This video was shot with my Pixel 8 Pro and edited with Final Cut Pro for iPad.
Most of the videos were enhanced with the Pixel’s Video Boost feature.
The videos are a combination of Night Site Time Lapse, Slow Motion, and regular videos. The regular videos had the Video Boost feature added after shooting.
I still have a lot to learn but Final Cut Pro on the iPad makes editing and stitching together videos. The iPad’s pencil is a nice tool to use in conjunction with the iPad while editing. They make quick work of the editing process.
A colection of drone footage. The DJI Mini 3 Pro is an amazing device and the pictures and video it can produce never disappoint.
Clouds and sunlight are a beautiful, vibrant mix of visual pleasure. Being able to shoot video at a couple of hundred feet above the earth makes it even better.
It started with the Mac version of Final Cut Pro. I was looking for something that was more powerful than iMovie and the more I looked into what people were using, the more I liked what I saw.
All of the reviews I read or watched said the interface of Final Cut Pro was great for its exceptional design and user-friendliness, which contribute to its reputation as one of the top video editing software options. There are several factors that contribute to making the Final Cut Pro interface so good:
Intuitive Layout: The layout of Final Cut Pro’s interface is well-organized and intuitive. The magnetic timeline, for example, simplifies the arrangement of clips, effects, and transitions, making it easy to create a seamless flow in your project.
Customizability: Final Cut Pro’s interface can be customized to suit individual preferences. Users can arrange and resize panels, adjust workspaces, and create layouts that match their specific workflows. This adaptability allows editors to have a workspace that suits their needs.
Drag-and-Drop Functionality: The software’s drag-and-drop functionality makes it incredibly simple to import media, move clips around, and apply effects. This fluid interaction reduces the learning curve and enhances the editing process.
Thumbnail and Waveform Views: The visual aids in Final Cut Pro, such as thumbnail views of clips and waveform displays in the audio tracks, provide editors with an at-a-glance understanding of their content. This helps in making precise edits and adjustments.
Keyboard Shortcuts: Final Cut Pro offers a wide range of keyboard shortcuts that can significantly speed up the editing process. These shortcuts allow users to access various functions without navigating through menus, boosting efficiency.
Minimalistic Design: The design of the interface is clean and clutter-free. This minimalistic approach ensures that users can focus on their editing tasks without distractions, resulting in a smoother and more productive workflow.
Real-time Preview: The real-time preview feature allows editors to see changes as they are made, whether it’s applying effects, transitions, or color adjustments. This instant feedback helps in making informed decisions during the editing process.
Consistency with Apple Ecosystem: If you’re already familiar with other Apple software and products, you’ll find Final Cut Pro’s interface consistent with the design language of the Apple ecosystem. This consistency makes transitioning from other Apple applications smoother.
User-Centric Design Philosophy: Apple is known for its focus on user-centered design, and Final Cut Pro is no exception. The interface is designed with the user’s needs and preferences in mind, ensuring that tasks can be accomplished with ease.
Regular Updates: Apple frequently updates Final Cut Pro with new features and improvements. These updates often include refinements to the interface, ensuring that it remains up-to-date and continues to meet the evolving needs of editors.
In essence, the interface of Final Cut Pro excels in its user-centric design, providing a powerful yet accessible platform for video editing. Its thoughtful layout, ease of use, and adaptability contribute to its popularity among both beginners and experienced editors.
Mark Twain once said: “The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.”
That’s what this feels like.
I have a complex overwhelming task. My brain keeps playing the same old tapes. Why am I even trying to do this. I won’t succeed. There is no way I will ever become proficient with Final Cut Pro. No one cares. And that is where I am right now.
I am still plugging away. I worked on refining the intro. It was much quicker the second time around. I had a clear idea of what I wanted and a better understanding of how I needed to do it.
Importing the pictures was a snap and then scrubbing through them to make each the proper length took very little time.
To save time I exported the video before I added a soundtrack then imported it into a different project and adjusted the playback speed until I had it where I wanted it to be.
I wanted something that would move quickly but not be too short and go by in a blur. Nine seconds felt about right and adding a place holder for the subject of the review would allow me to make subsequent videos easily.
The hardest part was getting the soundtrack to be the length that I needed. I ended up having to add a filler to the beginning of the timeline and adjust the soundtrack so it began and ended where I wanted it to. The I exported it and airdropped it to my phone. I trimmed the video on my phone and airdropped it back to my iPad. There may be an easier way to do this, but I do not know it.
I made a new project, imported the video, and named it “Template” so I remember to not delete it.
I am going to make all of the intro videos I need and save them to an external hard drive, so I have them in a safe place to grab them from when I need them.
I am hoping it will be as easy as that sounds.
That is about it for tonight. I hope all of you are well.
I have an idea for a new project. Something that will help me become more comfortable using Final Cut Pro and result in another asset for my other blog.
I spent the morning shooting some new video and taking a number of stills. Now all I need to do is combine them into something that looks good.
From what I have thought about and learned with the last project I was able to break down what I wanted to do with some bullet points. If I do this correctly I will not only have a nice video, but also introductions for twenty three reviews. I’m excited to see if I can pull this off.
