Best studio colors for A1 and HV20 at DVinfo.net

Lloyd Claycomb · February 11th, 2008, 09:19 PM

I'm in the design process for an indoor (Duh!) studio using fluorescent lighting. I'm going to be using my A1 and HV20 together and mixing in post.

At this point I can go with any color theme I want, so I want it to be HV20/A1 friendly--in the sense the two cameras see those colors pretty evenly.

I've seen on other threads that reds are the WORST? True? Yellow I heard is hard too. How are greens and blues? It's for a kids' program so some bright colors are needed.

Lloyd Claycomb · February 11th, 2008, 09:20 PM

More specifically to my post, I don't to have to do ANY color correction in post if it can be avoided.

Bill Pryor · February 12th, 2008, 11:19 AM

Just shoot in black and white and you'll be good.

Sorry, couldn't resist that:). Primary colors in the digital world are not so difficult as they were in analog, but deep reds want more light. If you white balance correctly you shouldn't have to do any color correction. But if, for example, you have a light skinned person close to a green wall and get a bounce onto the face, you might need to take out a little green.

Lloyd Claycomb · February 13th, 2008, 03:51 PM

So are you saying that even deep red in a shot will look the same in the HV20 and A1 with proper lighting and WB?

I'm setting up my studio now and have the choice to go with blue or red as the overall theme color. I'll be using the HV20 and A1 together. I will have this set light up right, so if I do, am I okay with reds?

C.J. Daniel · February 16th, 2008, 08:32 PM

no the colors won't be the same, that has already been proven. Someone needs to do extensive testing to figure this out. I and several others are in the same boat.

Les Wilson · February 16th, 2008, 11:04 PM

If it helps, I went thru a similar process moving from and XL1s to an A1. I wanted the A1 to look the same. Here's what I did using a studio setup:
Get the camera to look like you want (in my case the XL1s)
Note the exposure and custom preset settings
Use the camera to take a photo
Put the next camera on the tripod
Adjust exposure so you have a good setting
Take a photo
Tweak the custom presets to make it look like the memory of the first one
Take a photo
COmpare the photos to the original photo and adjust custom presets until it matches. You can see the before and after compared to the XL1s in this thread:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=114952

So, try the settings I used and then make the HV-20 look like it?

February 11th, 2008, 09:19 PM	#1
Lloyd Claycomb Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Phoenix Posts: 208	Best studio colors for A1 and HV20 I'm in the design process for an indoor (Duh!) studio using fluorescent lighting. I'm going to be using my A1 and HV20 together and mixing in post. At this point I can go with any color theme I want, so I want it to be HV20/A1 friendly--in the sense the two cameras see those colors pretty evenly. I've seen on other threads that reds are the WORST? True? Yellow I heard is hard too. How are greens and blues? It's for a kids' program so some bright colors are needed.

February 11th, 2008, 09:20 PM	#2
Lloyd Claycomb Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Phoenix Posts: 208	More specifically to my post, I don't to have to do ANY color correction in post if it can be avoided.

February 12th, 2008, 11:19 AM	#3
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	Just shoot in black and white and you'll be good. Sorry, couldn't resist that:). Primary colors in the digital world are not so difficult as they were in analog, but deep reds want more light. If you white balance correctly you shouldn't have to do any color correction. But if, for example, you have a light skinned person close to a green wall and get a bounce onto the face, you might need to take out a little green.

February 13th, 2008, 03:51 PM	#4
Lloyd Claycomb Major Player Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Phoenix Posts: 208	So are you saying that even deep red in a shot will look the same in the HV20 and A1 with proper lighting and WB? I'm setting up my studio now and have the choice to go with blue or red as the overall theme color. I'll be using the HV20 and A1 together. I will have this set light up right, so if I do, am I okay with reds?

February 16th, 2008, 08:32 PM	#5
C.J. Daniel New Boot Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Laguna Beach Cali Posts: 22	no the colors won't be the same, that has already been proven. Someone needs to do extensive testing to figure this out. I and several others are in the same boat.

February 16th, 2008, 11:04 PM	#6
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	If it helps, I went thru a similar process moving from and XL1s to an A1. I wanted the A1 to look the same. Here's what I did using a studio setup: Get the camera to look like you want (in my case the XL1s) Note the exposure and custom preset settings Use the camera to take a photo Put the next camera on the tripod Adjust exposure so you have a good setting Take a photo Tweak the custom presets to make it look like the memory of the first one Take a photo COmpare the photos to the original photo and adjust custom presets until it matches. You can see the before and after compared to the XL1s in this thread: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=114952 So, try the settings I used and then make the HV-20 look like it?