Final Cut Pro X Tutorial: Cropping Images for Video Editing

Final Cut Pro X: How to Crop an Image

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Cropping an image means to remove a portion of the image, either to hide something you don’t want the audience to see or emphasize different elements within the image. Just as Photoshop allows us to crop still images, Final Cut Pro X allows us to crop moving video clips, as you’ll learn in this article.

---

This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

How to Crop an Image in Final Cut Pro X

However, before I show how this is done, I need to explain one really important fact about video: all video uses what’s called “fixed resolution.” Fixed resolution means that high-definition video is always displayed at one of two sizes:

You May Also Like: How to Crop GIF Images >>

• 1920 x 1080 pixels
• 1920 x 1080 pixels

Unlike still images which can be thousands of pixels on a side, video clips are locked into one of these two sizes. This means that if you crop a video clip, to remove something you don’t like, the remaining pixels are often enlarged to fill the frame. Crop too much and your video clip will look blurry, blocky, and edges will look stair-stepped.

I’ll show you two ways to crop a video clip in this article, one that maintains a high image quality but reduces the size of the frame (called “trimming”) and the other that fills the frame with the image but reduces image quality (called “cropping”). You get to pick which one works the best for you.

TRIMMING

Trimming is the process of removing portions of a video clip without changing the size of the clip. This retains the highest amount of image quality.

For instance, here an image - courtesy of Pond5 (<www.pond5.com>). Let’s say that we want to emphasize the barn and not the sky.

The easiest way to do this is to click the icon in the lower left corner of the Viewer and choose “Crop.”

This displays the cropping tools in the Viewer.

Click the Trim button to turn on Trim mode. (This article discusses Trim and Crop. I’ll cover the Ken Burns effect in a future article.)

Grab one of the blue dots and drag to hide portions of the frame. I generally grab a corner, but any blue dot will do.

NOTE: Press and hold the Option key while dragging to drag opposite edges or corners. Press and hold the Shift key to constrain the trim to the same aspect ratio as the frame.

Drag other corners or edges to further trim the image.

When you have trimmed the image the way you want, click the “Done” button in the top right corner to exit trimming mode.

If no other clip is below the trimmed clip, the background will be black.

But, it actually isn’t black, it’s transparent. If you put another clip below it, you’ll see the lower clip underneath the trimmed image.

Trimming allows us to hide portions of a video clip, without changing the image quality of the clip that remains. However, trimming always creates transparent sections within an image.

CROPPING

Cropping allows us to select just a portion of a video clip, without creating any transparent sections, BUT, it degrades image quality.

There are several ways we can choose to crop an image:

• Click the Crop icon, as we illustrated above

• Right-mouse click (or Control-click) inside the Viewer and choose
• Type Shift+C

* In the Inspector > Video tab > Crop (this option provides the most precision, but is the least intuitive to use)

If you selected any option except the Inspector, click the Crop button in the Viewer.

Now, drag a blue button in one of the corners. Because cropping, unlike trimming, fills the frame with the portion of the image we select, we can only move corners and the image is always sized to match the aspect ratio of our sequence.

Final Cut displays numbers at the top of the Viewer indicating how much the image has been cropped.

Reposition the frame by grabbing inside the rectangle and dragging.

When you are happy with the results, click the Done button in the top right corner.

Notice that the selected portion of the image now fills the frame. Even though there is a clip below our cropped clip, we don’t see it.

And, if you look closely, you’ll see that the cropped image is softer (blurrier) than the original and edges are more likely to be stair-stepped.

RESET

To reset a cropped image back to its default settings, open the Inspector and click the small curved arrow to the right of the word “Crop.”

SUMMARY

Trimming is used to hide portions of an image and superimpose it over another image.

Cropping is used to reframe an image, say from a medium shot to a close-up, but runs the risk of overly softening an image. The general rule is that cropping a little is OK, but don’t crop too much.

I use both these techniques frequently in my own editing.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Cropping an image means to remove a portion of the image, either to hide something you don’t want the audience to see or emphasize different elements within the image. Just as Photoshop allows us to crop still images, Final Cut Pro X allows us to crop moving video clips, as you’ll learn in this article.

---

This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

How to Crop an Image in Final Cut Pro X

However, before I show how this is done, I need to explain one really important fact about video: all video uses what’s called “fixed resolution.” Fixed resolution means that high-definition video is always displayed at one of two sizes:

You May Also Like: How to Crop GIF Images >>

• 1920 x 1080 pixels
• 1920 x 1080 pixels

Unlike still images which can be thousands of pixels on a side, video clips are locked into one of these two sizes. This means that if you crop a video clip, to remove something you don’t like, the remaining pixels are often enlarged to fill the frame. Crop too much and your video clip will look blurry, blocky, and edges will look stair-stepped.

I’ll show you two ways to crop a video clip in this article, one that maintains a high image quality but reduces the size of the frame (called “trimming”) and the other that fills the frame with the image but reduces image quality (called “cropping”). You get to pick which one works the best for you.

TRIMMING

Trimming is the process of removing portions of a video clip without changing the size of the clip. This retains the highest amount of image quality.

