Using Final Cut Express with After Effects

I would recommend taking the source video and editing that in After Effects. Export from After Effects to a quicktime file (in the highest quality possible), and edit into Final Cut. But that's just what I would do, other people might have their own suggestions.

 

You need Final Cut Pro for exporting to XML.

But for FCE, the easiest thing to do would be to export a full-quality QT movie (File --> Export --> Quicktime Movie... and use "Current Settings") and then bring that into After Effects.

If you only want to bring certain portions into AE, you can use in/out points in FCE and export those pieces (I would recommend leaving 5-10 frame handles on either side of each clip just in case) individually. As long as you keep the codec, frame size frame rate, etc. the same prior to rendering out of AE, you should be able to drop your finished work back into your FCE timeline just fine.

 

its called AFTER effects for a reason.

its not exactly a NLE

So its best to take the portions of your video which require AE treatment, cut them out of your project and export just that video file to AE. When done, reimport the .mov saved export from AE back into FCE.

You cant do any sort of non-linear cutting in AE.

 

Yes, that's the most common way of doing it.


There are solutions out there for bringing in Final Cut timelines into After Effects. Automatic Duck is one example. I'm not sure if it would work with FCE though.

But most of the time you really only need to apply VFX/graphics to small parts of your project. So the best way there is to isolate your clip with in/out points, export a high quality clip, bring clip into AE, add your effects/motion, render, then bring in rendered clip to Final Cut.