Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1232)

Chapter 20 Color Correcting Clips 445
II
The Color Corrector Filter Controls
The Color Corrector filter controls are deceptively easy considering the amount of power
they give you over the look of your clips. The main controls are at the top of the visual
interface tab—Color Balance controls and Level and Saturation controls—and are
described next. For information about the controls in the Limit Effects area, see “
Limit
Effect Controls in the Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way Filters ” on page 476.
Note: The Color Corrector filter is more likely to be supported by real-time hardware
than the Color Corrector 3-way filter.
Color Balance Controls in the Color Corrector Filter
The Color Corrector filter has one Color Balance control that lets you manipulate the
whites in a clip, and a Hue control. You rarely use the Balance and Hue controls
simultaneously in a single color correction operation.
 Balance control: The Balance control affects the color balance in the whites of your
clip. Drag within the color wheel to move the balance control indicator and change
the mix of red, green, and blue in the whites of your clip.
 Whites Select Auto-balance Color button (the eyedropper): Clicking the Whites auto-
balance button turns the pointer into an eyedropper when it’s moved into the Video
tab of the Viewer or into the Canvas. Click the tip of the eyedropper into what is
supposed to be the whitest area of your image, such as a highlight on a white shirt.
The color value of the pixel you selected is analyzed, and the Balance control is
automatically adjusted to turn that pixel into white. For example, clicking a pixel
that’s slightly yellow nudges the trackball toward blue, to turn that yellow into a
neutral white.
Balance Reset button
Hue controls
Whites Select
Auto-balance Color
button
Hue Reset button
Balance control