For instance, here an image - courtesy of Pond5 (<www.pond5.com>). Let’s say that we want to emphasize the barn and not the sky.

The easiest way to do this is to click the icon in the lower left corner of the Viewer and choose “Crop.”

This displays the cropping tools in the Viewer.

Click the Trim button to turn on Trim mode. (This article discusses Trim and Crop. I’ll cover the Ken Burns effect in a future article.)

Grab one of the blue dots and drag to hide portions of the frame. I generally grab a corner, but any blue dot will do.

NOTE: Press and hold the Option key while dragging to drag opposite edges or corners. Press and hold the Shift key to constrain the trim to the same aspect ratio as the frame.

Drag other corners or edges to further trim the image.

When you have trimmed the image the way you want, click the “Done” button in the top right corner to exit trimming mode.

If no other clip is below the trimmed clip, the background will be black.

But, it actually isn’t black, it’s transparent. If you put another clip below it, you’ll see the lower clip underneath the trimmed image.

Trimming allows us to hide portions of a video clip, without changing the image quality of the clip that remains. However, trimming always creates transparent sections within an image.

CROPPING

Cropping allows us to select just a portion of a video clip, without creating any transparent sections, BUT, it degrades image quality.

There are several ways we can choose to crop an image:

• Click the Crop icon, as we illustrated above

• Right-mouse click (or Control-click) inside the Viewer and choose
• Type Shift+C

* In the Inspector > Video tab > Crop (this option provides the most precision, but is the least intuitive to use)

If you selected any option except the Inspector, click the Crop button in the Viewer.

Now, drag a blue button in one of the corners. Because cropping, unlike trimming, fills the frame with the portion of the image we select, we can only move corners and the image is always sized to match the aspect ratio of our sequence.

Final Cut displays numbers at the top of the Viewer indicating how much the image has been cropped.

Reposition the frame by grabbing inside the rectangle and dragging.

When you are happy with the results, click the Done button in the top right corner.

Notice that the selected portion of the image now fills the frame. Even though there is a clip below our cropped clip, we don’t see it.

And, if you look closely, you’ll see that the cropped image is softer (blurrier) than the original and edges are more likely to be stair-stepped.

RESET

To reset a cropped image back to its default settings, open the Inspector and click the small curved arrow to the right of the word “Crop.”

SUMMARY

Trimming is used to hide portions of an image and superimpose it over another image.

Cropping is used to reframe an image, say from a medium shot to a close-up, but runs the risk of overly softening an image. The general rule is that cropping a little is OK, but don’t crop too much.

I use both these techniques frequently in my own editing.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Cropping an image means to remove a portion of the image, either to hide something you don’t want the audience to see or emphasize different elements within the image. Just as Photoshop allows us to crop still images, Final Cut Pro X allows us to crop moving video clips, as you’ll learn in this article.

---

This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

How to Crop an Image in Final Cut Pro X

However, before I show how this is done, I need to explain one really important fact about video: all video uses what’s called “fixed resolution.” Fixed resolution means that high-definition video is always displayed at one of two sizes:

You May Also Like: How to Crop GIF Images >>

• 1920 x 1080 pixels
• 1920 x 1080 pixels

Unlike still images which can be thousands of pixels on a side, video clips are locked into one of these two sizes. This means that if you crop a video clip, to remove something you don’t like, the remaining pixels are often enlarged to fill the frame. Crop too much and your video clip will look blurry, blocky, and edges will look stair-stepped.

I’ll show you two ways to crop a video clip in this article, one that maintains a high image quality but reduces the size of the frame (called “trimming”) and the other that fills the frame with the image but reduces image quality (called “cropping”). You get to pick which one works the best for you.

TRIMMING

Trimming is the process of removing portions of a video clip without changing the size of the clip. This retains the highest amount of image quality.

For instance, here an image - courtesy of Pond5 (<www.pond5.com>). Let’s say that we want to emphasize the barn and not the sky.

The easiest way to do this is to click the icon in the lower left corner of the Viewer and choose “Crop.”

This displays the cropping tools in the Viewer.

Click the Trim button to turn on Trim mode. (This article discusses Trim and Crop. I’ll cover the Ken Burns effect in a future article.)

Grab one of the blue dots and drag to hide portions of the frame. I generally grab a corner, but any blue dot will do.

NOTE: Press and hold the Option key while dragging to drag opposite edges or corners. Press and hold the Shift key to constrain the trim to the same aspect ratio as the frame.

Drag other corners or edges to further trim the image.

When you have trimmed the image the way you want, click the “Done” button in the top right corner to exit trimming mode.

If no other clip is below the trimmed clip, the background will be black.

But, it actually isn’t black, it’s transparent. If you put another clip below it, you’ll see the lower clip underneath the trimmed image.

Trimming allows us to hide portions of a video clip, without changing the image quality of the clip that remains. However, trimming always creates transparent sections within an image.

CROPPING

Cropping allows us to select just a portion of a video clip, without creating any transparent sections, BUT, it degrades image quality.

