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This tutorial assumes that you have read and are comfortable with the Setting up a New Project in Final Cut Pro tutorial and any of the various capturing tutorials that you may need to load your footage into Final Cut Pro.

In Final Cut Pro the gray area in the top left-most square is referred to as the “Bin.” The Bin is found under the tab that has the name of your project on it.

Within the Bin you will find any footage that you have captured into your project. You can also import additional assets (such as music, video files, or still images) into the Bin as well. Once they are in your Bin you are able to use them in your project.

To import files into your Bin, you can either drag the file from your desktop directly into your bin or you can go to “File” at the top and choose “Import.” Choose your file and click “Ok.”

Also in your Bin is something called a “Sequence.” You’ll notice the timeline that makes up the bottom section of Final Cut Pro is also a Sequence. If you were to close the Sequence window, you would be able to reopen it by double-clicking the proper Sequence in your Bin.

The Sequence is where all of the editing work gets done. A default Sequence is divided up with one video track and four audio tracks. You are able to add more tracks as needed by right clicking in the space above or below the tracks and selecting “Add Track.”

Going to “File” at the top and selecting New then Sequence will add another Sequence to your Bin. Double-clicking the new Sequence will open it as a tab in the Timeline window at the bottom of Final Cut Pro. You can open as many different Sequences as needed and flip between them easily using the tabs.

To begin editing a clip, drag the clip from the bin to first video track of the Sequence.

Double-clicking the clip in the Sequence will reveal the content of the clip in the Viewer window. The Viewer window is found in the top center portion of Final Cut Pro.

The Viewer window is used to view the contents of the clip independently from the Sequence. The Viewer window also has tabs for editing audio, adding filters, and creating motion. These topics are covered in the Advanced Final Cut Pro tutorial. Additionally, the Viewer window can be used to view assets located in the Bin. Double-click an asset while in the Bin to have its contents revealed in the Viewer window.

The Canvas window is located to the right of the Viewer window. The Canvas window is used to view the contents of the active Sequence.

The Playhead is the line that moves across the Timeline to track where you are in the current clip. The Playhead begins moving when you play a clip in the Sequence by either clicking the Play button in the Canvas window or pressing the spacebar when the Timeline window is active.

When stopped, the Playhead can be dragged forward or backward on the Timeline by clicking and dragging the triangle.

To the right of the Timeline window will be the Tool Palette.

The tools available are the main tools used to manipulate clips and assets in a Sequence. This tutorial will describe the use of the Razor Blade Tool and the Selection Tool. The Advanced Final Cut Pro tutorial will cover the other tools.

First make sure there is at least one clip in your Sequence. Then click on the icon of a Razor Blade in the Tool Palette to select the Razor Blade Tool.

Now click anywhere on the video track of your clip in the Sequence. Notice that the tool has split the clip into two on the same track. You can now edit the clips independently of each other.

Go back to the Razor Blade Tool icon on the Tool Palette and click and hold on the button. The menu will extend to show you another Razor Blade Tool, but this time with two Razor Blades instead of one. Click on the Razor Blade All Tool to select it.

The Razor Blade All Tool allows you to make a single cut on a clip in either the video or audio track and have the cut affect the corresponding video or audio track. For example, a video clip that has audio attached to it will appear on the Sequence with one video track and two audio tracks. Using the Razor Blade All Tool on the first audio track will not only make a cut where you clicked, but also make a cut in the corresponding location on the second audio track as well as the video audio track.

Using the Razor Blade All Tool, make two cuts similar to what is shown in the image.

Now choose the Selection Tool from the Tool Palette.

Click on the middle clip that you just created in your Sequence to select it.

Then press delete or backspace on your keyboard. The clip will disappear.

Now using the Selection Tool, drag the second clip to the left until it connects with the first clip.

The option called “Snapping” can aid with this movement. The Snapping toggle is located just to the left of the Tool Palette on the Timeline window.

If Snapping is turned on, the clip that you moved earlier will, when dragged close to the second clip, instantly “snap” to the very end of the first clip, eliminating any possibility of overlap. Turning Snapping off will allow you to overlap clips in your Sequence.

Snapping can also be used to help with precise cuts using the Razor Blade Tool. First, place your Playhead exactly where you would like to make a cut. Make sure that Snapping is on and select the Razor Blade Tool. When your mouse pointer gets close to your Playhead it will “snap” to the exact position of the Playhead, ensuring that your cut will not be off by a frame or two.

This concludes the Beginner’s Final Cut Pro Tutorial. Remember to save often!

To continue learning about Final Cut Pro, please see the Advanced Final Cut Pro Tutorial which covers using Video and Audio Effects, Transitions, Titles, editing Audio, and the other tools available on the Tool Palette.

To learn about exporting your project from Final Cut Pro as a viewable movie, please consult the exporting tutorial that best suits your needs.