FCP Tips: How to Configure Mac OS X for Final Cut Pro

What better way to start off my series of Featured Articles on Final Cut Pro Tips than to share with you how to configure your Mac OS X for Final Cut Pro to get the maximum performance. Get Tiger to really make FCP purr! These tips are brought to you by HDvision Studio.

Let’s get started. Open System Preferences, this is where all the action will take place, and begin with…

Dashboard & Exposé
OS X’s default keyboard shortcuts for Dashboard & Exposé conflict with certain FCP keyboard shortcuts.

• In System Preferences click on the Dashboard & Exposé icon.
• Change the keyboard shortcuts F9, F10, F11 and F12 to Option-F9, Option-F10, Option-F11 and Cmd-Option-F12. (Option-F12 is used by FCP.)
• Make sure that all Active Screen Corners are deactivated.

Desktop & Screen Saver
While having a screen saver is a great way to show off your Apple Cinema HD Display(s), it also taxes your CPU(s) and can slow down compression and render times.

• In System Preferences click on the Desktop & Screen Saver icon.
• On the Desktop tab make sure the Change picture check box is deselected.
• Click on the Screen Saver tab and drag the Start screen saver slider to Never.

Dock
If you don’t want your Dock getting in the way of your timeline in FCP try hiding the Dock.

• In System Preferences click on the Dock icon.
• Make sure the Automatically hide and show the Dock check box is selected.
  You can also manually hide/show the dock by pressing Cmd-Option-D at any time.

Security
If active, File Vault can be taxing on your system and can cause dropped frames during capture or playback.

• In System Preferences click on the Security icon.
• Make sure File Vault is turned off.
• Make sure the Log out after check box is deselected.
• Make sure the Use secure virtual memory check box is deselected.

Energy Saver
Don’t let your Mac fall asleep when it still has work to do. Follow these tips to tweak your Energy Saver settings.

• In System Preferences click on the Energy Saver icon.
• On the Sleep tab drag both sliders to Never.
• Make sure the Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible check box is deselected.
• Click on the Options tab and make sure the Restart automatically after a power failure check box is selected.

Sound
Route your system sounds to your internal speakers to prevent them from blasting through your audio monitors and waking up the neighbors.

• In System Preferences click on the Sound icon.
• In the Sound Effects tab select the Internal Speakers from the Play alerts and sound effects through list.

Sharing
Let your Mac focus on FCP and forget about sharing folders. You’ll save valuable system resources.

• In System Preferences click on the Sharing icon.
• On the Services tab make sure all services have been disabled.

Software Updates
Less applications running in the background equals more performance for FCP. Stay in control of when you perform software updates. I recommend that you manually check for software updates in between editing projects.

• In System Preferences click on the Software Update icon.
• Make sure the Check for updates check box is deselected.

Well this concludes my Final Cut Pro Tips article on How to Configure Mac OS X for Final Cut Pro. Your system is now streamlined for getting the most performance from FCP. Happy splicing!