There are several ways we can choose to crop an image:

• Click the Crop icon, as we illustrated above

• Right-mouse click (or Control-click) inside the Viewer and choose
• Type Shift+C

* In the Inspector > Video tab > Crop (this option provides the most precision, but is the least intuitive to use)

If you selected any option except the Inspector, click the Crop button in the Viewer.

Now, drag a blue button in one of the corners. Because cropping, unlike trimming, fills the frame with the portion of the image we select, we can only move corners and the image is always sized to match the aspect ratio of our sequence.

Final Cut displays numbers at the top of the Viewer indicating how much the image has been cropped.

Reposition the frame by grabbing inside the rectangle and dragging.

When you are happy with the results, click the Done button in the top right corner.

Notice that the selected portion of the image now fills the frame. Even though there is a clip below our cropped clip, we don’t see it.

And, if you look closely, you’ll see that the cropped image is softer (blurrier) than the original and edges are more likely to be stair-stepped.

RESET

To reset a cropped image back to its default settings, open the Inspector and click the small curved arrow to the right of the word “Crop.”

SUMMARY

Trimming is used to hide portions of an image and superimpose it over another image.

Cropping is used to reframe an image, say from a medium shot to a close-up, but runs the risk of overly softening an image. The general rule is that cropping a little is OK, but don’t crop too much.

I use both these techniques frequently in my own editing.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Cropping an image means to remove a portion of the image, either to hide something you don’t want the audience to see or emphasize different elements within the image. Just as Photoshop allows us to crop still images, Final Cut Pro X allows us to crop moving video clips, as you’ll learn in this article.

---

This is a basic tutorial about Apple Final Cut Pro X, professional video editing software. However, if video editing is new to you, consider Wondershare Filmora for Mac . This is a powerful but easy-to-use tool for users just starting out. Download the free trial version below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

How to Crop an Image in Final Cut Pro X

However, before I show how this is done, I need to explain one really important fact about video: all video uses what’s called “fixed resolution.” Fixed resolution means that high-definition video is always displayed at one of two sizes:

You May Also Like: How to Crop GIF Images >>

• 1920 x 1080 pixels
• 1920 x 1080 pixels

Unlike still images which can be thousands of pixels on a side, video clips are locked into one of these two sizes. This means that if you crop a video clip, to remove something you don’t like, the remaining pixels are often enlarged to fill the frame. Crop too much and your video clip will look blurry, blocky, and edges will look stair-stepped.

I’ll show you two ways to crop a video clip in this article, one that maintains a high image quality but reduces the size of the frame (called “trimming”) and the other that fills the frame with the image but reduces image quality (called “cropping”). You get to pick which one works the best for you.

TRIMMING

Trimming is the process of removing portions of a video clip without changing the size of the clip. This retains the highest amount of image quality.

For instance, here an image - courtesy of Pond5 (<www.pond5.com>). Let’s say that we want to emphasize the barn and not the sky.

The easiest way to do this is to click the icon in the lower left corner of the Viewer and choose “Crop.”

This displays the cropping tools in the Viewer.

Click the Trim button to turn on Trim mode. (This article discusses Trim and Crop. I’ll cover the Ken Burns effect in a future article.)

Grab one of the blue dots and drag to hide portions of the frame. I generally grab a corner, but any blue dot will do.

NOTE: Press and hold the Option key while dragging to drag opposite edges or corners. Press and hold the Shift key to constrain the trim to the same aspect ratio as the frame.

Drag other corners or edges to further trim the image.

When you have trimmed the image the way you want, click the “Done” button in the top right corner to exit trimming mode.

If no other clip is below the trimmed clip, the background will be black.

But, it actually isn’t black, it’s transparent. If you put another clip below it, you’ll see the lower clip underneath the trimmed image.

Trimming allows us to hide portions of a video clip, without changing the image quality of the clip that remains. However, trimming always creates transparent sections within an image.

CROPPING

Cropping allows us to select just a portion of a video clip, without creating any transparent sections, BUT, it degrades image quality.

There are several ways we can choose to crop an image:

• Click the Crop icon, as we illustrated above

• Right-mouse click (or Control-click) inside the Viewer and choose
• Type Shift+C

* In the Inspector > Video tab > Crop (this option provides the most precision, but is the least intuitive to use)

If you selected any option except the Inspector, click the Crop button in the Viewer.

Now, drag a blue button in one of the corners. Because cropping, unlike trimming, fills the frame with the portion of the image we select, we can only move corners and the image is always sized to match the aspect ratio of our sequence.

Final Cut displays numbers at the top of the Viewer indicating how much the image has been cropped.

Reposition the frame by grabbing inside the rectangle and dragging.

When you are happy with the results, click the Done button in the top right corner.

Notice that the selected portion of the image now fills the frame. Even though there is a clip below our cropped clip, we don’t see it.

And, if you look closely, you’ll see that the cropped image is softer (blurrier) than the original and edges are more likely to be stair-stepped.

RESET

To reset a cropped image back to its default settings, open the Inspector and click the small curved arrow to the right of the word “Crop.”

SUMMARY

Trimming is used to hide portions of an image and superimpose it over another image.

Cropping is used to reframe an image, say from a medium shot to a close-up, but runs the risk of overly softening an image. The general rule is that cropping a little is OK, but don’t crop too much.

