[This article was first published in the June, 2007, issue of
Larry's Final Cut Pro Newsletter. Click here to subscribe.]

I'm sure this is old hat to any editor with the vaguest grasp of FCP, but it didn't occur to me until quite late in the day, so it's included here in the hope that it will help someone else. If you set up a Ken Burns effect (i.e. a key-framed move) on a photo, then add in a cross dissolve to another photo, the Ken Burns effect will stop either before or in the middle of the dissolve. I used to have to fiddle around with the clip in the viewer before I realized that's what editing keyframes in the Timeline using Clip Keyframes is for.

Press Option-T and you should see motion keyframes in bars below your clips on the timeline. If not, you need to make sure it's switched on by right clicking on the Clip Keyframes button in the Timeline then going to Video > Motion Bar and making sure this is ticked.

You should see a Blue bar with diamonds for the points at which you've set the Keyframes. Drag these diamonds to the correct position at the end of the dissolve and you're done. If you have snapping on, they will even snap to the end, centre or start of the dissolve. Handy.

Larry Jordan is a post-production consultant and an Apple-Certified Trainer in Digital Media with over 25 years experience as producer, director and editor with network, local and corporate credits. Based in Los Angeles, he's a member of both the Directors Guild of America and the Producers Guild of America.

The information in this article is believed to be accurate at the time of publication. However, the author assumes no liability in case things go wrong. Please use your best judgment in applying these suggestions.

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