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Color Correct, Add Music, and Export Your Video in FCPX

By Tanner Shinnick

Published: January 08, 2021 Last Updated: January 08, 2021

In this final episode of the FCPX Essentials Series, we’re covering the steps to finalize your edit with color correction, music, and export.

For our FCPX Essentials series, we’re going to take a look at some of the basic and most essential features of FCPX. Whether you’re a brand new editor or seasoned vet switching to FCPX, these videos will give you a foundational understanding of the program. We’ll look at its unique design and layout. We’ll also discover how to import, edit, cut, and deliver a project all within FCPX.

This isn’t necessarily a masterclass. More so, it’s an entry-level approach to explore and set the groundwork for your career-long journey within the program as a filmmaker and editor.

For Part 3 of our three-part series, we’re going to learn how to finish our video. We’ll learn some basic color correction tools, how to add a music track, and even how to export a high-quality version of our video. Let’s jump in.

Step 1. Color Correction

Color correction is the means in which we balance the appearance of our footage. We correct any white balance issues, make basic exposure adjustments, and possibly add a little warmth or coolness to our images, as needed.

For this, we’ll be utilizing the robust Color Wheels tool inside of FCPX. It allows for all the adjustments listed above in an easy-to-understand layout. If you’d like a more robust look into the Color Grading tools inside of FCPX, have a look at our tutorial.

Color Wheels Inside FCPX — *The Color Wheels tool inside of FCPX.*

Step 2. Adding in a Music Track

One way to really amplify the style and energy of your video is with a dynamic music track. A great track is key. To begin, head over to PremiumBeat.com and find the perfect track that matches the energy and tone you’re looking to achieve with your video. Once you find it, you can simply Import the track into your FCPX Library, then drop it into your project.

Once in your timeline, begin to line up your edits to the beat of the music to capture the most dynamic approach. Feel free to finesse your edit a bit to get the best look possible.

Match Music with Edit — *Begin lining up your edits to the beat of the music.*

Step 3. Prep Your High-Quality Export

Now, you’re ready to export your final video. There’s a long list of export options available inside of FCPX. Typically, you can’t go wrong with an Apple ProRes or H264 codec. Since we’re creating a high-quality master file today, we’re going to use an Apple ProRes 422 HQ codec.

To begin, select the Export button in the upper right corner of your screen and select Master File. Next, your export window should pop up. Click Settings. From the dropdown menu, select Apple ProRes 422 HQ (if you prefer H264, you can also select from there), then select Next. Now, select your saving destination. Once you’ve decided where to save your project, select Save. Now, your export begins. Once complete, you can finally watch back your final high-quality video!

Select Apple ProRes 422 HQ — *From Settings, select Apple ProRes 422 HQ.*

This concludes the three-part FCPX Essentials series. After this, you should have a solid basic understanding of the workflows and skills to create your own high-quality, dynamic videos—all within FCPX.

For additional information focused particularly on FCPX, check out these articles:

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