Three-Point Editing
In three-point editing, you set In and Out points in both a source clip and a sequence
to determine the duration and placement of an edit. You also choose the destination
sequence tracks in which your source clip is placed. Three-point editing gets its name
from the fact that Final Cut Pro needs no more than three In and Out points in the
source clip and the destination sequence to perform the edit. Either the source clip or
the sequence has both In and Out points set, while the other only has an In or an Out
point set. The fourth edit point is inferred from the duration of the edit.
For example, if you set In and Out points in a source clip and an In point in a sequence,
the Out point in the sequence is determined by the duration of the source clip. In this
case, the sequence In point determines where the source clip is placed, and the source
clip determines the duration of the edit.
Drag a source clip from
the Viewer...
...to a track in the
Timeline.
(1 and 2) Source clip
In and Out points
(4) Sequence Out
point (inferred)
(3) Sequence
In point
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Part II
Rough Editing
However, if you set In and Out points in a sequence and an In point in your source clip,
the Out point of the source clip is determined by the duration between the sequence
In and Out points. In this case, the sequence In and Out points limit how much of the
source clip is placed in the sequence.
For more details about three-point editing, see Chapter 10, “
Three-Point Editing
,” on
page 145.