My Final Cut Pro Video Editing Workflow from Start to Finish!

[@tombuck]

If you want to level up your editing skills with Final Cut Pro, check out my video editing course "Rough Cut to Final Cut" where I'll share literally everything I know to help you become a true Final Cut Pro: learnfinalcutpro.com

[@Serge1913]

I’ve been using Final Cut Pro for a long time, and this has been extremely helpful!

[@tombuck]

Such an awesome app! There's always more to learn with it.

[@FootDoctorZach]

This video helps a lot- especially after just having my first major external drive crash - playing with fire for a year and it finally caught up

[@tombuck]

Oh I feel your pain. We finally just set up a NAS server last week, which had been on my to-do list for years.

[@s.f.6846]

Does FCPX tend to crash on external drives or was it a drive failure? thx

[@WatchingtheWorldBurning]

I have just stumbled across your channel and this playlist. Great content. Fantastic tips. Thank you

[@tombuck]

Really glad to hear that! Happy editing!

[@adrienvillez]

So smart! Finally some good use of those colored tags in macOS! Thanks! PS: Coming from the podcast, loving it!

[@tombuck]

So glad to hear it! 🙌🏼

[@JayWednesday]

It's great that anytime I need a tutorial I can just come here to your page. Cool ass white dude man! Solid! Thank you TOM!

[@tombuck]

Best endorsement I've ever gotten! 🙌

[@KevinSinkPhotography-ju3uk]

Great summary; love the clean idea for the computer.

[@tombuck]

It’s worked very well for me over quite a few years 👍

[@prepandpress]

I've been using FCPX for a couple months now and this really helped me out in file management and workflow. Thanks Tom! Love your vids!

[@tombuck]

Glad to hear it! I hope you’re enjoying Final Cut!

[@prepandpress]

@@tombuck Big time. Much better than Premiere Pro.

[@StevieRichardsFitness]

Great video as usual and well produced. The Notes app for links and timecodes I’m definitely something I will add to my workflow. Keep up the great work.

[@tombuck]

Thanks! I'm happy it was helpful! I didn't use the Notes app for a long time, and then once I did it made things so much easier.

[@akekun1983]

Really appreciate for sharing this alternative way. First time i saw someone using the finder- fcpx workflow. Interesting.

[@tombuck]

I'm sure it's not "technically correct" but I haven't had any downsides so far.

[@akekun1983]

The Enthusiasm Project varies depend on projects I suppose. I might consider some of your method especially managing the default fcpx library setup. Oh great idea on the tags in the finder. Never actually use it but maybe now I can consider.

[@TheOtherSideOfTheStove]

This helped me very much. I am afraid of deleting things off of the FCP. I have two external and have my files on one and the other is back up. This has helped me see how I can get better at organizing.

[@tombuck]

It really works great and seems to keep Final Cut running smoothly. I do usually delete the actual library about once a month just to clear out any goofiness that might find its way in there.

[@BabyBackManiac]

This is great. Totally different than how I do it (except for keeping hard drive clean between projects) but different strokes for different folks. I actually only keep the project files (with the originals saved in the library) and throw out the originals just because I’ve found that if I ever need those originals, It helps my brain to go back into the FCP project. Also, I’ve had clients ask for tweaks of old projects so obviously, it’s nice not having to start over. I also heavily use notes. I think it’s the most underrated app in the entire ecosystem purely because of what you said about how seamlessly it shares it amounts apple devices. In fact, that may be the main way Apple has prevented me from ever being able to buy a different brand of one. I have description box template like you except instead of deleting the edits between projects, I just make a copy of the original at the start of the project and archive it in a folder. It helps for referencing sometimes. Thank you for sharing this. Totally shows there is more than one way to skin a cat.

[@tombuck]

Sounds like you're more organized than me! But especially when dealing with clients, that's probably the best way to be. And oh boy, the Notes app is SO underrated for anyone who's in the Apple "ecosystem."

[@BabyBackManiac]

@@tombuck Totally agree, man. Thanks again. Great video. I watched 2 of yours and enjoyed them both. Subbed.

