Shortening videos before importing

Hello, I was wondering if any of you guys could recommend a way, or program, to shorten a clip before importing into FCPX.(Or a link if this has already been asked) For example, if I have a long video, is there a way to get the segments I want from the video before importing? This way importing times are shorter and only the footage I need is imported.

Depending on what the format of the original media is, you can divide them up in FCP X non-destructively and they'll work like they're divided up. But...

Open them in QuickTime Pro 7 and divide them up and Export them.
Open them in Compressor and set In/Out points and Export.

What format is the original media, from what camera?

The camera records in MPEG4 (.mp4) files using h.264 compression.

Since FCPX makes such massive files, I found myself doing exactly what you propose here. I pre-edited the needless stuff out of the clips before I imported them into FCPX.
Just make sure you leave enough room for "handles" before & after the part you want. A couple of seconds is plenty.

I drop them on MpegStreamclip which has fairly good editing capabilities, then when I've sliced & diced, I just click Save. It doesn't alter the format one iota. You might want to test it on your format. I also use a little program called MediaInfo Mac to determine the precise format parameters & to ensure nothing has been altered.

Sweet thanks! I'll give those a shot