Matching stills to video at DVinfo.net

Dugi Barr · November 11th, 2014, 10:03 AM

When I mix stills (PNG) with PAL HD video and render to MP4 the stills always look considerably more 'rich' than the video frames when viewed on a smart TV, almost blown out, in fact. Is there a set process that stills can be put through in photoshop to better match them to the video. I've tried taking a frame of video and using it to 'match' the stills in photoshop but the results are pretty grubby.

Mike Kujbida · November 11th, 2014, 11:59 AM

Most stills use the full 0-255 luminance range while most video is limited to the 16-235 luminance range. The easiest way to try and match them is to put the stills on their own track and drop a "Computer RGB to Studio RGB" corrector on it. This used to be found in the Secondary Color Corrector tab but, as of Pro 11, is now in the Levels FX tab.

edit: Because of the differences between video cameras and still cameras, you may still need to go in and further adjust your video events (I use Color Curves a lot) to better match the stills. I spend a lot of time doing this but I feel that the results are worth it.

Don Bloom · November 11th, 2014, 02:50 PM

Mike wrote his response in secret code just in case there are spies trying to infiltrate. The code breaker for 16-1235 is 16-235. Oops I should have coded my response but what the heck....

Sorry Mike, I couldn't resist. My warped sense of humor sent me off on far reaching paths today.

0|0
\--/

Mike Kujbida · November 11th, 2014, 07:24 PM

Thanks Don. Noted and fixed. I have no idea where my brain was when I was typing that.
Maybe the aliens borrowed it, took one look at it and said "return to sender" :-)

Dugi Barr · November 12th, 2014, 02:06 AM

Mike many thanks for your help. The Computer RGB to Studio RGB on a separate track did indeed help but not enough. There was still quite a difference between video and stills. I didn't want to put an "S" Curve on the video as I was happy with the look of the video as it was. However your post got me thinking more about Luminance ranges and for the benefit of other people here who may have this problem in the future, here is how I solved it - I remade the PNG files from Adobe camera RAW originals using -25 Contrast, -100 Highlights, +60 Shadows. I opened a new "Film and Video" document in photoshop with a size of 1080p and a colour profile of HDTV (REC 709) 16-235.
This did the trick and I thank you again for your inspiration!

Mike Kujbida · November 12th, 2014, 07:48 AM

Dugi, thanks for the tip. I rarely shoot RAW images but will file your tip away for future use.

November 11th, 2014, 10:03 AM	#1
Dugi Barr Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Esher, Surrey Posts: 89	Matching stills to video When I mix stills (PNG) with PAL HD video and render to MP4 the stills always look considerably more 'rich' than the video frames when viewed on a smart TV, almost blown out, in fact. Is there a set process that stills can be put through in photoshop to better match them to the video. I've tried taking a frame of video and using it to 'match' the stills in photoshop but the results are pretty grubby. __________________ Freelance Cameraman

November 11th, 2014, 11:59 AM	#2
Mike Kujbida Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Windsor, ON Canada Posts: 2,770	Re: Matching stills to video Most stills use the full 0-255 luminance range while most video is limited to the 16-235 luminance range. The easiest way to try and match them is to put the stills on their own track and drop a "Computer RGB to Studio RGB" corrector on it. This used to be found in the Secondary Color Corrector tab but, as of Pro 11, is now in the Levels FX tab. edit: Because of the differences between video cameras and still cameras, you may still need to go in and further adjust your video events (I use Color Curves a lot) to better match the stills. I spend a lot of time doing this but I feel that the results are worth it. Last edited by Mike Kujbida; November 11th, 2014 at 07:14 PM.

November 11th, 2014, 02:50 PM	#3
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Matching stills to video Mike wrote his response in secret code just in case there are spies trying to infiltrate. The code breaker for 16-1235 is 16-235. Oops I should have coded my response but what the heck.... Sorry Mike, I couldn't resist. My warped sense of humor sent me off on far reaching paths today. 0\|0 \--/ __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

November 11th, 2014, 07:24 PM	#4
Mike Kujbida Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Windsor, ON Canada Posts: 2,770	Re: Matching stills to video Thanks Don. Noted and fixed. I have no idea where my brain was when I was typing that. Maybe the aliens borrowed it, took one look at it and said "return to sender" :-)

November 12th, 2014, 02:06 AM	#5
Dugi Barr Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Esher, Surrey Posts: 89	Re: Matching stills to video Mike many thanks for your help. The Computer RGB to Studio RGB on a separate track did indeed help but not enough. There was still quite a difference between video and stills. I didn't want to put an "S" Curve on the video as I was happy with the look of the video as it was. However your post got me thinking more about Luminance ranges and for the benefit of other people here who may have this problem in the future, here is how I solved it - I remade the PNG files from Adobe camera RAW originals using -25 Contrast, -100 Highlights, +60 Shadows. I opened a new "Film and Video" document in photoshop with a size of 1080p and a colour profile of HDTV (REC 709) 16-235. This did the trick and I thank you again for your inspiration! __________________ Freelance Cameraman

November 12th, 2014, 07:48 AM	#6
Mike Kujbida Inner Circle Join Date: May 2005 Location: Windsor, ON Canada Posts: 2,770	Re: Matching stills to video Dugi, thanks for the tip. I rarely shoot RAW images but will file your tip away for future use.