[@adminstitut]

Hi Tom, great compliments on your videos. I am an avid subscriber and viewer. Keep up the good work. I can learn a lot from you! Best regards from Germany. Andreas

[@tombuck]

Thank you Andreas! I really appreciate the kind words 🙏

[@kbosher1]

A very educational video Tom! I am currently using DaVinci Resolve 18 as I am just starting out with making videos for the Tubes. I find your videos on hardware and such very engaging and wonderfully crafted! Keep up the great work! 👏

[@tombuck]

Thank you! I hope you're liking Resolve. I'm trying to learn the basics of it myself, and it's a pretty awesome application.

[@PatrickRambles]

Tom, that intro was 🔥🔥🔥

[@tombuck]

Thank you! I had so much fun with it!

[@CraytonTv]

Great video love the content and staying organized is very helpful learned some extra helpful tips from you. And the notes app that was really organized I know I need to fix mine that was an awesome setup keep up the great work.

[@tombuck]

I’m so glad it helped! Thanks for the kind words, as always. 🙏

[@danielkarlssonabellan5026]

Hi, Great Work!! I would really like a 2022 version of this one!! Pleaasseeee! I'm sure you really improved from 2019. Thanks for all the amazing work. Really helpful

[@PeteEdmunds]

So helpful , thanks Tom ! Really enjoy your engaging style. Is how you use keywords and events etc covered in one of your other videos ? Ps. The iPad second screen; tip was golden ! Hadn’t thought of that a bin viewer aid.

[@tombuck]

Glad it was helpful! I'm honestly not a huge keyword user myself (although I probably SHOULD...), but I do have a video that covers events/libraries/projects: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j2jPiX-abNeAn7M

[@BridieMacdonald]

thanks for sharing your process! Am new to FCP. Great tips.

[@tombuck]

It's such an awesome program, hopefully you grow to love it!

[@RobDymott]

very similar to my own work flow! your thumbnails are wicked too dude

[@tombuck]

Thanks! I've been trying to experiment with them a bit more lately. 👍

[@benthietje]

Just a fantastic video. Your work is great. Thank you!

[@tombuck]

Thanks Ben! I really appreciate that 👍

[@wrightstudiosllc]

Love your work, Tom! I especially love how cheesy your jokes can be.. (That’s actually a huge asset to the appeal of your channel/content lol) Keep it up!

[@tombuck]

Are you saying I have a huge asset?! (thank you for the kind words 😁)

[@wrightstudiosllc]

@@tombuck lol 😂 Nice! There it is!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@AdrianLoganLive]

Thanks for sharing your workflow, it's helped me refine mine a bit better too. I do have 2 questions for you. 1) Do you use Cloud storage at all for backups (Ex. Icloud, Google Drive etc)? and 2) Do you have a duplicate backup of your 4TB Drive and T5 files somewhere?... I feel like not having a duplicate backup is something someone so Oreganized wouldn't take a risk on considering all drives fail eventually, but you didn't hint or mention that you do. I'm curious (I still edit and store everything on my Mac/Cloud storage but want to buy 2 backup drives soon. Thanks for your thoughtful content!

[@tombuck]

Hey Adrian! I don't use cloud backup simply because our internet connection isn't fast enough- t would take an eternity to get everything uploaded. I do have copies of the hard drives in a fireproof safe as an extra precaution, and one day I'll get either a RAID system or a crazy fast internet connection and then backup that way.

[@ThankGodforTheBeatles]

Excellent video and helpful hints. Thank you!

[@cookingwithchefDama]

Thanks for sharing this. I thought it was really helpful

[@tombuck]

So glad to hear it!

[@kristianniemann8716]

Oregonized :) That deserves a sub. Great content Tom, thanks for doing these very helpful episodes for FCP n00bs like myself.

[@tombuck]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@blankidelics]

That intro is really cool.😁

[@tombuck]

Thanks! I think I had to drop the cards like 40 times to get it right, haha

[@blankidelics]

@@tombuck Well it looks like all that work created an amazing end result.

[@elwindaniel8944]

Thanks Tom. This helped me. Really nice of you to take time and explain stuff in detail. It would be nice to you to give me suggestions on a project that I'm working on. There are 5 people on the set and I'm using 3 cameras for the Multicam angles. This is going to be in a studio setup. What mics would you suggest that I must use? Lavs? Or shotguns on boom poles? I would really appreciate if you could give me a suggestion. Thanks.

