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656Final Cut Pro User Guide
To provide objective, precise information as you color correct a clip, use the video scopes
and other video measurement tools (see
Intro to measuring video in Final Cut Pro). The
vectorscope shows the distribution of color in your image on a circular scale and is
particularly useful for working with color wheels. The angle of distribution of red, green,
and blue in the color wheels corresponds to the angles of those colors in the vectorscope.
When you move the color control in the center of a color wheel, the mix of colors in the
vectorscope moves the same direction.
You can create a custom workspace layout for color correction or switch to the predefined
Color & Effects layout (see
Change the workspace layout in Final Cut Pro).
Note: Because you can apply multiple color correction effects to a clip, you’re not required
to follow all of the steps below, nor the order of those steps. For example, you might adjust
the overall contrast with the Color Curves effect and adjust a color tint with the Color
Wheels effect. Or you could achieve the same results with multiple instances of the same
effect. For a summary of the color correction effects, see Intro to color correction effects
in Final Cut Pro.
1. In the Final Cut Pro timeline, select the clip you want to correct, then position the
playhead in the clip so that the clip appears in the viewer.
2. Open the Color inspector.
Tip: If you frequently add a particular color correction effect, you can speed up your
workflow by setting it as the default color correction. Then just select a timeline clip
and press Command-6 to start adjusting the effect in the Color inspector.
3. Click the pop-up menu at the top of the Color inspector, then do one of the following:
• Add a new instance of the Color Wheels effect: Choose Color Wheels from the Add
Correction section at the bottom of the menu.
For more details and methods, see Add color corrections in Final Cut Pro.
• Correct a Color Wheels effect already applied to the clip: Choose the Color Wheels
effect you want to correct from the Corrections section at the top of the menu.
Color Wheels controls appear in the Color inspector. The effect also appears in the
Effects section of the Video inspector.
Tip: To switch the inspector between full-height view and half-height view, double-
click the top bar of the inspector.