Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1.2 User Guide

 Chapter 12    Color correction 3 81
 •Choose an area of the image to correct: Draw one or more shape masks, and then choose 
whether the correction applies inside or outside the masks. You can even have the position of 
the masks change as the clip plays. See  Target specific areas using shape masks
 on page 385.
You can also apply multiple color corrections to a single clip and use shape masks in 
combination with a color mask. For example, you could use one correction to set the clip’s overall 
color...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 382
 3 To add or remove a color tint, click Color (or press Control-Command-C), and drag the controls in 
the Color pane.
 •To adjust the tint for the whole image: Drag the Global control (the large gray control).
 •To adjust the tint in the darker areas of the image: Drag the Shadows control (the black control).
 •To adjust the tint in the midtones: Drag the Midtones control (the small gray control).
 •To adjust the tint in the brighter areas of the image: Drag the...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 383
Reset and turn off Color Board color corrections
 1 In the Timeline, select a clip whose color corrections you want to remove.
 2 In the Color Board, do any of the following:
 •To reset the currently selected control to its neutral state: Press Delete.
 •To reset all of a pane’s controls to their neutral state: Click the Reset button  in the pane’s 
upper-right corner.
 •To reset all three Color Board panes back to their neutral state: In the Color section of the Video...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 384
 3 In the Viewer, position the eyedropper on a color in the image that you want to isolate, and drag 
to select the color.
Drag to select the 
color to mask.
As you drag, two concentric circles appear. The size of the outer circle determines the range of 
variations in the selected color that are included in the color mask. As you change the outer 
circle size, the image becomes monochrome except for the color you are selecting. You can drag 
a new selection circle as...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 385
Target specific areas using shape masks
A shape mask defines an area in the image so that you can apply color corrections either inside 
or outside that area. For example, you might want to emphasize a subject’s face by darkening the 
area around the face.
You can add multiple shape masks to define multiple areas, and you can also animate the shapes 
so that they follow an area while a camera pans or an object moves as the clip plays.
Add a shape mask
 1 In the...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 386
 •To rotate the shape: Drag the rotation handle (extending from the center).
 •To control the softness of the shape’s edge: Drag the outer circle. Setting the outer circle close 
to the inner circle creates a hard edge and an abrupt transition to the corrections you apply, 
and dragging the outer circle away from the inner circle creates a softer edge and a more 
gradual transition.
 •To hide the mask’s controls: Click the Shape Mask onscreen controls button in the...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 387
 3 Position the shape mask to its starting position in the Viewer.
 4 In the Video inspector, click the Keyframe button.
Click here to add 
a keyframe.
A keyframe is added at the position of the playhead. You can see it in the Timeline by pressing 
Control-V to open the Video Animation Editor. The keyframe appears in the Color section as a 
diamond at the playhead position.
Keyframe indicator
 5 Move the playhead to the next point in the clip where you want to define...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 388
 3 In the Video inspector, click the Add Shape Mask button in the correction that has the 
color mask.
Click here to add 
a shape mask 
to the correction.
 4 Adjust the shape mask so that it overlaps the part of the color mask you want to use.
 5 To adjust the color correction settings, click the Color Board button  in the Video inspector. 
(After you make any Color Board adjustments, the button color changes.)
 6 Do any of the following:
 •To make color correction...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 389
Note:  If you have applied multiple corrections to a clip, you can drag them in the Video inspector 
to change their order. Rearranging the processing order can provide different results.
View color correction keyframes in the Timeline
If a clip has multiple corrections with animated shape masks, you can view a correction’s shape 
mask keyframes in the Video Animation Editor above the clip in the Timeline.
 1 In the Timeline, select a clip that has multiple color...

 Chapter 12    Color correction 390
Save and apply color correction presets
With Final Cut Pro, you can save a clip’s color correction settings as a preset, making it easy to 
apply those settings to other clips in the same project or a different project.
Final Cut Pro includes several presets you can use in addition to any that you create.
Note:  Color correction presets save the current Color, Saturation, and Exposure settings only. 
They do not save the mask settings, including whether you have Inside...