Clip Rotation in Final Cut Pro

Here is one way to rotate a video clip using Final Cut Pro:

The gist of it:

Create a new library
Import the movie
Note the current dimensions with the Inspector pane (Info tab): e.g., 640x480
Right-click clip in the browser and choose “New Compound Clip”
Video Properties -> Custom -> Custom -> 480 x 640 (note the swapped width/height)
Double click the new compound clip in the browser (or right-click and choose “Open in timeline”); this will open it in a timeline
Select “Transform” in the preview window
Rotate the clip: grab a top, bottom, or side handle; hold shift down; resize to fit into the new dimensions
File -> Send to Compressor
In Compressor, select the next highest size that will fit the video’s widest dimension
Manually set the Video properties to exactly what they should be (e.g., 640x480)

Last modified on 2016-03-11