FBinNY 

Step one, confirm the limit setting and shift performance without using the lever. Start from the middle ring, and pedal and shift by pulling the wire away from the frame tube like a bow string. Adjust the limit so this method gives you the best shifting without over shifting.

Now adjust cable length (tension) to duplicate shift performance via the lever.

I should point out, that sometimes there is inadequate FD travel because of lever mismatches, or where the cable is attached, making getting good shift performance through the three gears impossible. Before going crazy, get the chain out of your way and confirm the travel range (spanning), by looking down from the top and observing the cage position with respect to the sprockets. You should be able to have the center of the cage centered equally on all three sprockets. Usually there's a slight bit of over-travel which is resolved via the inner limit, but under-travel is doom.

Sometimes (on certain FDs) under-travel can be resolved by clamping the wire to the inside (toward the pivot) of the pinch bolt. Another trick for when you only need a hair more travel, is to enlarge the lever's pulley drum. This can be done by sliding a short length of tubing up the wire to where it's trapped between the wire and drum (easier on some levers than others), or super-gluing a piece of stainless shim stock around the drum (this is the hard way in most cases).

Lastly, if travel span is OK, but shift response is less than OK, try rotating the FD slightly heel-in/toe-out. This makes the front edge of the inner plate give an extra kick to complete the shift. Years ago we used to bend this to the outside slightly for that kick, but modern cage plates often crack if you try to bend the,