I use both these techniques frequently in my own editing.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Dual Approaches to Audio Fades in Final Cut Pro

Two Ways to Fade In/Out Audio in Final Cut Pro

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creating a fade in or out effect in Final Cut Pro will make your audio amazing. However, as Final Cut Pro is for pros, not every user knows how to make fade in/out audio. In fact, it is very easy to fade audio in Final Cut Pro. This tutorial will show you how to apply effects like fade-in, fade-out, and crossfade to your audio clips using Final Cut Pro in two ways.

Part 1: Use the Modify Menu to Fade In/Out Audio

Part 2: Use Fade Handles to Fade In/Out Audio

---

This tutorial offers only the basics of the audio fading techniques in Apple Final Cut Pro X, which is a specialized video editing software used by professionals worldwide. If you are an amateur who is new to video editing, we suggest you begin with Wondershare Filmora for Mac (originally Wondershare Video Editor for Mac). It is a powerful yet easy-to-use software that is ideal for beginners. You can download the free trial version of Wondershare Filmora below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

With this modern and extremely user-friendly tool, you’ll find that applying effects like fade-in, fade-out, or crossfade to your audio clips is very easy.

---

Before we get started, you can firstly detach the audio from video to better edit it. Locate your audio clip in the timeline, highlight the desired audio/video clip, right click on it, and choose Detach audio to unlink your audio from your video to edit them as separate elements.

Check more articles here, if you are also interested in other audio editing tips in Final Cut Pro or want to know how to record a voice over with FCP.

Part 1: How to Fade Audio by using the Modify Menu

You can go to the Modify menu and easily apply fade-in or fade-outs to the audio clip you are editing. The Final Cut Pro preferences also allow you to adjust the fade duration.

Step 1 : First, you have to select the audio or the video clips with audio in the timeline.

Step 2 : Select Modify> Adjust Volume> Apply Fades.

You should remember that the fades appear at the beginning and the end of each clip. The default duration of the fade is one half-second. If you want to modify that duration, you just have to drag the fade handle up to the point where your fade is supposed to begin or end.

Step 3: If you want to remove the fades, choose Modify > Adjust Volume > Remove Fades.

See more details on how to fade audio in Final Cut Pro from the following video.

Part 2: How to Fade Music by using Fade Handles

You have already learned how to find the fade handles on the screen. Now, you just have to manually drag the handle to the exact point from which you want the fade to begin or end. Just keep in mid this simple rule: fade handles at the beginning of a clip produce fade-in effects, whereas fade handles at the end give fade-out effects.

You can manually fade-in or out a portion of the audio clip on your timeline by using the fade handles. Place the pointer over the clip and you can see the fade handles appearing in the top left and right corners of the waveform. To change the sound of the fade, you’ll have to modify the shape of the fade by selecting one of the several preconfigured choices.

Using the fade handles to create crossfades:

Step 1 : To create a crossfade, first you have to select two adjacent clips in the timeline. After that choose Clip> Expand Audio (or press Control-S). You can see the waveforms on your screen expanding.

Step 2 : To overlap the audio parts of the two clips on your timeline, just drag the end point of the first clip and the start point of the second clip.

Step 3 : Now, you’ll have to drag the fade handles of each clip to the exact points where you want the fade to start and finish.

Tips: How to change fade shapes while using the fade handle

You can easily change the sound of your fades by modifying the default fade shape. For this, you’ll have to control-click a fade handle and select one of the fade preferences from the list.

• Linear: The rate of change is constant over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Picks up quickly and then gradually peters out toward the end. This is the considered to be the most useful mode while choosing a quick fade.
• –3dB: Begins slowly and then toward the end picks up fast. This setting allows you to maintain a perfectly natural volume while crossfading two clips.
• Linear: Maintains a constant rate of change over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Starts quickly and then slowly tapers off toward the end. This is the most useful setting for quick fades.
• –3dB: Starts slowly and then moves quickly toward the end. This is the default setting and is best for maintaining a natural volume when crossfading between two adjacent clips.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creating a fade in or out effect in Final Cut Pro will make your audio amazing. However, as Final Cut Pro is for pros, not every user knows how to make fade in/out audio. In fact, it is very easy to fade audio in Final Cut Pro. This tutorial will show you how to apply effects like fade-in, fade-out, and crossfade to your audio clips using Final Cut Pro in two ways.

Part 1: Use the Modify Menu to Fade In/Out Audio

Part 2: Use Fade Handles to Fade In/Out Audio

---

This tutorial offers only the basics of the audio fading techniques in Apple Final Cut Pro X, which is a specialized video editing software used by professionals worldwide. If you are an amateur who is new to video editing, we suggest you begin with Wondershare Filmora for Mac (originally Wondershare Video Editor for Mac). It is a powerful yet easy-to-use software that is ideal for beginners. You can download the free trial version of Wondershare Filmora below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

With this modern and extremely user-friendly tool, you’ll find that applying effects like fade-in, fade-out, or crossfade to your audio clips is very easy.

