You can use an adjustment clip—a transparent overlay—to apply effects to multiple clips at once. Effects applied to an adjustment clip are applied to all clips below it in the timeline. You can apply clip effects, built-in effects, and transitions to an adjustment clip.
Adjustment clips let you make global changes across multiple clips in your timeline—for example, when you’re working on scenes with multiple clips that require a uniform style or adjustment.
By default, Final Cut Pro assigns a special Adjustment Clips role to every adjustment clip. You can use this role to manage the look of your project and how it’s exported.
Select an effect in the Effects browser, then choose Edit > Add Adjustment Clip (or press Option-A).
An adjustment clip appears in the timeline as a connected clip, with the magenta color of the Adjustment Clips role.
Add any additional effects to the adjustment clip.
You can apply clip effects (such as color corrections, blurs, and masks), built-in effects (such as scale, position, rotation, and distortion), and transitions.
Add additional adjustment clips to the same range in the timeline.
Add different effects (or make different adjustments) to the additional adjustment clips to create alternative looks for the project or scene.
Enable or disable the adjustment clips, as needed, to combine looks for the project or scene.
Tip: You can also add adjustment clips to an audition and then switch between the clips in the audition to quickly review the alternative looks. See Intro to auditions in Final Cut Pro for Mac.
You can export different versions of a project or a scene using adjustment clip subroles.
To open the timeline index, click Index in the top-left corner of the timeline (or press Shift-Command-2).
In the timeline index, click the Roles tab, then select the checkboxes next to the subroles you want to turn on, and deselect the checkboxes next to the subroles you want to turn off.
Final Cut Pro exports a file with the look you selected in the timeline index.
Tip: You can copy an adjustment clip and its effects to a timeline in any open library (in the same way that you copy and paste a title or a generator). However, to maintain the exact order of effects, consider creating an effects preset. See Save video effects presets in Final Cut Pro for Mac.
