Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1148)

Chapter 18 Compositing and Layering 361
II
Working With Composite Modes
Final Cut Pro composite modes are settings that determine how the colors of one clip
visually interact with those of another clip layered beneath it in a sequence. When you
edit a clip into your sequence, it defaults to the Normal composite mode, meaning that
it is a solid layer and is not affected by any layers underneath it.
Once applied, different composite modes produce different visual results in your clips.
Most combine the affected clip with selected parts of the clip beneath it. Some affect
lighter parts of the clip differently than darker parts, and others create negative effects
or change the color range of the affected clip, depending on how the layers interact.
For example, if you apply opacity settings to a clip using the Normal composite mode,
all parts of that clip become equally transparent. You can change this by selecting your
clip in the Timeline and choosing a new composite mode.
Important: Final Cut Pro composite modes work in conjunction with a clip’s Opacity
parameter. The composite mode you select determines how the color values of one
clip interact with those in the clip beneath it. Additional changes made to a clip’s
opacity can lighten or intensify this effect.
Applying Composite Modes to Clips
Applying different composite modes to layered clips in a sequence is easy. The main
thing to remember is that composite modes affect the interaction between one layered
clip and whichever clip is underneath it in the sequence. Clips that are above a layered
clip using a composite mode are unaffected.
To apply a composite mode to a clip in your sequence:
1 With two layered clips edited into your sequence, select the topmost clip in the Timeline.
2 Choose Modify > Composite Mode, then choose a composite mode.
See “ Composite Modes in Final Cut Pro ” on page 363 for information on the
different modes.
Normal composite mode,
with the opacity of the
top clip (the dancers) at
50 percent