Blue tint video at DVinfo.net

Steve Salmoni · July 31st, 2006, 08:28 PM

Hi tere.
I'm currently working on a documentary aimed for TV broadcasting. The first footage I took has a blue tint that was caused by daylight. I didn't know at the time how to balance the white etc. However, I'm surprised that there's no "Blue tint removal" preset in the color corrector in Vegas, since I guess that this is a common problem. I've tried correcting with several plugins but I always affect the other colors too and end up getting unnatural looking colors. Does anybody have a trick on removing that blue cast?

Thanx.

Steve

Jimmy McKenzie · July 31st, 2006, 08:49 PM

Since you recorded at the incorrect colour temperature, there is no way to get the colours that were at the shoot. It's not a "cast" it's a product of the colour space as defined by 5600 degrees kelvin that you recorded at. Unless you want a desuturated look to shift away from the blue when you colour correct, then you are stuck ....

Kevin Richard · July 31st, 2006, 10:38 PM

that is correct but you can correct it some... there is an article somewhere... I wish I knew... but you use the color corrector tool and the negative eye dropers under each wheel.. on for the blackest black one for the whitest white and one for grey and it will balance it out... you can then figet it around after that... but that is the best you can do in post.

Just play with it till you are happy.

Steve Salmoni · July 31st, 2006, 11:37 PM

Actually the best thing I've found so far doesn't even involve the color corrector plugin. I use a brownish overlay track and I play with the opacity. It still doesn't look very natural, but it's better than that blue cast.
I'll play around with that for awhile.

Thanx guys

Don Bloom · August 1st, 2006, 05:30 AM

By using the color correction (not the secondary color correction yet) and setting the wheels towards the yellow side you will do the same, no much much more than you are accomplishing with the brown overlay track. You will have much more control over the highs, lows and mid range look. It will never be perfect but it can be gotten very close with some patience and diligence using color correction, secondary color correction and levels.

Don

Guy Bruner · August 1st, 2006, 06:35 AM

I also find color curves to be helpful with this problem. You can individually tweak each of the R, G and B channels at multiple points along the curve.

Kevin Richard · August 1st, 2006, 11:59 AM

And don't forget that 6 channel color corrector plug in someone has created (shame I don't know who it is since I like it so much).

Guy Bruner · August 1st, 2006, 02:49 PM

That would be Carl Adahl's 6-vector color corrector.

Kevin Richard · August 1st, 2006, 03:46 PM

That's it! Thanks and many thanks to Carl, I love it!

Steve Salmoni · August 7th, 2006, 12:09 PM

Thanks for that.
I downloaded that 6-vector app but I don't quite get it. The only color with which it seems to do something is blue, and I can only desaturate it. I found abetter way to do it with the secondary color corrector by slightly going into the yellow. I find the regular color corrector a bit hard to use. I did my tests with people and they actually think the corrected color looks good. I don't know. Maybe it's just the fact that I know it was corrected.
If you guys have any info on how to correct the blue cast with the 6-vector, please let me know. Oh ya, and some places where I could find some other plugins like that would be cool too.
Thanx a lot.

Ciao

Steve

Kevin Richard · August 7th, 2006, 12:14 PM

Yeah, you are too involved to be able to see it objectively... I easily get like that... I was working on a comercial and they decided they wanted the guys BRIGHT orange tie to be blue! So I fixed it but thought it looked so fake and cheesy.... but in reality no one else could tell I did it... I still can't look at it and not think "Wow, that's hideous!" but I guess if I didn't know then I wouldn't know ;)

Glenn Chan · August 7th, 2006, 12:54 PM

As Kevin and others pointed out... you can use the color corrector for this.

Under the middle and right-most color wheels, there is a negative eyedropper.

Click on the eyedroppers, then drag-select an area on a neutral color in the image (something that is supposed to be grey/white).

If you have blown-out whites in the shot, the color corrector will add an orange/yellow color to them. To make them white again, you can try the secondary color corrector or you could clip the whites with the color curves filter (see http://glennchan.info/Proofs/dvinfo/color-curves.veg ). I think you could also use 1/2 instances of the Levels filter to clip things.

Kevin Richard · August 7th, 2006, 01:14 PM

Who's "Levin" ;)

Glenn Chan · August 7th, 2006, 02:23 PM

My bad, typo.