[@tombuck]

Sounds fun! If you can use lav mics, that will always yield the best results in a situation like that. Otherwise good boom mics positioned just out of frame are nice. 🎙

[@elwindaniel8944]

@@tombuck Thanks a lot. I find that your content is amazing. But its sad to see that your channel is underrated. All the best and keep pouring out the info you have. Thanks a ton.

[@GaryCantrell]

Very helpful. Thank you Tom!!!

[@xaviertx89]

Notification Squad! 😉🙌🏽 Great Video Tom🔥

[@tombuck]

Thank you 🙌

[@trojaneen]

So helpful. Thank you!

[@tombuck]

You’re welcome!

[@risortestvideo5340]

@@tombuck So much useful info. Thanks for this.

[@PrestonJensen]

Great video. I learned a lot! I have really been noticing you have to check the finished exported file. I have noticed this in GarageBand for my podcast more than FCPX. A 40 min podcast is in the timeline complete and when I get the exported file on to my computer or external drive it only pulled over 22 min or something weird.

[@tombuck]

It's always important to do the quality control check. I was watching a video on a pretty large channel yesterday that had a few flickers of random green towards the end of the video. I replayed it several times to check that it was actually the video and not my connection, and I knew right away that they must not have watched the entire thing back before uploading. 😬

[@AdrianLoganLive]

@@tombuck Does the channel name end in "Drew" lol if so I noticed that as well

[@TetraEzio]

Great stuff 👍🏼

[@bobdrums]

Awesome stuff man. Got lots from this!

[@tombuck]

Thanks Bob!

[@coachpluggedin5608]

Very informative and to the point! That’s pretty good! Follow up with the FCPX workflow video?

[@tombuck]

What kind of follow up? I'm happy to make something that would be helpful to people.

[@coachpluggedin5608]

The Enthusiasm Project maybe a new tips and tricks video! You just do such a great job explaining yourself in these videos! Maybe it’s also due to edits. But great work!

[@jaymeez]

Really Good Info, Thanks! 😊

[@heatherjustcreate]

I really liked the thumbnail for this video. I really liked the intro. I really like your face 😘

[@tombuck]

I'm glad you like it (this was the KZbin auto generated reply 😁)

[@jingwu997]

Is there any quick and safe way to clean MacBook Pro storage space, please? I have the same spec as you do for the old model computer

[@tombuck]

I usually go through the “Manage Storage” option in About This Mac and delete/transfer as many large files as I can.

[@jingwu997]

@@tombuck yes, been there, done that. Still, some “others” occupied the 2/3 of the disc space. Cannot get access them directly. Even no idea what and where are they... Strange

[@tombuck]

“Other” is weird, and from what I understand will be overwritten when more space is needed for something else.

[@jingwu997]

@@tombuck OMG, does that mean I have to use factory restored function 😭 Too afraid to ’kill’ some valuable files I haven’t saved yet😭😭

[@jingwu997]

Any recommendations on the upgrade MacBook laptop for vlogger videos, please? Struggling with my late 2012 MacPro laptop, wondering if any model would be a game changer for improving my time efficiency completely.

[@tombuck]

The new M1 MacBooks should offer a HUGE step up in performance.

[@jingwu997]

@@tombuck thanks for the information. Which specific model, or which must-have spec, should I add to my shopping trolley, please?

[@AlonzoWhite]

Great video as always. I have a large archive of old family videotapes I want to convert to youtube for friends and family. What software do you recommend?

[@tombuck]

I used the elgato converter for that- I actually made a whole video about it. It comes with free software 👍

[@AlonzoWhite]

@@tombuck Does it work with Mac? Thanks!

[@stephengibbons]

@@AlonzoWhite I am doing mine with Quicktime.

[@jasonnuveman9865]

I think you're using a regular sized iPad to expand your monitor space. Do you think that size works best for the teleprompter that you use? I guess some are too big and some are too small for the teleprompter.

[@tombuck]

Yes, the 11" and under tablets fit best. But I actually prefer to use my phone with the prompter because the smaller screen focuses my eyes more directly on the screen.

