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894Final Cut Pro User Guide
luma key An effect used to key out pixels of a certain luma value (or a range of luma
values), creating a matte based on the brightest or darkest area of an image. Keying out
luma values works best when your clip has a large discrepancy in exposure between the
areas that you want to key out and the foreground images you want to preserve—for
example, a white title on a black background. See also chroma key, matte.
luminance An objective measurement of light corresponding to intensity weighted by the
spectral sensitivity of human vision. Luminance is measured in candelas per square meter
(cd/m
2
), often referred to as nits.
markers Markers flag a specific location in a clip with editing notes or other descriptive
information. You can also use markers for task management. Markers are classified as
standard markers (blue), chapter markers (orange), to-do items (red), or completed to-do
items (green).
mask An image or a clip used to define areas of transparency in another clip. Similar to an
alpha channel. You can create masks based on a color you choose or a shape you create.
See also alpha channel.
mastering The process of creating a high-quality final copy of a completed project,
which serves as the source media for the final stages of professional post-production or
broadcast and distribution.
matte Sometimes referred to as a holdout matte. An effect that uses information in one
layer of video to affect another layer. Mattes are useful when you want to use one clip to
selectively hide or reveal part of another; for example, you could use a round spotlight
shape to reveal parts of a video layer. Matte effects can be used by themselves to mask
out areas of a clip or to create alpha channel information for a clip—for example, to make
a transparent border around the clip that can be composited against other layers. See also
alpha channel, compositing.
media A generic term for elements such as movies, sounds, and pictures.
media handle Additional media available before the start point or after the end point of a
clip in the timeline.
media representation
In Final Cut Pro, a type of media file corresponding to a video clip.
Final Cut Pro allows for three types of media representations—original source video files,
optimized copies transcoded to the Apple ProRes 422 format, and proxy copies transcoded
to the Apple ProRes 422 Proxy or H.264 format. You can choose to edit with optimized or
proxy media to increase playback performance. See also optimized files, proxy files, source
media files.
media stems Audio or video files that are usually exported separately for audio mixing or
post-production, or to match specifications when delivering files to broadcast networks.
For example, you may need to deliver a multitrack QuickTime file along with separate
dialogue, music, and effects stems.
mixing The process of adjusting the audio levels of all audio clips in an edited program,
including the production audio, music, sound effects, voiceovers, and additional
background ambience, to turn all of these sounds into a harmonious whole.
monochrome An image presented in shades of a single color, most often as the shades of
gray in a black-and-white image.