Lower Third

Final Cut Pro Glossary

A graphic commonly displayed near the bottom of the frame is a lower third. Create a lower third using templates that are included with Final Cut by going to the Titles and Generators sidebar.

Understanding the types of graphics used in video production is overwhelming. Most editing apps, including Final Cut Pro, have built-in tools to create graphics called templates. A dedicated motion graphics app is commonly used to build the templates. Motion, an app developed by Apple, is used to design templates for Final Cut Pro.

Final Cut Pro templates usually fit into one of these four types: Title, Generator, Transition, or Effect. Most, but not all, graphics that include text are Titles. Each Final Cut Pro Title is assigned a category such as Lower Third. To better understand what a Lower Third looks like, locate the Lower Third Title category. There are also many developers creating new graphic templates for editors to incorporate into their videos. motionVFX is one company that has developed many templates, including Lower Thirds, that you can use with Final Cut Pro and Motion. In addition to the built-in titles, take a look at these examples of a Horizontal Lower Third and compared it to a Vertical Lower Third.

0:15 • Add a Lower Third

1:07 • Customize a Lower Third with Motion