---

Before we get started, you can firstly detach the audio from video to better edit it. Locate your audio clip in the timeline, highlight the desired audio/video clip, right click on it, and choose Detach audio to unlink your audio from your video to edit them as separate elements.

Check more articles here, if you are also interested in other audio editing tips in Final Cut Pro or want to know how to record a voice over with FCP.

Part 1: How to Fade Audio by using the Modify Menu

You can go to the Modify menu and easily apply fade-in or fade-outs to the audio clip you are editing. The Final Cut Pro preferences also allow you to adjust the fade duration.

Step 1 : First, you have to select the audio or the video clips with audio in the timeline.

Step 2 : Select Modify> Adjust Volume> Apply Fades.

You should remember that the fades appear at the beginning and the end of each clip. The default duration of the fade is one half-second. If you want to modify that duration, you just have to drag the fade handle up to the point where your fade is supposed to begin or end.

Step 3: If you want to remove the fades, choose Modify > Adjust Volume > Remove Fades.

See more details on how to fade audio in Final Cut Pro from the following video.

Part 2: How to Fade Music by using Fade Handles

You have already learned how to find the fade handles on the screen. Now, you just have to manually drag the handle to the exact point from which you want the fade to begin or end. Just keep in mid this simple rule: fade handles at the beginning of a clip produce fade-in effects, whereas fade handles at the end give fade-out effects.

You can manually fade-in or out a portion of the audio clip on your timeline by using the fade handles. Place the pointer over the clip and you can see the fade handles appearing in the top left and right corners of the waveform. To change the sound of the fade, you’ll have to modify the shape of the fade by selecting one of the several preconfigured choices.

Using the fade handles to create crossfades:

Step 1 : To create a crossfade, first you have to select two adjacent clips in the timeline. After that choose Clip> Expand Audio (or press Control-S). You can see the waveforms on your screen expanding.

Step 2 : To overlap the audio parts of the two clips on your timeline, just drag the end point of the first clip and the start point of the second clip.

Step 3 : Now, you’ll have to drag the fade handles of each clip to the exact points where you want the fade to start and finish.

Tips: How to change fade shapes while using the fade handle

You can easily change the sound of your fades by modifying the default fade shape. For this, you’ll have to control-click a fade handle and select one of the fade preferences from the list.

• Linear: The rate of change is constant over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Picks up quickly and then gradually peters out toward the end. This is the considered to be the most useful mode while choosing a quick fade.
• –3dB: Begins slowly and then toward the end picks up fast. This setting allows you to maintain a perfectly natural volume while crossfading two clips.
• Linear: Maintains a constant rate of change over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Starts quickly and then slowly tapers off toward the end. This is the most useful setting for quick fades.
• –3dB: Starts slowly and then moves quickly toward the end. This is the default setting and is best for maintaining a natural volume when crossfading between two adjacent clips.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creating a fade in or out effect in Final Cut Pro will make your audio amazing. However, as Final Cut Pro is for pros, not every user knows how to make fade in/out audio. In fact, it is very easy to fade audio in Final Cut Pro. This tutorial will show you how to apply effects like fade-in, fade-out, and crossfade to your audio clips using Final Cut Pro in two ways.

Part 1: Use the Modify Menu to Fade In/Out Audio

Part 2: Use Fade Handles to Fade In/Out Audio

---

This tutorial offers only the basics of the audio fading techniques in Apple Final Cut Pro X, which is a specialized video editing software used by professionals worldwide. If you are an amateur who is new to video editing, we suggest you begin with Wondershare Filmora for Mac (originally Wondershare Video Editor for Mac). It is a powerful yet easy-to-use software that is ideal for beginners. You can download the free trial version of Wondershare Filmora below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

With this modern and extremely user-friendly tool, you’ll find that applying effects like fade-in, fade-out, or crossfade to your audio clips is very easy.

---

Before we get started, you can firstly detach the audio from video to better edit it. Locate your audio clip in the timeline, highlight the desired audio/video clip, right click on it, and choose Detach audio to unlink your audio from your video to edit them as separate elements.

Check more articles here, if you are also interested in other audio editing tips in Final Cut Pro or want to know how to record a voice over with FCP.

Part 1: How to Fade Audio by using the Modify Menu

You can go to the Modify menu and easily apply fade-in or fade-outs to the audio clip you are editing. The Final Cut Pro preferences also allow you to adjust the fade duration.

Step 1 : First, you have to select the audio or the video clips with audio in the timeline.

Step 2 : Select Modify> Adjust Volume> Apply Fades.

You should remember that the fades appear at the beginning and the end of each clip. The default duration of the fade is one half-second. If you want to modify that duration, you just have to drag the fade handle up to the point where your fade is supposed to begin or end.

Step 3: If you want to remove the fades, choose Modify > Adjust Volume > Remove Fades.

See more details on how to fade audio in Final Cut Pro from the following video.

Part 2: How to Fade Music by using Fade Handles

You have already learned how to find the fade handles on the screen. Now, you just have to manually drag the handle to the exact point from which you want the fade to begin or end. Just keep in mid this simple rule: fade handles at the beginning of a clip produce fade-in effects, whereas fade handles at the end give fade-out effects.

