How to Create A Video Slideshow in Final Cut Pro X
In this post, we’ll share the tricks for creating a simple video slideshow in Final Cut Pro X. FCPX’s built in functions save time and automate much of the slideshow creation process.
At some point in time most editors are asked to create a video slideshow. Surely, you’ve participated in or been witness to the following conversation:
“Oh, you edit videos?! You think you could make a video slideshow for my daughter’s class (wedding, soccer team, birthday, fill in the blank)? I just need a really SIMPLE one.”
“Simple” video slideshows always end up being way more time intensive then they seem on the onset. Luckily however, Apple has made it pretty easy to create a video slideshow in FCPX…if you know the right steps. The folks over at GeniusDV.com have put together a straightforward video that takes much of the guesswork out of performing this operation in FCPX. In this video tutorial you’ll learn how to:
- Import your photos into iPhoto
- Bring your iPhoto library into FCPX
- Set a standard duration for each image
- Add a default transition between each image
- Scale the images to fill the frame size
This method will allow you to very quickly create a simple video slideshow in Final Cut Pro X in just a few minutes. We’d suggest also adding some music underneath to give the video more personality! 🙂
One thing you may notice is that this tutorial does not address adding motion to your images in FCPX. With previous versions of Final Cut Pro you had to manually keyframe the motion of videos and stills….a process that could end up being very time consuming. However, Final Cut Pro X includes a built in effect to simply this process (dubbed the Ken Burns Effect, in honor of the famous documentary filmmaker that popularized this style).
In the following video, YouTube user MyAppleZone gives a quick run down of the Ken Burns Effect in Final Cut Pro X:
Pair what you’ve learned in both of these quick tutorials and you can quickly put together a dynamic and engaging video slideshow. So, the next time someone asks, “Can you make me a video slideshow!?” you’re prepared to tackle the project head-on!
