lasts for 45 frames, while the default duration in Final Cut Pro is set to 30 frames for the entire transition. For information on how to override the Final Cut Pro default duration, see Create a transition template.

  • Loop: Loop markers indicate where the template should begin looping playback.

  • Poster Frame: Poster Frame markers determine the frame of a template to be used as the thumbnail for the template in the Final Cut Pro Effects Browser, Transitions Browser, or Titles Browser.

  • Text Edit: Text Edit markers identify ideal edit points in your title templates.