Using Built-In Plug-Ins

In Chapter 10, The Inspector Controls, you learned everything about the inspector’s controls and settings using the various inspector panels. This chapter will show you how to put that knowledge to good use when you add effects to timeline clips. You will learn about the built-in titles, generators, effects, and transitions, with several examples featured to show you the full gamut of settings. I use the term built-in to refer to all the effects, sometimes known as plug-ins, that are supplied as part of the purchase of Final Cut Pro.

The main topics covered in the chapter are as follows:

• An explanation of plug-in terminology
• Plug-ins – general knowledge
• Using built-in plug-ins
• Creating custom plug-ins from built-in plug-ins

In this chapter, you will learn how plug-ins are added to clips in the timeline. Previously, in Chapter 10, The Inspector Controls, you saw where these plug-ins appeared in the inspector. In this...

An explanation of plug-in terminology

Throughout the time you have been using Final Cut Pro, it’s likely you will have heard of a number of different terms such as third-party plug-ins, default plug-ins, built-in plug-ins, plug-in developers, and effects. Now is a good point to explain what all of these terms mean.

Final Cut Pro ships with a number of what it generally refers to as effects. Effects can be categorized as Titles, Generators, Effects, and Transitions. Now, you can already see the problem with the term effects. First, the main category is known as Effects, but it also has a section inside called Effects, which is most confusing. To avoid replication in the terminology, Final Cut Pro sometimes uses the alternative term Plug-ins for the main Effects category.

This would be much more logical, except that the term plug-in tends to indicate something that is added. However, as Final Cut Pro has titles, generators, transitions, and effects that are built-in, how...

Plug-ins – general knowledge

The two specific features that many plug-ins use relate to entering text and adding video and stills to portals on the screen; these areas are called a drop zone or, in some cases, a media well.

Figure 11.2 – A Drop Zone and text panel in the inspector, with the viewer also shown

Text can be typed directly into a plug-in; however, for multiple words, it pays to prepare the text in a text editor, such as Apple’s TextEdit app, and then copy and paste it into the plug-in. The reasons for this being a good approach are, first, you have more time and space to think precisely about what words you want to construct, and second, the size of the Text area in the Final Cut Pro inspector is very small and text can be hard to see, so it’s better to not have to worry about editing in a restrictive area, as shown in Figure 11.3.

Figure 11.3 – A very small Text field

Using a...

Built-in plug-ins

I intend to discuss the built-in plug-ins by category. First, I’ll cover Titles, starting with the Build In/Out category of basic animated titles, followed by Lower Thirds and Bumper/Opener.

Then, I’ll cover three subcategories of Generators, starting with Elements and Solids.

After Titles and Generators, I will first cover effects in the Effects browser, specifically those that are related to color and looks. Then, I will cover effects that make dramatic changes to a clip in the timeline. These include Keyer for a green screen effect and Masks, which allows you to hide parts of an image or cut out objects.

I will then cover two representative categories of Transitions, including the morphing Flow transition and Wipes, which are suitable for introducing new sections of a video.

Because all editors using Final Cut Pro have access to built-in plug-ins, effects added with these plug-ins tend to be recognizable and may not look fresh. In this...

Creating custom plug-ins from built-in plug-ins

All editors using Final Cut Pro have access to and use the built-in plug-ins, so the effects added using them may become recognizable.

To achieve a fresh, unique look, a simple solution is to combine the different effects to give them your own distinctive identity.

The Simple title icon on the left of Figure 11.56 is the built-in Centered title. It can be transformed by using a Dynamic background and the Social lower third, with a logo (as shown on the right of Figure 11.56) – all effects that are supplied as part of Final Cut Pro.

Figure 11.56 – Built-in Centered (left) and the transformed (right) titles

The built-in effects will give you a good start with plug-ins, but you will need more as your editing skills progress. The vast number of available free plug-ins is the next place for you to look, which will be discussed in Chapter 12, Using Third-Party Plug-Ins.

Summary

This chapter covered many diverse styles of plug-ins. You now know that it’s the add-ons that make Final Cut Pro the powerhouse that it is. You learned that a number of plug-ins are supplied with the software when it is first installed.

You were shown the built-in Titles plug-ins, leading with the Build In/Out category of basic animated titles, Lower Thirds, and Bumper/Opener.

You learned that Titles plug-ins allow you to both enter text and add video and stills to portals on the screen, using a drop zone.

You were introduced to Elements, Solids generators, and then effects in the Effects browser. You saw two representative categories of Transitions, including the morphing Flow transition and Wipes.

You learned that Effects plug-ins are not just about color manipulation and have diverse options to produce results, such as green screen videos and cutouts using Masks.

You were introduced to the concept of combining built-in plug-ins to create unique effects...