Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The rest of the shots in the scene also need to be adjusted to match the shot we just corrected. Final Cut Pro
gives you the ability to copy a clip's color-corrected attributes and paste these on to another clip in the Timeline.
To do so, select a clip that contains the color corrections that you want to copy and press Option+ +C. To
paste these corrections onto another clip, select a clip in the Timeline and press Option+ +V. Using this meth-
od will most likely require some additional tweaks in the Color Board, but this is a fast and easy way to make a
similar adjustment.
At the bottom right of the Color Board, you'll find a Gear button that gives you access to a collection of Color
Board presets, which can provide a good starting point for your color grading work. These can be tweaked fur-
ther in the Color Board, and any adjustment you make can be saved as a preset by choosing Save Preset at the
top of the preset list.
Using color masks
Earlier in the chapter we explained how secondary color corrections are applied to just a portion of the image.
This is achieved through the use of color masks or shape masks. A color mask enables you to target a particular
color and isolate it from the rest of the image. This could be used to make color adjustments that affect only the
chosen color or that affect the overall image but exclude the chosen color. You've probably seen this technique
in action many times in films, such as
Sin City
(2005), directed by Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin
Tarantino, in which a single color object exists in a black-and-white image.
Open the Inspector's Video pane and, under Color, click the Add Color Mask button (the first button on the
Correction) to add a color mask to your image. A Color Mask icon is added below the Correction, and the curs-
or becomes an eyedropper, allowing you to pick a color from a shot in the Viewer. Clicking with the eyedropper
and dragging over an area of the image reveals two concentric circles beneath it. The outer circle determines the
range of colors to be included in the selection. As you drag the eyedropper over the image, the size of the outer
circle increases and the surrounding image turns monochrome with only the selected colors highlighted on
screen.
Once you've made a selection, release the mouse and the selected color appears next to the Color Mask icon in
the Inspector. You can then use the slider next to the icon to soften the edges of the mask. With the color mask
now in place, click the Correction's Color Board button to open the Color Board and make your adjustments. To
restrict your adjustments to just the selected color, click the Inside Mask button beneath the Color Board before
making your corrections. To exclude the selected color from any adjustments, click the Outside Mask button.
Let's use a simple example from
Pranks
to demonstrate. The opening shot features a camera move across a toy
box filled with various colorful toys, which includes a green baton at the front of the box. Let's create a color
mask from the color green and use it to change the baton to a different color.
1.
Double-click the
Craft of the Cut
disc image to mount it. In the Project Library, double-click the Pranks
Work in Progress Project to open it in the Timeline. Select the first clip (Scene 1 Slate 1 Take 5), and posi-
tion the playhead at around 13 seconds and 16 frames in the Timeline so that the green baton is fully visible
on-screen. Open the Inspector's Video pane and under Color, click the Add Color Mask button. A Color
Mask icon is added below the Correction and the cursor changes to an eyedropper.
2.
Click the green baton with the eyedropper and slowly drag outward to reveal the two concentric circles
beneath the eyedropper. As you drag, keep the selection to just the green area of the baton, and try to avoid
including any of the surrounding colors (see Figure 15.10). The more precise you are with this selection, the
more effective your Color Mask will be when replacing the color. Release the mouse and your selected col-
or appears below the Correction in the Inspector.