[@bboycharmin]

instead of doing all those extra steps at the end of your workflow, delete the entire library in finder where ever you've saved it, move to trash and create a new library for your next project. This is great because sometimes even if you delete all generated library files, some cache files might not delete especially if you've been using the same library for months. The database could get corrupt over time and things might not delete as expected. just a thought for saving time at the end of your project.

[@tombuck]

This is a great idea, thanks for sharing!

[@BEN_HARDY]

Hey love your videos huge fan, just a few questions I wanted to ask, 4 years after this video was made and uploaded to KZbin, are you still using Final Cut Pro to edit your videos? and are you still recording onto SD cards or do you use a cam link to record your footage in 4K? Because I notice most your videos are usually 4K 24fps

[@rudyonthego]

How do you set the time marker(s) on KZbin? I’ve never really figured it out.

[@tombuck]

You just need to put them in your description somewhere and be sure to start with 0:00. If you look at any of my video descriptions you'll see how I formatted it 👍

[@rudyonthego]

@@tombuck Thank you again bro for that helpful hint.

[@DavidsTrading]

Love the video almost as much av the dad jokes, haha, your one funny guy! I I always love you videos but would love to see something similar like this one but how you work with FCPX, as I also use it for my videos. But I always find it to lagg and just be as as slow as my ex wife you know haha. Good stuff man!

[@PatrickRambles]

Usually when FCPX lags, it means your computer is having a hard time keeping up. I recently had to switch from a 13” lower end MBP to a 16” 2019 model and now Final Cut scrubs through 4K timelines like it’s nothing.

[@tombuck]

Thanks sir! I agree with Patrick that lag usually comes from the computer. It is possible to use proxies for your footage, which will ease the workload put on the processor.

[@DavidsTrading]

@@PatrickRambles thanks buddy and yes I understand that but the problem is that the computer have been working fine about a year and fcpx aswell, but its this last 2 months its getting so slow with it now. So for me its a little strange that it just started to work slowly now.

[@tombuck]

Hmm, that is strange. Have you tried creating a new FCP Library from scratch? That’s helped sometimes for me in the past.

[@DavidsTrading]

@@tombuck Hmm, maybe my ebglish fails me now but always when I start with a new youtube movie i always start with new library, maybe thats the problem?

[@Igor-q3f]

Thank you very much. Liked and subscribed.

[@DeadTalkLive]

Nice video 👍👍👍! As a fellow KZbinr, I am on the lookout for creative ideas! Nice Job!

[@tombuck]

Thanks so much!

[@DeadTalkLive]

@@tombuck You're Welcome!

[@jasonnuveman9865]

There seems to be some controversy about which SSD cards to use, speeds necessary, and how much space you should buy on each card because of download speeds and other factors. What do you find works best with your EOS R and MAC Final Cut Pro video process? Are some cards too big or too slow? Do you like a different card when stills are the main goal?

[@tombuck]

The R is a pretty simple camera. I usually use 256gb 120mb/s V60SD cards with no issues. The newer cameras like the R5 and A7SIII require higher quality/faster cards.

[@jingwu997]

Hi Tom. As you know, I have been thinking about optimising my workflow, and editing device is a must-have step. Now, after trying to clean some storage space, to try to maintain and wait till the newer version of Apple M series laptop, and my budget may have a chance to break. The result turns out NO. It has been wasted more of my time. And literally, I’ve got headaches, serious ones. So, I turn my option to new M1 Mac mini, with 16GB ram, 1TB storage space, the price still lower than the same spec of M1 laptop, but with the capability to extend with two monitors. Do you think it is wise to buy and use Mac mini? Please, I trust you more than others🙏🙏🙏

[@tombuck]

I appreciate the trust you’re giving me! I haven’t used the Mac Mini myself, but I’ve really been looking at it. It seems like a great option, and I’ve known a few people who record/stream in 4K with it with no issues. If it’s in your budget and you’ve already got an external display, I think it’s an excellent option.

