Working with Text Generators

 < Day Day Up > 

The clips you have used so far have been captured from source material or imported from other files. But Final Cut Pro can create certain clips called generators, or generated items internally. These include color bars and tone, which are used as color references; slugs to fill a space with black; color mattes to create background color; and other items. Some generated items stand alone, such as color bars at the head of a sequence. Other items can be used in conjunction with other video clips. When selected, most generated items appear in the Viewer with a length of 2 minutes and a marked 10-second default duration. Color bars and slugs are not marked. All generated items are video-only except for color bars and tone.

Text is one of the generated items that Final Cut Pro can create. Within that category are different types of text options, each with their own set of parameters. Although you may choose a graphic artist or use Apple's Motion or the bundled LiveType applications to create special titles for your project, the generated text options within Final Cut Pro offer many ways to create and control your titles.

NOTE

LiveType is a 32-bit title-animating program that comes bundled with Final Cut Pro. You can find an introductory PDF for LiveType on the DVD that accompanies this book.


Applying a Text Generator

Generated items can be selected from two different locations: the Effects tab in the Browser, and a pop-up menu in the Viewer. The most basic of the text generators is simply called Text. You can use this text option to create a number of title clips, including slates, basic titles, and a production title card that identifies the title of the sequence, film, or project. In this exercise, you will add a title card following the logo to introduce the sequence.

1.

In the Timeline, click the Adding Text - Starting sequence tab, and position the playhead at the start of the gap following Logo FLAT.jpg.

2.

In the lower-right corner of the Viewer, click the Generator pop-up and choose Text > Text from the pop-up menu.

NOTE

As with transitions, bolded text options will play in real time.

In the Viewer, the words SAMPLE TEXT appear over the image area. This is a default text line. The In and Out points create a 10-second default duration, which you can change in the User Preferences.

NOTE

The background behind the text defaults to the last background you chose in the View menu.

3.

For the purposes of this exercise, choose View > Background > Checkerboard 1. Click the Canvas window, and repeat this process.

All title clips contain an alpha channel. This allows you to use the text as a stand-alone item or superimposed over another clip. The checkerboard background behind the text indicates the portion of the text image that is being dropped or keyed out.

TIP

You can also choose a background from the View pop-up menu in the Viewer or the Canvas.

4.

Change the duration of this text clip to 3 seconds.

5.

Edit the text onto the V2 track in the Timeline at the playhead location.

TIP

To better organize your sequence, place all of your text on one track. If you ever need to create a copy of your project without titles, you can just toggle off the Visible control for the Text track. For this exercise, you will place your text edits on the V2 track.

6.

Move the playhead to the center of the Text clip in the Timeline to see it in the Canvas.

Controlling Text Options

Once you edit a generated Text item into the sequence, you make changes to it the same way you would if you were adding a filter to a sequence clip you open it back up into the Viewer. As with other generated items, Text provides a Controls tab in the Viewer where you can modify its attributes.

1.

To make changes to the Text clip, double-click it to open it in the Viewer.

2.

In the Viewer, click the Controls tab.

Note the attributes you can modify, such as Font, Size, Style, and Alignment. Scroll down to look at the other attributes, then scroll up to the Text parameter.

3.

Click in the Text field, and when Sample Text is highlighted, type Presents.

4.

Press the Tab key to apply this information, and look in the Canvas to see what you've typed.

5.

Make the following text selections by choosing from the pop-up menus, adjusting the sliders, or typing the information:

  • Font: Impact

  • Size: 70

  • Alignment: Center

6.

To change the color of the text, click the Font color picker.

7.

Select a bright yellow color, and click OK.

NOTE

You can reset parameters to their default status by clicking the red X reset button in the upper-right corner of the Controls tab.

8.

Adjust the Tracking, Leading, and Aspect sliders to see how they affect the text in the Canvas. If you don't like a change, return to your previous settings by pressing Cmd-Z.

9.

To double-check that the text is positioned within the proper guidelines, click the Canvas View pop-up menu and choose Show Title Safe. Toggle off Show Title Safe when you finish viewing the text.

TIP

To make sure your titles will be visible on a television set, always position them within the inner title safe boundary.

Adding a Title over a Background

In this exercise, you will utilize the alpha channel of a text item by placing a title over a background clip.

1.

Set an In point at the start of the team truck clip, and set an Out point at the end of the BS drinking water clip.

2.

In the Viewer, click the Video tab. From the Generator pop-up menu, choose Text > Text.

3.

