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659Final Cut Pro User Guide
A color curve is like an interactive histogram that is tilted at a 45-degree angle. The
different tonal ranges of the image (the shadows, midtones, and highlights) are distributed
along the curve. You can click the curve to create control points, then drag the control
points up or down to increase or decrease the intensity of the color for a given tonal range.
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).
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.
Use the color curves to adjust the intensity of a color channel
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 Curves effect: Choose Color Curves 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 Curves effect already applied to the clip: Choose the Color Curves
effect you want to correct from the Corrections section at the top of the menu.