You can manually fade-in or out a portion of the audio clip on your timeline by using the fade handles. Place the pointer over the clip and you can see the fade handles appearing in the top left and right corners of the waveform. To change the sound of the fade, you’ll have to modify the shape of the fade by selecting one of the several preconfigured choices.

Using the fade handles to create crossfades:

Step 1 : To create a crossfade, first you have to select two adjacent clips in the timeline. After that choose Clip> Expand Audio (or press Control-S). You can see the waveforms on your screen expanding.

Step 2 : To overlap the audio parts of the two clips on your timeline, just drag the end point of the first clip and the start point of the second clip.

Step 3 : Now, you’ll have to drag the fade handles of each clip to the exact points where you want the fade to start and finish.

Tips: How to change fade shapes while using the fade handle

You can easily change the sound of your fades by modifying the default fade shape. For this, you’ll have to control-click a fade handle and select one of the fade preferences from the list.

• Linear: The rate of change is constant over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Picks up quickly and then gradually peters out toward the end. This is the considered to be the most useful mode while choosing a quick fade.
• –3dB: Begins slowly and then toward the end picks up fast. This setting allows you to maintain a perfectly natural volume while crossfading two clips.
• Linear: Maintains a constant rate of change over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Starts quickly and then slowly tapers off toward the end. This is the most useful setting for quick fades.
• –3dB: Starts slowly and then moves quickly toward the end. This is the default setting and is best for maintaining a natural volume when crossfading between two adjacent clips.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creating a fade in or out effect in Final Cut Pro will make your audio amazing. However, as Final Cut Pro is for pros, not every user knows how to make fade in/out audio. In fact, it is very easy to fade audio in Final Cut Pro. This tutorial will show you how to apply effects like fade-in, fade-out, and crossfade to your audio clips using Final Cut Pro in two ways.

Part 1: Use the Modify Menu to Fade In/Out Audio

Part 2: Use Fade Handles to Fade In/Out Audio

---

This tutorial offers only the basics of the audio fading techniques in Apple Final Cut Pro X, which is a specialized video editing software used by professionals worldwide. If you are an amateur who is new to video editing, we suggest you begin with Wondershare Filmora for Mac (originally Wondershare Video Editor for Mac). It is a powerful yet easy-to-use software that is ideal for beginners. You can download the free trial version of Wondershare Filmora below.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

With this modern and extremely user-friendly tool, you’ll find that applying effects like fade-in, fade-out, or crossfade to your audio clips is very easy.

---

Before we get started, you can firstly detach the audio from video to better edit it. Locate your audio clip in the timeline, highlight the desired audio/video clip, right click on it, and choose Detach audio to unlink your audio from your video to edit them as separate elements.

Check more articles here, if you are also interested in other audio editing tips in Final Cut Pro or want to know how to record a voice over with FCP.

Part 1: How to Fade Audio by using the Modify Menu

You can go to the Modify menu and easily apply fade-in or fade-outs to the audio clip you are editing. The Final Cut Pro preferences also allow you to adjust the fade duration.

Step 1 : First, you have to select the audio or the video clips with audio in the timeline.

Step 2 : Select Modify> Adjust Volume> Apply Fades.

You should remember that the fades appear at the beginning and the end of each clip. The default duration of the fade is one half-second. If you want to modify that duration, you just have to drag the fade handle up to the point where your fade is supposed to begin or end.

Step 3: If you want to remove the fades, choose Modify > Adjust Volume > Remove Fades.

See more details on how to fade audio in Final Cut Pro from the following video.

Part 2: How to Fade Music by using Fade Handles

You have already learned how to find the fade handles on the screen. Now, you just have to manually drag the handle to the exact point from which you want the fade to begin or end. Just keep in mid this simple rule: fade handles at the beginning of a clip produce fade-in effects, whereas fade handles at the end give fade-out effects.

You can manually fade-in or out a portion of the audio clip on your timeline by using the fade handles. Place the pointer over the clip and you can see the fade handles appearing in the top left and right corners of the waveform. To change the sound of the fade, you’ll have to modify the shape of the fade by selecting one of the several preconfigured choices.

Using the fade handles to create crossfades:

Step 1 : To create a crossfade, first you have to select two adjacent clips in the timeline. After that choose Clip> Expand Audio (or press Control-S). You can see the waveforms on your screen expanding.

Step 2 : To overlap the audio parts of the two clips on your timeline, just drag the end point of the first clip and the start point of the second clip.

Step 3 : Now, you’ll have to drag the fade handles of each clip to the exact points where you want the fade to start and finish.

Tips: How to change fade shapes while using the fade handle

You can easily change the sound of your fades by modifying the default fade shape. For this, you’ll have to control-click a fade handle and select one of the fade preferences from the list.