Make sure the v1 source is patched to the V2 track. Edit this Text clip as an Overwrite edit, and move the playhead over the new text clip.

With the playhead parked over any one of the three clips, you see SAMPLE TEXT appear in the Canvas.

4.

In the Timeline, double-click the new text clip to open it in the Viewer.

5.

Click the Controls tab, and in the Text box, type Yamaha of Troy.

6.

In the Controls tab, make the following changes to this text:

  • Font: Impact

  • Size: 63

  • Style: Bold

  • Alignment: Center

  • To make the color of this text the same as that of the first text clip, click the Select Color tool (eyedropper), and move the Timeline playhead over the first text edit, Presents. In the Canvas, click the yellow text with the Select Color tool.

  • Tracking: 6

Adding a Lower Third

Lower thirds are lines of text used to identify a person, place, or thing in a clip. Final Cut Pro's Lower 3rd text clip is preformatted and automatically creates two lines of text information within the title safe boundary in the lower left of the image area. You can choose to use only one line of text in a lower third, but you cannot use more than two. The name Lower 3rd is derived from the placement of the text in the lower third of the image area.

In this exercise, you will use the Superimpose edit function to edit the Lower 3rd text clips.

1.

In the Timeline, patch the v1 source control to the V1 track, and move the playhead into the DS intro clip.

2.

Click the Video tab in the Viewer, then click the Generator pop-up menu and choose Text > Lower 3rd.

In the Viewer, a new text clip appears with two default lines of sample text. (The background of the screen shot shown here has been changed to black for easier viewing.)

3.

To superimpose this text clip over the DS Intro clip, drag the text clip into the Canvas and drop it on the Superimpose section of the Edit Overlay.

The Lower 3rd text clip is placed on the V2 track above the V1 clip, and is automatically given the same duration as the V1 clip.

NOTE

The Superimpose edit function determines the new clip duration by looking at the clip on the assigned destination track under the playhead location at the time of the edit.

4.

In the Timeline, double-click the Lower 3rd clip to open it in the Viewer.

5.

Click the Controls tab.

There are Sample Text 1 and Sample Text 2 entry areas, along with a separate set of attribute controls for each line of text.

6.

In the Text 1 field, enter Danny Smith, and make it Arial Black, Italic, and 36 point. In the Text 2 field, enter Number 59, and make it Arial and 30 point. Play this clip.

When you create a text clip you like, you can make a copy of it and use it elsewhere in your sequence. You will apply a lower third to the other two racers but will copy and paste the original to keep all the control parameters the same.

7.

In the Timeline, select the Lower 3rd clip. To use a copy of this text clip over the next racer, Option-drag it over the BS king of 2nd clip. First release Option and then the mouse to make an Overwrite edit.

8.

Double-click this Lower 3rd clip to open it in the Viewer. In the first text field, replace Danny Smith's name with Brock Sellard; in the second field, enter Number 18.

9.

Scroll down to see the Background attributes. Click the Background pop-up menu and choose Solid.



This places a solid bar behind the text. This bar can be used for style purposes or to help make text more readable.

10.

Use the Background's Select Color tool to sample the blue of Brock's bike, below the handlebars to the right. Change the background Opacity to 50.

NOTE

You cannot apply the solid bar to the Danny Smith lower third without cutting into the image of his face. You will enhance his lower third in others ways later in this lesson.


Project Practice

Add a lower third clip over the MB championship clip, either by starting from scratch and superimposing it, or by dragging a copy from the Brock Sellard Lower 3rd clip. Match the Brock Sellard font sizes and styles, but use Mike Brown's name and his number (3).

To finesse the text clips you've created, adjust the duration of each Lower 3rd clip to match that of its background clip, and add opacity keyframes to the Lower 3rd clips to fade them in and out. You can use the Adding Text Finished sequence as a reference.

Using the Outline Text Generator

The Outline Text generator allows you to create an outline around the letters of your text, add a background image to your text, or even fill the text, outline, or background with different images from other clips. This exercise will guide you through some of Outline Text's possibilities, but there are numerous ways to adjust this type of text clip.

1.

Park the playhead over the PA team owner clip. Because of the position of the man in the frame, a lower third is inappropriate here.

2.

In the Viewer, click the Video tab, and from the Generator pop-up menu choose Text > Outline Text.

The default Sample Text appears in the Outline Text style.

3.

Drag the image from the Viewer to the Canvas and drop it on the Superimpose section of the Canvas Edit Overlay.

4.

In the Timeline, double-click the Outline Text clip to open it in the Viewer. Click the Controls tab.

5.

