color calibration

[Gogu]

Hello,

I want to know what are my options in premiere regarding color control.
My monitor is color calibrated but i don't know if this calibration mantains itself in premiere. Is there some option like in Photoshop to assign a color profile to the image ?
The second problem is that the image looks different in the premiere window than in other players. Right now on my sistem it looks darker and more contrast in premiere and after I open it with, VLC let's say, it looks with low contrast and brighter.
Also what I se on my camera's LCD ( Sony EX1) doesn't look the same in premiere nor in other players. The image i'm seeing on the computer is what the camera really records or should I trust my camera' LCD and not my computer screen.
Thanks!

[ajwwong]

I have a similar problem:

**The image on the editing window in Premiere looks much Redder and darker than what I see in the viewfinder of my DVX100b.**

How can I adjust either Premiere or my Monitor to get accurate color? Is there something I should match it to?

Thanks!

[egproductions]

I've found that getting the computer monitor to match NTSC video is very difficult. Windows should have a defualt NTSC ICC profile but I've always had trouble with it. What you will want to do to see acurate colors is hook up a reference monitor through a variety of methods. I haven't made a full transition to HD yet so I can offer you my SD solution. I hook up a cheap Mini-DV cam through firewire and non-professional refernce monitor through that. I lay down color bars in premiere and calibrate the TV using those. (turn into B/W and get the 7.5IRE black bar to show up slightly without the 0 IRE bar popping out) because you are going through DV your black levels aren't properly calibrated so you won't actually see how clean your blacks look until you export a DVD and watch it on a normal DVD player that converts digital to analog black levels. For HD I believe you have to get a SDI breakout card for you computer (or maybe you can go though you camera also)

Some more professional cameras will convert digital to analog black levels for you in which case you are set. You can also hook up a professional reference monitor which will convert balck levels as well, but those can be really expensive. oh yeah, another option is to buy a $300 proc-amp to put between the cam and the monitor.

For more information about black levels look here:
http://www.signvideo.com/dv-black-levels-dvd-authoring-mpeg-2-part-1.htm

[Andy Olson]

What type of monitor are you using? CRT or LCD?

Usually, you need to have a professional monitor that is made for color correction such as some of the Sony or JVC CRT TV monitors. They are balanced and color calibrated for broadcast. A regular tv with a lot of fine-tuning can come close, but they generally will still have their own 'look.' You'd have to do that fine-tuning by send color bars through Premiere and also doing what the last poster suggested and going through firewire to really see what the monitor is doing.

Another sort of workaround is to just do a sample color correction and watch it on as many monitors as possible to see how it looks.

Color correction monitors are one of those things that it maybe worth picking up a used CRT Video monitor to start with so you know you are coming from a good foundation for correction. LCDs and normal tv's have a lot of variances.

Best,
Andy

[ajwwong]

Thanks for the suggestions...

I've been using the default LCD Dell Monitor that came with my computer. Maybe I'll see if I can pickup an old used Sony / JVC CRT color correcting monitor for cheap. [I don't own a TV otherwise the other option of running color bars sounds good.. :-) ]