• Linear: The rate of change is constant over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Picks up quickly and then gradually peters out toward the end. This is the considered to be the most useful mode while choosing a quick fade.
• –3dB: Begins slowly and then toward the end picks up fast. This setting allows you to maintain a perfectly natural volume while crossfading two clips.
• Linear: Maintains a constant rate of change over the length of the fade.
• S-curve: Eases in and out of the fade with the midpoint at 0 dB.
• +3dB: Starts quickly and then slowly tapers off toward the end. This is the most useful setting for quick fades.
• –3dB: Starts slowly and then moves quickly toward the end. This is the default setting and is best for maintaining a natural volume when crossfading between two adjacent clips.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Here’s My Picks for the Top 5 Free and Simple AVI Video Editing Software

Top 5 Free AVI Video Editors In 2024

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Nowadays various professional video editing tools which provide amazing effects and abilities are available on the market. But these video editing tools can be too expensive and not very user-friendly. If you just want to edit some home movies, those programs will not very helpful for you. In fact, we can choose free and simple video editing software. Here are my picks for the top 5 free AVI video editing software.

---

If you want a more powerful yet easy-to-use video editing tool, Filmora Video Editor is highly recommended. It has both the Windows and Mac versions which help you edit all the common video formats to share with the worldwide. Here you can download and try it out.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Top 5 Free AVI Video Editors

• Windows Movie Make
• Avidemux
• VirtualDub
• Lightworks
• ZS4 Video Editor

1. Windows Movie Make

Windows Movie Maker is a great free video editing tool for Windows users. It’s able to handle the least video formats: asf, avi, .m1v, mp2, .mp2v, mpe, .mpeg, mpg, mpv2, wm, wmv.

It contains features like drag-n-drop functionality, transitions, titles, credits, timeline narration, and more. What’s more, you can even modify the existing effects if you have knowledge about using XML code.

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a basic yet very capable video editing program. It supports various video formats such as AVI, MPEG, MP4, and ASF. With it, you can easily splice video clips or add filters. Although this may sound overly simple, it’s actually robust enough to ensure that your videos look professional.

3. VirtualDub

Virtualdub is a well-known video editing tool that allows you to capture video and perform video editing. It’s geared towards processing AVI files and able to do a variety of pre and post-processing operations on your video. With it, you can adjust the frame rate, remove audio tracks, resize, rotate, flip, adjust the brightness and contrast, and more. Reminder: while installing, it will write some preferences to the Registry.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is a free video editor but can handle most of what you’d expect from a professional video editing application. It supports a wide range of video formats like AVI, MOV, MPG, and more. Some of its outstanding features include video capture and import, GPU- accelerated real-time effects, color correction, autosave and media management, etc.

5. ZS4 Video Editor

ZS4 Video Editor is another free video editing tool with over 150 built-in video effects including excellent color and chroma keying. Users can customize the width and height of the output video, add unlimited tracks and sub-composites, slave effects and change, compose controls to audio waveforms, and more. However, this software is lacking maintenance for long, not recommended in 2021.

Conclusion:

Filmora, with its powerful features and frequent updates, can handle basically all video formats that you’ll see every day while editing video. A user-friendly interface and low learning curve would help a lot for beginners to edit videos. More importantly, Filmora is totally free to try.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Nowadays various professional video editing tools which provide amazing effects and abilities are available on the market. But these video editing tools can be too expensive and not very user-friendly. If you just want to edit some home movies, those programs will not very helpful for you. In fact, we can choose free and simple video editing software. Here are my picks for the top 5 free AVI video editing software.

---

If you want a more powerful yet easy-to-use video editing tool, Filmora Video Editor is highly recommended. It has both the Windows and Mac versions which help you edit all the common video formats to share with the worldwide. Here you can download and try it out.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Top 5 Free AVI Video Editors

• Windows Movie Make
• Avidemux
• VirtualDub
• Lightworks
• ZS4 Video Editor

1. Windows Movie Make

Windows Movie Maker is a great free video editing tool for Windows users. It’s able to handle the least video formats: asf, avi, .m1v, mp2, .mp2v, mpe, .mpeg, mpg, mpv2, wm, wmv.

It contains features like drag-n-drop functionality, transitions, titles, credits, timeline narration, and more. What’s more, you can even modify the existing effects if you have knowledge about using XML code.

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a basic yet very capable video editing program. It supports various video formats such as AVI, MPEG, MP4, and ASF. With it, you can easily splice video clips or add filters. Although this may sound overly simple, it’s actually robust enough to ensure that your videos look professional.

3. VirtualDub

Virtualdub is a well-known video editing tool that allows you to capture video and perform video editing. It’s geared towards processing AVI files and able to do a variety of pre and post-processing operations on your video. With it, you can adjust the frame rate, remove audio tracks, resize, rotate, flip, adjust the brightness and contrast, and more. Reminder: while installing, it will write some preferences to the Registry.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is a free video editor but can handle most of what you’d expect from a professional video editing application. It supports a wide range of video formats like AVI, MOV, MPG, and more. Some of its outstanding features include video capture and import, GPU- accelerated real-time effects, color correction, autosave and media management, etc.

5. ZS4 Video Editor

ZS4 Video Editor is another free video editing tool with over 150 built-in video effects including excellent color and chroma keying. Users can customize the width and height of the output video, add unlimited tracks and sub-composites, slave effects and change, compose controls to audio waveforms, and more. However, this software is lacking maintenance for long, not recommended in 2021.

