Apple Final Cut Pro 6 User Manual download pdf (Page 27)

26 Part I An Introduction to Final Cut Pro

About Drop Frame and Non-Drop Frame Timecode

With the exception of timecode used with NTSC video, all video formats use non-drop

frame timecode, which simply counts at the frame rate of the video itself. For example,

PAL video runs at 25 fps, and it uses 25 fps timecode.

When working with NTSC video, you have the option to use drop frame timecode

to compensate for the fact that NTSC video has a frame rate of 29.97 fps, while the

timecode runs at 30 fps. Timecode can only be represented by whole numbers, so

drop frame timecode periodically skips numbers so that the timecode count and the

amount of actual time passed stays in sync. This way, the timecode count matches the

the number of hours, minutes, and seconds that it takes for your video footage to play.

NTSC video can use either drop frame or non-drop frame timecode.

Important: No video frames are dropped when you use drop frame timecode. Only the

associated timecode numbers are skipped.

To determine the type of timecode used in Final Cut Pro:

Â Non-drop frame timecode has a colon (:) between the seconds and frames fields, and

no numbers are dropped from the counter.

01:16:59:29, 01:17:00:00

Â Drop frame timecode has a semicolon (;) between the seconds and frames fields, and

two timecode numbers are skipped from the frames counter each minute (except

every tenth minute).

01:16:59;29, 01:17:00;02

A clip’s timecode comes directly from its media files. To set sequence timecode, you can

use the Drop Frame checkbox in the Timeline Options pane of Sequence Settings. For

more information, see “Changing Timeline Display Options” on page 124.

How Drop Frame Timecode Works

When you use drop frame timecode, numbers :00 and :01 are skipped at the

beginning of each minute, unless the minute number is exactly divisible by 10. The

dropped numbers do not appear in the timecode fields in Final Cut Pro because

they’ve been dropped and are not on your tape.

If you’re entering timecode to navigate and inadvertently type a timecode number

that doesn’t exist in drop frame timecode, Final Cut Pro automatically moves forward

to the next available timecode number.

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Apple Final Cut Pro 6 User Manual Page 27