Record video into Final Cut Pro for Mac

You can record video directly into Final Cut Pro using your computer’s built-in camera or an external camera.

Record live video and audio into Final Cut Pro

In Final Cut Pro, do one of the following:
- Record using the built-in camera: Click the Import Media button in the toolbar, then choose Media.
- Record using an external camera: Connect the camera to your Mac with a FireWire cable, click the Import Media button in the toolbar, then choose Media.
In the Cameras list on the left side of the Media Import window, select the camera you want to import from.
A live video image from the camera appears in the Media Import window.
Click Import.
In the window that appears, choose how you want to organize the imported media in your library:
- Add the imported clips to an existing event: Select “Add to existing event,” then choose the event from the pop-up menu.
- Create a new event: Select “Create new event in,” use the pop-up menu to choose the library in which you want to create the event, then type a name (for example, “Chris and Kim Wedding”) in the text field.
To learn more about events, see Intro to libraries in Final Cut Pro for Mac. If you want to import media into a new library, you must create the new library before importing your media.
Note: You can set storage locations for each of your libraries. See Set storage locations in Final Cut Pro for Mac.
If you want to override automatic role assignment, create optimized or proxy media, analyze the video, or analyze the audio, select the relevant settings in the Audio Roles, Transcoding, and Analyze sections.
If you don’t set Final Cut Pro to analyze your media during the import process, you can analyze it later in the browser.
Note: Some import options are available only when you import files from a storage device. See Organize files during import into Final Cut Pro for Mac and Import into Final Cut Pro for Mac from your Mac or storage device.
When you’re ready to begin recording, click Import.
The camera begins recording immediately.
When you want to stop recording, click Stop Import.

A new video clip is created. You can click Import to begin recording again. You can repeat this process as many times as necessary.

Tip: You can also capture live video from some video camcorders over a FireWire cable using QuickTime X. See QuickTime Player Help (available from the Help menu when QuickTime Player is open).

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Final Cut Pro User Guide for Mac

Record video into Final Cut Pro for Mac

Record live video and audio into Final Cut Pro