Secret Final Cut Pro X 4: Windows, Tools & Audio

User Interface

In the Final Cut Pro/Contents/Frameworks/LunaKit.framework there is evidence that the window layouts were or will be more flexible than they are in version 10.0:

(Name your current layout:)
_Pro Text Field Cell (Untitled)
_Pro Push Button (Cancel)
_mPro Text Field Cell (Different window layouts can be saved to suit different working environments or styles.)
_Array Controller^Manager Window
_KPro Static Text (Use the current layout as a basis to create a new layout.)

Events are known as organizers internally:

/* Organier open bin in new window */
“FFOrganizerOpenBinInNewWindow” = “Open %@ in New Window”;
“FFOrganizerOpenBinsInNewWindows” = “Open Bins in New Windows”;

from Final Cut Pro / Contents / Frameworks / Flexo.framework / Versions / A / Resources / en.lproj / FFLocalizable.strings:

Not all tools listed are active yet.

/* Tool names */
“FFSelect” = “Select”;
“FFRangeSelection” = “Range Selection”;
“FFAnchor” = “Connect”;
“FFBlade” = “Blade”;
“FFTrim” = “Trim”;
“FFCrop” = “Crop”;
“FFDistort” = “Distort”;
“FFRetime” = “Retime”;
“FFBlade All” = “Blade All”;
“FFHand” = “Hand”;
“FFZoom” = “Zoom”;
“FFRectangle” = “Rectangle”;
“FFEllipse” = “Ellipse”;
“FFBezier” = “Bezier”;
“FFXSpline” = “B-Spline”;
“FFRectangleMask” = “Rectangular Mask”;
“FFEllipseMask” = “Elliptical Mask”;
“FFBezierMask” = “Bezier Mask”;
“FFXSplineMask” = “B-Spline Mask”;
“FFPivot” = “Connection point”;
“FFPlacement” = “Position”;
“FFTransform” = “Transform”;
“FFTransform2D” = “Transform 2D”;
“FFTransform3D” = “Transform 3D”;
“FFAnimationPath” = “Animation Path”;
“FFMotionPath” = “Motion Path”;
“FFKenBurns” = “Ken Burns”;
“FFText” = “Text”;
“FFNone” = “None”;
“FFTakeSnapshot” = “Take Snapshot”;

The Connect tool might be the equivalent Command-Option clicking within a connected clip to move the anchor.

There isn’t a Blade All tool yet. The Rectangle, Ellipse, Bezier and B-Spline tools are distinct from their Mask equivalents here.

Once the Transform 3D tool is available, the Transform panel in the video inspector will probably be renamed Transform 2D. I wonder what the distinction is between the Animation Path tool vs. the Motion Path tool.

Here are some commands from the FFLocalizable.strings file that aren’t documented yet:

/* Undo Labels */
“FFMake Note” = “Make Note”
“FFAddAudioVoiceoverFile” = “Add Voiceover to Timeline”;
“FFAdd Effects” = “Add Effects”;

“FFLiftAndStampCorrectionFromEditFormat” = “Copy Correction From Edit %@ Back”;
“One” = “One”;
“Two” = “Two”;
“Three” = “Three”;

“FFAdd Clips to Event” = “Add Clips to Event”;
“FFTransitionNoSourceType” = “Toggle transition to/from black”;

Final Cut Pro X is designed to display sizes for very large files and storage spaces:

/* Unit strings */
“FFByteString” = “B”;
“FFKiloByteString” = “KB”;
“FFMegaByteString” = “MB”;
“FFGigaByteString” = “GB”;
“FFTeraByteString” = “TB”;
“FFPetaByteString” = “PB”;
“FFExaByteString” = “EB”;
“FFZettaByteString” = “ZB”;
“FFYottaByteString” = “YB”;

Wikipedia: “The combined space of all computer hard drives in the world does not amount to even one yottabyte.”

Some objects are described, but aren’t yet visible

“FFDropFolderObjects” = “Drop Items”;
“FFStabilizationMaximumZoom” = “Max. Zoom”;
/* FFOrganizerFilmlist */
“filmlist cluster name template” = “%@ (%d)”;

/* iSight Status */
“FFMIOiSightStatusIrisClosed” = “Iris Closed”;
“FFMIOiSightStatusLidClosed” = “Lid Closed”;
“FFMIOiSightStatusBusy” = “Busy”;

/* Compound Clip Names */
“FFMultiCamClip” = “MultiCam Clip”;

/* Timeline Marker Contextual Menu */
“FFTimelineMarkerModify” = “Modify Marker”;
“FFTimelineMarkerCut” = “Cut Marker”;
“FFTimelineMarkerCopy” = “Copy Marker”;
“FFTimelineMarkerDelete” = “Delete Marker”;
“FFTimelineMarkerMakeToDo” = “To Do”;
“FFTimelineMarkerMakeCompleted” = “Completed”;

The Final Cut Pro / Contents / Frameworks / Flexo.framework / Versions / A / Resources / en.lproj / FFColorCubeScopeModule.nib file might support a 3D scope for colour correction – as seen in Apple Color:

Editable Audio Effects

If video effects can be implemented using Motion 5, will a future version of Final Cut include audio effect editing?

Audio effects are implemented in audio.effectBundle files. They are encoded in AXEL, Apple’s new XML flavour. Like Motion templates, they allow effect designers to combine plug-ins and create presets. Here are some selected lines from the Car Radio audio effect (stored as Final Cut Pro / Contents / Frameworks / Flexo.framework / Versions/ A / Resources / Effect Bundles / Car Radio.Distortion.audio.effectBundle:

The UI within Final Cut for that effect looks like this:

Unlike Motion effects, audio effects can have presets pop-up menus that modify values for other controls. In this case, choosing the Normal preset sets the Amount slider to 50.0 (as well as changing settings within Fat EQ and Overdrive. If you look at the code above, you’ll see that the car radio effect also uses an instance of the Channel EQ as well as the two visible audio plug-ins.

How will more of these effects be created? A future version is most likely because the ‘OZone Markup Language’ flavour of XML used here is the format Motion stores its files.

More Audio

Various possible audio channel configurations are encoded in Final Cut Pro / Contents / Frameworks / Flexo.framework / Versions / A / Resources / en.lproj / FFAudioChannelLayouts.xml. Each clip can have any one of these audio configurations. Rick Young has written about them on his blog.

ChannelValence=”1″

Mono

Left

Right

Center

Sub (LFE)

Right Surround

Left Surround

ChannelValence=”2″

Dual Mono

Stereo

Reverse Stereo

ChannelValence=”3″

Three Mono

Left, Right, Center

ChannelValence=”4″

Four Mono

Two Stereo

Left, Right, Center, Surround

ChannelValence=”5″

5 Mono

Surround 5.0

ChannelValence=”6″

6 Mono

3 Stereo

Stereo + 2 Mono + Stereo

Surround 5.1

ChannelValence=”7″

7 Mono

Surround 6.1

ChannelValence=”8″

8 Mono

4 Stereo

Surround 5.1 + Stereo

Surround 7.1

ChannelValence=”12″

12 Mono

6 Stereo

Dual Surround 5.1

Check out my free effects and articles on my Final Cut Pro X home page.