Final Cut Pro 6 - Color Balance Controls in the Color Corrector Filter

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Color Balance Controls in the Color Corrector Filter

You use the controls in the Color Corrector tab to balance the whites and change hues
displayed in a clip.

The Color Corrector filter has one color balance control that lets you manipulate the
whites in a clip, as well as a Hue control. You rarely use the Balance and Hue controls
simultaneously in a single color correction operation.

 Balance control: The Balance control affects the color balance in the whites of your

clip. Drag within the color wheel to move the color balance indicator and change the
mix of red, green, and blue in the whites of your clip.

 Auto-Balance eyedropper: Clicking this eyedropper turns the pointer into an

eyedropper when it’s moved into the Video tab of the Viewer or into the Canvas.
Position the tip of the eyedropper in what is supposed to be the whitest area of your
image, such as a highlight on a white shirt, then click. The color value of the pixel you
selected is analyzed, and the Balance control is automatically adjusted to turn that
pixel into white. For example, clicking a pixel that’s slightly yellow nudges the color
balance indicator toward blue, to turn that yellow into a neutral white.

When using the Auto-Balance eyedropper, don’t select an area that’s overexposed,
such as a light source or a shiny highlight. This won’t give you the desired result.
Instead, select a properly exposed area of your picture that’s white, such as a well-lit
shirt sleeve or white wall.

Note: When color correcting a clip, using this eyedropper tool is usually the second
step you take, after first using the Auto Level controls and the Whites, Mids, and
Blacks sliders (described in the next sections) to maximize the contrast of your image.

Balance Reset button

Hue control

Auto-Balance eyedropper

Hue Reset button

Balance control

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Part III

Color Correction and Video Quality Control

 Balance Reset button: Click this button to reset the Balance control to its default

settings and restore your clip to its original color mix. Holding down the Shift key
while clicking this button also resets the level and saturation controls (described in
one of the next sections) to their default settings.

 Hue control: Rotate the Hue control to change the overall hue of the affected clip.
 Hue Reset button: Click this button to reset the Hue control to its default settings and

restore your clip to its original hue. Holding down the Shift key while clicking this
button also resets the level and saturation controls (described in one of the next
sections) to their default settings.