Apple Final Cut Pro 6 - Manual (Page 1374)

Chapter 27 Color Correction 589
III
12 Click the Mids Auto-Balance eyedropper, then click the eyedropper in an area of the
chip chart that’s supposed to be neutral gray.
The Color Corrector 3-way filter adjusts the Mids control to compensate for whatever
tint exists in the vast midrange of your picture.
If you don’t have a chip chart to refer to and are unsure of the neutrality of a gray in the
background, don’t worry about performing this step. You’ll generally get good results
from simply using both the Whites and Blacks Auto-Balance eyedroppers by
themselves.
After you’ve used the Auto-Balance eyedroppers to achieve a properly balanced image,
it’s time to fine-tune the color balance. To really get the look you want, you need to
adjust the various color balance controls by hand. When adjusting the color balance
controls, you always want to start by first correcting the whites and then correcting the
blacks. You’ve already performed these two steps using the Auto-Balance eyedroppers.
Adjusting the midtones now will allow you to make the most accurate correction, with
the greatest degree of control.
13 Drag anywhere within one of the color wheels to move the color balance indicator
relative to its previous position. Because you already used the Auto-Balance
eyedroppers in the whites and blacks, these positions will be your starting points if you
make any further adjustments.
In this example, drag the color balance indicator in the Mids color wheel more into a
mix of cyan and blue to give the image a cooler look, particularly in the actor’s face and
the roof of the car.
Adjust the Mids control
to add more blue.