If you don’t know by now, it is always best to watch the video you are editing on an external monitor. Preferably a TV that is the same or similar to what your final output will be viewed on. There are many things that can go wrong and be frustrating while trying to setup the external viewer. In this post, I’ll cover the first things you should try in order to solve these problems.
First of all, I am using Mac OS X 10.5 and Final Cut Pro 6 so the advice may be a little different depending on your version of OS X and FCP. But, if I remember correctly, the process has not changed all that much. To start off, make sure that your display is plugged into your computer using the DVI-out, S-Video, or whatever your connection may be.
Apple System Preferences
Click on the Apple in the upper left corner of the screen and go to System Preferences. Under the Hardware section, click on Displays. When you have the display connected, you should see an option to mirror the displays, make sure this is unchecked.
OS X usually tries to detect the size of the display automatically, but if for some reason it doesn’t, then you can adjust that in the System Preferences also.
Final Cut Pro Settings
Inside of Final Cut Pro there are a few things that you must do in order to make your external display work correctly.
First, under the View menu scroll down to External Video and make sure that All Frames is checked. Alternatively, you can press Command+F12 to toggle this option on and off.
Next, also under the View menu, scroll down to Video Playback. This is where you select where the external video will be sent to. You will most likely select Digital Cinema Desktop, but you may also have the Apple Firewire option. Some examples of when you would use the Firewire option are if you have to use a switcher, or if you are running the video through a DV deck or camcorder to your TV.
Lastly, go back to the View menu and click Refresh A/V Devices. The keyboard shortcut for this is Option+F12. Once you do this, the video that you see in your Canvas should be the same video showing up on your external monitor.
Additional Notes
If the monitor is still not working, double check the connection and try to restart Final Cut Pro and your computer. You should also reset/check the settings on any middle man hardware that you might have such as a switcher, a dv deck, or a camcorder. I have been in many situations where I simply had my switcher on In instead of Out and that solved the problem.
If none of this seems to be helping, it could be a hardware issue. You may have to check with the manufacturer of your display to make sure that you have to correct drivers and to see if it is compatible with your mac.
Feel free to comment on any specific display issues that you have experienced and how you solved them. Or any other questions you may have.
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