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The Color interface is comprised of eight tabs at the top of the application window.
These are referred to as eight separate rooms for performing color correction.
There is a progression from left to right as grading proceeds.
Initially, Primary color corrections are performed on the entire shot in
the Primary In room. Then localized Secondary color corrections
are performed followed by Color FX being applied and then a final Global Primary
color correction in the Primary Out room.
The Timeline at the base of the user interface will typically display a
thumbnail representation of each clip. The size of the thumbnail can be changed
by clicking in the track line underneath the thumbnail and dragging either up
for smaller or down for larger. You will notice underneath the clip thumbnail
a Blue tab called Grade 1.
Each clip will by default come with a Grade 1. This is a visual representation
of the current look you are developing or have developed and is referred to as a hot
grade. You can have up to four grades per clip.
The Setup tab is designed to perform multiple functions.
Personal Preferences, Project Settings and Media are all handles in the sub-tabs
found at the base of the right pane. New footage can be imported into our project
using the File Browser occupying the left pane of the Setup tab.
Now, when working with Final Cut Pro, your footage will automatically be
imported with the Send To command eliminating the need to use the File Browser.
The right pane defaults to the Shot List area. Here all the shots that are currently in the
Timeline will be displayed as a list. The list is sorted sequentially from top to
bottom. Each clip is given a shot number.
You can enter this number in the Go To shot to instantly jump to that shot in the Timeline.
Next is the Grade bin. Here you store the entire Look, Grade or Color
Correction. Color creates thumbnails whenever Grade is
saved. Whatever frame you are on when you save a Grade is what Color we'll use for
the thumbnail. The Project Settings tab provides all the
particulars about a project like Color's name, Project Resolution, Project
Name, Render Directory and so on. Of important note, this is where you would
enable Broadcast Safe.
The User Preferences tab offers a variety of customization options. Among other
things that information displayed in the Timeline could be controlled here along
with the colors used within the Timeline. On the right hand side are a series of radio
buttons for advanced features but important to note is the Auto-Save functionality.
You can control the amount of time that passes between Auto-Saves.
The default is five minutes. You also have the option to disable Auto-Save
entirely, should you so choose. We will be covering the Primary and Secondary
rooms in detail in the following lessons but it's also worth noting, the Geometry
room for tracking, moving Color elements in the shot, performing pan and scan
and creating custom shapes to isolate color corrections,
the Still Store room for comparing different frames in your project,
and the Render Queue for performing final output, once your sequences have been fully
graded.