Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1204)

Chapter 20 Color Correcting Clips 417
II
Color Correction in Final Cut Pro
With as much control as they afford, telecine sessions tend to be expensive, especially
for longer projects. Tape-to-tape color correction can also be expensive, but in both
cases you’re paying to work with a professional colorist who has years of experience.
Color correction requires a practiced eye and careful attention to detail, because it is
this final step that really differentiates the look of no-budget video programs from
professional broadcast TV.
With Final Cut Pro, you have professional color correction tools at your disposal.
Controls that allow automatic adjustments of blacks and whites give even the beginner
a basic starting point from which to proceed. With patience and practice, you can learn
to work with these tools to achieve sophisticated color correction right on your
desktop. With a fast enough computer or a third-party capture card with real-time
processing, Final Cut Pro color correction filters can even operate in real time,
eliminating the need to render every color-corrected clip.
Tools for Measuring Color and Brightness in Final Cut Pro
There are several tools for measuring the color, blacks, and whites of your clips.
 Range-checking: Range-checking options available in the View menu allow you to
quickly spot illegal luma and chroma levels in your clips, so you can fix them prior to
tape output.
 Tool Bench window with Video Scopes tab: The Tool Bench window and Video Scopes
tab provide constant access to the same Waveform Monitor and Vectorscope
available in the Log and Capture window. These tools can help you spot differences
between clips, so you can make precise adjustments.
 Video scopes: The Histogram and Parade scopes give you detailed information to use
when comparing two clips for color correction.