- Reference 4.1 Understanding a Project
- Exercise 4.1.1 Creating a Project
- Reference 4.2 Defining the Primary Storyline
- Exercise 4.2.1 Appending the Primary Storyline
- Exercise 4.2.2 Rearranging Clips in the Primary Storyline
- Reference 4.3 Modifying Clips in the Primary Storyline
- Exercise 4.3.1 Performing Insert Edits
- Exercise 4.3.2 Rippling the Primary Storyline
- Reference 4.4 Timing the Primary Storyline
- Exercise 4.4.1 Inserting a Gap Clip
- Exercise 4.4.2 Blading and Deleting
- Exercise 4.4.3 Joining a Through Edit
- Exercise 4.4.4 Refining Some Sound Bite Edits
- Reference 4.5 Editing Above the Primary Storyline
- Exercise 4.5.1 Adding and Trimming Connected B-roll
- Exercise 4.5.2 Understanding Connected Clip Sync and Trimming Behaviors
- Reference 4.6 Creating a Connected Storyline
- Exercise 4.6.1 Converting Connected Clips into a Connected Storyline
- Exercise 4.6.2 Appending Clips to a Connected Storyline
- Reference 4.7 Editing Below the Primary Storyline
- Exercise 4.7.1 Connecting a Music Clip
- Reference 4.8 Finessing the Rough Cut
- Exercise 4.8.1 Adjusting the Edits
- Exercise 4.8.2 Adjusting Clip Volume Levels
- Exercise 4.8.3 Connecting Two Additional B-Roll Clips
- Exercise 4.8.4 Refining Edits Using Cross Dissolves and Fade Handles
- Reference 4.9 Sharing Your Progress
- Exercise 4.9.1 Sharing an iOS-Compatible File
- Lesson Review
Reference 4.2 Defining the Primary Storyline
Every project in Final Cut Pro is based around the primary storyline, identified by the dark stripe across the Timeline. The primary storyline contains the clips that drive your project. For a documentary, a combination of sound bites and a narrator’s VO could constitute the primary storyline. For a project that starts with a montage, you could consider placing the music intro in the storyline, followed by the on-camera host. The primary storyline is flexible content-wise.
By default, clips in the primary storyline interact with each other and incoming clips. This interaction is similar to that of two magnets: attraction or repulsion.
When you drag a new clip from the Browser to the far right of the project, that clip is attracted to the end of the primary storyline, and “magnetically” snaps to the preceding clip.
Dragging a clip between two existing clips creates a repulsion that pushes the existing clips far enough apart to insert the new clip.
Positioning the clip on the storyline clips reveals an insert bar, and a gap for the clip is created.
These two behaviors form the basic concepts of the magnetic storyline: As you add clips, shift clips around to change their order, or remove clips, the magnetic storyline keeps the clips snapped together, ensuring that the clips play back-to-back in a continuous stream.
Knowing the basic concepts of a primary storyline as the magnetic backbone of a project, you can start assembling your first edit.




