How do you apply video filters to a clip, do u drag the effect to the timeline?

I need help in manipulating the image. Do you drag color correction filters from the browser effects tap onto the clip in the editor or the timeline? I don't seem to be getting any results sometimes. I can't figure out what's the best way. Sometimes I stumble into the correct way of doing it. I've been able to correct the colors in some shots by going to effects in the editing view. but I don't remember how I did it now.

By the way, I finished scoring my feature film and if anybody wants to know what I learned about scoring in Sound Track Pro, I'll be happy to share it with you.

I'm now starting the image editing. I want to do a lot of compositing. But I can't seem to make the video filters or the audio filters do anything from the top menu. I click on something and nothing... I drag the effect from the browser effects tab onto the timeline clip (after highlighting it) or after clicking on the clip in the edit view window, but again nothing ... How do you make this thing work? Thanks again.

> I need help in manipulating the image. Do you drag color correction filters
> from the browser effects tap onto the clip in the editor or the timeline?

That's one way to do it. I prefer storing oft-used effects in the main Browser tab, in a bin I label "Effects Presets". I hate going into the Effects tab where I'm treated to a list of effects of which I use maybe 25 per cent. (Page Peel? Bumpmap?)

What I do is I put Color Corrector and Color Corrector 3-Way into a clip (any clip), without changing any settings, then I select them both and put them into a Browser bin. I rename them "01 Color Corrector" and "02 Color Corrector 3-Way" so that they'll appear in the order I want them, then I rename the bin "Filter Pack 01 Colour Correction". Next time you want these two filters on a clip, or a group of clips, select it/them and then drag the whole "Filter Pack" bin on top of the clips.

If you've already come up with settings that work for a certain scene or angle, you can create another "Filter Pack" and label it "Filter Pack 02 Scene 13 Colour Correction".

Another is to double-click to open the clip in the Viewer, click on the Effects tab, then go to Effects - Video Filters - Color Correction - Color Corrector. (It's not necessary to open the clip in the Viewer or switch to the Effects tab -- you can just single-click the clip in the timeline -- but I like seeing the filters I've just chosen appear on the clip.) I do this for effects I don't use often enough to warrant them a place in my Browser.

> Do you drag color correction filters from the browser effects tab onto the clip
> in the editor or the timeline?

There's nothing in the FCP interface called the "editor". I think you meant the Viewer. That should work as well.

> I don't seem to be getting any results sometimes. I can't figure out what's
> the best way.

This one, I don't get. You'll have to explain further. Perhaps you have the wrong clip open in the Viewer. After I apply an effect, I sometimes double-click on the clip again to make sure it is indeed the one open in the Viewer. It's faster than checking the Viewer and wondering which piece is in there.

To expand a bit on Derek's post, a good workflow is to drag the effect from the Browser onto the clip in the Timeline, then double-click the clip to load it into the Viewer. Now you will see the controls for the effect on a Viewer tab. Even if the clip was already visible in the Viewer, you must do this re-load step to make sure you are working with the clip with the effect applied.

I believe you can drag the effect from the Browser straight to the clip in the Viewer and work from there (I never do it that way) but I think that gives the effect to the Browser clip, and it will have it whenever you use that clip from the Browser. That may or may not be what you want. The first method confines the effect to only that instance of it in the Timeline.

Scott

> I believe you can drag the effect from the Browser straight to the clip in the
> Viewer and work from there (I never do it that way) but I think that gives
> the effect to the Browser clip

Not quite. The effect gets applied to the master clip if you open the *clip* from the Browser. It doesn't matter where the effects objects come from. If you open a specific clip from the timeline, the effect only gets applied to that instance of the clip, not the master clip. The only difference with having effects in the Browser is that you can change their parameters so that they don't come in with the default settings.

<<The effect gets applied to the master clip if you open the *clip* from the Browser.>>

That's actually what I meant. You said it better.

Scott

does the fact that my project is in 23.98 fps have anything to do with some of the filters not working? (by the way, all my clips turn to red at the top when I drag them into the timeline -- I have to render each one of them). I've been fiddling around with my project in fcp5 since I posted this question. Some of the filters work. But, like I had this scene which is red faces against a black background -- dark nightclub. I was trying to make the color be blue against the black instead of red. I tried to drag all kinds of filters on it, but no luck. I can see all the slides and choices in the effects tab of the viewer, but whatever I do, no matter how I slide them, there's no effect. Other filters, like perspective work fine. The picture goes cockeyed when I turn the dial for example.

Thanks for the help. I'm coming along -- it's going to be fun manipulating the images. I love the compositing effects! Wow, the sky's the limit for creativity...

> does the fact that my project is in 23.98 fps have anything to do with some
> of the filters not working?

Nope. You have to be more specific -- what do you mean they're not working? Do you see the filters on the clips but the filter settings aren't being applied?

> my project in fcp5 since I posted this question. Some of the filters work. But,
> like I had this scene which is red faces against a black background -- dark
> nightclub. I was trying to make the color be blue against the black instead of
> red. I tried to drag all kinds of filters on it, but no luck.

Which filter are you trying to use here?

I'd probably try a Color Corrector, use Limit Effect to target only the red shade, or the RGB Balance filter to target mids and/or highlights and decrease the reds and increase the blues.

some of the filters are darker, others are grey, but they work regardles -- the ones that do. There are some filters that don't respond the same way, i.e., using identical procedures.

Another thing is that the audio de-esser doesn't work at all.

There are some video filters that don't work. Sometimes I have two shots on top of each other -- in composite mode. The filters that work, work; I click on the clip and then go up to the browser and drag down the filter onto the clip, then I drag the clip to the Viewer and open up the effects tab -- the filters that work, allow me to manipulate the parameters for that filter. I see the changes in the viewer and the canvas windows -- when the filters are working.

I don't know what else there is to say about my project that might be relevant. It is saved as cinema format, large format numbers -- it's not in 720 by 480 -- that might be the problem (?)

Thanks, fellas, everything works now. I tried all your suggestions. What I do now is drag the effect from the browser onto the clip in the timeline. Then I drag the clip into the Viewer and there I have all the parameters. The problem I was having earlier was that I'd choose one of the effects like peel off and I would drop that on a clip and then nothing would happen, and when I went to the viewer the filter tab would show no controls for me to play with, so I assumed some of the filters weren't working. I guess there was nothing to peel off from. There has to be a second shot in the composite position for the peel off to work - I guess. Thanks again for the help.

now i have this problem that when I drag color balance (from the image control filter under video filters) over a clip, the correction doesn't only work on the clip I've razored off, it covers another 4 frames of the next clip, why is that? It's acting real weird. The funny thing is that among those 4 additional frames that the filter treats, there is 1 frame from the clip that I'm working with mixed in with three frames from the next clip (which is by itself - there's no connection between the two clips, because I've used the razor tool precisely.) I don't understand how to deal with this problem.

okay, I'm using the first color correcting filter on the effects list, and this seems to work better -- i.e., it's not adding frames, etc. So I'm back on track. I wish I could use the gamma correction filter below though -- it was much easier for certain types of corrections. Oh, well, I guess I should be happy with what I've got so far. I'm almost done with the rough cut of the movie. Soon I'll be entering it into festivals. Thanks for all the help so far. I have other question but I'm going to post them separately.