Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? at DVinfo.net

Jerry Neal · August 8th, 2014, 11:23 AM

Hello,

I'm trying to salvage some footage from a camera that was not white balanced properly. I've attempted to color correct in Sony Vegas, but still not happy with my results.

Is there anyone out there who might be willing to help me out? I can e-mail you screen captures to you can see what I'm working with.

Thanks in advance for anyone who might be able to assist.

Jerry

Don Bloom · August 8th, 2014, 06:24 PM

Why not throw a couple of screen grabs up here and I'd bet some of the Vegas CC gurus will have a crack at it and would be able to at least get you going in the right direction.

Chris Harding · August 8th, 2014, 08:39 PM

I cannot remember exactly where I found it but there is a free plug in for Vegas that does white balance correction. I guess how effective it is depends on the amount of cast on the footage. Most cameras do a pretty good job of auto white balance but the biggest issue nowdays seems to be indoor events where the venue has use blue LED lighting and that is a real image killer and almost impossible to correct.

Have you looked at the CC tutorials that are on YouTube ..there are many many to choose from so that would be a good start.

Chris

Graham Bernard · August 9th, 2014, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

I cannot remember exactly where I found it but there is a free plug in for Vegas that does white balance correction.

Chris, this'un? "AAV ColorLab - AAV ColorLab is a free plugin
that gives you hardware accelerated effects for Vegas and Movie Studio.
It uses the graphics card to offload the CPU, which can lead to massively
faster rendering times and smoother previews!"
However, you can buy CC s/w. I have Fred Baumann's suite and Magic Bullet Looks too.

Supply us with a sample and I'd be willing to dip into my s/w!

Grazie

Chris Harding · August 9th, 2014, 02:43 AM

Hi Grazie

Yeah, that's the one I was thinking of but without a sample still it's hard to figure out if this might be a feasible task ... I've seen a theatre performance that was lit entirely with blue LED's and man, I wouldn't like to tackle that one!! Sometimes the source footage has to been relatively good otherwise you are fighting a losing battle.

We need to wait for the OP to upload at least a sample screen shot I think

Chris

Graham Bernard · August 9th, 2014, 02:54 AM

Yeah, LEDs can be a nightmare. Why? 'cos if they are of the many that are out there, then what we are dealing with are HOLES in the reflected light's spectrogram. Seriously, we could be attempting to colour correct wavelengths that just aren't there to correct. I've attended at least 4 seminars on this subject and came away understanding more and more just what LEDs provide. Yes, there are LED banks that have been designed for across-spectrum to approximate tungsten. Mostly it's a mess.

OK ASAP we'd like to see a sample.

Email sent.

Grazie

Richard Jones · August 9th, 2014, 04:45 AM

Have you tried restoring WB using Sony's own Colour Corrector? Select a white (or high end) tone with the left eyedropper under the right wheel and do the same for a mid tone (r.g facial colours or clothing) and, rarely necessary, a dark tone (shadow or black) with the left eye droppers under the other wheels, Can be most effective but I have to say that I like most of all Fredeic Baumann's WB corrector already referred to.

Richard

Frank Grygier · August 9th, 2014, 06:50 AM

Shooting the scene with a grey or white card can help with WB in post. I would also scout the location and do some tests to insure the best results in camera.

Chris Harding · August 9th, 2014, 08:29 AM

Hi Frank

Getting it right from the start is obviously the right way to go BUT the OP has mentioned that the footage he has was shot from a camera that wasn't white balanced correctly so the damage is already done.

Chris

Sean Seah · August 12th, 2014, 11:41 PM

Show us the screen capture with Vectorscope and RGB parade. That would help.

Chris Harding · August 13th, 2014, 06:48 PM

I find it strange that people ask for help and all the helpful souls here will take precious time to answer and give advice and then the OP disappears off the face of the earth???

It seems to happen quite often, so Jerry? If you don't post your screen shot as promised no-one can help you with your problem.

August 8th, 2014, 11:23 AM	#1
Jerry Neal Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 121	Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Hello, I'm trying to salvage some footage from a camera that was not white balanced properly. I've attempted to color correct in Sony Vegas, but still not happy with my results. Is there anyone out there who might be willing to help me out? I can e-mail you screen captures to you can see what I'm working with. Thanks in advance for anyone who might be able to assist. Jerry

August 8th, 2014, 06:24 PM	#2
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Why not throw a couple of screen grabs up here and I'd bet some of the Vegas CC gurus will have a crack at it and would be able to at least get you going in the right direction. __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

August 8th, 2014, 08:39 PM	#3
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? I cannot remember exactly where I found it but there is a free plug in for Vegas that does white balance correction. I guess how effective it is depends on the amount of cast on the footage. Most cameras do a pretty good job of auto white balance but the biggest issue nowdays seems to be indoor events where the venue has use blue LED lighting and that is a real image killer and almost impossible to correct. Have you looked at the CC tutorials that are on YouTube ..there are many many to choose from so that would be a good start. Chris

August 9th, 2014, 02:43 AM	#5
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Hi Grazie Yeah, that's the one I was thinking of but without a sample still it's hard to figure out if this might be a feasible task ... I've seen a theatre performance that was lit entirely with blue LED's and man, I wouldn't like to tackle that one!! Sometimes the source footage has to been relatively good otherwise you are fighting a losing battle. We need to wait for the OP to upload at least a sample screen shot I think Chris

August 9th, 2014, 02:54 AM	#6
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Yeah, LEDs can be a nightmare. Why? 'cos if they are of the many that are out there, then what we are dealing with are HOLES in the reflected light's spectrogram. Seriously, we could be attempting to colour correct wavelengths that just aren't there to correct. I've attended at least 4 seminars on this subject and came away understanding more and more just what LEDs provide. Yes, there are LED banks that have been designed for across-spectrum to approximate tungsten. Mostly it's a mess. OK ASAP we'd like to see a sample. Email sent. Grazie

August 9th, 2014, 04:45 AM	#7
Richard Jones Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Woking, England Posts: 116	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Have you tried restoring WB using Sony's own Colour Corrector? Select a white (or high end) tone with the left eyedropper under the right wheel and do the same for a mid tone (r.g facial colours or clothing) and, rarely necessary, a dark tone (shadow or black) with the left eye droppers under the other wheels, Can be most effective but I have to say that I like most of all Fredeic Baumann's WB corrector already referred to. Richard

August 9th, 2014, 06:50 AM	#8
Frank Grygier Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Austin,TX Posts: 125	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Shooting the scene with a grey or white card can help with WB in post. I would also scout the location and do some tests to insure the best results in camera.

August 9th, 2014, 08:29 AM	#9
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Hi Frank Getting it right from the start is obviously the right way to go BUT the OP has mentioned that the footage he has was shot from a camera that wasn't white balanced correctly so the damage is already done. Chris

August 12th, 2014, 11:41 PM	#10
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? Show us the screen capture with Vectorscope and RGB parade. That would help. __________________ Firewerkz Films SGP

August 13th, 2014, 06:48 PM	#11
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: Any Color-Correction Experts Out There? I find it strange that people ask for help and all the helpful souls here will take precious time to answer and give advice and then the OP disappears off the face of the earth??? It seems to happen quite often, so Jerry? If you don't post your screen shot as promised no-one can help you with your problem.