Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

 Chapter 11    Keying and compositing 371
Use Transform to position the foreground image
The following steps assume you have already configured a key but need to reposition the 
foreground image.
 1 Select the foreground clip in the Timeline.
 2 In the lower-left corner of the Viewer, choose Transform from the pop-up menu and move the 
image to the position you want. In the above example, you might want to move the woman to 
the left.
You can also resize the image.
 3 Click Done in the Viewer when you...

 Chapter 11    Keying and compositing 372
Compositing
Compositing overview
Compositing refers to combining parts of two or more video clips into a single image.
There are a number of ways to combine video images in Final Cut Pro:
 •Transitions: All video transitions involve combining the end of one clip with the start of a 
second clip, which results in a combination of the two clips appearing at the same time during 
the transition. 
 •Keying: All keys involve compositing a foreground image over a...

 Chapter 11    Keying and compositing 373
Below is an example of a clip with an alpha channel, showing the image that fills the 
alpha channel.
Below is the alpha channel image—the white areas define the video areas that are composited 
over the background. The gray areas (which define the shadow in this example) define parts of 
the image that are partially transparent.
This is what the final composite looks like over a background clip.
67% resize factor 

 Chapter 11    Keying and compositing 374
Use a clip with an alpha channel
 1 Position the playhead in the Timeline where you want to add the alpha channel clip.
 2 Select the clip that has an alpha channel in the Browser, and choose Edit > C onnect to Primary 
Storyline (or press Q). 
 3 To see the composited clips, position the playhead within the clip that was just added above the 
primary storyline.
Connected clip (composite foreground)
Primary storyline clip 
(composite background)
The clip is...

 Chapter 11    Keying and compositing 375
Choose a blend mode
 1 Position the playhead in the Timeline to where you want to add a clip above the 
primary storyline.
 2 Select the clip to add in the Browser, and choose Edit > C onnect to Primary Storyline (or press Q). 
 3 To see the composited clips, position the playhead within the clip that was just added.
By default, the new clip completely obscures the clip on the primary storyline.
 4 Choose an option from the Blend Mode pop-up menu in the...

  376
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...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 377
 •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 380.
 •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...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 378
Analyzing a clip for color balance can take from a few seconds for shorter clips to a minute 
or more for longer clips. The analysis process takes longer if you also analyze for people and 
stabilization issues.
After a clip has been analyzed for color balance, you can turn the color balance correction 
on or off at any time. By default, color balance correction is off for clips in the Browser and on 
for clips in the Timeline, if they have been analyzed. For...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 379
Balance a clip’s colors
Clips in Final Cut Pro have a Balance setting that turns automatic color balance correction on and 
off, whether the clip is in the Browser or the Timeline. The frame used as the reference frame is 
either a frame chosen during color balance analysis, the frame the playhead is on in the Timeline, 
or the middle frame. For more information, see Color balance overview
 on page 377.
Turn a clip’s color balance correction on and off
 1 Select one or...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 380
The Viewer changes to display the Timeline playhead’s frame on the right and the frame the 
pointer is over on the left.
The clip that the pointer is over is the color match source. 
Click to preview the color match.
The selected 
Timeline clip is the 
color match target.
 3 Skim any clip in the Timeline or the Browser to find a frame with the color look you want to 
match, and click to preview that look applied to the selected clip.
You can click a variety of clips...