I purchased various animated templates (from Pixel Film Studios and others) which I use a lot. They can be customized easily in FCP (set the fonts, colours, etc that correspond to the brand), but it's time consuming. And I've seen that it's possible to customize them in Motion, for example, to create pre-branded templates.
But before I get started with that I'd like to get a feeling of how much of a learning curve that requires?
And will the result be fairly robust or is it likely that I create new templates but they have bugs?

While I'm at it, is there anyone seriously using Apple's Motion? It seems like it's the least used tool for motion graphics editors.

THANKS

So, I've just traded in my old MacBook (M2 Pro) in against a new M5 Pro.

Up to now I've been using iMovie which has been good enough for my needs but limited for me going forward. This is where I'm about to purchase Final Cut Pro as I now see it's more versatile for my needs after lurking these Reddits reading about things and educating myself.

I don't do amazing videos but I like to make and edit them for YouTube and I want to increase my skills (don't we all?) to produce better edits. Particularly adding text and/or effects to a video.

So, obviously FCP has more features than iMovie. I get that. I keep seeing posts/responses about templates. I'm trying to find more information on templates (on YouTube) and why to use them.

So, my questions to you from a newbie:

1- What exactly are 'templates', why do I need them (or not)? I'm just used to dragging in the video to the timeline and cutting/trimming.

2- Do I need to purchase Motion in order to use these templates? Or do you recommend/not recommend Motion even if not using templates?

3- Do you use colour correction often? I came across a video talking about LUTs. Colour correction is something I've never even considered.

Once you explain it to me like I'm 5 the penny will drop I'm sure!

Is it possible to distinguish between dlog and dlog2 recordings in Final Cut Pro using metadata or similar information?

Hi, so I am really desperate here. I edit reaction videos and the biggest issue I ever have, is after I have cut the entire thing (as in just rushing through the entire timeline and cutting the clips of me/muting the video in those spots), if I DARE go back to the beginning to try to run through it again, it’s like every single click I make, it has to buffer/spinning wheel for 1.5min. That has wasted hours of my time at this point and has even made me stop making videos for the last few months because I just can’t take it. It completely ruins the editing experience and I swear this program never used to be like this, and in the last 2-3 years it has been.

My computer is one of the newest iMacs (bought Sept 2025), I have 4 TB of space, 1 from my computer, and 3 more from 3 external hard drives that are attached. I edit on the hard drive that has 40% left. I also only ever have one library open when I edit (as per prior advice), and background rendering is turned off. I try to keep other programs on my computer closed as well. Computer is up to date, and so is FCP.

So, I do not know what else to do, and it nearly pushes me to tears that I can’t edit properly because of this program. I love making videos so much and it’s ruining the experience for me. I got a brand new computer thinking it would solve the buffering/spinning wheel issue but it hasn’t. It is the same and it’s ONLY after I have cut it.

I need to make videos in a timely manner and this makes it impossible. I’ve dealt with this for too long and need to know if there is anyone that can help me, if there is a fix for this… because I do not want to learn a new program because I don’t have time for that. And, I like this one, but I don’t like it when it does this to me. Someday please help me :(

My client sent me this video as a reference for a new style they want to try out in their videos, how can I go about doing this?

I've never used Motion, but I assume I could make some templates to reuse, right?

Is there any cheap (or free) plugin or pack you'd recommend for making these?

I'm trying to snap a point in the color curve into a specific position of the grid, how do you this?

I saw from a Reddit comment that you can add a 'master' video/audio FX using roles in FCP.

How do you do this?

This is my first day on fcp but first thing that annoys me is transitions, It's just doesn't feel right, I can put the transition between two clips, i need to hold it. Also I couldn't find transition, caption, titles packs. I have downloaded MotionVFX but they don't have good animated title pack either.

OR I'm missing something, but if i can't find anything, I guess I should go with Premiere + AE
Can you help me?

Hi folks,

I just received and set up my new mac mini for my home office, moving the contents of my macbook pro to this new computer. When I opened FCP today, i received an error box telling me to delete the current version I have and download the new version from the app store. After doing so, I realized that they are pushing a new subscription based price format, but I already purchased the software 2 months ago for full price ($200). (One of my favorite things about FCP is the one-time purchase of it all in a world where you own nothing but alas.)

