Apple Final Cut Pro X (10.0.9) - Manual (Page 355)

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Color correction overview
In any post-production workflow, color correction is generally one of the last steps in finishing an
edited program. There are a number of reasons to color correct your footage:
•
Make sure that key elements in your program, such as flesh tones, look the way they should
•
Balance all the shots in a scene to match
•
Correct errors in color balance and exposure
•
Achieve a look, such as making the scenes warmer or cooler
•
Create contrast or special effects by manipulating the colors and exposure
Final Cut Pro color correction tools give you precise control over the look of every clip in your
project, including still images, by letting you adjust each clip’s color balance, shadow levels,
midtone levels, and highlight levels. Final Cut Pro also includes several automatic tools you can
use to quickly balance and match the color in clips. In Final Cut Pro, you can:
•
Automatically balance colors: With one click, neutralize any color casts and maximize image
contrast. See
Color balance overview on page 356.
•
Automatically match a clip’s color and look: With two clicks, make one or more clips match
the color look of any clip that you choose. See
Match color between clips automatically on
page 358.
•
Manually adjust color, saturation, and exposure: Manually correct a clip’s overall color, or use
color or shape masks to limit a correction to a particular color range or area in the image.
You can even add multiple manual color corrections to one clip. See
Manual color correction
overview on page 359.
•
Save color correction settings and apply them to other clips: Save a clip’s color correction settings
and apply them to other clips in the project or in other projects. See
Save and apply color
correction presets on page 368.
Although these features are independent of one another—you can turn any of the features
off and on to see its effect—the order in which you use them matters. In general, you should
use these features in the order of Balance Color, Match Color, and (if necessary) manual
color correction.
Final Cut Pro also includes several video scopes you can use when manually color correcting
your video. The scopes make it possible to precisely monitor the luma and chroma levels of your
video clips.
Color correction
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