Export Images from Final Cut Pro: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

In this quick tutorial, you will learn how to export images from Final Cut Pro. By default, Final Cut Pro offers limited sharing options focused primarily on exporting videos. This tutorial will guide you through adding the capability to export images directly. Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Open Final Cut Pro

Ensure that you have Final Cut Pro installed and open on your computer. Load the project from which you want to export an image.

Step 2: Add Image Export Destination

By default, Final Cut Pro does not include an option to export images. We need to add this option manually.

  1. Go to Preferences:
    • Click on the “Final Cut Pro” menu in the top left corner of the screen.
    • Select “Setting” from the dropdown menu.
  2. Add Destination:
    • In the Preferences window, navigate to the “Destinations” tab.
    • At the bottom of the window, click on the “+” button to add a new destination.
  3. Select Image Sequence or Save Current Frame:
    • From the list of available destinations, select “Image Sequence” or “Save Current Frame”.
    • Drag “Save Current Frame” to the list of active destinations on the left side of the window. Place it next to “Master File” or wherever you prefer.
Add Save Current Frame as a destination.

Step 3: Configure Image Export Settings

Once you have added “Save Current Frame” to your list of destinations, you need to configure the settings for image export.

  1. Select Default Image Format:
    • Click on “Save Current Frame” in the list of destinations.
    • In the settings on the right, choose your preferred image format. The default is typically set to PNG.
    • PNG is a good choice as it retains high quality and supports transparency, unlike JPEG, which is more compressed.
Configure the Save Current Frame options and the default image type.

Step 4: Export the Image

Now that you have set up the image export destination, you can easily export images from your project.

  1. Go to the Share Menu:
    • With your project open, navigate to the top right corner of the screen and click on the “Share” button.
  2. Select Save Current Frame:
    • From the dropdown menu, select “Save Current Frame”.
    • A new window will appear with the export options.
  3. Choose Export Settings:
    • In the export window, you can change the image format if needed (PNG, TIFF, JPEG).
    • After selecting your desired format, click “Next”.
  4. Save the Image:
    • Choose the destination folder where you want to save the image.
    • Click “Save”.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully exported an image from Final Cut Pro.

Select Save Current Frame from the Share menu.

Take the Quiz

Take the Exporting Images Quiz here – https://benhalsall.com/moodle/mod/quiz/view.php?id=248

Conclusion

Adding the ability to export images from Final Cut Pro is a straightforward process once you know where to look. By configuring the destination settings, you can easily save still frames from your projects in high-quality formats like PNG. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below. Otherwise, I look forward to seeing you in the next tutorial!

Happy editing!