In the Text field, enter Phil Alderton, and press Return. On the second line, enter Team Owner, and press Tab to see it in the Canvas. Choose Arial Black for the Font, choose Bold for the Style, and enter 35 for the Size.

6.

Set Tracking to 3, Leading to 20, Line Width to 20, and Line Softness to 3.

7.

Use the Select Color tool to choose a blue from the bike as the outline color of the text.

Although the text looks good, it isn't positioned properly. You can reposition text easily by toggling on the Image+Wireframe mode in the Canvas and dragging the text into place.

8.

Click in the Canvas to make it active, and press W to toggle on Image+Wireframe. In the Canvas, drag the Outline Text clip up and to the right. Toggle on the Title Safe overlay to make sure the text sits within the title safe boundary. When you've finished positioning the text, toggle off Title Safe, and return the Canvas to just the Image mode.

Project Practice

Outline Text has additional options. You can insert an image or graphic either within the text itself, within the outline surrounding the text, or in both places at once. To create this effect in the current sequence, move the playhead to the end of the sequence, and edit a 5-second Outline Text clip at this location. Open the clip, change the text to The End, and choose Impact as the font. Adjust the size and aspect of this clip so the letters fill the frame, staying within the title safe area.

NOTE

You can open the Outline Text clip at the end of the Adding Text Finished sequence as a reference for parameter settings.


To fill the text letters with an image, scroll down to the Text Graphic parameter. From the Freeze Frame bin in the Browser, drag the Photo Finish clip into the Viewer and release it in the Text Graphic image well.

The image fills the text letters. You can also choose an image to fill the outline around the text, and another to appear in the background behind the text.

TIP

To clear an image from one of the graphic image wells, Ctrl-click the image and choose Clear from the shortcut menu.


Creating a Credit Roll

You can create credits as single clips with one name on the screen at a time. Or you can use the Final Cut Pro animated Scrolling text option to roll the credits over the screen, which is the standard approach for television shows and films.

1.

Position the playhead on the first frame of the The End Outline Text clip at the end of the sequence. Press Shift-F5 to lock all audio tracks.

You will insert a credit roll at this location, but you don't want to change or split any of the audio clips.

2.

In the Viewer, click the Video tab, then click the Generator pop-up menu and choose Text > Scrolling Text. Change the clip duration to 5 seconds.

NOTE

The Scrolling Text option in the Generator Items pop-up menu is not bold, so it may not play in real-time on your computer.

3.

Edit the Scrolling Text clip into the Timeline as an Insert edit at the playhead position.

4.

Double-click the Scrolling Text clip to open it in the Viewer, and click the Controls tab. In the Timeline, move the playhead into the Scrolling Text clip to see it in the Canvas.

The Scrolling Text has a built-in animation that moves the text up from the bottom of the screen and rolls it off the top of the screen, like typical movie credits. If the playhead is parked at the end or beginning of the clip, you won't see the text.

5.

In the text entry area, enter the following information, including the asterisks between the credit and person's name, and press Return after each line. Press Tab after the last line to see the text update in the Canvas:

Produced by*Name

Directed by*Name

Edited by*Name

Final Cut Pro creates two symmetrical columns separated by a gap where the asterisks were entered in the text. When no asterisk is entered, all the text is centered together.

NOTE

It may seem intuitive to place a space before and after the asterisks, but it is not necessary and will not create the desired effect.

6.

Drag the scroll bar down to the lower Controls parameters. Make the Size 34 and set Spacing to 2. Adjust the Gap Width to 10% to increase the distance between the two columns.

7.

To fade your credits in and out as they appear on and off the screen, enter a Fade Size of 25%.

TIP

Drag the playhead to the beginning or end of the clip to see where the credits fade in or out.

8.

Change the Leading to 190%.

9.

Play the Scrolling Text clip. If your computer has trouble playing it, preview it by pressing Option-P.

The length of this clip determines the amount of time it takes for all of the text to scroll through the frame. If you shorten the clip, the scrolling text moves faster. If you lengthen the clip, the scrolling text moves slower.

NOTE

There are two other animated text generators you can experiment with on your own: Crawl and Typewriter text. Crawl reveals text horizontally across the screen from the left or right. You may have seen weather warnings broadcast this way. The Typewriter text reveals one letter at a time until the full text is revealed, as though a typewriter is typing the text.


     < Day Day Up > 


    Apple Pro Training Series. Final Cut Pro 5
    Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 5
    ISBN: 0321334817
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 235
    Authors: Diana Weynand

    flylib.com © 2008-2017.
    If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net