Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 1290)

But that's just the beginning. The real power of master templates becomes clear when
you have lots of titles or graphics in your sequence that need the same motion graphics
treatment. For example: You are working on a documentary that has dozens of lower
third titles, each requiring the same animated text and background treatment. In this
case, a graphic designer can create a single Motion template file for all of your lower third
titles. In Final Cut Pro, the Motion template file becomes a master template that you can
use to create multiple template clips in your sequence, each with its own custom text.
But there's still more. What if you or your graphic designer wants to alter the animation
for the lower third titles after you have edited them into your sequence? Because you
used the same master template for each lower third, each template clip is connected to
the same Motion template file. The designer can change the Motion template file, and
all the template clips in your sequence are updated immediately.
Terminology for Master Templates
The following definitions provide some shorthand for discussing the behavior of sequences
containing clips derived from master templates:
• Motion template file: A template file created and saved in Motion. This term refers to
the template file stored on disk.
• Master template: A Motion template file as it appears in Final Cut Pro. You can view
master templates in the Viewer and edit them into a sequence, creating copies called
template clips.
• Template clip: An instance of a master template edited into a sequence or copied into
the Browser. Just as normal Final Cut Pro clips refer to QuickTime media files on disk,
a template clip refers to a Motion template file on disk. When a Motion template file
is changed and saved in Motion, any template clips that refer to the template file are
updated.
• Template parameters: Special template clip parameters that you can customize directly
in Final Cut Pro using the Controls tab of the Viewer. For example, you can modify text
or video content in a template clip.
Working with Master Templates
Here is the basic workflow for using master templates in Final Cut Pro.
Stage 1: Previewing Master Templates
See “Previewing Master Templates” for information on previewing the currently installed
master templates in the Master Template Browser.
1290 Chapter 77 Working with Master Templates