USING PRINT TO VIDEO IN FINAL CUT PRO

Using Print to Video
By Zachary MacDonald

The Print to Video option in Final Cut Pro is great for all of us who may not have the ability to output our edits to a controlled video deck or camera. This option comes in very handy when you may simply want to output a copy of your cut to VHS, or to a DV Camera that is connected to your computer but can't be controlled by FCP.

Let's take a look at your options available in The Print to Video window. Select the sequence you would like to output by selecting the sequence icon in the Browser.

1. Select File > Print to Video. [Control + M]

This command prompts the Print to Video window.

2. There are 4 main areas in the window

Leader - lets you add options before the clip starts. Color Bars (with adjustable tone level), Black (prior to slate), a Slate (there are three ways to do this), Black (this second Black would come after your slate), and a Countdown.

Media - lets you select the media you would like to print and choose your looping options. This includes a Black checkbox for including Black between the Loops.

Trailer - lets you control how much (if any) black you would record at the end of your sequence, This is a great option to use because your media may not always end with a fade to black or another dissolve.

Duration Calculator - lets you know the total media time you are printing including any pre-program elements like bars and slates.

The Automatically Start Recording option is for those of you who have camera or deck control which will start the camera or deck recording automatically. (see step #5)

There you go. But hold on one second. You might have noticed that there are a couple of drop down menus scattered throughout so let me help you out with those.

Notice in the Leader area the Clip Name drop down menu? By default the Clip name appears as the Slate text.

3. Go ahead and click on the Clip Name drop down menu and choose > Text.

Voila! You now have a text entry box to the right of the pull down menu. Use this area to input whatever text you might like to have displayed as your Slate.

4. Click on the drop down menu again and choose > File.

Presto change-o! This is where you can add a pre-built file, whether it be a Photoshop file or an Illustrator file, or whatever type of image file you might like to use. This option is great for creating custom slates that are branded to your company (or your client's company). Click on the folder icon next to File ( where it reads Not Loaded) to load your file

The next pull down menu is in the Media area. This menu lets you choose between printing your media from marked In and Out points, or the Entire Media (contents of your timeline). One big advantage of setting in and out points is you can print portions of your edit. This saves you from having to print your entire sequence for client approvals etc.

5. Click OK to accept your choices

The Print to Video window pops up and the rest of the screen goes black. Nothing wrong here. When Printing To Video your monitor will act like a playback monitor and display the media as it is playing to your recording device.