Do You Use Labels?

The “labels” are a clip organizing tool in FCP that not only assigns a label (such as “good” or “b-roll”), but also color codes the clip which really makes it stand out in the browser or timeline. If you already use them, then you’ll find it much easier to apply them via keyboard shortcuts and remember, you can apply them not only in the Browser, but directly in the timeline as well.

Hitting OPT CMD 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 will change the color of your selected clip or clips to the following:

• 2 – Orange (good)
• 3 – Red (best)
• 4 – Blue (alternate)
• 5 – Purple (interview)
• 6 – Green (b-roll)

And importantly, OPT CMD 1 removes the label.

Note also that OPT Q takes you to the User Prefs pane where you can hit the “Labels” tab to change the descriptive field to something else. Some additional notes on how and when to use labels after the jump…

I tend to work alone and am rarely an Assitant Editor or use one, so when I use labels, I don’t pay much attention to the actual descriptions (i.e. “interview”), but mostly just want to assign some color to certain clips to set them apart in the browser or timeline. I often work with HDV footage which means I get a lot of clips from a single tape. Because I mostly do corporate videos, I’m usually getting interview shots and b-roll. I tend to assign the b-roll a color (any color, really) to set those shots apart (I also tend to create a timeline called “All B-Roll” where I lay down all the b-roll for easy review).

If you are working as an Assistant Editor or are part of a larger editing team or workflow, I would strongly suggest using the labels a little more formally. If the descriptors do not suit you, then by all means customize them. Just as a conscientious Photoshop pro uses the color coding to help make their layers clear for the client, you should too–even if it was not asked for. It’s a nice pro touch that will be noticed and almost certainly appreciated.

Finally, one reason I would recommend customizing the descriptive labels is that the existing “good” label is actually a bit redundant with another great Browser feature, the “good” column which allows you to easily add a check mark (and this checkbox is also available in the log and cap process). That is a great way to identify “good” or “best” clips. Some suggested custom labels might be for camera angles, identification of specific interviewees, types of b-roll (audience reaction, local flavor, etc.), product shots and so on.

Since the color coding is the real thing here (I rarely see the actual label descriptors unless I am using them in a browser search), I don’t worry too much about the fact that this kind of customization creates a problem when you transfer the project to a different workstation (as I do when it comes to keyboard shortcut customization).