So, it’s day 12 and I think this is where I’m going to say the video is finished.
I feel that it’s OK to say that.
I don’t think that it’s an amazing video. I certainly don’t think it’s a perfect video, but I believe it’s a lot better than the original. That’s what I was shooting for.
This process has taught me a lot.
I need to plan out what I’m shooting instead of hoping the footage I take will somehow allow me to piece it all back together and make a decent video from it. I don’t know if that means having a list of bullet points for the shots I would like or if it will mean doing a quick storyboard to plan the shots and sticking to that. Either way, better planning should make for better videos. It will also save me time in the editing process.
Another thing that I’ve learned is the need to keep things simple. While I was going through the final steps, I had to resist the urge to put transitions between each clip. I had to keep telling myself that each clip didn’t need some sort of effect to make it good. Prior to working on this project, I really thought every clip needed to have an effect. Before taking the time to watch the tutorials, to watch other creators, and to look at the user guide, it seemed like if an effect was available, then each clip should have one.
Simple is better.
Is this video perfect? No.
There are things I see in it I wish I had done differently. I should have taken more still photos with my drone. There are places in the video that I would have liked to have added a still shot to, but I didn’t have it available. I believe as I take more footage, I will have that thought in my head. I need to think about what I am shooting and take a few pictures, so I have them available. I may never use them, but they would be available if I needed them.
Does finishing this video make me an expert at Final Cut Pro? No.
I consider the bet I have with myself to be ongoing. I do feel more comfortable using the software, but it isn’t intuitive for me. I want to get to the point where I remember how to do things and I don’t have to look at notes or go back over a tutorial to find what I want to do. I want to develop that muscle memory.
I’m going to continue with the blog. I’m going to continue to post pictures and videos, And I’m going to continue to learn to use the app and become more comfortable with it. That’s the only way I’m going to learn.
I still have a couple of months before the new iPads are announced that gives me the time, I need to become more comfortable with the app.
On a side note, one of the things that I have come to appreciate with using an iPad, a MacBook Air, a Mac mini pro, and an iPhone is AirDrop. It was very nice being able to share things that were saved on one device with another with the touch of a couple of buttons. I don’t believe I’m an apple fanboy, but I do appreciate the ecosystem.
That’s it for tonight. I’m heading off to bed. I hope that you all have a good evening and I look forward to continuing my journey with Final Cut Pro.
Well, I decided that I’m going to redo my video of lake Leotta Park.
Looking at the video as it is right now the first thing that I’m thinking is that my redo is going to be a lot shorter than the original (2:56). I just get the sense that with what I’m learning from the tutorials, and looking at other sources online, the video that I shot it’s probably going to be about half of what it is right now.
So, I downloaded the original video files that I had for the first video, and I have them on my iPad Air now. I haven’t really done anything with them besides look them over. I haven’t assigned them any keywords or made any of them favorites. I just have them in a folder on my iPad. All the fun begins tomorrow.
My cat moo has been annoyed and with me lately spending so much time on an app. He kept bumping my legs with his head, so I had to give him some attention today.
The real work begins tomorrow, and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.
OK, so I’m trying to figure out how to determine whether I’ve succeeded in my bet.
I mean, how do I judge whether I have become fluent with the Final Cut Pro for iPad app?
I guess the only way that I can judge of that for myself is to look at what I’ve done previously and then see how/if I improve.
What I think I’m going to do is take one of the first videos that I did on the Final Cut Pro for Mac version and see what I create by using the same video files but doing everything on the iPad version.
Is that a good method to judge this by?
I don’t know.
It’s definitely not very scientific.
I already have the mindset that the video is not good and can be improved on.
BUT….
It does, however, allow me to focus on the:
1) 60 plus hours of drone video I’ve shot over this past year and not used.
2) look at all the photographs I’ve taken and not used.
Evansville Wildlife Area
AND
3) look at what I’ve spent time on over the last year with no real purpose.
I’m hoping that it helps me focus and that’s something I desperately need. I tend to move from project to project instead of giving one project all my attention. I’ve never been diagnosed but I really think I have ADHD.
Magnolia Bluff
I tend to get interested in something, learn about it, play with it for a while, then get bored with it and move on to the next bright shiny object. Like somehow this thing will fill a need or make me feel better and I do for a while but then I’m right back to looking for the next thing and the next thing after that. I guess what I’m saying is that I want to start doing one thing well instead of a lot of things half assed (pardon my language).
So, with that in mind I’ve gone over the last few videos that I’ve done with Final Cut Pro for Mac and have chosen three where I like the content, but don’t like the final product. Now I just have to figure out which one I want to focus on and go with that.
Lake Leota
I hope to have that decision made by tomorrow’s blog. I will then upload that video to my YouTube channel so that it’s available for anyone to see. Then I’m going to start working with the same files but on the iPad version of Final Cut Pro and see what I can come up with.
I’d like to give a thank you to anyone who is reading this, and I hope that you find the journey interesting.
That’s it for now though I have a lot of work ahead of me.
My Final Cut Pro 