Scrub high quality, Playback video quality, Playback frame rate – Apple Final Cut Pro 7 User Manual
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Scrub High Quality
When this option is selected, video displayed in the Canvas is shown at full quality when
you scrub or when the video is stopped. If you deselect this option, the video quality
during scrubbing is determined by the current Playback Video Quality setting (see
). Deselecting this option allows you to improve responsiveness
during scrubbing, especially when using processor-intensive codecs such as HDV, or
options such as multiclip playback.
Playback Video Quality
Most codecs support more than one level of playback quality to improve real-time
performance. Some codecs support three playback quality levels—high, medium, and
low—while others support only high and low quality. Selecting a lower playback quality
can increase the number of simultaneous real-time effects you can play.
• Dynamic: This option allows Final Cut Pro to automatically change between high,
medium, and low quality as necessary to maintain real-time playback. In this case, the
quality of the video resolution can change frame by frame. For more information, see
• High: Guarantees full-frame, full-resolution video playback. Video interlacing is preserved.
• Medium: Displays every other pixel and every other line (this is known as quarter frame
resolution). Because only half the lines are shown, the video is displayed without
interlacing. Media is decompressed using a full-quality decompression algorithm.
• Low: Like the Medium quality option, displays video at quarter frame resolution.
However, your media is decompressed and displayed with a low-quality decompression
algorithm, which requires significantly less processing power.
Playback Frame Rate
The more you reduce the number of frames Final Cut Pro calculates each second, the
more effects can be calculated in real time.
• Dynamic: This option varies the displayed frame rate as necessary to achieve the
highest-quality playback with the most effects. When more processing power is required,
Final Cut Pro can reduce the frame rate to spend more time calculating fewer frames.
When few or no effects are applied, Final Cut Pro can return to playback at the full
frame rate. For more information, see
• Full: Your sequence plays back at the frame rate (editing timebase) assigned in the
Sequence Settings window.
• Half: Your sequence plays back at half its assigned frame rate. For example, if the frame
rate of your sequence is 24 fps, the playback frame rate is 12 fps.
• Quarter: Your sequence plays back at a quarter of its assigned frame rate. If the frame
rate of your sequence is 24 fps, the playback frame rate is 6 fps.
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Chapter 84
Using RT Extreme