What Are Projects?
A project contains all of the clips and sequences you use while editing your movie.
Once you create or open a project, it appears as a tab in the Browser. There’s no limit to
the number of items, including clips and sequences, that can be stored in your project
in the Browser.
A project file acts as a sort of database for tracking the aspects of your edited movie:
 Video, audio, and still image clips
 Comments, descriptions, and log notes for all your clips
 Sequences of edited clips
 Motion and filter parameters
 Audio mixing levels
 Bins, or folders within a project in the Browser, for organizing elements, such as clips
and sequences
To start working in Final Cut Pro, you must have a project open in the Browser. For
more information, see Chapter 5, “
Browser Basics
,” on page 53. You can have multiple
projects open at the same time, each represented by its own tab in the Browser.
Note: A project does not contain any media at all, which keeps it small and portable.
Even though project files refer to your media files, the media is not actually stored in
the project. By separating the structure of your project from the associated media,
your project can easily be archived or transferred to another computer, and it can
be opened even if none of the media files can be located. Compared to media files,
project files are relatively small and portable. You can make regular backup copies of
your project without filling your hard disk.
Project
Audio clip
Video clip
Still image
Sequence
ABC
Chapter 3
Understanding Projects, Clips, and Sequences
31
I