[@jingwu997]

@@tombuck highly appreciated for your confirmation. I’ve put my order seconds ago after gotten your reply. And the mini supposed to be delivered around January 13-20, 2021. Though I do hope it could be arriving earlier 😂 As confirmed with apple officials, my incoming mini is able to extend with my current two monitors. One with HDMI port directly. Another switched with a USB-C/multi-media adapter with hdmi (which I will use for another monitor) +USB-A (I plan to connect with Rode Mini USB, the microphone) +USB-C. The existing USB-A ports, one is for ATEM MINI, another for external hard drive (14TB). No waste for existing ports, and no more too much costs for upgrade 🥳 These are all thanks to you, Tom.👍👍👍 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 🥳 🥳🥳

[@imtriinsight_jingwu9880]

Hi Tom, thanks for the tutorial. Literally, I watched this vids, as well as several others related with animated progress bar, DIY titles, step by step, and edit my first one clip. The whole process was thrilling;-)) Though I do have two more questions. One with the exported file size. I noticed that the format was .mov, and the size came up to 23.8G. Compared to 1.58G raw material (screen recording feeds), this final size seems HUGE. Another was the storage space was keeping 'swollen' during the editing. I have to drop the idea to use the internal storage space, but an external SSD Drive, 1TB. Still, almost caught the whole of it. Which steps were I missing, or did wrong? Were these the normal things happened during the editing with FCP, please?

[@tombuck]

Thanks for watching all those videos! To answer your questions: 1. When exporting, be sure to use the H.264 codec as that will reduce your file size considerably. 2. Final Cut Libraries are like goldfish- they'll take up as much space as you give them. I'm still using my 1tb internal SSD to edit, but I remove all the project files and footage as soon as I'm finished, so nothing lives on the computer. You cna always use the file menu to clean up Library files while working on a project to free up space. It shouldn't hurt anything, but your computer may need to re-render some items, which can take some time.

[@imtriinsight_jingwu9880]

@@tombuck Thanks for the quick reply. 1.H.264, yes. Noted that. Done it. Though I have no idea why then;-) 2. Roger that. It makes all sense now. Since I'll use my screenshot recording footage for my practice of FCP, to experience the whole process. I have to use the 'bigger' external hard drive for my longer hours feeds (the longest ones are 3.2 hours -_-) Wondering if my 14TB external hard drive could handle it or not,, After all, this 14TB external hard drive is USB-A port type, not USB-C port one,, might be slower?

[@tombuck]

I would recommend a smaller usb c drive over a larger usb a drive if you have to choose (simply for speed).

[@imtriinsight_jingwu9880]

@@tombuck Copy that. Thanks, Tom;-)

[@DigiDriftZone]

Question, do you use 1 folder/library per video? - Some people are saying to use a single library and then to create a project per video, have you tried that approach? -- also what's the point of resetting FinalCut, isn't it easier to just create a new library?

[@tombuck]

I typically do 1 Library per month, but for bigger projects I do like to have a single library for the project. It's probably the smarter thing to do overall, honestly.

[@KanKaitom]

Thank you

[@mattwruff]

I assume you have setup iCloud NOT to archive your desktop? I use 3 Macs so my editing mac is a iMacPro and I got one of Samsungs X5 drives which is the fastest thing I have ever used. I can stop thing on the desktop or myDocuments without iCloud tring to back it up so I edit everything on the X5 drive then when complete I copy it off to a raw HardDrive which is even cheaper (via a OWC Drive Dock)

[@tombuck]

Yes, you're right, iCloud does NOT auto backup anything. I haven't used the X5, but it sounds interesting, especially if filming in 4K or working with larger files.

[@LuisMarquez80]

awesome video! Do you film in 60p?

[@tombuck]

Only this video as an experiment to see how I like it 😁

[@LuisMarquez80]

The Enthusiasm Project I noticed but don’t hate

[@ecmjr]

Hmmm... Very insightful.

[@pablokbs]

I loved the pun.

[@tombuck]

😬

[@drdhruvagulur]

What about some great cinematography. Are you using 6K?

[@tombuck]

This video was 1080 scaled up to 4K, but since then I've upgraded to 4K cameras 👍

[@drdhruvagulur]

@@tombuck I shot on the sony A7 iii, how can I do that on final cut?

[@elwindaniel8944]

Hey Tom!! is it possible by any chance to correct a green screen footage with motion blur in post? I have a footage shot in 25fps and later realised that I wasn't able to do anything. What do you think would be the best thing I could do?