Conclusion:

Filmora, with its powerful features and frequent updates, can handle basically all video formats that you’ll see every day while editing video. A user-friendly interface and low learning curve would help a lot for beginners to edit videos. More importantly, Filmora is totally free to try.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Nowadays various professional video editing tools which provide amazing effects and abilities are available on the market. But these video editing tools can be too expensive and not very user-friendly. If you just want to edit some home movies, those programs will not very helpful for you. In fact, we can choose free and simple video editing software. Here are my picks for the top 5 free AVI video editing software.

---

If you want a more powerful yet easy-to-use video editing tool, Filmora Video Editor is highly recommended. It has both the Windows and Mac versions which help you edit all the common video formats to share with the worldwide. Here you can download and try it out.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Top 5 Free AVI Video Editors

• Windows Movie Make
• Avidemux
• VirtualDub
• Lightworks
• ZS4 Video Editor

1. Windows Movie Make

Windows Movie Maker is a great free video editing tool for Windows users. It’s able to handle the least video formats: asf, avi, .m1v, mp2, .mp2v, mpe, .mpeg, mpg, mpv2, wm, wmv.

It contains features like drag-n-drop functionality, transitions, titles, credits, timeline narration, and more. What’s more, you can even modify the existing effects if you have knowledge about using XML code.

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a basic yet very capable video editing program. It supports various video formats such as AVI, MPEG, MP4, and ASF. With it, you can easily splice video clips or add filters. Although this may sound overly simple, it’s actually robust enough to ensure that your videos look professional.

3. VirtualDub

Virtualdub is a well-known video editing tool that allows you to capture video and perform video editing. It’s geared towards processing AVI files and able to do a variety of pre and post-processing operations on your video. With it, you can adjust the frame rate, remove audio tracks, resize, rotate, flip, adjust the brightness and contrast, and more. Reminder: while installing, it will write some preferences to the Registry.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is a free video editor but can handle most of what you’d expect from a professional video editing application. It supports a wide range of video formats like AVI, MOV, MPG, and more. Some of its outstanding features include video capture and import, GPU- accelerated real-time effects, color correction, autosave and media management, etc.

5. ZS4 Video Editor

ZS4 Video Editor is another free video editing tool with over 150 built-in video effects including excellent color and chroma keying. Users can customize the width and height of the output video, add unlimited tracks and sub-composites, slave effects and change, compose controls to audio waveforms, and more. However, this software is lacking maintenance for long, not recommended in 2021.

Conclusion:

Filmora, with its powerful features and frequent updates, can handle basically all video formats that you’ll see every day while editing video. A user-friendly interface and low learning curve would help a lot for beginners to edit videos. More importantly, Filmora is totally free to try.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Nowadays various professional video editing tools which provide amazing effects and abilities are available on the market. But these video editing tools can be too expensive and not very user-friendly. If you just want to edit some home movies, those programs will not very helpful for you. In fact, we can choose free and simple video editing software. Here are my picks for the top 5 free AVI video editing software.

---

If you want a more powerful yet easy-to-use video editing tool, Filmora Video Editor is highly recommended. It has both the Windows and Mac versions which help you edit all the common video formats to share with the worldwide. Here you can download and try it out.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

Top 5 Free AVI Video Editors

• Windows Movie Make
• Avidemux
• VirtualDub
• Lightworks
• ZS4 Video Editor

1. Windows Movie Make

Windows Movie Maker is a great free video editing tool for Windows users. It’s able to handle the least video formats: asf, avi, .m1v, mp2, .mp2v, mpe, .mpeg, mpg, mpv2, wm, wmv.

It contains features like drag-n-drop functionality, transitions, titles, credits, timeline narration, and more. What’s more, you can even modify the existing effects if you have knowledge about using XML code.

2. Avidemux

Avidemux is a basic yet very capable video editing program. It supports various video formats such as AVI, MPEG, MP4, and ASF. With it, you can easily splice video clips or add filters. Although this may sound overly simple, it’s actually robust enough to ensure that your videos look professional.

3. VirtualDub

Virtualdub is a well-known video editing tool that allows you to capture video and perform video editing. It’s geared towards processing AVI files and able to do a variety of pre and post-processing operations on your video. With it, you can adjust the frame rate, remove audio tracks, resize, rotate, flip, adjust the brightness and contrast, and more. Reminder: while installing, it will write some preferences to the Registry.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is a free video editor but can handle most of what you’d expect from a professional video editing application. It supports a wide range of video formats like AVI, MOV, MPG, and more. Some of its outstanding features include video capture and import, GPU- accelerated real-time effects, color correction, autosave and media management, etc.

5. ZS4 Video Editor

ZS4 Video Editor is another free video editing tool with over 150 built-in video effects including excellent color and chroma keying. Users can customize the width and height of the output video, add unlimited tracks and sub-composites, slave effects and change, compose controls to audio waveforms, and more. However, this software is lacking maintenance for long, not recommended in 2021.

Conclusion:

Filmora, with its powerful features and frequent updates, can handle basically all video formats that you’ll see every day while editing video. A user-friendly interface and low learning curve would help a lot for beginners to edit videos. More importantly, Filmora is totally free to try.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison

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