ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at some of the most important filters in Final Cut Express: color correction, keying, and creating mattes for clips. Good exposure and color begins in the shooting. It’s easier and always better to do it correctly to begin with rather than trying to fix it in postproduction. The color correction tools are professional-strength tools, so use them carefully. For chromakeying, the background blue or green screen must be evenly lit and correctly exposed so that the color is as pure as possible. Video, and DV even more so, has many limitations of color depth and saturation that make good keying difficult. The Spill Suppressor replaces the blue in the image with black, like a shadow area. The Matte Choker is most commonly used as a keying tool, however, and adding it to the key will improve the image.
