Apple Final Cut Pro 6 User Manual
Page 1404
Chapter 28
Using RT Extreme
619
IV
Final Cut Pro analyzes a sequence to determine the processor workload required for
playback. Different portions of a sequence may require different amounts of
processing. Final Cut Pro breaks the sequence into segments and then indicates the
processor workload for each segment with a colored status bar. For more information,
see “
For example, suppose you edit a DV clip into a sequence. Final Cut Pro adds up the
processor “expenses” of reading the media file from your hard disk and decompressing
the DV frames. Because these processor “expenses” are fairly low, the color of the status
bar over that clip in the Timeline indicates that real-time playback is possible.
Now suppose you add a color correction filter to a clip. Playback of this clip is now
more “expensive” for the processor because more calculations must be performed to
display the result. Final Cut Pro compares the number of required calculations to the
speed of your computer’s processor. If the processor “expenses” are low enough, the
clip can still be played in real time, even with the additional color correction filter.
Achieving Real-Time Playback When Processor Power Is Exceeded
As you add more effects to a clip, more processing power is required to play that
segment of the sequence. If too many effects are added, Final Cut Pro recognizes that
the number of calculations is too “expensive” for the processor, and the color of the
status bar changes to indicate that playback may still be in real time but no longer at
full quality.
To keep your edit session moving and render-free, Final Cut Pro has several real-time
playback settings that balance playback quality with a minimum of dropped frames.
For a complete explanation of real-time playback settings, see “
Status bars in the
Timeline indicate the
workload for each
segment; the upper
bar is for video, and the
lower bar is for audio.