Apple Final Cut Pro 6 - Manual (Page 1046)

Chapter 14 Changing Motion Parameters 261
II
Using Cartesian Geometry to Position Clips
Final Cut Pro compositing features use simple Cartesian geometry to position clips
within the frame defined by the Canvas. This makes the process of symmetrically
arranging layered clips easy and precise. Even though it’s possible to “eyeball” a lot of
compositions, a little math can go a long way, especially when you want to start
creating more precise motion effects using keyframes.
In Final Cut Pro, the center point of a layer is always relative to the center point of the
Canvas; the center point of the Canvas always has x and y coordinate values of 0, 0.
To position clips using their x and y coordinates, you click the Basic Motion disclosure
triangle and enter appropriate values in the Center number fields.
To move a clip to the right:
m Enter a positive value for the clip’s x coordinate.
To move a clip to the left:
m Enter a negative value for the clip’s x coordinate.
Using the Paste Attributes Command
As you composite multiple clips together in Final Cut Pro, it’s important to take
advantage of whatever shortcuts you can to eliminate steps and save time.
The Paste Attributes command in the Edit menu (with the keyboard shortcut Option-
V) is a valuable tool for selectively copying attributes from one clip to another
without having to open clips in the Viewer. It also eliminates the need to repeat steps
when applying identical effects to multiple clips. For detailed information about this
command, see “
Copying and Pasting Specific Clip Attributes ” on page 327.
Note: The examples starting on page 263 show how you can use the Paste Attributes
command when compositing clips and creating motion effects.
Canvas center point
(0, 0)
–360 pixels +360 pixels
–240 pixels
+240 pixels