Working with Sequences

Before you begin editing, you will open and play the finished sequence to see what your new sequence might look like. You will also duplicate an existing sequence and rename it so that you are ready to begin editing. The several ways to play a sequence were covered in detail in Lesson 4.

Opening and Playing a Sequence

You can work with several sequences open in the Timeline at the same time. In both the Timeline and the Canvas, each open sequence can be accessed by clicking its name tab. If you don't see a name tab for the sequence you want to view, it means that the sequence is not open.

1.	Look at the tabs area in the Timeline and Canvas to see what sequences are currently open.
2.	Play the 6-Finished w/Music sequence in the Timeline.
3.	In the Browser, click the triangle next to the Sequences bin to reveal the contents of that bin.
4.	Double-click the 6-Finished w/out Music icon in the Browser. The sequence opens in the Timeline. There are now two open sequences. You can click the two sequence tabs to see the different sequences. One version has music, and the other does not. Whatever sequence is active in the Timeline is also active in the Canvas window. The names of the sequences in the Timeline and Canvas window title bar will always match.
5.	Play the 6-Finished w/out Music sequence in the Timeline. This is the same sequence but without the music track. Tip Different computer monitors will display different-sized Timelines. To make the entire sequence fit in the Timeline window, press Shift-Z.

Closing a Sequence

You close a sequence the same way you close a project or bin tab. Even though a sequence is closed and does not appear in the Timeline and Canvas, it is still available in the Browser.

1.	Click the 6-Finished w/Music tab in the Timeline.
2.	Choose File > Close Tab. The sequence is closed in the Timeline and Canvas windows but still remains in the Browser.
3.	To close the other sequence a different way, Ctrl-click the 6-Finished w/out Music tab in the Timeline, and choose Close Tab from the shortcut menu. Note When no sequences are open, both the Canvas and Timeline windows close because their only purpose is to display open sequences. In the next exercise you will bring those windows back by opening another sequence.

Creating a Sequence

When you create a new sequence in the Browser, it is given a default name and number, such as Sequence 2 or Sequence 3, depending on how many sequences have been created in this project. It will also be given the current Timeline settings for number of tracks, track height, and type of thumbnail display. Those settings can be changed in the User Preferences window. In this exercise, you will change those settings, create a new sequence, and rename the new sequence to reflect the work you will be doing.

Tip

Since the clips for these lessons were created in DV-NTSC, make sure that option is selected in the Easy Setup window by choosing Final Cut Express HD > Easy Setup, and selecting DV-NTSC from the "Setup For" pop-up menu. Doing this will create DV-NTSC sequences for this exercise.

1.	In the main menu, choose Final Cut Express HD > User Preferences. In the User Preferences window, you can make changes to the default Final Cut Express user settings.
2.	Click the Timeline Options tab.
3.	On the left side lower portion of the window, set the Default Number of Tracks to be 1 Video and 2 Audio, and choose Name Plus Thumbnail as the Thumbnail Display. Click OK. Note Making changes to the Timeline preferences in this window will affect only the new sequences you create.
4.	In the Browser, Ctrl-click on the Sequences bin icon to bring up the shortcut menu, and choose New Sequence. Creating a sequence this way automatically places the new sequence in the bin.
5.	When the sequence name becomes highlighted, type Overwrite Edits, and press Return or Tab to accept the name change.
6.	If the Overwrite Edits sequence icon is highlighted, you can press Return to open the sequence. If it's not, double-click the sequence icon to open it. Even though there are no clips in the sequence, both the Timeline and Canvas windows open to display the Overwrite Edits sequence.