USING THE RT DROP SHADOW IN FINAL CUT PRO X

Using the RT Drop Shadow Effect for Final Cut Pro X
By Steve Martin & Mark Spencer

One effect that is noticeably absent from Final Cut Pro X is the ability to enable and modify a simple drop shadow. Drop shadows are a fast and convenient way to create contrast and separation between visual elements in the frame. Drop shadows can be applied to video, graphics, and in this example, keyed footage.

You can download the RT Drop Shadow Effect by clicking this link

In the Effects Browser, select the Custom category, then locate the RT Drop Shadow Effect.  Drag the effect onto any clip with a keyed effect already applied.

With the clip selected, press Command-4 to reveal the Inspector window. The Drop Shadow Effect and its parameter controls appear at the top of the inspector.  You can change the shadow's color, opacity, blur, distance and angle.  Each parameter can also be keyframed.

Often you'll want to scale or re-position the keyed subject, so we've given you controls to do this in the Inspector.



Right-clicking on the color chip brings up a color field allowing you to interactively alter the shadow color.

You can also apply the drop shadow to graphics and video.  When using this effect on full-frame vidoe or graphics with no transparency, you'll need to use the Scale slider to reduce the image to less than 100% in order for the drop shadow to appear.  Use the Distance slider to move the shadow further from the image.

Image courtesy of Dynapep.com