Hi, I'm editing on FCP 4.5 and I would like to make a video have a single big shake like a sudden earth quake, can this be done and if it can't be done in FCP can it be done on any other editing software.

I guess I'm looking for a tutorial on this, time is of an issue with this one, need it done by next week. This is going to be stalling point and any help would be great

Thank you in advance

Willis

That will be very easily done, however you'll need to zoom the image a little larger to give you "shaking room" and that will tend to soften it a bit.

Double click the desired clip in the timeline so it opens in the viewer. Select "image+wireframe" from the dropdown menu. Zoom the scale out to 50% so you see a gray border around the image. Now grab one of the dots in the corners and pull outwards to zoom the image a little larger. Now you'll just point anywhere inside the image and lift it up a bit, then click on the keyframe button. Now use the wheel or timeline slider to advance the video a few frames. Move the image back down in the same way, and click the keyframe button again. Repeat and vary as desired.

Read the section in the manual about the keyframing motion in the viewer for more info.

Boyd is of course totally correct, but if you want a quicker fix you could visit Graeme Nattress's free FCP filters page: http://nattress.com/free.htm. Install the G Earthquake plugin and see what it does for you. I've never had a practical use for it so I can't give you tips based on my experience, but I am hopelessly in love with his Smart De-interlace and Blur Dissolve plug-ins so I imagine the quality will be just as good with this one.