Enhancing your video with color correction

Now that your audio is sounding great, let's make your video look just as professional by quickly dialing in your color correction. Good color correction enhances your screencast by giving it a polished and consistent look, making your content feel more valuable and engaging.

Start with color adjustments

Just like with audio, I like to apply color adjustments directly to my whole uncut clips right from the start. That way, I know my footage looks great before I even start cutting. It saves a lot of time and ensures consistency across all your edits.

Quick color correction using Final Cut AI tools

I'm going to show you two quick ways to color correct using the built-in AI tools right inside of Final Cut. Let's jump in and take a look:

Option 1: Balance color

The first quick option for color correction is to make sure that your facecam clip is highlighted and use the magic wand just below the viewer. Click on it and select "Balance Color." You'll notice right away that it essentially takes the pixels on screen and balances everything. It's a very quick option where you will immediately see an adjustment.

Option 2: White balance

Alternatively, you can select "White Balance" as the method. This gives you a dropper tool to click on something in the shot that was originally white. This allows you to adjust the color tones more specifically. You can experiment by clicking around to see what color balance feels best.

Option 3: Enhance light and color for more control

For more control, rather than using balance color, go to "Enhance Light and Color." This is another AI option but it allows for more detailed adjustments. After applying it, you can view and edit the changes in the color adjustments that appear in the inspector. Adjustments like exposure, contrast, brightness can be fine-tuned if needed.

Fine-tuning the AI adjustments

With the color adjustments selected, you can view everything that the AI did automatically. If you want to make further changes, scroll down to the "Mix" option. It's set to 100%, meaning it's showing all of AI's adjustments. Slide it to reduce the mix if you prefer a less intense correction.

Conclusion: Achieving professional video quality

With just a few simple adjustments, your screencast footage now looks professional, clear, and consistent. Now that your audio and color are set, we're ready to add some effects to our layers in the next lesson.