T H E F O C A L E A S Y GUID E TO FINAL C UT PRO 7 Open Format Timeline One of the key features available to those using Final Cut Pro 6 and 7 is the ability to edit mixed formats in the Final Cut Pro Timeline and to be able to play back the different formats in real time without having to render until final output. In earlier versions of Final Cut Pro it used to be when one set up their Timeline in Easy Setup everything would work for the format that was specified. Choose DV-PAL and you cut DV-PAL, but introduce some DVCPro HD and some DVCPro 50 footage and suddenly the render bars would appear. This interrupts the creative flow as the editor hits Apple + R and then waits until the render process is done. With Mixed Format editing you get a lot more. Many formats at different frame-rates play together in real time. While there can still be some Render Bars which appear, depending on the complexity of the codecs at work and the power of your Mac, for the most one can cut from one format to another with a lot less pain than in previous versions of Final Cut Pro. A final render is still needed for final output. While editing, for the most, the different formats play together in real time.