Multicam Lite 1.01 review

Filming live events is exciting - setting up the shots, roving around the stage and finding cutaways of interest - but post-production editing of the footage is a painfully slow and laborious process.

Multicam Lite from Digital Heaven re-inserts dynamism into the editing process by taking the actual editing out of Final Cut Pro via XML into its own standalone application, which works like a live switching desk. Now you can play back up to three cameras on one monitor and edit by simply switching from camera 1, 2 or 3 by hitting 1, 2 or 3 on the keyboard.

To start with, the source footage needs to be synced in Final Cut Pro so all three video clips match. This can be a tricky proposition with music, as the waveforms need to have a very distinct shape even when you've zoomed in on them. However, you can use any segment, be it at the start, middle or end.

When all the footage is synced, you then choose an audio track from one of the clips as a reference and then export all tracks to an XML file and launch Multicam Lite.

Recommended system specs are a G5-based Mac with a minimum of 1.5GHz processor for working with full-resolution DV footage. On lesser machines, the workaround is to use FCP's Media Manager to save the footage as an offline-quality project that shrinks it into something Multicam Lite can handle. You may also have to do this when working with DigiBeta footage depending on your system specifications. On a G4 dual 867MHz Mac, the offline resolution proved to be a good solution.

Multicam Lite's layout is reminiscent of Discreet's programs, with a grey motif and minimalist yet colourful cut icon markers on the Timeline with three small windows below containing the synchronised clips and a large Live screen above. A few run-throughs will deliver better edits as you become more familiar with seeing all three cameras at once and anticipate when cuts are needed based on the action and soundtracks.

Once you're happy with your cuts, you can fine tune them with Multicam Lite's stack of controls. You can move the main window at varying speeds with the Timeline. If a cut should be at the new point, click on either the Snap Edit button for the left or the right cut and the cut will jump to the new point.

If the current cut is the wrong camera, you swap the camera with a single keyboard combination. Similarly, you can replace shots with a single key combination to the left or right of the play head. A range of set-up preferences including Trim Editor, Preroll, Postroll and Multiframe Value also help when cutting - for example, adjusting the 'Reaction Time' is ideal for working with footage where you want to cut to avoid camera jerkiness.

Once you've completed your cuts, save the project and send it to FCP, which will launch automatically. The edited footage will appear as a fourth video track on the Timeline, where you can further adjust it.

Multicam Lite isn't just a handy extension to Final Cut Pro for live cutting - it's more of a full-blown second application that you'll soon find indispensable.