Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 20)

Chapter 1 About the Postproduction Workflow 19
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Step 3: Logging and capturing
Logging is the process of identifying which shots on tape you want to capture to your
hard disk for editing. While you log, you can add scene and shot descriptions, logging
notes, and markers. Logging also helps you become familiar with your footage before
you begin editing.
Capturing means transferring source media from your video camcorder or deck to your
computer’s hard disk, which creates media files. You can capture media files at any time,
although most footage should be captured before you start editing.
The order in which you log and capture your footage is up to you. There are several
possible workflows, depending upon your work style, the needs of your project, and
the availability of footage. You can log all or most clips before batch capturing them (in
an automated way), or log and then capture each clip individually. You can also log
clips after capturing your footage to a hard disk.
Final Cut Pro allows you to capture video and audio from a wide variety of sources, if
you have the appropriate hardware. See Chapter 17, “
Overview of Logging
and Capturing ,” on page 225 for more information.
Step 4: Editing
The editing process involves taking the video and audio you’ve captured, along with
any music or graphics you’ve imported, and arranging these raw materials into a final
edited sequence of clips. Most editors start with a rough cut, where they quickly
arrange all of the clips for a movie in sequence. Once that’s finished, they work on fine-
tuning, subtly adjusting the edit points between clips and refining the pacing of each
cut. Basic audio editing and synchronizing are also part of this process, as well as
adding transitions, such as fades and dissolves.
Often, the type of project you’re working on determines your method of editing. For
example, documentary editing, in which the script often evolves in parallel with the
editing, is quite different from commercial television and film editing, in which there is
already a finished script to provide an order for clips.