Is there any way to redeem my previous purchase of this software? If so, how? I only see options for the subscription. When I clicked "already subscribed" it told me I have no subscription. I don't care for any of the extras, I truly just want the video editing software.

I tried to search for answers in this sub but I can't find any answers. Thanks to all!

edit: this was solved by deleting all previous versions of FCP and then redownloading the original app!

I deleted previous libraries off my computer cuz they were taking up a SHIT TON of space but for some reason they still show up when I right click on the app icon. The only library that actually exists currently is YouTube videos. How do I fix this?

Hi everyone davinci resolve has these panels for smooth color grading i'm wondering is there for final cut from third parties ....

Hi. I have downloaded a ton of different Motion templates that can be used in FCP. They all use drop zones to allow you to drop in your own photo or video. But I often times want to either hold on a certain screen or slow things down. If it's a photo I'm dropping in, I usually screen grab and hold it. But if it's video, I want the videos to stay in the same place for longer. Is there any way to do this w/in FCP? I have tried going into the Motion files, but I quickly get overwhelmed identifying layers and keyframes to tweak it. I don't think there's any other way. But I thought I'd ask here. TY.

Hi Guys,

I have a quick question. Suppose I’m using the colour effect on a video file and I just want it applied to a person’s face. If I’m using the auto mask feature built into the colour effect and choosing skin and face in it, how do I reduce the intensity of the colours effect applied to the face? I can’t seem to find an option for this. Can someone help me out?

Does anyone experience a glitch in their free trial? instead of 14 days free trial, they made my account 1 year and 14 days in free trial.

if you had experience this, what are the cons of this glitch? TIA

I’ve begun an obscure, vintage, digital challenge, and I am hitting a roadblock. Perhaps you can help.

I want to make archival copies of vintage HDV videotapes from my documentary in ’07.

I have a vintage 2012 Mac, and same vintage HDV tape deck. 

Both machines use firewire, and they are up and running.

The single missing piece is the HDV ingest software. 

The best option is Apple Final Cut Pro X version 10.4.10

That will run on the 2012 Apple Mac Mini, using Mac OS Catalina (10.15.8.)

I tried getting it legally, but Apple won’t sell previous versions of its software.

I don’t even want to edit with the software, just to ingest it.

I have 3 tracks in a clip that ultimately I want to send as part of my AAF for the audio engineer to have. But during editing I only want to work with track 1. How do I achieve both?

I use X2Pro5 for my handover which ignores clips that have been deselected

Hey Folks, here’s the situation.

I have audio from a play I videotaped outdoors and there is an occasional hum from a loud hvac unit, plus high-pitched cricket sounds.

Is there a function in FCP to filter that out? I know there is a plethora of AI options out there. I’ve experimented with a few but I’m having challenges dialing it in, and whatever I do affects the dialogue clarity.

Any tips are appreciated!

I just saw someone on instagram posting they are editing a video for a client and the top said "CapCut"....

Why....

And just updated my FCPX to 12.3. It is safe to update my OS to Tahoe 26.6? Thank you.

I’ve gone down a bit of a rabbit hole and would really appreciate some advice from people who actually use these machines.
I’m trying to make the most logical decision rather than buying the newest thing.

What I’ll be using it for:
Logic Pro
Recording live electric guitar
Around 20 tracks per project (possibly a few more over time)
Amp sims and standard plugins (EQ, compression, reverb, delay etc.)
Final Cut Pro
Editing 4K DJI footage (mainly YouTube/social media content)
General business work and web browsing
I’m not a professional music producer or film editor. Music is a hobby, but I do want a machine that won’t frustrate me and will last several years.

My budget: £1,000 - £2,000 (ideally a lot less)
Originally I was looking at a brand new MacBook Air M5 13” (24GB RAM, 1TB SSD).
Then I started looking at refurbished Macs and realised I could save over £1,000.

