What are projects – Apple Final Cut Express HD User Manual

Page 42

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42

Part I

An Introduction to Final Cut Express HD

What Are Projects?

A project contains all of the clips and sequences you use while editing your movie.
Once you create or open a project, it appears as a tab in the Browser. There’s no limit to
the number of items, including clips and sequences, that can be stored in your project
in the Browser.

A project file acts as a sort of database for tracking the aspects of your edited movie:

 video, audio, and still image clips
 comments, descriptions, and notes for all your clips
 sequences of edited clips
 motion and filter parameters
 audio mixing levels
 bins, or folders within a project in the Browser, for organizing elements, such as clips

and sequences.

To start working in Final Cut Express HD, you must have a project open in the Browser.
For more information, see Chapter 5, “

Browser Basics

,” on page 65. You can have multiple

projects open at the same time, each represented by its own tab in the Browser.

Note: A project does not contain any media at all, which keeps it small and portable.
Even though project files refer to your media files, the media is not actually stored in
the project. By separating the structure of your project from the associated media, your
project can easily be archived or transferred to another computer, and it can be
opened even if none of the media files can be located. Compared to media files,
project files are relatively small and portable. You can make regular backup copies of
your project without filling your hard disk.

Project

Audio clip

Video clip

Still image

Sequence

ABC

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