Titles, transitions, effects, and color are what make a video look finished. Final Cut Pro has powerful built-in tools, and you don’t need plug-ins to get a polished result.
Adding and customizing titles
Open the Titles and Generators sidebar, drag a title into the timeline above your clip, then change the text, font, size, and color in the Inspector. Lower thirds work well for names; save a title you’ve styled as a favorite so you can reuse it.
Transitions without overdoing it
Press Command-T to add the default cross dissolve between clips. Browse the Transitions browser for more, but use them sparingly. Clean cuts with a few well-placed dissolves usually look more professional than a different effect on every edit.
Using effects
Drag an effect from the Effects browser onto a clip, then adjust it in the Inspector. Once a clip looks right, copy it and use Paste Attributes (Shift-Command-V) to apply the same effects or color to other clips.
Basic color correction
Start with Balance Color to fix white balance and exposure, then fine-tune using the Color Board, Color Wheels, or Color Curves. Open the video scopes (Command-7) to judge brightness and color by the numbers instead of by eye. Match Color helps shots from different cameras look consistent.
Make your video look finished
In a one-to-one Zoom class we’ll style titles, choose effects, and color-correct your actual footage, so you can repeat it on your own.
More Final Cut Pro help
Importing & organizing · The timeline · Troubleshooting · Multicam · Captions & social formats · Keyboard shortcuts · Audio · Exporting · Class FAQ