X

886Final Cut Pro User Guide
CEA-608 Also known as EIA-608. A caption standard for broadcasts and web video. The
CEA-608 caption standard features a variety of position, formatting, color, and animation
options. CEA-608 captions can be imported or exported as separate files or as tracks
embedded in a media file. CEA-608 caption files have the filename extension .scc.
chroma The color information contained in a video signal, consisting of hue, which
represents the color itself, and saturation, which represents the intensity of the color.
chroma key A special effects technique that allows you to derive an alpha channel or
matte from the blue or green background of a video clip in order to make it transparent (so
that it can be composited against other clips). Blue- or green-screen technology is what
makes weather forecasters appear to be standing against an animated map, when in reality
they’re standing in front of a blue or green wall. Also known as blue or green screening.
See also alpha channel.
chromaticity The exact values a display uses to represent each of the three primary
colors. Different displays use different primary values. Because all colors represented by
a particular display are a mix of the three primary colors, if the three primary points vary
from display to display, the entire gamut of color shifts.
clip The term used to describe a video or audio asset, especially after it has been
imported into Final Cut Pro. Clips appear in the browser and the timeline. Clips in
Final Cut Pro point to (link to) source media files stored on your Mac or a connected
storage device. When you modify a clip, you’re not modifying the media file, just the clip’s
information in Final Cut Pro. This is known as nondestructive editing.
clipping Distortion occurring during the playback or recording of digital audio because of
a signal that exceeds the maximum sample value of 0 dBFS.
clip selection A selection of whole clips in the browser or the timeline. In contrast to
a range selection, a clip selection is limited to clip boundaries. You can’t adjust a clip
selection to include portions of clips. However, you can add or remove whole clips.
codec Short for compressor/decompressor, or encode/decode. A software component
used to translate video or audio from its current form to the digital compressed form in
which it is stored on a computer or storage device. DV, Photo JPEG, and Apple ProRes are
common QuickTime video codecs.
color balance
Refers to the mix of red, green, and blue in a clip. In Final Cut Pro, you can
adjust the color balance of the highlights (bright areas), midtones, or shadows (dark areas)
of your clip.
color bars A standard color test signal displayed as columns, often accompanied by a
reference audio tone. Color bars are used to adjust the video signal of the incoming source
to maintain proper color from import through output.
Color Board The Color Board allows you to manually adjust a clip’s color properties. It
contains separate panes for adding or subtracting a color tint, controlling the intensity of
the color, and controlling the brightness of the video. In addition to an overall control, each
pane has individual controls for the highlight, midtone, and shadow areas of the image.
color cast An unwanted color tint in the image, usually caused by lighting issues.