Timing guidelines

Timing guidelines

Depending on the template type, different timing rules apply when you apply the template to a clip in the Final Cut Pro Timeline. When publishing parameters and applying templates, consider the following guidelines:

  • Final Cut Effect: When you apply an effect template in Final Cut Pro, the effect is integrated into the clip. For example, when a color-correction effect template that’s 300 frames in Motion is saved and applied to a 2,300-frame clip in Final Cut Pro, the resulting effect is 2,300 frames.

    Animated effect templates are also scaled according to the duration of the clip they’re applied to in Final Cut Pro. For example, if a template in Motion is 300 frames long, and the placeholder layer is animated to rotate 360 degrees (one complete rotation) from frames 0 to 300, when the template is applied to a 900-frame clip in Final Cut Pro, the complete rotation is stretched to 900 frames.

    You can override the timing adjustment in Final Cut Pro by applying markers to the template in Motion. For example, to control frame-counting effects, such as Timecode generators, apply special markers to instruct Final Cut Pro when to play specific ranges of the template. For more information, see Add template markers.

  • Final Cut Transition: In Final Cut Pro, the default transition duration is set in the Editing pane of Final Cut Pro Preferences. When you apply a transition template to an edit point in the Final Cut Pro timeline, the duration of the transition effect is modified to the default transition duration. For example, in a Final Cut Pro Broadcast HD 1080 project (29.97 fps) with a default transition duration of two seconds, an applied 300-frame transition template is compressed to 60 frames (2 seconds at 29.97 fps).

    To override the transition duration setting in Final Cut Pro Preferences, select the Override FCP checkbox in the Properties Inspector in Motion. If this checkbox is selected when the transition is saved, the transition retains its original duration when added to the Final Cut Pro project.

    Whether the transition duration uses the Final Cut Pro default or is overridden, you can adjust the In and Out points of the transition in the Final Cut Pro Timeline.

  • Final Cut Title: When added to a Final Cut Pro project, a title template is anchored to the clip it’s applied to. Its duration is based on the duration of the template in Motion. After the title is applied, you can adjust its duration in the Final Cut Pro Timeline.

  • Final Cut Generator: When added to a Final Cut Pro project, a generator template uses its default duration (its duration when the template was created and saved in Motion). After the generator is applied, you can adjust its duration in the Final Cut Pro Timeline.