July 31st, 2006, 08:28 PM	#1
Steve Salmoni Tourist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Montreal - Quebec Posts: 3	Blue tint video Hi tere. I'm currently working on a documentary aimed for TV broadcasting. The first footage I took has a blue tint that was caused by daylight. I didn't know at the time how to balance the white etc. However, I'm surprised that there's no "Blue tint removal" preset in the color corrector in Vegas, since I guess that this is a common problem. I've tried correcting with several plugins but I always affect the other colors too and end up getting unnatural looking colors. Does anybody have a trick on removing that blue cast? Thanx. Steve

July 31st, 2006, 08:49 PM	#2
Jimmy McKenzie Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Waterloo Ontario Posts: 721	you were right with the white balance... Since you recorded at the incorrect colour temperature, there is no way to get the colours that were at the shoot. It's not a "cast" it's a product of the colour space as defined by 5600 degrees kelvin that you recorded at. Unless you want a desuturated look to shift away from the blue when you colour correct, then you are stuck ....

July 31st, 2006, 11:37 PM	#4
Steve Salmoni Tourist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Montreal - Quebec Posts: 3	Overlay track Actually the best thing I've found so far doesn't even involve the color corrector plugin. I use a brownish overlay track and I play with the opacity. It still doesn't look very natural, but it's better than that blue cast. I'll play around with that for awhile. Thanx guys

August 7th, 2006, 12:09 PM	#10
Steve Salmoni Tourist Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Montreal - Quebec Posts: 3	6-Vector Thanks for that. I downloaded that 6-vector app but I don't quite get it. The only color with which it seems to do something is blue, and I can only desaturate it. I found abetter way to do it with the secondary color corrector by slightly going into the yellow. I find the regular color corrector a bit hard to use. I did my tests with people and they actually think the corrected color looks good. I don't know. Maybe it's just the fact that I know it was corrected. If you guys have any info on how to correct the blue cast with the 6-vector, please let me know. Oh ya, and some places where I could find some other plugins like that would be cool too. Thanx a lot. Ciao Steve

August 7th, 2006, 12:54 PM	#12
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	As Kevin and others pointed out... you can use the color corrector for this. Under the middle and right-most color wheels, there is a negative eyedropper. Click on the eyedroppers, then drag-select an area on a neutral color in the image (something that is supposed to be grey/white). If you have blown-out whites in the shot, the color corrector will add an orange/yellow color to them. To make them white again, you can try the secondary color corrector or you could clip the whites with the color curves filter (see http://glennchan.info/Proofs/dvinfo/color-curves.veg ). I think you could also use 1/2 instances of the Levels filter to clip things. Last edited by Glenn Chan; August 7th, 2006 at 02:23 PM.

July 31st, 2006, 10:38 PM	#3
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	that is correct but you can correct it some... there is an article somewhere... I wish I knew... but you use the color corrector tool and the negative eye dropers under each wheel.. on for the blackest black one for the whitest white and one for grey and it will balance it out... you can then figet it around after that... but that is the best you can do in post. Just play with it till you are happy.

August 1st, 2006, 05:30 AM	#5
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	By using the color correction (not the secondary color correction yet) and setting the wheels towards the yellow side you will do the same, no much much more than you are accomplishing with the brown overlay track. You will have much more control over the highs, lows and mid range look. It will never be perfect but it can be gotten very close with some patience and diligence using color correction, secondary color correction and levels. Don

August 1st, 2006, 06:35 AM	#6
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	I also find color curves to be helpful with this problem. You can individually tweak each of the R, G and B channels at multiple points along the curve.

August 1st, 2006, 11:59 AM	#7
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	And don't forget that 6 channel color corrector plug in someone has created (shame I don't know who it is since I like it so much).

August 1st, 2006, 02:49 PM	#8
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	That would be Carl Adahl's 6-vector color corrector.

August 1st, 2006, 03:46 PM	#9
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	That's it! Thanks and many thanks to Carl, I love it!

August 7th, 2006, 12:14 PM	#11
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	Yeah, you are too involved to be able to see it objectively... I easily get like that... I was working on a comercial and they decided they wanted the guys BRIGHT orange tie to be blue! So I fixed it but thought it looked so fake and cheesy.... but in reality no one else could tell I did it... I still can't look at it and not think "Wow, that's hideous!" but I guess if I didn't know then I wouldn't know ;)

August 7th, 2006, 01:14 PM	#13
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	Who's "Levin" ;)

August 7th, 2006, 02:23 PM	#14
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	My bad, typo.