Can Stills made in FCP be used outside of FCP?

[mrkay]

If I make files offline, (specifically freeze frames made in FCP) does that mean I can use them outside of FCP? I never knew what maing files offline does anyway.

Bob

[Jazz Dog]

I use still images from FCP all the time offline. I will email it to my PC laptop and pull it into Photoshop then make a DVD cover or a poster. Or use still shots for press kits for festivals etc. Once you hit export-qucktime conversion-still frame-save on desktop then the file is completely seperate from you original media. Drag and drop it all you want.

[3.dvedit]

Your question has two parts;

First: A clip becomes OFFLINE (contains a red slash though its icon in the Browser) when Final Cut Pro can no longer find its media file. You can also break the link between the clip and the media file by selecting Modify>Make Offline, or create a new offline clip by by choosing File>New>Offline Clip.

Second: As pointed out above, you may use single frames or clips in other applications using the export function.

[mrkay]

Thank you Jazz Dog and 3.dvedit. I never knew you could do that. You've opened up a whole new avenue in my editing. The idea of using stills from the project for packaging is exactly what I was hoping to do.
I never figured out how the offline function worked or it's purpose.

Thaks again,

Bob

[Bus No. 8]

Hey, Mrkay - I usually don't use the freeze frame option in FCP because I know that I would like to have that still available for other uses (print, web, photoshop, whatever).

What I do is place my playhead on the frame I want to copy as a still and then export: file > export > using quicktime conversion > format > still image > options > jpeg (or tiff).

That seems like a lot more steps than just choosing freeze frame, but it captures a good still from your video and saves it in a format that you can use for a number of applications.

If I want that still to also be used in the video itself, I import it back in as a jpeg or tiff and work with it as a unique, independent file.

[mrkay]

Thank you Bus N0. 8, I never knew you could do that either. That sounds like a very good way to do it also. I will try it.
I always thought I was wasting the stills as they sat in FCP.

Bob