Getting Started with Presto in Final Cut Pro

Presto uses your videos of the presenter and projection screen, along with the original presentation slides, to automatically create an engaging presentation video that combines crisp slide images with a closely tracked inset of your presenter.  For a quick introduction to Presto, watch our 4 minute video, Using Presto with Final Cut Pro, on our website.

 

 

Overview of workflow

This section provides a quick overview of Presto for the Final Cut Pro workflow. Download the sample Mac project to experiment with Presto right away.

  1. Record a video of your presenter with one camera and a video of the projection screen with a second camera, preferably with presenter audio on both cameras, so you can use our PluralEyes software to synchronize them. See How to Record an Event.

  2. Convert your PowerPoint or Keynote presentation into image files. See How to Convert a PPT or Keynote File

  3. Start your project in Final Cut Pro. Place your screen video on the lowest video track, and your presenter video on the second track. Make sure they are in sync. You can sync the clips quickly and accurately with PluralEyes. Trim off any unwanted video.

  4. Start the Presto application. Select your Final Cut project and sequence from the pop-up menus, and press the Get Sequence button. The Presto wizard will then lead you through the steps of adding your slide images, applying Presto's automatic processing, and fine-tuning the appearance of the presentation.

  5. Using the Send to FCP button on the Edit tab, send your Presto project back to Final Cut, for any final editing and for rendering.

 

 

Opening an existing Presto project

The right hand side of the start window lists recently used Presto project files. Presto project files have a ".presto" file extension.

 

 

Setting up your project in Final Cut Pro

This page explains how to set up a Final Cut Pro project that will work well with Presto. We assume that you are already familiar with using Final Cut Pro. The figure below shows how our sample Final Cut Pro project is set up.


Sample project synced

 

Follow these steps to set up your Final Cut Pro project for use with Presto.

  1. Create a new Premiere Pro project, and import or transfer in the screen video and presenter video, as well as any additional media you may have for the project such as independent audio or b-roll video. You do not need to add the slide images to the project yet; you will do that in Presto.

  2. Arrange the tracks as follows:

  3. Make sure the clips are synchronized. You can sync the clips quickly and accurately using our PluralEyes software.
  4. Trim off any video (typically from the start and end) that you don't want included. Presto supports some limited clip editing, but the best time to do this editing is prior to exporting the project to Presto.

  5. Be sure to save your Final Cut Pro project.

  6. Now you are ready to work with Presto. Start the Presto application. Select your Final Cut Pro project and sequence from the drop down menus, and press the Get Sequence button to open a new Presto project window containing your sequence.
  7. Check that the correct sequence is selected from the sequence pop-up menu on the first Wizard tab. The Presto wizard will then lead you through the steps of adding your slide images, applying Presto's automatic processing, and fine-tuning the appearance of the presentation.

 

 

Setting the In and Out points

You can control the part of the Final Cut Pro project that gets rendered by marking the In and Out points.

The area outside the In-Out region is colored dark grey on the timeline ruler. Only the light grey region will be rendered.