How to Enhance Video and Audio in My Video using Final Cut Pro

I have a photo from my visit to Prague several years ago.

Suppose you want to adjust only the sky. I could do a Draw Mask

The moment I close the mask, everything outside the mask (or inside, if I check the Invert Mask box) vanishes.

But I can place another copy of the same clip underneath this one and adjust both parts separately.

augustya wrote:

Can you start with Out-Balance Colour first and then further tweak it to your liking and taste ? I tried this but after I do Colour Balance I do not see how can I further move tweak it to my liking?

Yes, you can.

Just do Balance Color, and then you can still add any color grading you want.

Press Command-6 and add Color Board, Color Wheels, etc.

You could use a Draw Mask, but that was not exactly what I had in mind.

I don't have a video, but here is a short example which I think may help.

Here is a synthetic image of a yellow car, and there is also a yellow rectangle at the bottom.

In this example, we are going to change the color of the car, while keeping the yellow rectangle untouched.

1) Press Command-6 and add one color effect. For this example, I will use Color Board, because it may be simpler (the Hue/Saturation Curves would be more interesting, but more difficult).

3) Add a Color Mask, and use the eyedrop tool to select a range of yellow from the car. Depending on the subject, it may be necessary to pick up more than one sample color. Use the Shift key to add to the selection, or the Option key to remove.

4) Add one (or more *) Shape Mask(s) . Make sure they are set to Intersect with the color mask you added above.

(*) In case the area to be affected by the changes has a more intricate form, you may have to combine several shape masks to cover it, while avoiding the areas where you don't want the changes to act.

If you now make changes to the color, only the area at the intersection of your masks will be affected.

(you may see some imperfections below, as my color mask missed some bits of the car - but not bad as an example, I think). Note that the rectangle at the bottom was completely unaffected.

Final Cut Pro has a feature called Comparison Viewer, that allows you to do just that. I have to admit that I have never used it.

What I sometimes do is to check/uncheck the effects for a quick comparison.

why am I not able to get the draw mask working

Luis Sequeira1 wrote:

Suppose you want to adjust only the sky.

Since Luis wanted to color correct only the cut out sky, he used a "draw mask". The purpose of the draw mask is to "cut out the angle of view."

Although it is possible to change the shape of the draw mask, it is not suitable for tracking the movement of the subject.

⚫︎Change in red mask shape

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Tom Wolsky wrote:

If you’re using a color correction tool try using three effects shape mask.

What Tom is talking about is a shape mask. This is one of three types of masks.

• Shape mask: determine the range by shape. The angle of view is not cropped.
• Color mask: determine the range by color.
• Draw mask: cut out the angle of view.

You don't understand the difference between multiple masks correctly. If you don't understand them, you won't be able to use them properly.

• Please switch to the video inspector and operate the draw mask.
• You can show/hide the mask in the inspector.
• For face and local color correction, the common method is to limit the range by using a shape mask and color mask together. (If the subject is small, you can also use just a shape mask) Please refer to this comment that clearly shows how to do it with a diagram.
• Cutting out the face with a draw mask is not suitable as it will look unnatural.
• To track shape masks etc. according to their movements, it is ideal to apply a tracker or input key frames.

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Correctly understanding each function will expand the range of expression.👍

I wanted to used a draw mask just on the face of the subject

Color correction according to facial movements:

• Use shape masks and color masks together. *Do not use a draw mask
• Apply a tracker or keyframe to the shape mask to track facial movements

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1. The left one is before modification. The one on the right is after correction.

2. Color board or color wheel: Add shape mask →Tracker analysis →Name tracker

3. Shape mask tracks facial movements.

4. When only a shape mask is applied. *The white area is the applicable range

5. Apply shape mask and color mask.

6. Color correction on the inside. Move the midtones and highlights towards orange.

7. Color correction on the outside. Brings dark areas closer to cyan.

8. Check the applied tracker and fine-tune the option items. Correct tracking data if necessary. If you do not use a tracker, please animate by entering keyframes in the shape mask.

Again: you need to apply the mask to the TOP clip, not the one on the bottom.

Whenever you stack two or more clips on the timeline, the ones above will cover those below them.

For example, here is a solid blue clip on top, and a green one below.

The viewer will be solid blue, because the blue covers the green.

If now I add a mask to the green clip, NOTHING changes, because the clip is completely hidden.

But if I add a mask to the BLUE clip, parts of the green will show.

I think that there may have been a change in the interface since the video was made. The video is for FCP 10.6, and we are now at 10.7.1.

This is not a feature that use a lot, but I think that the lock icon was replace by the little menu next to the word "Tracker":

"disactivating" the link button as seen in the video is now done by choosing "Offset from Tracker", as shown above.

The previous way might seem quicker, but the new one allows you to do more right from this menu, things that used to require using the Inspector before.

As to question number 2: you need to work a bit with the feathering, and perhaps at some points add a few keyframes if you need the mask to adjust over time, separately from the tracker. Mark Spencer deals with this a bit in the video too.

The file size has nothing to do with adding audio enhancements. You could have exported the video without those changes and it would be probably be about the same size.

Several things affect the file size, including frame size, frame rate, codec, and the actual contents of the video (for example a talking head video will usually allow for more compression than one where there is a lot of action, everything else being the same).

The original video is probably highly compressed.

What is the duration of the video?

What are the export settings that you are using? "Video and Audio" may be less compressed (bigger file) than "Computer", and this in turn may be slightly larger than "Apple Devices".

I also need a direction on how to do a basic colour grading?

You are not shooting with settings suitable for color grading.😅 Color profile: HD (1-1-1) only has standard color information, so the range of color adjustment is limited.

⌘6 to display color correction effect →Adjust the brightness and color to your liking.

⚫︎Adjust brightness with color wheel (subtitles)

https://youtu.be/07ZSne2m5iQ?t=322