Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1211)

424 Part II Project Interchange
Working With Final Cut Pro Video Scopes
The video scopes in Final Cut Pro—the Waveform Monitor, Vectorscope, and Parade
scope—work similarly to the same standard scopes that you’d find in any online or
color correction suite. In addition, a Histogram is available to give you an instant look at
the distribution of luminance levels in your clips.
By comparing one clip’s luma and chroma values to another with the Final Cut Pro
scopes, you can unambiguously spot, at a glance, all of the hues, saturation, and
luminance levels that differentiate one clip from another. This lets you make more
informed decisions about adjusting Final Cut Pro color correction filters to more closely
match one clip with another.
Viewing the Different Video Scopes
Final Cut Pro video scopes are the most important tools you have for objectively
analyzing the color and contrast of any given clip. When you understand how to read
the different scopes included with Final Cut Pro, you’ll be able to more clearly see and
compare the different levels of luminance and chrominance in an image. Using these
scopes, you can also get a faster and much more precise idea of these levels than by
simply looking your clips.
Note: The scopes displayed in the Tool Bench analyze only the frame that’s at the
position of the playhead when it’s paused.
To open the Video Scopes tab in the Tool Bench:
1 Do one of the following:
 Choose Tools > Video Scopes.
 Press Option-9.
The Tool Bench appears
with the Video Scopes tab.