Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 1145)

Variable Speed Changes
Applying variable speed to a clip allows you to dynamically alter the speed of a clip over
time, in forward or reverse motion. Variable speed allows you to create sophisticated
effects in which subjects appear to smoothly shift across a variety of different speeds,
with hard or gradual transitions between each change. To create variable speed effects,
you create speed segments, essentially segments of a clip that begin and end with speed
keyframes.
Variable speed also allows you to create a smooth transition when going from normal
speed to fast or slow motion. These types of effects can be seen in many music videos
and broadcast commercials, and the effects can be created directly within your edited
sequences without your having to resort to an external compositing application.
Variable speed cannot be applied to the following:
• Audio
• Nested sequences
• Still images
• Multiclips
Using the Change Speed Dialogs
The Change Speed dialog (and the related Change Speed Segment dialog) are central
tools for creating speed effects such as slow motion, fast motion, and changes in the
speed of a clip over time. This section covers both the user interface (see
“About the
Change Speed Dialogs” ) and specific ways to apply speed effects with these dialogs (see
“Applying Speed Effects with the Change Speed Dialog” ).
About the Change Speed Dialogs
You can create speed effects in an entire clip or a segment of a clip using the Change
Speed command (available in the Modify menu) or the related Change Speed Segment
command (available in a shortcut menu from the Clip Keyframes bar in the Timeline).
1145 Chapter 69 Changing Clip Speed