[@tombuck]

I don’t know if I’m 100% understanding the problem, but if the green screen footage is still it’s own separate clip, you should be able to apply adjustments to the key or clip as usual. If the clip has already been saved as a composite, you’ll have fewer options (if that makes sense).

[@elwindaniel8944]

Ok, let me see if I can make things clear 😅. I shot a green screen footage which I felt was ok to be shot on 25fps. I later found that there was a lot of motion blur on the close ups. I looked up the problem on the internet and I then realised that I should’ve shot the clip with at least 50 or 60fps. So now, I’m trying to find out, if there’s any possible way that I could use to correct this.

[@mylesbeecham8862]

What are you shooting in ? Wow

[@tombuck]

This was with the Canon EOS R and Sigma 24 1.4 lens. 👍

[@ImmiSuccess]

Do you prefer final cut over premier pro?

[@tombuck]

I do, yes, but both are great programs 👍

[@guardianlillebi8139]

oreganized🤩

[@andyreiter6253]

how did u make Notes look black ? mine are white

[@tombuck]

It’s somewhere in preferences (either for Notes or MacOS) where you can turn on Dark Mode.

[@andyreiter6253]

@@tombuck thank you very much ... and if you dont me asking one more question if i have the macbook pro 2015 256 gb ssd memory - can i buy the external 1 tb ssd and connect it with the usb and use it to operate on and save it externally ? or will it be to slow if i wanna use iMovie to make podcasts and videos. thank you very much in advance

[@sp1deyluvr]

Okay. I am currently at 13:46 in the video. I am pausing to facepalm. IYKYK. 😝

[@AaronAbernethy]

Ok, I’m slightly nervous that your 4TB drive isn’t backed up somewhere. Or is it? I have suggestions if you’re interested, but maybe you already have a strategy.

[@AaronAbernethy]

I should have said first, great video. I love seeing other people’s processes, and yours is definitely one of the cleanest and best organised. Sometime I’d love to see you go through the post-upload process in KZbin Studio - placing recommended videos etc. I’ll be damned though if Oreganised gets more than 1.5/10 (I laughed, naturally).

[@tombuck]

Haha, thanks as always (even despite the joke)! I've been looking to set up a RAID system, but don't quite have the budget for it. For now I just have several duplicate drives stores in different places 😬

[@AaronAbernethy]

@@tombuck Yeah, it can be costly. In my day job I install a lot of NAS devices, so if you have any questions just give me a shout. NAS with a cloud backup is a good spread of backup, convenience and redundancy.

[@CoachDeb]

ooh side car! tell me more? :)

[@tombuck]

It’s Apple’s way of letting you use your iPad as a secondary display. Pretty nifty!

[@MacxConvergeProductions]

I like the part where he showed how to use final cut pro

[@Touseef]

ahan so u r final cupt pro guy, I am a resolve guy myself, but great video though :)

[@tombuck]

I love FCP! But Resolve is really growing in popularity. I recommend the free version to my students all the time and love that it’s available.

[@Touseef]

@@tombuck yes the free version fullfils 95 percent of all usecases, I recently upgraded to studio version bcz I wanted to experiment with some hdr gameplay videos for my gaming channel, and bcz of hardware encoding the same video which took 3.5 hrs in premier pro took 20 minutes in resolve :D

[@ThinkThisThroughChannel]

Oregonized... womp womp

[@MikeMena]

Whoa... are u using different frame rate? Or am I drunk? 😱

[@heatherjustcreate]

Hahaha 😂

[@tombuck]

I did this at 60fps for no other reason than to see if anyone would notice, haha. Of course, you could be drunk either way I guess 😁

[@MikeMena]

@@tombuck I got mixed feelings about 60fps... ultimately, I don't really care, BUT, depending on who uses it, 60fps can look "futuristic" or sometimes it can look "cellphone-ish". Not quite sure where your video falls... more toward futuristic... I think... maybe... LOL or maybe just drunk at 9am.

[@MrCarl312]

Just one backup hard drive? You should have Two or more for safety.

[@tombuck]

There are backups for the backups, but those aren’t part of my everyday workflow 👍

[@MrCarl312]

@@tombuck Very Good! I have many, many backup hard drives.