Learn to Cut with L-Cuts
Tuesday, July 10, 2007 Filed in: Weekly Tip
Experienced editors
know that changing picture and sound at the same
point (a straight cut) can be very jarring. It’s
more noticeable when both elements change suddenly,
which can be jarring to the Viewer. A much better
method is to try and use an L-cut (so called
because of its shape in the Timeline). In this
case, the picture edit happens before or after the
edit.
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
These are especially helpful when
editing dialogue because they give the editor
better control over pacing and reaction shots. You
can also use an L-cut to hide a continuity error.
Although the difference may sound small, you’ll
soon discover what an impact they have on a
professional edit. Follow these steps:
- Move through your Timeline and select edit points with the Rolling Edit Tool.
- Double-click to enter Trim Edit mode.
- Use the comma (,) and period (.) keys to make minor one-frame edits.
- Better yet,
click the Dynamic trimming box, and you can use
the J-K-L keys to quickly trim your show.
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.