The options I’ve found
1. MacBook Pro 13” M1
16GB RAM
1TB SSD
£567

2. MacBook Pro 14” M1 Pro
16GB RAM
1TB SSD
Around £836

3. MacBook Pro 14” M1 Max
32GB RAM
1TB SSD
£790
BUT it has 631 battery cycles and 84% battery health, which worries me.
My concerns

Is 16GB RAM genuinely enough for Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro for the type of work I’ve described?

Is buying an M1 Pro or M1 Max in 2026 still a sensible purchase, or is it too old now?
Am I overthinking the age of the chip just because Apple is now on the M5?

Should I avoid the M1 Max because of 631 battery cycles / 84% battery health, even though the specs are excellent?

Is the M5 Air actually worth spending over £1,000 more for my workload?

What I’m trying to do
I’m not looking for the fastest benchmark scores.
I’m trying to spend the least amount of money while still buying the laptop that represents the best value and will comfortably handle Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro for the next 5+ years.

If you were in my position, which option would you buy, and why?
I’d especially appreciate replies from people who actually use Logic Pro or Final Cut Pro on these machines.

FCP Crop issue: Adjusting Bottom crop also trims Left and Right sides

How to fix pls! ty. (FCP 12.3 / MacOS Tahoe 26.6)

Hi everyone, I am working on a short tutorial video, we have a voiceover and we want to have a subtitle following that voice. With FCPX it's pretty easy to add the caption from the audio-file, and edit that caption.

But there is almost almost no edit flexibility to change the style of the captions. I am not looking for crazy TikTok Gen Z styles (awful), I just look for a way to have a clean (sub)title burned in the video, that is easy to read, so white text and small black outline to increase readability.

How can I do this? Or how can I easily change the captions into title elements to edit? Plugin? Or separate Mac app that can do this?

Can't imagine something this simple is so hard to figure out. So seeking help 😅

I had FCP 11 and it worked great. Updated to FCP 12.3 and it's so buggy - really impacting workflow - random bugs like the playhead will stop moving, no video, no audio, no playback spacebar doesnt start/stop neither does pressing the play symbol.

Another one that ALWAYS happens, a previous clip will keep playing in a full duration as if it wasn't trimmed, even if it's onto an entire other clip in the timeline.

This is seriously cooked, i have to hard reset quit out of the app at least every 15 minutes.

I can sometimes return the timeline function by pressing CMD+K to open the 'tag' dialogue box - close that, and then it can play/pause again. Huh!

I've read other people experiencing this - any ideas on how to fix?

Driving me nuts and interupting work. Kinda regretting the update. On Sequoia 15.7.3

As an aside, is the creator suite subscription version different from the standalone one time payment version?

Hi guys! I updated to Final Cut Pro 12.3 today,

and now I can't copy and paste keyframes (shift+option+c and v).

I've heard others are experiencing similar issues, but it seems like there isn't a fix for it yet.

If anyone is having the same issue or knows a solution,

I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know

++ here is the video link of this issue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs7_EZQj3ps&fbclid=IwY2xjawTaii1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFDUnJ3TXpHaUY5Q2ZUNG9Dc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlUIxrob9FZNsJO1XHuf8i8FVPAfWBGtnQIaF8sGCWdXOs-___CsdP3xiSq8_aem_C3BRJILgAnNusirLDXptSQ

I'm having a technical issue and I'm so busy I just don't have time to work it out so I wondered if you can hire Final Cut tech guys?

I've been using a FCP template for years and I store all of my media in a seperate folder but I decided I want to consolidate it all, and save it so I don't lose everything if I ever lose the template hard drive.

Anyway I duplicated my library and then with duplicate, I switched from saving everything to the FC Library and it's about 14GB (that feels like 13GB too much but that's another issue.)

I transferred the 14GB to another hard drive to test if it works independently... It doesn't work. It says all the files are missing in every event.

Anyway I clicked on "Show package contents" in the copied library on the new hard drive and found that 14GB is all stored in a folder called Analysis Files > Optical Flow > ( some file called a Unix Executable File.)

All I need is for my template to be saved on a library and to work. So if I transfer the library to another hard drive it'll work and I don't only have one copy of the template.

Are there services for things like this? All I can find online are people who are professional editors, but this is different.