Create Impressive Bounce Freeze Frame Effects in Final Cut Pro X

Bounce freeze-frame effects are a lot of fun, and while they look super cool in your finished composition, they also have a purpose. Bounce effects are often used in commercials, music videos, and sports coverage to highlight a particular part of the frame such as a person or a product. In this tutorial, we will show you 2 eye-catching bounce effects in Final Cut Pro.

Part 1: Scale Bounce Effect in Final Cut Pro

The Scale Bounce Effect is a cool little Freeze Frame style that adds scaled movement to an element in your shot. Depending on how complex the masked element is, the effect can take a little time to create.

1. Play through your clip until you find the point where you want to create the scale bounce effect.
2. Create a freeze frame by hitting Option+F on your keyboard.
3. Grab the end of the freeze frame and drag it, so it is about 5 frames long.
4. Holding Alt on your keyboard, drag the freeze-frame up a track to create a duplicate.
5. In the Effects panel, search for Draw Mask and add it to your duplicate freeze frame.
6. Using the Pen tool, draw around the element you want to separate. Take your time to be as precise as possible.
7. Place the playhead at the beginning of the duplicate freeze frame and create a keyframe for Scale and Position (click the diamond in the Inspector).
8. Moving your playhead to the end of the section, adjust the Scale and Position to slightly smaller than the original element.
9. Holding Alt on the keyboard drag the duplicate up a track to create a second and highlight it in the timeline.
10. In the Inspector, use the arrow keys to make sure your playhead is aligned with the last keyframe, and adjust the Scale and Position to create a smaller version.
11. Keep creating duplicates and adjusting the final keyframe until you have an excellent tunnel effect.
12. Select all of the freeze frame elements and right-click > Compound Clip.
13. Hold Alt on the keyboard, then drag the compound clip to the right to create a copy alongside it in the timeline.
14. Select the second clip and click Modify > Time > Time Reverse Clip.

Part 2: Glitch Bounce Effect in Final Cut Pro

The glitch bounce effect creates a momentary separation between a subject in the shot and the background.

Step 1: Creating Masked Layers

The first step is to mask your subject so that you can apply effects to them separately. With this effect, we will use footage rather than a freeze frame element to create the non-stop movement look.

1. Locate a section of your clip 4-6 frames in length; use the Blade tool to cut either side of the section.
2. Hold Alt and drag the section up a layer to create a duplicate.
3. In the Effects panel, search for Draw Mask and drag it to the duplicate.
4. With the playhead at the beginning of the section, use the Pen tool to create a mask around the glitching element.
5. In the Inspector, create a keyframe for the Draw Mask control points.
6. Move forward one frame at a time, adjusting the mask to match the movement of the element.
7. Hold Alt and drag the layer up to create the third version when you are happy with the mask animation.
8. On the first frame of the top layer, create a Scale keyframe: 
   • Move forward 3 frames and increase the Scale to around 100%.
   • Move forward 3 more frames and adjust the Scale back to 100%.

Step 2: Adding the Glitch Effect

We’re going to show you now just how simple and quick it is to make an RGB style glitch look, but this method works with several color and distortion effects; have a look through FCPX and see what other amazing styles you can create.

1. Select the middle layer of your clip section and in the Inspector, and add 3 effects: Color Board, Focus, and Prysm.
2. In the Inspector, select the Color Board options and increase the Saturation and Exposure as high as possible.
3. Next, go to the Focus settings and increase all of the settings to create as much blur as possible.
4. Finally, play around with the Prysm settings to create a rainbow effect you like.

​​Final Cut Pro bounce effects won’t suit every project, but if you’re looking for something a little different, these styles will impress your viewers. Masking is a vital skill for any editor; check out this handy guide if you want to learn more about masking in Final Cut Pro.