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638Final Cut Pro User Guide
Manual white balance
You can set the color balance of a clip by sampling a part of the image that should be pure
white. See
Manually white-balance clips in Final Cut Pro.
Match color
You can ensure that multiple clips have the same look. See Match color between clips in
Final Cut Pro.
Analyze a clip for color in Final Cut Pro
To automatically balance a clip’s color, Final Cut Pro uses a single frame from the clip as a
reference and calculates a correction for it that is then applied to the entire clip. Analyzing
a clip for color balance allows Final Cut Pro to choose a representative frame as the
clip’s color balance reference frame. (You can also choose a reference frame manually by
positioning the playhead or the skimmer within the clip and then balancing the clip’s color.)
You can have a clip’s color balance analyzed when you import it, whether importing from
a camera, importing a file, or dragging a clip directly to the timeline from a Finder window.
You can also analyze a clip’s color balance at any time in the browser.
Analyzing a clip for color balance can take from a few seconds for shorter clips to a minute
or more for longer clips. The analysis process takes longer if you also analyze for people
and stabilization issues.
For information about turning the color balance correction on and off, in either the browser
or the timeline, see
Balance a clip’s colors in Final Cut Pro.
Analyze color balance during file import
1. In Final Cut Pro, choose File > Import > Media (or press Command-I).
2. In the Media Import window, select the files to import, then select “Analyze video for
balance color” in the Analyze and Fix section on the right.
3. Click the Import button.
The files are imported and analyzed for color balance issues.
Analyze color balance for clips dragged to the timeline from the Finder
1. Choose Final Cut Pro > Preferences, or press Command-Comma (,).
2. In the Final Cut Pro Preferences window, click the Import button and select “Analyze
video for balance color” in the Analyze and Fix section.
All clips that you drag directly to the timeline from the Finder are now analyzed.
Note: When you change this setting in the Preferences window, the setting is also changed
in all other windows that have an “Analyze video for balance color” option.