FCP Color correction?

B

Bobby Hacker

New member
Hi, new here. Really, really new here. I've recently obtained a DVX 100 A and haven't purchased editing software yet. I'm not familiar with FCP AT ALL and I'm looking to make the jump to PC from MAC. Now, I've decided to go with FCP because I've heard it has "decent" color correction. I'm wondering, if anyone has used the C.C. before, or any advice using it or maybe on an alternative? I'm basicaly looking shoot something in 24p and flush out heavy black in the edits. Any advice would be awesome.
 
The color corrector 3-way rocks and it's real time, too.

Basically, you have three areas you can control: darks, mids, and highs. If you want to crush blacks, lower the darks. If you want to blow highlights, boost the highlights. If you want a high contrast look without blowing the highlights, crush the blacks, boost the middle, and bring down the highlights slightly. I like to do this a lot. Within each area, you can also change the tint with a color wheel. So you can bring the highlights cool and the midtones warm if you want, but that would look ugly. I usually just bring the darks quite warm, the midtones somewhat warm, and leave the highlights as is (I like warmth.) After that, you have master saturation control. After that, you can mask areas by color and color correct them alone (very helpful!) but that's not real time. I often use two CC 3-ways. One for "color correction" the next for grading (which seems to be more what you're interested in anyhow.)

There are plenty of other options, but the CC three way is the easiest to use way to get a very cool look. Be warned, though, if you overdo it, your footage will look awful. Also, using it in "visual" mode (there's a switch between color wheels and number inputs) is MUCH easier.
 
I think my next question would be; Is FCP going to be the best possible way to edit 24p footage with the intension of color correction?
 
Bobby Hacker said:
I think my next question would be; Is FCP going to be the best possible way to edit 24p footage with the intension of color correction?
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On the Mac platform, Yes. To my knowledge. It is affordable, capable, powerful, and natively supports SD 24p, 24pa, and the many HD flavors (in 24p). If you are already using a Mac - FCP 5 - is your best bet. Of course, color correction, is completely useless if you don't have well-calibrated professional monitor to see, accurately, what it is you are trying to correct (or color grade).
 
ian lucero said:
Of course, color correction, is completely useless if you don't have well-calibrated professional monitor to see, accurately, what it is you are trying to correct (or color grade).
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What monitors do you suggest, or better yet, what HD monitors can you suggest that can be rack mounted?
 
Shiloh Arts said:
What monitors do you suggest, or better yet, what HD monitors can you suggest that can be rack mounted?
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I can't suggest a particular monitor let alone an HD one as I work in SD. I use a DVX100a and have never touch HD footage, yet. The monitor that I am currently using is a Sony PVM-14L2 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...29&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation). It comes with calibration features like Blue Gun to more accurately get true colors than a regular television. Also a handy feature is a 16:9/4:3 switch and Underscan. Most professional monitors, like this one, are rack-mountable.

Hope that helps. :beer:
 
I'm not an expert on CC, but I taught myself by grabbing some frames of 'Minority Report' and a couple other stylized movies, and I just started pushing buttons until I got a look that came close to those movies. I'm sure there are better ways of learning...
 
ian lucero said:
Check out this tutorial on FCP Color Correction:

http://www.promax.com/Products/Detail/2085
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I got that one, and it was ok, but not stellar. It is filled with a lot of HOW-TO's but not a lot of why's. I like it when there are more Why's discussed then How-to, as the why's you can take with you to different app's and situations. also, if you spend some time searching the net, this forum, Ken Stones site, and others you can find all of the information on that DVD. The benifit of the DVD is that it is all in one place ready to go when you need it. I suppose $49 is not bad, it just depends on what your time is worth to you.
 
waltind said:
Here is something that looks great - http://www.intelligentassistance.com/FinalCutPro/ColorCorrection.html

I haven't bought this one yet, but I've purchaes some of these other stuff and it has been a good / informative buy. This is next on my list.
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I'm gonna have to put this on my list as well. I just read through the contents and it sounds packed with lots of info. So many How To's. Will check it out more. thanks for the link.
 
mjmcneese2 said:
I'm not an expert on CC, but I taught myself by grabbing some frames of 'Minority Report' and a couple other stylized movies, and I just started pushing buttons until I got a look that came close to those movies. I'm sure there are better ways of learning...
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That's the way to do it! When a musician wants to achieve a sound he or she likes, they listen to a recording of the musician(s) that they like. Same deal. Then you take the skills you learn and give it a twist or add your own flavor.
 
The BEST way I've found to learn and master color correction with FCP is the "Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro HD, Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques". It's the best source around to learn it with. And don't let the visual size of the book scare you. I have students go through the whole thing in a week. The three or four chapters on coloring are quick, informative, easy to follow, and will really bring you up to speed very quickly.
 
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