Final Cut Pro Transition Tricks That Are Actually Useful

I'm about to show you some transition tricks that I guarantee some of you have never seen before. And yes, the video features two computers: one is my girlfriend's (she makes Pixelmator Pro content on YouTube), because she recently hit the exact problem we're starting with.

1. Transition a whole stack at once

You have stacked media: video, text on top, maybe an image. Throw a transition between the base clips and it goes all wonky: the background blur drops out mid-transition and the text doesn't come along. The fix arrived with adjustment clips, which, unlike old-school adjustment layers, accept transitions. Press Option A (think "option adjustment clip"), stretch it over the stack, and press Command B in the middle to cut it.

If your stack is shallow, you can drop a transition right on the adjustment clip's cut and everything underneath transitions together. If the stack is tall and lopsided, first select it all and press Command G (think "command group"), then add the transition. Blur, text, everything rides along.

2. Move the cut WITHOUT deleting the transition

Added a transition, then realized the cut should be somewhere else? Most people delete the transition, move the cut, and re-add it. Way too many steps. With the transition selected, press comma or period to slide the cut point AND the transition together, frame by frame. Hold Shift for 10-frame jumps.

3. That mystery audio around transitions

Hearing dialogue near a transition with nothing visible underneath? Select the clip before or after and press Control S (expand audio). You'll likely find audio extending past the transition. Trim it back if unwanted, add a fade, and control-click the fade handle to pick the fade curve.

4. Speed-date your transitions

Don't know which transition you want? Add any transition, press Command L for loop playback (see the loop arrow around the play button), select the transition, and press Shift and question mark. Write that one down. FCP now loops just that little region hands-free while you double-click different transitions in the browser, trying them on live until one clicks.

5. Rapid-fire favorites

Like a transition and want it again later? Hold Option and drag it to quick-copy it to another cut. Double-clicked a transition and landed in the confusing precision editor? It's actually a great way to see how the transition eats into each clip, but when you want out, just press Escape.

6. The one-key transition

For the transition you use in every video: find it in the browser once, control-click, Make Default. From then on, select any cut point and press Command T. Done. You may never open the transitions browser again.

Learn these and your workflow will thank you. Thanks a ton for reading, and have a great day!