Import darker footage than originally shot in good lighting
- Thread starter mcvideo
- Start date
ProfessorU
Veteran
This sounds like a gamma issue.
Are you saying that you've imported and never had this problem before?
Are you saying that you've imported and never had this problem before?
mcvideo
Well-known member
yes, that is correct. this is the second time i actually import footage from a project i'm working on. Two separate projects. Many small tests were done in between imports of actual footage with no issues prior to shooting. Previous project (my 1st) imported good. For some reason my 2nd project imported in ok but the footage, my lighting is off a bit. Looks like i lost half my lighting as displayed on my laptop and external lcd screen.
So you think this is a gamma issue? Can you elaborate on this and how i should go about to correct it? Any chances my footage is bad? I'm going crazy thinking i could not have recorded with 1/2 the lights i actually used to light my subject -one speaker (used lowell 55 and tota with pro light).
I also had an external 720p display HD 19" monitor on set and i as others viewing the monitor thought the footage looked great and was properly lit.
So you think this is a gamma issue? Can you elaborate on this and how i should go about to correct it? Any chances my footage is bad? I'm going crazy thinking i could not have recorded with 1/2 the lights i actually used to light my subject -one speaker (used lowell 55 and tota with pro light).
I also had an external 720p display HD 19" monitor on set and i as others viewing the monitor thought the footage looked great and was properly lit.
beno
Well-known member
grab the HD monitor you had on set and plug it into your computer. If it looks good on this monitor then at least the information is there and it's a case of boosting the gamma or brightness on a properly configured monitor.
Maybe it just looked good on set because the lighting was dark and the monitor looked bright in the environment.
My laptop and some LCDs take time to warm up before it displays at full brightness.
Maybe the lighting looked the same on set monitor and only now that you isolate it in another room it's possible to see that it looks dark...
care to post a grab?
Maybe it just looked good on set because the lighting was dark and the monitor looked bright in the environment.
My laptop and some LCDs take time to warm up before it displays at full brightness.
Maybe the lighting looked the same on set monitor and only now that you isolate it in another room it's possible to see that it looks dark...
care to post a grab?
Chris Santucci
Veteran
Make sure you are viewing the footage on a monitor that has been calibrated to display NTSC color bars correctly.
.
.
mcvideo
Well-known member
chris .. thanks for ghe post/suggestion. but i don have a true ntsc monitor. they are pricey for me right now.
mcvideo
Well-known member
right now this is all i'm able to post just so you can see the lighting from a distance. notice how how the monitor hooked up to my hvx displays the footage.
http://photo.ringo.com/250/250570356O964552728.jpg
i'll try and get a actual screen shot of this footage for you to see what im seeing.
i'll have it up by tomorrow evening if not sooner.
http://photo.ringo.com/250/250570356O964552728.jpg
i'll try and get a actual screen shot of this footage for you to see what im seeing.
i'll have it up by tomorrow evening if not sooner.
Interesting. I've had this problem twice and chalked it up to having the VF turned to a non-optimum angle while operating hand held. The shots looked brilliant while I was rolling but turned up about 4 stops darker in post.
When it's happened it's been in the middle of a shoot. No changes in MO - just a couple of random dark shots. FYI - thus far they HAVE NOT been correctable.
When it's happened it's been in the middle of a shoot. No changes in MO - just a couple of random dark shots. FYI - thus far they HAVE NOT been correctable.
TheRedMenace
Carbonite Member
If you set it up correctly using color bars you can... and where exactly do you think most of this footage is going to be judged?
mcvideo
Well-known member
So based on how i and others viewed (judged) the footage on my monitor (19" LCD HD TV 720p display) this still does not answer why my footage came out darker. I will post a screen shot of the actual footage this afternoon.
wgzn
Veteran
what im saying mcvid, is that if your "reference monitor" tends to have a brighter native behavior - and if thats what you are setting your exposure by.
it just stands to reason that your actual captured image will be darker
--- and ok, let me modify my statement a bit. all end-user/consumer TVs intentionally "flavor" the image to various degrees.
some will be more "accurate" than others but it even varies within brand so what you see wont often be an accurate reflection of what youve got.
the crazy wide array of lcd monitors out there just make it a crapshoot. i say if you want to be safe search this forum (and others)
before buying a "budget" field monitor and stick with what working pros have found to work.
a couple years ago i had a friend who bought what was supposed to be a higher end panasonic crt.
it was so natively contrasty that we couldnt get a decent grey out of it at all.
it just stands to reason that your actual captured image will be darker
--- and ok, let me modify my statement a bit. all end-user/consumer TVs intentionally "flavor" the image to various degrees.
some will be more "accurate" than others but it even varies within brand so what you see wont often be an accurate reflection of what youve got.
the crazy wide array of lcd monitors out there just make it a crapshoot. i say if you want to be safe search this forum (and others)
before buying a "budget" field monitor and stick with what working pros have found to work.
a couple years ago i had a friend who bought what was supposed to be a higher end panasonic crt.
it was so natively contrasty that we couldnt get a decent grey out of it at all.
Last edited: