Markers can be extremely helpful – but haven’t been very versatile. Final Cut 7 includes an update on the markers that provides all kinds of goodies. There are new colors for the markers. You can easily move them- and not just awkwardly to the right. You can edit them without stopping playback. You can export them. Ripple Training has a good overview of all the new features with markers.

Find the tutorial here – under Final Cut Pro 7, click on the link under “Improved Markers.”

Applying Transitions wasn’t difficult- it just wasn’t always the easiest thing to do for multiple clips. Final Cut 7 introduced Global Transitions which allow you to add multiple transtions- easily and quickly. The new methods of applying transitions promise to speed up your workflow by shaving off those extra seconds of option dragging transitions or hitting CMD-T over and over.

Find the tutorial here – under Final Cut Pro 7, click on the link under “Global Transitions”.

Up through Final Cut 6, the speed tools were rather annoying. You could get what you need, but there was usually some kind of work around necessary. Now, in Final Cut 7, the speed tools have been revamped. Things like rippling the sequence are possible, and easy feathering. Ripple Training has a tutorial on the new speed tools.

Find the tutorial here – under Final Cut Pro 7, click on the link under “New Speed Tools.”