Apple Final Cut Pro 5 - Manual (Page 1241)

454 Part II Project Interchange
 Mids Balance control: Drag in the Mids Balance control to move the balance control
indicator and change the mix of red, green, and blue in the mids of your clip.
Note: The areas of your picture affected by the Mids Balance control overlap the
areas affected by the Blacks and the Whites Balance controls, so adjustments to the
mids affect adjustments you may have already made to the blacks and whites. This
overlapping ensures that you have the maximum amount of control necessary to
accurately manipulate the color of your clips.
 Mids Select Auto-balance Color button (the eyedropper): Clicking the Mids auto-
balance button turns the pointer into an eyedropper when it’s moved into the Video
tab of the Viewer or the Canvas. Click the tip of the eyedropper in what is supposed
to be an area of neutral gray. The color value of the pixel you selected is analyzed,
and the Mids Balance control is automatically adjusted to turn that pixel into a
neutral gray.
Note: This neutral gray corresponds to the neutral gray chip on a production color
chart. If a chip chart was shot along with the slate of your clip, you can click the Mids
eyedropper on this part of the chart to get an accurate reading.
 Mids Reset button: Click this button to reset the Mids Balance control to its default
settings and restore your clip to the original color mix. Holding down the Shift key
while clicking this button resets all Blacks, Mids, Whites, and Sat controls to their
default settings.
 Whites Balance control: Drag in the Whites Balance control to move the balance control
indicator and change the mix of red, green, and blue in the whites of your clip.
 Whites Select Auto-balance Color button (the eyedropper): Clicking the Whites auto-
balance button turns the pointer into an eyedropper when it’s moved into the Video
tab of the Viewer or the Canvas. Click the tip of the eyedropper in what is supposed
to be the whitest area of your image, such as a highlight on a white shirt. The color
value of the pixel you selected is analyzed, and the Whites Balance control is
automatically adjusted to turn that pixel into white. For example, clicking a pixel
that’s slightly yellow nudges the trackball toward blue, to turn that yellow into a
neutral white.
When using the Whites auto-balance control, don’t select an area that’s overexposed,
such as a light source or a shiny highlight. This won’t give you the desired result.
Instead, select a properly exposed area of your picture that’s white, like a well-lit shirt
sleeve or white wall.
 Whites Reset button: Click this button to reset the Whites Balance control to its
default settings and restore your clip to the original color mix. Holding down the
Shift key while clicking this button resets all Blacks, Mids, Whites, and Sat controls to
their default settings.