Tips for color processing in templates in Motion

To get the best results when creating templates that automatically conform to the Final Cut Pro for Mac project color space, consider the following suggestions:

• If you’re creating a template that includes SDR and HDR elements, or plan to work in multiple color spaces in Final Cut Pro, set your template’s Color Processing (in the Project Properties Inspector) to Automatic. The effect, transition, title, or generator automatically conforms to the color space of the Final Cut Pro project it’s applied to. See Create templates that automatically conform to the Final Cut Pro color space.

• All objects you create in Motion—text, shapes, particles, replicators, and so on—are SDR elements, regardless of the project’s color space. In a template with color processing set to Automatic, SDR elements are inverse tone mapped to display correctly in HDR.

• When a template’s color processing is set to Automatic, the HDR White Level slider becomes available in the Project Properties Inspector. Use the HDR White Level slider to adjust the brightness of SDR elements to better match the higher brightness levels of HDR media as you build your template.

• To adjust the brightness of SDR elements once the template is applied to an HDR Final Cut Pro project, publish the HDR White Level slider.

• An HDR White Level slider published with a template is available only in HDR HLG or HDR PQ projects in Final Cut Pro. (The slider is not available when the template is applied to an SDR project in Final Cut Pro.)

• In general, if you apply a template to a Final Cut Pro project that contains HDR images or clips, adjusting the HDR White Level slider has no effect on the brightness of the HDR media. For example, when a Final Cut Generator that includes text and particles using an HDR image as the particle cell source is added to the Final Cut Pro timeline, adjusting the HDR White Level slider affects the brightness of the text, but doesn’t affect the brightness of the particles.

  However, when a template that includes a filter that processes in SDR is applied to HDR media, the image or clip is may be affected by the HDR White Level slider. For example, when a Final Cut Effect that includes the Tint or Glow filter is applied to an HDR clip in the Final Cut Pro timeline, adjusting the HDR White Level slider affects the brightness of the HDR clip. See About filters and color processing.

• With the exception of the Color Balance filter, any Motion filter that includes a color well (such as Tint, Bevel, or Glint) processes color in SDR and is affected by the HDR White Level slider.

• Many of the effects, transitions, titles, and generators that ship with Final Cut Pro include a Graphics HDR Level slider. This slider has the same functionality as Motion’s HDR White Level slider.

• When you apply templates containing SDR elements (such as text or shapes) created in Motion to HLG or PQ Final Cut Pro projects, keep in mind that any SDR elements that appear too dim on a bright HDR clip may appear differently on a darker HDR clip. The brightness of the SDR elements doesn’t change—only the perception of it against different backgrounds.

• When you apply templates containing SDR elements to the Final Cut Pro timeline, the SDR elements are automatically tone mapped. It’s usually not necessary to adjust the Color Conform controls in the Final Cut Pro Video Inspector.

• A template’s Color Processing setting may affect the appearance of your project. For example, when the project is changed from Standard Gamut SDR to Wide Gamut HDR or Automatic, the effect of some filters or blend modes may change in appearance.

• Because templates are applied directly to media in the Final Cut Pro timeline, it’s recommended that you perform most color correction in Final Cut Pro to view changes in context. Final Cut Pro provides video scopes and other tools that precisely measure the luma and chroma levels of your media in different color spaces. See Intro to color correction in the Final Cut Pro User Guide for Mac.

  However, if you’re creating a template that includes media—such as an image or clip used in a logo, lower-third title, or as a particle cell source—you can use the Color Adjustments filter to adjust the highlights, midtones, shadows, or other color parameters of the image. You can also publish the Color Adjustments filter parameters to adjust settings once the template is applied to a Final Cut Pro project.

• Although you can publish an image or clip’s Color parameters (in the Properties Inspector in Automatic projects), this workflow is not supported in Final Cut Pro. To convert media, use the Color Conform controls in the Final Cut Pro Video Inspector. See Automatic color management in the Final Cut Pro User Guide for Mac.

• If you’re unsure of an imported clip’s format (HLG, PQ, and so on), select the clip in the Media list, then check its metadata in the Media Inspector.

• To determine the nits value of an image or clip, you can display HDR luminance values in the Motion canvas.

• In earlier versions Final Cut Pro, a template that contained certain filters could clip the HDR media the template was applied to. Final Cut Pro 10.6.6 now automatically tone maps templates, preventing clipping in most projects. In a few cases, however, applying a Motion template to a PQ clip (with peak luminance levels greater than 1,000 nits) in the Final Cut Pro timeline may clip the media (or dim the project’s output).

• If you apply a Motion template that contains SDR elements (or filters that process in SDR) to a PQ clip with very high nits values, you may see unexpected results.

  For general template guidelines, see Guidelines for creating templates.