Adding artificial lines in Final Cut Pro

[Tom Meegan]

https://www.pureandapplied.com.au/plugins.html

Stib’s plug-ins include an arrow generator that would probably work for you. Generators show up in the same place as the text tools (little a in a film strip lower right of the Viewer.)

If know photoshop you could create lines there and import them to FCP.

If you need the linse to animate you may be into using Motion or After Effects.

There are probably other solutions out there as well, that I’m not aware of.

Tom

[Robert Garry]

You could do this all in FCP without any extra plugins if all you really want are lines. In the Viewer click the tab with the “A” on it. It will become a pulldown menu. Choose Matte>Color and a grey color matte will fill the frame of your Viewer. Cut this color swatch into your timeline over the shots of your golfers (IOW cut it in on V2 while the golfers are on V1).

Don’t worry that you can’t see them through the color just yet.

Double click the color matte in the timeline which loads it back into the viewer. Now Click on the Motion tab at the top of Viewer. Use the crop tool to create a line shape (you may want to also feather the shape slightly so it doesn’t get jagged edges). You should be seeing your line forming in the Canvas. You can click the Color parameter in the Motion tab and choose a relevant color (avoid red as it doesn’t show up so well in video – I’d use yellow or white) You should now begin to see your gofler under the color matte!

Now that you have a line, select the color matte in the timeline so it is highlighted. Time to position it. In the Canvas window you will see a pulldown menu on the top of the window that looks like a broken box. Choose Image and Wireframe. Now you should see a wireframe around your line that you can move, rotate, etc.. to match up with your golfer’s arms.

Once you have done this a few times you will find it very simple to create basic shapes. You could also use other generators such as “Shape” found in the same pulldown menu with the “A” on your Viewer window.

One last tip. You can actually do all this work in the canvas with 2 tools. If you cut the color matte in and turn on the Image and Wireframe mode you can use the Crop tool (C) to make the line, then change your tool to the the Arrow tool (A) to reposition it on the frame.

Next step is keyframing so you could acutally make the line move with the swing but that may be more than you need. Ask if you need some more help.

Hope they start driving 300+.

Now the question for you is, how do I get rid of my awful slice? 🙂

Take Care
Bob

[Sewellyboy]

Thanks Bob, I’ll spend some time trying those techniques out tomorrow.
Cure for the common slice………get those hands turned over and hold your follow through at the end.

[Robert Garry]

Easier said than done, my slice can be wicked! Thanks for the tip and hope the lines work out.

Bob