Diana's Top 10 FCP 7 Features #8 - iChat Theater Preview

By Diana Weynand

In the past, if you wanted to share some portion of your work with another set of eyes, it was a somewhat time-consuming business of exporting a QuickTime file or transferring a sequence or a portion of a sequence to another drive or server for someone else to access. That's no longer the case. Welcome to iChat Theater Preview-the quick and easy way to share and discuss your sequence with someone down the hall or around the world in real time.

Setting Up the iChat Call
Before you can use the iChat Theater Preview in Final Cut Pro 7, you will need to have iChat installed on your computer and have an account. The buddy you want to share your sequence with will also need his or her own account, and you will both need to be signed in before you begin. Then invite the buddy you want to share your sequence with into a video chat. Grab your popcorn and coke, and get ready to preview your sequence.

Setting up the FCP Interface
Once you've established a connection, you will want to arrange your FCP windows to create a space for the iChat video window so you can see your buddy's reaction as he or she watches the sequence. I like to close my FCP Viewer window and position my iChat window in the Viewer window area. Make sure the FCP Timeline window is active before initiating iChat Theater. You can also play back from the Viewer.

Playing Back the Sequence
With iChat set up and your buddy waiting, go to the View Menu. Find iChat Theater Preview and click Start Sharing.

Keep in mind that while the person on the other end of iChat will be able to see the sequence in the larger portion of their iChat window, or even full screen, you will see the sequence in the smaller window where you would normally see your own face.

Navigating
Playing the sequence is simply a matter of using the navigation keys, the spacebar or the JKL keys. You can also turn on timecode simply by clicking the Show Timecode option in the iChat Theater Preview menu. When you are finished, return to the View menu and this time choose iChat Theater Preview > Stop Sharing.

The iChat Theater Preview is a wonderfully efficient and instantaneous way to share and get feedback on the current version of your work with another, wherever in the world he or she may be.

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Diana Weynand is co founder of Weynand Training International,

Diana Weynand is author of the Apple Pro Training Series book, Final Cut Pro 7. She is co-founder of Weynand Training International, a Gold Level Apple Authorized Training Center that offers hands-on classes on Apple Pro Applications around the country as well as customized on-site training. She is also one of the creators of iKeysToGo Your Personal Shortcut Assistant in the Palm of your Hand! - a series of iPhone and iPod Touch applications for Final Cut Pro 7, Photoshop CS4, iPhoto, Word, etc. These Apps are available on the iTunes App Store. For more information, check out her website, www.weynand.com, call her at 818.995.1719 or email at weynand@mac.com.

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Diana's Top 10 FCP 7 Features #8 - iChat Theater Preview by DMN Editorial at Nov. 04, 2009 8:27 am gmt

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