Apple Final Cut Pro 7 - Manual (Page 1211)

If you want to import a layered Photoshop file as a single clip, you must flatten the image
in Photoshop and then import the file into Final Cut Pro.
The sequence Final Cut Pro creates has the same number of layers as the imported file.
The background layer becomes a clip in track V1, and each consecutive layer appears in
the same order as the layers in the original Photoshop file. If you change the order of the
video tracks, the layering order changes. If the background in the Photoshop file is
transparent, the background of the new sequence is transparent as well and defaults to
black.
The background layer
becomes a clip in track
V1, with other layers in
the tracks above.
A Photoshop file is a
sequence with its own
tab in the Timeline.
Layer opacity settings, layer modes, and layer visibility are preserved, but layer masks are
not. If a Photoshop layer mode has no corresponding compositing mode in Final Cut Pro,
that layer mode is ignored.
Don’t Add or Delete Layers from an Imported Photoshop File
Final Cut Pro keeps track of each imported Photoshop layer according to its position
relative to the bottom layer. While editing a layered Photoshop file that’s already been
imported into Final Cut Pro, it’s not a good idea, under any circumstances, to:
• Add additional layers: If you add a layer, any layer pushed above the topmost layer that
was imported into your Final Cut Pro project is ignored when you go back to
Final Cut Pro.
• Delete layers: Deleting previously imported layers can have even more unexpected
results. If you must add or remove a layer from a previously imported Photoshop file,
do this in Photoshop and then reimport the file into Final Cut Pro. For additional
information about importing layered Photoshop files, see
“Importing Media Files into
Your Project.”
1211 Chapter 71 Compositing and Layering