… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1288: Top Ten Tips of 2020 for Apple Final Cut Pro

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

It is fascinating to see what readers find interesting!

During this last year, The Inside Tips published 975 tips and techniques covering six subject categories:

• Adobe Premiere
• Apple Final Cut Pro
• Apple Motion
• Codecs & Media
• Random Media Weirdness
• Visual Effects

Here are three “Top Ten Tips Lists:” The first shows the most popular tips covering Apple Final Cut Pro. The second list shows the Top Ten most read tips across all categories. The third list shows the highest rated tips across all categories sorted by votes.

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
FOR APPLE FINAL CUT PRO

1. Tip #1135: Boost and Smooth Dialog Levels
2. Tip #715: How to Reset FCP X to Fix Problems
3. Tip #342: Uses for Emoji in Final Cut Pro X
4. Tip #778: Delete Render Files to Save Space
5. Tip #437: Secrets of the Skimmer
6. Tip #837: A Simply Useful Shortcut
7. Tip #601: FCP X: Color Wheel Secret Tip
8. Tip #816: A Baker’s Dozen Better Shortcuts
9. Tip #870: Change the Look of a Dissolve
10. Tip #438: Secrets of the Precision Editor

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Views)

1. Tip #479: Copy and Paste Masks in Premiere
2. Tip #283: AAF vs. EDL vs. OMF Export
3. Tip #413: Mask Multiple Clips with an Adjustment Layer
4. Tip #474: DNxHR vs. ProRes
5. Tip #329: Blurs and Mosaics are No Longer Safe
6. Tip #592: Make Zooms More Interesting
7. Tip #957: Apple Supports VP9 in macOS Big Sur
8. Tip #1135: Boost and Smooth Dialog Levels
9. Tip #715: How to Reset FCP X to Fix Problems
10. Tip #342: Uses for Emoji in Final Cut Pro X

NOTE: Tips are sorted by views, most views listed first.

TOP 10 INSIDE TIPS of 2020
(Sorted by Ratings)

1. Tip #742: The Best Advice to Keep Your Cool
2. Tip #614: What is the Alpha Channel
3. Tip #580: The History of Storyboards
4. Tip #911: The Skin Tone Line is Your Friend
5. Tip #515: Using the Active Camera Menu
6. Tip #631: Get Freelance Work From Video Marketplaces
7. Tip #1056: Move a Mix from Audition to Premiere
8. Tip #624: Not All Captions Look Alike
9. Tip #581: Create Colorful Lighting for 3D Text
10. Tip #398: Use Watch Folders in AME for Automation

NOTE: Each tip was rated 5 out of 5. They are sorted by the number of votes each tip received, with most votes listed first.

… for Apple Final Cut Pro X

Tip #1147: A Faster Way to Apply LUTs

Larry Jordan – LarryJordan.com

Adjustment layers are created in Motion and affect all clips below them.

Normally, we apply LUTs (color Look-Up Tables) to an individual clip. But, recently, a reader suggested a faster and better option – use an adjustment layer.

You may be familiar with adjustment layers in Photoshop. These are special layers that, when you apply an effect to them, change the look of all the clips below them.

Premiere has adjustment layers, but FCP X doesn’t… officially. However, they are easy to create in Motion.

NOTE: Here’s a tutorial that explains how.

The benefit to adjustment layers is that we can apply a LUT to the adjustment layer to change the look of all the clips under it. This makes it extremely easy to create a look for an entire project and, by tweaking just one setting, affect a whole flock of clips at once.

Apply an adjustment layer above your clips in the timeline, then apply Effects Browser > Color > Custom LUT to the adjustment layer.

Next, in the Inspector, apply the LUT you want. (See screen shot.)

NOTE: This effect won’t allow you to apply camera LUTs, but does allow applying any creative LUT you want.