This Free Transition Makes Cuts Feel Invisible in Final Cut Pro

Today I'm revealing a free tool that helps you eliminate jump cuts, and you may not have even noticed I've been using it already. It's called Flow, and it comes free with Final Cut Pro.

Apply it, then render just the transition

After you've cut out your mess-ups (I like to set markers, then press R for the range tool, let it snap to the markers, and delete), open your transitions with Control Command 5 and type flow. Drag it onto the cut between your two clips. Here's my tip: select just the transition and press Control R to render only that, so you can actually see how it looks. Control R renders whatever's selected, which is super handy.

Nudge it until it looks right

Sometimes it's close but not quite, maybe it morphs a little weird right as you're saying a word. Delete the transition, extend the clip a few frames so that moment reads better (select the end of the clip and press comma a couple of times to extend it), and render again. Little adjustments like that make a big difference.

When it works and when it doesn't

Here's the catch: Flow works great when you or your talent haven't moved much between the two clips. If your body or head moves a lot, it can look like you're possessed, and last I checked, I'm not. When that happens, try extending your clips, re-rendering, or dragging out the transition's duration so Final Cut has more room to smooth from shot A to shot B. Sometimes it still won't land, and that's just the nature of it. But when your head's in a similar position between cuts, it hides a jump cut beautifully, your viewers won't notice a thing. I use it a lot, and I bet you haven't caught many.