Working with the Copy Filter Controls
The Copy Filter controls are designed to help you color correct sequences that have
shot-reverse-shot editing. For example, suppose you want to cut from a wide shot of
two actors to a medium shot of them from a different angle, and then back to the wide
shot. Assume you also already applied a color correction filter to the first shot. A render
bar appears above that clip.
Because the third shot in this sequence is another segment of the media used in the
first shot, it needs the same color correction settings. Use the Copy To 2nd Clip Forward
button to apply the same color correction filter with all its settings directly to the third
shot in the sequence, skipping over the second shot. Once you’ve done that, the third
shot displays a render bar, indicating that the filter has been applied.
This render bar indicates
that the first clip has a
filter applied to it.
A render bar over the
third clip indicates that
the filter was applied.
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To copy color correction filter settings forward to another clip:
1
Double-click a sequence clip with a color correction filter applied to open the clip in
the Viewer.
2
In the Viewer, click the Color Corrector tab.
3
Do one of the following:
 To copy the current color correction filter settings to the next clip: Click the Copy to
1st Clip Forward button (or choose Modify > Copy Filters > To 1st Clip Forward).
 To copy the current color correction filter settings to the clip that is two clips forward:
Click the Copy to 2nd Clip Forward button (or choose Modify > Copy Filters >
To 2nd Clip Forward).
You can also copy the color correction filter settings that you’ve previously made from
another clip to the currently selected clip.
To copy color correction filter settings from a previously corrected clip:
1
Double-click a sequence clip with a color correction filter applied to open the clip in
the Viewer.
2
In the Viewer, click the Color Corrector tab.
3
Do one of the following:
 To copy the current color correction filter settings from the previous clip: Click the Copy
From 1st Clip Back button (or choose Modify > Copy Filters > From 1st Clip Back).
 To copy the current color correction filter settings from the clip that is two clips previous:
Click the Copy From 2nd Clip Back button (or choose Modify > Copy Filters >
From 2nd Clip Back).
Another way to use these controls is to select all the clips in the scene you’re working
on and then apply the color correction filter to all of them. Once you’ve done that, it’s
easy to use the Copy Filter controls to copy any color correction settings that you
change from prior clips in the sequence to current ones, and vice versa. For clips with
multiple filters, the Copy Filter controls operate by the following rules.
Chapter 27
Color Correction
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“Copy From” Rule
If the current clip has multiple filters and you’re copying from a clip with multiple filters,
Final Cut Pro copies from a filter with the same index number as the current one being
adjusted, if possible. For example, if the previous clip has three filters, and the current clip
has three filters, clicking the Copy From 1st Clip Back button in the Color Corrector-3 tab
copies the settings from the third color correction filter in the previous clip.
If the previous clip doesn’t have the same number of filters, the Copy From buttons
copy settings from the first available color correction filter that matches the type of the
current one. If there are no color correction filters in the previous clips, these buttons
are dimmed.
Copy From
1st Clip Back
button
Current clip
Previous clip
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“Copy To” Rule
If the current clip has multiple filters and you’re copying to a clip with multiple filters,
Final Cut Pro copies the current filter’s settings to a filter with the same index number
in the next clip as that of the current filter. For example, if the current clip has three
filters, and the next clip has three filters, using the Copy To 1st Clip Forward button in
the Color Corrector-2 tab copies that filter’s settings into the second color correction
filter in the next clip.
If the clip you’re copying to doesn’t have any color correction filters, the Copy To
buttons create a new filter with these settings. If there are no clips following the
current one, these buttons are dimmed.