Using 3D title and generator clips in Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro provides some 360-aware title and graphic generators that can be used in 360 projects without appearing distorted in the final footage. This tutorial explains how to add these features to a project and configure them correctly.

Adding 3D titles and generated content to a 360 video project allows for a broad degree of creative freedom, whether it is for adding titles, shapes or overlays to footage. Final Cut Pro has seven 3D title clips and two generator clips that are specifically made for use in 360 media without risking creating seams or unwanted distortions. The title clips have a number of different customization options for adjusting the content, appearance and position of the titles, and of course they are projected correctly so they appear undistorted when seen in a 360 viewer or headset.

Checking the appearance of your title or generator clip in Final Cut Pro’s 360 viewer will help ensure the result feels appropriate when seen in a headset. Choose View > Show in Viewer > 360, and pan around to confirm the title feels appropriately scaled and positioned. For more details on using the 360 viewer see Editing with Final Cut Pro.

Adding a 360-aware title to a Final Cut Pro project takes just a few basic steps. The first three steps are required, while steps four and five help fine-tune and check the results.

First open the Titles and Generators sidebar by clicking the ’T’ button in the top-left of the Final Cut Pro window or choose Window > Go To > Titles and Generators, then open the Titles section of the list and select the ‘360°’ category to see the relevant 360-safe title clips.

Drag and drop one of the title clips directly into your timeline or move the playhead to the point where the titles are to appear and double-click the title clip icon to insert it above the footage at that point. You can adjust its duration in the timeline just as with any other clip.

In the Inspector panel on the right side of the Final Cut Pro window click the Text Inspector (not the Title Inspector). This is where all content and style aspects of this title clip are managed; the text itself, the font, size and other normal type parameters, and also rotation, 3D depth, lighting, surface material and other appearance controls.

If you want to animate the title clip separately from the prebuilt fade, rotate, scale or tumble preset clip behaviors, switch to the Video Inspector and browse the different expandable panes listed here. Each parameter is keyframeable; position the playhead appropriately, set the desired parameter, then click the diamond shaped Add a Keyframe icon.

This isn’t necessary to make the title work, but checking the appearance in Final Cut Pro’s 360 viewer will help ensure the result feels an appropriate size when seen in a headset. Choose View > Show in Viewer > 360, and pan around to confirm the title feels appropriately scaled and positioned. For more details on using the 360 viewer see Editing with Final Cut Pro.

There are just two generators in Final Cut Pro that are entirely safe to use in 360 projects; the rest will produce odd distorted results in the final output because they aren’t designed to be mapped correctly into the equirectangular projection of a 360 video project. These 360-savvy generators are 360 Color Solid, and 360 Gradient. The first simply places a color block over the footage, while the second does the same with a configurable gradient. Both require adjustments to the blending mode and/or the opacity to prevent obscuring footage beneath, but they can also be used full strength as plain backgrounds for titles and credits.

First open the Titles and Generators sidebar by clicking the ‘T’ button in the top-left of the Final Cut Pro window or choose Window > Go To > Titles and Generators, then open the Generators section of the list and select the ‘360°’ category to see the relevant 360-safe generator clips.

Drag and drop one of the generator clips directly into your timeline or move the playhead to the point where the titles are to appear and double-click the title clip icon to insert it. Unlike double-clicking a title clip, this will insert it directly into the current video clip. Either way, you can adjust its duration in the timeline just as with any other clip.

In the Inspector panel on the right side of the Final Cut Pro window click the Generator Inspector (not the Video Inspector). This is where a 360 Color Solid’s fill color can be changed, and where the color ramp settings of a 360 Gradient are adjusted. The Video Inspector provides the blending mode and opacity controls for this clip. The Crop controls can be useful if the goal is to have this cover, say, just the bottom part of a scene, but use the other controls in the Video Inspector with care as they can cause odd mapping effects in the output.

If you want to animate the generator clip over time, use the keyframe controls in the Generator Inspector; position the playhead appropriately, set the color or gradient values, then click the diamond shaped Add a Keyframe icon. Control-click the generator clip in the timeline and choose Show Video Animation for a greater level of control over the animated parameters.